Lily's first month at Hogwarts came and went, the her second as well

Lily's first month at Hogwarts came and went, then her second as well. Lessons became rather interesting, with the exception of History of Magic, in which Lily found a peaceful environment where she could make up for the hours of sleep lost prowling Hogwarts with her friends. It was in one such lesson that Lily and her friends came up with the most brilliant idea they had ever thought of.

"A what?" Pettigrew asked, leaning very far back in his chair to hear what Lily, Potter and Remus were all trying to explain at once.

"A map. Of Hogwarts. With everything marked on it!" Potter told him, excited past making very much sense.

"How would we do that? It's impossible!" Pettigrew said "You can't map Hogwarts."

"No, you can't plot Hogwarts. There's a difference. If you plot Hogwarts, your giving away it's location. We're not doing that. We're mapping the inside, and Hogsmeade, and the forest, but not the way to get to Hogwarts from any of those places." Lily explained to him, nearly tipping over as well because her chair was bent so far backward.

"Oh." Pettigrew said and then again "Oh" with more understanding.

"Great. Now listen, there's no actual spell for this, you know. It's going to involve making up spells, which is fairly easy to do, you just change some words. I think. Well, we could try it. I mean, the worst we could end up as is…dead." Sirius said, scribbling things down on a piece of parchment.

"Wow! Sirius, what a great idea!" Pettigrew exclaimed, causing Lily to humph.

"Sirius and Lily" she reminded him, wanting her fair share of the praise. Pettigrew stayed silent. Lily, getting angry, gave him the teeniest shove, and his chair tipped all the way over, sending him flying under James and Sirius' table. Lily put her chair into it's normal position, and began to doodle on a piece of spare parchment for the rest of the lesson.

It was not until dinner that Lily noticed the four boys hadn't spoken to her. She was sitting down in their usual spot, but when they entered, they took seats at the opposite end of the table. Lily frowned, but her pride wouldn't let her get up and ask them what was wrong. Finally, after what seemed like forever , the meal ended, and Lily caught up to them as they filed out of the hall with a cheerful "Hi Guys." No one replied. Lily, flustered and angry at this sudden silence from her friends, tore through them, tears pricking at her eyes.

"Aren't we being a little harsh on Lily?" Sirius asked, watching the girls retreating back.

"No. She called Peter an idiot mudblood and a squib." Potter reminded him "That's what you said, wasn't it Peter?"

"Yes." Pettigrew squeaked, although there was a hint of guilt in his voice.

"Well then, she's no friend of ours." Potter concluded, frowning in the direction Lily had left in. Sirius nodded, although he had this nagging little feeling…..

Lily was crying. She wasn't doing so out of hurt as much as anger. How dare they be so mean to her! She didn't deserve to be treated so cruelly! She didn't even know what she had done to them.

"Why Lily Evans…what are you crying for?" the voice was female, and kindly. Lily lifted a tear stained face, and looked at the girl who had entered the dorm. She was short and pudgy, with pretty gray eyes and curly brown hair. Lily recalled her name was Phyra, and that she had, upon waking up on the morning of their second day at Hogwarts, plastered the wall beside her bed with posters of James Bond.

"I am not crying." Lily told her, wiping red eyes on her sleeve.

"Well, it sure seems to me that you are. What is the matter?" Phyra insisted, sitting at the foot of Lily's bed.

"I really don't think I have to tell you" Lily told her, not wanting to confide what she did not know herself to her roommate.

"All right Lily Evans…you cry here….but if you ever want to tell me instead of mouthing off…come find me." Phyra said, and got up from Lily's bed. Lily felt like throwing her alarm clock at Phyra's head, but restrained herself. It wouldn't help matters much.

Furious with herself for crying, Lily crawled under her bed, and, taking out a quill, began to write on the wood which supported the mattress. There were past scribbles on it, most of which had been written by other students "Phyllis and George forever" "Slytherin sucks" "I love J Erikson" but, towards the head of the bed, someone had scrawled a poem. Lily looked at it, but could not make it out in the dim light. She light up her wand, and held it up to the scarred oak.

When the midnight clock strikes

The hour of Witching holds tender frights

Dreams and prophecies run amuck

At the watchful stroke of the old oak clock

Once

A thousand years ago

When Hogwarts was still young

Gryffindor felt his last breath

And his last spell begun

Recorded nowhere but this board

The truth will come ere long

Once you, my reader

Have found the key

To what Gryffindor has done

Look under

There was no more to the poem, and Lily wondered whether the poet had been interrupted while they were writing it. Reaching up a hand to touch the writing, Lily found that the board moved slightly. After poking it several times, she found what seemed to be a piece that did not correctly fit into the rest of the board. Lily put her fingers under it, to pry it open, but withdrew almost instantly as she felt something sharp slice into her flesh.

"Ouch!" she hissed, flipping onto her stomach to examine the fine, precise cuts on her fingers. Almost as if a razor had been lodged in the boards. Lily snorted in disgust, her curiosity gone for the time being as she crawled from beneath the bed, and dripped her way over to the bathroom. She ran water in the sink, and let it clean out the cuts. Then she pulled out some toilet paper, wound it around her fingers, and hurried to the infirmary to get a bandage.

A/N Most of that was pointless. Part of it wasn't, because it's the start of the ending. J sorry it took me so long to update…..

And the poem is weird, but c'est la vie…..review, please….

UnforgivenChild: I read something in TV Guide that said Buffy would be back next season….geesh, I hope it's actually Buffy, and not Dawn. I don't really like Dawn. Have you updated your story yet? I 'll have to check it out to see if you have!

am amritaran@hotmail.com: You've only met one author who ever continued with an unfinished fic? Really? Wow. I know tons of authors with great fics, still being written and updated!

Thanks:

StarChildHlermione86

trina-k

am amritaran@hotmail.com (who also reviewed one and two, but wasn't mentioned)

Lilli Lupin

Eliz Black

UnforgivenChild

For reviewing my story

Expect the nest chapter in the next two days, and I am REALLY sorry for the delay!