Summary: As Lily is to be sorted, she remembers how Severus explained the houses to her.
Lily Evans sat down for the sorting hat. Her heart was racing and her head pounded. She looked over at the Slytherin table and in a crowd full of people, saw only him; Severus, her first and only friend. He smiled at her and nodded confidently which eased her nerves. She wiggled in the seat and straightened her back. Right before the sorting hat was placed upon her fiery hair, she remembered a conversation between her and Severus.
"Sev, will you tell me about the school again?" She asked, and curled up next to him. The two were down by the river banks and lay in the grass. She propped herself up on her elbow and looked at her friend intently. Severus sat there and picked at the grass, pulling up a small dandelion, and placed it in her hair. She laughed.
"Well, alright." He smiled at her and leaned back to look out at the water. "Hogwarts is split into four houses, you'll be placed into a house by a magical hat, whi—"
"A magical hat?" She asked, even though she knew the answer. She had asked Severus about their soon-to-be-school nearly every day since receiving their acceptance letters. It was one of the best days of her young life, besides meeting her best friend who sat beside her.
"Yes, a magical hat called the sorting hat." He indulged her, a faint smile on his lips.
"There's Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff, whi—"
"Tell me more about the houses."
"I was going to." He smiled, leaning back on the grass and closing his eyes. "However now that you've interrupted me, I don't know…" He opened one eye to look over at her leaning over him.
"Please!" She begged.
"You're such a child, Lily." He smiled and opened his eyes.
"No, I'm not!" She pouted, puffing her cheeks. He let out a low chuckle.
"Well, Ravenclaw thinks they know everything, Gryffindor thinks they can get away with anything, and Slytherin thinks they can get anything they want."
"But what about Hufflepuff?" She asked.
"Eh, that house is rubbish. It's where people go when they don't fit into any of the other houses."
"You're mean, Severus!" She cried accusatorily. He looked over at her, suddenly serious. He turned on his side to match her posture.
"Have I ever been mean to you?" He asked. She paused and looked at him for a moment, and slowly shook her head.
"No. You don't have it in you." She smiled at him, and then paused. "You're going to be in Slytherin, right?"
"Most likely. That's the house my mother was in." He sat up and wrapped his arms around his knees. He looked out over the water. Lily lay there for a moment staring at the grass and then sat up to join him.
"What house do you think I'll be in?" She asked with worry.
"Whichever house you want. Probably Ravenclaw. Or maybe Slytherin, with me." He turned and smiled at her. She smiled back.
Then the memory was over. She opened her eyes and the sorting hat had spoken.
"Gryffindor!"
Her eyes fell on Severus again. He clapped for her slowly, though he wasn't smiling. The Gryffindors cheered loudly and she put on a brave smile as she saw them wave her over. As she sat down, a boy who she had seen on the train grinned at her.
"What was your name again?"
"Lily. Lily Evans."
"I'm James."
A/N: This is my first day on so I hope you'll treat me well (If anyone reads this). I only write based on prompts. If you would like to see a drabble/one-shot, please let me know your idea. Thank you.
-VH