The Years of Prongs

Chapter Three:

September the First

    "Come on, boys!" Mum called. "You don't want to miss the train, because if you do, it's a long time staying with me until next year. . . ."

    "Mums, I love staying with you!" Sirius grinned, hugging her.

    "But, Si, think of all the pranks we wouldn't be able to do at home!" I pointed out.

    "You're absolutely right!" Sirius realized, eyes widening as he jumped away from Mum. We ran over to the nearest empty car — which was unfortunately towards the front — pushing our trolleys, and Sirius yelled over his shoulder, "Sorry, Mums, but there's so much to look forward to at Hogwarts!"

    "James, don't you even think about getting on that train without giving me a hug!"

    I groaned; Mum could be so embarrassing. I turned around and stomped over to her, giving her a quick hug, and she ruffled my hair. "Have a good year, and behave yourself! I don't want to get an owl from Dumbledore telling me you've blown up the Slytherin table on the first day — "

     "Hey, Mum, thanks!" I grinned. "We didn't even think of that!"

    She shook her head dejectedly, but smiled nonetheless. "Go on, and be a good boy. You too, Sirius!"

    "Will do, Mums!" Sirius waved, and we dragged our trunks, and Mime's cage, onto the train. Once settled in our compartment, we hung out the window, making faces at my mother.

    "Have a good year, my little Jamesie!" Mum smiled. I felt my cheeks burn as Sirius howled with laughter. "And you too, Siwi!"

    "HEY! That was uncalled for!" Sirius moaned, and the train lurched forward and pulled out of the station. "Blimey, James, I don't see how you can live with her."

    "You live with her almost as much as I do," I reminded, throwing myself down into a seat. "So, shall we stay here, or go and . . . introduce ourselves to our fellow students?"

    "Introduce ourselves," Sirius nodded with a grin. We hopped to our feet, and just as I went to open the door, it slid open. Standing there was —

    "REMUS!" Sirius and I yelled in unison. It was in fact my neighbor, holding a cat carrier in one hand, and his trunk with the other.

    "Hey, long time no see," Sirius said, helping Remus drag his trunk to the back of the car.

    "No, I was just over at James's yesterday," Remus pointed out.

    "I was using sarcasm, my dear Remmy," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Have a seat."

    Remus flopped down across from the seat I had just returned to, and I noticed he was starting to look a lot better than he had the day before; he was starting to get some color to his cheeks.

    I pulled a deck of cards out of my pocket. "Exploding Snap, anyone?"

    "Deal me in," Sirius nodded.

    "I've never played," Remus shrugged.

    "What?" Sirius and I gaped in unison. "You must learn!"

    Remus Lupin had the best beginner's luck of anyone I had ever met. By the second game, he had gotten an idea of what to do — especially since he had won both times — and his winning streak had reached ten games before Sirius and I both called forfeit. Of course, our hair and eyebrows were slightly singed, and our fingers were burning.

    "You're just sore losers," Remus grinned.

    I refused to admit that I'm a sore loser, so I gave him a sarcastic glare. Then I remembered something. "Oh, Rem, I got a great idea for our first prank," I smiled mischievously.

    "And you're telling him before me? " Sirius yelled, as if insulted. "Tell me!"

    "Do I really want to know?" Remus asked.

    "Well, we'll need your help," I pointed out, and I shared the idea with him and Sirius. Sirius of course approved. Remus was a bit, well, apprehensive, I guess you could say. But he didn't say no. He shook his head, but after we whined, and said we'd cry, and threatened to prank him, he gave in.

    "Do you mind if I sit here?"

    We all looked up simultaneously. My first thought as my eyes examined this boy was that he resembled the Quaffleman at Flourish and Blotts. He was short, and a bit on the pudgy side. He had watery blue eyes, a round face, and his head was topped with mousy hair.

    "Come on in," I said, nodding at the seat next to Remus. The boy dragged in his trunk and sat down nervously.

    "Thanks," he said, shaking his hair out of his face. "There was nowhere else to sit. I'm Peter, by the way. Peter Pettigrew."

    There was a murmur of introductions as we all told Peter our names.

    "Potter?" Peter furrowed his eyebrows. "Do you happen to be related to Henry Potter, that famous Auror?"

    "He's my dad," I said proudly.

    "Must be cool to have a parent who does something like that," he said dully. "My mum works for the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee."

    "Don't feel bad, James is the only one with a cool dad," Sirius said brightly. "My dad's just a school governor."

    "And my dad does office work for the Department of Experimental Magic," Remus added.

    There was a knock on the compartment door, and a plump witch with a cart of food poked her head in.

    "Anything off the trolley?" she smiled.

    "You bet!" Sirius jumped out of his seat and hurried over. We all purchased armload of sweets — because that was the only thing the witch was selling — and dug in.

    "I'm starving," Sirius said, ripping open a Pumpkin Pasty as his stomach gave a loud grumble. He swallowed the pasty in one bite and said to his stomach, "There you go, that should make you happy."

    Only Sirius would talk to his stomach.

    "What do you say we go find Evans?" I suggested, finishing the last of my Bertie Bott's. Ugh, old socks.

    "And why is that, James?" Sirius asked, his eyes sparkling. "Do you fancy her or something?"

    "No, I just thought she'd like to see some familiar faces," I said innocently.

    Remus raised an eyebrow.

    "Okay, and maybe a prank or two. . . ." I grinned.

    "Alright then!" Sirius clapped his hands together and jumped to his feet. "Let's go!"

    We all followed Sirius out into the hall, and he started towards the front.

    "Hey, Si, how do you know Evans isn't in the back?" I asked.

    Sirius stopped and looked at me. "James, it's a known fact that all the troublemakers sit in the back, and all the little arse-lickers — "

    "Don't swear," Remus interrupted.

    "All the arse-lickers sit in front," Sirius said, ignoring Remus's retort.

    "Then why aren't you two in the back?" Remus wondered.

    "Because there were no compartments left," Sirius said, and opened the nearest door.

    "Can we help you?"

    The voice was cold, and the person it came from was just as unpleasant. From just one glance I knew he'd be a Slytherin. He had long, greasy — almost wet-looking — black hair that fell around his chin, and a pale face. His nose was hooked, and his eyes were black and empty. Mind you, his friends didn't look much nicer. I could tell that they were all bad news.

    "Potter," the boy sneered.

    "How do you know who I am?" I demanded.

    "Everyone knows about your father," he said. "Henry Potter, the famous Auror. You look just like him. Now, what do you want?"

    "We're looking for someone," I said coldly. "Lily Evans — redhead, big green eyes — "

    "I haven't seen her," the boy said with a sniff. "Now leave, Gryffindor."

    "Do you have a problem with Gryffindors?" I asked, offended.

    "Yes, I do," he nodded. "Now, go."

    "Well, if you see Miss Evans, just tell her that some charming young gentlemen are looking for her," Sirius said quickly before I could think of a curse to try out on the boy, and he slammed the door. "Bright little ray of sunshine, eh?"

    "Presumably a Slytherin," Remus agreed.

    "Bloody little prat," I muttered as we continued on.

    "I think we'll have to watch out for him," Peter said.

    "No, he'll have to watch out for us," Sirius grinned. "After we go find James's little girlfriend, I think we should go pull our first prank."

    "She's NOT my girlfriend," I said through gritted teeth.

    "Bit touchy on the subject, isn't he?" Remus winked.

    It turned out that Lily was not in the front half of the train. All we managed to find were some gullible people who would be easy to prank, and some potential Slytherins who would be oh-so-fun to prank.

    We eventually stuck our heads into the very last compartment, knowing this had to be it. Sitting with a very familiar-looking girl was Lily, talking very animatedly.

    "Yes?" the other girl said, noticing that she and Lily were being watched.

    "Oh! Hello," Lily said, smiling when she recognized me and Sirius. "I was wondering if I'd be seeing you sometime soon."

    "Lily, you know them?" the unknown girl asked as we all filed into the compartment. I noticed she was Irish.

    "Yeah. This is Sirius," Lily said, and he gave a deep and exaggerated bow. I pushed him forward slightly, causing him to almost fall on his face.

    "Not funny, Jams," he smirked. I punched him in the arm.

    "And this is James," Lily pointed at me, and I sat down. "But I don't know who the other two are."

    "This is my neighbor, Remus Lupin," I said, nodding over to him, who gave a small smile. "And this little one here is Peter Pettigrew." He gave a nervous wave.

    "Care to introduce your friend, Evans?" Sirius asked, leaning on the door frame.

    "Sirius Black, you know very well who I am," the girl said, standing up. "And Potter, you should as well."

    Sirius squinted his eyes, and I just stared, completely puzzled. She had long, curly blonde hair, sapphire-blue eyes, and a lightly freckled face. Nope, I couldn't put a name with that face. And then Sirius burst, "O'Riley! Abby O'Riley! Wow, I didn't even recognize you! I haven't seen you in ages!"

    "Which is surprising, as you live right next door," she said, rolling her eyes.

    And then it finally dawned on me who she was.

    "Didn't we used to prank you when we were young and innocent?" I asked, smiling.

    "Innocent?" Abby scoffed. "Yeah, right."

    "Ah, the good old days," Sirius nodded.

    Abby shook her head. "So, Lil, how did you meet these fools?"

    "I met them in Diagon Alley," Lily explained. "Honestly, I don't see how you don't like them. They seem perfectly harmless."

    "Harmless? You make it sound like we're animals," I interrupted; Lily smiled.

    "You might be," Abby said, none too sweetly. "Lil, you haven't known Potter and Black as long as I have. They're troublemakers, and pranksters."

    Lily looked us over. "Is that true?"

    "Do we look like troublemakers to you?" Sirius asked, flopping down next to Abby.

    "As a matter of fact, yes," Lily nodded.

    "I feel rather insulted," I sighed.

    "Hey, Pete, starting to wish you didn't join these two?" Remus joked. Peter just shook his head slowly.

    "So, O'Riley, how's that sister of yours?" Sirius asked. "Still good-looking?"

    "You mean Jemma?" Abby asked. "I wouldn't know if she's good-looking. I'm her sister. I don't look at her that way. Oh," she added suddenly as if remembering something, "that little prat Regulas tried to kill my cat yesterday."

    Sirius cringed at his younger brother's name. Like I've said before, Si hates his family, especially his brother Regulas, who's four years his junior.

    "What did he do?" Sirius wondered. "Or better yet, what did you do?"

    "I did nothing," Abby said as if she could do no wrong. "But Astra, my kitten, was roaming around the sidewalk, and Regulas started throwing rocks at her."

    "Sorry, but I can't control my brother's actions," Sirius shrugged. "Besides, I was at James's yesterday."

    "You might as well permanently move in with James, you're over there so much," Abby rolled her eyes.

    "His mum won't let him," I explained. "Trust me, we've asked."

    Abby turned to Lily. "I'm serious, Lil. Avoid these two at all cost. They'll bring nothing but trouble."

    "I'm sure that's true, but they seem nice," Lily said, and received angelic smiles from me and my best mate.

    Sirius obviously wanted to get to pranking or something, because he looked at his wrist as if there was a watch there — which there wasn't — and cried, "Oh, look at the time! Well, ladies, best be off. Things to do, people to prank. . . ."

    "Remus, I think it's going to be a long year, with keeping those two out of trouble," Peter muttered.

    "Indeed it will be," Remus agreed as Sirius ushered us out into the hall.

    "It's time to pull a little prank," Sirius said when the door had closed. "A kind of practice for the school year."

    "How much trouble are you trying to get into before school even starts?" Remus wondered.

    "As much possible without getting expelled," Sirius grinned.

    "Just so you're warned ahead of time, Si and me are gonna try and set a record for the most detentions received in the seven years we're in school," I said proudly.

    "Remus, how did you even meet these two?" Peter asked curiously.

    "James is my neighbor," Remus said with mock self-pity.

    After a few minutes of silence — Sirius was obviously thinking of what to do to that greasy-haired git, so was I, and Remus and Peter were probably thinking of how to get out of punishments if we all got in trouble by a prefect — we finally reached the compartment we were looking for.

    "What do you four want?" the greasy-haired boy asked at the sight of us. "I thought I made it clear that I wanted you lot to stay out."

    "Is that what you were implying?" Sirius said dryly. "You should have been more clear, because I thought you wanted us to come back for a chat. Isn't that what he meant, James?"

    "That's what I heard," I nodded. "Remus?"

    "I assumed that as well," Remus agreed, rather reluctantly. "Pete?"

    Peter hesitated a moment, before nodding.

    "Please leave," the boy said with a sniff.

    "No, I think not," I said. "By the way, these are my mates, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew."

    "Black?" the boy looked at Sirius with interest, and held out his hand. "I knew I recognized you. I'm Severus Snape. I expect you'll be joining me in Slytherin?"

    "I should hope not," Sirius spat, ignoring Snape's hand. "I'd kill myself if I was put in that filthy house."

    "Tut-tut," Snape shook his head. "You must be a disgrace to your family — "

    Crack!

    There was a flash of white light, and Snape was thrown backwards. With a loud thud his head hit the wall, and he did not get up.

    Snape's companions looked at Sirius with a mixture of hatred and fear, and reached for their wands.

    "Come on," Remus said quietly, and ushered me, Peter, and Sirius out of the compartment as quick as he could.

    "Sirius, you're going to have to learn to control your temper," Remus said.

    "What temper?" Sirius asked. "I didn't do anything to that greaseball, but I wanted to. . . ."

    "Then who — ?"

    "Me," I said, slipping my wand back into my pocket. "No one insults my best friend and gets away with it."

    "James, I could've handled Snape myself," Sirius said.

    "Too late now," I muttered, and we returned to our car for some Exploding Snap.

    The sky outside grew steadily darker and we soon got bored with our games. So bored in fact that Sirius dropped his cards and fell over with a snore. I gathered up my cards and put them in my trunk as Remus buried his nose in a book and Peter finished off the last of the Chocolate Frogs.

    I settled myself in the corner of the seat and gazed out the window, watching the dusky landscape pass by. Large hills, fields, the occasional cow and farmhouse, and then mountains, and soon it was too dark to tell. It seemed like I spent hours sitting there in silence, the quiet interrupted only by Sirius's snores, the turning of pages from Remus's book, and Peter's soft chewing.

    What felt like hours later, a wheezy voice filled the train.

    "We will be arriving at Hogsmeade Station in ten minutes' time. Please leave all belongings on the train; they will be taken to the school separately."

    The sudden noise jerked Sirius from his sleep and tore my gaze from the window. Remus closed his book and Peter gathered all the cards he had gotten from his Chocolate Frogs.

    "It's about time," Sirius yawned, stretching.

    "Yeah," I nodded with agreement. "This had to have been the most boring train ride I've ever been on."

    "James, this is the only train ride you've ever been on," Sirius pointed out.

    "So, it's still the most boring one," I said.

    We quickly changed into our robes, straightening our ties just as the train screeched to a stop. The hall was soon filled with students making their way to the exits, and we were soon outside.

    "Where d'you suppose the school is?" Sirius asked, looking around.

    "Dunno," I shrugged. "Where'd Rem and Pete go?"

    "Haven't a clue," Sirius said. "But I suppose we'll catch up with them later."

    "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

    Sirius and I followed the crowd of other first years towards the voice, and my jaw dropped at the sight of the man who was beckoning us over. He was at least twice as tall as an average man, and about three times as wide.

    "Y'all here?" the man said. "Good. I'm Hagrid, assistant to Ogg, the groundskeeper. But I'll be takin' his place nex' year. Well, off we go. An' keep up."

    After five minutes of walking (well, running, as it took five steps to equal one of Hagrid's) we reached the edge of a vast lake, with a dozen or so boats on the shore. And on the other side of the lake was a castle, a tall magnificent structure with many towers and turrets. It was like something out of a fairy tale, a home of a king and queen. Certainly not a school.

    "Alrigh', no more'n four ter a boat," Hagrid instructed, filling up one whole boat alone.

    "I wonder if anyone's ever fallen out of the boats," Sirius said thoughtfully.

    "You two, hurry it up an' find a boat!"

    Hagrid was talking to Si and me, so I looked around for a boat with extra space, and grinned inwardly when I saw Lily and Abby still had room. So Sirius and I hopped in with them.

    "Hiya, Evans," I smiled as the boats began floating across the lake.

    "Hello, James," Lily said.

    "You know, Potter, she has a first name," Abby pointed out. "Repeat after me. Li-ly."

    "Ev-ans," I said stubbornly. Lily shook her head, smiling. I looked over the side of the boat. "What d'ya think would happen if a student fell into the lake?"

    "Let's find out," Sirius grinned, and pushed me. I lost my balance and —

    SPLASH.

    I toppled over the side of the boat and into the lake.

    Lily, Abby, and Sirius couldn't help but laugh. The boat stopped, as if it knew it was missing a passenger.

    "What's goin' on back there?" Hagrid called, turning around in his boat.

    "Nothing!" Lily and Abby lied in unison.

    Lily looked down at me, as I bobbed beside the boat.

    "I suppose the nice thing to do would be pull you back in," she sighed, still giggling

as several boats passed, the students watching with interest. Lily reached down and took hold of my hand. And I did what I figured any eleven year old boy would have done.

    I pulled Lily Evans down into the lake with me.

    "James!" Lily shrieked, choking on water. "You great prat!"

    This appeared to be too much for ol' Sirius, because he bent over laughing. Bent over the edge and fell out is what I mean.

    Ten minutes later found our boat finally reaching shore, with an inch of water on the bottom from Lily, Sirius and me wringing out our robes and hair. Hagrid stood there, waiting for us, as the rest of the students went up to the castle.

    "You three — " he pointed at me, Si, and Lily "— are in trouble." We all glanced at each other. "C'mon. Professor McGonagall'll deal with yeh."

    Sirius and I swapped hopeful looks. Maybe we'd get detention!

    The rest of the first years were waiting at the door, and just as Hagrid was about to knock, it swung open. Standing there was a very strict-looking young woman with brown hair in a tight bun and her hands on her hips. She could even be considered attractive if she wasn't so serious.

    "Hagrid, you're late," the woman said, her voice as strict as she looked.

    "Sorry, Professor," Hagrid said. "But I had a problem with three o' the students."

    "Which ones?" Professor McGonagall asked, looking us all over sternly.

    Lily inched forward timidly, and Sirius and I bounded up cheerfully.

    "Hagrid, take the first years into the chamber. I'll be with them momentarily," McGonagall said shortly, and stepped out of the way to all the students to enter.

    Hagrid nodded, and ushered the students into a room off to the left of the Entrance Hall, which was as almost as big as the first floor of my house. And my house is big.

    "Now, tell me your names," McGonagall said, looking us over with pursed lips.

    "Lily Evans."

    "James Potter."

    "Sirius Black."

    "By the state of your robes, I'd say you were horsing around in the boats, and fell out," McGonagall assumed. Me and Sirius nodded. "You will all receive detention, and five points taken away from whatever houses you are sorted into."

    "Yes, Professor," we all chorused.

    "And I could easily dry your robes, but I think I should make you suffer a bit," McGonagall said curtly. "You'll receive your notices in the morning. Oh, and Potter?"

    "Yes, Professor?" I asked.

    "I attended school with your father. I daresay you inherited his knack for mischief?"

    "Yes, Professor!" I grinned. I swear I saw the corner of her mouth twitch, as if she was trying not to smile.

    We followed McGonagall into the office where the rest of the first years were waiting with Hagrid, who immediately left to go to the Great Hall. We went straight to the back of the room, where Remus, Peter, and Abby were standing.

    "Welcome to Hogwarts," McGonagall began, and started talking about the Sorting ceremony, rules, and house points.

    "So? What did she say?" Abby asked.

    "Those two —" Lily pointed at me and Sirius angrily— "got me a detention! I've never been in trouble before in my life!"

    "We got detention, too!" I added; my best mate and I were utterly thrilled at the prospect of receiving detention before classes started — before we were even sorted! What luck!

    "You had better be on your guard, James Potter," Lily glared, and turned away. Ha, like she could get revenge on me.

    McGonagall finished with her little speech, and told us it was time for the Sorting. As we headed into the Great Hall, I noticed that most of the first years' faces had lost their color. Almost everyone looked pale and clammy, including Peter. Remus looked pale as well, but he always had. I looked over at Lily, who was chewing on her lip with nerves. I gave her a reassuring smile, which she didn't return.

    We stopped in front of the staff table, and noticed there was a stool in front of them, with a ratty old hat on top.

    Suddenly, the hat twitched, startling all of the first years. Sirius later said that I had "squeaked." Yeah, right. The hat smiled, and burst into song:

    "A thousand years ago or more,

    When I was newly sewn,

    There was no Hogwarts School,

    But four wizards who are now well-known.

    Gryffindor, Slytherin,

    Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw,

    Are now our four houses

    And I'll tell where you belong.

    In Gryffindor the brave ones dwell

    They're daring at the heart,

    They are full of chivalry,

    And nerve sets them apart;

    Hufflepuffs are a loyal sort

    As well as patient and true,

    They are unafraid of toil,

    And won't mind having you;

    In Ravenclaw they are wise

    And they have lots of wit,

    If you have a ready mind,

    This is where you'll fit;

    And finally there's Slytherin

    An ambitious lot they are,

    Cunning students reside here,

    And friends won't be far.

    I have never been wrong yet,

    I can assure you of that.

    So put me on, don't be afraid,

    For I'm the Sorting Hat!"

    The school burst into applause, and I heard many first years give sighs of relief. What babies! I was prepared to tackle anything.

    McGonagall stepped up beside the hat. "Now, when I call your name, you will come forward, and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. When your house is called, you will join your respected table." She looked down at the sheet of parchment in her hands. "Alderthal, Mary."

    A tall, ugly blonde-haired girl hurried forward, and hopped onto the stool. After a few seconds, the hat yelled, "HUFFLEPUFF!" Ha, too bad for her.

    "Avery, Andrew" became the first new Slytherin, and I cursed them all under my breath. It got me a look from Lily, who probably disapproved of such language.

    "Black, Bellatrix!"

    I noticed Sirius start humming beside me. I knew why; that was his least favorite cousin, and frankly, while I didn't like any of Sirius's family — except maybe his cousin Andromeda — I hated Bella the most. Neither of us were surprised when the hat declared her a Slytherin.

    "Black, Sirius!"

    I grinned as my best friend skipped forward, showing everyone that he was not at all nervous. He had a big grin on his face, and he wasn't on the stool more than five seconds before the hat bellowed, "GRYFFINDOR!" and he skipped over to the table, relief clear on his face. I clapped loudly for him. I was glad — and I knew he was too — that he hadn't been placed in Slytherin, like the rest of the Black family.

    The next few names were of no importance to me, so I payed no attention. Until. . . .

    "Evans, Lily!"

    The redhead hadn't even heard her name be called, and Abby had to push Lily forward. I watched her blush slightly at all the whispers from the other first years who had seen her fall in the lake. Oh, and maybe from my and Sirius's catcalls. But I know she enjoyed them.

    Lily sat on the stool longer than any of the others had. But after much thought, the Sorting Hat declared her a Gryffindor. She sat down across from Sirius, who gave her a high-five and a look of approval.

    The Sorting continued, and Remus was soon called forward. My immediate thought was that he would end up in Ravenclaw. He definitely had the brains for it, and from what I knew, he didn't seem quite brave enough for Gryffindor. But I was of course happy that one of my new pals was put in the house I surely would be sorted into.

    "O'Riley, Abigail."

    Lily's new best friend stepped forward, flinching at the sound of her full name. She gracefully perched herself on the stool and closed her eyes tightly as McGonagall dropped the hat on her head. Silence, and —

    "GRYFFINDOR!"

    Next, Peter approached the Sorting Hat. I had a strong feeling in the pit of my stomach that he would be put in Hufflepuff. I mean, he's not very smart, he's not evil, and he's not brave. I was stunned when the hat yelled Gryffindor, but pleased all the same.

    As soon as Peter had sat down beside Sirius, I strode forward, knowing I was next.

    "Potter, James," McGonagall said when I was already halfway to the stool. She gave me a stern look, which I returned with a wink.

    The hat slipped over my eyes, and it was so musty that I had to bite my lip to keep from sneezing.

    "Ah, another Potter," the hat said. "You know, I always wondered what it would be like to put one of your lot in Slytherin."

    You'd better not, I thought bitterly.

    "Oh, why not? You have the potential Slytherin looks for," the hat sneered. "But fine, take all the fun away. GRYFFINDOR!"

    I jumped off the stool and skipped over to the table, trying to forget what the hat had said.

    "I bet you're not surprised to see me here, eh, Evans?" I winked as I sat down beside her.

    "You're awfully full of yourself," Lily said tonelessly, and turned to talk to Abby. Apparently she was still angry about getting a detention.

    "Oh! He looks cute!" Abby burst several minutes later. I rolled my eyes; typical girl talk.

    "Who?" Lily looked up as "Wood, Dawson," the final first year, sat on the stool.

    The hat yelled Hufflepuff, and Abby groaned.

    The Sorting now finished, an old man seated at the staff table rose to his feet.

    "Hello, and welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" the man said excitedly. "For those of you who do not know me, I am Professor Dumbledore, your barmy old Headmaster." Everyone laughed. My dad had always told me that, while he was a great wizard, Dumbledore was slightly off his rocket. Well, my dad's never been wrong. "Now, I don't think you want to hear me ramble right now — I sure wouldn't — so let's eat!"

    The golden platters on the tables were suddenly filled with food. Lily's eyes lit up with amazement.

    "Are you Muggleborn?" Remus asked.

    "Could you tell?" Lily wondered, putting potatoes on her plate.

    "Only by how surprised you are at everything," Remus said. "I'm a half-blood myself."

    "I'm a pureblood," I said, grabbing some turkey. "My whole family's been in Gryffindor, and all the men have been Aurors. My grandad even fought alongside Dumbledore against Grindelwald — "

    "James is always bragging about his family," Sirius interrupted loudly.

    "I'm not surprised," Lily shook her head. "How about you, Peter?"

    "Oh, I'm pureblood as well," Peter said nervously, "but it's just me and my mum." He didn't say anything about his father, but no one asked.

    "Isn't anyone going to ask about my family?" Sirius asked, taking a swig of pumpkin juice.

    "No, we all know you're pureblood," Remus said.

    "But Evans doesn't," Sirius pointed out.

    "I assumed you were, because of what you told me earlier about your family," Lily said. Apparently before I had joined them at the Gryffindor table, Sirius had pointed out his cousins.

    "True," Sirius nodded.

    "But what about Abby's family?" Peter asked.

    "Oh, I'm pureblood," Abby shrugged. "But way, way back in my family there was a lycanthrope."

    I have to admit that was mildly interesting. In case you didn't know, lycanthropes are werewolves, which are considered to be Dark creatures. Bet you didn't know that either, eh?

    "So, James, why are you, Sirius, and Lily soaking wet?" Remus asked during dessert, for he and Peter hadn't been in our boat.

    "I pushed James into the lake," Sirius said proudly.

    "And then I pulled Evans in," I grinned as I helped myself to pumpkin pie.

    "And Sirius was laughing so hard he fell out of the boat," Lily finished.

    Remus and Peter just shook their heads, as if not at all surprised.

    "Aren't you all cold?" Remus wondered. Sirius and me shook our heads.

    Lily nodded, however, and I noticed that she was shivering. Remus pulled out his wand and scratched his ear, as if thinking. Then he muttered something under his breath, I didn't catch what it was, but Lily's robes were instantly dried.

    "Thanks," Lily said. "I don't know why I didn't think to use a drying charm."

    "Hey, Evans, are you still mad at me?" I asked, making my voice as sweet as possible.

    "Why shouldn't I be mad at you?" she said, busying herself with a bowl of pudding. "Because of you, I have to serve detention."

    "But if I knew you'd get detention, I wouldn't have pulled you in," I lied.

    "That's the biggest fib I've ever heard," Abby interrupted.

    "No one asked you, O'Riley," I snapped. "Can you forgive me, Evans?" I pouted.

    Lily smiled slightly. "I suppose so. But don't let it happen again."

    "Well, that I can't promise," I winked, and took a spoonful of her pudding.

    After everyone had consumed their fill, Professor Dumbledore stood up, and all went quiet.

    "Now it's the time for a few start-of-term announcements. All students should note that the dark forest on grounds is strictly forbidden to everyone."

    "Why? What's in there?" Lily wondered.

    "All sorts of dangerous creatures," Abby hushed. "I even heard there are werewolves in there!"

    At that moment, Remus choked on the remainder of his juice. Lily and Abby looked at him oddly. I thought nothing of it.

    "Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has put a list up in the Entrance Hall of all items not allowed in the school. I advise all who had planned to cause mayhem check the list of three hundred and sixty two items."

    "What they don't know won't hurt them," I whispered across the table to Sirius.

    "They'll never know what hit 'em," Sirius grinned.

    "All returning students have probably noticed a new tree on grounds," Dumbledore continued. "I strongly advise that everyone stays away from it. It is called a Whomping Willow, and that's exactly what it does. Whomps anything that goes near it. Quidditch tryouts

will take place two weeks from Friday. . . ."

    "Hey! He didn't say why we have that tree here!" Jemma O'Riley, Abby's older sister, complained. "You'd think he'd tell the prefects."

    "Well, I think that's about it," Dumbledore smiled when he had finished his announcements. "Off to bed!"

    "But — I'm — not — tired," Lily said between yawns.

    "Sure you are, Lil," Abby grinned, pulling Lily to her feet.

    "Gryffindor first years, follow me!"

    "Come on, let's go follow the great and powerful Jemma," Abby muttered.

    "Ah, Evans, you look like you're about to fall asleep at any second," I smiled, seeing that Lily could barely keep her eyes open. "Let me and my companion assist you upstairs."

    "No, that's not necessary," Lily shook her head, and tried trudging after Abby. But Sirius and I had already grabbed her arms and were steering her along.

    Lily was too tired to take in the scenery, which, I have to admit, was pretty cool. While all the other first years "oohed" and "ahhed", Lily yawned. Every time she did this, however, Abby would poke her sharply in the back to keep her from falling asleep.

    "Cahrename," Jemma said when she had reached a painting of an elegantly dressed fat lady in a pink gown.

    "That's the password," she nodded, and swung forward.

    "Girls dormitory is up to the left, boys, up to the right," Jemma announced to the first years. "'Night, Abby!"

    Abby rolled her eyes and waved to her sister. Sirius and I tried to lead Lily up to her dormitory, but she shook us off.

    "I think I can make it up the stairs, thank you very much," she said, fighting back more yawns.

    "Alright," I said. "Good night, Evans. Have a dreadfully awful night's sleep. I hope you — "

    But at that moment, Remus and Sirius dragged me away up the stairs before I could say anything else.

    We stopped at a door with a small plaque reading, First year boys' dormitory, and a list of names, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, James Potter.

    "They saved the best for last, you know," I said, pointing out that my name was on the bottom.

    "It's alphabetical order, you berk," Sirius rolled his eyes, and pushed open the door. The room was large and circular, with four large four-poster beds with deep crimson hangings. "I call this one!" Sirius ran to one of the center-most beds and began jumping on it.

    "And I get that one!" I dived onto the one beside it, landing rather ungracefully. Peter and Remus claimed their beds of the remaining two, and, after dragging our trunks over to our beds, we changed into our pajamas.

    "We'll need our sleep for all the mayhem the school will suffer tomorrow," Sirius grinned, crawling under his covers.

    "What are you two planning to do?" Peter looked at us suspiciously.

    Sirius and I swapped identical smiles and winked at Remus before disappearing into our four-posters.