Disclaimer: I own only the idea, J.K. Rowling owns the rest

All The Magic We Made

Balance

Chapter 2: Augurey

The scarlet train gleamed like new despite being hundreds of years old, ready to take the 278 students attending Hogwarts that year. Steam puffed out of the top and it's loud horn sounded to remind families that the train would be leaving in just five minutes.

"Have a good school year, sweetie!" Her mother said to her. "Remember to write at least once a week."

"We love you, honey," her father reminded her. He bent down to give her a hug, and she kissed him on the cheek. He was too thin, too frail. He shouldn't be here right now.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." She looked at him pointedly. "The doctors have estimated at least another year before we start seeing any signs of trouble. You just enjoy you're school year, and I'll see you at Christmas, okay?"

Her father had lung cancer. She had always believed her parents' assurances and the doctors' insistences that he was doing great until the day she saw him collapse in the kitchen. He got better. Loads better. He was going to see her graduate.

"Okay, Daddy." She hugged him again, and then her mother too. "I love you, I'll see you in a few months."

"Bye, sweetie! I love you too!"

"Bye, Mum, bye, Daddy!" With one final wave she hopped on the train. Her trunk had boarded half and hour before her, so she wasted no time searching for a compartment. Severus promised to save her a seat while she said goodbye to her parents.

Lily Evans had a foot in both worlds. First and foremost, she was the daughter to Christine and David Evans. She had an older sister named Petunia, and she used to go to primary school in Cokeworth. But now she had a friend named Severus Snape, and she went to a school that taught her magic.

Speaking of Severus, she needed to find him. The train jostled into movement, and Lily stumbled forward to find herself facing the very compartment that she was looking for. However, Severus was not alone in the compartment, joining him were Avery and Mulciber, two of the 6th year Slytherins. Lily desperately wanted to burst through the doors and stop this now, but she couldn't. She couldn't face the humiliation, and she wasn't sure if Severus would choose her. That thought terrified her the most of all, but she ignored all of this and walked on as if she hadn't seen them at all. Besides, she had a Prefect meeting to be getting to. Her original plan of talking to Severus first changed into meeting with him afterward. His new friends ought to be gone by then.

The Prefects' compartment was at the front of the train. It didn't take her long to reach it and she was right on time. She saw Remus Lupin first and smiled at him. They hadn't talked too much before, but now they would be working and patrolling together. He was in Gryffindor as well. Next she saw Robin Rowle and Charles Hilliard, the 5th year Ravenclaw Prefects. They were both already in their school robes. Lily looked self consciously down at her muggle wear. Hopefully she wouldn't be the only one.

She let out a breath she hadn't even been aware of holding when the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Prefects of 6th year walked in, all dressed in muggle clothes. She wasn't in the mood for disdainful looks from Slytherin, or any pure-bloods for that matter. Lily tried not to stereotype the house, though she seemed to be the only one to make an effort.

When the last Prefects walked in- 7th year Slytherins- the door magically closed behind them. The Head Boy handed out patrol schedules and passwords while the Head Girl introduced herself and asked everyone else to do the same. The Head Boy was Walter Gamp, from Slytherin, and the Head Girl was Emmeline Vance, from Gryffindor. Dumbledore's scheming for house unity, no doubt. However, they seemed to get along fairly well, and Lily could see nothing wrong with Walter Gamp, in fact he seemed a nice bloke. She was letting stereotypes get to her head again.

In her year, there was Lupin and herself from Gryffindor, and Rowle and Hilliard from Ravenclaw as previously stated. She recognized- very vaguely- Gertrude Madley from Hufflepuff, but Ross Fawley was a new face. And from Slytherin she knew, of course, Harper Wilkes from Severus's descriptions. He had a mean looking face, and, true to his name, he harped continuously on the evils of muggle-borns. He was paired with Violetta Wildsmith who didn't saw much, but by the looks of contempt she threw Lily's way, she agreed with Wilkes on the matter of muggle-borns.

It was a sad truth that Lily had to deal with such people, but she had grown immune to their taunts. They were no more than the average bully, and they were known at every school, magical or not, across the globe. Knowing that she would never be rid of such people, Lily simply ignored them. With only words, and the occasional hex that Lily easily undid, they could not hurt her.

"All right, 5th years, I know this is your first year being a Prefect, and on top of O.W.L.'s this year will probably be a nightmare. So please, try to catch on quickly." Vance and Gamp had already sent the 6th and 7th year Prefects on their way to begin patrols. The rest of them were here to learn the rules for the rest of the year.

"You already have your schedules for what nights to patrol. You patrol with your fellow house Prefect at all times. No trading partners, and no going off on your own, understand?" Emmeline Vance spoke with a no-nonsense tone that demanded attention, similar to that of Professor McGonagall.

"We meet in the Heads' office every Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock, don't be late. Assuming your all read the letter that came with your badge, you should know that you are allowed to dock points as you see fit, however not from fellow Prefects and only from those in your own house. If you are unsure of how many points to take, read your letter more carefully. It includes suggestions and guidelines for this.

"You also now have access to the Prefects bathroom. It is on the fifth floor at the fifth door to the left of the statue of Boris the Bewildered. The password is White Citrus.

"Being a Prefect means that you are now eligible to become Head Boy or Girl. This is the highest honor at Hogwarts, so be sure to take patrols and being a Prefect seriously if you want this." She stopped to take a breath and surveyed them all.

"Most importantly, I think, is that you set the example for all of the students. Everyone in this school, first years especially, see you as the example of what to do. Don't let them down." And with that, she sent them on their way.

Lily glanced down at her schedule: Remus Lupin and Lily Evans- Cars #5-#8 from 12:30-2:30, and below that Augurey- the password to Gryffindor's common room- in charmed ink to reveal only to Gryffindors' eyes. She had about an hour before her patrol time.

"Do you want to meet at Car 5 when it's time to start, and then go from there?" Remus had evidently been looking at his schedule as well.

"Sounds good, see you then!" He responded in a similar fashion, and she was on her way to find Severus.

He was in the same compartment as earlier, thankfully this time without his new friends. Lily knew that she didn't approve of them, and he knew this as well, but sometimes she wished that he wouldn't hide it from her. Who knew what else he was hiding.

"Hey, Lily! How was the Prefect meeting?" He looked up from his book.

"It was fine, I expected it to go longer, but basically it was 'read your letter and here are your patrol schedules'. And then there was this speech about setting the example. I wonder if she wrote it out herself to practice, or if it was handed down from Head Girl to Head Girl. She sent the 6th and 7th years away before the speech, so it must be similar every year." He laughed at her antics, and she smiled in return, feeling the warmth of friendship and having someone appreciate your company.

"So who are the other Prefects?"

Lily went on to describe each and every 5th year Prefect and the way they spoke and their funny quirks. She did most of the talking for the hour. However, she didn't mention the odd looks from the Slytherins. Severus didn't need to hear about his own house.

"Don't you have to go now?" Severus reminded her.

"Oh, that's right! Thanks, I definitely would have forgotten," she said as she threw robes over her clothing and walked out the door.

Remus was waiting for her right where he said he would be.

"I'm sorry, I lost track of time, and-"

"It's fine, don't worry about it. You're barely even late."

"All right then, why don't we get started."

Luckily for Remus, Lily was thinking, that the Marauders' compartment was not in their section to patrol. She pitied the Prefects in charge of them. She knew their compartment, of course, because they sat in the same exact one every single time. Once, they had hexed a group of 4th Years out of it when they were only 3rd Years. And from then on it was charmed to let only them in. Complex magic, but apparently necessary for them. Never mind that it was, technically, destruction of school property. Not that they ever paid attention to the rules.

"So, how was your summer hols?" Remus asked her to break the silence. She smiled and answered in her charming voice.

Severus Snape breathed a sigh of relief once Lily was out of the compartment, and instantly felt guilty for doing so. She was going to be gone for two hours, and he intended to use every possible minute of this time.

Thankfully, she had had a Prefect meeting before hand, so she wasn't around to witness when Avery and Mulciber unexpectedly arrived to visit him. He wished that Lily understood his need to have friends that were as interested in the Dark Arts as he was. He need more than one friend, and he needed friends of his house and gender.

He knew that he shouldn't be sneaking behind her back, but, as he switched cars on his way to the Slytherin's compartment, this was much better than the alternative.

"Severus! How good of you to join us," Avery called. Severus always imagined that extra attention was paid to him because he was much brighter than the others.

The compartment was crowded, with Avery, Mulciber, and Rosier, 6th years, Wilkes, Crabbe, and himself from 5th year, and one 7th year, Walden Macnair. They all looked to him as their leader.

"I assume you know why you're here?" While on the outside he was speaking to the group, he seemed to be addressing Severus individually. They nodded in answer.

"He can offer all of you something, something that you desperately want, but only if you offer him what he wants, understand." And once again everyone nodded with enthusiasm.

Severus knew exactly what he wanted from the Dark Lord.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" Sirius nodded exaggeratedly, and picked their numerous sweets and snacks while James dumped his sack of coins. They were her best customers.

"Think this will be enough?" Sirius asked him as they strode back to their compartment.

"If Peter doesn't eat it all." They snickered at their friends expense.

"Foods here!" James announced and they dumped their pile on the empty seat. "When's Moony back?"

"Uh, 3-ish, so about an hour," Peter replied. The three of them feasted on their food.

"Remember that?" Peter said suddenly, pointing up at the ceiling. Burned into the wood: The Marauders. It had an animal paw burned beneath it because they still didn't know what their Animigi would be. Hopefully one of them would have a paw print so they would seem more like geniuses rather than idiots.

"Ahh, good times! I wish someone would try to break in now. I'm dead bored." Sirius announced.

"Save if for school, Black, we'll need to make sure everyone knows that the Marauders have far from grown up!"

"Speaking of not growing up, full moon next week?"

"We should wait for Moony to get back before we plan, ya know? He needs the opportunity to shoot down our plans."

"Hey, sometimes he is right about-" Peter was cut off immediately.

"And most of the time he isn't. End of discussion." For some reason, no one contradicted James. His arguments were irrefutable, and he was rarely denied anything. That was simply James Potter.

Patrols were not so much scary as they were boring. Most students were inside their compartments, reading or talking or playing games. No one was causing much of a ruckus.

"What do you say? Once more time around before we head back to report to Emmeline?"

"Sounds good," Lily responded, and they turned around and began walking back the way they came. She saw him when they came into the 8th car. It was near the end, and mostly filled with Slytherins. He was sitting with his back to the clear door. Sev. He had lied to her. And he was keeping company with Avery and Mulciber. Why was he doing this to her? Luckily, Remus didn't notice her tense posture.

"All right, let's just go back to the Prefects compartment and be done with this, shall we?"

"Let's go," she said quietly. He heard her just fine, however, and was still clearly oblivious as he happily chatted on their walk back. But what was Severus doing?

"Patrols go okay?" Severus asked her, back in the compartment where he had been suspiciously waiting. "You seem... tense."

"No, I'm fine. Just... tired I suppose. I'm going to read until we get to the castle, okay?"

"Okay."

Cordelia Kirke was the epitome of Gryffindor. She was fearless in nearly all aspects of the word, and kind to boot. Elizabeth did not mind living in her shadow- really she didn't- but she did mind not having many other friends. Cordelia was very popular among the Gryffindors, and Elizabeth was merely on friendly terms with a few Ravenclaws. They were a quieter house, and Elizabeth was not quite as rowdy as her best friend.

When Cordelia had invited Lily to join them in Diagon Alley, Elizabeth was hopeful that she might finally be extended into Cordelia's other group of friends, the bigger but not as close group. But Lily was different, in all aspects of the word.

Before getting to know Lily- really getting to know her- Elizabeth had not met someone who was more Gryffindor than Cordelia. But Lily exceeded her by far. She was not scared of befriending the Slytherins, and she was not scared of being shunned by Gryffindors for it. She was caring and kind and loyal... She was far more good Elizabeth had ever seen in a person. Elizabeth was jealous.

Lily Evans seemed to be Cordelia's perfect match, they were each spectacular- though Lily was a great deal prettier than Cordelia- and she seemed the perfect replacement for Elizabeth. She feared for the day that Cordelia would blow her off for Lily, as seemed the inevitable outcome.

"You gonna finish that?" Cordelia asked her, referring to the bag of Chocoballs sitting in her lap. Elizabeth handed them over. At least for now Cordelia was her best friend, and she pushed her insecurities down for the remainder of the train ride.

When the train arrived at the station, hoards of students got off the train. First years followed a large giant of a man named Hagrid to the lake, and all other students climbed into self pulling carriages.

Lily and Severus were quiet as they climbed into a carriage that, ironically, held Cordelia and Elizabeth. Severus glared at the two, and Lily did not make any conversation for the sake of the icy tension between the four of them at the moment. Lily stayed silent through the feast, listening to her friends' lively conversations, and she spoke only to lead the students with Remus to Gryffindor tower knowing the password.

It was only late at night, knowing classes were first thing tomorrow, that she allowed herself to think about it. Severus Snape, the person she trusted with her life and her best friend, had directly lied to her. It wasn't just that he lied, it was what he was doing that had cause for lying. He was consorting with dangerous people. Lily was not mad at him so much that she was afraid.

Just yesterday they had been little kids again. They were playing games and laughing and having simple fun.

Lily Evans was terrified, and there was really almost nothing she could do to stop Severus from going down this path.

James Potter briefly saw Lily Evans sit down by her dorm mates at the Gryffindor table, but he didn't pay much heed to her silence. Lily Evans was an enigma that he had no current desire to figure out.

Sirius was grinning at him as another first year was sorted into Gryffindor. Sirius somehow felt personally responsible for every person sent to Gryffindor. He was definitely proud of his house.

Dumbledore's speech was as vague as usual with all the necessary information, and they all clapped for the new staff: Argus Filch, the new caretaker, and Professor Ryan Kendall, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"Reckon we can break him in?" Sirius asked him. Though it would never be proven, the Marauders could take the credit for the retirement of the previous caretaker, Apollyon Pringle.

"Course, he looks much weaker than Pringle was, and it only took us four years to get rid of him."

"Too right you are, Potter."

James was not aware that the exact number of students attending Hogwarts that year was 278, though Dumbledore was, and he was also not aware of the fact that everyone was of attendance when it was time to go to bed, though he may have assumed. However, by the end of the next day everyone was aware that Hogwarts had only 277 students attending, and the 278th was no where to be found with no explanation whatsoever.

A/N:
So, the actually interesting story begins. Slightly. Lots of probably boring info on Prefects here, but I couldn't skip it. So, once again please review if you're reading it and say whatever you like.

Love,

Sapphire1616