Evans family

As today is Harry Potter's 44th birthday, I guess you all might want to see something so shocking and heartbreaking about his life 😢😭:

Who was in the right and who was in the wrong? Based on this story below, I think much of the wrong seemed to be coming unsurprisingly from Vernon and I probably would have knocked him to the ground if I was in James's shoes. Give me your opinions!

• The first meeting between Lily, her boyfriend James Potter, and the engaged couple, went badly, and the relationship nose-dived from there. James was amused by Vernon, and made the mistake of showing it. Vernon tried to patronise James, asking what car he drove. James described his racing broom. Vernon supposed out loud that wizards had to live on unemployment benefit. James explained about Gringotts, and the fortune his parents had saved there, in solid gold. Vernon could not tell whether he was being made fun of or not, and grew angry. The evening ended with Vernon and Petunia storming out of the restaurant, while Lily burst into tears and James (a little ashamed of himself) promised to make things up with Vernon at the earliest opportunity. This never happened. Petunia did not want Lily as a bridesmaid, because she was tired of being overshadowed; Lily was hurt. Vernon refused to speak to James at the reception, but described him, within James’ earshot, as ‘some kind of amateur magician’.

You can remember precisely the first time she brought him home.

Vernon was there, of course. He'd seen the youngest Evans daughter only through pictures and heard of her only through your clipped explanations. You have no doubt, pictures or not, that he was surprised when she stepped in the door. Your family looked normal, typical and ordinary; the girl at the doorway with the bright red hair and the vibrant green eyes did not.

Initially, it was to be the nice dinner that your parents always threw when Lily arrived home from school. It was a time for catching up, they said, a time for Lily to share her exciting life of magic and wonder and adventure and for you, Petunia, to recount your dull drum events - minor scandals, half-interesting teachers and less-than-remarkable friends.

It was also the dinner at which you planned to announce your engagement. Even amidst Lily's tales of graduation and wonder and magic, they had to care about your engagement. Surely nothing she said could top that. You were the oldest, you were getting married, and they would damn well care.

And then, when Lily walked in, he was behind her.

It was the first time Lily had ever brought a boy home, and you remembered distinctly your instant dislike for the way he poked his head around the doorway and donned that forsaken subtle smile.

She introduced him as James Potter, he smiled and shook your hand, and you knew, instantly, that Lily had outdone you yet again.

Your parents liked Vernon plenty. He was nice, he had a job, was reliable, and he was normal. You figured they'd be happy enough to have him a part of the family. They liked him.

But instantaneously, they loved James.

Of course they did – he had his charming smiles, his charismatic presence, his perfectly-timed jokes and a sense of life about him. He sat at the table next to your sister and as you looked around, you saw the difference. You were family, by blood, but now, seven years after she'd first left, you were scarcely recognizable. She and that boy were so reckless, so young, so naïve and so passionate – you and Vernon were so cautious, so simple, so normal and so safe.

They were the freaks, you knew that. When you looked at your parents, you saw your future. Your parents had been like you. They had been nothing out of the ordinary, and neither would you. Lily was the oddball, the misfit, the fluke accident – and they loved her for it.

You never announced your engagement that night. The dinner was spent listening to Lily and James recount tales of school and chaos and their many misadventures, while you and Vernon were expected to sit quietly and listen.

You could tell by his disinterested grunts and the dark looks he occasionally sent across the table at Lily's counterpart that Vernon was jealous. He had been involved with you for over three years, now, and not once had your parents ever warmed up to him in the way they were warming up to the boy who'd been here not three hours. Who were these people? He was engaged to Petunia Evans and he'd never met them before. How were they – wild, rambunctious, untamed, unhindered – possibly related to you, perfectly plain Petunia? Vernon loved normalcy almost as much as you did and these people were not normal.

He hated them, but then again, you hated them more.

You saw the change this boy brought about in your sister. She was the way she had been before, when she was a young girl, animated and rambunctious and full of laughter, love and life. She wasn't the quiet, studious girl she had suddenly become in her teen years – all of the sudden, Daddy's little inferno was back, with all the liveliness that you'd almost forgotten she had.

Maybe that was why your parents loved him so much.

Maybe that was why they cried at her wedding but not at yours. Maybe that was why, after your ceremony, they'd walked over to Vernon and given him a clap on the back and a smile, when after Lily's ceremony they swooped down on James, crying, Mum kissing him on the cheek and Dad welcoming him to the family.

Maybe you didn't cry at their funeral because of that, because Lily Evans meant more to them than Petunia Evans, and because Lily Potter was still their daughter while Petunia Dursley never had been. Maybe that's why at their funeral you'd been so blank, emotionless and apathetic while Lily, perfectly invincible girl that she was, had collapsed into her husband's arms, sobbing.

Maybe that's why you never went to Lily's funeral at all. You're sure she had one, and, knowing Lily, quite a spectacular one. After all, she and that boy were twisted celebrities of war, icons and names to fuel the propaganda bonfire, and it only makes sense that their death be marked with a bang.

You think you knew, somehow, it would be like this, from that instant she brought him home.

And maybe, you think, that's what makes you hate her son so much. You see so much of them in him – the boyish charm of his father that won your parents in an instant the way Vernon never did, the strong-hearted determination his mother had that inevitably lead to her death. In him, you can see a spark, a drive, a fire that, as much as you search for it and as much as you wish it were there, you know resides in neither you or Dudley.

You know who would be the favorite grandchild if your parents were still alive.

And you know that like his parents he's running out of time. You know that, just like them, he'll be lucky to make it to twenty. But that's what they get – all of them – for being so damn wonderful.

The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and the Potters had always been blazing.

You just wish, sometimes, that the Dursleys glowed a little brighter.

As tragic as I find her youth, always secretly wishing, hoping she was magical too, always overlooked by her parents and all else, I can't ever fully sympathise with her, just for the fact she neglected and abused a child in need. It was her last string to her sister, she could've had a chance to make things right, yet she allowed Harry's life at "home" to be so miserable? She knew how painful feeling neglected could be, yet she actively chose day after day to neglect her little nephew, who lost both his parents... I just can't understand and therefore I can't forgive nor really sympathise with her character.

In late 1977, James met Lily's parents for the first time. Lily's father was initially wary and reluctant about meeting James because his meetings with Petunia's fiancee Vernon were not the best and he was wondering what if this one (Lily's boyfriend) is worse, but by the end of the meeting Lily's father's worries evaporated completely.

Mr and Mrs Evans found James (who had a great sense of humour) to be very charming and amusing. James and Lily's father were both passionate about sports and they spoke non-stop about Quidditch and football. James would also low-key flirt with Lily's mother by calling her madame and he and Sirius (who arrived later on during the date) were singing to her "Happy Birthday you don't look your age" (it was Lily's mother's birthday and she looked quite young for her age), something which flattered Lily's mother. Lily's father (in a joking manner) warns them off: "Boys I appreciate your sweet gesture but don't forget, that's my wife your talking to."

Both of Lily's parents (especially her father) really loved James as if he were their son. Mr and Mrs Evans preferred James a lot more than they did Vernon and they got along a lot well with James than they ever did with Vernon, something which exacerbated Petunia's resentment and jealousy of her sister Lily even more. Petunia was sick of her parents talking non-stop about Lily's boyfriend and what really broke the line for Petunia was when she overheard her mother saying this to their father: "To be honest, he (James) is a far better bloke than Petunia's boyfriend."

What are your thoughts on all of this?

Here is a family tree theory I came up with. It shows a way that Harry could be related to the Weasley family by Molly Weasley (née Prewett, who in this theory would be his third cousin once removed) marrying into it.

First off, this would mean that Molly Weasley's family, the Prewetts, were not entirely pure-blood, with a few Muggles having married into the family. It would also mean that Lily Potter (née Evans) simply thought she was Muggle-born, not knowing that her father--also Molly Weasley's second cousin, who Ron mentioned was an accountant--was a Squib. (This is entirely plausible; the Wizarding world must keep its existence a secret from Muggles to the fullest extent possible. Also, as revealed by J.K. Rowling herself in a post-Deathly Hallows interview, Muggle-born wizards and witches would not have magical powers if they did not have a Squib somewhere on their family tree.)

More significantly, it would also mean that Harry and Ginny were distantly related--but is their relation distant enough that this wouldn't get in the way of their relationship?

The Weasley family would also not be related to the Potter family in this theory until Lily (a fairly distant relative of theirs) married into the Potter family; this would explain the difference in financial situations between the two families.

If this family tree theory is true, then one might wonder why Harry went to live with the Dursleys, who treated him far worse than the Weasleys did when Harry was at the Burrow. The magic behind Harry living with his mother's blood would still be effective if Molly Weasley and Lily Potter were second cousins, as they are in this theory. Therefore, the only reason Harry would continue to live with the Dursleys despite their mistreatment of him, is if there were a legal requirement that Harry had to live with his closest living relatives--who would still be the Dursleys.

Here's another theory of mine: What if the entire pure-blood supremacist ideology is nothing more than the Wizarding world's revenge on the Muggles for forcing the Wizarding community into hiding? Just so you know, in no way do I believe that this justifies what is basically the Wizarding equivalent of racism.

A/N: Violet Evans is the long-lost sister of Lily and Petunia. She's magical, but her abilities didn't kick in until she turned 18 and moved to NYC, USA. She's also deaf. Any questions, ask me below! Also, the story has no clear cutoffs so I will try my best.

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I look up from my desk at MACUSA. The newspaper is placed, or should I say thrown, in front of me. I don’t spend much time looking at it, but a headline catches my eye. “Harry Potter, the Chosen One, Defeats Voldemort Overseas.” I began to read the article.

Harry Potter, orphaned son of James Potter and Lily Potter (née Evans)...

I drop the newspaper. Lily Evans, as in my sister Lily Evans? No, no. Lily can’t be dead. Even if she is, why haven’t I heard this before? How could I not know? Sure, I haven’t talked to my sisters in years, but you would think Petunia or Mum or Dad or someone would send me a letter, right? I scan more of the article. There was a war. An entire war, and I was too busy with my job to even notice. I walk up the stairs, trying to look as sophisticated as you can when you have a very distressed expression upon your face. I head straight to President Smith’s office.

“Allison, may I speak to you?” Yes, I’m on a first name basis with the President of MACUSA.

“Of course, Violet. Come in.”

“Have you heard about the war with Voldemort?” She nods. I take a deep breath and continue. “My younger sister, Lily Evans, I think- I think she’s dead. Can you please look at the casualties of the war?” She pulls out a file.

“Lily Evans… Lily Evans… ah! Lily Potter née Evans died about sixteen years ago, in the first war with Voldemort. Her son, Harry Potter went to live with his aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley.”

“Thank you so much, Allison. I would like a week or so off from work, if that’s possible.”

She nods. I go to my desk, finish up my paperwork, and hurry home. Harry Potter. My nephew. Lily Potter. My sister. Dead. How could I have been so ignorant?! Not realizing there was a war going on?! Two wars?! Not realizing my sister died?! That I have a nephew?!

I make up my mind. I’m going to England. I am going to find my nephew and my family.

And that's all for now! I hope you liked it! Feedback is appreciated! Part two will be posted later this week! And if you want a ping, let me know!

You know that part? Well Lily is Harry's mother so they're both distantly related to the Prewett family.

Oh yeah. Did I mention that Molly is a Prewett? So now the Weasley family is distantly related to Harry and Lily.

Oh yeah. Ginny is also related to Harry and Lily

Because Lily's maiden name is Evans

Remember when I said Harry was Lily's son?

Well Ginny and Harry are related. And they got married

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Uh oh

I'm a HUDE Marauders ERA fan so I made this! I put one Jily picture because... why not ;)

(NONE OF THE ART IS MINE! I just made the collage!)