Disclaimer: Forgot to put this in my last chapter, but all my chapters are based on the Harry Potter franchise, which is completely under the rights of J.K. Rowling. Just borrowing her characters for a bit.


"The House you will be Sorted into will be your families for the next seven years," said Professor McGonagall. Her tall and thin stature was silhouetted against the flickering light of the torches in the castle corridor, giving her words an ominous effect. "You will be Sorted into one of four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. No matter what House you are Sorted into, know that you follow in the footsteps of legends. When you succeed, you will gain House points; rulebreakers, on the other hand, will lose them. The House with the most points at the end of the year will win the House Cup. The Ceremony will begin in just a few moments."

Finishing her speech, the Professor swept into the Great Hall, where Petunia could hear rustles coming from hundreds of expectant students. Her face felt flushed, but the rest of her body was numb. Petunia glanced at Lily and Severus; while their eyes looked bright, she couldn't tell whether it was due to excitement or nervous adrenaline. She felt a sudden flush of gratefulness that she wasn't facing everything alone. Grasping one of Lily's and Severus' arms in each of her own, she whispered mockingly, "Ready to be Sorted into our oh so fabulous families?"

Severus smirked, clearly distracted—an action Petunia noticed with satisfaction. "They'll be perfect and wonderful, I'm sure," he drawled. "After all, we're clearly destined to be legends."

Lily giggled, understanding the reference he was making to Professor McGonagall's words. Before she could reply, however, a confident new voice broke in.

"Who thinks they're going to be a legend?" asked a boy nosily. He had the messiest hair Petunia had ever seen. "If anyone's going to be a legend, it'd be us, eh Sirius?"

The handsome boy—Sirius, Petunia thought to herself—sniggered. "Course," he replied with an arrogant toss of his head. "You, me, and Remus—the next legends of Gryffindor House."

The one with the messy hair blinked, suddenly distracted. "Speaking of which, where is Lupin, anyway? Oi, Remus!" he shouted into the crowd of first years. Petunia thought he was being unnecessarily loud. Before the mysterious Remus Lupin surfaced, however, Professor McGonagall returned with a swish of her robes. Petunia dragged Severus' disgusted glance away from the loud boys, glad that they hadn't had to make conversation.

"Form a single line and follow me into the Great Hall," said Professor McGonagall. "It is time for the Sorting Ceremony." They silently made their way into the now hushed Great Hall. Lily gasped upon seeing the ceiling, which showed the grand night sky above hundreds of floating candelabras. Petunia, however, was too busy shrinking beneath the weight of hundreds of peering eyes. How were they to be Sorted?

Professor McGonagall strode to the Professors' Table, standing next to a stool with a moldy looking hat. Petunia glanced nervously between it and the Professor, who made no further motions.

"What's happening?" whispered Petunia, turning to Severus. Lily glanced at him as well, uncertain about what was going on.

"Just watch," whispered back Severus, mouth quirking. "You'll see." At that very moment, the hat started to, of all things, sing.

Oh, you may think I'm just a singing Hat,

But I hold so much greater importance than that.

I'm charged with Sorting you lot, after all,

So put me on, laugh, have a ball!

When Godric Gryffindor whipped me off his head

Only the bravest and most courageous were for him he said

Heroes, fit with sword and shield,

Are surely from the Gryffindor yield.

But Helga Hufflepuff smacked his reckless head black and blue

And announced that her House would hold the loyal and true.

There was no need for running blood in the soil

If only she had students unafraid of toil.

Then Rowena Ravenclaw brandished her famous diadem

And proclaimed that wit and learning would honor all of them.

Scholars and inventors streamed under grey and blue

Where only knowledge and sharp minds would do.

Last Salazar Slytherin, swift and sly,

Welcomed all the students cunning enough to pry

Secrets from those who challenged Slytherins with connections and ties,

In daggered battles of words where true meanings belie.

So pray, don't look down upon me!

(Although you may be taller)

Come on, come all, step up, step right

I'll happily Sort all of you tonight!

The whole Hall burst into applause after the song while the Hat solemnly bowed to each of the four tables.

"Sev," said Lily fiercely, jostling the boy. "You didn't tell us about this!"

"It didn't come up," he replied unapologetically, but his crooked smile revealed his own delight.

"When I call your names, come up to be Sorted," said Professor McGonagall. "Abbott, Susanna!" With bated breath, everyone watched the trembling blonde climb the stairs to the Hat. After a few moments, the Hat bellowed, "HUFFLEPUFF!" The table on the farthest right exploded in cheers, welcoming the very first of the first years.

The next Sorting, however, confused Petunia. When "Black, Sirius" got called up to the front, the Hat immediately pronounced him a "GRYFFINDOR!" While the table on the farthest left did also cheer for the boy, Petunia noticed a distinct chilliness in the table directly on her right, one that was decorated green and silver. Slytherin, Petunia thought to herself. She resolved to find out what that had been about.

"Bones, Amelia!"

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the Hat.

"Chang, Thomas!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Diggory, Amos!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Next was Lily's turn.

"Evans, Lily!" called out Professor McGonagall, and Petunia gave her arm one last squeeze before giving her a gentle shove. Lily determinedly stuck out her chin and marched up to the Hat, trying to hide her nervousness under a strong veneer. Petunia watched, heart hammering, as the Hat was lowered onto her sister's head. It didn't take long, however—Lily was pronounced a loud "GRYFFINDOR!" and her sister jumped off the stool beaming. Lily sent Petunia and Severus a flashing grin before making her way to the Gryffindor table.

"Evans, Petunia," called Professor McGonagall next, and Petunia hoped her face didn't look as bloodless as it felt. She later didn't even remember making her way up to the stool; the next thing she knew, the Hat covered her face, blocking her view of the Great Hall.

"My, another Evans?" asked the Hat, and it was only due to Petunia's sheer terror that she didn't notice the excited mutterings across the Hall. "Not very common, two coming from the same family…but perhaps that means great things for you both. Oh yes, I can definitely see it here…a great mind you've got, haven't you? Plenty of cunning…perhaps Slytherin, but there's some loyalty too, if you can wise up some. No, I think there's another House for you…you could be great you know…just look a bit deeper…yes, that's it…there's no choice but—RAVENCLAW!"

Shaking from excitement, Petunia fervously thanked the Hat before handing it over to Professor McGonagall, and made her way over to the middle table cloaked in blue. She was in Ravenclaw! Petunia's face flushed as the cerulean students patted her on the back and made room for her at the table.

She sat back and began to watch the rest of the Sortings. An interesting one was of the messy haired boy, who turned out to be "Potter, James." He was Sorted into Gryffindor, and Petunia watched as he sat next to Lily and a raucous Sirius Black. The mysterious Remus Lupin turned out to be a pale boy with grey-dusted honey hair, and he made his way to the first year Gryffindors as well. Severus was promptly Sorted into Slytherin, and Petunia gave him a wave as he passed her by for the Snakes. He gave her his crooked grin in return.

After everyone had been Sorted and the students rustled restlessly in their seats, a man who was unmistakably Headmaster Albus Dumbledore stood to say the most beautiful words many of them had ever heard: "Tuck. In." Petunia, however, was struck by a sudden musical melody bursting out of the Headmaster. Remembering Severus' words from the boat, Petunia began wondering about the seemingly random sequences she heard…

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Petunia sighed a bit as she looked towards the Gryffindor table again; she was a bit sad that she hadn't been Sorted with Lily, and felt a pang of loneliness. But the next moment Lily looked up from her conversation with an upperclassman and gave her a beaming wave, making Petunia feel more comfortable. Even better, a Ravenclaw prefect then turned to speak to the first years seated at the table.

"Welcome, you lot!" he grinned. "I'm Parker Boot, fifth-year prefect this year. Just let me know if you have any questions, and I'll be the one showing you to the Tower after the Feast tonight."

Petunia smiled gratefully, but otherwise remained silent. Her own attention was drawn to one of the first year girls, who offered her hand to Petunia. "I'm Rachel Moon," she announced. "You were the one who had a sister Sorted right before you, right?"

"Yes, that's right," Petunia answered. "I'm Petunia Evans, and my sister is Lily Evans, who was Sorted into Gryffindor."

"Are you twins?" Rachel asked curiously. "I don't think siblings are usually in the same year, and I didn't recognize your surname either."

"We are twins, actually. And I don't see why you would; we're both Muggleborn," said Petunia. She braced herself for potential ridicule over her blood status. On the contrary, however, Rachel just looked even more interested.

"Two Muggleborns from the same family? That's incredibly rare, even if you are twins," she said. Petunia just shrugged, the words not meaning much to her.

"It's just the way it turned out to be, I suppose," she replied.

Rachel looked far from satisfied from her answer, but appeared to let the matter rest for now. "Well, in either case, let's be friendly," the girl suggested with an amiable smile. "We'll certainly be seeing each other incredibly often."

Petunia gave her a smile back, a bit shy this time. "I'd like that," she said, and the two girls began to eat their dinner, neither one realizing the creation of a legendary friendship.


"The art of Transfiguration is strict and unforgiving," said Professor McGonagall imperiously. "It requires a focused and ordered mind." She then flicked her wand towards the blackboard, on which appeared a massive amount of words. "And no mind can be ordered without notes! We will spend the first half of our lesson learning the theory behind object-to-object transfiguration…" Ignoring the disappointed expressions on the first years' faces, the Professor began lecturing on why turning a matchstick into a needle would be crucial to their future learning.

Petunia wrote ferociously, trying to fight against the cramps her right hand was experiencing. Professor McGonagall, the head of Lily's House, was so famously draconian that no one wanted to miss a word she was saying. It was an hour later when the Professor finally called an end to the notes; the first years gave a silent but united sigh of relief when they finally allowed their hands to rest.

Professor McGonagall then passed out one matchstick to each student and instructed them to visualize turning it into a needle. "Be mindful of each object's characteristics," she said. "You must see the rounded red tip of the matchstick changing into the sharp, silver end of a needle."

As the students began trying to change their matchsticks, Petunia took a moment to observe the classroom. She had began realizing that every person with magic had a unique musical measure, almost like a song fingerprint. Older and more powerful figures had louder sequences, Petunia surmised, as she could hear the song from Professor McGonagall clearly even without focusing on her. Even more, Petunia could hear the faint tones of the Headmaster's melody trailing around in the castle hallways.

But now wasn't the time for idle discoveries. Petunia looked at the small stick and imagined it smoother, pointier, and skinnier. "Mutatio," she chanted. Petunia thought the matchstick was somewhat skinnier, but overall could not see a change. She tried focusing on the tip of the match, shaving away the wooden layers to reveal a shiny, pointed tip. "Mutatio," she said again. To her delight, the top turned into a needlepoint—but the rest of the match remained the same. This time, Petunia tried visualizing the entire stick—each layer of dark brown wood coming off the match, revealing the smooth, metal grey needle, its sharp point glinting in the light. "Mutatio," she said firmly, and there finally lay a tiny, perfect little needle.

Professor McGonagall came over to check on the students' progress and noticed Petunia's needle lying in front of her. Unknown to Petunia, the Professor's eyes widened a fraction before she quickly hid her surprised reaction. "Very nice work, Miss Evans," she said briskly. She then held up the needle to show the entire class. "Notice the sharp point and the smooth texture," she said, and handed the needle back to Petunia with a small smile.

By the end of the class, James Potter was the only other student who managed to turn the matchstick into a needle. He, along with Petunia, received ten points each for their respective Houses. Petunia pettily thought that her own needle looked more elegant, but kept silent.

"How did you do that, Petunia?" asked Rachel as they walked quickly to Herbology. Because the greenhouses were on the Hogwarts grounds, first years had to hurry to make it to class on time. "My parents told me that almost no one successfully transforms the matchstick on the first try."

"It wasn't my first try, though," protested Petunia. "It was my third. Besides, James Potter managed his as well."

Rachel laughed. "First, third, not much of a difference. And James has most definitely received an education before Hogwarts, so his success isn't as striking as yours. You got praise from McGonagall, too!"

"So I did," said Petunia, resisting the urge to preen. Nobody liked a braggart, Petunia told herself, but she had to admit that Professor McGonagall's small compliment had made her day. Seeing Petunia's pride, Rachel just smiled and shook her head at her friend's obviousness.

At Herbology, Petunia formed a group of four with Rachel, Lily, and Severus.

"Morning, Tuney," said Lily cheerfully as she grasped Severus' arm with hers.

"Hi Lily," replied Petunia. "Let me introduce you. This is Rachel Moon, one of my roommates in Ravenclaw. Rachel, this is Lily, my sister. You know already she's in Gryffindor. Severus is in Slytherin. Severus is nice, though, honestly," she added hastily, already aware of the prejudice against the intimidating Slytherins.

Rachel, however, had no qualms at all. "Nice to meet you both," she said with a sincere smile. "I don't care at all about about House stereotypes, so don't worry about that with me," she added for Severus' benefit.

Severus shrugged, seemingly indifferent. "Nice to meet you as well." The four then turned toward Professor Sprout, who had just began speaking. The head of Hufflepuff House was a short and happy looking woman, with sunburnt cheeks and a ready smile.

"We'll start off with something simple to ease you into the subject," the lady said. "Herbology is a plant-based class, after all, so don't be afraid to get dirty! You lot won't be seeing many deadly plants this year, but you need a good, solid basis to prepare you for the more dangerous species later on."

Petunia shivered a little. While the smell of fresh dirt was appealing, she didn't quite enjoy the idea of picking the stuff out from her fingernails. Severus and Rachel appeared to feel the same, but while Severus stood with only a small frown to indicate his disinterest, Rachel looked close to panic as she caught sight of a worm in one of the pots.

"I suddenly remembered that I hate, hate, hate bugs or insects of any kind," Rachel said, huddling closer to Petunia. "They are the bane of my existence, and if anything flies towards my face I will scream."

Petunia looked at her normally quiet friend, surprised at her vehemence. "I understand," she tried to soothe. "I don't really like bugs that much either."

"I'm sorry, but you really don't understand," Rachel said, shaking her head. "I. Will. Scream."

Lily tried to muffle her laughter. "We'll keep the big, bad bugs away from you, Rachel," she teased.

Rachel smiled back, but still stood a little behind Petunia. "Thank you," she said, and although her words were light, Petunia had that feeling that Rachel meant every word.

Out of the four. only Lily seemed to really enjoy the lesson, in which they were tasked to plant Mandrake seeds. Because the baby-shaped plants would later need space to grow, they needed to carefully mold the surrounding soil into a small dome-ish space.

"I don't understand why you're having fun with this, Lily," said Severus, his expression filled with distaste.

"Oh, lighten up, Sev!" laughed Lily. "It's just a bit of gardening. Like with Daddy at home, right Petunia?"

Petunia grimaced. "I didn't like gardening with Papa even then," she said.

Lily shook her head at her group mates. "I may have to find new partners," she joked, even while gently brushing aside the soil for the seed.

Professor Sprout came over and praised Lily's handiwork. "Excellent job in molding the soil, Miss Evans," she said. "Take ten for Gryffindor."

"Thanks, Professor!" said a beaming Lily. Even when the professor left, she hummed to herself as she finished planting. Petunia shook her head, amazed at Lily's passion for the subject. She knew that Herbology would never be her favorite subject; Transfiguration was where her passions lay. As her thoughts turned to her matchstick lesson, Petunia began happily humming as well. Severus looked askance at the singing sisters and turned to Rachel to see if she also saw the strange sight. However, Rachel was dreamily staring off into space, oblivious to anything around her. Severus shook his head in exasperation. Girls! Because of their respective thoughts, no one noticed that the seeds Petunia were planting slightly glowed when covered with dirt.

The next week flew by in a blur. Besides Transfiguration and Herbology, they also had History of Magic on Mondays and Wednesdays. The first year students always drifted off to sleep in the class, the dull drone of the ghostly Professor Binns lulling them to dreamland after their rousing activity in the greenhouses. Rachel fell asleep the hardest of them all, her dripping ink creating smears across her parchment as she trailed off to sleep in the middle of her note taking. Petunia thought it was hilarious and would often poke her friend awake, to which Rachel would sleepily take a few more notes and then slump over asleep again. Even the Marauders, the pranksters of Gryffindor, were quiet in the monotonous History of Magic lessons, leaving Lupin the only student awake and unscathed by Binns' goblin war lectures.

Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons were reserved for Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, while every Thursday evening after dinner the first years trekked to the tallest tower for their Astronomy lessons. Lily and Rachel excelled in Professor Flitwick's class, being the only students to successfully shoot their feathers up to the ceiling.

"It's leviosa, not leviosa," Rachel tried to explain to Petunia, but her feather stubbornly refused to budge from the table. Petunia prodded the feather a few more times before losing patience, and only managed to make it shudder violently by the end of the lesson.

Petunia's heavy mood lifted in the DADA lessons, where every spell they tried came as easily to her as breathing. Only Sirius Black managed to match her in speed, and they often engaged in indirect but intense bouts of competition where they tried to beat the other in learning new spells. The young DADA teacher, Professor Syles, tried to maintain some order but the classes soon became more of a free session after he performed the the wandwork and theory of the day. Bolstered by her successes and frustrated with Professor Syles' teaching methods, Petunia resolved to study more advanced material on her own.

Astronomy lessons were interesting but complicated. Petunia's head always spun when memorizing the countless moons, stars, planets, and Rachel's often nonsensical mnemonics just confused her even further. Their broomstick lessons were overly hyped, in Petunia's opinion. While Lily showed to have a surprising aptitude for brooms and pushed her broom to furious speeds, Petunia and Severus were content to move peacefully throughout the air. Rachel loved flying as well, Petunia found, and she watched as her friend who was so scared of insects had no qualms about flying dangerous-looking loop de loops hundreds of feet in the air.

Severus was the undisputed leader in double Potions, which they had on Fridays. Professor Slughorn only took a break from gushing over the "charming" Potter and Black when he saw Severus' potions, which were always perfect. Sometimes Slughorn commented that Severus' potions seemed more potent than his own potions were when he had been a first year, and Severus preened under his Head of House's attention. The only drawback to Slughorn's attention was the ire of the Potter and Black, who seemed jealous that a Slytherin was receiving so much praise. They seemed committed to sabotaging Severus' potions; with Pettigrew's worshipful presence and Lupin's grudging help, the Marauders spent most of their Potions lessons doing whatever they could to cause Severus' cauldron to explode.

It was in one of these Potions lessons that someone got hurt.


A/N: Thanks to all of those who reviewed/favorited/followed! I love getting feedback. For the purpose of this story, I've decided to make Lily and Petunia twins, if just to explain that they're the same age. Also, I will probably be rushing through the first few years of their Hogwarts years; most of the interesting things I want to write about occur in the fifth year on. Please R&R!