"SLYTHERIN!"

As the last first year (Webb, Lucy) was sorted, Lily Evans applauded politely with the rest of the students. Now in her fifth year, a prefect's badge was gleaming on the front of her robes. It was the talk of the small group of friends she was sat with.

"Ooh, Lily, I didn't see that coming!" gabbled Alice, poking it with her wand. A small, brown mark appeared where the wood had made contact with it, and Lily hastily scrubbed it off with her sleeve.

"You should have seen my mum when I got the letter," said Lily, "she wouldn't stop raving on about how proud she was; she even offered to get me an owl."

"An owl?" The girl with tightly curled dark hair across the table leaned forward towards the pair. "Please tell me you took her up on that offer? Your own owl…" Gwen stared off into the distance.

"No!" Lily bit her lip, and then lowered her voice. "I'm not sure my mum could have afforded it. You know, what with Tuney's school fees."

"But she offered, didn't she?" Alice swept her long, blonde hair out of her hazel eyes. "She wouldn't have given you the option if she didn't think she'd have been able to cope, would she?"

"It's just one of those things, you know? I couldn't. It didn't seem like the right thing to do…"

"Merlin's beard, Lily. Sometimes I wonder why you're not a Hufflepuff. You're too noble." Gwen smirked.

"Ssh!" She giggled.

"What have you got against Hufflepuff, Gwen?" said Alice, "My brother is a Hufflepuff, and you know that."

Gwen rolled her eyes, toffee-coloured skin taking on the slightest shade of pink. "Well, I was just saying that sometimes Lily acts like one. Y'know, all kind and thoughtful and stuff."

"Me, kind and thoughtful?" Lily shook her head, smiling. "If I was thoughtful then I wouldn't have trouble with Transfiguration."

"Oh no, Transfiguration," Gwen groaned. "Did you know that this year we're supposed to be getting at least an A grade, or Professor McGonagall won't submit us for the exam?"

"I bet that's just rumours," said Alice, "it would look better for her if we all did the test, wouldn't it"?

As her two best friends debated the legitimacy of the speculations, Lily craned her neck slightly, trying to find the familiar black curtain of hair that occupied the Slytherin table. She couldn't see him. Making a mental note to catch him briefly after the feast, she turned back to her two friends, who had now moved on to talking about the requirements for NEWT levels in the subjects they excelled in.

She couldn't help but wonder, however, which house her little sister would have been in. Tuney, the youngest of the Evans siblings: shy and loud, precautious and daring… the Sorting Hat would have had a challenge sorting her. She could imagine Petunia being as anxious as she herself had been when first entering the Great Hall, despite all of the detailed stories that had been eagerly recounted during the summer of Lily's first year at Hogwarts. What if she hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor? Would that make her upset?

Professor Dumbledore had stepped up to address the entire school. She snapped out of her reverie, turning her attention to the headmaster as the twittering of students died down.

"Welcome, all of you, to Hogwarts," he began. "I hope that you have spent your summers well. However, I do appreciate the fact that most of you have not eaten for hours and so I end thus: enjoy your meals!"

There was the usual gasp of the unsuspecting eleven-year-olds as the food appeared on the table. Lily smiled softly to herself as she reached over to serve herself to some strange-looking risotto.

The conversation about prefects continued throughout their main course, and Gwen let slip that she'd heard that Uberto Williams, a Ravenclaw who had transferred to Hogwarts the previous year, was a prefect as well. Lily remembered his name, but matching a face to it would have been difficult.

Dessert arrived, and Lily all but forgot about how full her stomach was at the sight of a large bowl of lemon sorbet sitting across the table from her.

No sooner had her fingers clasped around the spoon than another hand had swooped down on top of hers. She could tell who it was without having to check, but grimaced all the same when she looked up to see James Potter sitting with his stupid little crew across the table, a few seats up from Gwen. He was smiling that silly half-grin that set some of the other girls swooning. "Alright, Evans?"

She swatted his hand away. "I was 'alright' until I saw you," Lily imitated his troll-like voice, loading rice onto her plate.

James held his hands up in protest. "Why so tetchy? I'm only trying to be friendly to one of our new prefects." He tried to sound innocent, but it was not working. "The best-looking prefect, if I may say so."

"That's hardly true," One of his friends interrupted, looking incredibly smug: Sirius Black. He nudged the boy sat next to him, who had dark rings under his eyes. To Lily's dismay, there was a prefect's badge pinned to his chest. "Remus Lupin is fair competition for Lily Evans, wouldn't you say so, eh James?" Sirius grinned wider.

James elbowed him in the ribs. "Nice try, but I'm not going to go kissing Loopy, alright?"

Lily hunched over her dinner, but James poked her on the shoulder. "I'm always free, remember, if you ever change your mind."

"I don't have to remember, you pig," Lily sneered, meeting his brown eyes. "As if a girl with an ounce of common sense would be seen anywhere near you."

"Oh, I beg to differ," his eyes glinted mischievously. "I'll bet you ten galleons that third year," he pointed to the Ravenclaw table. Lily turned her head to see a girl with sleek bunches sat chatting with a friend "would blush if I so much as gave her a wink."

"Clear off, Potter. I'd sooner go out with any boy in this school for a year than spend a day with you."

"What, even the Fat Friar?" Sirius Black interjected, causing the three boys to erupt with laughter.

"How about Julius Freedmon? I bet you find his glasses really sexy," James grinned.

"I bet she'd even go out with old Snivellus, wouldn't you?" Sirius laughed.

Lily's green eyes flashed dangerously. "Severus is twice the man you'll ever be."

James smirked "Yeah, he's already got twice the nose!"

Her fists balled up, nails digging into her palms. "I'm warning you, Potter," she growled, venom seething through her voice.

"Oh, come on, you've got to admit that any normal girl wouldn't go near Snivelly with a-"

She swung her foot under the table, making contact with James' shins. For a fleeting second, there was a flicker of pain in his eyes, but it was replaced immediately by a cocky sparkle. "Ooh, no need to get violent. You're supposed to be setting an example for us lower beings, what with that shiny badge and all."

Seething, Lily blocked out his voice until he stopped pestering her, absent-mindedly shovelling sorbet into her mouth.

Lily restarted her conversation with Gwen and Alice in an attempt to stop James and his gang from bothering her. Of course, she was listening, but only taking in half of what they were saying. She felt so tired…

"… and he was covered head to toe in raisins!" Gwen laughed at her own story; Alice and Lily both giggled.

Suddenly, their empty plates vanished from in front of them, and Dumbledore rose once again. "I hope that you all found that as enjoyable as I did. However, there is learning to be done come tomorrow morning! Off to bed with you all!"

It was only a nudge from Alice that reminded Lily that she was supposed to be leading the first-years up to the Gryffindor common room. She stood up, looking up and down the table for new, anxious faces. "First-year Gryffindors, follow me, please."

"Yeah, and me too," With a sickening pang she remembered that Remus Lupin was a prefect as well. She wouldn't have a chance to catch up with Snape. Plastering a fake smile onto her face, she swept her gaze over the small gaggle that had formed behind her, before making her way out of the Great Hall.

The excited tittering started sounding as they reached the bottom of the moving staircases. It was a knack, using those stairs. Get your timings wrong, and you could be delayed by as long as an hour.

Lily climbed up to the first floor, all the while looking behind her, making sure there were no stragglers who had been distracted by one of the moving portraits, or whom Peeves had decided to wreak havoc on. Remus had given up his position at the rear and was walking by Lily's side by the time that they reached the third floor.

"Listen, Evans, I know James can be a prat sometimes, but he's alright. Give him a chance, would you?"

"Sometimes? Oh, well if that isn't the biggest understatement of the century then I don't know what it is."

"I'm not trying to be funny, here. He's my mate."

"Well then. You're not doing him much justice by begging me to forgive him. He's a big-headed idiot. Just because he can catch a snitch, he thinks that everyone should bow down to him."

"Evans-"

"Watch out for the trick step!" She called over her shoulder, hearing a high pitched squeal as someone's foot sank through the staircase. She sighed, doubling back to hoist a particularly freckly little boy back onto his feet. He squeaked, "Thanks, Miss!" before flushing scarlet and turning back to his friend. She found her way to the front of the group, where Remus was waiting with a slightly irritated expression on his face.

"I genuinely …"

"Look, I appreciate that you're only doing what you're told, Lupin, but you've got to make him realise that we are never going to happen. The sooner he knows that, the better."

They were both silent until they reached the Gryffindor common room, where the Fat Lady was sat in her pink dress. A friendly smile was cast at the first-years as she said, "Password?"

"Fuerit Inventus," Lily spoke clearly enough for the newcomers to hear. She hoped that they'd remember.

The portrait swung forward. Lily and Remus climbed in, the small group following.

"This is the common room of Gryffindor house," began Lily, "and you'll find your dormitories up the stairs over here: girls, on your right; boys, on your left."

"Your stuff has already been brought up, so don't you worry about that," Remus piped up, leaning against one of the tables. He looked at the group through his long fringe, smiling.

The first years moved towards the staircase, all the while talking among themselves. As the last trickle of students clambered up the stairs, Lily sank into one of the chintz armchairs, rubbing her temple with her right hand.

"Lily, I'm-"

"Just… leave me be. Please." Lily closed her eyes, the crackling of the fire a distraction from Remus. A distraction from James Potter.

She half-expected a witty retort, but after a minute of silence, she opened one eyelid and saw that he had left her alone. Lips curving up faintly, she shut her eyes once more, and didn't awake until the morning.