Hello, hopefully everyone enjoys the first chapter of this new story.

I love reviews, so feel free to say anything and everything you think about it.

I was going to be late, and I was screaming so at the top of my lungs.

My mother kept shooting me dirty looks from the driver's seat, mouth all pinched up and eyes searing hot. "Agatha Hollis!" She screeched. "If you do not calm your fiery britches down this instant, I'll see to it that you can no longer lift a wand, much less make it to Hogwarts."

"Don't call me that," I moaned, burying my hands in my face. "Anything but that."

My little brother popped his head up from the passenger's seat. "What? Agatha?" He taunted. "But that's your name, isn't it? Agatha?" He sneered at me.

If I hadn't been so concerned about making it to the train on time, I could've bashed his brains in right then and there. Which, of course, would lead to my mum getting in an accident trying to stop me, which would mean that I would never make it to Hogwarts. And I just couldn't let that happen.

I settled with glaring at him viciously. It was the little snot's first year, and all bets were on Slytherin as far as I could tell.

He was still staring at me, goading with big brown eyes. I shoved his forehead back, hard. "Don't you worry, baby brother, I'll be there to laugh when all your Slythie buddies beat you up." I chimed sweetly.

He tried to purse his lips but it came out as more of a pout, "I'm not going to get beat up!" He exclaimed shrilly, though he did look worried.

I slumped back against the seat, smirking contentedly. Then my eyes caught the scenery flashing outside the window and I jumped up. "We're here!" I yelped. I glanced down at my watch. 10:50AM. "We're going to be late." I screwed up my face terribly to show my dismay.

As soon as my mum managed to park the car, rather haphazardly I might add, though I doubt that my yelling into her ear had anything to do with that, I scrambled to the back of the car. I slammed on the trunk until my mum came around back to unlock it. She was going far too slowly, and I sighed dramatically and tapped my toes on the ground.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Agatha Hollis, if you haven't been the biggest pain in the bum for me since you were born..." She shook her head, muttering something about how she didn't deserve this from life, and lifted open the trunk.

I pounced on it eagerly and removed all of my bags and cases. I kissed my mum on the cheek. "That's what makes me so much better than Hartwell." I giggled and made to bound off the platform.

"Wait for your brother." My mum said sharply. "You know it's his first year and-" blah blah blah.

I stopped listening. My eyes probably glazed over and I groaned but gave in, in any case. I found myself tapping my feet again as Hartwell took his sweet time gathering his bags. When he caught up with me, I made sure to pop him in the back of the hand with my palm for making me wait so long.

He rubbed the back of his head and glared at me, but stayed silent, I assume because he didn't want me to maul him right there in front of everyone. aHe followed me to Platform 9 3/4. Once there, we raced through, myself going first and him coming shortly after. We got into the train alright, but as soon as we were inside, Hartwell disappeared with some friends from the neighborhood. Or at least, I guessed that's who they were. I hadn't thought of Hartwell having friends, being the little brat that he was and all, it amazed me that anyone could stand being around him for longer than thirty seconds.

I shrugged and walked on. Every compartment was pretty full. I saw a couple of familiar faces every now and again, but I didn't feel particularly tempted to join any one of them.

"Aggie!"

I swung around on instinct, and found myself smacking into one Benjamin Fenwick.

"Aw, what the hell, Hollis?" He said thickly, pushing away from me. We detangled our limbs as rapidly as we could manage, and I straightened my robes with a huff. He was grinning wildly and he looped his arm around my shoulders. He leaned in close to my ear. "I think I may have finally done it." He whispered hurriedly. His sandy brown hair tickled my cheek so I leaned away from him a bit.

"Done what?"

"Gotten Lily Evans to pay me a spot of attention, that's what!"

I groaned and leaned my head back. This boy would be the death of me. He'd only taken notice of her because of James. They'd all been out on the courtyard, separately, of course; they ran in different circles, and all of a sudden there was Lily Evans screaming at poor James Potter. His face had fallen and her fiery hair was swinging about. She'd stalked away from him and then I saw the look on Benjy's face. "Merlin, that's a woman." He'd said, and that was the beginning of the end. After that, he'd been doing anything he could to get her attention, and up to this point it'd gone over like a lead balloon, all the while making James all sorts of livid.

"Come on." He said, dragging me by the arm into the compartment nearest to where we'd been standing.

I was about to protest, but I looked up only to be greeted by the lukewarm stares of Lily Evans and Marlene Mckinnon. "Er, hello." I waggled my fingers and tried to ignore the heavy feeling of awkward that was nestling itself into the pit of my stomach. They rounded off a chorus of 'hey there's that did nothing to make me feel any better.

Benjy had already plopped down next to Lily, whose face was unreadable, and he gestured for me to sit next to Marlene. I obliged wordlessly. I knew the two girls by reputation alone. I had hardly had classes with either one or the other during the last five years, and even if I did I had never felt the need to speak with them. I resisted the urge to glare at Benjy. He knew that I hated meeting new people.

"Who're you again?" Marlene squinted at me as though she recognized but couldn't place my face. The girl was very pretty, with long dark hair that I was envious of, considering my own dark brown hair hung in limp curls, and was short since my hair grew slowly after The Hair Tragedy of 1975, where I ill-advisedly chopped it to a very stylish bob that made me look like I was five instead of however-old-I-had-been. She also had wide blue eyes framed with long lashes that blinked at me curiously since I was taking ages to respond.

"Oh! Sorry, erm," my cheeks grew stunningly red. "I'm Agatha Hollis." Then I added quickly, with my index finger in the air. "But I prefer Aggie, even Hollis. Anything but Agatha, actually."

She nodded as though she found the name familiar. "I'm Marlene Mckinnon."

"I know." I said, then decided I sounded like a creeper. "I mean, you're on the quidditch team." I chuckled stiffly. I couldn't decide if she thought I was mad or just strange.

"Right."

Lily peered at me from beside Marlene. She held a long, lightly tanned hand out to me. I grasped it softly. "Lily Evans." She said with a smile. I dropped her hand. "You're in Ravenclaw?"

"That I am."

"I suppose that explains what you're doing with Benjamin then." She laughed a little, though I didn't exactly know what she meant by that.

Benjy was laughing too. "Yep, friends since first year. She took pity on me, seeing as everyone else looked at me like I was a too-excited, barmy, little thing."

I caught on. Did Lily Evans have a thing for socially inept losers? Maybe, given that was the only way that Benjy would have a chance with a girl like her. "He was watching the moving staircases and thinking of jumping, he told me so as I was walking past." I said thinking back. "I told him about James Bond and we've been inseparable ever since."

We all laughed a bit, except for Marlene who looked a tad confused, and I leaned back, beginning to feel comfortable. Lily and I started to explain the concept of James Bond to her, and everything was lovely.

And then, as good times tend to, it all came to an end when James Potter came in with a scowl on his face, followed by his very un-merry band of friends.