Disclaimer: What? Who, me? No! Of course not! Never! Well, maybe not never...
Chapter 8: Sorted Starkest
The train finally slowed as it pulled into Hogsmeade station. The doors opened and students leapt onto the platform.
"First yea's! First yea's this way!" A gruff voice yelled in to the darkened station. A man who was almost as tall as a house stood before the students, but minus his size, he had the face of a seventeen year old.
"Wow!" Lily whispered to Isabel, once sighting the man.
"Yeah, that's Hagrid, his the game keeper up at the school. He rows across the lake with the first years, it's a tradition," She explained while trying to push her cat, Gilbert, a stubborn black oriental, into its carry bag and she wasn't having much luck.
"Does that mean I have to go with him? Being a new student and all?" Lily asked, a little worried.
"No, I don't think so. I don't think the school would embarrass you by making you row across with several eleven year olds," Melody said helpfully, already success ding with storing her cat, a grey tabby she named Fred.
"Okay, but how do the rest of you get up to the school?" Lily asked, Hogwarts was really puzzling.
"By these carriages of course!" Melody exclaimed, pointing to the black carriages, lined up and waiting at the edge of the station.
"The ones with the weird horses?" Lily asked
"What horses? Seriously, I think the move might have rattled your brains a bit. Come on, Imogen is holding us one up there," Isabel stated, running over to the carriage, placing Gilbert onto a seat, before lifting herself up and leaving Lily there puzzled.
Finally arriving at the castle, Lily was greeted by a stern looking witch, who had grey hair, tied up neatly in a tight bun, a witch's hat placed on top of her head and her hands placed on top of each other in front of her.
"Miss Evans?" she asked the nervous red head.
"Yes" she squeaked, stepping forward towards the witch.
"Please follow me," she asked Lily, but it was more of an order.
Lily followed her up the stairs and into an Entrance Hall. Lily thought that they were heading up the staircase in front of her, but the professor in front of her had other ideas and made a sharp turn to the right, into a larger hall, with four, long tables in the middle, and one across the top which Lily assumed was for the teachers. She assumed right. She walked up the middle of the hall, between two long tables, one decorated in blue and bronze, the other in yellow and black.
"Please wait over here for the rest of the first years to arrive when you will get further instructions," the professor told her once the reached the other end of the hall, and pointing to the side of the hall for her to stand.
Lily reluctantly walked over to the corner, wondering how long she would have to wait. Not long apparently, because as she reached the corner and turned around, masses of students flooded into the hall in a sea of black robes. Lily sat down at the table which was in the corner as she was tired of standing, but received a sharp look from the girl sitting next to her at the green and silver table and automatically stood up again.
Soon, everyone had found a seat at their table, and seemed to be catching up with their fellow housemates as although no one was walking around, the sound waves issuing from the tables was so loud it was nearly blew Lily away, as a Beaubaxtons, dinner was a silent meal, unless you wanted to have a whispered conversation, but that was it.
Lily watched as an old, hunched man walked into the hall from a side door, behind the staff table that Lily hadn't noticed, carrying a three-legged stool with an ancient, wizard's hat on it. She had no idea what that hat was supposed to do, as it didn't look magical in the least.
Suddenly, there was a rap on the big, oak doors that opened on to the Entrance Hall. The door opened again and the same professor who escorted her in walking in front of a group of huddled, nervous looking first years. Lily was surprised how tall they were, she would almost blend in with them. Yet, Lily could hardly blend in anywhere, as her red, fiery stood out like a sore thumb.
Once they approached the bench, the professor discreetly for her to come over and join the other first years. Once Lily had blended in with the first years, the professor pulled out a long roll of parchment, unrolled it and said in a loud, commanding voice
"When I call out your name, could you kindly come up here and let me place this hat on your head to be sorted. Now, Anderson, Samuel,"
Samuel Anderson, a tall, blonde headed boy who seemed to have a high opinion of himself pushed forward and walked up towards the professor. She indicated to the chair, and he sat down with rather a smug look on his face. As soon as the hat was lowered onto that obnoxious boy's haired, a voice yelled out
"Slytherin!"
Lily looked around, trying to find out where the voice came from, then realized it was in fact that hat that spoke. Samuel sneered at the rest of the first years, before strutting over to the green and silver table which was cheering quite loudly to welcome their new house mate.
"Benson, Danielle"
A timid little girl with bright blue eyes that shone from under her horn rimmed glasses, shyly walked up towards the stool and the hat was lowered onto her head. This time, the hat took a little longer to decide, Lily could see the hats mouth curving into a thinking frown before announcing to the hall that Danielle would be in
"Ravenclaw!"
And so on it went, until the professor's voice shook her back to reality by announcing
"Evans, Lillian"
Nervously, Lily took a step towards the professor, who smiled encouragingly as Lily reached the top stair and walked over to the small stool. It looked larger from a distance. The hat was gently placed on top of her head as she gazed out at the sea of heads, where nearly everyone's head was staring at here, apart from a couple of boys at the gold and crimson table, one with incredibly messy, black hair.
'Stop it!' Lily ordered herself and automatically shifted her head to look at her hands.
"Ahhh a boy," the hat said, which took Lily by surprise.
"Oi, that's private!" she said and the hat gave a small chuckle.
"Fiery, and very protective. I see you also hold a deep secret..."
"Oh please! Stop that's personal!" Lily begged silently, praying the rest of the hall couldn't hear what the hat was saying.
"I see its not just your reputation your protecting, but a person deep to your heart. Your very special to have this quality, I haven't seen many who possess it, but it is an honor so of course I shall put you in
GRYFFINDOR!!!"
Lily let out a huge sigh of relief as the hat was lifted of her head. She ran down the stairs and over to the other side of the hall where Melody had saved her a seat. The rest of the Gryffindor table cheered as she sat down in her seat and Lily couldn't help but grin.
-:-
"Dude, no"
"Dude, hell yes!"
"Dude, no"
"Dude, hell yes!"
"Dude, shut up!"
"What's got your wand in a knot?" Sirius asked Remus as he broke up James and Sirius's 'Dude' argument.
"Remus has a giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrllllllfriend" Peter said, stringing out the last word.
"Peter, shut up. Stop making up loads of crap," Remus snapped at him and Peter turned red and turned away to look out the carriage window to look at Hogwarts which kept coming closer and closer.
"What's up?" James asked and he and Sirius lent forward towards their new victim.
"Nothing, alright!" he snapped and looked out the other window.
"Remus, you do realize that we are your BEST friends and when you do this, we know your not telling us something. Don't make us break into the potions cupboard and steal some truth serum," Sirius pleaded
"I still say its Remus's giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrllllllfriend" Peter smirked, turning his head away from the window.
"Peter, shut up and look out the window" Remus snapped and Peter turned his head around so fast, it was a surprise that it didn't snap.
"I'll tell you guys later" Remus muttered to Sirius and James and then continued looking out of the window until the carriage pulled up in front of the front door.
They hopped out and the carriage 'drove' away and walked into the Entrance Hall.
"Boy, its good to be back" Sirius said, thumbing James on the back.
"It sure is, boy!" James said, doing the same to Sirius.
"That ain't a boy," a voice smirked from behind.
"Hey cousins!" they said as they turned around to face Melody and Imogen, the later being the one who spoke.
"You two make a good couple. See you James, Siena," Imogen smirked, pushed between them and walked towards the Ravenclaw table.
"Did you hear that Siena! She gave us a blessing!" James said, grabbing 'Siena's' hands and they began to jump up and down like a couple of young school girls.
Melody just gave them a queer look and followed her cousin into the hall.
"Congratulations, I think you officially scared Melody. A very hard achievement!" Remus joked, finally looking on the bright side of life.
"It's a gift. We're hoping to get around to everyone by Christmas" Sirius joked as they entered the hall and headed over towards the Gryffindor table.
"I forgot to ask you James, how was France?" Remus asked as they sat down.
"Oh you know, same old same old" James answered, sweeping the topic aside and Sirius 'coughed'.
The rest of the conversation or what was left of it was cut off as McGonagall entered the hall with a strand of eleven year olds following in after her. Once reaching the staff table, McGonagall walked up the few steps until she reached a stool with a hat on it. She unrolled a piece of parchment and announced to the first years
"When I call out your name, could you kindly come up here and let me place this hat on your head to be sorted. Now, Anderson, Samuel"
The guys tuned out after this, turning their heads away from the first years and started of talking about what they would be having for dinner.
"Has to be a ham, just has to be!" Remus whispered, and the others shook their heads.
"Chicken" Sirius argued
"You nuts? Pork pork pork!" James said, silently hitting his fists on the table.
"Evans, Lillian" McGonagall's voice said, echoing through James's brain. He resisted the urge to whip his head around. Just as well, as it was probably nothing. She was sorting first years for goodness sake! His Lily was seventeen and in France anyway. He shook Lily from his brain, after all, she was ancient history!
He went back to fighting his case for pork.
-:-
"Wow! That dinner was fantastic! I probably ate too much but that turkey was delicious!" Lily exclaimed as she and her two new besties entered their dorm.
"Yeah, that feast was awfully good, I'm pooped" Isabel announced flopping down on her bed.
"Then shouldn't you have gone to the bathroom?" a voice asked Isabel from the door way.
"Amelia, it's a saying! It means your extremely tired," Isabel sighed as she answered the voice from the door way. The girl had blonde hair that was cut short and her head was tilted to the side.
"That's Amelia Dowers. She's one of our fellow 6th years, but I'll be damned how she passed enough of her exams to make it to 6th year" Melody muttered in her ear.
"Hey Girls!" another voice chimed in the door way. She had shoulder length brown hair with blonde highlights and a bright friendly smile. Well, maybe a little TOO friendly.
"I heard we had a new girl in the dorm! My names Kara! Kara McPherson!" she said, grabbing Lily's hand and shaking it enthusiastically.
"Hi, Lily Evans"
"Nice to meet ya'll! I know you're going to love it here, as much as we do. Isn't she girls?" The others grumbled in agreement.
"Well, it looks like your things have already arrived. That's your bed over there, I hope you have a good sleep!" she said, walking to the bed next to the one Lily was standing next too. She climbed onto the bed and was about to draw the curtains when she turned to Lily and said
"I know you and I are going to be the BEST of friends" before giving her 'famous' white teeth smile before shutting the curtains.
Isabel and Melody made silent gagging signals. Lily walked over to her bed, which was conveniently in between Melody and Isabel's.
"What did you do that for, she seems really nice!" Lily asked her other friends.
"Yes, well, she acts like that all day, everyday. After a while, her cheeriness is a LITTLE bit annoying" Isabel whispered and Melody nodded.
"I'll take your word for it," Lily said as she changed into her pajamas.
"Night everyone"
"Goodnight Lily. And welcome home"
-:-
"Ahhh home sweet home!" Sirius announced as he walked into their dorm and ran and flopped down on his bed, which, luckily, was the closest to the door.
"Sure is," Remus said agreeing with him and sat down on his own bed.
"Are you going to tell us what was bothering you?" James asked Remus, and Remus shot a sharp look in Peter's direction.
"I'll just go and take a shower," he said horridly and scurried into the bathroom. Soon the sound of water was heard.
Remus stood up and walked to the bathroom door to make sure that Peter was indeed in the shower before coming back to his bed which was next to Sirius's.
"Well?" Sirius prompted him
"Forthepastfewmonthsivebeenseeingsomeone" he said in a rush
"Come again?"
Remus took a deep breath and said, slower
"For the past few months I've been seeing someone"
James's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish and Sirius looked like he was about to faint with shock.
"Your, your not kidding are you?"James asked, after he studied Remus's face for the tenth time.
"Uh, no I'm not"
"So, who is it?"
"And why did you send Peter out of the room?"
"Because Peter is a gossiping weasel"
"Rat. He's a gossiping rat"
"I beg to differ. I think he's more like a mouse"
"No, I think rat suits him better"
At that moment, Peter ran, stark naked across the dorm, lunged onto his bed and yanked his curtains closed. A hand shot out a few seconds later, felt around for some clothes, grabbed some and pulled them back, inside his little 'cave'.
"Okay, your right. He is more like a mouse"
A/N: Hehehe. I delivered again yay! Okay, random but I'm typing this up on my lap top while watching T.V. and there's this 'River's' ad on, the clothing shop and it is so BORING! Anyway, just thought I would tell you :P Thank you to WhiteGreen, Mrs. Claire Potter, Penelope Richmond, Charlotte Donahue, pheobesapphira, crazylily, Hmphh, Brazilian Princess, blondewivbrains, Grey Mustang, Missy Blackk, headoverheels4HP, WhiteCamellia, MCFireFly and Aella-Bay who reviewed! Nice to see some new reviews, missing some of my old ones though, hope you're still reading! Update soon, I'm really getting back into it!
Moonlight Honeysuckle
