Disclaimer: all characters, settings etc. are the property of J.K. Rowling.
Author's Note: written for FeatheredxWings's Sorting Song competition, which can be found here :http : / .net / topic / 44309 / 53811333 / 1 / (remove the spaces). This oneshot focuses on the sorting of Lily Evans, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Severus Snape, though it's written in Lily's P.O.V. I did my best with the sorting song but poetry isn't my strong suit. I realize that there may be some errors concerning how the Marauders first met, their first encounter with Lily and Snape, etc. but this is fanfiction, so yeah. Please R&R!
Change
Lily Evans knew that her life had changed the moment she stepped onboard the huge scarlet steam train that would take her to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Although some might argue that things had changed as soon as she met the dark haired, sallow skinned boy standing next to her, things only fully sank in when she was hurrying down the corridors of the train, jostling past other children to find a compartment. She clung tightly to Severus's hand as the train juddered to life and eventually managed to tug him into the only empty compartment left. Lily immediately pressed her nose to the window to wave goodbye to her parents before remembering that they hadn't passed through the magical barrier to platform nine and three quarters and settling back into her seat with a slight frown. Noticing this, Severus smiled comfortingly at her. Lily smiled back, her gaze roaming over her best friend's face as he turned to look out the window.
He wasn't a particularly handsome boy – at least, not in the conventional way. Lily thought he looked rather like a romantic poet, although she had never seen a picture of one and wasn't sure if Severus had a way with words at all. Still, his pale skin and dark eyes seemed to fit the description the phrase conjured in Lily's mind, although his slightly hooked nose and greasy hair detracted from it a little. She thought that he might be quite handsome when he grew up, although her sister Petunia had scoffed when she tentatively broached the idea.
Thinking of Petunia only reminded her of how her life had changed. Although most of the changes were exciting ones which made Lily's heart pound and brought a smile to her face, this was one that made her chest tighten. Now that Petunia knew what Lily was – a witch! – she hated her. She hadn't even bothered to come to King's Cross to say goodbye to her, even though it would be months before Lily would be home again. Lily heaved a sigh, catching Severus's attention.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I was just thinking about Tuney," Lily said wistfully, pretending not to notice Severus's face darken and his lips twitch at the mention of her sister. "She was so angry at me when I left the house this morning. Do you think she hates me, Sev?"
"What does it matter?" Severus sneered. "She's a Muggle. It doesn't matter what she thinks of you."
Lily frowned. "It matters to me, Sev. She's my sister."
"She didn't even come to say goodbye to you," he pointed out. "That's not a very sisterly thing to do, is it?"
Lily opened her mouth to argue but before she could, there was a loud clatter in the corridor outside their compartment. Lily and Severus glanced at each other and got to their feet. Instinctively, Lily reached for the brand new wand that she had tucked into the pocket of her skirt. It was a comforting weight in her hand, which she clasped tightly as the compartment door slid open a fraction and a boy's face peered through the gap. He had round cheeks, messy, jet black hair and a pair of round glasses which had slid to the bottom of his nose.
"Oh," he said, noticing Lily and Severus's defensive positions. He grinned cheekily and tugged at the compartment door, pulling it open all the way to reveal two other boys – a chubby boy with mousy brown hair and beady eyes and a tall, handsome boy who looked much older than his age – which, judging from the Hogwarts tie he sported rather than a house one, was eleven, just like Lily and Severus.
"Have you heard of knocking?" Severus said snidely. The boy with the glasses looked at him sharply, as if questioning Severus's intelligence in choosing to speak that way to him.
"It's a train," the boy pointed out. "Not your bedroom."
The chubby boy gave a high pitched giggle. Lily's gaze snapped to him. He was staring at the messy haired boy like he was a god. Lily resisted the urge to roll her eyes. So the messy haired boy was the leader and the other two were his lackeys. She loosened her grip on her wand and narrowed her eyes at the intruders.
"What are you doing in our compartment?" she asked. The messy haired boy turned his gaze on her and gave a toothy grin. This didn't go unnoticed by his friends – the tall one emitted a low wolf whistle while the chubby boy smiled in a leering sort of way. Lily shuddered inwardly.
"I don't think we've been formally introduced," the messy haired boy said with a cheeky grin, stepping forward and holding out his hand with a flourish. "I'm James Potter and these are my two new friends, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black. We didn't manage to find a compartment before the train set off. Do you mind if we share yours?"
Beside her, Lily sensed Severus stiffening. She glanced at him and saw that he was staring at the tall boy – Sirius Black – with newly piqued interest. The look Black was giving him in return was quite the opposite, almost bordering on revulsion.
"Black?" Severus said almost eagerly. "As in–"
"Yes, as in," Sirius interrupted, narrowing his eyes at the other boy. "And I'm nothing like my family, so don't assume that you know me based on my family name."
Severus straightened up a little, seemingly annoyed by the reply. An awkward silence descended over the compartment until James cleared his throat, gave a short cough and looked back at Lily with another grin.
"I don't think I got your name," he said. She blinked.
"Lily Evans," she said after a moment. "This is my best friend. Severus Snape."
"Snivellus Snape?" Sirius said mockingly. It seemed as if Severus's presumptions about his family had irritated him and he was just lashing out at Severus in a petty attempt at revenge – but no matter how petty it was, it was working. Lily noticed Severus's shoulders slump and recognized the expression of silent pain he often wore after spending time with his father. Putting her hands on her hips, she glared at Sirius.
"That was rude," she said angrily. "And completely unnecessary. I think you should leave."
James looked at her, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, and then looked back at his two friends. Sirius was staring at Severus, a smug smirk playing about his lips, while Peter was gazing adoringly at James and awaiting his word. Eventually, James turned on Severus with a smirk to rival Sirius's.
"Good thing your girlfriend was around to protect you, Snivellus," he said. Severus glowered at him. "She won't be forever, though. She's way out of your league." He started to leave, followed by his friends, and then poked his head back into the compartment. "Later, Evans."
Lily shut the door after them and settled back into her seat. Severus did the same, his face drawn. She reached out and put a comforting hand on his knee, eventually managing to coax a smile out of him. They spent the rest of the journey talking about what they thought Hogwarts would be like. Lily expressed her excitement about the wizarding world while Severus boasted of his knowledge of it, and when the food trolley came around with magical treats like Fizzing Whizbees and Liquorice Wands, Severus told her which ones were the nicest. By the time the train chugged into Hogsmeade Station, the incident with James Potter and his friends had been all but forgotten.
She and Severus disembarked the train hand in hand and followed the other first years to a lake. An impossibly large man was directing them towards a fleet of small boats.
"Firs' years, over here," he shouted. "Three ter a boat!"
Lily and Severus hurried to get into the same boat. They found themselves squeezed in with a very slim, shabby looking boy with light brown hair and kind brown eyes. He avoided their eyes, his cheeks reddening slightly. Lily decided that he must be quite shy. Remembering what her parents had said about making friends, she took a deep breath and offered him a friendly smile as the boats began moving by themselves towards the shadowy building that was Hogwarts castle.
"I'm Lily Evans," she said. "This is my friend Severus. Are you excited to go to Hogwarts?"
He looked up at her, his eyes widening. Strangely enough, it didn't seem like he was shy anymore – it seemed more like he was shocked that someone would want to speak to him. Lily widened her smile, encouraging him to reply.
"I'm Remus," he said, his voice barely higher than a whisper.
"It's nice to meet you," Lily said brightly. "Isn't this exciting?"
"Yes," Remus admitted, straightening up a bit. "I've been reading all about Hogwarts – ever since I got my acceptance letter."
Severus, who had been silent since they climbed into the boat, tugged excitedly at Lily's sleeve. "Look over there!" he said, pointing at something by the castle. Lily squinted and saw the shape of a tree.
"What's so important?" she asked, squinting. "It's just a tree."
"It's not just a tree," Severus said. "It's a Whomping Willow. It's a magical plant. We'll probably learn all about them in Herbology." Remus shrank back at the mention of the Whomping Willow and he was silent for the rest of the boat journey, although beside him, Lily and Severus were chatting animatedly about Herbology classes.
The boats eventually came to a stop and the man who had directed them across the lake led the first years into the castle. They stepped into a huge entrance hall, which Lily stared around in awe. Everything was beautiful. She followed her fellow first years into a small antechamber and they stood there for a few moments until they were approached by a stern looking woman with greying dark hair.
"Good evening, first years," she said, her voice echoing slightly off the walls. "My name is Professor McGonagall and I would like to welcome you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The start of term banquet is about to begin, but before you can join the other students, you must be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is an important ceremony. While you are here, your house will be your family. You will eat together, sleep together, take classes together and spend your free time together in your house common room. You will work together to earn house points, and at the end of the year the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup. There are four houses here at Hogwarts – Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff – and each one embodies certain traits and qualities. Each one has produced powerful witches and wizards. I trust that whatever house you are placed in, you will do your utmost to uphold its noble name."
She glanced over the students, who were all watching her in silent awe.
"The Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly," she added. "I'll be back in a moment to take you to the Great Hall."
McGonagall swept out of the room. Lily turned to Severus, her eyes wide.
"Wow," she whispered. "It's starting to seem so real."
Severus smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "It is real," he reminded her.
A few minutes later, Professor McGonagall returned. She led the students out of the antechamber at a brisk pace, coming to a stop in front of an impressive pair of double doors. She glanced back at the students with a quirked brow and then threw open the doors, striding into the hall behind them. The first years streamed after her, each one of them shocked into silence by the Great Hall. Lily stared in amazement at the four long tables, each one filled with students wearing uniforms with subtle differences – the students at one table wore green and silver striped ties, while another wore black and yellow, the third wore red and gold and the final wore blue and bronze. Lily assumed that each one stood for a different house. She lined up with the rest of the first years and watched Professor McGonagall ascend the steps to a platform at the back of the hall and come to a standstill beside a stool, on which perched a raggedy looking old hat.
The hat was extremely dirty and looked like something Lily might wear on Halloween. It was patched and frayed and there was a large rip in the brim that looked rather like a mouth. As Lily watched, the hat seemed to twitch, and then to her surprise, the brim opened wide and the hat began to sing.
I understand that some of you
May be frightened by what you see,
A hat with a mind all of its own,
And the brains of wizards three.
Your brain may say don't trust me
And my appearance is not so kind,
But if I weren't here to choose
A student's place; they would be blind.
I know things about you,
Which even you don't know,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you have to go.
Perhaps you'll be a Gryffindor,
If you're daring, courageous and brave,
Or maybe you belong in Ravenclaw,
If knowledge is what you crave.
Slytherin is where you must go,
If you're cunning, ambitious and shrewd,
And Hufflepuff is your true home
If you are just, loyal and true.
Each of these four houses
Have a uniqueness which sets them apart
So try me on and I will tell you
Which house trait lies at your heart.
And if you feel that I am wrong,
Do try not to cry,
Remember, I know what you don't,
And the Sorting Hat never lies!
Lily gaped at the hat, chills running down her spine. The students at the tables broke into applause and she composed herself, noting dazedly that this must happen every year. The knot of nervousness which had plagued her before she boarded the Hogwarts Express suddenly returned with a vengeance as Professor McGonagall unrolled a scroll of parchment and began reading names in alphabetical order. One by one, the first years trooped up to the platform to have the hat placed on their heads. By the time McGonagall had reached the B's, Lily's nerves were growing.
"Black, Sirius," McGonagall called. The arrogant boy from the train sauntered up to the platform and perched on the edge of the stool, smirking as McGonagall placed the hat on his head. His smirk wavered a moment later as he noticed the entirety of the Slytherin table staring at him in anticipation. Lily guessed from the way they were looking at him that they expected him to be in their house.
It came as quite a surprise when the brim of the hat opened wide and shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" Sirius slipped off the stool, looking both dazed and relieved, and made his way to the Gryffindor table. Lily noticed the Slytherins staring at Sirius mutinously and wondered privately what that was all about.
The Sorting continued. It seemed to take hours for Professor McGonagall to reach the E's, although at the same time, it seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Eventually, McGonagall's voice rang out across the hall – "Evans, Lily."
Lily swallowed hard and approached the platform, her palms sweating anxiously. She sat on the stool, her vision blurring as she looked out on what now seemed like an impossibly large crowd. She spotted Severus and felt a little less dizzy as he smiled at her. McGonagall placed the hat on her head, where it promptly slid down to cover her eyes. Lily gave a small squeak, her fingers tightening on the edge of the stool as the hat began to speak.
"My, my," it said silkily. "What an intriguing mind we have here..."
Intriguing? Lily thought, wondering if the hat could hear her.
"Yes, very intriguing," the hat mused. "Such cleverness and potential – you would do well in Ravenclaw... but there's also a strong sense of loyalty, which calls you to Hufflepuff house... then again, you also have the ambition to be a silver tongued Slytherin... and yet... yes... your most prevalent trait..."
The hat lapsed into silence. Lily waited for the shout. Just when it seemed like it wouldn't come, she felt the hat's "mouth" open and heard the call echo across the Great Hall – "GRYFFINDOR!"
Lily slipped the hat off and clambered shakily off the stool, hurrying towards the Gryffindor table. She chose a seat as far away from Sirius Black as possible, turning her back on him to watch the rest of the Sorting Ceremony. Various students who Lily didn't know were sorted into their respective houses. It wasn't until McGonagall reached the L's that Lily heard a name she recognized.
"Lupin, Remus."
Lily smiled as the boy who had shared a boat with Severus and herself climbed up to the platform, her smile only growing wider as the Sorting Hat declared Remus a Gryffindor. She made room for him at the table, pleased that she had already made a friend in her house. She was less pleased when James Potter and Peter Pettigrew ended up in her house, but she knew she would be alright if she had Remus and Severus to keep them away from her. She waited eagerly for McGonagall to reach the S's, her nerves disappearing. She was so certain that she and Remus and Severus were going to be the three best friends that anybody had ever had – although she knew it was extremely early to do so, she even privately gave them a nickname, the Golden Trio. So when Professor McGonagall finally called for "Snape, Severus," Lily was just waiting for the hat to declare Severus a Gryffindor.
However, almost as soon as the Sorting Hat had touched Severus's head, the brim opened wide and yelled "SLYTHERIN!" Lily stared in astonishment as Severus got to his feet and headed for the Slytherin table, his fists clenched. He met her eyes once he was seated, looking both sad and resigned. Lily stared unwaveringly at him, waiting for McGonagall to declare that it was a mistake, because of course it was a mistake – Severus had to be in the same house as Lily.
"Bad luck," Remus whispered beside her.
"Yeah," Lily said, still staring at Severus. When McGonagall continued with the Sorting, she gave a sigh, resigning herself to not being in the same house as Severus. Then she clenched her fists, resolute. "Well, we'll just have to work around it. He's my best friend and I'm not going to let something as trivial as being in different houses change that."
"That could be difficult, what with the inter house rivalry and all," Remus said. Lily's gaze snapped to him.
"Inter house rivalry?"
He nodded. "Gryffindors and Slytherins don't get along," he told her. "It's always been that way. In fact, Slytherins in general are... well..." He hesitated. Lily narrowed her eyes.
"Slytherins are what, Remus?"
"Generally speaking," he mumbled, "Slytherin house produces the most Dark wizards."
Lily's jaw slackened. She glanced back at Severus, who appeared to have struck up a conversation with one of his fellow Slytherin first years, and shook her head.
"Maybe that's true," she said, "but Severus isn't going to be one of them. And house rivalry or no house rivalry, he's my best friend and things are going to stay that way."
She said it with determination, but even as her gaze flickered back to the Slytherin table, she wondered why exactly Severus had been put in the house which was known for producing Dark wizards. Already, things were beginning to change.
I really love writing Lily and Remus as best friends and Lily and Snape in general. Yeah. I think I'm going to do more stories about them. Anyone interested? :P No, seriously, let me know if you are. In the reviews. Which are always greatly appreciated. And it's 4:16am, so I'm going to go to sleep now.