Author's note: Pray for me please; the next chapter (chapter 11) is the thorn in my side. I'm desperately trying to get it edited so that I can continue with weekly updates! Any kind of feedback is always welcome, and feel free to drop me a message - I wanna make some friends on here anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! It was a lot of fun to write - L❤︎ xx
Verity staggered through the portrait hole after Mary, bleary-eyed and yawning so hard that she had all but unhinged her jaw. She glanced longingly at the cosy-looking sofas and armchairs in front of the open fire, only half-listening to the two Gryffindor Prefects.
"Okay, listen up!" Mallory Wisp exclaimed, placing vast, calloused hands on her hips. She had a thick, glorious mane of curly red hair and shoulders to rival any rugby player. "Girls are to the left, boys - to the right. Your dorms are at the top of the stairs – beds are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Your stuff should be there waiting for you. Any questions?"
"What time's curfew?"
"Nine o'clock." The fifth-year eyed the young boy that had spoken with suspicion - James Potter's innocent smile was fooling nobody. "Why?"
"Oh, I just want to make sure we're all sticking to the rules, you know? Not making any mischief."
Next to him, Sirius looked like butter wouldn't melt. "Potter's right - we wouldn't want to get into trouble on our first night, would we?"
Verity, however, knew better. His grey eyes glittered cheekily as he winked at her, and she narrowed hers playfully in return.
Mallory's mouth scrunched into a small, rosy knot. "I don't know what you're up to, but I've got my eye on you."
"I can't blame you – if I were you, I'd have your eye on us, too."
Scowling, she cleared her throat. "Question time is officially over - girls, follow me. Boys, you're with Rodge."
The boys' stairwell had descended into pure chaos. The sound of laughter and slapping footsteps created an overwhelming din, as James and Sirius raced up the stone steps two at a time with Peter hot on their heels.
"Keep up, Black!" Glancing over his shoulder, James yelped as Sirius grabbed a fistful of his robes and propelled himself forwards.
"What was that, Potter? I couldn't hear you over the sound of you losing."
"Losing? Yeah, right." The boy's mouth set in a firm line and his brows furrowed in determination. Potters never lose. Picking up the pace, he surged forwards and shouldered Sirius out of the way.
"Hey!"
"Keep up, loser!"
"Yeah! Keep up, loser!" Peter laughed, nipping past Sirius as he inspected his bruised appendage.
"Come back here and say that to my face, you coward!"
Roger King ran a hand down his face, watching the three boys scrabble haphazardly up the stairs. He thought being a Prefect would be a doddle. Now, he had a feeling he was going to age ten years by Christmas.
James Potter reached the landing first and, in his excitement, booted the door directly in front of him. It swung back and slammed loudly against the wall, creating an almighty crash. Choosing to ignore this (and Roger's vehement protests,) he entered the First Year Dormitory the way he entered any room - chest first. Striding towards his belongings, he took in the wood furnishings and Gryffindor décor with a smile so wide it threatened to crack his face in two. It wasn't quite as nice as his bedroom at home, but James didn't care. He'd find ways to make it cosy.
"You three - calm it down. I don't want to have to come back in here. I've got better things to do than babysit you lot." Roger grumbled from the doorway. Without waiting for an apology, he turned his gaze to the rest of the group. "Bathroom's across the landing; washbags can be hung on the hooks provided. It's a shared space, so be considerate. You'll be living with each other for the next eight years."
James was practically fizzing. His fingers fidgeted in his pockets as he tried desperately to listen to the Prefect. Roy? Ron? He couldn't remember. His mum had always told him how important manners were, but all James wanted to do was push this buzzkill out the door.
"Breakfast is from half seven until ten to nine, and classes start at nine. My advice? Leave yourself enough time to eat and get your books sorted; you won't receive your schedules until tomorrow morning. Don't be late." With that final warning, the door closed behind him with a snap.
"Finally. Welcome home, boys!" James crowed, pent-up adrenaline bursting out of him like one of those fancy rockets the muggles let off on New Year's Eve. He flung open his trunk with such gusto that the whole thing tipped backwards, flopping the clothes his mother had lovingly folded all over the floor. He took no notice of the four so-far-unnamed dorm mates that quickly left the room following his outburst. They'd come around eventually. Everyone always did.
Sirius Black bagged the bed next to him. He threw himself backwards with surprising grace and snuggled into the pillow, letting out a deep sigh. He rolled over, folding his arms behind his head and grinned. Crowley appeared from the shadows and curled himself around the young boy's face, purring so loud that the Hogwarts Express could have parked itself right there in the dorm.
"Well, home for the next three months," said Sirius, lazily scratching the cat's warm belly. "Can't wait to do some exploring. I'll be there are all kinds of interesting things squirrelled away in here."
Peter eagerly dragged his trunk to James' other side, followed quietly by Remus, who seemed to be in shock.
"Exploring, eh? My father said the castle is full of secret passageways and hidden rooms!" The smaller boy trilled, opening his wardrobe and inspecting the inside.
"Well, they're not going to be in there, are they?"
Blushing furiously, Peter opened his trunk a little harder than he meant to and grabbed a bag neatly labelled 'trousers'.
"Clearly, you've never read 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.'"
Sirius propped himself up on one elbow at the sound of Remus' lofty tone. "Clearly not. Why, what's that about, then?"
"A lion, a witch and a wardrobe?"
"Alright, smart arse."
"So, do you lot have any family at Hogwarts?" Asked Verity, clumsily folding a pair of jeans.
Unlike their dorm mates, a few girls had chosen to stay behind and unpack - Verity, Mary, Lily and the cheery girl that Lily had befriended at the feast.
"Not yet," said Marlene, neatly tucking her shoes into the bottom of the closet. "I have a younger sister, Elizabeth, but she won't be starting until next year."
Lily spoke softly, her face hidden as she rifled through her chest. "My older sister, Petunia - I think she's a bit jealous. We - we used to be really close, but - since I met Sevvy, she doesn't want much to do with me." Picking up a stack of clothes, she hastily turned to the wardrobe. "I know she wanted to come to Hogwarts, though – she wrote Dumbledore a letter. Sev and I found it…she hasn't forgiven me yet." Tears rolled down her rosy cheek, and she wiped them away with the sleeve of her robe.
"Oh, Lily! Is that why you were so upset on the train?"
When the girl turned to face them, her cheeks were blotchy and florid. She nodded shakily, and her bottom lip quivered as she squeezed her eyes shut. Verity's heart sank; no wonder Lily was in such a foul mood. Tentatively, she moved towards her.
"Hey – hey now, it's okay! I'm sure she'll come around."
Lily gave a half-smile, looking thoroughly unconvinced. "You don't know Tuney – she's the queen of petty."
"Well, she can't stay mad forever, can she?" Looking around at the other girls, she said, "guys, are you getting in on this? You know you want to."
"Go on, then." Marlene jumped off the bed, her blonde hair swishing as she landed.
Mary launched herself into the fold, giggling. "GROUP HUG!"
From beneath the tangle of arms, Lily started to smile. "Thanks, guys."
"Well, we've got to live with you for the rest of the year – can't have you being Mrs Grumpy Gills, can we?"
With most of their belongings unpacked (apart from Verity's - she had given up on folding and left the majority in her trunk,) they had gathered between Marlene and Mary's beds, dressed in their pyjamas. Verity had her snap cards out again, much to the annoyance of the clowder of cats that had taken up residence.
When Mary plopped her glowering kitten onto her bed, Marlene groaned, dropping her head back towards her mattress.
"Are any of you actually tired?"
"Nope." Said Lily, eyeing her hand carefully. "I don't know how anyone could sleep after a day like today."
"Tell me about it – I was knackered when we first came upstairs; now, my brain won't shut up." Verity threw down a two, and the deck exploded.
Mary shrieked, and her kitten yowled, making a beeline for the door. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that."
"I'm getting a bit sick of snap now, to be honest."
"Is that because you're losing?"
Verity put a hand to her red tartan chest, mouth agape. "Lily, are you suggesting that I'm a sore loser?"
Met with silence, Verity whipped a pillow from Mary's bed and threw it at Lily's face. Squealing, Lily ducked, and it grazed the top of her head.
"Oi!" She squawked, grabbing a pillow from Marlene, "That's cheating, Wilde!"
Pulling herself upright, Lily clobbered Verity around the mouth. She scuttled back to her bed and ducked behind it, giggling. Then, she threw Marlene her pillow back.
"Oops. Sorry, Marley!"
Instead of landing next to her, it hit her in the face.
"Oh ho, it's on now. You've got two against one, Evans; you can't fight both of us at once."
"Mary will defend me, won't you? You're on my team?"
"Are you mad? You're on your own. You've brought this upon yourself!"
Verity vaulted Marlene's bed, advancing towards Lily. Marlene followed, weapons poised and ready. As they approached, they heard a war cry from behind, and Mary Macdonald jumped out from behind her curtains, hitting both Verity and Marlene with a pillow each.
"Traitor!" Roared Verity, catching the missile before it fell and flinging it back.
A battle had begun. Marlene launched herself over Lily's bed as Verity ran for Mary. Giggles, squeals, thumps and shrieks hung thick in the air - the atmosphere was intoxicating. The cats watched in bewilderment as the girls destroyed their once neat and tidy room, leaving a path of bed linen and stuffed toys in their wake. After what felt like hours (but was, in reality, a matter of minutes,) the girls fell onto various beds, gasping for breath.
"You know what every good sleepover needs?" Wheezed Marlene, wiping her golden hair from her forehead.
"Snacks?" Asked Verity, propping herself up on her elbows.
"Snacks."
"Oh, good. I was hoping someone would suggest that."
"I've not got any food; I ate all mine on the train." Lily sounded quite disappointed.
"Yeah, same!"
"Well, it's lucky I know where the kitchens are, isn't it?" Said Verity nonchalantly, jamming her feet into her fluffy unicorn slippers.
Marlene's eyes gleamed, "does this mean…sneaking around? In the castle - after hours?"
"Do you want to come?"
"Yeah, obviously." She scoffed, pulling on her pink dressing gown. They both turned to look at Lily and Mary expectantly.
"I'm game if you guys are?" Shrugged Mary, yanking her polka dot blanket out of her trunk and slinging it over her shoulders.
As the voices of their roommates drifted up the stairs, Marlene whispered, "let's wait until everyone's asleep, yeah? We'll keep this our little secret."
It had taken hours for the other six girls to fall asleep. Lily had almost drifted off herself a few times, only to be jolted awake by pure, unadulterated anxiety. Her heart was pounding, and she was all sweaty - at one point, she was pretty sure she was hyperventilating. She wasn't what one would call a 'goody two-shoes', really. On the contrary, Lily was always getting into some kind of trouble with Sevvy around Cokeworth. However, this was different. She had dreamt about being a witch for so long - even before she knew that magic really existed - and here she was, about to possibly get herself expelled over a few sugary treats.
"I don't know about this, you guys," she muttered. "It's well after nine, isn't it?"
"Yeah, and?" Mary's voice whispered through the dark.
"Well, Mallory said –"
"Pshh. Mallory's only a prefect."
"Prefects report to teachers – we could get into trouble."
"I can assure you, Lils, they aren't sending you to Azkaban over a midnight feast." It was Verity who replied this time, her feet hitting the floor with two soft thuds.
"What's Azkaban?"
"Prison?"
Visibly ruffled, Lily bristled, "I know that – but - what about detention?"
"Ah, what's life without a little risk, eh?" Marlene snickered, slinging her arm over the shorter girl's shoulders.
"Well, it's definitely less stressful." Grumbled Lily as Verity led the girls onto the landing.
The stairwell was quiet. Or rather, it was before it was filled by a flurry of sharp whispers.
"This is a really bad idea, you guys."
"Oh, come on, Lils! Lighten up!" Tittered Mary, throwing her a mischievous grin.
"Your idea of fun, and my idea of trouble, seem to be worryingly similar." Hissed Lily, folding her arms over her new Gryffindor jumper. Her hair was scraped into a messy bun, accentuating her sulky expression. Behind the straight-laced façade, Verity could see a hint of excitement in her eyes – and that spark was more than enough to work with.
"Don't be a spoilsport - this is what boarding school's all about. We're basically living every kid's dream here."
"She's right, you know. Plus, it's our first night! We can't go to sleep; we've got to do something memorable."
"What if we get caught, though? I don't want my parents to find out."
Before Verity's foot hit the last step, she stopped – shushing the girls as she tip-toed lightly to the archway. She could hear voices.
"…will you shut up, Pettigrew, for Merlin's sake. If you don't want to come, you can go back to bed."
"He has a point, though, Sirius."
"Ahh, not you, too? I thought you were cool."
"It's the first night; the teachers are bound to be patrolling. Are you really that hungry?"
"I'm a growing boy, Remus - I'm always hungry."
"I'm with Black on this one." James' voice floated up the stairwell. "Plus, it's a good excuse to check out the castle some more."
"Surely we can do that during the daytime? When I told you about Narnia, I wasn't -"
"AHA!" Cried Verity, leaping out from behind the stone wall. "Caught in the act."
Four boys froze like wild animals in the headlights of an oncoming car - pale and stricken. Realising it was only Verity, James' shoulders dropped as he exhaled, the colour returning slowly to his cheeks. Verity stifled a giggle - his pyjamas were covered in British Blues, snoozing peacefully and emitting little puffs of smoke, and they matched the plush dragon claws on his feet. His hair was messier than usual as his lip curled into a light-hearted sneer.
"Oh, it's just you. Gonna snitch on us, are you?"
"As if. We're going on our own adventure - no boys allowed."
"I'm hurt - truly."
"Yeah, well - I don't think Lily would be pleased if I allowed you to tag along." Verity saw the girl's red hair catch the moonlight as she shook her head fervently.
"Oh, come on, Evans! What do I have to do to make it up to you?"
"You could stop being so horrid, for one." Ignoring his noise of protest, she continued in a louder voice. "You could also stop calling Sev' Snivellus'. It's so mean! What's he done to you?"
"Well, look – I can't promise either of those things 'long-term', but I can promise not to do them tonight. Deal?"
"It's not like I can make you go away, is it? I don't know any spells yet." She muttered, and Sirius let out a snicker.
"So, it's settled then. I hope your adventure involves the kitchens because I'm starving." Said James, ambling towards the portrait hole. Remus and Peter exchanged worried glances as Sirius swaggered past them.
"Too right. I'm so hungry I could eat a centaur – hooves' n' all."
With one last glance towards the safety of the dormitories, Lily let out an exasperated sigh and clambered through the opening. Verity offered Marlene a sneaky low-five, ushering their sceptical friend into the dark corridor.
When Verity stuck her head back through the hole, Remus looked torn. He dithered in the Common Room; bottom lip clamped firmly between his teeth. Eventually, he rolled his eyes and turned to Peter, "come on – we might as well. Plus, I bet there'll be something chocolatey."
Reluctantly, they both joined the group - which was rather significant - in the quiet of the corridor. Sirius looked around them all and grimaced, scratching the back of his neck.
"This looked a lot less…conspicuous before." He said, gesturing to the herd of first years in front of him.
"Well, we'd best get a wiggle on then - if we don't want to be caught."
Sirius spluttered, clearly amused. "A wiggle on?"
"Aye, Black. It means 'get a move on.'" Growled Verity, playfully shoving him down the dimly-lit hall.
The walk to the kitchens was much longer than Verity expected. This could have been, in part, due to James and Sirius' new favourite game. They would sneak off ahead, then jump out from behind a suit of armour. Or a statue. Or a particularly broad plinth. Lily nearly punched James in the face the first time, and it wasn't long before people stopped falling for it. After fifteen minutes or so of peace, however…
"RUH!"
With a squeal, Peter flailed backwards and knocked into the podium of a very unfortunate-looking warlock. Paracelsus, the alchemist, wavered as the group let out a collective gasp - then hit the ground with a deafening crack. Sirius barely had time to look smug before a lantern appeared at the far end of the hall. The shape of an older gentleman limped towards them, his voice hoarse.
"Who's there? Speak up!" It was the caretaker, Argus Filch.
"Ah, dung."
"RUN." Roared Verity, promptly turning on her heel and pegging it in the opposite direction.
The children sprinted down the corridor, skidding around the corner and careering off towards the stairs.
"Up or down?" Asked James as he slid to a stop, almost tripping over his own feet.
"Down, moron!" Yelled Lily, taking the stairs in her bunny slippers two at a time.
Looking slightly impressed, he barrelled after her, followed by the rest of the motley crew. Sirius glided side-saddle down the bannister in his silk nightclothes, and Verity followed, adrenaline pumping through her veins. Over her shoulder, she saw Remus belly-laughing, dragging poor Peter as fast as his legs would carry him. Mary brought up the rear, her polka dot cape flapping comically behind her.
They clattered down two flights and appeared in the entrance hall. Verity tackled James through a door to the left, and the group piled in after. Remus pulled it shut with a soft snap.
"Are we going the right way, or was this just a ploy to throw him off?" He asked in a low voice. His breathing was even, and he had barely broken a sweat. Verity envied him as her lungs squeezed painfully behind her rib cage.
"My mum says the kitchens are in the basement behind -"
"Behind the portrait of the pear - yeah, yeah, we know." Interrupted James, swanning past her towards the stairs.
"Your dad told you as well, then?"
"Of course. Who do you think told your mum?"
"Fair point."
As they proceeded down the narrow staircase, Verity fell into step with Remus.
"Feeling better, I see?" She said, nudging his arm.
He grinned, "Aye - maybe a bit."
"They're not so bad, you know? Once you get to know them." She motioned to Sirius and James, who were having a serious discussion with Marlene and Mary regarding what treats they might find in the kitchen.
Remus chuckled, his eyebrows raised as he ran a hand through his dark golden curls,
"I'll reserve judgment until we make it back in one piece."