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And So It Commences

Lily got into the horseless carriage, feeling slightly disgruntled. This year was not turning out how she'd expected at all.

"Food…" Rebecca moaned. "I need food…" Lily laughed, and for a moment, everything was normal again.

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The moment Lily threw herself onto the four-poster bed; she knew that she was home.

"That was really nice." Rebecca smiled, sitting down gracefully on the edge of her bed.

"Yes… chocolate!" Sarah agreed. "Where are the other two?"

"Should be coming soon…" Lily said lazily, pulling out her copy of A Complete Guide To Muggles.

"Why are you studying?" Rebecca asked Lily, staring at her as though she were crazy. "It's the ho-li-days-."

"Actually, it isn't." Sarah reminded Rebecca.

"Classes don't begin until tomorrow! It's still the holidays!"

"Technically it isn't." Lily mumbled.

"Blast technically!"

The door opened and two girls walked in.

"Hey guys!"

Lily rolled over and off the bed.

"Pearl, Kahlia, you're finally here!" Hugs were exchanged all round, and Lily sat back to look at her roommates. "You look great, Pearl, really you do."

It was true. Pearl's silvery-blond hair was long and straight, and hung down in a sheet down her back. Her face was pale and without a blemish, and her teeth were a startling white.

"Oh… I met my grandmother. She had an obsession with beauty…"

"You look great too, Karl." Sarah told the other girl. Kahlia had already gotten out her posters and was hanging them up.

"Thanks, guess what?" She slapped yet another Weird Sister poster on the wall. "The Weird Sisters are coming to London!"

"Really?"

"Yep!" Kahlia was practically bouncing. "And I got tickets!"

"That's good… I think?" Rebecca looked at her friends.

"It's good." Sarah confirmed. "Just think what she'd be like if she didn't get tickets."

"Ah… no. I'm not going to try." Rebecca laughed. Lily shook her head.

"So… there's Gary… and there's the other one…"

Kahlia slapped another poster of 'the other one' on the wall and gestured to the seven (out of ten) posters on the wall.

"The Ledge." She said, as the rest of the girls (apart from Lily) dissolved into laughter.

"It's great to be back, guys." Lily whispered, later that night, as they lay in relative darkness.

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"What do you have first up?" Sarah asked Lily as she consulted her timetable.

"Potions… with the Ravenclaws." She replied.

"That's good right? Slughorn loves you."

"I don't reciprocate." Lily said dryly. "What do you have?"

"History of Magic. Binns. Yay."

"Oh, the enthusiasm." Rebecca commented.

"Please, Bec. No sarcasm. It doesn't suit you." Sarah replied.

Rebecca opened her mouth to retort, but Lily interrupted.

"Really, Sar… I can't believe you gave up Potions for History of Magic!"

"Not all of us love Slughorn like you do!"

Lily turned to Rebecca, who was sitting between them, and poked her with her fork.

"Poke Sarah for me, will you?"

James looked over at Lily and her friends from his seat at the Gryffindor table.

"Give her up, Prongs. You've been after her for years now." Sirius told his friend.

"This year, Sirius. This year she'll realise her undying love for me." James declared.

Sirius leant across to Lupin.

"Has he been watching too much Muggle television like old Wormtail here?" He asked in a mock whisper.

"Wouldn't know." Lupin replied dryly.

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Lily stood outside the corridor with Joy and Kahlia.

"Oh no…" She moaned. "Hide me."

"Who from?" Kahlia asked, looking around.

"You can't hide forever, Lily." Joy told her, rolling her eyes. Then, to Kahlia – "Her stalker."

"She has a stalker? Cool!" Kahlia laughed delightedly.

"None other than –"

"Mr. James Potter." Slughorn came striding up the corridor behind Potter. "Normally I would give you a detention for that Snitch…" He gestured to the Snitch that Potter had been showing off with. "But seeing as this is the first day… and if you promise to attend the Slug Club gathering tonight…"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, sir." James said with a straight face.

"Excellent, m'boy, excellent…" Slughorn walked into the classroom. The class filed in after him. Lily turned and caught Potter's eye. Potter smiled, and feigned throwing up. Lily rolled her eyes, turned her back on him and walked in.

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A/N: Not much real action in this chapter… more introducing you guys to some new characters… I promise I'll make it more eventful next time IF and ONLY IF you guys review!

STICKY-DATE PUDDING AND TOFFEE SAUCE!

To…

Embracing (haha, I'm giving it to you anyway:D want some ice-cream cake instead?)… hoolihoopgrl131… drugged-on-chocolate… la (thank you!)… BuffyShakespeareAusten… : ) – it RETURNS (again, a reviewer, not me being random)… icefirestar… and Sam!

APPLAUSE PEOPLES! WILD APPLAUSE!

Ok… apple pie and ice cream next time? If you don't like that you can request something else. Lol.