Lily Potter I

Lily Potter (née Evans) was a Muggle-born witch and the mother of Harry Potter, who sacrificed herself for her son, enabling him to be the only known person to survive the Killing Curse. She was known to be quite skilled at Potions; she may also have had some skill at Charms since, according to Ollivander, her wand was "good for Charm work." During the First Wizarding War, she and her husband, James Potter were members of the Order of the Phoenix, and were murdered by Lord Voldemort on October 31, 1981.

Early Life
Lily was born to the Muggle Evans family; she had an older sister named Petunia. At an early age, Lily became friends with Severus Snape, a boy who lived nearby and who fell in love with her. Snape told Lily that she was a witch and the two discussed the wizarding world often, eagerly awaiting when they could attend Hogwarts together. Lily's parents were proud of her magical abilities, but her sister, jealous, considered her to be a freak.

Her wand was 10¼" willow, swishy and good for Charms work.

Time at Hogwarts
At the age of eleven, she attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she was sorted into Gryffindor house. She became quite skilled at Potions and perhaps Charms, attracting the attention of Professor Slughorn who made her a member of his Slug Club. In her seventh year, she became Head Girl.

In her fifth year, Lily stood up for her then-best friend, Severus Snape, when he was being bullied by James Potter, whom she considered to be an arrogant bully. She had addressed James by his surname and attempted to stop his bullying, until Snape lashed out at her in his humiliation, calling her a "Mudblood". This subsequently led to a falling out and parting of ways between Lily and Snape, as the former had already become dismayed by Snape's friendship with aspiring Death Eaters like Mulciber and Avery and his fascination with the Dark Arts. Harry would later witness this scene twice via a pensieve, as well as other scenes depicting his mother's long friendship with Snape.



Also during their fifth year, James tried to ask her out, but she refused, considering him an "arrogant toerag". James's best friend, Sirius Black, later commented that James could not resist showing off and making a fool of himself whenever she was around. She did not, however, hate James; they had just got off on the wrong foot.

Eventually, in their seventh year, Lily and James began dating.

First Wizarding War
Sometime after graduating from Hogwarts in 1978, Lily and James married. They also became members of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation dedicated to fighting Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters, along with their friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. During the war, they defied Voldemort on at least three different occasions. This made their son, Harry James Potter, born on July 31 in 1980, the possibly subject of a prophecy made about the one with the power to defeat Voldemort.

Sybill Trelawney made the prophecy in front of Albus Dumbledore, but part of it was overheard by Lily's former friend, Snape, who had since become a Death Eater. He was horrified when Voldemort came to believe that Lily's son was the subject of the prophecy, and warned Dumbledore of the Dark Lord's plans, offering to do anything to keep the woman he still loved safe.

The Potter family went into hiding with their infant son and kept in touch with their friends with letters. In one letter to Sirius, who was named Harry's godfather, Lily mentioned that the family had a feline companion and relayed a story about Harry flying on a toy broomstick, which was a present from Sirius. The Fidelius Charm was placed on their home in Godric's Hollow. However, their Secret-Keeper, Peter Pettigrew, one of James' best friends at Hogwarts, betrayed them by telling Voldemort of their whereabouts.

On October 31 in 1981, Voldemort entered their home. James told Lily to take Harry and leave while he held him off. However, James was killed before Lily and Harry could escape the house. Trapping mother and son in Harry's nursery, Voldemort, honoring Snape's request, offered Lily a chance to step aside. She steadfastly refused to stop shielding her son, though, and Voldemort killed her. However, because of Lily's sacrifice, Harry was marked with the protection of her love, and Voldemort's Killing Curse rebounded off the toddler, destroying the Dark Lord's body and temporarily defeating him.

After Death
However, that would not be the last Harry would see of Lily. During his first year at Hogwarts, he stumbled upon The Mirror of Erised and saw his mother and father beside him. In his third year, whenever he encountered a Dementor he was forced to relive his parents' deaths. In his fourth year while dueling with Voldemort in the Little Hangleton Graveyard, they experienced Priori Incantatem and shades of his mother and father (as well as others Voldemort’s wand had killed) came out of Voldemort's wand to help Harry in his escape. In his fifth year, Harry entered Snape's memory of being bullied by James via the use of Pensieve and saw his mother standing up for Snape. In 1998, he relived that same memory of Snape's, as well as many others containing his mother. Finally, during the final battle when Harry believed himself to be walking to his own death, he used the Resurrection Stone to bring back an image of Lily, as well as James, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. Lily's only grandaughter was named after her.

Physical Description
Lily Evans was, according to Harry Potter, "very pretty". She had long, dark red hair and almond-shaped green eyes that her son and grandson Albus inherited.

Personality and Traits
Lily was known for being a very kind and gifted witch. She was an excellent student, becoming Head Girl in her final year at Hogwarts. She was a favourite of Professor Horace Slughorn, who noted that she was witty and charming. She had a habit of seeing the best in others even when they could not see it themselves, often sticking up for those others criticized, such as Severus Snape. However, when Lily could no longer tolerate Snape's increasing involvement in the Dark Arts, she ended the friendship, sticking to her principles. She and her husband were also brave and self-sacrificing, defying Voldemort three times as members of the Order of the Phoenix and dying to protect their son.

Behind the scenes

 * In the films, Geraldine Somerville plays Lily as an adult, and Susie Shinner plays her as a teenager. J.K. Rowling was asked to play Lily in the Mirror of Erised scene of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film), but she refused the part because she said that she was "not cut out to be an actress because she'd mess-up somehow."
 * In the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban film, Remus Lupin mentions that Lily had been there for him at a time when no one else was. This statement may or may not be canon, as the books never imply that Lily knew Lupin well until after she started dating James.
 * Susie Shinner did not appear as Lily in the film version of Order of the Phoenix, although a promotional image showed her in costume.
 * In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film), Voldemort taunts Harry by calling Lily "your filthy Muggle mother" rather than "Mudblood", even though she's a Muggle-born witch. This may be a slip of the tongue, or a reference to Voldemort's father being a Muggle himself. Note that in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film), the Tom Riddle coming out of his diary uses the term Mudblood.
 * In European folklore and the infamous treatise on witchcraft, Malleus Maleficarum, the combination of red hair and green eyes was considered the mark of a witch, thus it is notable that Lily Evans possesses this exact colouring.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Notes and references
Lily Evans Lily Evans