Dear Mum,

I'm in Gryffindor!

I know you said you didn't mind I didn't end up in Ravenclaw like you and Grandma and her parents, but anyways…

There are four other girls in my dormitory, Josie Thomas, Lalla Moon, Lily Potter and Jemima Jenkins.

I'll send you an owl later today to tell you how my classes went, promise!

With love, you daughter,

Agnes

Agnes sighed and laid down the quill. She'd promised to keep her mother up to date on everything that transpired for her at Hogwarts, particularly in the first few months. They hadn't moved to Britain for her schooling for nothing! Speaking of moving… without hesitation, Agnes added

p.s. I hope your new job went well

Another aspect about moving so far was the necessity to find a new occupation, or at least employer. They'd lived off the money from selling their old house, plus what was left of the mediocre inheritance of her grandparents' fortunes. Her mother had been lucky to find an advertisement in the prophetfor a new assistant at Flourish and Blotts in late July. One she was ecstatic about, considering Lois's love of books, one Agnes unfortunately hadn't quite managed to inherit.

With a little bit of pleading and more pleading and even morepleading, the previous holder of the position had agreed to stay on and hold off retirement for two weeks. She'd said that the extra money couldn't hurt, and with being a single mother herself in the past, she'd empathised with Lois's inability to find (or afford) a babysitter.

Therefore, her mother had started work midday of September 1st.

Agnes felt a shiver down her spine and as it was still being late summer, she blamed it on the fact that the hearth had gone unlit, but what could one expect? It was 5 in the morning.

She looked up and her eyes met those of Lily Potter.

"Hi..." started Agnes.

"Hello," chimed Lily, floating over to an empty chair, "couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah, and I needed to write home anyway, may as well get it over with," responded Agnes with a yawn, which was closely followed by a grin. Lily was extremely easy to talk to compared with all the other girls in their dormitory who all wanted to talk about nail polish and bows and giggle together despite knowing each other less than twenty four hours.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but you sound Australian…?" began Lily curiously.

She didn't mind, "yeah, I was born there, my Mum went to Hogwarts though, before the war. But then she had to leave the country after her uncle and cousins were… killed and her parents didn't take things lightly, when they moved, they moved." Agnes could feel the loneliness of the summer weighing down on her. She hadn't even talked much yesterday as the compartment she had been in the company of Jemima and another gilr who later got sorted into Hufflepuff. The had both been rather... giggly. Yet she hadn't felt confident enough to venture forth. It was nice to let something spill, after all, Lily was going to be in the same dormitory for the next seven years.

"Oh, I'm really sorry to hear they're gone." Was all Lily could manage say, looking a little lost for words.

"It's okay, really. I never knew them." And Agnes bent to fold the parchment of her letter into an envelope, pausing slightly before adding the words

Lois Greene

To the back.

"We moved to Britain for Hogwarts, Mum still thought she couldn't send her only child to anything but. Even after all those years." And Agnes smiled up at Lily, "So what about you?"

"Hmm? What?" asked Lily, rather startled.

"Oh, I just felt like I've been doing all the talking… and you might be bored by it…" the last part only came out as a mumble.

"No no, it's interesting! There's a lot to learn from history–"

"Have you been taking Aunt Hermione too seriously Lily?" called a voice from the stairs to the boys' dormitory, making both girls jump in surprise and notice their surroundings again. Outside, the sky was brighter and with the promise of a clear day ahead. Inside, the common room was beginning to lighten and the sounds of students some rousing, though more were snoring, drifted down from the stairs.

Agnes checked her watch; it was six am.

And the owner of the voice had appeared at the arm of her chair, she couldn't quite place his name until, "James," was supplied by Lily with a mixture of irritation and exasperation in her voice.

"Hello Lily, I see you're up early, and who's this Ickle Firstie, hmm?"

"Agnes Greene," said Agnes, prickling heatedly, but she didn't want to provoke Lily's brother. He was still a fourth year.

"James Potter," and he held out his hand which Agnes shook hesitantly, not noticing the alarmed look from Lily.

She'd fallen right into his trap.

Before she knew it, Agnes's hair was on end and her eyes were wide in shocked surprise. Literally. What hurt more, though, was the merriness that shone in James's light brown eyes. She had been tricked. And it made her hollow with hurt.

"You bloody idiot!" shouted Lily, sweeping up from her chair, "what were you thinking, James? C'mon Agnes, let's go get breakfast."

Agnes gathered her things and followed after without a second glance, tears were already beginning to well up in her eyes.

It was five minutes of awkward, tense silence after coming through the portrait hole when Agnes broke the quiet, "it's too early for breakfast, you know, it won't be starting 'til seven," as she wiped the final tears from her eyes. They were puffy and red. The Prefects had mentioned it on the way to The Fat Lady the previous night.

"Yeah, but we can go to the kitchens if we have to," said Lily lightly.

"You know where that is?"

"Yeah, it's near the Great Hall, through this picture of a bowl of fruit. I think you're supposed to tickle the pear or something, J –" Lily glanced nervously at Agnes, hoping she hadn't noticed her near mention of a sore topic, "My brother told me," she finished quickly.

"Umm…" started Agnes, who had stopped abruptly in the middle of the corridor with a frown.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember the way to the Great Hall, because I can't," she grimaced, raking her brains furiously. Last night Agnes'd been too exhausted to concentrate, let al own keep track of every staircase and turn she passed.

"Maybe…" Lily cast a sideways glance at Agnes, before adding with a chortle "good thing we left early!"

"Yeah!" Laughed Agnes, finally forgetting that mornings' events, even briefly. And the two friends made their way down the corridor.

It sure was a good thing they'd been early.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

A/N

Soo... this is my first every fanfiction and to be frank, the longest piece of writing I've ever published on the internet. I hope it's okay, I really hope so. It might be a bit ambitious, but hey? I think I can do it.

another thing, I'm sorry about my portrayal of James, he had to be a git in this chapter. I promise he wont be early so awful in chapters to come.

another another thing, I hope you liked it and I tell you, nothing will be more important to me at the moment if you can give me your feedback.

- Faerie :)