Lily Potter

A/N: Please read! I think this story might actually have potential. It's my first HP fanfic, but my second fanfic ever.

If you want some more detail about this story, it's pretty much about a girl who is sent to Hogwarts but doesn't have much faith in herself and is convinced she doesn't possess any magic. It is set after Deathly Hallows, and has almost nothing to do with the old characters of the Harry Potter chronicles. Though, as you read it, you might notice some faint similarities between my characters and the original's.

Please review.

Chapter One – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

"Good work, kiddo. That's the best school, you know," Sebastian Ormiston praised. Lily thanked him for his complimentary statement and blushed slightly.

"Yeah, you did great. I didn't manage to get into it…" grumbled Jack Pasty. She patted him on the back soothingly.

"Just because Harry Potter is from my school doesn't make it all that! Besides, Victor Krum is from your school. He was once one of the best Quidditch players ever," she reminded him, but he just walked away. "I can't believe I was the only one to get into Hogwarts!" Lily then exclaimed to Sebastian.

"Don't flatter yourself, Potter. I got in, too, of course," sneered Vanessa Peters. Lily turned to look at her.

"I meant between my friendship group, Vanessa."

"Are you meaning to imply that I'm not a part of your friendship group?" she retorted. "That could be considered exclusion, you know."

"I'm sure you'll live," Lily mumbled. Vanessa smiled.

"You're right. What more could I ask for than to be adored by both the males and females here?" She turned on her heel and called upon her friends, Taylor and Isobelle. "Come on girls, I fear stupidity may be contagious if we stay any longer." The two scurried after their idol and left Seb and Lily again.

"Don't worry 'bout her, Lils, she's just upset that someone else got in, a part from Taylor and Isobelle, that is," Sebastian said. She nodded mutely and then made an excuse of being late for dinner at the orphanage.

"Say hi to your mum for me, Seb, won't you?" Jack nodded. She rushed from the park in a hurry.

"You are such a grub, Potter!" shrieked Miss Meralayne.

"I'm sorry, miss. I was playin' in the park with Jack and Seb."

"You and your stupid boyfriends…"

"They're not my boyfriends!" Lily defensively argued. "They're just friends, that's all. None of the girls like me, so I don't have much of a choice." Miss Meralayne looked up at her and Lily could tell she felt sympathy for her misfortunes.

"Perhaps you should make more of an effort to be their friends. If you were just cleaner, too, that would help. Nobody wants to spend time with a little smelly girl, now do they?"

"No, miss, they don't." After some scrubs with a cloth on her cheek, and a licked thumb just for her face, she smiled and shooed Lily away.

"Try to keep that pretty little face clean next time, Lily," she called after Lily, but she didn't nod. Lily was actually hoping she wouldn't be able to notice her muddy hair seen as it was a chocolate sort of colour. Her mother used to say it was a pretty contrast to her unusual lime green eyes. She always used to reply that her eyes were probably the only non-plain thing about her.

At the table, Taylor, one of Vanessa's henchmen, was forced to sit next to Lily. "I heard you got into Hogwarts. I did, too," Lily said, as if she didn't already know.

"I'm not stupid. Everyone knows. We're the only ones in the whole orphanage that got in. Well, I am. Vanessa reckons McGonagall sent the letter to the wrong name." Lily didn't reply. She didn't even bother to argue that Professor McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts, would never make a mistake. Instead, she went to bed after washing the dishes and herself

Time seemed to fly. It seemed like just the next day she was on the train, after having a few difficulties with the concept of Platform 9 and 3 quarters, sitting by herself. It was a slow and boring train ride. Lily could only watch the water droplets gradually sink from the top of the window to the bottom, leaning against it to keep her forehead from overheating. Occasionally 

someone would come in, but they were quick to leave. It was like they sensed what Lily dreaded. She was just too… ordinary. It wasn't like an average witch to be noticeably unnoticeable.

When the train finally came to its destination, the first graders were called upon by a slender but abnormally tall man with a lantern. He had a bushy beard and wasn't particularly attractive, but seemed goodhearted from the manner he spoke and directed things. He told them that his name was Albert Rubeus Hagrid, but just to call him Hagrid. Lily thought it was a rather odd name, but didn't say anything. After all, she had nobody to say it to.

"Just this way, come on, come on," Hagrid persisted. He nudged some of the slower kids and soon enough they were at the castle, while Hagrid explained how the first years used to swim across the lake, trying to avoid leeches but usually failing. Lily hoped that the rest of the educational wizarding world wasn't as barbaric as he made it out to be. Although she'd gone to an orphanage for witches and wizards, they couldn't afford to go anywhere fancy and were forced to hide in the middle of London City.

The castle was spectacular. She'd never seen anything so marvellous. The walls looked newly painted, with portraits of all sorts of people all over them. She'd never realised just how many wizards there were in the world! As she gazed in awe at the school's beauty, she continued to make her way down the hall. That's when she noticed something that looked out of place. There was a picture with no one in it. The only thing apart from blackness was a tiny crack she noticed in the middle of it. "How peculiar…" she whispered to herself. Who would have thought that even a school like Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry would have broken pictures and things that weren't absolutely perfect in their halls?

Since she had no suitcase, only a casual sling-bag, she progressed straight into the main hall where some of the other first years were. They were nervously pacing or playing with their thumbs. There were four long tables in the room, all pack filled with what she assumed to be more students. At the front it looked like some sort of stage, where the professors seemed to be sitting patiently. Eventually, once all the first years had returned from putting their suitcases away, an elderly woman strolled to the stage. She had lips that could be mistaken for drawn on lines, her eyebrows weren't much different, and her face definitely had the sign of maturity, wisdom, and weary carved into it. Lily had the feeling she was the famous Professor McGonagall.

The woman confirmed Lily's theory, and explained that it was an old tradition of hers to assist in the Sorting Ceremony, which, as far as Lily knew, was simply the sorting of students into one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw.

"When I call your name, first years, you will come, sit on this chair here," she indicated an isolated looking chair, "and then proceed to place the Sorting Hat onto your head. Once your House Group is named, you will sit at the necessary table." She did not ask if her commands were understood. Lily thought they were pretty clear anyway. "Adelle Aarons." A shy looking girl did as she was told and then was sent to Ravenclaw by the talking hat. "Miranda Adrianne." Miranda was placed in Gryffindor.

A while later, when everyone was bored of the Sorting and were talking amongst themselves, McGonagall finally came to Lily's name. "Lily Potter." Everyone paused and looked up. Even McGonagall curiously glanced to see Lily. Without looking around, Lily hurried to the stage and anxiously sat down on the chair before gently placing the hat on her head. It hummed for a bit, and she had the feeling it wanted to know which House Group she would prefer. She had no preferences and was left to sit there. Everyone was still looking at her, as if they were as curious as she was as to where she would be placed. Not only did she have the name of Potter, but she was Lily Potter, too. As if the fame wasn't enough for her, she just so happened to have a tiny scar on her forehead, but she hid it with her fringe.

"Slytherin!" the Hat piercingly roared. Nobody applauded her like they had with the others. The Slytherins seemed infuriated. A Potter in Slytherin? Lily knew her year wasn't going to be as grand as everyone else back at the orphanage had promised.

Lily got off the chair slowly, as if she'd suddenly gained fifty kilos that was tearing her down. It was difficult to get a seat in the Slytherin table, but eventually one of the ghosts forced a Slytherin to let her sit next to them. From that point on, she was neglected.

A/N: please tell me if I got any small details incorrect or if I made errors. You are welcome to express your opinions on anything, including the plot or the characters, but I will warn you now I don't often change my storyline to suit my readers' individual wants unless I think theirs is better than what I actually had planned. : Please leave a review! Even a simple "good" or "interesting beginning" would be nice.

IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: Lily meets loads of new people... not just students, either.