koryandrs; Thank you! Hopefully I'll be able to update it more over the holidays.
JamesFreakingPotter: Glad you like it. ;)
Magicheart5355: Thanks! Sorry about the wait!
Lily stared down at her palms. She should've figured that she'd be caught. After all, it wasn't like Stonewall. The teachers here actually cared about finding students who'd run off. Add that to the fact that they had any number of super abilities at their disposal to track her down, she was stupid to think she'd get away with it.
Which is why she was sitting across from the empty seat, usually occupied by the headmaster, in Dumbledore's office. She'd only seen Dumbledore briefly before he'd flitted out of the office. But she'd caught the look in his eyes and it had been enough to keep her from saying anything.
She probably held the record for the fastest expulsion ever, she thought, absently removing a stray leaf from hair. She should've known she'd figure out a way to ruin the best thing that had ever happened to her. Story of her life.
Her spine stiffened when she heard the door click behind her. Dumbledore sat down heavily in the large, throne like seat opposite her and studied her for several moments in silence. Then, suddenly, inexplicably, he smiled.
"Quite a first day you've had Miss Evans." His kindly blue eyes twinkled behind the half -moon glasses that perched on his crooked nose.
"Are you going to expel me?" She blurted and then flushed at the obvious desperation in her voice.
"I imagine it's quite a strange thing, discovering you're a superhero and facing up to new classes, new friends, a whole new way of life in fact, within the space of a few days. Add that to the fact most of the people you've acquainted yourself with over the past twenty four hours or so have had a great deal more time to hone and discover the extent of their capabilities, you are no doubt feeling out of your depth. And rightly so. So to answer your question Miss Evans, no, you are not expelled."
Lily stared blankly at him.
"But I destroyed the gym." She said, incredulously. Dumbledore smiled again.
"With all the pent up frustration and teenage angst this old castle has seen, we've had our fair share of damage. Granted, nobody has ever exhibited quite that much…strength of emotion." Dumbledore said carefully.
"But it is just a building. It can be fixed. Professor Terry was rather displeased, but I'm sure he'll adjust." Dumbledore's lips twitched and Lily imagined just how displeased the P.T teacher had been after being told he'd have to conduct all his lessons outside the comfort of his cosy office.
"Now, if that is all, I believe you have some homework to catch up on." Lily smiled and turned to leave. But just as she put her hand on the doorknob, something occurred to her.
"Sir, Alice said this morning that I had to do some kind of test to get into Gryffndor." She rubbed the back of her neck when he just stared at her.
"I was wondering… what did I do to get into Gryffindor? I mean, not that I'm not happy there it's just…" The old man cocked his pursed his lips and cocked his head to one side, as if considering her.
"Hmmmm. It was a…feeling I suppose. We shall see if I was right within time." Lily nodded, realizing she probably wasn't going to get a more definitive answer.
Still, she pondered his words all the way back to the common room. She wondered if he was keeping something from her. Maybe he was just sleep deprived when he stuck her in Gryffindor. Maybe it had been a lucky dip.
Lily certainly didn't feel brave or loyal. Impulsive maybe. Sighing, she pushed open the enormous, wood panelled door and was nearly deafened by the cheering within.
People clapped her on the back and shook her hand, as if she had just won a marathon. When she managed to shake herself free from her copious congratulators, she spotted Alice and Flora sitting by the fire and made a beeline for them.
"There she is, the hero of the hour." Alice grinned and slung an arm around her shoulders.
"I told you she was special, didn't I Alice? I saw the potential in her straight away. This one is earmarked for great things." Flora said, mock seriously, before punching Lily lightly on the arm. Alice pretended to sniffle.
"Just as long as she doesn't forget her roots. We like, invented her." They laughed, but Lily wasn't sure she got the joke.
"So, what's this about? Why is everybody acting like I've cured cancer or abolished weekend homework?" Flora smirked and began fiddling with the few leaves in Lily's hair that she'd
missed before, until they formed a pretty wreath that encircled her head.
"C'mon Lily. You blew up the gym! That means no more laser tag, no more biased P.T classes. Plus we get to ogle at the boys in their tight uniforms." Flora wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and when Alice pursed her lips disapprovingly, she snorted.
"Oh c'mon Alice. As if you don't relish the thought of staring at Frank's arse for an hour a day."
"Shut up!" Alice hissed, turning scarlet, looking over her shoulder frantically.
"Someone might hear you!" Flora rolled her eyes.
"As if everybody doesn't already know. Anyway-"But Flora was interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open. Four boys filled the doorway and they were greeted with the same amount of enthusiasm as she had been, leaving her to wonder what exactly these guys had done.
Lily recognised two of them, Sirius and Remus from the train and the P.T hall. Their companions were unfamiliar however. One was short and a little on the rotund side. He had a small, narrow face, with dark, beady eyes, which darted quickly around the room, as if trying to evaluate potential dangers, or routes of escape. His nose twitched occasionally, and Lily couldn't help but be reminded of an overgrown rat.
The other, by contrast, was tall, lean and dark haired. He was very good looking, in a I'm-a-troublemaker-and-I-know-it kind of way. He was sallow, with dark eyes and a rakish smile that Lily was sure had increased the heart rate of several girls in the room. He wore glasses, but they enhanced, rather than took away from his handsome features. His hair was tousled, like he'd just run his hands through it and he had a long, loping stride that gave an impression of athleticism. It was probably because of his obvious good fortune in the looks department (a department Lily felt she was… not so graciously blessed in) that made her dislike him on sight.
Sirius, spotting her, grinned and walked over to where she was perched.
"What a way to start off term, eh Remus?" He asked, nudging his friend in the ribs and smiling at Lily.
"You've put our little start of term show to shame. People are going to be talking about this for years, you know." Remus said, comfortably, easing himself into a chair directly opposite theirs.
"Well, I wouldn't go that far." One of his friends said, smirking. It was the good looking one, who leaned against Remus's chair as he spoke, with an easy kind of grace Lily could never dream of emulating.
"I mean, releasing fireworks in the Great Hall at breakfast and making live bats fly through people's breakfast cereal? That's almost impossible to beat, if you ask me. Don't get me wrong, your little explosion was cute-"
"Kittens and puppies are cute." Lily interjected coolly, but the guy just shrugged.
"James, even you have to admit she surpassed us." Remus smiled, his expression a little anxious when he saw the two of them trying to stare each other down.
"Whatever. C'mon guys, we'd better go. Stuff to plan." James shot Sirius a meaningful look and with obvious reluctance, they said goodnight and headed up the boys staircase.
"Who was that?" Lily asked, scowling.
"James Potter. His family have been superheroes for generations. He's got a reputation for being a bit cocky-"Alice trailed off when Lily raised an incredulous eyebrow.
"A bit? If his ego was any bigger he'd suffocate himself." She said contemptuously, barely checking the urge to pull faces at the door the boys had vanished through. Alice smiled.
"He's not really a bad guy. He's just threatened by you I guess. The Marauders are usually the topic of hot gossip around here. James and his friends." Alice explained when Lily looked puzzled.
"They're like the resident prankster/jock/hottie/brainiac group around here. Although Peter doesn't exactly fit any of those brackets." Flora added, wrinkling her nose. Lily assumed she was talking about the twitchy guy. Mean as it was, she had to agree.
"I met Sirius and Remus on the train. They seemed nice enough. Sirius helped me up when Sloan knocked me over. They both took off when I told them I was a scholarship student though." She added, with a frown.
"Oh, the scholarship thing is just a cover. If Dumbledore isn't sure about a student he tells them they're in for a scholarship programme. Then he can keep them or send them home without them ever knowing about the school." Alice said.
"Don't you think they'd figure it out if they walked into class and someone was hovering eighteen feet off the floor, juggling balls of fire?" Lily asked, disbelievingly.
"Certain measures are taken to prevent anyone from finding out. Like no powers in the corridors or out of teacher supervision. Plus anyone under surveillance has to wear an armband, so we know to tone it down in front of them." Alice explained.
"Besides, nobody can control fire." Flora laughed.
"The last person with fire related powers was in… 1833 I think. They were expelled for setting fire to the Forbidden Forrest. Fire's too dangerous to try to tame." Alice said then yawned widely.
"Better head up. It's getting late." Flora sighed.
Later, when everyone else in her dorm was asleep, Lily sat on the window sill looking out over the moonlit grounds. She'd been sitting there for quite some time thinking.
"Alice is right." She murmured.
"Fire is really dangerous." She looked down at her cupped hand where the tiny ball of flame flickered and blew it out, plunging the room into darkness.