Hey, how's everyone doing? This is new chapter – I changed the old one
because I thought it quite literally sucked. I wrote it when I was in grade
7 so you can guess my surprise when I realised that I had this up on the
internet and I immediately went to change it. There are similar happenings
in the beginning, but it's changed noticeably (for the better, I hope)
towards the end. I hope you enjoy this one. Incidentally, the other two
chapters will be gone for re-writing. Thanks for everything. Cheers!
A large tawny owl flew in to the room. One of the occupants screamed, the other, looked more surprised than shocked. As Lily got up to catch the owl, it dropped a small envelope on top of her head. Petunia had rushed out of the room to get her parents, wailing all the way. "Mum! Dad! MUM! DAD!" Mr. and Mrs. Evans came running from what they were doing. "What honey? What happened?" Mrs. Evans asked anxiously. "Th - there's a - a big OWL in Lily's room!" Both Mr. and Mrs. Evans looked shocked. An owl in the middle of the day was very strange; owls normally didn't appear in the middle of the day. They all rushed up to Lily's room, where she was found standing in the middle, holding her envelope. She hadn't realised that her family was standing there, watching her. "They know - they know where I sleep?" Lily mumbled to herself. There was no sign of an owl, as it had flown straight out of the window from which it came through. Mrs. Evans ran to Lily, as Mr. Evans went to check her window. "What's-what's that in your hand?" Petunia asked shakily. Mrs. Evans looked at the letter. It was addressed to Lily; there was no doubt about that. It clearly stated
Miss L. Evans
June St. 36
The Third Bedroom
Little Brattis
Surrey
Evidently, she was shocked, along with Petunia, who had come over to take a look. "David. David - look at this." Mrs. Evans said in a hoarse voice, she handed Mr. Evans the envelope. Her hand was shaking hard. Mr. Evans looked at the address. He then tore open the parcel. Out fell three pieces of parchment. Two were bigger than the other. He read the first line of the first paper as the whole room waited for Mr. Evans to say or do something. "Jo, come with me. Girls, stay here." He left, still holding the contents of the envelope, with Mrs. Evans. Petunia was thoroughly shaken. The two girls looked in bewilderment at one another before Petunia walked out of the room.
A few weeks later, Lily could hardly believe what she had just done. She had walked straight through a solid barrier, or supposedly solid, and was standing in front of a scarlet train, puffing great amounts of grey smoke on a platform, that she thought hadn't even existed.
Lily stood perfectly still, taking in her surroundings; children were hugging their parents as they boarded the train, parents running to windows to say their final goodbyes. Lily felt grim as she saw all this, wishing ever strongly that her parents were here to say goodbye. But the wizard family that had crossed with Lily said that her parents wouldn't be able to get in. So she had been forced to say her goodbyes next to the vending machine.
Now, as the wind picked up, Lily's flaming red hair got in the way. She overbalanced, stumbled and tripped over her luggage. She heard some people snicker, and felt her face go red. "First day of school, Lily, and you manage to make a complete fool of yourself." She mumbled to herself.
Someone thrust a hand under her nose. She looked up, startled, her face still red with embarrassment. A boy of her age, with brown, sparkling eyes behind square-rimmed glasses stood in front of her, with a cheeky grin on his face. She took his hand reluctantly, and he pulled her up. "Hullo." He said.
"Er, hi." Lily said nervously. Before Lily could say or do anything, the boy asked,
"Do you need help with your stuff? I'll help you if you want."
"Yes, please. That'd be very nice of you." The boy beamed. They trudged to an empty carriage and dumped Lily's trunk in a corner which sprang open. The boy, still out of breath heaved himself up before Lily could and managed to shut her trunk with a 'click'. He sat back down and they both sat silently for a while. The boy at last spoke,
"Well, I'd better get going. My friends will be looking for me. Nice meeting you." As he left, Lily called from behind, thinking that these people were quite helpful. It was after the train had begun moving, she realised how wrong she had been. Quite suddenly, her trunk had begun to smoke, and as she got up to have a closer look, her trunk sprang open once more and the cabin was showered with fireworks. Not knowing what to do, she ran out of her cabin and into the one next to her. She burst open the door and saw the occupants look startlingly at her.
"My trunk – fire...help..." she blabbed out. She was holding on to the door frame now, her knuckles white. An older girl, with a badge pinned to her chest got up. She was short and plump with flaming red hair, identical to Lily's and quite a many freckles.
"Slow down," She said soothingly. "Take a deep breath." Lily did as she was told. "Now, what's the matter?" Lily merely grabbed her arm, not having the strength to convey what she had seen and dragged the girl to her compartment. A crowd of by-passers had emerged and was staring at the trunk with pleasure which was still sizzling, though not as much, and every once in a while, it would belch and a shower of sparks would fill the room.
"Let me through. I'm a Head Girl. Move along, Hannsen." The girl stopped at the door, examining the trunk. With a shake of her head, she took out her wand and waved it at the trunk. Immediately, the trunk stopped emitting sparks and smoke, and Lily heaved a sigh of relief. The crowd behind them began to depart until only three boys were standing.
"Hope you liked them." A sneering voice came from behind. Lily spun around to see the same boy who had helped her with her trunk earlier on. He was standing amidst two other boys, who both had ear-to-ear grins just like the first boy.
"You?" Lily shouted incredulously. The boy bowed low while his friends howled with laughter.
"James Potter, at your service." He beamed at Lily. The other girl was standing, arms folded behind Lily.
"Well, Mr. James Potter," she started, but before she could continue, the boys ran off, still laughing menacingly. As Lily turned around to look at her trunk, tears rolled down her face. The other girl went and snapped the trunk shut.
"Come on. You can come sit with us." She began heaving it to her own compartment. Once in the compartment she put down the trunk and held out her hand to Lily.
"I'm Molly Prewett. What's your name?" Lily shook her outstretched hand.
"I'm Lily Evans." Molly beamed and introduced her to the other occupants. In the corner was a girl with black hair, which fell to her shoulders in waves. "That's Rose. First year, just like you." Molly said. Next, she pointed to a boy opposite Rose. He had blonde hair which was cropped short. He smiled crookedly at Lily. "And that's Frank. He's a third year." The last occupant was another girl; she was plump with her dirty-blonde hair tied high in a pony tail, her round glasses slipping off her nose. She seemed to be asleep, her head resting on her chest which rose and fell slowly. "And that's Bertha." As she heard her name, Bertha's head snapped up, and she looked around bleary-eyed before going back to sleep.
Lily sat down next to Bertha, and sighed again in relief. For the first time since on the train, she felt comforted by the people she was surrounded by.
It was five minutes before they were due to arrive at Hogwarts when a voice magically drifted into every carriage instructing them to leave their belongings in their compartments. Lily felt her stomach tighten. As the Hogwarts Express finally came to a halt, Lily was a nervous wreck. There was a lot of rush to get out. Lily had to be careful, not to be trodden on by the older years as she was pushed and shoved out of sight of her new friends. The sharp breeze against her face made her realise she was out of the train now and she had still no sign of Rose, whom she was supposed to wait for. There was, however, a man holding up a lantern, calling out to the first years.
"All ze first yers, here pleaze!"
Lily walked, trembling towards the lantern. Rose came from behind and joined up with Lily.
The first years were obviously, nervous. They began making their way down a winding path, with the man with the lantern leading their way. The group suddenly came to a halt, as everyone stopped to admire there new home and to 'oooooh' and 'aaaahh' at the sight of the towering castle. Then, forced by the man, they moved along the narrow path. A short while later, they stopped in front of a giant lake, where many boats floated, bobbing in the gentle current. The man told everyone to get into a boat, "An' no more zan four!" Lily and Rose followed two other girls into a boat. As Lily stepped in to the boat, it swayed dangerously. Lily sat down quickly. The idea of falling into a lake that held who knows what was too much for Lily to even think about. She wasn't much fond of water, either.
Barely any sounds were made as the boats sailed magically towards the castle, as if they were sailing on glass. The school's windows were lit brightly. On one side of the castle, Lily could see a dense forest, with a little wooden hut in front of it. On the other side, was what looked like a large stadium. Its seats were raised up high, like the six hoops that rose thirty feet into the air, three on each side. And beyond that, Lily could see some lights, though she couldn't figure out what was there.
The boats bumped gently against the pebbly ground, as they stopped in front of large steps and large, heavy, oak doors. Lily was glad to get out of the boat; she had begun to get seasick. Everyone clambered out and stood staring at the doors. On of the doors creaked open and a mature woman stepped out. She looked stern, with square glasses, and her hair tied tightly in a bun. She was wearing black robes, which fluttered in the breeze. She stood there in silence for a moment, peering at everyone, which made Lily feel uncomfortable. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall and before you are to go in, I would like to give you a briefing of what's about to happen. Firstly, you will be sorted in to a house; Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. For the school terms, which you will stay here for, you have the chance to earn your house points. However, any rule breaking will result in your house losing points. At the end of each year, a cup is awarded to the house with the most points. Now if you'll please follow me." The shuffling of feet could be heard as the first years climbed the stairs and went through doors and secret wall openings. Fire torches beautifully lit the hallways, making the surroundings around them more mysterious and making the students more inquisitive. Professor McGonagall finally led them to a small room. "Wait here. I will come and get you when they are ready." And she turned on her heels and walked swiftly out the door.
After a few minutes of silence, they heard the sound of applause. Professor McGonagall re-entered the room soon after. She beckoned them to follow her. The first years were led to two doors. As the doors opened, everyone gasped.
Floating candles lit the beautiful hall. The ceiling was a clear starry night, with not a cloud in the sky. Four long tables were situated in front of them for the students and one long table at the other end of the hall for the staff. Professor McGonagall led them in front of the school, with their backs to the teachers.
In the middle was a grubby looking hat. It looked so ancient; you could be forgiven for thinking that it was even real. Professor McGonagall stood next to the hat, holding a long scroll. "Now as I call your name, you will come down and sit here, and place the hat on your head." The hall listened quietly to Professor McGonagall.
"Adsent - Erika." A blonde girl walked shakily up to the hat, and placed it on. It slid past her ears covering her eyes. She sat there for a moment, when the hat finally shouted out, "RAVENCLAW!" The table at the far left end, applauded loudly, as Erika went to join it. When the hall was silent once more, the professor continued.
"Acheron - Milcent" A good - natured girl, walked up to the hat. It had barely touched her, when it shouted out. "HUFFLEPUFF!" This time the table to the left hand side erupted in cheers. She went and sat quietly, evidently, really shy.
"Black - Sirius." Lily recognised him from the train; one of James' friends. She had an instant dislike for him. The boy had carefully tousled black hair. He went and sat impatiently, drumming his fingers on the inside of the stool. Finally, the hat shouted out "GRYFFINDOR!" Sirius beamed, as he took off the hat, and went to sit down on the furthest tables from the doors, which was now cheering loudly.
"Conrad - Dean." "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Dasney - Emerald" "SLYTHERIN!"
"Evans - Lily." Lily walked nervously up to the hat. She shakily put the hat on her head, which slid past her ears, covering her eyes, like it had done to everyone else. "Hmm. Evans. Very ambitious and determined." Said a little voice insider her head. "Oh, and lots of pride and courage. Well that settles it then. There's only one place for you and that's, GRYFFINDOR!" Lily took off the hat. Lily grinned broadly, as she shook all the hands of other the Gryffindors and sat herself down.
"Hermes - Gregory." "RAVENCLAW!"
"Issen - Mage." "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Lupin – Remus." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Kron - May." "RAVENCLAW!"
"Malfoy - Lucius." "SLYTHERIN!"
"Pettigrew - Peter." A short, plump boy walked stiffly up to the hat. His sparkling blue eyes, looking around nervously. He placed the hat on, rather harshly, and sat down, covered with goose bumps. Finally, the hat shouted out. "GRYFFINDOR!" Peter walked to the applauding table situated himself next to Sirius, who now had his fingers crossed.
"Potter - James." Lily scowled impulsively. She didn't like his character in the least. And the fact that he didn't even look the least bit worried, made her blood boil. When the hat shouted out "GRYFFINDOR!" James walked coolly towards the Gryffindor table, and sat next to Sirius.
"Skarmory - Narcissa." A girl that looked like she was about to be sick, walked up to the hat. Once again, it had barely touched her, when it shouted out. "SLYTHERIN!"
"Skeeter - Rita." "RAVENCLAW!"
"Snape - Severus." A boy with greasy hair was walking up to the hat. He placed it firmly on his head. For a moment or so, the hall was quiet. Then suddenly, the Slytherin table erupted in cheers as the boy walked swiftly to the table and sat down on a seat near the ghost.
"Thorn - Rose." Lily stiffened. She had taken a liking to Rose and was inwardly praying that she would be placed in Gryffindor. A few people sniggered as a tall, slender girl, with wavy hair, placed on the hat. It took a while, but the hat finally shouted out. "GRYFFINDOR!" Lily whooped and clapped the loudest. Rose, grinning broadly herself, came and sat down next to Lily. Professor McGonagall rolled up the scroll, and took the four - legged stool and the Sorting Hat away. Albus Dumbledore slowly rose to his feet, and the hall died down again as he began to speak.
"Welcome to another exciting year at Hogwarts. I welcome the first years with open arms." He opened his arms widely, nearly knocking Professor McGonagall in the face. "Oh, sorry there Professor. Before we begin our feast, I just have a few start of terms notices. First of all, I would like to inform all students that the Forbidden Forest is, yes, you guessed it, forbidden. Secondly, there is a very rare tree being planted in our grounds this very moment. It is of extreme value and so I would advise you to treat it with dignity, or it will get you back. That's all. I hope you enjoy your meal. DIG IN!" As the words left his mouth, the platters in front of everyone filled magically by them selves. They were filled with great and delicious food, of all sorts. Lily couldn't believe her eyes. But with a nudge from Rose, who had started with the pie, Lily began on the steak and potatoes, with gravy. She filled her goblet with pumpkin juice and started eating.
"Hi Lily! Congratulations! Welcome to Gryffindor! I hope you were okay across the lake?" Molly asked on from across the table. Lily nodded, as her mouth was too full to talk with. She gulped down some pumpkin juice. She glanced over to her left where Rose was sitting. And then she looked at her plate. Lily's eyes flew open. Rose was eating food that could've easily fed four people. Rose saw the look and shrugged.
"Ib habe oh biph apepipe." She sprayed mashed potatoes all over Lily, who rather than being shocked, broke out in laughter. Soon, the deserts had vanished and Lily was feeling happy. Albus Dumbledore stood up once again.
"Well I hope you enjoyed the feast. Now off to bed with you. First years follow your prefect to your common rooms. Goodnight!" and he sat back down once again as the hall began to clear.
Lily and Rose met up with the rest of the first years outside the doors of the hall, who were huddled around something. Rose being the taller one, stood up one her toes, to see above the peoples' heads. She gasped and broke into hysterics of laughter. When she had finally calmed down, Lily asked her what the matter was but before Rose could reply, a dwarf, with a pointy nose and scruffy brown hair came up to them. His light hazel eyes twinkling with anger. Lily's face went red as she tried to keep her face straight. She saw a glistening badge on his chest with the letter 'P' on it. She realised that he was a Prefect.
"You find something amusing about my height?" asked the prefect in an unusually high - pitched voice. "I'm the Gryffindor Prefect, and you will treat me with respect. Understood? Now, no more loitering!" Rose stood up shakily. She held on to Lily's shoulder because her knees were too weak from laughing.
They trudged through what seemed to be an endless maze when they finally came to a stop at a portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress who was fixing her gown. The first years stared at her. Lily realised her mouth was open, so she quickly shut it. She had never seen moving portraits.
"Welcome." She said in a dignified voice. "Password?" Lily's jaw hit the floor. A talking picture? Lily's head began to reel.
"The password for this month is 'mugglewump.' Everybody got it?" came the prefect's shrilly voice. Lily stepped out of her trance. Everyone nodded. They stepped through a large hole in the wall, which the picture had revealed when the password was announced. They stepped in to the common room. There were blazing fire, squashy and comfortable armchairs, some rocking chairs, and tables on which to study. "Girls, your dormitories are that way." He pointed to the left as he spoke. "Boys, your dormitories are this way." He pointed, this time, to the right. Now off to bed!" The girls climbed the stairs up the tower to their dormitories. They opened a door labelled 'First Years'. Inside was a large room, with five beds, that had red, velvet hangings. Their luggage was already there, beside their beds. The girls changed into their pyjamas. As Lily drifted off into a deep sleep, she could still hear soft snoring from Rose.
Lily woke up the next day feeling quite refreshed. The sun shone through the windows, despite the clouds. She got dressed quickly, wanting to explore her new school before her lessons began. She wandered out of the common room and soon realised that getting around would be a great problem. So she went back inside and looked around the common room. Soon enough, Rose came out of the portrait hole. She started when she saw Lily, who was looking at Rose.
"You awake then?" Rose asked which was completely unnecessary. Lily merely nodded.
"Where did you go?" asked Lily, as she and Rose made their way towards the Great Hall. Rose shrugged,
"Just around. I was figuring out how to get to the Great Hall and back before you woke up." The girls turned into the Great Hall. It looked just as magnificent and grand as it had done the previous night. The ceiling was now a clear blue, with fluffs of white cloud. The hall was abuzz with noise as everyone re-told their holiday events. Lily and Rose sat themselves down, and just like the previous night, Rose began to wolf down food in great quantities. Lily jumped up in surprise as it began to rain owls from the ceiling. She watched in amazement as hundreds of owls swooped low and drop their parcels in front of their receivers. Rose chuckled at her friend's astonished face and resumed eating her breakfast.
Later on, Professor McGonagall came around to hand everyone their timetables. "Double potions with Slytherin." groaned Rose.
"Why? What's so bad about the Slytherins?"
"Well, nothing's wrong with them. They're just not a very nice bunch, to say so in the least." Rose said calmly. "They have turned out most of the dark wizards. You - Know - Who was one. In Slytherin I mean."
"Who's 'You - Know – Who'?" asked Lily, who was getting more confused by the minute. Rose turned pale.
"Well, erm....he's the greatest wizard alive. He's, well for the lack of a better word, he's evil." Lily's heart began to beat faster.
"Evil?" She asked Rose in a hushed voice. She simply nodded and refused to go into anymore detail on the matter.
After breakfast, the first year Gryffindor and Slytherin first years made their way to the dungeons. They had reached the dungeons. It was colder down here than the rest of the school. Lily drew her robes closer to her, as did many of the other students. Lily noticed that two boys were standing, leaning casually against the dungeon wall as if they owned the place. One was tall and gangly, with a hook nose and hair greased back. The other was also tall, though not as tall as the first. He had long blonde- white hair, tied neatly in a ponytail. The two boys were immersed in a conversation, but were interrupted when the dungeon door creaked open. Behind it was a middle-aged woman, her strawberry coloured hair clashing with her deep blue robes. She looked at the class for a moment before moving aside to let them in. When everyone had settled down, she began.
"I am Professor Asphagus." She began in a throaty voice. "You'll soon find out that Potions is a great class where we can enjoy ourselves and learn at the same time. So we'll begin with page 124. You'll find out that wild mushrooms maybe fun to prod and poke, but they also make quite a strong potion in curing tapeworms."
And so began the Potions lesson. The two lessons flew by according to Lily. She had never preferred science at her muggle school, and was not looking forward to Potions. But by the end of the lesson, her opinion had changed dramatically. The lessons were full of interesting topics and everyone had a chance to say something, and Professor Asphagus was as lively as any professor could be. Everybody walked out at the end of the lesson talking loudly, having enjoyed a great two periods.
Lily and Rose were walking out with the rest of the class, when they collided with two others. The two boys Lily had seen before turned around and glowered at them.
"Watch where you're going." The blonde-haired boy said in a curt tone. The other boy continued to glare at Rose, who was staring back.
"Aaahh Severus. I was wondering when you would show you're big ugly, not to mention greasy, mug." A mocking voice came from behind. Lily turned around to see James smiling snidely at the two boys. She rolled her eyes at Rose. "So, how've you been old buddy?" Severus muttered a reply, and beckoned the other to leave with him. The blonde boy stared at James for a moment before following his friend.
"Lucius Malfoy." Rose whispered in Lily's ear as they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch. "They're a nasty family, the Malfoys. But their sons aren't too bad." Rose tacked on with a grin on her face. Lily looked at her friend and then shook her head, smirking at her friend's openness all the way to the Great Hall.
As the days went by, Lily got used to all the moving portraits, the pearly, white ghosts, and most of all, her classes. Much to Lily's surprise, a term had already gone by, and Christmas was a few days away.
It was a cold winter's day and most of the Gryffindors were sitting by the fire in the common room. Rose and Lily were making a house of cards using Rose's Exploding Snap cards. They were tattered and old and didn't stack on too well. After their fifth game ended with a 'snap' Lily sat back gruffly.
"That was really close." Rose just grinned back at her, shuffling the cards. She wasn't very good because soon enough, her cards flew out of her hands and landed all over their table and on the floor. Lily laughed. Rose sighed,
"Wanna play 'Fifty-two Pick Ups'?" she asked Lily. Lily gave her a sideways look and then burst out laughing. She nodded as she began gathering the cards on the table, while Rose got to her knees and shuffled around the floor trying to get to all the cards that had fallen. As she was groping around under the table, her hands fell on a piece of parchment. She slowly got up and took a closer look. It was neatly folded, with neat, slanting handwriting at the front. It was a letter addressed to "Mum, 24 Bricket Wood Drive, Birmingham". A few boys bustled in, talking loudly. Rose didn't register their arrival as Lily did; with a 'tut'. She opened up the parchment. She knew she shouldn't read it, but her curiosity got the better of her. The letter was short. It read;
'Dearest Mum, I hope you're doing well. I'm okay here too. It's still a week to go, but Professor Dumbledore has everything worked out, so don't worry about me. I'll try to keep safe. Remus'
Rose thought for a moment, trying to remember if she knew anyone by the name of Remus. She didn't. Just at that moment, someone called out;
"Oi! Remus! Bring the black one too." Rose turned around. It was Sirius shouting at the top of his lungs to a boy that was walking towards Rose. He was nodding in reply, his double-shaded brown hair bobbing up and down. His eyes briefly met Rose's; they were light brown. He walked off in the direction of the boys' dormitories. Rose bit her lip, feeling guilty for having read his letter. He came back soon, clutching a black and a purple pouch. Rose quickly folded up the letter and stepped in his way.
"Er...hi. I think this is yours." She handed him the letter which he took silently.
"Did you read it?" he asked in a mild tone. Rose's heart beat faster.
"No...well, actually, yeah." She replied quietly, talking to the carpet. She heard a sigh and looked up. Remus was walking away from Rose, back to his friends. Rose's heart sank. She went back to Lily, who was chatting to another first year.
Rose was quiet for the whole afternoon, until she made up her mind to apologise to Remus. She left Lily in the library by herself and wandered about, trying to spot Remus. After half an hour of looking in every corner of Hogwarts, she found him and his friends outside. She ran to the fields and as soon as she got near the group, she was hit in the face by a snowball. She quickly wiped the snow off her face and looked around furiously. The four boys she had seen from the castle were standing in front of her and three were grinning stupidly.
"Good on ya, Remus. That'll be ten points, for hitting an outsider, shall it?" Sirius asked James. He nodded, grinning at Rose, who still had a fair amount of snow stuck in her hair.
"Sorry." Said Remus as he stepped from behind Peter. He looked squarely at Rose with anything but sorrow in his eyes. His jaw was set and it seemed to Rose as if he was speaking out of habit rather than from the heart.
"No. I'm the one who should be sorry. Look, I didn't mean to –"she paused, trying to best explain her actions. "Well, you see, I grew up learning that if I find something, it's mine. And well - really, I'm very sorry." Rose pleaded to Remus whose expression softened considerably.
"It's – it's okay. It didn't have much written in it anyway." He shrugged and gave her a small smile which Rose conveyed.
"Well, I'd better go." She nodded to Remus and the others and began walking back to the castle when she saw red hair walking towards her. She swore silently under her breath as an angry figure of Lily came up to her.
"Where have you been? You realise it's been nearly an hour since you left me? I got lost trying to find you; I ended up at the staff room. Never, ever leave me by myself. Do you understand?" Rose smiled and nodded. "Oh, and by the way, this is for leaving me by myself." Lily swooped down quickly and grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at Rose.
Looking astonished and amused at the same time, Rose picked up her own handful and swung it at Lily, who had been running away from her. She ducked and it hit another girl in front of Lily. She was furious as she turned around and saw Rose laughing heartedly. A boy appeared from behind the girl. He didn't look too happy either.
The girl whipped out her wand and aimed it Rose. Rose stopped still, staring at the girl. Before she could do anything, a jet of white light erupted from her wand and headed straight for Rose. She jumped out in time, and it ricocheted off a nearby tree trunk and hit someone else in the back. The boy immediately broke out in vines and roots began to grow out oh his legs. He cried out in astonishment, and took out his own wand and struck his own spell in the direction of Rose who missed it by an inch. Slowly, many students became involved, jinxing and hexing each other.
Only Lily and Rose managed to come away rootless and fur free. However, as the professors drained the story out of students, the blame immediately fell upon Rose and Lily. They were dragged to Professor McGonagall's office with Lily looking pale and faint. She stood quite still, though her bottom lip trembled through the whole event. At last, they managed to come away with minus twenty points for Gryffindor and a warning. Rose thought they had been extremely lucky, considering a fifth of the school's population was being treated for tree roots.
Rose and Lily went up to the Common Room, having had too much excitement in the one day to be really hungry. As Lily got ready for an early night's sleep, she was glad that she had Rose for company.
What did you think of that? If you've read the original chapter 1, which do you think is better? Read and Review, please. Flames won't be destroyed, rather merely made fun of. Thanks for your time.
A large tawny owl flew in to the room. One of the occupants screamed, the other, looked more surprised than shocked. As Lily got up to catch the owl, it dropped a small envelope on top of her head. Petunia had rushed out of the room to get her parents, wailing all the way. "Mum! Dad! MUM! DAD!" Mr. and Mrs. Evans came running from what they were doing. "What honey? What happened?" Mrs. Evans asked anxiously. "Th - there's a - a big OWL in Lily's room!" Both Mr. and Mrs. Evans looked shocked. An owl in the middle of the day was very strange; owls normally didn't appear in the middle of the day. They all rushed up to Lily's room, where she was found standing in the middle, holding her envelope. She hadn't realised that her family was standing there, watching her. "They know - they know where I sleep?" Lily mumbled to herself. There was no sign of an owl, as it had flown straight out of the window from which it came through. Mrs. Evans ran to Lily, as Mr. Evans went to check her window. "What's-what's that in your hand?" Petunia asked shakily. Mrs. Evans looked at the letter. It was addressed to Lily; there was no doubt about that. It clearly stated
Miss L. Evans
June St. 36
The Third Bedroom
Little Brattis
Surrey
Evidently, she was shocked, along with Petunia, who had come over to take a look. "David. David - look at this." Mrs. Evans said in a hoarse voice, she handed Mr. Evans the envelope. Her hand was shaking hard. Mr. Evans looked at the address. He then tore open the parcel. Out fell three pieces of parchment. Two were bigger than the other. He read the first line of the first paper as the whole room waited for Mr. Evans to say or do something. "Jo, come with me. Girls, stay here." He left, still holding the contents of the envelope, with Mrs. Evans. Petunia was thoroughly shaken. The two girls looked in bewilderment at one another before Petunia walked out of the room.
A few weeks later, Lily could hardly believe what she had just done. She had walked straight through a solid barrier, or supposedly solid, and was standing in front of a scarlet train, puffing great amounts of grey smoke on a platform, that she thought hadn't even existed.
Lily stood perfectly still, taking in her surroundings; children were hugging their parents as they boarded the train, parents running to windows to say their final goodbyes. Lily felt grim as she saw all this, wishing ever strongly that her parents were here to say goodbye. But the wizard family that had crossed with Lily said that her parents wouldn't be able to get in. So she had been forced to say her goodbyes next to the vending machine.
Now, as the wind picked up, Lily's flaming red hair got in the way. She overbalanced, stumbled and tripped over her luggage. She heard some people snicker, and felt her face go red. "First day of school, Lily, and you manage to make a complete fool of yourself." She mumbled to herself.
Someone thrust a hand under her nose. She looked up, startled, her face still red with embarrassment. A boy of her age, with brown, sparkling eyes behind square-rimmed glasses stood in front of her, with a cheeky grin on his face. She took his hand reluctantly, and he pulled her up. "Hullo." He said.
"Er, hi." Lily said nervously. Before Lily could say or do anything, the boy asked,
"Do you need help with your stuff? I'll help you if you want."
"Yes, please. That'd be very nice of you." The boy beamed. They trudged to an empty carriage and dumped Lily's trunk in a corner which sprang open. The boy, still out of breath heaved himself up before Lily could and managed to shut her trunk with a 'click'. He sat back down and they both sat silently for a while. The boy at last spoke,
"Well, I'd better get going. My friends will be looking for me. Nice meeting you." As he left, Lily called from behind, thinking that these people were quite helpful. It was after the train had begun moving, she realised how wrong she had been. Quite suddenly, her trunk had begun to smoke, and as she got up to have a closer look, her trunk sprang open once more and the cabin was showered with fireworks. Not knowing what to do, she ran out of her cabin and into the one next to her. She burst open the door and saw the occupants look startlingly at her.
"My trunk – fire...help..." she blabbed out. She was holding on to the door frame now, her knuckles white. An older girl, with a badge pinned to her chest got up. She was short and plump with flaming red hair, identical to Lily's and quite a many freckles.
"Slow down," She said soothingly. "Take a deep breath." Lily did as she was told. "Now, what's the matter?" Lily merely grabbed her arm, not having the strength to convey what she had seen and dragged the girl to her compartment. A crowd of by-passers had emerged and was staring at the trunk with pleasure which was still sizzling, though not as much, and every once in a while, it would belch and a shower of sparks would fill the room.
"Let me through. I'm a Head Girl. Move along, Hannsen." The girl stopped at the door, examining the trunk. With a shake of her head, she took out her wand and waved it at the trunk. Immediately, the trunk stopped emitting sparks and smoke, and Lily heaved a sigh of relief. The crowd behind them began to depart until only three boys were standing.
"Hope you liked them." A sneering voice came from behind. Lily spun around to see the same boy who had helped her with her trunk earlier on. He was standing amidst two other boys, who both had ear-to-ear grins just like the first boy.
"You?" Lily shouted incredulously. The boy bowed low while his friends howled with laughter.
"James Potter, at your service." He beamed at Lily. The other girl was standing, arms folded behind Lily.
"Well, Mr. James Potter," she started, but before she could continue, the boys ran off, still laughing menacingly. As Lily turned around to look at her trunk, tears rolled down her face. The other girl went and snapped the trunk shut.
"Come on. You can come sit with us." She began heaving it to her own compartment. Once in the compartment she put down the trunk and held out her hand to Lily.
"I'm Molly Prewett. What's your name?" Lily shook her outstretched hand.
"I'm Lily Evans." Molly beamed and introduced her to the other occupants. In the corner was a girl with black hair, which fell to her shoulders in waves. "That's Rose. First year, just like you." Molly said. Next, she pointed to a boy opposite Rose. He had blonde hair which was cropped short. He smiled crookedly at Lily. "And that's Frank. He's a third year." The last occupant was another girl; she was plump with her dirty-blonde hair tied high in a pony tail, her round glasses slipping off her nose. She seemed to be asleep, her head resting on her chest which rose and fell slowly. "And that's Bertha." As she heard her name, Bertha's head snapped up, and she looked around bleary-eyed before going back to sleep.
Lily sat down next to Bertha, and sighed again in relief. For the first time since on the train, she felt comforted by the people she was surrounded by.
It was five minutes before they were due to arrive at Hogwarts when a voice magically drifted into every carriage instructing them to leave their belongings in their compartments. Lily felt her stomach tighten. As the Hogwarts Express finally came to a halt, Lily was a nervous wreck. There was a lot of rush to get out. Lily had to be careful, not to be trodden on by the older years as she was pushed and shoved out of sight of her new friends. The sharp breeze against her face made her realise she was out of the train now and she had still no sign of Rose, whom she was supposed to wait for. There was, however, a man holding up a lantern, calling out to the first years.
"All ze first yers, here pleaze!"
Lily walked, trembling towards the lantern. Rose came from behind and joined up with Lily.
The first years were obviously, nervous. They began making their way down a winding path, with the man with the lantern leading their way. The group suddenly came to a halt, as everyone stopped to admire there new home and to 'oooooh' and 'aaaahh' at the sight of the towering castle. Then, forced by the man, they moved along the narrow path. A short while later, they stopped in front of a giant lake, where many boats floated, bobbing in the gentle current. The man told everyone to get into a boat, "An' no more zan four!" Lily and Rose followed two other girls into a boat. As Lily stepped in to the boat, it swayed dangerously. Lily sat down quickly. The idea of falling into a lake that held who knows what was too much for Lily to even think about. She wasn't much fond of water, either.
Barely any sounds were made as the boats sailed magically towards the castle, as if they were sailing on glass. The school's windows were lit brightly. On one side of the castle, Lily could see a dense forest, with a little wooden hut in front of it. On the other side, was what looked like a large stadium. Its seats were raised up high, like the six hoops that rose thirty feet into the air, three on each side. And beyond that, Lily could see some lights, though she couldn't figure out what was there.
The boats bumped gently against the pebbly ground, as they stopped in front of large steps and large, heavy, oak doors. Lily was glad to get out of the boat; she had begun to get seasick. Everyone clambered out and stood staring at the doors. On of the doors creaked open and a mature woman stepped out. She looked stern, with square glasses, and her hair tied tightly in a bun. She was wearing black robes, which fluttered in the breeze. She stood there in silence for a moment, peering at everyone, which made Lily feel uncomfortable. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall and before you are to go in, I would like to give you a briefing of what's about to happen. Firstly, you will be sorted in to a house; Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. For the school terms, which you will stay here for, you have the chance to earn your house points. However, any rule breaking will result in your house losing points. At the end of each year, a cup is awarded to the house with the most points. Now if you'll please follow me." The shuffling of feet could be heard as the first years climbed the stairs and went through doors and secret wall openings. Fire torches beautifully lit the hallways, making the surroundings around them more mysterious and making the students more inquisitive. Professor McGonagall finally led them to a small room. "Wait here. I will come and get you when they are ready." And she turned on her heels and walked swiftly out the door.
After a few minutes of silence, they heard the sound of applause. Professor McGonagall re-entered the room soon after. She beckoned them to follow her. The first years were led to two doors. As the doors opened, everyone gasped.
Floating candles lit the beautiful hall. The ceiling was a clear starry night, with not a cloud in the sky. Four long tables were situated in front of them for the students and one long table at the other end of the hall for the staff. Professor McGonagall led them in front of the school, with their backs to the teachers.
In the middle was a grubby looking hat. It looked so ancient; you could be forgiven for thinking that it was even real. Professor McGonagall stood next to the hat, holding a long scroll. "Now as I call your name, you will come down and sit here, and place the hat on your head." The hall listened quietly to Professor McGonagall.
"Adsent - Erika." A blonde girl walked shakily up to the hat, and placed it on. It slid past her ears covering her eyes. She sat there for a moment, when the hat finally shouted out, "RAVENCLAW!" The table at the far left end, applauded loudly, as Erika went to join it. When the hall was silent once more, the professor continued.
"Acheron - Milcent" A good - natured girl, walked up to the hat. It had barely touched her, when it shouted out. "HUFFLEPUFF!" This time the table to the left hand side erupted in cheers. She went and sat quietly, evidently, really shy.
"Black - Sirius." Lily recognised him from the train; one of James' friends. She had an instant dislike for him. The boy had carefully tousled black hair. He went and sat impatiently, drumming his fingers on the inside of the stool. Finally, the hat shouted out "GRYFFINDOR!" Sirius beamed, as he took off the hat, and went to sit down on the furthest tables from the doors, which was now cheering loudly.
"Conrad - Dean." "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Dasney - Emerald" "SLYTHERIN!"
"Evans - Lily." Lily walked nervously up to the hat. She shakily put the hat on her head, which slid past her ears, covering her eyes, like it had done to everyone else. "Hmm. Evans. Very ambitious and determined." Said a little voice insider her head. "Oh, and lots of pride and courage. Well that settles it then. There's only one place for you and that's, GRYFFINDOR!" Lily took off the hat. Lily grinned broadly, as she shook all the hands of other the Gryffindors and sat herself down.
"Hermes - Gregory." "RAVENCLAW!"
"Issen - Mage." "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Lupin – Remus." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Kron - May." "RAVENCLAW!"
"Malfoy - Lucius." "SLYTHERIN!"
"Pettigrew - Peter." A short, plump boy walked stiffly up to the hat. His sparkling blue eyes, looking around nervously. He placed the hat on, rather harshly, and sat down, covered with goose bumps. Finally, the hat shouted out. "GRYFFINDOR!" Peter walked to the applauding table situated himself next to Sirius, who now had his fingers crossed.
"Potter - James." Lily scowled impulsively. She didn't like his character in the least. And the fact that he didn't even look the least bit worried, made her blood boil. When the hat shouted out "GRYFFINDOR!" James walked coolly towards the Gryffindor table, and sat next to Sirius.
"Skarmory - Narcissa." A girl that looked like she was about to be sick, walked up to the hat. Once again, it had barely touched her, when it shouted out. "SLYTHERIN!"
"Skeeter - Rita." "RAVENCLAW!"
"Snape - Severus." A boy with greasy hair was walking up to the hat. He placed it firmly on his head. For a moment or so, the hall was quiet. Then suddenly, the Slytherin table erupted in cheers as the boy walked swiftly to the table and sat down on a seat near the ghost.
"Thorn - Rose." Lily stiffened. She had taken a liking to Rose and was inwardly praying that she would be placed in Gryffindor. A few people sniggered as a tall, slender girl, with wavy hair, placed on the hat. It took a while, but the hat finally shouted out. "GRYFFINDOR!" Lily whooped and clapped the loudest. Rose, grinning broadly herself, came and sat down next to Lily. Professor McGonagall rolled up the scroll, and took the four - legged stool and the Sorting Hat away. Albus Dumbledore slowly rose to his feet, and the hall died down again as he began to speak.
"Welcome to another exciting year at Hogwarts. I welcome the first years with open arms." He opened his arms widely, nearly knocking Professor McGonagall in the face. "Oh, sorry there Professor. Before we begin our feast, I just have a few start of terms notices. First of all, I would like to inform all students that the Forbidden Forest is, yes, you guessed it, forbidden. Secondly, there is a very rare tree being planted in our grounds this very moment. It is of extreme value and so I would advise you to treat it with dignity, or it will get you back. That's all. I hope you enjoy your meal. DIG IN!" As the words left his mouth, the platters in front of everyone filled magically by them selves. They were filled with great and delicious food, of all sorts. Lily couldn't believe her eyes. But with a nudge from Rose, who had started with the pie, Lily began on the steak and potatoes, with gravy. She filled her goblet with pumpkin juice and started eating.
"Hi Lily! Congratulations! Welcome to Gryffindor! I hope you were okay across the lake?" Molly asked on from across the table. Lily nodded, as her mouth was too full to talk with. She gulped down some pumpkin juice. She glanced over to her left where Rose was sitting. And then she looked at her plate. Lily's eyes flew open. Rose was eating food that could've easily fed four people. Rose saw the look and shrugged.
"Ib habe oh biph apepipe." She sprayed mashed potatoes all over Lily, who rather than being shocked, broke out in laughter. Soon, the deserts had vanished and Lily was feeling happy. Albus Dumbledore stood up once again.
"Well I hope you enjoyed the feast. Now off to bed with you. First years follow your prefect to your common rooms. Goodnight!" and he sat back down once again as the hall began to clear.
Lily and Rose met up with the rest of the first years outside the doors of the hall, who were huddled around something. Rose being the taller one, stood up one her toes, to see above the peoples' heads. She gasped and broke into hysterics of laughter. When she had finally calmed down, Lily asked her what the matter was but before Rose could reply, a dwarf, with a pointy nose and scruffy brown hair came up to them. His light hazel eyes twinkling with anger. Lily's face went red as she tried to keep her face straight. She saw a glistening badge on his chest with the letter 'P' on it. She realised that he was a Prefect.
"You find something amusing about my height?" asked the prefect in an unusually high - pitched voice. "I'm the Gryffindor Prefect, and you will treat me with respect. Understood? Now, no more loitering!" Rose stood up shakily. She held on to Lily's shoulder because her knees were too weak from laughing.
They trudged through what seemed to be an endless maze when they finally came to a stop at a portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk dress who was fixing her gown. The first years stared at her. Lily realised her mouth was open, so she quickly shut it. She had never seen moving portraits.
"Welcome." She said in a dignified voice. "Password?" Lily's jaw hit the floor. A talking picture? Lily's head began to reel.
"The password for this month is 'mugglewump.' Everybody got it?" came the prefect's shrilly voice. Lily stepped out of her trance. Everyone nodded. They stepped through a large hole in the wall, which the picture had revealed when the password was announced. They stepped in to the common room. There were blazing fire, squashy and comfortable armchairs, some rocking chairs, and tables on which to study. "Girls, your dormitories are that way." He pointed to the left as he spoke. "Boys, your dormitories are this way." He pointed, this time, to the right. Now off to bed!" The girls climbed the stairs up the tower to their dormitories. They opened a door labelled 'First Years'. Inside was a large room, with five beds, that had red, velvet hangings. Their luggage was already there, beside their beds. The girls changed into their pyjamas. As Lily drifted off into a deep sleep, she could still hear soft snoring from Rose.
Lily woke up the next day feeling quite refreshed. The sun shone through the windows, despite the clouds. She got dressed quickly, wanting to explore her new school before her lessons began. She wandered out of the common room and soon realised that getting around would be a great problem. So she went back inside and looked around the common room. Soon enough, Rose came out of the portrait hole. She started when she saw Lily, who was looking at Rose.
"You awake then?" Rose asked which was completely unnecessary. Lily merely nodded.
"Where did you go?" asked Lily, as she and Rose made their way towards the Great Hall. Rose shrugged,
"Just around. I was figuring out how to get to the Great Hall and back before you woke up." The girls turned into the Great Hall. It looked just as magnificent and grand as it had done the previous night. The ceiling was now a clear blue, with fluffs of white cloud. The hall was abuzz with noise as everyone re-told their holiday events. Lily and Rose sat themselves down, and just like the previous night, Rose began to wolf down food in great quantities. Lily jumped up in surprise as it began to rain owls from the ceiling. She watched in amazement as hundreds of owls swooped low and drop their parcels in front of their receivers. Rose chuckled at her friend's astonished face and resumed eating her breakfast.
Later on, Professor McGonagall came around to hand everyone their timetables. "Double potions with Slytherin." groaned Rose.
"Why? What's so bad about the Slytherins?"
"Well, nothing's wrong with them. They're just not a very nice bunch, to say so in the least." Rose said calmly. "They have turned out most of the dark wizards. You - Know - Who was one. In Slytherin I mean."
"Who's 'You - Know – Who'?" asked Lily, who was getting more confused by the minute. Rose turned pale.
"Well, erm....he's the greatest wizard alive. He's, well for the lack of a better word, he's evil." Lily's heart began to beat faster.
"Evil?" She asked Rose in a hushed voice. She simply nodded and refused to go into anymore detail on the matter.
After breakfast, the first year Gryffindor and Slytherin first years made their way to the dungeons. They had reached the dungeons. It was colder down here than the rest of the school. Lily drew her robes closer to her, as did many of the other students. Lily noticed that two boys were standing, leaning casually against the dungeon wall as if they owned the place. One was tall and gangly, with a hook nose and hair greased back. The other was also tall, though not as tall as the first. He had long blonde- white hair, tied neatly in a ponytail. The two boys were immersed in a conversation, but were interrupted when the dungeon door creaked open. Behind it was a middle-aged woman, her strawberry coloured hair clashing with her deep blue robes. She looked at the class for a moment before moving aside to let them in. When everyone had settled down, she began.
"I am Professor Asphagus." She began in a throaty voice. "You'll soon find out that Potions is a great class where we can enjoy ourselves and learn at the same time. So we'll begin with page 124. You'll find out that wild mushrooms maybe fun to prod and poke, but they also make quite a strong potion in curing tapeworms."
And so began the Potions lesson. The two lessons flew by according to Lily. She had never preferred science at her muggle school, and was not looking forward to Potions. But by the end of the lesson, her opinion had changed dramatically. The lessons were full of interesting topics and everyone had a chance to say something, and Professor Asphagus was as lively as any professor could be. Everybody walked out at the end of the lesson talking loudly, having enjoyed a great two periods.
Lily and Rose were walking out with the rest of the class, when they collided with two others. The two boys Lily had seen before turned around and glowered at them.
"Watch where you're going." The blonde-haired boy said in a curt tone. The other boy continued to glare at Rose, who was staring back.
"Aaahh Severus. I was wondering when you would show you're big ugly, not to mention greasy, mug." A mocking voice came from behind. Lily turned around to see James smiling snidely at the two boys. She rolled her eyes at Rose. "So, how've you been old buddy?" Severus muttered a reply, and beckoned the other to leave with him. The blonde boy stared at James for a moment before following his friend.
"Lucius Malfoy." Rose whispered in Lily's ear as they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch. "They're a nasty family, the Malfoys. But their sons aren't too bad." Rose tacked on with a grin on her face. Lily looked at her friend and then shook her head, smirking at her friend's openness all the way to the Great Hall.
As the days went by, Lily got used to all the moving portraits, the pearly, white ghosts, and most of all, her classes. Much to Lily's surprise, a term had already gone by, and Christmas was a few days away.
It was a cold winter's day and most of the Gryffindors were sitting by the fire in the common room. Rose and Lily were making a house of cards using Rose's Exploding Snap cards. They were tattered and old and didn't stack on too well. After their fifth game ended with a 'snap' Lily sat back gruffly.
"That was really close." Rose just grinned back at her, shuffling the cards. She wasn't very good because soon enough, her cards flew out of her hands and landed all over their table and on the floor. Lily laughed. Rose sighed,
"Wanna play 'Fifty-two Pick Ups'?" she asked Lily. Lily gave her a sideways look and then burst out laughing. She nodded as she began gathering the cards on the table, while Rose got to her knees and shuffled around the floor trying to get to all the cards that had fallen. As she was groping around under the table, her hands fell on a piece of parchment. She slowly got up and took a closer look. It was neatly folded, with neat, slanting handwriting at the front. It was a letter addressed to "Mum, 24 Bricket Wood Drive, Birmingham". A few boys bustled in, talking loudly. Rose didn't register their arrival as Lily did; with a 'tut'. She opened up the parchment. She knew she shouldn't read it, but her curiosity got the better of her. The letter was short. It read;
'Dearest Mum, I hope you're doing well. I'm okay here too. It's still a week to go, but Professor Dumbledore has everything worked out, so don't worry about me. I'll try to keep safe. Remus'
Rose thought for a moment, trying to remember if she knew anyone by the name of Remus. She didn't. Just at that moment, someone called out;
"Oi! Remus! Bring the black one too." Rose turned around. It was Sirius shouting at the top of his lungs to a boy that was walking towards Rose. He was nodding in reply, his double-shaded brown hair bobbing up and down. His eyes briefly met Rose's; they were light brown. He walked off in the direction of the boys' dormitories. Rose bit her lip, feeling guilty for having read his letter. He came back soon, clutching a black and a purple pouch. Rose quickly folded up the letter and stepped in his way.
"Er...hi. I think this is yours." She handed him the letter which he took silently.
"Did you read it?" he asked in a mild tone. Rose's heart beat faster.
"No...well, actually, yeah." She replied quietly, talking to the carpet. She heard a sigh and looked up. Remus was walking away from Rose, back to his friends. Rose's heart sank. She went back to Lily, who was chatting to another first year.
Rose was quiet for the whole afternoon, until she made up her mind to apologise to Remus. She left Lily in the library by herself and wandered about, trying to spot Remus. After half an hour of looking in every corner of Hogwarts, she found him and his friends outside. She ran to the fields and as soon as she got near the group, she was hit in the face by a snowball. She quickly wiped the snow off her face and looked around furiously. The four boys she had seen from the castle were standing in front of her and three were grinning stupidly.
"Good on ya, Remus. That'll be ten points, for hitting an outsider, shall it?" Sirius asked James. He nodded, grinning at Rose, who still had a fair amount of snow stuck in her hair.
"Sorry." Said Remus as he stepped from behind Peter. He looked squarely at Rose with anything but sorrow in his eyes. His jaw was set and it seemed to Rose as if he was speaking out of habit rather than from the heart.
"No. I'm the one who should be sorry. Look, I didn't mean to –"she paused, trying to best explain her actions. "Well, you see, I grew up learning that if I find something, it's mine. And well - really, I'm very sorry." Rose pleaded to Remus whose expression softened considerably.
"It's – it's okay. It didn't have much written in it anyway." He shrugged and gave her a small smile which Rose conveyed.
"Well, I'd better go." She nodded to Remus and the others and began walking back to the castle when she saw red hair walking towards her. She swore silently under her breath as an angry figure of Lily came up to her.
"Where have you been? You realise it's been nearly an hour since you left me? I got lost trying to find you; I ended up at the staff room. Never, ever leave me by myself. Do you understand?" Rose smiled and nodded. "Oh, and by the way, this is for leaving me by myself." Lily swooped down quickly and grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at Rose.
Looking astonished and amused at the same time, Rose picked up her own handful and swung it at Lily, who had been running away from her. She ducked and it hit another girl in front of Lily. She was furious as she turned around and saw Rose laughing heartedly. A boy appeared from behind the girl. He didn't look too happy either.
The girl whipped out her wand and aimed it Rose. Rose stopped still, staring at the girl. Before she could do anything, a jet of white light erupted from her wand and headed straight for Rose. She jumped out in time, and it ricocheted off a nearby tree trunk and hit someone else in the back. The boy immediately broke out in vines and roots began to grow out oh his legs. He cried out in astonishment, and took out his own wand and struck his own spell in the direction of Rose who missed it by an inch. Slowly, many students became involved, jinxing and hexing each other.
Only Lily and Rose managed to come away rootless and fur free. However, as the professors drained the story out of students, the blame immediately fell upon Rose and Lily. They were dragged to Professor McGonagall's office with Lily looking pale and faint. She stood quite still, though her bottom lip trembled through the whole event. At last, they managed to come away with minus twenty points for Gryffindor and a warning. Rose thought they had been extremely lucky, considering a fifth of the school's population was being treated for tree roots.
Rose and Lily went up to the Common Room, having had too much excitement in the one day to be really hungry. As Lily got ready for an early night's sleep, she was glad that she had Rose for company.
What did you think of that? If you've read the original chapter 1, which do you think is better? Read and Review, please. Flames won't be destroyed, rather merely made fun of. Thanks for your time.