*Unexpected encounters*
Slowly, fear took hold of Lily as she wandered through Hogwarts in the dark through unknown passages and staircases. It was only one of her first weeks at the school for witchcraft and wizardry, but now she was afraid of being expelled for walking in the castle at night, which was of course out of bounds.
Lily looked out of a window and decided that on the next run she would go left and down a stairs if she found one. Finally, she got lucky and to her left did indeed appear a stairway. However, after walking down for a while, there was still no other way then just up or down. She was just wondering whether she should turn back, when the end came into view. She quickened her pace, but the corridor was unfamiliar to her. Nevertheless, it was obvious that she was in one of the lowest parts of the castle. There were no windows, moss covered places on the damp walls and only a few candles were lit.
Then Lily heard a sound only a few feet away from her. She had already turned back towards the flight of steps, afraid of being caught by the caretaker, when she realized that the sound was that of a giggling girl. However, she had no time to decide what to do, for the girl came out of a corridor on Lily's left. The girl was clearly some years older than her. She was tall with dark hair and heavy-lidded eyes. The girl was fumbling with her ropes, which were black with green.
At the moment, her back was turned towards Lily and she was looking at something in the corridor where she had come from with gleaming eyes. Then she gave a shriek and started running in Lily's direction. However, she had only taken three steps before she stopped again, staring at Lily who was several inches smaller and standing just some feet away. One second later, a boy came running out of the same corridor. From his head to his waist, he was completely naked. Both of them were looking somewhat shocked at finding a first year, but the girl recovered fastest.
'Well, look who's sneaking around the castle at night, Rodolphus,' she said in a mock baby voice with an arrogant smile.
'No, I wasn't – I was…' Lily started.
'We don't need to hear your silly stories, little girl. Perhaps we should just teach you a lesson that it is forbidden to ever come in my way,' the dark-haired girl interrupted.
'But – But, it – I' Lily stammered. Lily was so afraid, that she couldn't get the sentence out of her mouth, especially when the girl whipped out her wand.
'Let's see how well this ickle first year can duel a last year,' the girl said as her smile grew.
Fear now spread through Lily's whole body. She didn't know any spell yet and moreover, her wand was in her dormitory. A part of her wanted to storm up the stairs, but her feet seemed glued to the ground. The girl raised her wand.
'What is going on here? Why aren't you all in your dormitories?' a voice suddenly rang through the dark corridor. Out of the shadows came the matron and a young boy of Lily's age, who she recognized as a first year from her own house.
'Nothing, we were just on our way to the common room when we met this first year. We were just asking why she was here on her own at this time of the day,' the boy spoke, as his girlfriend withdrew her wand quickly.
The matron didn't seem completely convinced, but she didn't press the subject either. She shot a glance at the pale boy next to her.
'You are in luck tonight, now all of you off to your dormitories and don't let me catch you again when I get back here or there will be detention,' the matron finished and then hurried off with the other first year shooting them a last suspicious look.
All three of the students could not believe their luck.
'Bella, that was seriously close,' Rodolphus said.
'Oh shut up, that is the fun of it all. Don't tell me that you were actually scared of getting detention at the joke of a school,' Bella replied with her disdainful smile. Rodolphus looked a little hurt, but kept his mouth closed.
'Can I go now?' Lily asked in a small voice in the silence that followed.
'Go? I don't think so,' Bella said shortly.
'She will go if she wants to,' a new voice spoke.
Out of the shadows now came three boys, all first years and Gryffindors too. Lily recognized them as the three friends of the boy they had seen a few minutes ago together with the matron.
'How many first years can be out here in one night?' Bella said sounding annoyed.
'Never mind that, leave the girl alone,' spoke the boy with messy black hair, who stood between his two friends.
'James, stay out of this, please. I don't need you and I don't want you,' Lily now said angrily once she had seen who it was. 'Just go away with your two friends and do whatever you want that I don't want to know about.'
The Slytherin girl now looked at Lily with surprise.
'But I just want to help you,' James said.
'And I think I already just told you that I don't want it. Leave me alone!'
'Fine,' he answered.
'Fine,' she replied.
'Good.'
'Good.'
With that, James stormed away both of his friends on his heels. Sirius still shot Lily an apologizing look, before all of them disappeared in the darkness once more. Now Lily was alone again with the two last years, and she felt her bravery waver. She looked the girl, but her smile had changed and she was still looking at Lily with a slight surprise.
'Well, I have to say ickle first year, there is more to you than meets the eye. You've got nerve, girl,' Bella said.
This left Lily speechless for several seconds, when they were interrupted yet again by a still bodiless voice.
'Who is there?'
'Severus, is that you?' Lily asked surprised when she heard the familiar voice.
'Lily?' Severus stepped out of the shadows, 'What are you doing here?'
'I might ask you the same,' Bella replied, 'Wait a minute, you're a Slytherin.'
'Yes, so what if I am,' Severus answered daringly.
'Nothing. Anyway, since you two seem to know each other, I guess we will leave you here,' Bella said,' Come on, Rodolphus.'
'Bye then,' Lily said.
'See you around ickle first year.' And with that note, Bella and Rodolphus left.
'You know those last year's? They are Slytherins,' Severus asked amazed.
'Well so are you and no, we just happen to have met here,' Lily replied, 'I suppose you were following James to try and put him in detention?'
Severus face darkened: 'Perhaps, but how would you know that?'
'Since he happens to have passed me in this corridor too, only seconds before you showed up,' she simply said grinning, 'Anyway, can you help me, cause I'm sort of lost.'
'Sure, I'll take you back to the Great Hall and from there you can find your own way back to your common room I suppose,' Snape said.
Lily nodded and they set off together. They had only walked for a few minutes, when Severus steered her out of a corridor right into the Great Hall.
'Here you are, right back where you wanted to be.'
'Thank you, Severus.'
'Who's there?' a voice sounded from the ceiling.
Both of them looked up to see Peeves the poltergeist staring down at them.
'Please Peeves, don't shout, we were on our way back,' Lily tried.
'You're out of bounds,' Peeves said with an evil grin and before they could do anything to prevent him, he started shouting. 'Students out of bed! First years in the Great Hall!'
'Run!' Severus yelled and both of them ran in the opposite direction.
Lily ran as fast as she could in the direction of the Gryffindor common room, without even looking back at Severus. When she was nearly there, with the portrait hole already in her sight, she was once more interrupted.
'Halt! Why are you running through the castle?'
Lily took a deep sigh, wondering who it was this time. 'I was running from Peeves.'
'What has that stupid poltergeist done this time?' the Bloody Baron asked as he drifted out of the wall.
'Something must really be done about him,' Nearly Headless Nick said following the Baron.
'And who might you be?'
'My name is Lily Evans.'
'Lily, well don't worry about Peeves anymore, quickly go to your dormitory and no one will know about this,' Nick said smiling.
'Thank you, Sir Nicholas,' Lily replied and then finally entered the common room through the portrait hole. She ran up the stairs and quietly slipped into her bed in the dormitory. 'I hope that I never have to go through this again,' she thought just before she fell asleep, 'For I will never be this lucky again by meeting so many people and still not getting any detention.'