Disclaimer: All characters (that you recognise) and settings belong to J.K. Rowling the author of Harry Potter. Anything you don't recognise belongs to me.

Story title: In the Beginning

Chapter 4:Muddles and Mischief

Once the feast was over, and all of the plates and dishes in front of them had been magically cleared, the great hall began to fill with chatter. The elder students discussed their holidays, or in the case of many, about students of the opposite sex.

The first years however, were getting to know each other, and it was here that Remus discovered that Lily was the only Gryffindor first year whose parents weren't both of the magical kind. Remus wasn't really surprised by this, because although the majority of the wizarding community held no prejudice against muggleborns, those who did normally held positions of power within the ministry and therefore were able to prevent many muggleborns from entering into the wizarding world.

The look on Lily's face when she realised this however, instantly told James that she had been hoping for someone else who was in the same predicament as her, someone else who knew no magic at all, and was new to the magical world.

"Don't worry Lily, we'll help you out. If you ever need to know anything about the wizarding world ask us." He declared kindly.

"Thanks guys, I think I'm going to have to hold you to that one" replied Lily with a smile.

A tapping sound diverted their attention from the conversation, and they realised that professor Dippet had stood up.

"The start of term notices are as follows. First years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. This is for your safety, as there are many wild things that lurk there."

Dippet's brown eyes lost their cheerfulness for a moment, as the smiling expression on his face was replaced by one of sadness.

"Secondly," He continued when his smile had returned, "I would like to introduce you all to Mr Argus Filch who will be replacing Mr. Pringle as caretaker. Unfortunately Mr. Pringle decided to retire over the summer but I'm sure he sends you all his best wishes."

At this Adriana noticed that many students, especially at her table, smirked considerably, one particular girl even snorted in amusement before a quelling glance from an elder male student forced her into silence.

"Thirdly it is with sadness that I must inform you that this year will be my last as headmaster, " He held up a hand to stop the whispers that had sprung up throughout the hall, "next year this position will pass to Professor Dumbledore, while Professor Catallica will take up the position of deputy head mistress."

"Finally it is my duty to announce the head girl and boy for this year. The head girl is Willow Everret of Ravenclaw while the head boy is Tom Riddle of Slytherin. I'd like a word with them both afterwards please."

A wild round of applause swept through the Slytherin table, as the two heads stood up. Adriana realised that the head boy, was the same boy who had quelled the amused girl earlier. From this she realised that Riddle already held a considerable amount of respect within in Slytherin, and this along with his new position meant he was not a person to be reckoned with.

Adriana's thoughts were disrupted by a lot of movement around her. The students around her were all getting up from the table, and she could hear a tall boy in Slytherin colours calling out to the first years.

"Come along now, Slytherin first years this way."

Adriana hurried forward just in time to catch up with the other Slytherin first years who were already being led out of the great hall.

The landing outside the great hall was a hive of activity. Students were bustling around, hurrying to get to their common rooms, while the prefects of each house called out to their respective first years.

Adriana continued to follow the deep male voice belonging to Slytherin prefect, until finally they came to a stop in front of a large bookcase.

"This is the entrance to your common room, to enter this room, just say the password, which for this week is 'Hogwarts a History'." At this the bookcase suddenly turned sideways, disclosing a passageway, which led into a room. "In you go then."

Adriana began to follow the other first years into the passageway; however just before she could enter the male prefect stopped her.

"I thought there were only ten first years" he commented to his female counterpart.

"There are only ten" she replied before turning to Adriana. "What house do you belong to kid?"

"Slytherin" Adriana replied, in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper.

"Well, I'm afraid this is Ravenclaw. We'll take you to your common room" said the male prefect.

Abruptly however a new male voice entered into the conversation. "So a Slytherin first year knows our password well that's just great isn't it. Shouldn't you memory charm her or something?"

"No. She's only a first year, you won't tell anyone the password will you?" The female prefect asked Adriana.

Adriana shook her head vigorously causing both the male and female prefect to smile kindly at her.

"I'm Gideon Prewett," announced the boy prefect, "and that's Marie Henry." He added indicating to the female prefect.

"Finish off the tour for the other first years would you David?" Prewett asked the other male student, before setting of down the corridor. "Slytherin's common room is this way."

As they walked along the now empty corridor, Adriana looked around the castle in awe.

"So what's you name?" Marie finally asked the small first year.

When Adriana replied, she was surprised by Marie's friendly declaration of what a pretty name it was. From the reaction of the other Ravenclaw boy, she had realised that Slytherin wasn't a popular house and was therefore surprised by Marie and Gideon's friendly demeanor towards her.

"Here we are." announced Gideon, stopping in front of a large statue of a snake. " Now we just have to wait for another Slytherin to arrive so you can find out the password."

Adriana was glad that both Marie and Gideon decided to wait with her outside the Slytherin common room, for this part of the castle was gloomy and badly lit, while the entrance to her common room held none of the welcoming manner that the Ravenclaw one possessed.

The three students had been waiting barely two minutes when the sound of footsteps echoed down the dark corridor. The person coming swiftly toward them was holding a lit wand, and from it's light he was able to identify the figures standing before him.

"Prewett," He barked. "You should be in your common room, not loitering outside someone else's"

"Riddle," Greeted Gideon, while Marie merely nodded her head in acknowledgment. "Just returning a first year, she got lost and ended up with our lot, might want to look after your first years a bit more."

"Don't tell me what to do Prewett." Replied Tom Riddle in annoyance. "Your service is clearly no longer required, you may leave."

With a quick smile in Adriana's direction both Gideon and Marie left without another word.

"Parseltongue" declared Riddle, and Adriana watched in amazement as the statue of the snake moved sideways to reveal another passageway similar to that she had seen at the Ravenclaw entrance.

"In," Riddle commanded Adriana.

Once the pair were inside, the entrance to the common room closed quickly.

"Let me make one thing clear to you girl, you do not accept help from other, especially two mudblood lovers such as Prewett and Henry. You are in Slytherin. We are not weak, hence we do not require help, nor do we provide help to others who are not our own. Am I understood?"

At Adriana's quick nod of her head, Riddle announced, "Were it not for the fact you are from a well known pureblood family, there would be more trouble. However, as you are, I am willing to overlook this one offence, after all we must look after our own. But don't cause any further trouble."

With that Riddle turned on his heel and walked away from the terrified first year.

Adriana stood there lost, for several minutes. It was only the first day and already she was in trouble. She wondered bitterly why she couldn't have been in the same house as the others, rather than standing lost in the Slytherin common room.

However a female voice interrupted her thoughts.

"OI you, first year. If you're searching for your dormitory it's through that door on the right and on the first floor. It's clearly marked. The other girls are already up there, better hurry if you want a decent bed" She shouted across the common room.

Adriana nodded her head in acknowledgement and set off up the stairs, all the while thinking that she really didn't care what bed she had, all she knew was that she would be spending as little time as possible in the common room in order to avoid her fellow housemates, and just from that she knew it was going to be a long seven years.

In the mean time Lily and the boys had reached the Gryffindor common room without any problems. At first Lily had been startled by the huge portrait of the lady in front of her, however she like any other muggleborns was fascinated by the fact that the portrait could talk.

"This is the entrance to the Gryffindor Common room. The password is 'Chivalrous heart'." The tall African prefect paused as the portrait suddenly swung outwards to reveal a large room, decorated in red and gold. "My name is James Melinson, and I'm the fifth year Gryffindor prefect." he announced before going on to direct them on where to find their dormitories.

Lily plopped herself down on her bed, with a sigh. Her trunk had already been unpacked, and her accessories such as her hairbrush sat on a small vanity dresser to the left of the room.

"So Lily, what do you think of the wizarding world so far?" as Muriel Merian, another of the Gryffindor first years.

"It's fascinating, but it's so different from the non magic world.." began Lily before she was interrupted.

"Muggle world" announced a small brunette.

"Pardon?" enquired Lily.

"Muggle, its mean non magic" supplied a third girl, whose name Lily remembered to be Alice.

"Oh, well yes that's what I meant, it's so different from the...errm.. muggle world" Lily replied.

"Anyway, must you ask such boring questions Muriel? Honestly I have a much better question for you Lily. How come you seem to know the guys so well?" asked Laura, shaking her dark brown hair, and taking a seat on the end of Lily's bed.

"Err.. you mean James and Remus? Oh.. I met them in Diagon Alley" she began before Laura once again interrupted her.

"Well I think James is just dreamy, I mean you're not interested in him are you Lily?" she asked, but without waiting for a reply she continued, "well even if you were, he's still fair game it's not like you're going out or anything."

Before Lily could reply, that she certainly wasn't interested in James, there was a commotion on the staircase, that sounded like a giant earthquake had hit Hogwarts, and all four girls rushed out onto the landing to see what had happened.

Lying at the bottom of the staircase, which was presently a slide were Remus and James. Lily suspected that Sirius and Peter were there too, but were buried underneath the other two boys.

"You might want to get off Sirius and Peter" she advised laughing, "before you turn them both into pancakes!"

"Oh very funny Lil, we were just coming up to visit you and this is the gratitude we get," replied James, "humiliated by these evil steps, and then you laugh at our humiliation."

Lily continued to laugh, while all four boys stared at her in annoyance. Finally a new voice joined their conversation.

"Oh, maybe someone should have mentioned that to you. The boys can't get up the stairs to the girls dormitory, you've already seen what happens." he explained indicating to the stairs that had now returning to its original state. "However the girls can get up the boys stairs. Funny though, it took me till fifth year to realize that, while it only took you lot a day" he added, glancing suspiciously at the four boys.

"Well that's not fair is it?" declared Sirius, "Looks like you'll just have to visit us, come along then."

Lily rolled her eyes, before saying goodbye to the other girls, and hurrying down the stairs. She found Remus and James waiting for her at the foot of the boys' staircase.

"Come on, hurry up" ordered James, "We have something to show you!"

When they reached the boys dormitory, Lily was surprised to see the state in which it was. Only one quarter of the room was still tidy, a quarter, which Lily quickly deduced, to be Remus' thanks to the photographs that stood on the bedside cabinet.

"Sit down then, the bed sheets don't bite you now," remarked James easily. A comment which Remus found rather ironic considering that he did bite. But he knew that the others must never find out his secret, for if they did there was no way that they would ever be friends with him. All his life, he'd lived outcasted by other children just because their parents knew what he was, and knew of the monster that he became every month.

Remus was desperate to have friends at Hogwarts, and here, in the four people who stood before him lay his only real hopes. As he looked at each of them and he realised that however different they might be, the friendship that was already growing within them would be a strong one.

"Wakey wakey Remus," Lily called, interrupting Remus' thoughts. Before Remus had the chance to respond however a jet of water hit him in the side of the face.

"aargh" screamed Remus as the cold water jerked him awake with a start.

"wow, that really works," remarked Peter. "This books full of useful spells".

"Yeah Peter," replied Sirius in a voice laced with sarcasm, "its better known as a text book.

"Sirius!", scolded Lily, "play nice. Anyway what was it you guys wanted to show me? I have to be back in my dorm before curfew."

"Actually Lily," began Remus, "Hate to break it to you, but I don't think you're even supposed to be here in the first place. You do have a point though, go on James."

Lily observed as James picked up a silvery cloak that she hadn't noticed before. As she watched James placed the cloak over his shoulders, and much to Lily's amazement she realised that he had disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" she demanded of Sirius. "Okay James you can come out from wherever you're hiding now, that was a cool trick but its sort of weird."

James reappeared from under the cloak grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Don't you see Lily, it's an invisibility cloak. This is going to be our key to Hogwarts. Is everyone ready to go exploring?"

Before anyone could respond, Lily jumped in, "I don't know if that's such a good idea, we might get caught, and I don't know about you but I'm tired and we have classes tomorrow."

"I hate to say it but I agree with Lil, anyway we can't go without her it wouldn't be fair." Added Remus.

"Ok Ok, fine" repented Sirius, though he added under his breath "Spoilsports.". A comment that earned a grin from Peter and James, but a stern look from Remus and Lily.

"I better go, before I fall asleep on this bed right now" announced Lily. "G'night guys."

"Good night lily" they called, as Lily set off down the boys staircase, so tired you was surprised she even had the energy to crawl into bed.

The next day Lily awoke to find the late summer sun streaming through her windows and hitting her directly in the face.

"aargh" she moaned for in truth Lily was definetly not a morning person. She glanced idly at her clock it was 7 O'clock.

"Come on Lily" called a voice "Up you get. Up, Up Up."

Lily peered over her duvet, to identify the owner of the voice as Alice.

"God Alice, you realize you are way to chirpy for this time of the morning." Whined Lily, before sulkily dragging herself out of her nice warm bed, and into the bathroom.

Having dressed quickly, she told Alice she would meet her in the common room and hurried downstairs. As she expected the boys weren't there, so she set off up the boys stairs to see if they were even up.

Whe n she reached their dormitory, she knocked tentatively before entering, because like any girl her age there were certain things she kenw that she did not want to see this early in the morning.

The dormitory was in much he same condition as it was last night, except that the boys were all asleep.

As she glanced around at the sleeping boys, she almost burst into laughter. Sirius was clinging to a ragged brown teddy bear, while Peter was curled into a ball, with his thumb in his mouth. James on the other hand was wearing red pajamas with puppies on them, while Remus.. well Remus wasn't even there.

"Well at least one of thems up," Lily remarked to herself, "wonder why he didn't wake up these three."

"Lets just say, being sworn at by James, and swung at by Sirius, kind of puts a guy of trying to do them the favour of waking they up." Said a voice behind Lily making her jump.

Lily turned quickly to see Remus standing in his uniform by the doorway. "Any ideas on how to get this lot up." He asked.

"Well, there's always that jet spray spell Peter used yesterday" Lily suggested with a wicked grin. "ready to try it?

"1....2.....3...GO" Lily shouted, as she turned her wand on James, as Remus' was turned on Sirius.

"Aargh" the two boys shouted in union as the sprays hit them, "stop it, you two are just evil."

"Well if you two got up, you could join us in our evilness, we're just about to wake up little Peter over here." She pointed out. Before Lily even got the words out, both Sirius and James were out of bed, with identical looks to Lily's.

"GO" shouted Lily, and this time it was Peter who was subjected to not one but four jets of water.

"EEEEEE" squeled Peter "stop it guys the water's cold" he added, but by this time the jets of water had already stopped because his friends were all laughing hysterically. Even Lily had to admit that Peter's scream had been undeniably feminine.

When they'd all finally stopped laughing, Lily announced that if they were all going to make breakfast, the remaining three boys had to get dressed and fast.

"Me and Remus will meet you in the common room" she added, before setting of down the stairs to wait for them.

Ok that's it for this chapter!please review. Any questions or critiscms welcome!!

love tripletrouble

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