Chapter Two

A Song (Of Sorts)

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! cry cry (Oh yeah, I do own Lily's friends!)

NOTE: I wrote the Hat's song! Be proud of me!!! It's not as good as J. K.'s but it'll pass, I guess! Please Review!! (Oh, yeah, thanks to those that did! Thank you so much MissMonkey19, you're a dear!!)

Patched and frayed and filthy too,

A punctured rim at that!

But please, fear not, don't shy away-

For I'm a Sorting Hat!

I see your face, and know your mind

The time is right, you know,

When I will peek into your heart

And pick where you shall go!

What House? you think, will be your home

For the next seven years?

I'll answer that and so much more,

Just listen up, my dears!

To Gryffindor's where you might go,

Courageous, strong, and true.

Or fair and loyal Hufflepuff

Might be the place for you!
To Ravenclaw where scholars dwell

And judge on what you know-

Or Slytherin, where sly and wily

Serpent-thinkers go.

Come put me on and you'll find out!

I promise, I won't bite!

Don't be afraid, the answer's here-

The Sorting starts TONIGHT!

"I told you it would be the same," Remus muttered to me, as the Sorting Hat finished it's song. I shrugged.

"Hey, guess what, Moony?" I grinned. One of his eyebrows raised. "I'm Quidditch Captain!"

"That's great, Prongs!" he exclaimed, (albeit quietly --- the Sorting was underway.)

"That's not going to make Lily like you any more." Sirius grunted, louder than he should have. "If anything, she'll hate you more because of it!"

I rolled my eyes. "This isn't about Evans. It's about Quidditch. You know, the sport?? On the broomsticks?" Sirius just smiled at me. "I'm not completely obsessed with her, you know! I think about other things!" I stated, somewhat angrily. Sirius' look was a challenge. "Oh, alright, I'll list a few. Playing Quidditch. Charms homework. Food." I ticked them off one by one on my fingers. "The holidays. Foo---"

"Alright, James!! Alright!" he acknowledged, his hands up in the air. "Yes, your mind is a many-splendid thing!"

"Isn't that 'many-splendoured?'" Remus laughed.

Peter sniffled. "He got you good, Padfoot!"

Shaking my head, I watched as a frightened-looking Kiera Sommers joined our table, closely followed by Edwin Vance. Neither of them were the Quidditch build I was looking for --- I'd have to try out a whole new team that year. Most of the old players had left in my sixth. I needed two Beaters, a Keeper, and two Chasers; the Chaser I had was a fifth year named Gordon Wright. He was okay, I guess, but not the talent I was looking for. Certainly not Captain material.

"Hey," I whispered, leaning over towards Sirius. "Try out for Quidditch, alright? I need someone who can actually fly."

He snickered. "No can do, Prongs. Unlike you, I have an active social life. You're just a brooms-for-brains!" he laughed. He must have found that funnier than I did --- he sniggered on and on until I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow.

"Ooof!" he exclaimed. Crossing his arms, he sat there looking mutinous. He'd come around. He always did.

-----------------

After the sorting, I sped from the Great Hall as fast as was humanly possible. I sped up the stairs. I sped through the corridors. Then, once I realized that I'd forgotten the first years, I sped right back.

When I got to the Entrance Hall, Remus was calling for order among the mass of bodies in black, a group of nervous looking children clustered around. He was bellowing "LILY! LILY!" at the top of his voice. "LILY, GET BACK HERE! LILY!"

"REMUS, REMUS! STOP SHOUTING!" I screamed back. When he turned around, he gave a startled jump. "I'M RIGHT HERE!" I shouted into his face.

"Alright, alright!" he cried. "No need to shout!!"

Smiling slightly, I looked past him and into the staring, pale faces of the firsties. "Okay, kidlets! Line up, under the arm, GO GO GO!"

I flung one arm out to the side and watched as they struggled to form a line.

"Have any of you snoogers ever even seen a line before? It doesn't look like this!" Sirius growled. A couple of kids jumped back. One, with wide blue eyes and blonde hair in pigtails tripped over her own robes. Stepping forward to help her up, I narrowed my eyes at dear Mr. Black. He waved back cheerily.

"Up the stairs!" Remus cried at the firsties. Then, he added to Sirius in an undertone, "Calm down, Padfoot. They don't need to be scared of you yet. They haven't even met you."

Sirius rolled his eyes.

I narrowed my mouth to match my eyes. "If any of them urinates on the floor," I muttered, right in his face, "You're cleaning it up. Not me, not Remus, not Filch. YOU."

He put one of his large, square hands on my shoulder. Even this small gesture brought looks from other girls. What he said to me, however, was "And you'll be found sitting in it. Not me, not Remus, not Filch. YOU."

I snorted. "Don't worry," Remus comforted me. "He wouldn't push you in it. He'd just pour it on you while you were sleeping."

"Such a sweetheart," I growled. Let him try, I thought. I'd love to see him try to get into the girls' dormitory.

"But now," Remus continued, "We can't worry about our Resident Juvenile, we have firsties to guide."

"Some of these firsties are more mature than Sirius." I grumbled. But it was true. It was my duty as a Prefect.

---------------

Once Remus and I had gotten all of the first years into the common room, we did the little pep-talk. Then, we sent them off to their proper dormitories. After which we had to run down into the dungeons to collect a firstie named Harriet Plinker, who'd followed the Slytherin Prefects and then promptly gotten lost. Once we'd finally gotten her settled in for the night, (she almost made Sirius' puddle when confronted by an angry-looking Slughorn,) I threw myself onto my chair by the fire. It was faded blue and brocade; my personal favourite since first year.

Trish, Abby, and Lydia each occupied a chair as well. We sort of just stared into the flames, dancing as they were with red and orange light. I broke the silence, offering a quiet thought to the space before us.

"It's our last year."

We all pondered that for a moment.

"It's taken you this long to work that out?!" somebody spluttered, right beside my head.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Whipping my head around, I found myself looking into a pair of…ugh.

Infuriating, sniggering hazel eyes.

"James Potter! Just like you to ruin a quiet moment!" I snapped.

James shrugged. "Sorry Evans," he muttered. "But it's not really ruining --- it's invigorating. All of you, staring at the fire. Almost as if you could see Sirius' head in there or something!"

Lydia, Abby, and Trish laughed at that. Traitors.

"I'm not quite sure I share your taste, Potter." I replied, folding my arms across my chest and looking at the ceiling.

"Look, it was a joke, Evans. A joke." He made the last two words very slow. "Not that Miss Prefect has ever heard of a joke before, but still."

More laughter. You'd think they were on Happy Gas or something.

"Hey, who put a Cheering Charm on you three, huh?" I rebounded, looking at them angrily. What's gotten into them? I looked at James, who was laughing as well. He was looking at me somewhat hopefully, I noticed. Sorry to dash your dreams, Potter, but not today. You're gonna have to be a lot funnier than that! One more glance at the nearly delirious trio opposite, and I made up my mind. "Look, I'm going to bed. When you three are done giggling like twits, you can join me. And you," I rounded on James. "Can go. To. Hell."

"Hey, Evans, wait! It was j-"

I turned and stomped up the stairs. When I reached the door, I hurtled in and flung myself onto my bed.

--------------------

"Great job, James," Sirius laughed, voice tinted with amused sarcasm.

I sighed. "Yes, yes, James gets a pat on the back. This must be a record; I've already pissed her off."

The shower shut off. A second later, Remus walked into the room, towelling off his hair. "I hear you're a very efficient knicker-twister, Prongs." he laughed.

I grumbled something noncommittal. Looking back, I swear I saw something in her eyes, especially when she whirled around like that. Her hair was so shiny in the firelight. But it could have been a mind trick, or a shadow. I did, however, prefer to think it was not.

"Night," we all grunted in unison. (Except for Wormtail; his grunt was more a 'squeak.')

Looking up at the dark ceiling, I realized that Padfoot was probably right. In our year alone, there were three pretty girls who all liked me more than Lily. So why did I obsess over her?

Time for a change, James, I grumbled. Time to turn over a new leaf. Just… Forget her. Forget her.

Minutes passed.

More minutes passed.

A half hour passed.

An hour passed.

Two.

Okay, now, this is stupid! JUST FORGET LILY EVANS! If you can't, try for friends. Being friends with Lily is better than being Lily's worst nightmare come true. Friends is good. More than good, friends is great.

With the image of Lily Evans and I as friends firmly implanted in my head, I fell asleep.

Finally!