A/N: Welcome! This is my story, True Friends. It's a Harry Potter fanfic, as is obvious, but it also has a good few original characters too. It's set in Lily Evans' time at Hogwarts. Please review! I return all!

Chapter 1: The Three Muggleborns

Rachelle lounged in her room, bored of her Mother, her cat, her brother... and life in general. It was so very boring.

She glanced over to her computer, willing it to 'bing' as it did, whenever it received a message. Rachelle longed for her best friend, Anne, to send her a message- it would be something to distract her from the boredom which plagued her relentlessly.

Cuddles, the cat, miaowed at her, signifying that she was hungry. Rachelle ignored her, preferring to search in her drawers for some chocolate.

Just as she was about to take a huge bite of the creamy Lindt chocolate, the doorbell rang. Rachelle groaned, threw the chocolate back in her drawer, and stormed downstairs. She flung open the door to find a middle aged woman standing outside.

The fact that she was middle aged had nothing to do with Rachelle's mouth dropping open. It was more her clothes - a bright purple silk dress, high-heeled turquoise boots and a white knitted shawl. She was tubby, and dirty-looking- in fact, was that a worm sliding around in her hair? Rachelle stared.

'Ah, you must be Rachelle!' The odd woman remarked, pronouncing her name wrong, as everyone did.

'Rach-el.' Rachelle corrected.

'Oh, forgive me. My name is Professor Spudingta Sprout.'

Rachelle just stared at her.

'Where's your mother, dear?' Professor Spudingta Sprout asked.

'Um. I'll get her. You wait here.' Rachelle ordered.

The Sprout person ignored her, stepping swiftly into the house, just as Rachelle's Mum poked her head out of the kitchen.

'Who's th-' She stopped, gasping in amazement.

'My name is Spudingta.' Spudingta announced. 'I work at Hogwarts.'

Rachelle had never heard such odd names.

'And I am here to tell you,' continued Spudingta, 'that your daughter is a witch.'

'Get out.' Said Rachelle's Mum.

'Madam,' Spudingta said, 'No. I'm afraid it's true, everything I have said.'

'Prove it!' Rachelle's Mum said.

'Alright. Rachelle's a bit odd, isn't she?' Spudingta said. Rachelle glared at her.

'I like to say unique.' Rachelle's Mum said, looking offended.

'Whatever.' Spudingta said. 'What I mean is she does odd things, right? Like that time she set the lake on fire.'

Rachelle groaned.

'But...' Rachelle's Mum said. 'There's no such thing as witches.'

'I beg to differ, Madam. I am one, and I will prove it to you.' She pulled out her and immediately the room was filled with hamsters. Another flick of the wand, and they were gone.

()()()

Ailish gasped as the wall disappeared, and an archway opened onto a bustling street.

The rotund man- no, she thought- the rotund wizard who had brought her here smiled.

'It is truly astonishing, my dear, especially as it's your first time, eh?' The wizard was called Slughorn, and Ailish couldn't help liking him, with his slightly over-the-top mannerisms and wide smile.

'It is, sir.' She agreed. He had told her she didn't need to call him 'sir', but Ailish, who was described by her friends as the essence of politeness, couldn't possibly abstain from it.

He laughed. 'Come along, my dear. We'll first get you a wand- this here is Mr Ollivander's Wand Shop. He's the best in the business, my dear.'

'Really?' Ailish said. 'Please, sir, how do you make a wand?'

Slughorn smiled. 'Ah, well, I know it's a complicated business. I don't quite understand it myself. All I can tell you is that it's made of wood, and has a core of a magical being, such as a dragon, or a unicorn.'

'They're real too?' Ailish gaped. 'My goodness!'

They strode into the shop. It seemed empty to Ailish. She was just about to ask why it was uninhabited, when a voice came from behind her.

'Try this; beech and dragon heartstring.'

Ailish leapt out of her skin. 'Jesus Christ!'

Slughorn, and the man who was behind her, laughed.

'What an odd expression.' Said the other man, who she presumed was Ollivander.

'She's a muggleborn, Ollie.' Slughorn explained. 'I assumed it's a muggle thing.'

'Ah. Well, here you go, wave it around.' Ollivander said.

Ailish took the wand, and uncertainly waved it around.

'Nope.' Ollivander said. 'Try this, holly and phoenix feather?'

Ailish tried it again, and yet again Ollivander took it off her. The whole charade was repeated no less than twenty times before Ollivander struck gold.

'Ah, how about this, picky? Oak and Unicorn hair.'

'I love oak.' Ailish said, and took the wand. Immediately she noticed that it was warm in her hand.

'Ah, yes!' Ollivander said, beaming. 'That's the one. Oh, I love a challenge! Thank you so much! You've made my day!' Ailish laughed.

'Thank you, sir.'

'Oh, my pleasure, my pleasure! Off you go!'

()()()

Lily Evans bit her lip, looking around the madly busy station. Noticing a station guard, she went up to him.

'Excuse me, sir, but where can I find platform 9 and ¾?'

He snorted with laughter. 'There ain't no such platform, missy. Scoot!'

Lily, terrified now, walked away. She was so deep in thought that she walked into a tall girl with wild, curly brown hair, freckles, and blue eyes.

'Oh, I'm so sorry!' Lily exclaimed. She had knocked some books from the arms of the girl, and bent to pick them up. She glanced at the titles. Beginner Transfiguration.

'It's fine!' The girl said.

'You're going to Hogwarts, aren't you?' Lily exclaimed.

'Yes!' The girl said. 'I'm so glad to meet someone else! I've been searching for this 9 and ¾ platform for an hour! I'm Ailish, by the way. Do you know where it is?'

'I haven't a clue, sorry!' Lily said.

'No problem.' Ailish said.

Just then, they noticed a tall girl, with long black hair and white skin strolling through a brick wall.

'Um.' Said Ailish.

'That must be it.' Said Lily.

They walked over and stared at the wall for a few minutes.

'It looks solid.' Ailish said.

'It would be,' Lily said, 'As it's, you know, brick...?'

'You first.' Said Ailish bravely.

'You owe me a bar of Bournville chocolate.' Lily said, and, gathering her courage, walked through the wall and vanished.