Thank you very much, everyone for reading this much of my story so far! It really means a lot to me. A special thanks to all of my reviewers so far! I want you, I need you, I love you. (That was an Elvis reference that may possibly play a part in this story at some point. Stay tuned.)

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Chapter Four:

"Here are your timetables. Please be sure you arrive on time to each of your classes." Professor McGonagall was passing out timetables to each of the Gryffindor first years at breakfast the day after they arrived. Lily Evans got hers first and looked over it greedily. Nora Clark took hers from the Head of Gryffindor House with a small smile and began to look it over as well.

"Thanks, Professor," James Potter said to McGonagall as she passed the four Gryffindor boys identical schedules. "Brilliant. Let's see. Transfiguration this morning with Ravenclaws, Charms with Hufflepuffs, and then- ugh, Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts with Slytherins.

"We'd better get going if we want to be to class on time. I heard some fourth years talking and they said Transfiguration is the longest walk from the Great Hall," said Remus. He took a last couple of bites of his sausage before bending down to grab his bag from his feet.

Nora, Lily, and Peter joined him in getting ready to leave but Sirius and James continued to ungracefully shovel food into their mouths.

"Ah, don't worry, Remus. We've got plenty of time to get to class. It doesn't start for another…what, twenty minutes?" Asked Sirius, spraying food across the table into Remus's face.

Remus grimaced as he wiped off the food and responded, "More like ten minutes. I really don't want to be late so I think we should head out."

"I agree. It'd be a horrible first impression to be late to the first class of our school career," piped in Lily. She grimaced in the direction of Sirius and James as she continued, "Honestly, do you two ever stop eating?"

Nora quietly laughed to herself as the two boys opened their mouths full of food and showed them to Lily. She agreed that it was disgusting and that James and Sirius needed to be a bit more mature, but Lily was a little too tightly wound and it would fit her well to learn to ease up a bit.

The night before, after they had been led through Hogwarts' complicated staircases to the Gryffindor common room, she had spent most of the time before bed talking to Lily. There were three other Gryffindor girls but they all seemed to know each other and they veered away from Nora and Lily. Nora picked her bed as soon as they came into the room and made sure to stay far from the window. Nora was grateful that Lily happened to choose the one next to her- until she started talking and did not stop. While Nora enjoyed Lily's company and was happy to have her first friend in years, she was dead tired but did not want to upset the girl. She ended up staying awake with the red head until 2 am discussing their lives and what they thought Hogwarts was going to be like.

Lily sat on her bed flipping through her text books for what had to have been the 17th time that week. Nora was organizing her bedside table, unpacking quills, a journal, hair clips, a couple of books, and more odds and ends that seemed to keep coming from nowhere.

"Where are you from?" Lily asked as she switched from looking at her Transfiguration book to Potions instead.

Nora looked up and spoke quietly, as usual, answering, "I'm from Ottery St. Catchpole. That's in Devon. I technically live in the country past town but my dad says the town has to claim us anyway. What about you?"

"I'm from Cokeworth, the same town as Sev." Lily's eyebrows coming together with the hint of a distressed face. "I really do wish we had been sorted into the same house. I didn't even get a chance to talk to him after the feast."

"Don't worry too much about it," Nora said as she grabbed a photo album from her trunk and sat on her bed with it. "We'll have classes with the different houses and there will be free time to see him. I bet you'll have time to talk tomorrow."

Lily paused for a moment and glanced over towards the three other first years in their dormitory who were giggling and jumping on the bed closest to the window. She lowered her voice and leaned in closer towards Nora.

"I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing here. It's all really exciting, but I don't know anything about magic except for what I've read in these books. I only know the Muggle world. Not very many people here know anything about Muggles. I feel like an outcast. I got a lot of rude looks on the platform when people saw my parents are Muggles." Nora watched her face closely as Lily's lip started quivering. "Is this how it's going to be for the next seven years?"

Nora paused and glanced at the girls across the room before responding, "I doubt it. There are other Muggle-borns here…not a lot, but still. And even then, not everyone is a pure blood." Nora scooted up onto her bed with her bag and continued to dig through it.

"What are you?" asked Lily before turning a bright shade of red and shooting her head up to meet Nora's eyes. "I-I am so sorry, that was rude to ask, I-"

"Don't worry about it," Nora answered with a small smile. "I wouldn't make a habit out of asking people, but I don't mind. My Dad is Muggle-born but my Mum was a Pureblood, so I guess I'm somewhere in the middle. If it makes you feel any better, I know some things about the Muggle world. Since my dad grew up as a Muggle he likes to keep some things non-magical."

"Well that's a bit comforting. It's nice to have a friend who will understand at least a little bit of what I blabber on about. I talk a bit if you haven't noticed yet." Lily went red as she realized how much she had talked since they had entered the dormitory.

"I think it is nice having a friend who talks a lot," Nora responded, smiling at Lily. "I'm kind of a quiet person."

Lily smiled back at her before turning her head and looking at the other three girls in the dormitory. Nora glanced up as she continued unpacking her bag. The three girls were giggling loudly while bouncing on one of the girls' beds. Nora had recognized the girls' last names from the Daily Prophet and knew they all belonged to Pureblood families. While Muggle hating Purebloods were typically Slytherins, there was another breed of Purebloods who simply put up with Muggles and Muggle-born witches and wizards. These people, just as most of the magical community, hated werewolves and other half-breeds and Nora dreaded the day that they would realize something was different about their dorm-mate. Lily, on the other hand, they already knew about…

"Nora?" muttered Lily. Nora met her eyes and raised her eyebrows at her. "Do you think everyone else is going to be like them and ignore me? You saw them when we got here, right? I tried to say hello and they just ignored me and walked by. Is everyone like this?"

Nora shook her head and motioned for Lily to come with her. Both of the girls stood up and Nora grabbed her wand before heading towards the door. Although Nora was just as worried and nervous as Lily was, she hid it in front of her friend so as to not make it worse.

"Don't worry about them. Let's go explore the common room."

"Come on, Lily. We can leave them behind," Nora said as she started walking towards the door, following Remus. The three Gryffindors walked together to Transfiguration