James Potter, Severus Snape and Mary MacDonald. What did we all have in common, you might ask? The answer was as simple as it was complexed and utterly beautiful; Lily Evans. The three of us were privileged enough to know her, two of us were fortunate enough to be loved by her, but only one of us was lucky enough to hold on to her. I was not the lucky one, but I was one of the fortunate ones.
I will never forget the first time I met Lily Evans. I was sitting in a compartment on the Hogwarts express, just as terrified as I was excited to be on my way to Hogwarts for the first time. As a Muggle-born, it was quite a shock to not only my parents, but to myself the day Professor McGonagall arrived on my doorstep holding a letter that would change my life forever. I had no idea that those strange and sometimes frightening things that happened when I was angry or scared, was magic. Never did I think witches or wizards were real, let alone that I myself was one. Would not knowing beforehand make a difference?
As I sat staring out the window, watching the dozens of families, through the fog of steam from the train, waving goodbye to their children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews, my stomach churned. Would there be others like me? Would I be ostracized and ridiculed for coming from a non-magical family, I wondered.
I sat in that compartment alone for quite some time. I watched students pass, look in and continue right on by, as if there was no one sitting in there at all. I didn't expect anyone to join me. Not really. I didn't have many friends in primary school; I wasn't exactly unpopular, but I wasn't popular either. The more I thought about it, I realized the reason a lot of my old classmates tended to avoid me was probably because of all those cases of accidental magic that happened around me. They thought of me as some sort of freak. A weirdo. And even though I was going to a school filled with children like me, I didn't expect Hogwarts to be much different, to be honest.
After ten minutes of watching my new classmates pass me by, I decided to take out my copy of Hogwarts, A History to read. I must have read that book ten times throughout the summer. I just couldn't seem to put it down. I wanted to know everything about the place that would be my second home for the next seven years. I was absolutely fascinated with all of the things that awaited me in that magical castle. The bewitched ceiling in the Great Hall, the secret passage ways, Quidditch and most especially, the ghosts. Just like witches and wizards, I never believed in ghosts either and could not wait to see them and what they were like.
I didn't notice them at first, I was too wrapped up in my reading, but I dropped my book in surprise when I heard a soft sniffle across from me. I looked up and felt my heart skip a beat. She was so pretty. Her hair was long, red and very shiny. Her eyes were red from crying, but that still didn't keep me from noticing just how beautiful the color was. The emerald color of her eyes almost looked fake. I'd never seen anyone with that eye color before. Looking at this girl, as she smiled apologetically at me, made me feel all fluttery inside. She was a girl. Why was I studying her so closely?
Sitting next to her was a sallow faced boy who was scowling. Something about his expression and the dark tint to his black eyes made him seem much older than I assumed him to be. His clothes were extremely careworn and just a tad oversized. The poor thing looked completely neglected. It was obvious that he harbored a sweet spot for the pretty girl sitting next to him. It was the way he sat rigidly next to her and looked at her like she was a precious jewel that might vanish before his eyes at any moment. For some reason, that made me feel uncomfortable. Like I was an intruder on something private.
My attention was quickly brought back to the redhead when she finally said something.
"I'm so sorry," she hiccoughed. "We should have asked before barging in on you. Is it alright if we join you?" she offered a watery smile.
Her smile disarmed me; I couldn't speak. I nodded.
The girl's shoulders seemed to relax and she sat back in her seat. "Thank you so much. I'm Lily Evans and this," she gestured at the boy next to her, who would not look at me. Instead he focused his attention on the ground. "is Severus Snape."
"Nice to meet you b-both," I said quietly. Why had my cheeks started to burn? "I'm Mary MacDonald."
Lily smiled warmly then wiped her eyes with the cuff of her sleeve. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mary."
I had butterflies.
As the train rolled on through the countryside, Lily and I talked almost nonstop. Occasionally Severus would chime in with a snide remark; Lily would lightly slap his arm or scold him when he did. I was relieved to learn that Lily was just like me. Another person who had come from a non-magical family and knew nothing of this life before she met Severus, who had told her what she was. Severus' mother was also a witch, so he had grown up knowing all about this strange world.
I found out that Lily and I actually had much in common. We liked a lot of the same music, movies and books. We laughed when I found out that she also had been reading Hogwarts, A History nearly all summer. She seemed just as eager and determined as I was, to arrive there being as knowledgeable as any of the students who had come from magical backgrounds. Neither one of us wanted to feel behind.
After a while of talking, I finally plucked up the courage to ask why she arrived into my compartment crying at the beginning of our trip. She told me all about some "toe-rag" in the first compartment she and Severus sat in. She thought one of the boys called him Potter, and she hoped that she didn't run into him much at the school. From what she said, he sounded like a complete prat. Severus' lip curled when Lily mentioned him.
When the train finally arrived in Hogsmeade the three of us stood up and left the train together. Outside, waving us towards him, was the largest man I've ever seen in my life. He was gigantic! He stood at the front of the train, waving a lantern and calling the first years over to him. Lily, Severus and I all openly gawked at the man.
"Whoa…" I heard Lily whisper.
"You've got that right," I nervously laughed.
Severus snorted.
Hagrid, I learned his name was, led us to a large fleet of small boats floating on, what I assumed was, the Black Lake. He informed us that there were to be three to a boat, which worked out perfectly for us. We wouldn't have had to split up.
As we floated across the lake, the boat next to us had two very loud boys rocking it, and another who sat there quietly looking scared for his were roaring with laughter and splashing one another with the freezing cold water. I couldn't quite make them out, but Lily seemed to have. She took one look at them and crossed her arms tightly with a soft, "Hrmmf!"
"Gits," Severus said quietly from behind Lily and I.
Two of the boys in that boat seemed to have noticed Severus and Lily.
"Oooh!" one with short hair and glasses yelled over. "Hiiii Snivellus!"
The other boy, one with shoulder length hair, started cat calling and blowing kisses towards us. I could have sworn I heard Lily grind her teeth.
"Arrogant prats," she hissed.
Now that I saw them, I could see what Lily and Severus were talking about. Those boys truly were some of the most obnoxious people I had ever seen in my life, up to that point. How immature could you have gotten?
When we reached the shore, the three of us got out of the boat quickly and rushed up to the school. Truthfully, none of us wanted to run into those awful boys. As we jogged, Lily was a little ahead of me and I couldn't help but to stare at her hair, as it swung gracefully back and forth with each step she took. It was hypnotizing.
Reluctantly, I tore my eyes away from Lily and turned my attention towards the castle. When I say that the school was breathtaking, it simply did just that. It took my breath away. I had never seen anything like it in my short life. It was almost something out of a fantasy novel, with its large towers, turrets and gas lanterns twinkling in the moonlight. There was no other word to describe it besides magical.
My nervousness continued to climb once we were inside. It wouldn't be long before we were sorted and I silently hoped that wherever I ended up, Lily would be there with me.
We reached a staircase and Lily grabbed my hand. The reaction that her touch caused was unlike anything I had felt before. My pulse quickened and my face felt like it was on fire. Her hand was soft and warm, and it sent a small shiver down my spine.
She squeezed tightly and began to pull me forward. "I can't believe we're finally here!" She said excitedly.
Once again she left me speechless. I tried to form some sort of coherent response, but the only thing that left my lips was a mumbled string of nonsense words. Lily giggled, it rang out like tinkling bells. My stomach did a somersault.
Severus cleared his throat and pushed his way between us. I felt a sharp stab of jealousy as Lily dropped my hand and looped her arm through his. I could still almost feel the ghost of her hand in mine. The silly, irrational thought of never wanting to wash it again came unbidden into my mind.
"Sev! It's even more wonderful than we thought it would be!" I heard her say.
When we reached the top of the stairs, a large wooden door was in front of us. Standing in front of it was the woman who personally delivered my acceptance letter; Professor McGonagall.
She looked more severe and her features seemed much sharper in the dim candlelight than in my brightly lit sitting room. I was able to tell when I first met her than she was probably a stern, yet fair woman, but she hadn't frightened me at the time. Although looking at her now, I hated to admit it, I was extremely intimidated by her.
Quickly the crowd of first years quieted down as McGonagall raised her hand to silence us. I swallowed loudly. This was it.
She briefly explained to us about the sorting and what she expected out of us, now that we were students of the school. I didn't know about the others, but I certainly never wanted to get on her bad side.
After she was finished, she led us into the most spectacular room I had ever seen. The book I basically slept with all summer did not do it justice. The cathedral-esque hall had four long tables; one for each of the houses. The ceiling showed a clear night sky, glistening with stars. Hundreds of candles floated above us, giving off the impression that the room itself was sparkling. But that paled in comparison to the radiant smile Lily turned around and gave me.
We marched up the center aisle, towards the staff table. Whom I assumed was Professor Dumbledore sat in the middle, his eyes lively and shining down upon us all. The man emanated power, that was clearly obvious. He looked like the physical embodiment of magic, with his silver beard that was as long as his hair. Both of which could have easily reached his knees. There was something about him, I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I immediately trusted the headmaster.
The next thing that captured my attention was a wooden stool which had an old, worn hat resting on it. It was a shabby looking object that looked so out of place in the majestic scene around us. It was obvious that the hat confused and intrigued the other students as well, since a massive amount of whispering and pointing broke out at the sight of it.
Once we were gathered around, Professor McGonagall stood next to the stool and addressed the entire student body. She explained that the hat would be used to sort us into our new houses, which would be where we lived during the entirety of or magical education. I couldn't quite understand how a hat would decide that, but knew I would find out soon enough.
After McGonagall finished speaking, I – as well as the rest of the first years – gasped in shock. The brim of the hat opened, just like a mouth, and much to my utter astonishment, it began to sing! It sang a song describing the four houses and what qualities a person must have to reside in them. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor sounded the best to me, but I figured I would probably end up in Hufflepuff – which sounded perfectly lovely and all, but I was really hoping for the other two. Slytherin hadn't sounded appealing at all. At least until I heard Severus whisper to Lily, "Let's hope for Slytherin!"
After the song was finished, McGonagall began calling names from a parchment she unrolled. I learned that rude boy with the longer hair, his name was Sirius Black. He was sent to Gryffindor, which made Ravenclaw look even more like where I would want to go. That was until "Evans, Lily," was called up to the stool.
Watching Lily being sorted was one of the cutest things I had seen until this very day. She stumbled over her robes and nearly fell on her way up, which caused her cheeks to burn a bright red. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. When the hat was placed over her head, it fell down below her eyes. Only the bottom half of her face was visible, which still was tomato red. After nearly three minutes, Lily smiled and the hat called out, "Gryffindor!" A loud round of applause rang out from everyone except Severus. He truly looked like someone who had just been slapped in the face and I honestly felt sorry for him. But only for a moment.
One by one more students were called up. The quiet boy from the boat we were next to, Remus Lupin was sorted into Gryffindor, which had that Black boy stand up and shout excitedly. I watched Lily glare at him, since he nearly stepped on her, and roll her eyes. I locked eyes with her, mimed a gagging motion, and we both began to laugh.
However, my smile quickly left my face and was replaced with pure terror as the next name was called.
"MacDonald, Mary," McGonagall yelled out.
The hall went silent. Either that, or I was so frightened that all sound was blocked out for the moment. I froze for a second, then carefully made my way up to the Sorting Hat. I sat down and the last thing I saw, before the hat covered by eyes, was the eager look on Lily's face.
"So…"
I jumped in shock as a raspy voice filled my head. That hat was speaking to me! I hadn't heard it when anyone else was being sorted. Was it coming from inside my head?
"There is most certainly courage; that I can see. Yet also an exceedingly sharp mind," the voice continued. "Another difficult choice, for sure."
I squirmed in my seat. There was something just off about that voice. It made the hairs on my arms stand straight.
"Yes… Well then. I would have to say… GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted and the clapping began.
A huge smile broke out upon my face. I was going to be with Lily after all!
I hopped off the stool and ran towards my new table; Lily scooted over so I could slide in next to her. As I did, she hugged me. I stopped breathing.
"Oh Mary! I'm so glad you're with me!" Lily cried out.
With her arms wrapped tightly around me, I felt a joy that I had never experienced. An electricity shot through me and I wanted nothing more than for her to hold me and never let go. I felt at home.
"Me too, Lily. Me too," I whispered.
Too soon she let go and we watched the rest of the sorting. A little while later, the arrogant prat with the glasses – James Potter – was also sorted into Gryffindor, much to mine and Lily's displeasure. The hat was barely on his head five seconds before he was sorted, and he smiled smugly as he strutted to our table. He sat down with the other two boys, plus a chubby blond haired boy named Peter Pettigrew. They all clapped one another on their backs then joined the rest of the students in watching the remainder of the sorting.
When Severus Snape was called, I heard the four boys snigger.
"Snivellus," James scoffed.
Lily growled softly then focused her attention back to Severus. He gave Lily a sad little smile right before the hat was placed upon his head.
Severus was another student who sat there for a long time. He was there nearly as long as Lily had been before the hat finally called out, "SLYTHERIN!"
Lily and Severus' shoulders slumped, and I watched as Lily gave him a small wave as he dragged his feet towards his table. He sat down next to an older, silver haired student, with extremely pointed features; the boy placed his arm around Severus' defeated looking shoulders. Lily hung her head.
"Are you ok Lily?" I asked.
Lily looked up and I saw a tear fall down her cheek. I had to suppress the urge to catch it and wipe it away.
"Yeah," she said. "It's - it's just that Severus and I have barely been apart for two years. He's my best friend, Mary. And I… I thought we'd go through Hogwarts together," she admitted in a small voice.
I felt my heart break for her. I had only known Lily for several hours at that point, but seeing her in pain was horrible. Someone so beautiful shouldn't ever look that sad.
"Lily," I began. I wanted to – no, I needed to make her feel better. "You might be in different houses, but you're still in the same school. In the same year. I'm sure we'll have loads of classes with him."
Lily sniffled; I hesitantly put my shaking arm around her shoulders.
"And you can see him during meals, between classes, after dinner. There will be lots of opportunities to still see him."
She nodded her head and the corners of her lips turned up a fraction.
"I suppose you're right," she agreed, albeit I could tell it was reluctantly.
I bumped into her playfully. Was I flirting with her? "Of course. I always am," I joked with a sly smile, which caused Lily to giggle gorgeously again. Oh boy, I was flirting with her.
Then Lily poked me in the side; I jumped and so did my pulse. I was extremely ticklish.
Lily laughed at my reaction and poked my side once more; again I jumped. "Sure you are," she winked.
Had she just flirted with me? No, of course she hadn't. Girls don't flirt with other girls. Not normally, anyway. But why had I wished so badly that she did?
Why had this beautiful, sweet, kind, redheaded girl brought out such strange reactions from me? It felt like a crush, but that couldn't be right. I'd had a crush before. Just once. His name was Oliver Perkins. It was two years prior, he went to my school. I wrote him a note asking if he liked me. He wrote back yes, then he and I spent two weeks sitting near one another in class, not saying a word. He was cute and funny, and he made heart squeeze. Then one day, we just stopped sitting by each other. And that was it. It was over.
It was like that with Lily, but times ten, and much, much different. With Oliver it just felt a little scary. With Lily, however, it felt terrifying, wrong, confusing and a bit exciting. I wasn't sure what this was, but I hoped for something good.