"Boys," Lily scoffed under her breath, trudging into the crowded train. Voices echoed on all sides of her, chattering mindlessly about things and people she'd never heard of. Quite exhausted from a long day of traveling and searching, she sighed and sat down wearily, tossing her bags to her feet.
"What about them?" piped a curious voice to her left. Turning, Lily came face to face with a tall, wispy girl with glasses much too big for her framing a drawn and mysterious expression. "Usually disconnected from the spiritual world, I say. I personally think they've all been born under a particularly unfavourable star arrangement. Of course," she paused, grinning strangely, "that's just me. Speaking of me, my name is Sybil." She extended a thin hand, covered with about a dozen bracelets at the wrist. "Sybil Trelawney."
Lily shook the girl's cold hand and was about to speak, when Sybil violently interrupted her. "Don't," she warned, her eyes growing distant. Suddenly, she jerked Lily's hand, still poised in her grasp, and peered into it. "Ah," Sybil whispered, her voice flowing in and through Lily, making her feel strangely icy and frightened. "I can see, my red-haired acquaintance, all about you. I see your past, your present," she paused, eyes growing wide with something like terror. Her whispered tone grew even softer, and her voice pushed out the words eerily. "And your future, my dear. Am I right, in saying, my dear, that you are from a long line of wizards and witches, and that your name is?" She paused, thinking, searching Lily's hand for something specific. "Sarah?" Sybil guessed weakly, the sense of magic and mysteriousness gone from her tone and expression.
"My name is Lily Evans," she announced clearly, pulling her hand from Sybil's grasp. "No one in my family," Lily paused, not used to being so direct or matter-of-fact, "except myself, of course, has a bit of magic in them, Miss Trelawney. If you would be so kind not to assume - or rather, use your power," she added hastily, trying to be polite, "to divine such things about me, we might develop a better friendship." After this little speech was over, she breathed, more weary than she had ever been before.
"I see you're a bit more courageous than I'd predict," Sybil murmured, articulating the last word with a small flair. "Just wait!" She half-stood and twirled a little, grinning. "I'm sure you'll get Gryffindor. I see myself as more of a Ravenclaw, actually..." Her voice faded off, and once again Lily was confused at this talk of the wizarding world.
"Gryffindor?" Lily queried quietly, remembering the word from Mrs. Potter's lecture to her son. "Ravenclaw?" she asked hopelessly in the same tone, both of them seeming absolutely hogwash to her. "What in the world are you going on about, Sybil?"
"Houses," Sybil whispered, seeming almost awestruck at the word. Of course, as Lily was learning and would grow used to in the future, Sybil said nearly everything in that tone. "Four houses, where we all shall live and learn... All of them are very prestigious, of course, my mother has told me so. But I," she murmured, gesturing broadly to the empty space around her, "can tell such things, of course. There's Gryffindor, for the brave." Lily was astounded that anyone would think her brave, though she didn't doubt the outspoken James would have any trouble getting in.
"Then there's Ravenclaw, for those whose wit and intelligence surpasses all others." Sybil paused, and, grinning, drew her wispy figure up haughtily. "Hufflepuff is for those who are good friends through and through, and Slytherin is nearly the opposite." She sneered and pushed up her oversized glasses. "Though they are rather cunning," she admitted. Suddenly, with a deafening lurch, the Hogwarts Express began to move, and Lily had begun her journey to an entirely new life...
"What about them?" piped a curious voice to her left. Turning, Lily came face to face with a tall, wispy girl with glasses much too big for her framing a drawn and mysterious expression. "Usually disconnected from the spiritual world, I say. I personally think they've all been born under a particularly unfavourable star arrangement. Of course," she paused, grinning strangely, "that's just me. Speaking of me, my name is Sybil." She extended a thin hand, covered with about a dozen bracelets at the wrist. "Sybil Trelawney."
Lily shook the girl's cold hand and was about to speak, when Sybil violently interrupted her. "Don't," she warned, her eyes growing distant. Suddenly, she jerked Lily's hand, still poised in her grasp, and peered into it. "Ah," Sybil whispered, her voice flowing in and through Lily, making her feel strangely icy and frightened. "I can see, my red-haired acquaintance, all about you. I see your past, your present," she paused, eyes growing wide with something like terror. Her whispered tone grew even softer, and her voice pushed out the words eerily. "And your future, my dear. Am I right, in saying, my dear, that you are from a long line of wizards and witches, and that your name is?" She paused, thinking, searching Lily's hand for something specific. "Sarah?" Sybil guessed weakly, the sense of magic and mysteriousness gone from her tone and expression.
"My name is Lily Evans," she announced clearly, pulling her hand from Sybil's grasp. "No one in my family," Lily paused, not used to being so direct or matter-of-fact, "except myself, of course, has a bit of magic in them, Miss Trelawney. If you would be so kind not to assume - or rather, use your power," she added hastily, trying to be polite, "to divine such things about me, we might develop a better friendship." After this little speech was over, she breathed, more weary than she had ever been before.
"I see you're a bit more courageous than I'd predict," Sybil murmured, articulating the last word with a small flair. "Just wait!" She half-stood and twirled a little, grinning. "I'm sure you'll get Gryffindor. I see myself as more of a Ravenclaw, actually..." Her voice faded off, and once again Lily was confused at this talk of the wizarding world.
"Gryffindor?" Lily queried quietly, remembering the word from Mrs. Potter's lecture to her son. "Ravenclaw?" she asked hopelessly in the same tone, both of them seeming absolutely hogwash to her. "What in the world are you going on about, Sybil?"
"Houses," Sybil whispered, seeming almost awestruck at the word. Of course, as Lily was learning and would grow used to in the future, Sybil said nearly everything in that tone. "Four houses, where we all shall live and learn... All of them are very prestigious, of course, my mother has told me so. But I," she murmured, gesturing broadly to the empty space around her, "can tell such things, of course. There's Gryffindor, for the brave." Lily was astounded that anyone would think her brave, though she didn't doubt the outspoken James would have any trouble getting in.
"Then there's Ravenclaw, for those whose wit and intelligence surpasses all others." Sybil paused, and, grinning, drew her wispy figure up haughtily. "Hufflepuff is for those who are good friends through and through, and Slytherin is nearly the opposite." She sneered and pushed up her oversized glasses. "Though they are rather cunning," she admitted. Suddenly, with a deafening lurch, the Hogwarts Express began to move, and Lily had begun her journey to an entirely new life...