A/N: Thank for all the wonderful reviews! I hope that I get a bunch for this chapter too. Okay, I'll shut up now.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Most of the characters belong to J. K. Rowling, but I own the plot and a few of the characters, like Lily's friends.

*

It was chaos. Everyone seemed to be trying to go everywhere at the same time. Suddenly, a voice broke through all the commotion, making Lily jump.

"Firs' years, come on over he' y'all! This way, all ye firs' years, foller me!" boomed the voice.

"Come on, Lils, what are you waiting for?" Suzanne called back to her. They seemed unfazed about the sudden shout.

"Yeah, hold on, I'm coming. What about our trunks, though?" asked Lily, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"Don't worry about them now; they'll be taken up to the school separately. Now come on or we won't make it to the castle with rest of the first years," said Suzanne anxiously. This was not the time to worry about trivial things. There were things more important at stake. What might people say if we turn up late at the feast. Now that would be embarrassing. Suzanne thought to herself.

"Oh, alright, I'm coming," said Lily, and heard someone else say the same thing at the same time. Turning her head, she saw that it was none other than James Potter. Apparently, he was lagging behind also. Great… just what I need: to be left behind with James Potter. She thought miserably. But she smiled nonetheless, and followed Suzanne to where the others were already waiting. They were in a group of other first years and a man.

However, this was no ordinary man; this man was, well, gigantic. If Lily hadn't read in one of her textbooks that giants had fled to the mountains of Russia, she would have thought that she was seeing one for the first time. His hands were the size of trashcan lids, and his shoes were about as big as her trunk.

"Come on, hurry it up over there," called the man to some others. Lily was pleased to see that it was the 'famous' James and his gang who had turned up late.

"Is that ev'ryone? Okay then, all o' ye got to foller me. I'm a-gonna take ye to the castle, for the feast. Come on then, foller me y'all," he said. "Oh, and my name's Hagrid," he added, as he led them through a winding path.

"Where are we going?" said a girl with blonde hair. Looking at her, James thought that she was pretty, but when she spied him she wrinkled up her nose, making her look like a bulldog, what with all the wrinkles that had appeared on her face. He turned around quickly. What was happening to all the girls he met that day?

"We're going to the castle, like I told y'all. It's Hogwarts tradition for the firs' years to go there by boat, through the secret entrance. Ev'ryone else goes the normal way, by carriage," said Hagrid. They walked for a bit more until they came upon a large, still lake. Lily couldn't believe her eyes, and her mouth was wide open with surprise. She had never seen anything so beautiful, nor so peaceful. She hated the thought of riding a boat on it; she didn't want to ruin the tranquility of the still lake. Yet, she had to get to the castle, for she was starting to feel slightly hungry. Cakes and jellybeans don't make a very filling lunch.

"Alright, y'all, now get into the boats. It's only ten per boat, mind ye," he said.

"Come on, Pooja, let's get a boat of our own, if we can," called out Sammy happily. They went to the farthest of the boats and sat down at the very back. Unfortunately, Lily was the last of them to get in, so she was forced to sit in front of them. To make matters worse, she was followed in by James Potter, who sat next to her.

"Hi, Lils… mind if I sit here?" he said, trying to be friendly.

"Not at all, I don't even mind if you call me by the nickname that only my friends use, after all, a friend is a friend," she muttered sarcastically to herself. But James heard her anyway.

"Gee, I didn't think we were friends yet," he said back, a grin on his face. Things weren't working out as Lily had thought they would. Behind her, her real friends were giggling. But, Lily didn't pay attention to them, for Sirius, Remus, and Peter had come to find their friend. Grinning at him, they sat at the front of the boat instead of with him. Thank god… for a minute I thought they'd sit next to Potter. At least he might go near them now. Lily thought to herself. But he didn't get up. Instead, she ended up flying out into the lake.

Sirius had decided to jump in rather than get in normally, and the rocking back and forth of the boat that he had caused forced Lily to fly out into the water. Fortunately, the water was not shallow so she didn't get hurt. But she was still surprised.

"HELP, someone help me! I can't swim that well! Someone, please help me!" she shouted. She was a foot from the boat, but, like she said, she wasn't the best swimmer in the world, and for that reason all she was able to do was splash around trying to stay above the water for as long as possible. Soon enough, she felt a strong hold on her arm that yanked her upwards and into the boat. The force of the pull caused her to bump into her rescuer, and instead of backing off, she clutched them tightly.

"Um, Lily, do you mind if you… let go now?" James said unsurely. Looking up in horror, she saw that her rescuer was James Potter.

"Get away from me, Potter!" she snapped. She knew that she was the one that had been holding onto him, but all the same, she wasn't cherishing the moment. She knew that sooner or later, hopefully later, she would have to acknowledge the fact that he had saved her, but now wasn't the time.

"Jeez sorry, Lily, I didn't know you could be so feisty. You were the one who was clinging on to me," said James defensively. But his voice betrayed the fact that he had, no matter how slightly, enjoyed it.

"Forget it…," said Lily. She didn't want to argue. She was too hungry for that, not to mention cold. She shivered unconsciously.

"Are you cold?" James asked. "I could give you my cloak if you want."

There he is again. He's acting like my big brother once more. Can't he tell that one older sibling is enough? Out loud, Lily said, "No thanks, Potter, I enjoy shivering from the bitter cold."

"Hey, James, why don't you sit up here with us?" called Sirius. It appeared to Lily that he had only said that to wink at James, for as soon as he had turned around, he had done just that.

"Al- no, it's too late now," James, replied, for two girls who had not been able to sit in any of the other boats had sat down in the few seats in between.

"Hi, Jamesie, what're you doing?" asked one of the girls as she turned around in her seat.

"Oh, just having some fun with my 'good friend' Lily," he replied, nudging Lily playfully. Lily couldn't help but smile, not at James, but at the reaction of the girl. She had almost immediately stuck her nose in the air and turned back around with a small 'humph' of disapproval. James certainly knew how to get rid of annoying people. Just as he got rid of you too, she reminded herself.

"Is ev'ryone in? Then let's go… forward!" yelled Hagrid. He had a boat to himself. Lily had barely enough time to wonder how they were going to row, when the boats started to move on their own. Lily sighed inwardly. She wasn't prepared to make a fool of herself trying to row in front of James. Sighing again, this time out loud, she sat back and watched the surrounding scenery, on her way to the castle.

*

"I can't believe you're making me do this," James whispered in Remus' ear. (A/N: I just realized that Peter is the only one of the Marauders whose name doesn't end in s… isn't that weird?)

"Calm down, James. The way you were talking to her on the boat, it was like you really did like her!" Remus laughed softly.

"If Sirius hadn't thrown in ten galleons as a bet that I couldn't do this, I wouldn't!" James said, loud enough to be getting awkward stares from some of the other students.

They had walked into the castle, following Hagrid, and had been led to a small room off of the Great Hall, which they could see through the giant double doors that were standing there. Here, they had talked with the stiff lady who had sent them their letters, Professor Orenstein. They later found out that she was the teacher for Care of Magical Creatures. She had told them that they were to be 'sorted' into Houses as soon as they were summoned.

"Come now, children. It is time for the Sorting to begin," she called in a minute. The first years gulped nervously and followed her.

They walked into a room so large, that Lily was sure that her whole house would fit comfortably inside it. Looking up, she saw billions of shining white dotting the velvety blue ceiling.

"The enchanted ceiling…," she murmured to herself.

"What?" Pooja asked.

"The ceiling, it's enchanted to look like the sky outside," Lily replied.

The girls and boys followed obediently until they reached the front of the room where the teachers' table was. Then, they turned around to face the rest of the school. There were four long tables, one for each of the Houses, just as the Professor had told them. She looked to the table on one end, above which a large red flag with gold lining and a lion was hanging. That must be the Gryffindor table. And that's the one for Ravenclaw, and then Hufflepuff. And that, that must be Slytherin, Lily thought. She knew the house flags from her book.

Everyone was staring at the hat, and in a minute, it became clear why. A tear near the brim burst open wide and it started to sing, much to the surprise of many first years. Lily smiled when she saw that James was just as surprised as she was.

"When I call your name, please step forward, sit on this stool, and put the hat on," called Professor Orenstein from her place. She was holding a long scroll of parchment.

"Adieus, Robert!"

Robert Adieus stepped forward and tried on the hat. It seemed to Lily that he had to sit on the stool for an extremely long time before the hat called out that he was a Ravenclaw.

"Black, Sirius!"

Sirius went reluctantly up the hat, his skin pale. He smiled weakly when he saw the wink he got from James, but that didn't stop him from knocking over the stool when he tried and sit on it. The whole school burst into laughter, and Sirius, being the good sport he was, laughed too. But Lily saw the pained look in his eyes when he finally sat the right way. But he cheered up tremendously when the hat pronounced him to be the first Gryffindor.

"Oh no, I wanted to be in Gryffindor! Now I'll be stuck with him!" exclaimed Sammy. The other three told her to calm down. A few more boys and girls went – some of them Hufflepuffs, other Gryffindors, a few Ravenclaws, and a couple Slytherins – and then Lily's name was called.

"Evans, Liliane!" called the professor. Lily, who wasn't used to being called Liliane, stood puzzled, until her friends told her that it was her turn. She glared at the professor, but went to the stool and put on the hat. It went down over her eyes, so that she was staring at the inside of the hat.

Well, well, well, he's a clever mind. But you're certainly one who likes to stand up for herself. Now, what am I going to do with you? I'm sure Ravenclaw would suit you well, but what to do with all that courage? Hufflepuff would also do nicely and Slytherin would help you to get known… Ah, Gryffindor would be just perfect, wouldn't it?

Lily looked around her, trying to see where the voice was coming from. It occurred to her that it was none other than the hat talking. Apparently, it could read her mind, for as soon as she said she thought to herself that she wanted to be in Gryffindor, it shouted it out loud to the rest of the school. Lily got up amid gales of laughter and screaming, and went off to join the Gryffindor table. Soon, it was Pooja's turn.

"Kamala, Pooja!" she shouted.

"Please let her be in Gryffindor. Please let her be in Gryffindor. Please let her be in Gryffindor," Lily chanted over and over again. Across from her, Sirius said, "What in the devil's name are you doing?"

"What, do you think I want to be stuck with you for the whole year?" asked Lily sardonically.

Sirius rolled his eyes and went back to watching. Luckily, Pooja was also a Gryffindor. A few more girls and boys came, including Remus and Peter, who had also been pronounced as Gryffindors, and then it was James' turn.

"Please don't let him be a Gryffindor. Please don't let him be a Gryffindor. Please don't let him be a Gryffindor."

"Quit it with the chanting, already!" Sirius begged her. "You're driving me nuts!"

This time, however, Lily's chanting didn't help her.

Oh my, I don't think I've ever seen such a brave brain before. And you certainly are smart, and mischievous too, yes you are! Ravenclaw would be too childish for you; I think you should be in GRYFFINDOR! The hat said the last word out to the whole school. Grinning happily, James went and joined Sirius, Lily, Remus, and Pooja at the Gryffindor table. Finally, Professor Orenstein reached the R's.

"Come on Sammy! You've got to be with us, you've just got to!" Lily had taken to cheering instead of chanting. She had decided that using the same thing twice was unlucky, as James had ended up in the same House.

"You certainly are really excited," James whispered in her ear. She ignored him as though she couldn't hear, but she couldn't help realizing that he was sitting next to her again, and that his face was still really close. Lily, this is James Potter we're talking about... you can't start thinking like this. Get a hold of yourself.

"Rogers, Samantha!"

Sammy walked forward, smiling at Lily and Pooja, who gave her two thumbs-up signs.

"Please, oh please, oh please let me be with Pooja and Lily, or at least with Suzanne!" Sammy muttered.

Sure enough, she was pronounced a Gryffindor. A look of relief spread over her face. As she went to join her friends, she said, "Oh well, I guess being in Gryffindor comes with a price," while looking at the four boys.

Within another minute, Suzanne, who was the last on the list since her name started with a 'u', had been sorted into Gryffindor as well and the stool, hat, and parchment had been cleared away. The man at the very middle of the teachers' table stood up, and Lily saw that his silver hair and beard reached the floor, and that his eyes twinkled like the stars that sparkled on the ceiling.

"Now, I understand that you all must be hungry, but I must fill in some all of you on a few new things that are happening. I must reinforce the rule that students are not to wander into or near the Forbidden Forest. I also want to mention that our old caretaker has left in order to spend more time with his… family, and therefore, I am happy to introduce Mr. Argus Filch to take over his job," said the headmaster. He clapped loudly, along with the rest of the teachers, but very few students accompanied them. The first years were too shy to do anything, and it seemed as though the old caretaker didn't have a very good reputation if the new one hadn't been given a warm welcome.

"So, without further ado, please eat and be merry!" he said.

"Is he the headmaster?" asked Lily.

"Yep, that's Dumbledore," James replied jovially.

"Dumbledore, huh… what kind of a name is that?" Lily asked.

"Albus Dumbledore is one of the best headmasters this school has ever had. Believe me. His personality and his name are two entirely different things, and that's the case with most situations. You're just an exception," James said, smiling at her.

"So you hate my name too?" Lily asked.

"No… I love it," he said, this time grinning, which caused Suzanne to start choking on her pumpkin juice, and Sirius to wink at him again. Lily just sat puzzled, and decided that it must be some sort of a dare. Boys always have stupid dares. I bet Sirius dared him to pretend to like me so much, that I'll start liking him back. Yuck, just the thought of such a thing makes me feel sick. Shaking her head, she went back to picking at the vegetables on her plate.

*

"Sirius, I swear, if you make me keep up this jig for more than a week, I am going to kill you. No, I'll do something worse... I'll tell Evans that you like her. How's that for a fair trade?" James said, as the four boys got ready for bed.

"A week should be all that's necessary. We're just pranking her, that's all. We're not trying to get her to fall in love with you, though we might be able to if you keep up the 'I love your name which means I – " Sirius started, but stopped when a feather pillow came flying out of nowhere and hit him on the back of the head.

"Shut up, Sirius!" yelled James. Sirius threw the pillow back, which caused them all to start a pillow fight.

"Shut it, you three. I said stop it!" Peter yelled. He was lying in bed, wearing a set of blue pajamas with teddies on them.

"I like your pajamas, Peter," Remus said grinning.

"Thanks, I like yours too," Peter, replied, not sensing the sarcasm. His statement made the other three boys laugh out loud, because all Remus was wearing were a pair of boxers.

"What's so funny?" he asked confused.

"Forget it, Peter. James and Sirius just don't like my pajamas as much as you do," Remus said, which made the two boys laugh even harder.

"Can we just go to sleep, now?" Peter asked hopefully.

"Yeah, sure, Peter, whatever you say," Sirius replied. The three boys got into bed reluctantly, but nevertheless, it was only a minute before they were all asleep.

*

"Potter was not trying to hit on me!" Lily said defensively.

"He wasn't? I guess I made a terrible mistake," Suzanne said sarcastically. "Oh come on, get real, Lils! Why else would he sit next to you twice in a row and talk to you more than to Sirius and Remus? It makes perfect sense, Lily!"

"Why would he do such a thing? He absolutely hates me! Why else would he have yelled at me like that on the train?" Lily said. But both Sammy and Suzanne noticed that she didn't meet their eyes when she said this, and Lily knew that they had done so. She was as puzzled as her friends were, but she didn't want to admit it. Trying to change the subject, she brought up something else.

"Does anyone else feel as though they deserve to be paid back for that…lecture?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, I guess they do. But don't change the subject, Lily!" said Pooja.

"Just forget about it for a minute. What do you have in mind?" said Sammy.

"I don't –" she started, but Suzanne interrupted her.

"You could pretend to like him back! Then he would ask you out, but you'll play hard to get. Finally, you'll say yes, and then you can dump him! It would work because he already likes you!" she said, proud of her ingenious idea.

"No, that would be torture!" groaned Lily.

"Should we tell him you like him for real?" threatened Pooja. She seemed to agree with whatever Suzanne said.

"That would be murder!" Lily yelled.

"Then will you do it?" asked Sammy.

"Oh, alright, I'll do the stupid dare. Though I'm sure I'm right and this is just some stupid game they're playing. There's no way Potter would like me." All the same, Lily couldn't help hoping that her friends were right, no matter how much she disagreed, and how much she didn't want to believe it. She went to bed, trying to prepare herself mentally for what she had to do. Little did she know that she would be giving him a taste of his own medicine…

*

A/N: Hope you all like it! Please review as soon as possible!