From First to Last

A/N - This took a lot longer to edit and post than I thought. In any case, here is the second chapter of 'From First to Last'. Reviews are greatly appreciate, thank you.

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Hogwarts

Professor McGonagall pulled the door open wide. Lily gaped as she looked around it - the Entrance Hall was enormous and Lily was sure her entire house could fit in here. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was quite high, and the magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

Lily and the rest of the first years followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. She could hear the muffled sounds of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right, but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They all crowded in; Lily shot Kalah a look of nervousness and received one in return.

'Welcome to Hogwarts,' said Professor McGonagall. 'The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is an important ceremony because while you are here, your house will be something like your family inside Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, as well as members of other houses, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.'

'The four houses are called Gryffindor,' James and Sirius grinned at each other, 'Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each House has its noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your victories will earn your house some points, while any rule-breaking will decrease house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

'The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.'

She eyed the short, chubby boy with mousy-haired that was standing at the front of the crowd.

'Ready? Yes, dear? No, no, you don't need to curtsy in front of the Headmaster. Very well, then. The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin. Now, form a line and follow me.'

Lily glanced nervously at Kalah and got into line in front of her, behind the mousy-haired boy. They all followed Professor McGonagall, walking out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors that led to the Great Hall.

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James took a deep intake of breath. He had heard about Hogwarts, but had never imagined it to be so... spectacular. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up to this top landing, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them were barely visible now; they seemed like shadows. And here and there, among the students, several ghosts shone misty silver.

Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. Then she placed a pointed wizard's hat atop it. This hat was patched, frayed and extremely dirty.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing.

Lily watched it in amusement and surprise. The hat was talking - singing, even! And judging by the lack of surprised faces around her, she figured this was not as great of a feat to them as it was to her.

The hat was singing about the school and Lily found herself absorbed in its words. It spoke about the founders of Hogwarts - Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin. It spoke of knowledge, of course, but most importantly it spoke of the union of the four Houses of Hogwarts. Finally, it sang the fact that each first year student had to try it on; the Hat would make the decision of who will be in which house.

When the Sorting Hat finished its rather long (not to mention rhyming) song, Lily burst into applause with the rest of the school. The hat bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again...

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. So she did not need to perform magic... all she had to do was try on a hat...

Kalah nudged her lightly, pointing to someone sitting at a table. Lily looked round.

'That's my sister,' whispered Kalah. 'She's in Gryffindor.' Lily nodded her acknowledgement. Lily wasn't sure which House she wanted to belong to. Severus had told her that Slytherin was a fine house - he expected himself to end up there. But then again, that black-haired boy had said that Gryffindor was better. Not that she believed him, of course. But the other nasty stories she had heard on the train, as well as the whisperings around her as she exited the train had had quite an effect on her opinion of the house.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward, holding a long roll of parchment.

'When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted,' she said. 'Abbott, Archie!'

A pink-faced boy with short blond hair stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over his eyes and sat down. A moment's pause later, the Sorting Hat spoke.

'HUFFLEPUFF!' it shouted.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Archie went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. A ghost waved merrily at him.

'Avery, Michael!'

A black-haired boy made his way to the stool. The hat decided on him quickly.

'SLYTHERIN!'

'Black, Sirius!'

Sirius got out of line nervously and sat down upon the small stool, a grim expression on his face. After a few moments...

'GRYFFINDOR!'

There were hushed whispers coming from the Slytherin table. James cheered silently, pumping his fist in the air. And bewildered Sirius got up suddenly, handed the hat back to Professor McGonagall, and with a huge smile on his face that seemed to reach either ear, he made his way to the Gryffindor table.

'Bones, Edgar!'

'HUFFLEPUFF!' shouted the hat again, and Edgar scuttled off to sit next to Archie.

'Boot, John!'

'RAVENCLAW!'

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with John as he joined them.

And like this, the names continued, placing students in the four houses. Then finally...

'Evans, Lily!'

Lily walked forward on trembling legs and sat down upon the rickety stool. Professor McGonagall dropped the Sorting Hat on her head. This was it...

Barely a second after it had touched the dark red hair, the hat cried, 'GRYFFINDOR!'

Severus let out a tiny groan. Lily took off the hat, handed it back to Professor McGonagall, then hurried toward the cheering Gryffindors, but as she went she glanced back at Snape, and there was a sad little smile on her face. Well, then... It was Gryffindor, after all.

Perhaps, she thought with a bit of hope, Severus would be in Gryffindor too. She reached the table and watched as Sirius moved up the bench to make room for her. She took one look at him, recognized him as the rude boy in the train, folded her arms, and firmly turned her back on him.

[Rowling, Deathly Hallows, p. 354-355]

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The roll call continued. Lily watched as one by one the line of first years grew less. Lupin joined the Gryffindor table, as well as the short, chubby boy that Lily learned was called Peter Pettigrew. Shortly after he joined the table, Professor McGonagall called the next name.

'Potter, James!'

Lily saw the boy with jet-black hair walk up to the stool and sit down. She scowled. It was the other rude boy. After a moments pause, the hat shouted out, 'GRYFFINDOR!'

Lily groaned. Fantastic. Now she had to deal with him too? The Potter boy, grinning from ear to ear, made his way to the Gryffindor table and sat beside her. Feeling frustrated at the fact that she could no longer face left (because Black was sitting there) or right (because then she'd be facing Potter) Lily faced front and put her head down onto the empty table. James and Sirius looked at her amused, then at each other, grinning.

A couple of minutes later, Professor McGonagall called, 'Ramnath, Kalah!'

Lily looked up quickly. Kalah nervously made her way to the stool, sat down and had the hat placed on her head. It had barely touched her head when it shouted, 'GRYFFINDOR!'

Beaming, Kalah hurried toward the Gryffindor table. Lily shot her a wide grin before returning her head onto the table.

When only a dozen students remained to be sorted, Professor McGonagall called out 'Snape, Severus!'

Lily looked up again. She saw as Severus walked to the stool and placed the hat upon his head. There was a pause.

'SLYTHERIN!'

Lily sighed sadly. And Severus moved off to the other side of the Hall, away from Lily, to where the Slytherins were cheering him, to where a tall blond-haired boy, a prefect badge gleaming upon his chest, patted Severus on the back as he sat down beside him.

[Rowling, Deathly Hallows, p. 355]

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Soon after, once all the first years were sorted, Professor Dumbledore stood up, his arms opened wide.

'Welcome,' he said. 'Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! I would like to say a few words... but of course, we all know that no one would be paying attention to my eccentric words with an empty stomach. So, please... let the feast begin!'

And he sat back down, his eyes twinkling.

Lily giggled. Professor Dumbledore certainly was... amusing. She turned back to the table and her mouth fell open. The dishes in front of her were now piled with food. Lily had never seen so many things she liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup... The list seemed to go on.

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'Finally!' James laughed as he watched Sirius pile on food onto the plate in front of him. James himself was also choosing food - though his plate wasn't, and he doubted whether it ever would be - as piled as Sirius'.

James relished the fact that he was in Gryffindor. It wasn't much of a surprise, considering his parents had both belonged to the house, but he had to agree that it still was a hidden fear of his that he would end up in Slytherin.

What pleased him more was the fact that Sirius was in Gryffindor too. He was the only one in his entire family that hadn't belonged to Slytherin house. James brought his plate closer to him and began to eat. He glanced at the girl beside him, Evans was her name, he believed; she was looking at Sirius with a deep look of disgust on her face.

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding... Once again, the list seemed to go on.

James helped himself to a treacle tart. He looked up at the High Table. All of the teachers were seated there. Professor Dumbledore seemed to be in deep conversation with Professor McGonagall, his eyes twinkling. James also recognized the giant from the platform.

At last the desserts too disappeared and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The Hall fell silent.

'Ahem - now for my few words, as we are all fed and watered and many of you can finally hear and understand me,' the girl beside James giggled, 'I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.'

'First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. Also... no magic should be used between classed in the corridors. Mr Filch has already begun to complain about the Duelling that seems to have taken place shortly before arriving to this hall.' Two tall boys, sitting four seats away from James, began to chuckle.

'Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term,' continued Dumbledore. 'Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Knight. Now, run along to your beds, which are as warm and comfortable as you could possibly imagine. Prefects, you know what to do!'

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Lily got up quickly, impatient to get away from the two boys sitting next to her. She found Kalah across the table and ran to catch up with her.

'First years here! First years!'

'Hey, Kalah?' asked Lily.

'Hm?'

'Er... we get to have classes with other Houses right?'

'Yep... Charms with Ravenclaws, Herbology with Hufflepuffs, Potions with Slytherins...' She wrinkled her nose.

'Really?' Lily's face brightened.

'Why?' Kalah looked at her curiously. 'You know... Gryffindors usually hate Slytherins.'

'Why's that?'

Kalah shrugged. 'My sister was telling me. They've hated each other forever.'

But Lily wasn't listening anymore. She would have classes with Severus. She was relieved. At least they could still be friends.

'Ugh, Potions with Slytherins,' said a loud voice which seemed to have overheard Lily and Kalah's conversation. Lily looked round to see the Potter boy talking to his friend, Black. Black grinned, looking extremely pleased that he was not a part of Slytherins that Potter seemed to despise very much.

'I know,' he responded. 'Especially Snivellus.'

Lily looked appalled by the modified version of Severus' name. She shot the boys a look of deep disgust and scurried off with Kalah, who was following one of the Prefects.

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The first years were led through a very long corridor, at the end of which hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. James grinned. The Fat Lady.

'Password?' she said.

'Fizzing Whizbees,' said the tall Prefect, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.

The tall boy - James simply called him Prefect Boy in his mind - directed the girls through one door to their dormitories and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase - they were obviously in one of the towers - James found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. James found himself sharing a room with Sirius, a shabby-looking boy named Remus Lupin, a stock boy who was called Frank Longbottom and the rather fat mousy-haired boy, Peter Pettigrew. They all changed into their pyjamas and went to bed immediately.

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Lily walked into her dormitory, noticing that her trunk was already at the foot of her bed. Moments later, she was followed in by several other girls. Lily was thrilled to discover that Kalah was her roommate, as well as a blond-haired girl with a round, friendly face, named Alice Prewett, a tall, brown-haired girl named Mary MacDonald and a girl with vibrant reddish-brown hair of shoulder-length , who Lily later discovered was named Marlene Sanders.

Lily, too, was feeling quite tired. She slipped into bed quickly and as soon as her head hit the pillow, found herself already asleep.

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Lily got up early the next morning. Getting dressed quickly and grabbing her backpack, she left her dormitory at eight with Kalah and Alice to pick up their timetables and get some breakfast in the Great Hall. Once they received their timetables from the Head Boy and Head Girl, they set off to class.

Lily looked down at her timetable. Her courses were very intriguing indeed. That day's timetable was as follows:

9:00 - 10:00 - Transfiguration

10:00 - 11:00 - Charms

11:00 - 12:00 - Defence Against the Dark Arts

12:00 - 1:00 - LUNCH

1:00 - 2:00 - Herbology

2:00 - 4:00 - Potions

Despite the subjects, Lily was thrilled about going to her classes. She wondered how teachers would teach a subject. At nine o'clock sharp, Lily made her way to first period class: Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall was already sitting at her desk as the students piled into class.

'Transfiguration,' began Professor McGonagall, 'is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned.'

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James was taken aback. He had heard that Professor McGonagall was strict, but he hadn't expected her to be that strict that fast.

James had gotten up early that day. He had gone down to the Great Hall with Sirius to get his timetable at around eight thirty, since his first class was to start at nine o'clock.

And now he was in McGonagall's Transfiguration class.

Momentarily, Professor McGonagall was changing an empty desk in the front row into a goat, and back again. Everyone gasped, evidently impressed.

'Don't get too excited,' said Professor McGonagall briskly. 'You won't be changing furniture into animals for a long time.'

James watched as Professor McGonagall waved her wand at the blackboard at the front of the class and writing automatically appeared on it. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were given a match and were told to change it into a needle.

By the end of the class, only James and Lily had made any progress. Professor McGonagall showed the class how James' match had gone all silver and how Lily's had acquired a point. She gave them both an approving nod.

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Lily was particularly excited about her next class: Charms. She entered the room with Kalah, who also had the class with her and took a seat at the second row. Moments later, Potter and Black followed, and took the seat directly behind the two (a tiny groan escaped from Lily at this point). Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. He began the class taking roll call and went on to explain the wonders of the class; Lily was listening intently to his words.

Lily's next class was Defence Against the Dark Arts. Lily was especially thrilled about this class because the Gryffindors shared D.A.D.A. with the Slytherins - this meant that Severus was in that class with her. As Lily entered the class, Severus followed her and took the seat next to her.

As expected, the first class did not involve much use of magic. The teacher, a round, white-haired man named Professor Gorgenstein, led the class, talking about the horrors of the Dark Arts and how important it was to take his class seriously. In the meantime, James Potter and Sirius Black were mimicking what he was doing from their seat behind both Lily and Severus. It was only the first day, but Black had already taken to kicking the back of Severus' chair every few minutes. Potter, on the other hand, had a rubbish habit of poking Lily in the back and asking her for a quill - he had done this five times already, even though Lily had told him no the first time.

After lunch, which followed shortly afterward, Lily and Kalah were joined by Alice Prewett, Marlene McKinnon, and Frank Longbottom and all four of them made their way to fourth period Herbology.

Herbology class took place in the greenhouses behind the castle and was taught by a tall witch with green hair, whose name was Professor Chubs. Lily discovered easily that this is the class where young witches and wizards learnt how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for. At first, this class seemed to Lily as though it would be quite simple, as she had often helped her mother with planting flowers and such in her backyard. But she learned quite quickly that the plants that Hogwarts kept were... odd. Quite odd indeed.

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James' last class of the day was a double period of Potions. Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, but it had a comfortable air about it as James entered it. A man was already in the room. He was enormously fat, with little hair on his head and a pot-like belly. He smiled broadly as students began to stream into the class.

James took a seat in the fourth row beside Sirius. After a while, when most of the class had appeared, James noticed that Snape was sitting in the second row beside the Evans girl. James nudged Sirius, who was gazing absent-mindedly at the teacher. He looked around at Snape and a smile curved in his lips.

Sirius spoke, loud enough for Snape to hear. 'Oi Snivellus, I think you're in the wrong place! Hogwarts is only for witches and wizards, you know. Not for greasy little gits who don't wash their hair!'

Snape looked around with an astonished expression on his face, which quickly transformed into a scowl. He seemed not to have noticed James or Sirius' presence in the room. But before he could open his mouth to respond, Lily was already talking.

'You're right. It is only for witches and wizards. Definitely not for rude little berks like you!' she shot back at him before turning around promptly without another word. James looked rather taken aback for a moment before he turned to Sirius with a shrug and a grin. And before Sirius' indignant response, the fat, old man spoke.

'Ah... welcome to first year Potions. Well... you are all here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. Potions are extremely important, and though there is little wand-waving and incantations, it is indeed magic. I'm sure everyone has their books, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi?

There was a loud shuffling as everyone reached into their bags and pulled out a thick book.

'Very good, very good,' said Slughorn, nodding. 'Now, I want you to start off with a very simple potion. You can find instructions on page twenty-three of your textbooks... don't worry,' he added hastily, 'I don't expect any masterpieces. This is just a little test to see where everyone's at, you know.'

James and Sirius worked together. Slughorn was walking around the class for the majority of the period, surveying all the students. He watched as they weighed nettles and crushed snake fangs, offering compliments and constructive criticism along the way. The fat, mousy-haired boy, Peter Pettigrew, was having a rather bit of trouble with this, and was dropping and spilling ingredients everywhere.

At the end of the class, Slughorn went around to each cauldron, offering his take on their performance. He stopped and James and Sirius' cauldron, giving them an approving nod, then turned to Severus and Lily's. He gave out an exclamation of happiness.

'Ah! Look at this! Wonderful job, wonderful job! Well done, Miss Evans, Mr Snape! Ten points to Gryffindor and Slytherin!'

Everyone turned around to look curiously. Perhaps it was the fact that both Gryffindor and Slytherin were earning points... for the same potion. Whispers started to fill the room.

'A Gryffindor and a Slytherin? Working together?'

'Why's she working with him?'

'Odd...'

Lily flushed. Everyone was staring at both her and Snape. What was wrong with her working with Snape? Did Gryffindors have to hate Slytherins? The bell rang and Lily scurried out of the classroom, relieved to break everyone's gaze on her.

She appeared in the common room later on and found Kalah, Alice and Frank sitting in the corner on top of a pair of overstuffed chairs. Lily collapsed on the chair next to them. Her first day, she reflected, was quite... interesting.

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'Flying lessons!'

A tall woman with short, spiky hair was standing on the grass outside Hogwarts castle.

James grinned. This was it. He would get to ride a broomstick by himself.

'My name is Madam Knight, and I'm going to be your flight instructor,' said Madam Knight. 'Now, as you know, broom flying is very common among witches and wizards, whether for travel or for entertainment. So it is important for you all to know the basics at least. Now, all of you have broomsticks at your right. First thing I want you lot to do is to hold out your right arm and say up.'

Everyone was talking all at once. For the next few minutes, students held out their hands, consecutively saying, 'Up'.

For James, the broomstick at his right had flown to his hand at first try. He turned and grinned at Sirius, who was having a bit of a talking match with his own broom.

'Oi, up. Up. Up. Up, dammit! Ah - ow - son of a -' Sirius rubbed the spot on his forehead, sure that it was going to leave a bruise the next day. James laughed at his choice of vocabulary.

Lily had managed to get her broomstick into her hands at around the third try, but found that Severus was having a miserable time. Having realized that he was the only one to whom a broomstick did not fly, he quickly bent down and picked it up.

'Alright then,' said Madam Knight, once Snape had his broom clutched tightly in his hand and the sniggering had died down. 'Now, mount your brooms and lightly kick off from the ground, keeping your brooms steady.'

James eagerly mounted his broom. Sirius followed suit. Snape, who was still nerved by his inability to make the broomstick come to his hands, did not even attempt to mount his.

Looking around at his surroundings, James promptly kicked off from the ground, shooting upward and hovering some ten feet above the ground.

'Well done, Mr Potter! Well done indeed!'

Lily looked up in the middle of mounting her broom, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand. She sighed exasperatedly. It was Potter again. By now, Lily had come to the definite conclusion that she didn't like this boy. Or his friend, Black, either.

She finally mounted her broom moments later. Many other students were starting to kick off from the ground too. Lily watched as Kalah zoomed past her, floating up in the air. Lily kicked off lightly, and was quite surprised (even though she had already witnessed it) to find that the broomstick hovered. She leant forward slightly with a grin and the broom, obeying her movements, thrust forward.

Easy, thought Lily, now hovering quite high herself. No wonder witches and wizards use brooms! Lily smiled as she flew higher into the air. She wondered how fast the broomstick would be able to fly. Just as she thought this, she leant forward and the broomstick seemed to go out of control.

It happened very fast. The broom swerved up, then down, and then with enormous power, sped up and zoomed forward. Terrified, Lily held tighter; but this only seemed to make the broom go faster.

Finally, Lily flew right into another student in the air, who seemed to have not noticed her coming his way. He turned just in time to see her slam into him hard, and together, they stumbled off their broomsticks, falling to the ground with incredible speed.

Lily's scream of terror never left her. She heard screaming all about her, unable to distinguish between the voices, as well as a whistle, which she later figured belonged to Madam Knight. Finally, she blacked out...

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James opened his eyes, feeling groggy. His body was aching, especially his left arm, which was particularly killing him. His head was also throbbing with dizziness.

He got up slowly, wincing with pain and realizing that his left arm was in a sling. He was in the hospital wing. How had he gotten there? The last thing he remembered was Evans crashing into him at flying lessons...

James turned his head slowly, and to his surprise, saw her lying on a separate bed next to him. He looked at her closely. She was sleeping (he hoped she was, at least). Her dark red hair was in wavy locks about her face and contrasted sharply to her now pale skin. James could see the light brown freckles on her nose. He thought briefly that she looked like an angel, sleeping peacefully on the bed like that...

James shook his head, still feeling dizzy as a young nurse entered the room, looking at him delightfully.

'Ah, you're awake! Very good, very good, then! I'm Madam Pomfrey, the assistant nurse here. I shall be calling Madam Lambridge shortly.' She beamed at James.

James nodded, and then slowly indicated to Lily on his right. 'Is she... er...?' he began, with a hint of anxiety in his voice.

'Oh, don't you worry! She's fine. A bit of a concussion and a broken ankle, but other than that, she's perfectly fine. Now, you just relax while I get the head nurse.'

James nodded and fell back on his bed as Madam Pomfrey left, feeling slightly relieved. He turned back to look at Lily. After a few moments, she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open and James saw her emerald-green eyes meet his hazel ones. He looked away quickly and sat up on his bed.

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Lily's head was killing her. She couldn't remember how it was she ended up at the hospital wing, but one look at Potter brought it all back. She was flying and in all her excitement, had lost control of the broom and crashed. It was one thing that she had crashed on her own, but an entirely different matter that she had pulled Potter down with her. Whether or not he was a rude berk, he hadn't deserved it.

Lily sat up in her bed. Potter was avoiding her gaze. He must hate me, thought Lily. Not that she cared, of course; it was the reasoning behind it that made Lily feel guilty. She noticed the sling on James' left arm and finally spoke.

'Are you... okay?'

James didn't look at her, but nodded stiffly. Lily pressed on.

'It must hurt... If it's broken and all. Sorry... it was a really stupid thing I did out there. You must hate me.'

And with that, he glanced at her quickly and shook his head. 'It doesn't hurt all that much,' he said hastily, examining his left arm. 'The nurses at Hogwarts are really good. My dad told me about them. I heard they could re-grow bones and everything.'

'Really?' It was hard for Lily to keep the amazement from her voice. Whether it was from Snape or Potter, stories about magic were very alluring.

'I've never been on a broomstick,' said Lily quickly, looking down in embarrassment. 'It's just... I've always wanted to fly.'

James nodded understandingly. 'Yeah, it's really great. Minus the fall and all,' he added jokingly with a shrug. Lily grinned and looked as though she were about to say something when Madam Pomfrey retuned with an older woman at her side. The older woman spoke.

'Ah, you're both awake, now!' she said, looking from Lily to James. 'You both had us all very worried! You fell down about thirty feet at high speed, you know! And on the first week of school!'

Lily looked down again, her face flaming with embarrassment.

'Don't worry about it now, dear,' said Madam Lambridge kindly, noticing Lily's embarrassment. 'These things happen. It's not much of an injury. You'll both be able to leave this evening, in any case. Once you've both taken your medication.'

'Thanks, Madam Lambridge,' said James, reaching across the table next to his bed and grabbing his glasses.

Lily couldn't help but laugh at Potter's face as he looked down at his glasses and saw that they were broken.

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Lily woke up the next morning feeling perfectly fine. The Hogwarts infirmary really was amazing. She quickly got dressed, grabbed her backpack and headed toward first period History of Magic, grabbing an apple at the Great Hall first. On the way there, she stopped to greet Remus Lupin in the Entrance Hall.

History of Magic had quite a dull classroom. As the bell rang, a pearly-white ghostly figure entered through the blackboard.

'Good morning, class.'

Startled, Lily almost fell out of her chair.

'That's a -'

'Ghost,' finished Kalah, nodding and not looking surprised in the least. 'Yep. That's Professor Binns. He's the teacher. You've seen ghosts, remember? At the feast?'

Lily nodded weakly. She had indeed seen such figures, but hadn't bothered to think about what they were. She looked back at Binns. Yes, she thought. Binns was definitely a ghost. He had a clear dead air about him.

Professor Binns began talking about his course aims and the purpose of his subject. Lily noted the drone tone in his voice and looked round as everyone was yawning already.

A couple of minutes later, the classroom door burst open and two boys came rushing in. Potter and Black. Lily noted the missing sling on Potter's arm. He must be fully healed too, she told herself with relief.

Professor Binns gave them a stern look and the two responded with sheepish-apologetic faces. Lily rolled her eyes. They were going to get detentions on their first week of school, she decided.

Potter planted himself down on the seat behind Lily and Black took the seat next to him. After about a half hour of speaking, Professor Binns assigned them a couple of pages' work in their textbooks.

Lily felt a poke at her shoulder. She turned around, glaring at Potter.

'Do you have a spare quill?' he asked.

Lily sighed. She was about to tell him no, but she still felt a bit guilty about what had happened yesterday. Reaching for her bag, she pulled out a quill and small bottle of ink and passed it back to him reluctantly.

'Thanks,' he whispered. Lily didn't answer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lily collapsed on an overstuffed one-seat couch and dropped her backpack on the floor. She was followed by Kalah and Alice. It was six in the evening and classes had finally finished for the day.

Lily put her head down against the sofa for a few moments.

'Alright,' said Kalah finally, pulling out a book from her backpack. 'Let's get this over with.'

But just as they got their books open, the portrait burst open and a bunch of boys burst through, laughing. Lily groaned. Was she going to be granted one holy minute without being disturbed by Potter's presence?

Pettigrew was patting him on the back. 'Good job, James,' he squealed. Potter looked rather pleased with himself.

Kalah watched as they entered, with a raised eyebrow. Then she turned back to Lily.

'What did he do this time?'

Frank suddenly appeared behind Lily, his bag slung over one shoulder.

'Apparently, he put a Sticking Charm on Filch's door. You know how Filch can't do magic... He's a Squib, remember?'

'Squib? What's that?' asked Lily with curiosity.

'Well,' responded Alice thoughtfully. 'It's the opposite of Muggle-born. When the parents are witches and wizards and the child isn't.'

'Oh...'

'Right,' said Kalah, realization coming to her. 'And now Filch can't get out since he can't do magic. Right?'

'Yep,' said Frank, nodding his head. 'But Professor McGonagall just got there and let him out. You should have seen it. He was cursing all over the place.'

Lily winced. Stupid Potter. Why couldn't he just leave everyone alone?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Halloween, Lily found, arrived far too quickly. It was already nearing the end of October and everyone was talking excitedly about the upcoming Halloween feast. Lily, who was quite eager to witness Halloween with magic, was hardly an exception.

Night fell early on October the thirty-first and Lily, Kalah and Alice walked excitedly into the Great Hall. The decorations were breathtaking. A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceilings (to Alice's horror), while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.

As Lily reached for a baked potato, the talk turned to their families.

'You know, I've got no idea what percent of magic I am,' Kalah was saying, as she buttered a piece of toast. 'See, my mum's a witch, but she was half-blood, 'cause her mum was a Muggle... or was it her dad? And my dad's a Muggle-born, but that makes him a wizard still, doesn't it? Because he can do magic?' She shrugged, giving up. 'All the same, I can do magic, so I just don't bother with the details.'

The others laughed. 'My parents are both magic,' piped up Alice. 'I pretty much grew up with magic.' She caught Lily's interested expression. 'Trust me... It's not all that great,' she assured. 'We've got all sorts of horrible things in our backyard. I never go out there anymore because of them. Besides, with magic parents, you've always got lots to live up to. Like say,' Alice made her voice slightly higher, as though imitating somebody, "Gregory Pickett next door has already shown his first bit of magic. Why can't you just hurry up and fly, Alice?"

Lily laughed.

'My parents are the same,' agreed Marlene.

'What about you, Mary?' asked Lily to the girl across from her.

'I'm Muggle-born,' said Mary. 'My parents are both Muggles. Bit of a shock for them, you know.'

Lily nodded. 'Me too. Except, well I sort of already knew about magic and stuff before the letter came.'

'Really?' asked Kalah. Lily nodded.

'Uh-huh. Sev, he lives in my neighbourhood. So he'd always tell me about it.'

'Sev?' asked Marlene. 'You mean that boy from Slytherin?'

'Yes... Why, what's wrong with that? Everybody keeps asking me that,' said Lily, her eyebrows furrowing.

'Nothing,' said Marlene, shrugging. 'I guess it's just really... rare... to find a Gryffindor that's friends with a Slytherin.'

'But we were friends before we knew what house we were in!'

'Well, that's okay. Snape doesn't seem so bad anyway. Just a bit odd, that's all.'

Everyone seemed to agree with that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lily left the Great Hall feeling full, but tired. As she walked past a corridor in the first floor, she heard a hoarse scream.

'Let me out! Let me out!'

Startled, Lily stopped abruptly.

'I'll see you back in the common room,' she told Kalah and Alice hastily as she followed the noise. She turned a corner and found Potter and Black standing outside a doorway, with their wands extended forward. Potter was carrying an extra wand in his other hand. A loud thumping noise was coming from the door.

Moaning Myrtle's washroom, Lily realized. Bewildered, she drew closer. James and Sirius still had not noticed her presence. A thumping sound was heard behind the door again, but this time it was accompanied by a voice Lily recognised. Her eyes went wide.

'Sev!'

Lily ran forward, pushing a startled James and Sirius out of the way promptly.

'Alohomora!' The door opened quickly and a white-faced Snape emerged. James and Sirius burst into laughter.

Lily rounded on them. Her guilt had long disappeared. 'That wasn't very nice!'

Sirius seemed supremely unconcerned, but James' grin fell a little, though it was still smug. James shrugged. 'He deserved it,' he said, smiling at Sirius.

'He didn't do anything!'

'Sure he did. He was being a Slytherin.'

Lily made a sound of frustration. 'What's your problem, anyway?' she demanded.

James shrugged again. He paused and then leant forward; inspiration seemed to have hit him. 'I'm just saving everybody from having to look at Snivellus' ugly face.'

'Yeah? Well, who's going to save them from your ugly face?' retorted Lily. James looked confused for a moment before she pointed her wand at James and exclaimed, 'Furnunculus!'

A jet of light shot from her wand and hit James square in the face. Shocked, James put his hands to his nose, where great ugly boils were springing up. Then Lily, grabbing Snape's wand from James with one hand, and grabbing Snape's wrist with the other, turned on her heel and walked away quickly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

James was more bewildered than angry. He hadn't felt as thought he'd done anything wrong in particular. After all, it was only Snape. Surely Evans didn't think that messing around was Snape was such a bad thing? Sirius was too busy laughing; James couldn't tell whether this was from the prank played on Snape or James' physical state after Evans' spell hit him.

Sirius wiped tears from the corner of his eyes, shaking his head with a grin. 'Ah... you've got to admit, mate... She got you good.'

James pointed his wand at himself and quickly muttered the counter-curse. As he made his way back to his dormitory with Sirius (still laughing) at his side, James couldn't help get the feeling that there was something different about that Evans girl.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

History of Magic was first period the next day. Feeling groggy, James pulled himself out of bed. He hastily pulled on his clothes and grabbed his backpack before heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Sirius was already there, eating, as James joined him at the table. He looked up at James' arrival and grinned toothily, revealing half a muffin in his mouth.

''Morning, mate,' he said, still chewing, 'Have a muffin. They're great!'

James laughed as he watched Sirius stuff his face with food.

'Nah, that's okay,' said James, grinning and reaching for an apple instead. 'I think I'll go for something a little more appetising.'

Sirius shrugged and took another bite from his muffin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lily turned away, disgusted. What a pig, she thought. Lily was still quite angry with Potter and Black the next day. Not only were they stupid gits, but they were slobs as well. She got up from the table and made her way to History of Magic.

Professor Binns was droning on in class as usual. As he began to talk about the first wizards of time, the classroom door burst open and Potter and Black both came rushing in. Professor Binns gave them a stern look, which they responded to with sheepish, apologetic faces.

After about a half hour of speaking, Professor Binns assigned them a couple of pages' work in their textbooks. Lily felt a poke at her shoulder. She turned around, glaring at Potter.

'Do you have a spare quill?'

'No,' she told him shortly, and then turned around firmly and returned to her work. The incident at their first flying lesson was forgotten.

James sighed, looking around. He was already late for History of Magic, but on top of that, he had forgotten his quill case. Evans certainly wasn't helping him, and James could pretty much guarantee that Sirius didn't have a quill - even for himself. He leant over to his left.

'Pst! Lupin!'

Remus turned to face James.

'Extra quill?' asked James.

Remus smiled at him, reaching into his bag and pulling out a quill and a small bottle of ink. He handed them to James, who took them grinning.

'Thanks, mate.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the Christmas season approached, it was snowing more and more outside. James was quite excited about the holidays, but Sirius seemed much less enthusiastic.

'I have to go home and listen to my mum tell me about how Dumbledore was stupid for letting Muggle-borns in,' he was telling James and Remus one particularly snowy day as they trudged through the snow on the grounds of Hogwarts.

'Why?' asked James. 'Does it matter? I mean, everyone at Hogwarts can do magic, right? Well... except for Filch,' he added grinning.

Sirius returned the grin, but then his expression turned grim when he responded.

'I don't think it matters. But my mum and dad definitely do. They actually think You-Know-Who's got the right idea, with all the wizard race purification rubbish.' He made a face as James looked at him, looking shocked. Remus walked alongside them, apparently deep in thought; he was glancing up at the sky nervously every so often.

'That's why I hate going back,' said Sirius hastily, troubled by the look on James' face. 'And then there's my little brother and Kreacher...'

James and Sirius continued the topic of Sirius' home-life as they passed a hut a little off the edge of the Forbidden Forest. As they approached the cabin, the door opened and Lily, Kalah and Alice came out. They were talking excitedly with Hagrid, the school gamekeeper.

'Bye, Hagrid!' said Lily, waving.

Hagrid chuckled and waved back. Lily spotted James and Sirius as she headed back toward the castle and stopped momentarily to stick her tongue out at them. James watched as she walked away.

'Oi, Hagrid!' said Sirius. Hagrid turned round and noticed James, Sirius and Remus, heading toward him.

'You lot,' he said gruffly. 'What'd you do this time?'

James and Sirius grinned. They had met Hagrid the second week of school when Sirius had thrown Dungbombs in the Great Hall during dinner. They were often sent to Hagrid to complete a detention in the Forbidden Forest.

'Nothing,' said James innocently. 'Maybe we just wanted to see you!'

Hagrid's beard twitched, but he shook his head and returned to his cabin. James turned round to Sirius and Remus, looking as though an important thought had come to him.

'I heard they've got the new treacle tarts for the Christmas feast. I was thinking, since none of us are going to be round for Christmas, we should go down and try some.'

Sirius grinned. 'Yeah, I reckon we deserve it... we've worked bloody hard since September, you know.'

'Very true... perhaps, tonight? Remus?'

Remus was rather quiet. He looked up at James, looking slightly pale.

'Er... no... I can't. My mum... she's ill. I have to go and see her tonight.'

A deep furrow appeared between James' eyebrows. 'Ill? Oh... alright. You'd better go then.'

Remus nodded quickly, averting his gaze. James frowned at him for a few moments, and then turned his attention toward Sirius.

'What say you, Black?'

Sirius grinned. 'Definitely, Potter.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lily was walking back to the castle with Kalah and Alice. She had just been visiting Hagrid at his hut. Professor McGonagall had asked her to deliver a note to Hagrid about the Christmas feast and Kalah and Alice had volunteered to come along.

Lily, like many of the first years, was going home for Christmas. As excited as she was to see her parents and as anxious as she was to make up with Petunia, a part of her didn't want to go back...

Nonsense, she told herself, shaking her head. Of course she would want to go home. At least Snape would be going home as well, she thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day before Christmas break began, Lily made a visit to Dumbledore's office. She had been giving Christmas cards to all the professors and had decided to make one for Dumbledore as well. That day, she saw him emerge from a staircase guarded by a stone gargoyle. He had not noticed her and was turning and walking away when Lily called out to him.

'Er... Professor Dumbledore!'

Dumbledore turned around, saw Lily and smiled.

'Ahh... Miss Evans! How are you on this fine day?'

'I'm fine, sir... Er... I just wanted to give you this.'

She held out the card and Dumbledore's face lit up.

'Miss Evans... I'm touched.' He took the card gently. 'You know,' he added, after a pause, reaching into his robes. 'I think I might have something for you as well.' And with a flourish, he pulled out a lily and held it out for her.

Lily's eyes brightened with happiness as she took the flower. 'Thank you, professor!' And she kissed him on the cheek before waving and hurrying off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Lily had returned back to King's Cross the next day, she found her mother, father and older sister waving at her happily. Lily ran into her parents' arms, grinning with glee. Then she turned to Petunia, looking somewhat nervous, but Petunia pulled her into a hug as well - all enmity was forgotten.

As Lily's sadness of their Platform 9 ¾ fight had disappeared, Petunia's anger had as well. During the Christmas break, she was eager to tell Lily everything that had happened during their time apart, from school to home-life.

'We had a Christmas party at school. Mrs Cuttingham brought us mince pies and everything!'

Lily had brought home some candy as well, but as soon as she presented it to Petunia, she felt it was a mistake. Petunia was still screaming when her Chocolate Frog had leapt out of the window.

Lily still went to the park every week to meet Severus. They often sat on the swings, attempting to complete their holiday homework.

'What's that thing found in a goat's stomach again?' Lily asked Severus one day, while gently swaying on the swings. Lily cringed. It reminded her of the incident during her first Flying lesson.

'A bezoar,' said Snape, looking up from his Transfiguration essay.

'Thanks.'

Lily rushed down Christmas morning to find a large number of presents underneath the tree. She had also received presents from Kalah and Alice as well. Neither Mr nor Mrs Evans could understand how they had appeared there, considering they hadn't been there the night before. Petunia was looking slightly sour some time later, once she had distinguished the large difference between the number of presents both she and Lily had received. Lily seemed too happy to notice this. She had even gotten a gift from Severus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Sirius,

Happy Christmas! Thanks for the gift! It'll come in mighty handy! You won't believe what I got you. Hope you like it! Mum and Dad are both excited; they want to do something special today. Probably because it's my first Christmas home from Hogwarts. Wish you could come. Hope your folks aren't dragging you down, mate. See you when term starts again. Oh, and make sure to bring... the requested item.

From, James Potter

James rolled up the parchment and sealed it. He then walked up to his window and attached his letter, along with a small parcel to his owl's feet.

'Alright, Tawny,' he said, speaking to the large brown-speckled owl perched majestically atop the windowsill. 'This is for Sirius. Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Alright?'

Tawny blinked once, and James took this to mean she understood.

'OK. Safe flight, then.'

The owl flew off, and James turned from the window. He had already sent his present to Remus with his father's owl. He picked up the box of Bulbadox powder that Sirius had sent him, gazing at it admiringly.

It would come in very handy indeed.

'James? Hurry up, we're leaving!' a voice called from downstairs.

'Coming, Dad!'

James hurried downstairs, only to see his father and mother at the foot of the stairs; his dad was carrying a small box in his hands.

'Right,' he said, grinning at the curious look on his son's face. 'This... is an important present. And I want you to take care of it, alright?'

'What is it?' asked James, as he took the parcel from his dad's hand.

'Open it,' Mr Potter promptly. James sat down on the stairs and opened the package. Inside was a fluid-like silvery gray cloth. It was strange to the touch, like water woven into the material.

'It's an invisibility cloak,' said Mr Potter cheerfully.

James looked awestruck as he looked back at his father. 'No way. An invisibility -!'

Mr Potter nodded, still grinning. 'Try it on, then.'

James threw the cloak around his shoulders and looked down. He gave a yell.

'Merlin!' When he had looked down at his feet, they were gone. He dashed to the nearest mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completely invisible. He pulled the cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.

'Wow, Dad... This is amazing! Thanks so much!' He threw the cloak off and gave his father a large hug.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lily stood back on platform 9 ¾ a week later with a backpack in her hands. This contained all her Christmas presents.

'You take care, now,' Mrs Evans was saying, as she adjusted Lily's robes. 'Make sure you write often.'

Lily smiled at them and nodded. She turned to Petunia.

'Bye, Tuney.' Petunia looked somewhat reluctant to answer. She nodded stiffly and waved, with a small smile on her face.

'Bye, then.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'You take care now, James,' Mrs Potter was saying as she adjusted James' robes. James nodded. 'And try not to get into detention anymore,' added Mrs Potter sternly.

Mr Potter chuckled. 'Yeah, we've got enough disciplinary letters to paper your room by now.'

James grinned, and gave his parents one last hug before departing...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lily woke up the next day, ready to start a new term at Hogwarts. She made her way down to the common room to find Kalah and Alice in deep conversation with a girl a little older than her. Lily recognised her as Kalah's older sister. Kalah saw Lily from the corner of her eye and motioned for her to approach.

'Hey, Lily! Oh, here - this is my sister, Vallee. Remember I showed you at the Sorting?'

Lily nodded and offered Vallee a polite smile. 'Hi, I'm Lily.'

'Hey, Lily, nice to meet you,' she responded. Lily noticed that Neera had the same long, shiny black hair and enchanting eyes as her sister. 'Alright, you three,' added Neera, grabbing her backpack from the sofa next to her, 'I've got to go. I have Arithmancy first thing, and I need to eat before going to that class. It's too bloody hard.'

And with a short wave, she disappeared behind the portrait hole.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lily had breakfast with Severus that morning. As they ate their way through their pancakes, ignoring the bewildered expressions of the other students, they talked about Potions. Potions, which had become Lily's favourite class, was quite an intriguing subject for the two to talk about, as they were both very good about it, and there were so many branches to talk about. Furthermore, Lily found the class entertaining, especially since Slughorn was quite nice to her. He had often invited her to lunch, along with several other students.

'Unicorn's are really sweet,' Lily was saying. 'And they've got so much magic.'

'That's true,' Snape was saying eagerly. 'Unicorn blood, hair, and horn all have magical properties. Their blood is silver.'

'Really? Wow, that must be pretty.'

'But, there are some people who kill unicorns just to drink their blood.'

Lily looked appalled. 'Kill them?'

Snape nodded gravely. 'Because unicorn blood can keep you alive even when you're an inch away from death, even though -'

'Oi, look, it's Snivellus!'

Lily cringed. Why couldn't she have a proper conversation with Severus without being rudely interrupted by that idiot, Potter?

'Potter...?'

'Yes, Evans?' came his cheerful reply.

'Just leave us alone!'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At Charms that day, the class was perfecting the Levitation Charm: Wingardium Leviosa. At one point, James had levitated his quill so far away that he could no longer aim his spell properly anymore. He called to Lily to pass it back to him.

'Oi, Evans - mind getting my quill for me?

Lily, who had a list of offences from James piling up, shot him a glare.

'Get it yourself.'

'Oh, come on, Evans, don't be like that.'

'Well, when you're ready to apologise to Severus for all the things you've done to him, I'm ready to get your quill for you.'

'Apologise? Don't be ridiculous!'

'Well, then... get it yourself.' Lily folded her arms and firmly turned her back on him, nose in the air.

James sighed again. There was only one thing to do...

'Remus?'

Remus handed over a spare quill silently.

James grinned. 'Thanks, mate.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Hey, do you have the notes for History of Magic?' Mary MacDonald was asking Kalah one day after class in the Common Room. Kalah gave her an apologetic face.

'Well, I've got some of it, not all,' she said, reaching into her binder. 'It's horrible, that class. Probably useful in the long run, yeah, but dead boring.'

Mary looked slightly crestfallen, collapsing on a cushion on the floor.

'Alice?'

'Yeah, I have them. Which lesson do you want?'

'All of them?' responded Mary sheepishly. 'Honestly, I need to check through them all, I don't know the order or anything.'

Alice laughed, handing over her binder. 'Just do what Lily and I do. We take turns copying down notes, and then get the notes from each other.'

Lily nodded. 'Yeah, it really works. 'Cause sometimes we miss a certain part and the other person has it.'

Kalah frowned. 'Wait... why am I not a part of this genius plan?'

Alice frowned at her sadly. 'Because if we gave you a turn, we'd never get all the notes down.'

Kalah gave her an annoyed look, but then grinned, leaning back on the couch. 'Yeah, that's probably true.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Writing their Potions essay was proving harder than they thought. James, Sirius and Remus were all sitting in their dormitories to do their homework; the common room was full at the time. Only Remus, however, seemed to be getting much progress. James and Sirius were generally good at making potions, but writing about them wasn't exactly their strong point.

'This is ridiculous,' said James, looking down at his parchment in frustration and realising that there were only three sentences written down.

'I hear that,' agreed Sirius, who was looking down at his own entirely empty parchment, and then at James' with a look of envy in his face.

At that moment, Frank Longbottom entered the dormitory.

'Oi, Longbottom,' called James. Frank looked up, questioningly.

'Yeah?'

'Did you do that Potions essay?'

Frank cringed. 'Nope. I'm hopeless at Potions, everyone knows that.'

'When's it due, anyway?'

Frank's face seemed to screw up in thought. 'Er... I think Friday.'

Great, thought James with further frustration. He had a solid three days left...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

References:

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and Philosopher's Stone. J. K. Rowling Bloomsbury, London: 1997.

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. J. K. Rowling Bloomsbury, London: 2007.