I'm back!

I will keep this short since I know you guys want to dive deep into my stories again. I plan to work on 4 stories from the Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, ACOTAR, and Miraculous Ladybug fandoms at the same time this summer. I will be updating this story every week on Mondays/Tuesdays, and the rest of my stories will be on my profile page.

And the story begins!

Chapter 1: Moving In

Morning, Wednesday, September 1, 1976

Lily Evans gripped the handle of her trunk as she stared up at the iron gates of Riddle College. Opened in 1956 by Headmaster Tom Marvolo Riddle, it quickly became the best boy's preparatory school in Europe. Most of the graduates went on to become influential politicians or wealthy businessmen.

It was the school that millions of boys across Europe dreamed of going to.

But to Lily, it looked like a prison. She was sure that it would be filled with pretentious rich boys, who believed that girls like her were only meant for the cleaning or cooking.

She was here to prove them wrong. Yes, she had never gone to school, but her father taught her how to read and write and he often brought books home from work so that she could study them. That was before he passed away several years ago, sending Lily and her family down a path of poverty.

Years passed when Lily's mother learned about Professor Albus Dumbledore's launch of the lottery program at Riddle College. Every year, one lucky boy would get the chance to attend Riddle College on a scholarship if his name was picked from the lottery.

Lily's mother entered her immediately under the name of Liam Evanson, paying someone to produce fake test scores and records for the so-called Liam Evanson. They both knew it was illegal. But they also knew that they had no future, no matter how many houses Mrs. Evans cleaned or how many restaurants she waitressed.

This was Lily's only chance.

They were both thrilled when, against all odds, they received a letter on the post stating that Liam Evanson was the lottery winner.

To prepare Lily, Lily's mother worked extra hours to afford Lily's second hand uniform and used textbooks.

Along with the uniform was Lily's black wig. Lily refused to cut her long, red hair. When her mother tried to convince her it would make her disguise more manageable, Lily merely replied, "I don't want them to change me, Mother. I want to still be me when this is over."

Now, Lily stood in front of the iron gates of Riddle College. Her mother stood behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You can do this."

Lily nodded, squaring her shoulders. "I want this. I don't want to spend the rest of my life cleaning. I want to do something meaningful."

She turned to her mother and embraced her. "Thank you, mother. For helping me do this."

Her mother squeezed back. "Of course, my darling. I just want the best for you."

She pulled back and put her hands on Lily's shoulders. "Just remember our two rules."

Lily nodded solemnly. "Don't attract attention to myself. And never tell anyone who I truly am."

Lily sat in the waiting area of the front office, scratching the black wig on her head in irritation. She wished she could have gotten a new wig. The one currently on her head used to belong to Mr. Richards, a man who lived down the street from them who had used it when he had gone bald. Lily's mother was able to bargain with him to get it at half the price of a new wig.

She wrinkled her nose as the itch continued.

"Mr. Evanson?"

Lily jerked up to her feet at the sound of her fake name.

She looked at the man who called her name. He looked very elderly with his long white beard and glasses.

He gave her a smile when he stretched out his hand and said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Evanson. I am Professor Dumbledore, the founder of the lottery program here at Riddle College. Usually, Headmaster Riddle comes out to greet the lottery students briefly, but he is much too busy today, so you will see him at dinner. "

Lily looked at his hand in confusion. Why was he stretching out his hand to her? Oh! She had seen her father shake someone's hand once when a guest came to visit.

She quickly grabbed it and shook it awkwardly. "Hello, my name is Li-Liam."

Professor Dumbledore's eyes shone mirthfully. "Yes, I am aware of that, Mr. Evanson."

Her face immediately reddened. "Oh, right."

He gestured to the door leading out into the hall. "I would like to give you a tour of the grounds before I take you to your dorm."

She grabbed the handle of her trunk, but then he said, "Oh, don't worry about your belongings. I can have a maid take it to your room."

Lily looked at her trunk worriedly. What if the maid or her roommates started to snoop into it and they found her obviously femenine knickers?

Lily gripped the handle. "I would...I would much rather carry it myself, if that's alright."

Professor Dumbledore rose an eyebrow before replying, "Very well."

Throughout the tour, he introduced her to the garden of various flowers and shrubs, the lake surrounded by a ring of trees, the worn down football field, and the stables filled with horses of all kinds.

Professor Dumbledore explained as they walked through the halls. "We prefer that our students be multi-faceted, in terms of academics and extracurricular activity. Along with their studies, they participate in a plethora of activities such as fencing, horseback riding, football, etc…"

Lily tried to absorb it all, but it was so much. The schools was so large, larger than she imagined it would be, and there was so much information to remember.

"Where are the students, sir?" she asked, remembering to keep her voice deep.

He looked at her with amusement. "Why, they are in their lessons now. We expect our students to be at their highest caliber of intelligence."

She frowned. "Should I be in there now?"

He laughed and patted her shoulder. "Not yet. Since you are a special case student, we have to complete your registration before I take you to your dormitory. You can begin your lessons tomorrow."

They returned to the main office, where she signed the remaining contracts in Professor Dumbledore's private office.

It was now afternoon and lessons have ended for the day. Lily was walking with Professor Dumbledore down the hallway that would lead to her dorm. In one hand she pulled her trunk along, while she carried her textbooks tucked under her other arm.

She was adjusting the textbooks under her arm so that they were easier to carry when a boy ran out of a room and slammed into her, sending her books went flying out of her hands and both of them in a heap on the floor.

She looked up to see hazel eyes staring back at hers. For a moment, she could feel his heart beat erratically on her chest as he searched her face.

They were interrupted when Professor Dumbledore bent down and tried to pry the boy off of her. "Oh, Mr. Potter, do get off the poor boy!"

With that, the boy rolled off of her and jumped up, replying, "Sorry about that!"

He scratched the back of his head with one hand nervously. "Sorry, Professor. My mates and I were just having a little fun."

Lily looked behind him to see a boy with shaggy black hair stick his head out of the room and grin apologetically to Professor Dumbledore.

Professor Dumbledore sighed. "I expected better from our Riddle College students. Please apologize properly and introduce yourself to Mr. Evanson, especially since he will be your new roommate."

Surprise flashed the face of the boy with hazel eyes and then he stuck his hand out and said. "I am sorry for running into you. My name is James Potter. What is yours?"

She bashfully shook his hand as she replied, "Lil- I mean, Liam Evanson. Nice to meet you."

Professor Dumbledore put a hand on her shoulder. "I trust that you will be able to find your way to your room now with them."

With a gentle smile, he walked away.

The boy with shaggy hair bounded up to her and stuck out his hand. "The name's Sirius Black."

She shook his hand and smiled back.

Sirius pointed his thumb behind him over his shoulder. "Remus is in the room now, probably doing next week's homework. In fact, I should go check on him now to make sure he doesn't fall into a pit of studying for hours."

With that, he ran back into the room.

James knelt down and started to pick up her books. She bent down to help him as well.

"Sorry about earlier," he said, "Sirius and I tend to get a little bit antsy after a full day of lessons."

Lily kept her eyes trained at the books she was picking up as she said, "It's fine."

He handed the books to her and then grabbed her trunk and gestured for her to follow him.

When she stepped into the room, she noticed that there were bunk beds pushed to the back wall, the foot of the beds facing the entrance. Between the beds was a window overlooking the rolling fields and woods of the back of the school. On the right and left wall besides the bunk beds were desks, two on each side. And on the wall with the entrance the Lily had stepped through had a bookcase on one side and a cupboard on the other.

A boy with sandy blonde hair stood up from his desk and closed his book, smiling warmly at her.

He walked over to her and put out his hand. "Hi, I am Remus. Remus Lupin. Welcome to our dorm."

Lily shook his hand, thinking to herself. Wow, boys must really love shaking hands. Back home, whenever they had guests over, they only shook her father's hand and ignored her mother. Lily and her sister Petunia were always too busy in the kitchen to see if a guests would shake their hands.

Remus pointed to a lower bunk. "You can sleep on that bed. James sleeps above you, while I sleep across from you and Sirius sleeps on the bunk above mine."

She nodded and moved to sit on the bed under James'. She turned back to see all three boys staring at her with tension on their faces. She rose her eyebrows and thought to herself. I wonder what that is all about?

Remus cleared his throat and then said, "I was a lottery student just like you. Where did you go to school before here?"

Lily recited what her mother told her to. "I went to the Inglewood School until I was picked to come here."

Remus tilted his head in confusion. "I went there before I came here too. I don't think I remember seeing you there."

Lily's breath caught in her throat. "Um," she coughed, "Well, I am sure that there were just too many students to keep track of."

Remus studied her for a moment before his eyes lit up in agreement as he nodded.

Lily swallowed, trying to still her beating heart as she asked James and Sirius, "What about you? Where did you two go before here?"

Sirius wrapped an arm across James' shoulders and pulled him so that he could rub his hair. "This one and I have been coming here ever since our first year."

James grinned and shoved him away.

Lily nodded, letting that information sink in. That meant that James and Sirius must have come from families wealthy enough to support an education here. If that was so, they must have been able to afford maids. She didn't want to judge them immediately, but were they the type of boys who believed girls were only good enough for cleaning? Or were they like her late father, who had tried with every fiber of his body to educate his two young daughters before he passed on?

She hoped the latter.

She sighed and then gave the boys a tired smile. "Well, I am a bit tired after a long day, so I am just going to unpack my things now and get ready for dinner."

The boys made noises of agreement as she turned to open her trunk.

Lily entered the dining hall with Sirius and Remus in front of her and James next to her. She snuck a look over to him. There was something both tense and care-free about him. His shoulders looked tight, as if he was thinking about something very deeply, but his hands were stuffed in his pockets and he strutted into the dining hall as if he was about to be crowned prince.

The dining hall was filled with small circular tables, each with 4 chairs. Black marble floors shone against the candles of the silver chandelier above.

As she and the boys sat down, she looked around the room in confusion.

She turned to ask James, "Where are the food and drinks?"

James rose an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Remus poked him. "Back at Inglewood, they don't have people serve you food. You have to get it yourself at the buffet table, right, Liam?"

Lily's face felt warm. Yes, she had to remember that she was a boy from Inglewood, while these boys were used to being served their food since they came from the prestigious school of Riddle College.

Sirius mocked sighed and teased, "I could never imagine getting up to get my own food."

Remus laughed and shook his head. "So if we were on a deserted island, how would you find food?"

Sirius scoffed playfully. "I wouldn't. I would just get you to do it for me."

Remus shook his head, a smile on his face.

Lily smiled, too. Sirius was confident, but not in a conceited way. She found him and Remus quite amusing together.

She looked at James, who was also smiling at the other boys. Unlike Sirius and Remus, he was a mystery to her. How did he fit into their little group?

Her thoughts faded when the headmaster entered the dining hall. Voices hushed as Headmaster Tom Riddle walked through the center of the hall.

Lily studied him. He stared blankly at his intended destination, the long rectangular table at the end of the room where he would be sitting. Lily couldn't hold back a shiver. He didn't smile or glare or frown at his student. He just stared neutral. It felt...inhuman.

Once headmaster had sat down, though, the maids came out and served them their dinner, reviving the room of it previous life.

On her plate was a slice of steak and a side of asparagus. When she placed the bite of meat in her mouth, she tried not to moan. The taste was rich and flavourful. She had never had anything like this back in Cokeworth, and most definitely not at home, where cold soups and old bread had become a staple.

"How is it?" James asked her.

She sighed and beamed at him. "It's fantastic."

Remus nodded. "We never had anything like this at Inglewood. I can't remember how many times I had the jam sandwiches or the tuna salads. Even having crackers with cheese made us feel like we were rich."

Lily nodded along to appear that she, too, had those experiences. In truth, she did have the jam sandwiches and tuna salads from Inglewood. But unlike Remus, Lily and her sister Petunia had snuck into the trash behind Inglewood and salvaged what was left over.

She finished her steak and asparagus quickly and was eager to eat dessert when the sound of a spoon against a glass rung out.

Everyone looked up to see Headmaster Riddle stand up. The room was silent when he began to say blankly, "Another year starts at Riddle College. Every year, we continue to pride in our student's legacies, ensuring that only the best students from the best families were admitted here."

Lily wrinkled her nose in disdain. Why be prideful of having students from wealthy families? Shouldn't schools be prideful of having students who excelled intellectually?

He continued, "But there are exceptions. Our lottery program allows a student from another school to attempt success here at Riddle College. It is time to introduce our newest student. Please stand, Liam Evanson."

Lily froze she heard her fake name. Swallowing hard, she stood up and all eyes rushed towards her movement.

Several eyes looked at her in curiosity, while others looked at her in disinterest. Others looked at her with silent disgust.

When Headmaster Riddle cleared his throat, she sunk back into her seat as he announced the arrival of desserts.

When she looked around, the hateful eyes remained pointed at her and she shriveled under their gaze. She wished Headmaster Riddle hadn't singled her out. Before, she might have been able to merge in and act as if she had been here all her life. Now everyone knew that she was the lottery student.

James put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright, Liam?"

She was surprised by the sincerity in his eyes. Did he really care that much, even though he only knew her for a few hours?

She nodded and smiled weakly, trying to keep her voice masculine. "I am fine, thanks."

He nodded and then started to eat his dessert.

She looked at James, Sirius, and Remus. They ate their desserts as if it didn't matter that they were sitting with a lottery student. Everyone else was still staring at her as if she had tentacles for limbs. But her roommates were perfectly fine with her being there.

She smiled to herself, grateful that they didn't care.

Tonight's dessert was chocolate cake. She hummed delightedly when the sweet chocolate icing hit her tongue.

Then she noticed that Sirius didn't have chocolate cake. Instead, he had vanilla cake. She looked around the room. Everyone else had chocolate cake.

"Why do you have vanilla cake?" Lily asked.

He grinned sheepishly, saying, "I have a chocolate allergy."

James chuckled. "One of the many ways he is like a dog."

Sirius playfully punched James' shoulder. "It is only a minor allergy. I am sure I could have a little if I wanted to."

Remus shook his head. "Not a chance. Unless you want to end up in the hospital wing."

Sirius picked up his fork and tried to steal a piece from Remus' plate. "I just have to build up an immunity-"

"Hey!" Remus shouted, laughing. "Don't you dare!" He picked up his fork and the two started to duel with the forks.

The metal of their forks clanged as they dueled. James and Lily laughed as Sirius tried to stab the chocolate slice only to be blocked by Remus.

Sirius suddenly stopped and frowned, pointed at Remus' mouth. "You have a little icing on your cheek."

Remus blushed and tried to look for a napkin.

Before he could stop himself, Sirius reached up and swept a thumb across Remus' cheek and wiped the chocolate icing.

Remus' eyes widened and he froze.

Sirius realized what he did and then froze, too, eyes wide, jaw slackened.

Remus was the first to break out of his daze and grabbed a napkin to wipe Sirius' finger.

Sirius' face reddened when he felt Remus' warm hands in his, wiping the chocolate.

Lily didn't miss the way that Remus licked his lips as he stared at the chocolate on Sirius' finger. She furrowed her brows in curiosity. There was definitely something going on between those two.

Before she could ponder further, a boy at the table next to theirs scoffed, "Fags."

Sirius jumped up and clenched his fists. "What did you call him?"

Remus pulled on Sirius' arm. "Let it be."

Sirius shook his head. "Say it to my face, coward."

The boy sneered and stood up. "Why? Because it's true?"

Sirius gritted his teeth. "Shut your mouth, Snivellus!"

Lily looked at the boy. What kind of name was Snivellus? He was oddly pale and had long, oily looking hair.

Sirius looked like he was about to jump over the table and pound his fists into this Snivellus boy, while Remus had a hand on Sirius' arm and James remained sitting next to her in silent rage. The tables closest to them hushed and watched the conflict. The rest of the room was still oblivious, but Lily knew that they would soon catch on if she didn't do something.

She stood up and said, "Look, maybe we can sort this out-"

A boy with white-blonde hair stood up next to the Snivellus boy and glared at her. "Don't talk to us like we're equals, lottery boy. You are dirt compared to us."

Lily shrank back.

The sound of a chair scraping behind her broke through her shock. The entire room went silent as James Potter stood up and put a hand on Lily's shoulder.

Then he said, "Why don't you do us all a favor and go back to eating your food? Because we all know that my net worth is more than both of yours combined, and I will make sure to use it to end the both of you if you ever insult my friends again."

Stunned silence was the only response that James received before the blonde boy and the Snivellus boy turned and walked out of the room.

Sirius and James both sat down and Lily followed suit. The room slowly filled with whispering before the normal conversations started up again.

She turned to James and asked, "Who were they? What just happened?"

James rubbed his face tiredly before saying. "The first boy is Severus Snape and the second is Lucius Malfoy. They have been our long-time rivals because their families and ours have had different values for years."

She recognized the Malfoy last name and wanted to vomit. The Malfoy family was one of the most influential families in Europe. She just made a very powerful enemy.

She rubbed her temple in despair when she realized that she had drawn too much attention to herself when she was supposed to be hiding the fact that she was a girl.

James put a calming hand on her shoulder and said, "Hey, if you are worried about them, then don't. They won't bully you with me around."

Lily looked up at his hazel eyes smiled softly, "Thank you."

Remember! Every Monday or Tuesday, there should be an update!