Howdy guys!

Now, I've always been a fan of anything related to Harry Potter and especially the characters from the Marauders era, my two favorite characters being Sirius and Remus. However, my favorite pairing of that era is Lily/James (that's kind of obvious since there are no other stated ones during any of the six books so far). Oh but I wish we could find out an actual pairing for Sirius and Remus. I'm tired of people sticking them with random characters that aren't even supposed to be in the time period. I'd rather people just stick them with OCs.

The twist to this story is that I don't feel like following the usual 'love-and-hate' thing that half of the stories on here are about. Yes, that's right. Lily is not going to come back to seventh year and finally see that James has deflated his once rather large head and, instead, become the knight in shining armor. No offense to the other writers, considering there are some really good ones out there, but it's getting really old. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that this story is very AU!

Frankly, it's like nothing I've ever read before on and I hope I'm not unknowingly stealing someone else's story. If I am, I'm terribly sorry – I didn't know!

My last comment I have to make is that I'm very bad about updating – all my past reviewers are my witnesses. The reason is simple: I have a life. Don't expect weekly updates. I am currently a junior in my high school and I am starting dual-credit college courses, so please, give me a break and don't nag about slow updates. I'll give them as soon as I get them ready! Also, reviews are great. They have the tendency to be very motivational. hint hint

Disclaimer: I will never have the privilege of owning anything relating to Harry Potter. All that belongs to a wonderful and much more talented writer than myself named J.K. Rowling.

Summary: A simple murder has changed fifteen year old Lily Evans' life forever. Completely alone, she is transferred to the famed Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Will she be able to overcome her horrific past and make a new life for herself, especially when the threat of war grows closer?

Together Forever

By

Luckyducky

Chapter 1

The Beginning of a New Life

She wasn't gorgeous or breath-taking. She wasn't love-at-first-sight material. She wasn't a hidden genius. She wasn't even generously gifted in anything from magic to certain body parts.

But she was sitting on her school trunk in the middle of a train station wearing her favorite blue jeans.

Washed to a comfortable perfection, their familiarity kept fifteen year old Lily Evans' nerves quieted, at least to an extent. Glancing at her watch for the umpteenth time (even I stopped counting after so many) in the past half hour, she gave a rather large sigh before glancing up at the clock hanging over the archway just to make sure her watch hadn't stopped working – it hadn't. In silent irritation and impatience, Lily Evans lowered her head into her hands and rested her elbows on her knees. The past few weeks had put her through almost more than she could bear. Her parents had always told her to be strong, but this was too much! Lily closed her eyes against the flow of tears that threatened to spill over and suppressed the emotions that were longing to get out.

Before she had even registered that she didn't want to see the images yet again, they had flashed before her closed eyes.

Wide, frightened eyes staring at her.

The wooden door splintering as something beat against it from the outside.

A slanted shadow displayed menacingly on the wall across from her.

A hand stretched out in front of her.

A streak of red hair as she swirled around to see crimson.

Cold, white fingers grasping her arm.

Her legs getting soaked as she splashed through puddles of water.

And an unearthly howl as the background music for an insane laugh.

Lily Evans fiercely shook her head in a futile attempt to rid herself of the vivid images. These were the things her nightmares were made up of and she didn't want to have to experience them during the day too. Lily knew that later that night after about two hours of decent sleep she would wake up drenched in sweat, the echo of the howl lingering in her ears. It had happened every night since the incident. Even the dreamless sleeping draughts had failed to effectively work on her anymore. Her constant use of them had been so extreme that it had made her immune to their effects.

Lily rubbed her eyes once again to banish the images and looked at her watch once more.

10:38 a.m.

Four minutes since the last time she had glanced at her watch. Twenty-three minutes since she had returned from the bathroom. Thirty one minutes from the point when she had given up standing and had chosen to sit on her trunk. Thirty-eight minutes and forty-one seconds since she had first arrived at the train station.

She glanced around the station in hopes of finding another living person. However, no one else in London seemed to want to wait for this train. Just her. Her and the strange man who had escorted her from her house. He was a tall man, about 6'6, with tanned skin and brown eyes. He had his dark hair shaped up into a Mohawk and an earring dangled from his left ear. He looked about twenty-eight, and was, she guessed, an auror. He hadn't told her his name.

He had arrived at her home shortly after the…uh…well, the incident, and ordered her to pack whatever belongings she still had (the clothes on her back, a few pictures, an old storybook, the key to her Gringotts vault, her school trunk, and her wand). He had then proceeded to escort her to Diagon Alley to buy some more clothes. For the past few weeks she had been staying in a ratty pub called 'The Leaky Cauldron,' and frankly she was glad to get out of there. The only downside was that now she didn't know what she was supposed to do. She knew that eventually a train would have to come and that she would most likely get on it, but where it was going, she had no idea.

Lily Evans sighed again.

10:43 a.m.

She was normally a very patient person, but even this was absurd! It was rude to make someone wait for this long and not tell them what they're going to do or even where they're going. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the tall man fidget. It was the first time he'd moved since they had arrived here. Before she could even contemplate what that might have meant, a train whistle pierced through the still air. Lily looked down at her watch.

10:45 a.m.

She shook her head in disbelief at having waited for so long and looked up. She blinked as the train whistle sounded again, this time much louder and much closer. As she lazily stood up, her knees cracked in protest at having been bent for so long. She arched her back and stretched her arms up above her head, then looked down the tracks to the left and to the right, waiting for the train to come into view. She jumped slightly as she turned to grab her trunk, only to come face to chest with the tall man.

"I'll carry your trunk onto the train." His voice had a deep and rumbling sound to it. It was magnified even more so by the fact that the station was empty and the sound echoed throughout it.

Lily nodded quietly and turned back around. She fought the urge to cover her ears at the shrillness of the train whistle as it sounded yet again. Instead, she glanced down the tracks to her right and saw a scarlet steam engine pull into view from around the corner. As the train pulled up in front of her she saw the words 'The Hogwarts Express' printed in gold lettering on the side. It looked really professional and she wondered where on earth it would be taking her.

She felt a slight pressure on her back and took a step forward. When the pressure did not recede, she walked right up to the sliding door that led into the first car of the train and waited. Not long after, a tiny, balding man slid open the door and stepped down onto the ground. He looked up at her (he was rather short) in a judgmental sort of way for a few seconds before smiling at her and gesturing for her to go aboard. Lily hesitated, the familiar nauseous feeling creeping back into her stomach again, but moved up the stairs as the pressure on her back increased ever so slightly.

Once aboard, Lily took a left into the first compartment and sat down, nervously twisting her hands in her lap. Her escort followed her into the compartment and levitated her trunk onto the storage area above her head. As he turned to leave the compartment, supposedly to find his own, he patted her on the knee in a comforting manner. Surprised, she glanced up only to see the compartment door as he slid it shut behind him.

Taking a deep breath to calm her rapid heartbeat, Lily stared out the window as the train began to roll forward. Trees flashed by and the scenery became blurred as everything sped up. She curled her body up against the side of the compartment and rested her head on her knees, all the while staring out the window at the blurs of color. As her eyes began to close from exhaustion, her only coherent thought was that she was leaving her past life and starting a new one.

Lily woke up an hour later of her own accord, pleasantly surprised that there were no nightmares this time. Maybe she was finally starting to get over the incident. One could only hope. She was beginning to wonder what had even caused her to awaken, since she knew she could have slept longer, but her question was answered when her stomach rumbled loudly. Blushing from embarrassment, even though no one was around to hear it, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up.

She was overjoyed to find an assortment of candies on the seat opposite her. Pumpkin Pasties, Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, and Chocolate Frogs – they were all there; anything she could ever want. She felt like a child in a candy store! Which one to pick first? Resigning to try some Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans - she'd never had much luck with them - she turned towards the window and peered out. Still grinning at her good luck at finding a peach cobbler flavored bean, she tried to figure out exactly what was different about the countryside. It looked the same for the most part. She popped another bean in her mouth and smiled as she was met with the delightful taste of toasted marshmallow. There were trees and grass and animals randomly dotted along the way. But there was still something slightly off about it all. There seemed to be a shimmer-like quality to the atmosphere. Lily shrugged and turned back to the inside of her compartment. She was probably just imagining it.

After she had sated her hunger, Lily settled back down for another, hopefully, nightmare-free sleep. The other one had been so nice. As she focused once again on the blur of colors outside the window, she hoped against hope that wherever she was going, it would change her life for the better.

Because, God knew, it couldn't get any worse.

Blue eyes……

Scared……

Yellow……

Cracking……

A thud……

Clammy ……

Low……

Footsteps……

Colors……

Lights……

Splashing……

Green, blue, red, yellow, green, blue, red, yellow……

Weight……

Green, blue, red, yellow……

Music box……

Green, blue, red, yellow……

Tick……

Green, blue, red, yellow……

Darkness…

Lily jerked awake and promptly fell of the seat as she felt a hand gently shake her. She was breathing rapidly and the hair around her forehead and neck were damp with sweat. Her escort glanced sympathetically at her before levitating her trunk back down off the storage rack and off the train. Like a robot she picked herself up off the floor and followed him, but not before wincing at the bruise that was likely to form from her impact with the floor of the train. She glanced at her watch on the way out, wondering how long she had been asleep.

5:00 p.m.

Wednesday

November 26

Well, at least it had been longer than just two hours of sleep before the nightmares came.

She stepped off of the train and lifted the hair off her neck and looked around. There was a solitary boat sitting at the edge of a great lake that disappeared around a bend. She shivered in the damp air as she climbed into the boat at her escort's request. Looking around for oars to help row with, she was surprised when she saw nothing. Maybe they had gotten into the wrong boat. However, she was proved wrong when the boat lurched forward of its own accord. She glanced around, startled, but settled down again when she saw the tall man sitting calmly behind her.

It wasn't long before the boat had reached the bend, and as it turned the corner, Lily could not help but gasp. There were magnificent towers with lights shining from many windows, an impressive Quidditch course off to the left, an expanse of lush grass heading down to the lake, and an enchanted looking forest to the right. It was one of the most spectacular sights Lily had ever seen in her life! But throughout all the wonderment, a thought still slept in the back of her mind – What was she going to do here?

However, her question was not to be answered just yet. As the boat lightly touched the side of the lake and she jumped lightly onto the soft grass, she felt her stomach heave in a most unpleasant manner. Lily froze, one foot in front of the other. She was afraid to move lest she lose her first lunch in the past few days. She couldn't afford to lose the little bit of nourishment she had stuffed into her body, no matter how unhealthy it was.

Even through her panic of nausea she felt her escort's presence behind her, and for some odd reason, it gave her strength. She felt her stomach relax, her vision clear, and her mind become more focused. She felt the first real bit of confidence float into her heart, and reminded herself that no matter what she was going to do here, she was strong and she could do or put up with anything.

She straightened up and took a deep breath. Turning her head slightly to the left, she saw her escort motion her to continue towards the castle out of the corner of her eye. No longer nervous, she took confident, large steps towards the giant oak doors she could see even from this distance.

As she made her way across the field, her eyes strayed to the Quidditch field. It was magnificent; much more detailed and extravagant than her old school's had been. It was decked out in alternating colors of what looked like blue, red, yellow, and green. Her stomach jolted once again as her steps faltered. Those colors…They were…They had been… there. Her mind whirled in a flurry of thoughts. From… here? No, it couldn't be… It was a… She had… They couldn't… Lily shook her head and resumed her walk at a swifter pace this time. Would this place hold answers? This place which seemed to glow with magic?

Turning her head again, this time to the right, she glanced at the enchanted-looking forest. It didn't seem all that terrible, but at the same time there seemed to be an intimidating and formidable aura around it. Lily smirked. She would have to go and explore that some day, if she ever got the chance. However, she would take necessary measures to make sure she didn't get lost. After all, she'd experienced her fair share of being lost in enchanted forests. Most of the time it wasn't fun.

The sound of her trainers scraping against a different texture brought her back from her thoughts. Looking ahead of her, she realized she had reached the giant oak doors. They looked even bigger up close. Hesitating slightly, she glanced over her shoulder only to find she was alone. Spinning around hurriedly, she looked all around her in the fading twilight. Where had he gone? She noticed something lying at her feet – her trunk. With a note attached. Curious, she picked it up and began reading.

Miss Evans,

It has been my pleasure ushering you throughout these past two weeks. You have been most enjoyable to be around seeing as you didn't pester and complain constantly like many in the past. However, our time together, parts here. Perhaps we shall meet again.

Sincerely,

Nick

P.S. If you are at a loss of what to do at any time in your life, just remember this phrase:

'Knock and the door will be opened to you; seek and you will find.'

Lily stared in amazement at the letter. When had he written it? When had he left? Lifting her head, she gazed one more time into the grounds surrounding the castle, but, as before, saw nothing except shadows. She involuntarily shivered at the thought of other shadows, and felt an extremely strong urge to get inside. But how? She turned around to face the doors. There was no doorknob or doorbell (A/N Hahaha…can't you imagine a doorbell at Hogwarts!) of any kind. How was she supposed to get in? She glanced down at the letter Nick had left her.

'Knock and the door will be opened to you…'

Glancing again at the door, she shrugged. Why not? What could go wrong? She lifted her hand in the form of a fist and raised it above her head, but instead of bringing it down, she paused. What could go wrong? A lot of things! She could be signing her death warrant by knocking on that door! Lily smiled to herself. Even she had to admit that that thought was a little extreme. Comforted by that thought and before she could change her mind, she gritted her teeth and brought her fist against the door three times.

Almost instantly, which caused her to jump slightly, the door swung open, letting out a wave of warm air and light. The silhouette of a tall man stood in front of her.

"Well, Miss Evans. It sure took you long enough to knock on that door."

Lily was surprised to find that the man's voice was warm and inviting and even slightly joking; then again, what had she expected – punishments and slavery?

"Well don't just stand there all day letting out the warm air, Miss Evans. Please join me inside. I think you will agree that it is much better than the damp, chilly air outside."

She swiftly turned around and grabbed the closest handle on her trunk and dragged it behind her as she stepped into the hall. She had to admit – it was much better inside. Amazed by the vastness of the castle, she couldn't help but let her mouth fall open. It was – huge! She had never seen anything like this. Her old school had been magnificent, but it was nothing compared to this. She quickly turned her attention back to the man as he spoke once again.

"You may set your trunk down. The house elves will see that it gets to its proper place once you have been sorted." Lily's stomach gave a funny jolt at the word 'sorted.' What exactly did he mean by that? "And if you would please follow me, you will find that many of your questions will be answered. Including the sorting."

Lily's mouth fell open once again. This man knew exactly what she was thinking! She had heard of the talent before, but had never come into contact with someone who could actually perform it.

"Excuse me, sir. But what exactly is this place?" The question had slipped from her mouth before she could stop herself. She knew she was probably being rude by asking but after two weeks of not questioning she was understandably curious.

"Oh how rude of me. I assumed Nick had at least told you where you would be going." At her blank look which plainly told him Nick hadn't, he continued. "This is a school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, to be exact. And I am the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. And now if you would please accompany me to my office for a few moments while we discuss some matters."

Once again Lily felt she resembled a robot as she followed Professor Dumbledore without any further question. He led her throughout many side hallways and across many staircases, some of which, she was amazed to find out, move of their own accord. She could not help but look at all the various types of pictures that hung on the walls. They seemed to take up every bit of space and some of them were most random. It was not long before she found herself to be completely lost. All of the turns and staircases and pictures had created a whirl of confusion in her mind. Just as she thought she would become dizzy with it all, they stopped. She peered around the man to see a statue sitting inside an alcove in the wall.

"Lemon Drop."

She glanced up at the professor in wonderment. Lemon drop? What was he talking about? Maybe this man was off his rocker; this man with his long, gray hair and beard and his crooked nose. She leaned back behind the man and narrowed her eyes in anger. Was that where she was? A mental institution! For the Ministry of Magic to take these extreme measures was completely unnec…

Lily cut off her thoughts as she heard the sound of stone grinding on stone. Swiftly, she leaned forward and gazed around him. The statue was moving to reveal – a hidden staircase! How exciting! As the statue continued to spiral upward, revealing more and more stairs, Lily prepared herself to climb up them. Following quickly – he was very fast for someone who seemed so old – she was soon walking into the most interesting room she had ever seen. It was circular with many sorts of objects lying on multiple tables scattered around the room. On the walls were books of every shape, size, and color in no particular order it all it seemed.

Albus Dumbledore walked to a desk placed directly opposite the door they had entered through and sat down. He rested his elbows on the desk, gestured at her to sit in one of the two chairs in front of the desk, and then folded his hands and rested his chin on them. Nervously, Lily made her way across the room, careful not to bump into any of the tables and knock down the instruments. Picking the chair on the right, she sat down and stared at Professor Dumbledore, unsure as to what she should do next.

"So, Miss Evans, the first appropriate question would seem to be: How was your trip here?" He seemed slightly amused at her confusion at his question. Her brows furrowed together. It seemed somewhat of a redundant question. She figured there were more important things that they were to discuss.

"It was only an attempt to break the ice, Miss Evans. Please, do not read too much into it." He smiled at her while his eyes twinkled a little.

In embarrassment she quickly answered, "It was fine thank you. Your escort was very polite." That was a lie she thought. How would she know if he was really polite? They hadn't exactly talked face to face. The only time he had spoken to her, and it really wasn't even speaking, was through the letter he left after he had disappeared.

"Yes, Nick is a gentleman. But you are mistaken. He is not 'my escort,' he is an auror who works for the Ministry of Magic."

I was right! She thought smugly. He was an auror.

"And now let us move on to more serious business. I am under the impression that you are still experiencing nightmares concerning your unfortunate incident?"

Lily suppressed a shudder as a clawing hand floated to the top of her mind. she quickly pushed it away. "Yes I am, sir."

"And I am also under the impression that over-the-counter dreamless sleeping draughts have ceased to be of use to you?"

"Yes, sir, they have."

"Well, I am to let you know, on orders of our school nurse, that we have in stock here at Hogwarts a variety of sleeping potions that will cure even your horrific nightmares. That is, if you wish to use them." He looked gravely around at a shelf of books, before continuing. "It is in my strongest opinion that you should refuse her offer. Many a wizard has become addicted to sleeping draughts to keep away their demons instead of facing them. I believe it will benefit you in the long run to decline."

Lily looked away from his face towards the number of arranged portraits behind his desk. She hadn't really thought about there being stronger draughts out there, and now, with this new choice, she wasn't really sure what she wanted. One night of decent dreamless sleep would be most welcome after weeks of nightmares and tossing and turning, but was it worth it? She would definitely have to think on that for a while.

"The only other matters that really need to be discussed are just yearly orders that all students here at Hogwarts must obey. You might have noticed the enchanted forest on your way up to Hogwarts. While it may look inviting, I assure you, it's not. That forest is forbidden. Also you may have noticed a certain tree set in some from the forest next to the great lake. That tree is called the Whomping Willow and I strongly advise you to get near to it. Little Edward Dosney has already been in the hospital twice this year for not adhering to my advice." He shook his head with a slight smile on his face, and looked at her. "Unless you have any questions, we should continue down to the Great Hall so we can go ahead and get you sorted into your house."

Lily gazed down at her clasped hands in her lap and thought. Was there anything she wanted to ask? Many things rushed up to the front of her mind, many almost slipping out, but she held them all back and looked up at Professor Dumbledore and shook her head no. He glanced knowingly at her and she had the strangest feeling that he had read some of her thoughts. It was a most disconcerting feeling.

As they both stood up and walked down from his office, the same bubble of nervousness began to grow in her stomach yet again. She followed Dumbledore back down some familiar looking staircases and then down some new and unfamiliar ones. When they had reached the humungous entrance hall where she had first entered, he took a left and began walking towards another pair of doors. As he paused before opening the doors, she noticed four giant hourglasses that each contained certain colors. Green, blue, red, or yellow – her stomach jolted again - beads were in the top and bottom of the four hourglasses. She noticed that some of them had much more in the bottom than others. However, before she could investigate them more, Professor Dumbledore had opened the doors and she was met with the deafening sound of hundreds of teenagers.

It was somewhat unnatural how fast the noise died down at the sight of an unfamiliar face. Lily could feel herself blush as she stood behind Professor Dumbledore, and was sure her cheeks matched her fiery hair. She glanced around the hall and noticed five different tables; four were set vertically from where she was standing and the fifth was set horizontally at the front of the hall. As Professor Dumbledore began walking towards the table at the front, Lily trailed close behind, her eyes trained on the back of Professor Dumbledore. She could not bring herself to meet the eyes of all the other students. She hated being the center of attention.

By the time she had reached the front table, the silence that had taken over the hall when she had entered had been replaced by whispers and giggles – probably at her clashing face and hair. She was taken by surprise when Professor Dumbledore swiftly turned around and grabbed her shoulders, turning her around to face the hall also. If possible, Lily blushed more.

"I hate to postpone everyone's evening meal seeing as its roast beef, but an introduction is in order. As you have most likely heard in the past couple of days, we have indeed acquired a new student. She is coming to Hogwarts from our neighboring school, Beauxenbauts. Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to introduce Lily Evans."

Applause sounded throughout the hall. Apparently, this school enjoyed getting new students. Either that or they just wanted to get along to their much anticipated meal

"However, before we commence our meal, Miss Evans must be sorted. Professor McGonagall, would you please bring out the Sorting Hat?"

Lily looked to her left and right curiously. Hat? How on earth could a hat sort a person? This was getting ridiculous. Looking over her shoulder to the right, she saw a semi-young lady with a stern face bring out an old hat and a stool. Lily could not help herself as the professor placed the stool in front of her with the hat on top – she quirked an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Sit on the stool and put it on. The hat will place in one of four houses – Gryffindor which is known for bravery, Ravenclaw which is known for intellect, Hufflepuff which is known for loyalty, or Slytherin which is known for ambition. It will show you where you should be," whispered Professor Dumbledore.

Still skeptical, she slowly picked up the hat and sat down. With one last inward sigh, she pushed the hat down on top of her head where it slid down to cover her eyes. Just as she was getting ready to pull it off and tell Professor Dumbledore there must be a mistake, she heard a soft voice in her ear.

"Don't take me off quite yet. I'm only thinking."

Her eyes widened beneath the cover of the hat in disbelief. This hat could talk!

"Hmmm… You're a very interesting case, yes you are. You're from Beauxbatons. Good thing you came here. Beauxbatons served you no justice. No; not with your talent. And my, my, my do you have talent!"

But I haven't got any talent, Lily thought to herself.

"Why, yes you do. Plenty of it," the hat whispered in her ear.

Not only could the hat talk, it could read her thoughts, too! This was amazing! She'd never seen anything like this at Beauxenbauts.

"You're very smart; and you're eager to show your worth to your fellow students. You'd fit in well with Ravenclaw…

But at the same time, you're very loyal to those who manage to earn your respect, which you don't give out lightly. That might go over well in Hufflepuff…

Then again, you're brave and courageous. No doubt caused by what you've been through. You'd be fine in Gryffindor…

Ah, but what's this?

A sliver of darkness etched on your soul. A tad of cunning and cleverness most obviously suited for those in Slytherin. And a thirst…a thirst for revenge."

Revenge? Lily thought in puzzlement. I don't want revenge. But before she could fully convince herself of that thought a flash of light came to her eyes and the sound of maniacal laughter rang through her ears, and she felt anger. Anger such as she had never felt before well up inside of her.

"Ah! I see I am right. You would do very well in Slytherin. Slytherin would no doubt help you get what you want...

What? What's this; this shining light of gold, outshining and covering up the darkness in your soul? Could it be? Yes, it is! Your courage and goodness is trying to overcome the darkness within you. Well, taking in all that I have, I am sure you will thrive in…."

Lily held her breath in anticipation.

"Gryffindor!" the hat yelled out loud to the whole hall. Lily could hear the cheers erupt through the fabric of the hat.

"Before you leave, Miss Evans, make sure you do not become rash in your lust for revenge for your family. I am sure Gryffindor will help you stay on the right path.

But I have been wrong before…"

Lily pulled off the hat and stood up. One of the four tables laid out in front of her was moving with cheering students, while the other tables looked on sulkily.

"Miss Evans, good luck on your new life," Professor Dumbledore told her quietly before standing up to address the whole hall. "I am sure all of our students will be most gracious towards Miss Lily Evans and make her feel right at home. Now, Miss Evans, if you would please go take a seat at the Gryffindor Table next to Mr. Black, we can all commence in our delicious dinner. Yes, that's Mr. Black. You see him? Yes, he's the one standing up on the table waving."

As she made her way down from the head table, she smiled to herself at the promising start of her new life. She had been placed in a house known for their bravery and courageousness. That had to be good, right?

A thirst…a thirst for revenge…

Lily mentally shook herself. She would not think about that now. Now was the time for meeting new people! As she came to stand in front of the boy who had been on top of the table, he jumped down in front of her and held out his hand for her to shake. Smiling nervously, she reached out her hand. He eagerly grabbed it and shook it hardly.

"Oy! Don't break her arm! She hasn't even eaten yet!"

Lily's attention was drawn to a boy sitting across the table. He had jet black hair that stuck up slightly in the back and brownish eyes covered by black-framed glasses.

"Sorry mate. Here, my lady," the boy still holding her hand gestured to the empty spot beside his spot. "Please grace us with your radiant presence." She could not hold in the giggle as he bowed dramatically before her, the tips of his hair brushing the floor. The butterflies seemed to be leaving her stomach as she sat down next to 'Mr. Black.' She supposed it had to do with his welcoming behavior. Her eyes widened as food appeared on the table in front of her.

"Hello."

Lily looked up and her gaze was met by a boy who emitted a weak-yet-strong vibe. He had brownish-amber eyes, light brown hair, and a soft voice. He had circles under his eyes that, she could tell, had been tried to lighten by magic, and a fading scar that ran from the corner of his left eye down the side of his face. She took all this in during the span of a few seconds.

"Hi," she answered shyly.

"I'm Remus Lupin, otherwise known as Moony," he added with a smile.

"I'm Lily Evans," she responded simply before reaching for some of the roast beef.

"Hi! I'm Peter Pettigrew, otherwise known as Wormtail," said a voice to her left.

He was a smaller boy, she noticed, and was on the chubby side. He had dirt-blonde hair and small watery eyes. She felt he resembled some kind of animal but couldn't quite figure it out. Oh well, it would probably come to her later.

She nodded to him with a small smile before looking towards 'Mr. Black' who was sitting next to her on the right.

"I am Sirius Black, traitor of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, otherwise known as Padfoot."

He was easily the most handsome out of the bunch. He had black hair that fell perfectly into his stormy-gray eyes, an athlete's physique that she could tell even through his school uniform, and a kind of charm that seemed to radiate off of him. He's probably a womanizer, she thought to herself. But he seems nice enough.

"And I," her gaze was once again drawn to the messy-haired boy with glasses, "am James Potter, otherwise known as Prongs."

James, like Sirius, had the look of an athlete. He also seemed to enjoy his messy hair rather than detest as some probably would.

"Don't listen to him," she heard Sirius whisper dramatically to her. "His real nickname's Stick-Head!"

She covered her mouth with her hand to silence her giggles at their playful banter as James chucked a slab of roast beef at Sirius who, through his bark-like laugh, didn't see it coming. Needless to say, he was wiping gravy out of his hair through the rest of the conversation. She had barely known these boys for five minutes, but could already tell they had been friends for a very long time.

Once she had gotten her giggles under control, she politely asked, "May I ask how you came by those ridiculous nicknames?" She smiled slightly at the look of fake horror that crossed Sirius' and James' faces.

"Ridiculous?" James chocked out, his hand held over his heart as if it was injured.

"My lady," Sirius began theatrically, throwing down the napkin he was using to wipe up the gravy, "They are not merely nicknames. They are symbolic names that represent…our…they're representing our…" Sirius' proud face fell into a pathetic smirk as laughter rang out from the three other boys. "Dang! I lost it! I was going to say something really cool!"

"What he meant to say, was that our nicknames are known throughout the school," Remus explained. "We – meaning the four of us – are the Marauders: Makers of Magical Mischief and Mayhem!" Remus paused before looking at the other three. "That was pretty good, huh?"

Lily looked around her as the other three boys nodded appreciatively. Confused, she looked back to Remus, hoping for another explanation.

"I just made that last part – Makers of Magical Mischief and Mayhem – up off the top of my head! We may have to add that to our title…" he added thoughtfully.

James quickly squashed the idea. "Nah, that's too long to try and say all at once. It's much easier to just say," He gestured with his hands dramatically, "The Marauders."

The conversation continued much like that throughout the rest of the meal. As Lily smiled and played along with the four of them, she felt as if a great weight had lifted from her stomach and, surprisingly, her heart. For the first time since the incident she was having fun! She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed or smiled so much.

As the last of the deserts were consumed, mostly by Sirius Black, the tables were cleared of all dishes and a great feeling of content was felt by all the students. The remains of the talking died down as Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"Since tonight was a one-time event, tomorrow you will not be required to be at dinner at a certain time. Good night everyone!"

Lily looked around unsurely as most of the students in the hall stood up to leave. She had no idea what to do or where to go. But before she could contemplate these matters further, Sirius had grabbed her hand and was pulling her along.

He looked back with a grin, "We'll show you around until you get the hang of things here at Hogwarts."

She smiled thankfully and allowed herself to be pulled along. Once outside of the 'Great Hall' as Sirius had called it, they stood to the side and waited for the rest of their friends to emerge. Slowly they appeared - first James, then Peter, and lastly Remus.

"'Bout time! We thought you got lost in there Moony!" Sirius said exasperatedly. Remus just smiled apologetically.

They waited there for some time so to let the crowd go by. As the exiting people began to thin out, they made their way up the staircase in a line with Peter on the far left, then James, then Lily, then Sirius, and on the far right, Remus. As they walked through the school, they would all point out interesting little facts or features about this staircase or that hallway. Just as Lily was getting ready to interrupt them to ask where exactly they were going, they stopped before a painting of a great lady in a pink dress.

"This," Remus gestured to the painting, "is the entrance to the Gryffindor tower. The passwords change weekly, so either write them down on paper and keep it with you, or don't forget them. This week's password is 'Fortuna Major.'"

The painting of the 'Fat Lady' as Peter called her, swung forward revealing an entrance. Lily followed James and Sirius and scrambled through. Once she had reached the other side she was amazed to find a circular room full of tables, recliners, and sofas. There was a fireplace on the opposite side of the room from them where most of the sofas were stationed. The colors of the room seemed to be primarily scarlet and gold, and there was a great banner of a lion above the fireplace. On the right and left side of the room there were staircases.

"They lead to the dormitories," Sirius clarified, following her gaze. "The one on the left is to the boy's dormitory and the one on the right is to the girl's. It's really unfair how they rigged it…" he trailed off in a suggestive manner, knowing she would question about it further.

Lily tore her gaze from the staircases and looked at him questioningly.

"You see the girls can come up into our dormitory any time they want, but if the boys try to walk up the girl's stairs, they flatten out at once and you slide back down." Then he smiled mischievously. "We're in the process of finding a way around that little problem."

She rolled her eyes at his faked evilness, and followed the rest of the guys to one of the sofas. It was the only one that remained empty, even though all the other ones were full. It seemed as if this sofa was the Marauder's sofa and no one else could sit on it. As James, Peter, Sirius, and Remus sat down, they began making room for her, but she motioned for them to stop.

"I'm really tired and it's been a long day. I'm ready to try to get some sleep," she said quietly.

Yeah, try she thought.

Sirius was the first to respond. "Well, okay. We'll see you tomorrow. You're a fifteen right?" Lily nodded. "Well that's good! Then you're in the same year as us! You should get your schedule in the morning so during breakfast we'll compare your schedule to ours and help you find your classes."

She was taken back at the forwardness of the statement. She had just gotten here and already these four guys were treating her like their friend. Finally, she smiled and nodded.

"Alright, thanks!" she said with sincerity.

James spoke up before she left with one last helpful direction, "You're dormitory should be on the fifth floor. Your room will have you're name on the outside of the door, along with anyone else who's going to share the room with you."

She thanked him before turning around and heading up the girl's staircase. Once she had reached the fifth floor she began trying to locate her room. When she found it she hesitated at the door – she was sharing it with one other girl named Sue Walker. Cautiously she knocked on the door. It wasn't long before she heard a soft voice say, "Come in."

Slowly she opened the door to reveal a girl about Lily's height. She had bright blue eyes, shoulder-length curly blonde hair, and dimples. She seemed somewhat shy and reminded of a bookworm she used to know. If that was the case, they would get along great, because the bookworm Lily was referring to was her best friend from Beauxenbauts.

"Hey," Sue said, barely audible.

"Hi," Lily responded a little louder. "I'm Lily Evans."

"I'm Sue Walker," she answered, a little louder this time. Maybe from the friendly nature that Lily seemed to be emitting.

An awkward silence ensued for about thirty seconds before Lily spotted one of the books sitting on Sue's bedside table. It was titled The Great Gatsby, and was personally one of her favorites.

"Do you like that book?" Lily motioned towards The Great Gatsby.

Sue turned quickly to see what Lily was talking about. When she saw the book she turned back around with a shy smile and answered, "Yes. I know it's a muggle book, but it's such a classic that I can't help but enjoy it."

Lily smiled brightly at her, happy that they already had similarities. "Me too! It's got such a great message. I thought I was the only one in the world that liked it, though. No one else I knew would ever even try to read it." Lily's face fell for a second. "My only copy got burned up in a fire not to long ago."

Sue made a sympathetic face. "I'm sorry."

Lily quickly switched her mood though, not wanting to remain sad, especially since she had been happy ever since arriving at Hogwarts. "Don't worry about it." She looked around the room for a minute, and, spotting only one other bed besides Sue's, asked her, "Is this my bed?"

Sue nodded and told her that the house elves had brought her trunk upstairs for her, but she would have to unpack.

Unpack what? Lily thought to herself. I don't have anything left. Lily made her way over to her bed and sat down. She was surprised by how comfortable it was. Lily sat there for a while absorbed in her own thoughts of what she was going to wear tomorrow, when Sue interrupted them.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, and I hope that we can become great friends." She hesitated before adding, "I don't have many…good friends, that is."

Lily smiled sweetly at her, "Well you do now, because I think we're going to get along fine."

Sue beamed back at her before telling her good-night.

Lily quietly told her good-night too before opening her trunk and setting the only picture of her family that had survived the fire on her bedside table. Looking around, she spotted a door labeled 'Bathroom' and decided that a shower was most definitely in order.

She was happy to see there was already shampoo and soap in there with a label that said 'Lily' on it. When she was through scrubbing and washing, she wrapped a towel around herself and stood in front of the mirror. She was astonished by how happy she looked. Taking it as a good sign of things to come, she put on some pajamas that had magically appeared on a rack during her shower – she had no idea how, but frankly didn't worry about it – and headed for her bed. As she tucked herself in and closed the curtains around her bed, she tried not to dread what would most likely come during the night.

She didn't know if she mumbled loudly during her nightmares, and the last thing she wanted to do was wake up Sue and have to answer questions about why she was scared from a dream.

What she didn't know was that she screamed.

Well there's chapter 1 everybody! Please review and tell me if you like it and want me to continue. I really do want to, but if everyone hates it, I won't…

I can't really give you a preview of actual text from the next chapter seeing how I haven't written it yet, but I will tell you that it's about Lily's growing friendship with the Marauders and new classes.

Please Review!

Luckyducky