When the train finally arrived at it'd destination the boys walked hastily out of the compartment and out of the train.
"What very odd boys," said Lily. "They aren't the most welcoming bunch are they?"
"That Remus fellow was plenty welcoming." Raelynn replied conversationally as the three loaded themselves into the last carriage.
"They all seemed fine to me." Emily said, twirling a ribbon of shiny hair around her slender fingers.
"Well, we warmed them up a bit for you." Lily said laughing. She looked down at her appearance. "These uniforms are awful."
"They suit you fine, Lily dear." Raelynn rolled her eyes.
"Oh yes, roll your eyes Raelynn Adams. Who was it that woke me up yelling something about first impressions and clothing?" Lily snapped and glared playfully.
"Well, everyone's going to be wearing it, so it doesn't really matter." Emily pointed out giggling. "Unity and conformity, that's where the uni and the form come from."
Lily and Raelynn rolled their eyes simultaneously at Emily's logic. She analyzed almost everything, and always had something to point out. Whether it was about the frivolous or the serious, she'd point it out.
The three girls got out of their carriage and straightened up. Lily and Emily muttered charms under their breath to freshen themselves up as Raelynn gazed at the castle that loomed over her.
"I can not believe this is it." Raelynn looked over at the preoccupied girls. "You guys, this is it. We never get to gaze up at this magnificent structure after this year."
"Don't get too sentimental on us there, Rae," Lily said after she finished her beauty procedure. "We still have all year to admire the old chunk of rock."
Emily looked at her two best friends after she finished charming her hair to curl at the ends much like Rae's. "Let's make this year the best. Let's make memories that last."
Lily looked back and forth between her two friends, and threw her arms around each girl's shoulders. "Well, let's get this party started!" They all laughed and waltz without a worry into the Great Hall.
All of their fellow students looked their way as they entered giggling. The girls were used to this and were unperturbed as they made their way to their perspective tables, Lily and Raelynn to Gryffindor, Emily to Ravenclaw.
Lily and Raelynn settled at the end of the table where they usually sat with the other girls in their dorm. Lily and Raelynn didn't like the girls much, but they lived together, and they weren't going to be rude.
One of the girls, named Samantha was talking about a popular boy named Anthony Douglas, who Lily had once dated. "O-M-G, then he was all like… 'Hey, you dropped your pencil.' And I was just like-" The girl droned on and on until Lily and Raelynn fell stared at eachother with glazed eyes.
"I hope this doesn't continue on in to the night." Raelynn whispered to Lily.
"Merlin, I know." Lily sighed as Dumbledore got up to make the start of term speech. His eyes twinkled as he ordered his students to tuck in.
"Omigosh! I can't eat this!" cried another girl from their dorm.
"Why not, Lydia?" Raelynn asked questioningly as she loaded up her plate. Rae was proper and thin, but the girl could eat.
"I am so huge. I can't eat this. Why don't they offer salads around here? Do they want us all to become heifers?" Lydia ranted hysterical. Her friends all nodded solemnly and gazed at Raelynn's plate.
"Are you really going to eat all of that?" Whispered the last girl from her dorm.
Raelynn loaded her fork and stuffed it in to her mouth and nodded with a big smile. Lily laughed hysterically until Raelynn almost choked on her laughter, and the large amount of food she had shoved into her mouth. Lily slapped her on the back until Raelynn coughed. "Well, I might have a snapped spine, but I can breathe now." Raelynn said hoarsely and laughed quietly.
Their dorm mates were staring in amazement and embarrassment at the two best friends. Raelynn and Lily never behaved that way in public. They were reserved and classy. They laughed at the stares and skipped over to where Emily sat talking to her dorm mates.
"Uh, hi guys?" Emily said in confusion, looking at their red faces and manic grins.
"Let's go make start of term memories." Raelynn whispered.
They were high off of the sheer feeling of being immature, and they were going to bless Emily with this feeling if it were the last thing the did.
Emily stared at them, and looked around at the other student who had taken to watching their every move. Lily grabbed her arm and lifted her from her seat.
"Em'll see you later." Lily waved goodbye to Emily's friends. They ran from the Great Hall. Well, Raelynn and Lily ran, dragging Emily who was yelling by the time they reached the main staircase.
"What the bloody hell are you doing?" she cried, wanting to laugh but seriously concerned.
"We are going skinny dipping!" Declared Lily.
Both Raelynn and Emily looked at their friend bewildered. Raelynn laughed.
"Yes! In the great lake!"
"It's September!" Emily cried, seriously afraid by now.
They turned around and ran back down the staircase and out the huge main doors. Lily and Raelynn weren't even concerned with getting caught, Emily was, but that didn't matter at that point.
Raelynn and Lily released Emily as they reached the lake and began removing their clothing, barely noticing the goose bumps forming across their flesh. They laughed all the while.
Emily looked at them as if they were mad, which she was sure that they were. "You guys, it's freezing. You're going to get pneumonia."
"If we do, you are too." Raelynn said, tossing her pants at her.
"Oh no, no, no, no." Emily started backing away. "I am not getting in that god forsaken water."
"Emily," Lily pouted completely exposed to the chill of the air. "You just have to! You're the one who declared we were making memories this year." Raelynn nodded vigorously.
"I meant good memories! Not memories of us dying of pneumonia!" Emily cried. "We could be caught. And you guys are standing there naked like its no big deal!"
"Emily, you're getting in the damn water, willingly or not." Raelynn said threateningly.
Emily sighed, giving up. "If I die from this in any form," she began reaching for the hem of her shirt. "I'm coming back to haunt you both."
Raelynn and Lily clapped their hands together and waited for their friend to get undressed. Before she could manage getting her shirt off a deadly shrill voice sliced the air.
"Get your clothes on and see me in my office!" the professor screamed, veins threatening to burst from underneath her skin.
Emily shot a glare at her two friends and followed the professor, head down. Raelynn and Lily's good moods were shot as they redressed and followed their friend's retreating back fearfully.
"I can not believe the nerve of you girls!" spat their professor, who appeared to be from hell. "The first night of term and you're already at your party girl ways!"
The three looked at eachother. They had never considered themselves party girls at all. They had never done anything like that. Well, little things, but nothing too shameful.
"Professor, if I could just-" Emily began.
"You! A Ravenclaw, I would have thought you to be much smarter then this!" She cried. "And you two, from my own house none the less!"
"Professor McGonagall, please. Emily had nothing to do with this!" Raelynn cried. The professor looked over at Emily who was close to tears. Rae and Lily had gotten them into this, and they were going to get out of it.
"Is this true?" McGonagall asked.
"She came out to tell us to stop. We tried to talk her into joining us, but she wouldn't have it." Raelynn spun the tale, looking her professor in the eye. "It was our fault, please don't punish Emily for it."
"Very well, but five points from Ravenclaw for following your idiotic friends out onto the grounds after hours." McGonagall said bitterly. "And one night of detention tomorrow night at eight. Go to your dorm immediately."
Emily shot Raelynn a look of gratitude as she turned to leave.
"You two, however," the professor barked. "will serve two weeks of detentions, and Gryffindor will lose twenty points." She looked grim at the thought.
"Twenty!" Raelynn argued.
"Yes, twenty. I must say, your father would be disappointed to hear about this." McGonagall looked severe. "It wouldn't go over well for his campaign now would it?" She wasn't threatening, merely stating. Rae and Lily hadn't realized that small fact and both smacked themselves in the head and sunk low in their chairs. "Well, I wouldn't want that to happen. So I'm giving you the chance to spin the story. You have two weeks of detentions for giving me lip instead." The girls looked at her gratefully. "But," she said pointing a long finger at them. "If this or any similar event ever happens again I will do nothing to hide the truth." The girls bowed out sputtering perfuse apologies.
When they reached the safety of the empty corridor they looked at eachother.
"Can you believe that just happened?" Lily asked almost breathlessly. "I'm glad you covered for Em, I wouldn't have thought of that. I'm really glad she's covering for your dad too."
"Oh gosh, I know." They grinned at eachother and skipped up to their empty common room.
"Goodness, What time is it?" Lily asked bewildered. Raelynn glanced at her bare wrist.
"Aw, damn. I left my watch." Raelynn whined as they climbed the stairs to their dormitory. Everyone was sleeping soundly, but Lily and Rae were still running on adrenaline. They sat in Lily's four poster with the curtains shut talking about the night's events until they fell asleep.