Up to No Good

A/N Okay so this is my first ever fic of any kind, very excited for it – big plans. There will be nice little fluffy bits eventually, but couched in actual story as well, because who doesn't love the marauders, and the seventies, and Hogwarts, and all things amazing.

Disclaimer - I own everything, it was all my idea, JK overheard to me sleep-talking on a train. Not.

First Year

- Chapter One -

The Beginning - Letters, Firsts and a Sorting

A young Lily Evans thundered down the stairs, answering her parents' call. When she slid to a stop in the kitchen, she saw that they were holding a piece of paper, and that an envelope sat on the table, with spidery green writing on it, and an elaborate crest in the top right corner where the stamp should have been. She could just decipher the slanting words underneath it;

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Miss Lily Evans,

Second Bedroom,

85a Kingsmead Square,

Cokeworth

'Lily there's been a letter for you,' her mother began, sounding very cautious and confused. Her father looked mildly amused.

But Lily had no time for that, this was IT she was sure of it. This was the letter that Severus had said would come. Then a horrible thought struck her, what if he was just playing a joke on her? What if it wasn't real, what if none of it was? She snatched the letter from her mothers grasp and read it desperately, willing it to be real.

Dear Miss Evans,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster

Lily could barely contain her excitement, it certainly didn't look like Sev had written this, she was sure his handwriting wasn't nearly neat enough. While she had been reading, he parents had gone to answer the door; she could hear the chatter coming down the hall. It was all there, the list of equipment included a wand, wizarding robes and beginners spellbooks. She heard footsteps coming down the hall back into the kitchen, and her parents reappeared with a very strange looking man in sweeping black robes.

"Hello Lily, lovely to meet you,' he said shaking her hand, 'sorry to barge in like this, I know it must be a bit of a shock to all of you, so I'm just here to help explain your letter,'

Lily was positively bursting with excitement, but she tried to stay calm, as she realised that this was going to be pretty difficult for her parents to understand. As the man launched into an explanation of Hogwarts and the wizarding world, Lily's mind wandered, she couldn't wait to tell Sev.

James Potter got his owl at breakfast. It was hardly a surprise, but nonetheless he was beyond excited. He couldn't quite believe he was finally going to Hogwarts. He had heard all about it from his parents and their friends, and he was more than ready to get going. His parents were taking him to Diagon Alley later in the afternoon to get his school things now that they had the list.

After he had eaten, James sped up to his room to write to Sirius, his absolute best friend, to see if he wanted to meet in Diagon Alley. He had met Sirius at some stuffy event for an obscure relation earlier that year, and they had hit it off right away.

Sirius' owl came that day as well, almost at the same time as a letter from James. He was desperately looking forward to Hogwarts, and not just for the usual reasons. He could not wait to get out of his house and away from his parents with their pureblood obsession. They approved of James, but not of his parents, as they had notoriously kind views of muggle-borns and muggles. Sirius just didn't get it, who cared what someone's parent were?

He was a bit guilty about the idea of leaving his brother alone with his parents though. Regulus was far meeker than Sirius had ever been, and while he looked up to his older brother, he did worry what might happen if he wasn't around to shelter him from the full onslaught of their parents' insanity.

He was seriously looking forward to spending more time with James though. His parents didn't really like it when he spent too much time at the Potters'; the term 'blood traitor' got thrown around a lot whenever he wanted to visit. For obvious reasons, he hadn't wanted James to come to his house, so they had mostly just been hanging out in Diagon Alley.

The arrival of Remus Lupins letter was a sombre affair. His parents had been sure he wouldn't get one at all, and now that he had, they were still very reluctant to let him go.

'What if he bites someone,' he heard his mother hiss in the next room. Remus sat dejectedly in the living room, wishing, for what had to be the thousandth time that he could just be ordinary.

The doorbell rand, and he went to answer it himself, not wanting to walking in on his parents talk. When he opened the door, it was to find a very odd looking man standing there. He had auburn hair and a matching beard and wore half-moon spectacles on his crooked nose.

'Hello Remus, my name is Albus Dumbledore,' he said kindly, bending down to peer at him more closely, 'Would you mind if I had a quick word with your parents?' As he finished speaking, his father came out into the hall. When he saw Dumbledore he stopped dead, and a dark expression clouded his features.

'You didn't need to come,' he said tersely, 'we know he can't go to school, frankly I don't know why you sent the letter in the first place if you were just going come here and ask us to keep him away,'

'But my good man,' Dumbledore replied, smiling, 'you misunderstand my intentions I'm afraid. I see no reason at all why young Remus here should be denied his education, I merely came here to work out some of the particulars with you, that is,' he paused, eyes twinkling, 'if you are happy for him to attend?'

Remus' heart leapt, and Mr Lupin looked like he might cry.

Mr Ollivander eyed Lily shrewdly before turning away, searching through the boxes and boxes of wands. Lily wasn't entirely sure she liked his cold, silver eyes; they made her very nervous for some reason, like he knew something about her that even she didn't. As she was sitting contemplating whether he would ever some back from the storeroom, another family entered the shop. It was a boy her age, with messy black hair, and both of his parents.

'What's your wand again dad?' the boy asked his father, sounding very excited. 'Maple,' replied the tall man.

Lily looked away quickly. Apart from Sev, she'd had had no contact at all with anyone else from the magical world, and today in Diagon Alley had left her feeling excited, but also very intimidated and withdrawn. She was still worried that someone would realise how out of place she was, and tell her the whole things was actually a mistake. That was actually why she'd left her wand buying for last, there was a small part of her that was absolutely sure Ollivander would not be able to find a wand for her.

Right at that moment however, he reappeared, carrying with him a stack of five wand boxes. He handed her the first.

'Well, give it a wave,' he instructed quite kindly. Lily did so, feeling immensely foolish, especially now that she wasn't alone in the shop. The boy with the messy black hair was definitely watching her.

She had barely lifted the wand, when Ollivander snatched it out of her hand and passed her a different one. Taken aback, but determined to press on with it, she waved the second one. As it arced through the air, a shower of glittering golden sparks erupted from its tip and hung in front of her. Lily gasped, and looked quickly at Mr Ollivander to gauge his reaction. He was wearing a broad smile, 'Ah wonderful, another successful pairing, you two were made for each other I see. You know,' he mused thoughtfully, 'this lovely little wand was one of the first I even made with dragon heartstring as the core? I've been waiting for it to pick someone for years.'

Though not entirely sure what to make of this, Lily was pleased beyond measure. She looked at the wand in her hand and read the little tag that was fixed to the handle '10 ¼ in. Willow. Dragon Heartstring,' she gave it another tentative wave, causing another shower of golden stars, and thought she heard the boys mother supress a chuckle.

Ollivander spoke again, 'You're lucky young woman, I'm quite proud of that wand, it's very supple, going to be excellent for charms, only would have chosen someone talented,' he tapered off, talking to himself. Somewhat bemused, Lily followed him over to pay for her wand, and then left the store in search of her parents, who had waited in the Leaky Cauldron.

James watched idly as the girl with the bright red hair skipped out of the shop. He supposed she was going to Hogwarts this year as well, and rather belatedly he wished he had said hello. It would be good to make some new friends, and she seemed interesting enough.

Ollivander wandered over to the Potter family, still muttering something indistinct about powerful charms, 'Hello Mr Potter,' he greeted the elder man, 'I suppose young James here will be needing his wand then?' He looked at James rather critically for a few moments and, after taking some very obscure measurements, (like the distance from the tip of his nose to his knees) wandered off to look for some likely candidates.

'Is he always that strange?' asked James with interest, looking at his parents, 'and what does he mean he's been waiting for that girls wand to pick someone?' Evangeline Potter started to answer her son, but before she could begin, Mr Ollivander spoke from the stacks in his raspy, yet somehow shrewdly perceptive voice, 'The wand chooses the wizard, Mr Potter,' he called out, unnecessarily cryptically, in James' opinion.

Shortly after, James began waving his way through the tower of wands Ollivander had brought out for him. However unlike the previous girl, he did not have much immediate success. It was after the fourteenth wand had been hurriedly put aside after causing an innocent armchair to burst alight with hissing green flame, that Ollivander seemed to have a thought. He shuffled off into the stack again, emerging quickly with a new box, that he handed to James.

James waved the mahogany wand without much hope, but was happily surprised when he showered his parents in familiar golden sparks.

'Wonderful!' cried Ollivander jubilantly. 'Mahogany, 11 inches, dragon heartstring, quite pliable too you should excel at transfiguration with that wand young Mr Potter,' he quieted down a little, and the Potters moved forward to pay for their sons wand, looking faintly amused, but definitely ready to get out of the shop.

'Farewell, have a good year and take care of that wand boy,' he called after them, as the exited his shop.

As the door tinkled shut, a knowing little smile played around the edges of Ollivander's lips. He wondered what sort of interaction the two children he had just served were going to have. After all, the cores of their wands had come from the heart of the same dragon. It was, like he had told the girl, one of the first times he had used the material, he had had to travel up to the Swiss Alps to get a hold of the heart. Whatever those two where going to have to do with one another, he thought, it was definitely going to be interesting.

The morning of September the first, 1971, dawned crisp and clear. Platform 9 ¾ was bustling with students returning from the summer holiday, excitedly seeking out their classmates, and the first years on the platform hung back with their parents, looking nervous but excited.

The exceptions to this behaviour were two boys, who didn't seem the least bit frightened. They ran through the crowd to reach the train, knocking over trunks, owls and bowling past miffed looking groups of seventh years.

As Lily watched, they sent one girls cauldron full of textbooks spinning across the crowded platform. She thought they were being exceptionally rude, though a small part of her was jealous at the ease with which they seemed to click into place in this new world of hers. She supposed they must have come from magical families. She was standing with her parents, who were a bit out of sorts among the owls and trunks and magical families, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves nonetheless. Tuney, on the other hand, looked positively murderous. She hadn't spoken a word to Lily since she had found out she was going away to school, and Lily was really hoping she would soften up a bit when faced with her actually leaving.

Needless to say, she was dead wrong.

When it was time for goodbyes, Lily turned to her sister. 'Tuney,' she began hopefully, but her elder sister just glared down at her. 'Tuney,' Lily resolutely pressed on, determined to get at least a goodbye out of her sister and erstwhile best friend. 'Tuney, I'll miss you.'

'Well, too bad,' said Petunia softly 'too bad, it's your own fault you're going away, leaving me behind for this stupid stuff.'

'I wish you could come with me Tuney, I really do…' but she stopped talking, because Petunia had started to walk away from her.

'I'm sorry, Tuney, I'm sorry! Listen –' she grabbed her sister's hand and held on tight, even when she tried to pull away. She was desperate now, worried that she was just making everything worse between them, but more words kept spilling out of her, 'maybe once I'm there – no, listen, Tuney! Maybe once I'm there I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!' Lily hope Petunia wouldn't pick up on the phrasing of that unfortunate sentence, absolutely the worst thing right now would be if she found out that Lily had gone through her things

'I don't – want – to – go!' Petunia hissed, trying to wrench her hand out of Lily's grasp. 'You think I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a – a…'

Lily watched as her sister looked around the busy platform filled with robed wizards and witches, owls in cages and some flying around and the scarlet steam engine humming as it sat waiting to convey them all to Hogwarts.

'You think I want to be a – a freak?' she finished, quietly. Lily's heart broke. Her big sister… Her eyes filled with hot tears as she let go of Petunia's hand.

'I'm not a freak,' said Lily to her sister's back. 'That's a horrible thing to say.'

'That's where you're going,' Petunia continued mercilessly, 'a special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy… weirdos, that's what you two are. It's good you're being separated from normal people. It's for our safety.'

At this, Lily chanced a quick look at their parents. Luckily they were paying no attention, totally enraptured by the magical world around them. When she turned back to Tuney, her heart felt suddenly cold with anger.

'You didn't think it was such a freak's school when you wrote to the headmaster and begged him to take you,' she shot cruelly. Instantly though, Lily regretted it, and the goodbyes were definitely downhill form there.

Thus it was with a heavy heart that Lily Evans first stepped aboard the Hogwarts express. The looked despondently around for Sev, and found him sitting awkwardly in a compartment with the two boys that had been racing around the platform earlier.

She flopped down next to him on the seat, feeling utterly rubbish. She had tried to ignore him at first, blaming him for reading her sister's letter, but in all honesty, he was now just about her only friend. That didn't mean he was forgiven, mind, she just didn't want to alienate the only person that liked her at the moment. Plus Sev had meant well, he had only been trying to help her work out what Tuney's problem was, honestly it had been as much her fault as his. She was about to say as much to him, when he broke the silence himself.

'You better be in Slytherin,' he told her, and she smiled in response. She really did hope they were going to end up in the same house.

'Slytherin?' said one of the other boys, who up until this moment had shown no interest at all in either Lily or Snape. Lily realised then that this was the same boy that she had seen briefly in Mr Ollivander's shop when she was getting her wand. He was slight and black-haired, but it seemed to Lily that he had that indefinable air of someone who was cared for. It was only noticeable to her really because she had always thought it was something Sev so obviously lacked.

'Who wants to be in Slytherin?' the boy continued, 'I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?' he turned to his companion, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

The other boy didn't look up, but mumbled something that might have been, 'my whole family have been in Slytherin.'

'Blimey,' said the first boy, 'and I thought you seemed alright!'

The boy with straighter hair looked up with a grin at this, and said, 'maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you headed, if you've got the choice?'

The boy from the wand shop jumped up onto the seat, and held aloft an imaginary sword. Lily was almost laughing, but she caught a strangely gloomy look on Sev's face and supressed her smile.

'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart! Like my dad.' From beside her, Lily heard Sev make a contemptuous snorting noise, and the boy rounded on him. 'Got a problem with that?' he challenged.

'No,' Sev replied, though Lily thought that was a bit rich since he was definitely sneering. He continued, 'if you'd rather be brawny than brainy – '

'Where are you hoping to go then, seeing as you're neither?' interjected the seated boy. The messy-haired one roared with laughter at this, and hopped down. Lily was fast getting angry at these cruel, self-entitled boys. She was not in the mood to be messed with any more today. Perhaps too, she was feeling guilty for the things she had said to Petunia at the station, and was trying to make up for it by sticking up for Severus. She could feel her face getting warm as her anger rose, but she kept it together.

'Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment,' she said icily. Another compartment not populated by jerks, she thought to herself.

'Ooooooooo,' said the boys in unison, mocking her lofty tones. She was at the door, and turned around just in time to see the boy from the shop try to strip Sev up as he made to follow her.

She slammed the door behind them, but not before they caught a 'see ya, Snivellus!' and more gales of self-satisfied laughter from the compartment. Sev looked utterly livid when she turned to face him.

'Let's just… go' he said in response to her questioning look.

As she walked down the corridor with Sev in tow, Lily reflected that this day, though supposed to be amazing, couldn't have started worse. She had one other thought as she scanned for empty compartments, if she ended up in the same house as those two horrible boys, she was going to have to hit something, hard.

As the first years filed nervously into the great hall, a hush descended. They radiated that classic combination of fear and delicious anticipation. Lily Evans gasped when she saw the starry night sky reflected in the vast ceiling, and nudged Severus Snape. Even students who had come from old wizarding families could not help but be amazed by the sight of the great hall. There was, of course, only so much of the magic and majesty of the place that could be imparted in a retelling. Toward the back of the group, James Potter grinned broadly, knowing instantly that this was where he was meant to be.

Lily could see a raggedy old hat sitting on a stool in the middle of the hall. She watched, fascinated, as a rip near the brim opened up, and the hat began to sing. It outlined the defining characteristics of the four Hogwarts houses; Gryffindors were brave, Slytherins were cunning, Hufflepuffs were loyal and Ravenclaws were intelligent. Lily thought all of the houses sounded pretty good to her, but even though she knew what Sev though about them, her brief assessment of the Slytherin house table left her feeling a bit uneasy.

When she looked back to the hat, it was just finishing up its song, ending with a warning of sorts. This, obviously, was not standard practise. Lily noticed that the previously silent hall was not filled with a buzz of chatter, many of the older students where exchanging significant looks. Lily didn't really see what the fuss was about, the hat hadn't said anything that sensational – just a bit about house unity and that sorting really didn't have to be the end of it.

Scowling at the murmuring students, Professor McGonagall came forward again, bearing a long list, and began to call out names. Lily was very very relieved to realise that all they had to do was try the hat on. Some of the tension she was feeling slackened, but she was still on tenterhooks waiting for her name to be called.

'Black, Sirius' rang out through the hall. Sirius moved toward the hat in what he hoped was a casual saunter. In actual fact, he hadn't felt this nervous in about as long as he could remember. He was dreading the inevitable cry of 'Slytherin!' He could just imagine having to spend seven bloody years with a pack of slimy –

He had reached the stool. He sat down, and pulled the hat over his head. The brim flopped down over his eyes and he could no longer see the great hall. The buzz of chatter grew very faint and muffled, and he heard a voice inside his head.

'Ah, another Black I see. Yes well interesting though, because I think the name might just be the end of your family resemblance. Don't get me wrong, it's all here the cunning, a dash of cruelty but you know, I don't think I've ever encountered a Black with such a liberal dash of righteous bravery and honour. I suppose though you will want uphold traditions…'

'NO' Sirius thought vehemently. 'No I hate the lot of them, with their sickening self-entitlement and pureblood bloody obsessions!' He had absolutely no idea what the hat was going to make of his little input, but he hoped against hope that he just might be able to keep himself out of that revolting house.

'Interesting,' said that hat, almost lazily, 'you know, I think you might be right. Better be… GRYFFINDOR!' The hat shouted the last word out to the whole hall.

Sirius sat there for a few seconds before he realised what had just happened. Then, ever so slowly, a kind of warm happiness seemed to seep into him.

Not Slytherin.

Lily felt as though her legs had turned to lead when her name was called. Somehow she managed to move forwards, towards the tatty hat on the stool.

With somewhat shaking hands, she reached for the hat, sat down, and jammed it over her head, covering her eyes.

'Well… well,' mused a sardonic voice in her head. Lily nearly jumped in shock, but she managed to keep still in the end, not wanting to look like a total prat in front of the whole school.

'Yes,' continued the voice, 'yes I think so… incredibly smart, driven of course but there is something else… something deeper,' it was silent for a few moments.

'Ah! There it is!' crowed the voice, triumphantly, 'I knew it, such strength of will and so just… Just perfect for GRYFFINDOR!' as the hat shouted out the last, Lily took it off with much steadier hands.

Though she hated herself for it, she was desperately glad she was not in Slytherin. She chanced a look at Sev, who looked, just for a moment, as though the world had ended.

A short while after she had settled herself at the Gryffindor table – to her dismay near the Black kid – another boy was sorted into Gryffindor. Remus Lupin, a kind looking boy in robes that had definitely seen better days. He had a very kind face, though he didn't sit with the other first-years, apparently wanting to keep to himself.

'Pettigrew, Peter,' a short, tubby little boy sat on the stool for at least ten minutes before the hat shouted out GRYFFINDOR! At which he positively beamed and came over to join them.

Then the nasty boy from the wand shop came forward at 'Potter, James,' and was almost instantly sorted into her house as well. Honestly, she thought with disgust, the hat barely even touched his stupid messy hair. Well she didn't care if they had to be in the same house, she certainly wasn't having anything to do with him after the way he had behaved.

By this stage, Lily found that she was getting rather hungry, and wondered if Dumbledore was going to give a speech after the sorting or if they could just eat.

A few more of the first years were sorted, and the numbers were dwindling now. 'Price, Marlene,' became a Gryffindor as well, and sat down next to Lily, looking flushed but excited.

Then 'Slifer, Amaranth,' a very pretty girl with dark hair was sorted into Hufflepuff, and all of a sudden Lily's heart began to race.

'Snape, Severus,' reached her ears in McGonagall's ringing voice, and Lily saw him make his way toward the hat. Much to her annoyance, she noticed that Black and Potter seemed to be laughing about something.

Sev sat there for about a minute, before the sorting hat called out loudly, 'SLYTHERIN!' and Lily groaned loudly, she tried to catch his eye but he wasn't looking at her table. He was headed toward his fellow Slytherins. Lily though again that they looked like a rather unpleasant lot, and hoped Sev would be okay with them.

Finally, 'Zeller, Marion,' became a Ravenclaw, and silence fell in the great hall, as Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat at the high table.

'Good evening one an all, and welcome to a new year at Hogwarts,' he said, beaming down at the now sorted students. 'Whilst I am sure you desire nothing more than to make a start on our lovely feast, I do have just a few words to share with you all. We at Hogwarts have always been somewhat insulated from the political fluctuations of the wizarding world, much as our four founders intended I am sure. However, given recent events and rumours, I can only urge that we remain internally strong. That we may not draw lines between out great houses to be carried out into the world, but that we work together, to help each other and our wonderful school to prosper in peace. That is all. Eat up!' This last was delivered with a clap, and suddenly heaped dishes and tureens of food appeared on the five tables, and the students broke into excited chatter once more.

Lily wasn't really sure what to make of Dumbledore's words to them. She wasn't aware of the wizarding world as even having politics, though clearly in this instance she was missing something big. His words had been something of a reinforcement of the sentiments expressed earlier by the sorting hat. Well she would just have to ask Sev… That line of thought trailed off quickly, she had no idea if she would be able to find him tonight, but somehow she doubted it. Well, she though, steeling herself somewhat, they would surely have classes together. Not even her anxieties about Sev could hold out long against the deliciousness of the feast and the warm friendly chatter of the people surrounding her. Despite her worries, Lily went to bed that evening in her grand four-poster feeling very much content.

Okay, so, what do we think? I wanted to keep this story relatively Lily-centred; though sometimes important things can happen from any point of view. Basically this is almost a bit of a prologue to the story I really want to write, which is of course later in 6th and 7th year.

I still haven't decided if it should be totally 7th year or actually cover the 6th as well – let me know what you think?

*impending cliché you have been warned*

Please please spare a moment to review, I would love to hear your thoughts – is everybody in character? Is anything missing? Is it great? Is it rubbish?

Love love,

Rose