What's so great about James Potter?
Chapter two: So this is Hogwarts...
"Bye, Lily," her mother said and hugged her. "Take care. And remember to write!"
"Yes, mum."
"Hannah! We can't be late for work!" Frank called from the car.
"Bye!" A last hug, and Lily was left alone at King's Cross Station in London.
Now, all I have to do is find platform 9 ¾ ... Lily looked over at platform nine and ten. No platform 9 ¾. Just a ticket fence... Suddenly she saw some girls walking to the fence and... straight through it? Lily grinned. In Virginia they had had about the same thing, but there it had been a wall full of posters at the airport...She checked that no one was watching, and went thorugh the fence.
A steeming purple train met her when she came through to the other side. People were scurrying by, entering the train or saying good bye to family and friends. Lily dragged her trunk to the train to what looked like an empty compartment, and tried to lift her trunk. Not even an inch. She tried again. Nope.
"Can I help you?" a man with messy black hair and nutty brown eyes asked her.
"Yes, thank you," Lily said relieved. The man lifted her trunk up and went inside the compartment with it, heaving it up on the shelf over the seats. Lily noted three other trunks there, but said nothing about it.
"Thank you."
"No problem." The man smiled at her and went out again to what Lily assumed was his son. She looked at them.
"And if I get one more owl telling that you've been doing pranks again, I'll personally confiscate your broom," she heard the man tell his son. "Now get on the train, and try not to make too much mischief." He smiled and ruffled the boy's hair, which was already even messier than his father's.
"Right, dad," the boy grinned. "I'll try not to get caught...OOF!" He was run down by a hyperactive boy, also with black hair. "Hi, Sirius! What've you..."
Lily sat down in her seat and started reading a book.
***
"Can we sit here?" It was that boy with messy hair and glasses. Two other boys stood behind him – Lily recognised the one called Sirius.The other had sandy brown hair and kind, blue eyes. All the boys fought hard not to laugh. Lily wondered why.
"Sure," she said and turned towards her book again. The boys sat down at the opposite table. After a few minutes, another boy burst into the compartment. This one had greasy black hair which was slicked back. Black? No, the hair had started to turn pink...
The three boys at the other table burst out laughing. Sirius was pounding his fist on the table. The sandy haired boy rolled around the floor, clutching his stomach. The boy with the messy hair howled with laughter, even as he said:
"Good day, Snape. What brings you here?"
"YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY HAIR?!?!" the pink haired boy shouted, shaking with fury.
"Now, easy, Snape. We couldn't have done it. We've been in this compartment all the time, haven't we, er...?"
"Evans," Lily supplied. They are so childish, she thought.
"Right. Evans. Isn't it true we've been in this compartment on the hole trip?" the boy with the messy hair asked.
"Sure they have," Lily said with a perfectly straight face. She didn't actually like these guys, but she didn't hate them...and that greasy pink haired guy absolutely rubbed her the wrong way.
"You see, Snape?"
Snape narrowed his eyes. "You won't get away with this, Potter." And then he turned on his heel and leaved the boys howling with laughter again.
After a while, the boy with sandy brown hair asked:
"What's your name? Besides Evans, I mean."
"Lily," Lily said.
"Mine's Remus. The maniac is Sirius, and he who never has touched a brush is James." Remus ducked under James who had jumped at him, and continued. "Are you new? I haven't seen you before."
"Transfer from the US," Lily said. "I'm in the fifth year."
"Cool! We're in the fifth year too."
"Oh." Lily hoped she didn't have to have so many classes with them, although Remus seemed rather nice. The other two, though...
"Don't be nervous about the Sorting," Sirius said. "You usually only end up with a broken leg."
"Save your breath," Lily said calmly. "I know we just have to try a wizard hat."
"But...how did you..." Sirius looked baffled. Lily held up the book she was reading so that they could see the title.
"Hogwarts: A History," Sirius read. "That's not fair."
Lily hid her grin behind the book.
***
The train stopped. "You may leave the train now," a woman's voice said. "The luggage will be taken care of. Thank you."
A young woman in black robes came into their compartment.
"Miss Evans? If you could follow me, please," she said and motioned to Lily. Lily followed her out and into a horseless carriage. The carriage suddenly jerked forward.
"My name is professor McGonnagal," the woman said. Lily guessed that she was about ten years older than her. She looked rather strict, with her spectacles and brown hair in a tight bun. "I'm the Transfiguration teacher and also Head of the Gryffindor house," McGonnagal continued. Isn't she a bit young? Lily wondered. "You will be Sorted after the first years, but you can wait in another chamber." Lily followed her out of the carriage through a big portal, down a corridor and into a chamber.
"Wait here until I call on you. Do you want to look at the first years' Sorting?"
"Umm, sure," Lily said.
"Wait here, then."
"Okay," Lily said as McGonnagal shut the door. Lily looked around the room. There was some interesting carpets hanging on the walls. They obviously showed Hogwarts' history. Lily went over to the carpet she guessed was the first (it had four people on it: two men and two women) and started to study it.
"Miss Evans! Time to go," McGonnagal called from the door. Lily regretted that she had said that she wanted to see the first years' Sorting because the carpets were so interesting (they fit perfectly in with what she had read in Hogwarts: A History), but she soon forgot it as she went into the Great Hall.
There were five long tables in the room: Four for the Houses and one for the teachers. Behind each House table there was a banner with the maskot of the House: A lion for Gryffindor, a snake for Slytherin, an eagle for Ravenclaw and a badger for Hufflepuff. The banners were in the colours of the Houses. Lily looked expectingly up at the ceiling: yep, there she could see the cloudless sky outside. Amazing, she thought, and turned her attention down to the Hall itself again. All around the House tables sat students, staring impatiently at the line of first years who huddled together at one corner of the Hall. McGonnagal went into a room and came out again carrying a chair and a tattered wizard hat. Now the students looked expectedly at the hat instead. A rip in the hat opened, and it began to sing. Lily was too amazed at first of the hat singing at all, but after a few seconds she realised it sang about the different Houses. It stopped, and the Hall exploded in applause. McGonnagal had to clear her throath quite a few times before the Hall went quiet again.
"When I call your name, you go up and put the Sorting Hat on," she said. "Abrelin, Mary." A tiny girl nervously went up to the chair and put the Hat on. After about ten seconds, the Hat shouted:
"RAVENCLAW!" The table with the eagle banner cheered loudly. Then a boy went to "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Lily didn't exactly pay attention. She was starting to get nervous, and stopped herself from chewing her nails about twenty times. One thing is certain: I'm NOT going to Slytherin. Rather not go to school than go to Slytherin. Those people look nasty.
Suddenly, the first years were done. McGonnagal cleared her throat again.
"This year, we have a transfer student. She's in the fifth year. Miss Evans, if you would try the Hat, please."
Lily went over to the chair on wobbling legs, sat down and put the Hat on.
'Hmmm. Lot of potential here,' a voice in her head said. She realised it was the Hat. 'Now, where should I put you?' the Hat wondered. 'You have a lot of loyalty, but I don't think you would fit in Hufflepuff...No, not Slytherin. If you're so clear on that part, I won't force you. Although you would raise there...Okay, okay! You don't have to shout. Not Slytherin. Now where should I put you then? Hmmm, you are wise, that's for sure... Ravenclaw then? No, you have a brave heart too...hmm. You're a tough one. Hm? What's this? Verrrrrry interesting...you have a future in GRYFFINDOR, my little lady.'
Lily heard the Hat shout out that last 'Gryffindor', and took it off. She went over to the table draped in scarlet and gold, and sat down on a free seat, almost oblivious to the cheering around her.
"I only have two words to say," Dumbledore, the Headmaster, said. "And they are: Tuck in!"
Food appeared on the table, and Lily felt suddenly ravenous. She grabbed some fried chicken and chips, and started to eat.
"Hungry, are you?" the person beside her said amused. Lily turned to reply, and saw the 'Maniac boy' – Stop calling him that, his name is Sirius, she chided herself – grinning at her.
"Uh, yeah," was all she could think of saying. Oh, no. If that...kid... is in this House, then... The 'Boy With Messy Hair And Glasses' waved from beside Sirius. Oh, damn. Why did I have to be stuck with them? All right, all right, they probably are nice. It's probably just a facade.
"Don't mind them," Remus said from her other side. "That's just the way they are."
Lily screamed mentally.
A/N: So, what do you think? You know the deal: Write in the little box under here, and I write more on the story. No flames, please. Constructive criticism is welcome. If you have to criticise, you have to tell me why. Not just 'I don't like this' and 'Lily is from England'. If you had read the first A/N (see last chapter), you wouldn't need to write that. (At least the 'Lily is from England' part.)