Chapter II // The Thinking Cap

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Authors note: Second chapter, the plot has not really begun but I'm using the technic
most authors love right now, I building up the story from base (even though most who
will read this story already know the base things of Hogwarts and the Wizarding world.)
The main plot thing is coming along just fine, wait and see. And don't laugh at the
Sorting hat song, it took me ages to make the rhymes (and halting rhymes). A new oc has
come to life here - Trent! All his (an the other oc's) guts belongs to me - the rest is J.K.
Rowlings (but I would gladly take them if she offered them to me...)

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Professor McGonagall were standing at the top of the stairs that led to the Great Hall;
she did that every year - it was her job to tell the first years about the sorting and
lead them into the hall.

All the older students were already there, sitting around the school house tables
chatting in groups about how their summer had been. James, Sirius and Remus had reunited
with their friend Peter who they hadn't see on the train. Lily were sitting on the same
table - the Gryffindor - but at the other end of the table, further away from the staff-
table. Linda Verus, Lily's best friend, and Caroline Nimmy, their room mate, were sitting
together. It was mostly Linda and Caroline who chatted about boys and all the aspects of
a great male body.

All she wanted were for the doors to open, to make all the chattering people stop. Lily
were tired of talk. Almost the whole train ride she had heard Linda talk to Lucius Malfoy
and Thomas Jacobs from Slytherin. She had left their compartment and seated herself with
the "infamous" Marauders talking about the Sorting hat song. She didn't enjoy the song
to much but it was better than to listen to how cute Steven Johnson's butt were.

James looked over at Lily, she was looking bored again, he could only guess what was
going on over there.

'And then we noticed that Lily was there'

'Which was a complete surprise - don't you agree James?' Sirius looked worried at James
//he *IS* in love// 'Hey stop languish for the Flower, we're talking to you!' he said
smiling playfully and pushed James' elbow of the table.

'Sorry, I was just... eh..' he saw the look both Remus and Sirius gave him - even Peter
did so 'Never mind...'

The doors opened and Professor Minerva McGonagall entered with a groups of first year
students. They tried to force their eyes to stay focused on the staff table, but it
wasn't easy. Because the roof of the Great Hall in Hogwarts is enchanted, it looks
exactly like the sky outside. One of the Ravenclaw girls James once dated had told him
that it was written in the book "Hogwarts: A History". The sky were deep lilac and
orange-pink, they sun were on it's way down. The hall were lit with hundreds and hundreds
of living candles floating still in the air above their heads. It wasn't hard to
understand that the first years couldn't stay focused.

The Professor stepped up one stair to the podium on which the staff-table were located
and turned around facing the new students. The old dusty hat on the chair next to her
started to sing, a rip near the brim opened like a mouth:

I am the cap that think quite well
Not that any of my records would sell
Old Masters Gryffindor and Slytherin
Men that now not moves as much as a fin
And old Mistress' Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff
Can tell that I never been a bluff
So into a house I will say which one
I will read your thoughts, that will be fun
If your heart is brave and you mind is strong
To Gryffindor I send you within this song
If your unafraid of toil, never leave your word
It is to Hufflepuff you will fly little bird
A mind ready for learning is in your head
To the Ravenclaw house you will be lead
But you might be determined and I won't contradict
And then to Slytherin you will be picked
So down on your head I will go,
Where to put you I'll tell you so
I think like no other cap
I am the thinking hat

The young students were delighted with all the magic - until they understood what this
meant - the older ones almost turned over with laughter. McGonagall opened the scroll she
had been handed by Headmaster Dumbledore after the song finished.

'When I have read your name you will come up here and I will put the sorting hat upon
your head - then you will be sorted into your houses.' the professor said and lifted
the hat by the top. 'Adams, Gillian'

A small boy stepped up, he looked scared. After only a few minuted the hat was finished
thinking - 'HUFFLEPUFF!' it shouted. There were a loud applause from the Hufflepuff table.

'Bent, Sarah'

'RAVENCLAW!'

'Bent, Sandra'

'RAVENCLAW!'

'Dawson, Jules'

'GRYFFINDOR!'

A lot of clapping followed all the sorting, this was the way it went on until all the
students were sorted in. The last of the first years, Rodric Zorian became a Slytherin.
When the sorting were finished the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore rose from his seat.

'A new year at Hogwarts has now begun! The banquet will begin soon, I have just a few
words to say: Ubelle! Dubbely! Krus!' The older students started to cheer and clap their
hands as did the new ones. Some would say that Albus was a bit mad, but most agreed - the
students and professors - first of all, that he was a genius.

The dishes and plates in front of them were full of food, all kinds of food. The first
years went 'Oooo!' and their eyes became as big as dining plates at the very sight of all
the food which magically had appeared in front of them.

***

'The Song was lame this year' Remus said 'not as witty as last one - even worse that the
year before last...'

'Will you shut up already?' Sirius looked annoyed at Remus 'No one really cares of that
song...'

'I pity it, the cap,' said Peter 'think of what a boring existence it must be - thinking
out a new song about the same thing ever year... And then sing it to everybody who makes
fun out of it...'

'But you must agree that the part of Hufflepuffs being birds was quite fun' James said
looking at Peter who just sighed and shook his head.

'Yeah, it was... but only a little. I'm happy I'm not a "thinking cap"' they all burst
out in laughter - even Pettigrew himself. It was probably the mental image of Peter as
a pointy hat on the head of some old silver haired and bearded wizard that made Sirius
laugh even harder that he intended to from the beginning. Because after a while he were
the only one still laughing - and so hysterically that he fell off the bench - almost
all eyes in the hall were on him.

***

Lily were looking at Sirius who just stopped laughing. He was lying on the ground, face
was red - probably from all the laughing. She saw that specific twitch in the corner of
all the marauders mouths that meant that they could burst out laughing any minute. She
wondered what had been so fun that it had made Sirius fall off the bench. But a fast
glance over at her best friends Linda and Caroline faces told her that it would be a bad
idea going over there and ask. Her friends never really liked the four boys that were
called 'the Marauders'. Probably because both of them had been the subject of their pranks
and both had probably had three of the four guys as subjects for crushes. Lily herself had
never been in love with any of them and she had never felt that they hurt her with their
pranks. She actually thought that they were a bunch of fun and nice people.

As said before most of the Hogwarts students - and Professors for that matter - didn't
like the four boys. It was they who caused the most trouble and mischief around the
castle. Last term they had poured soap on the floor in the Great Hall just before the
Halloween feast, three students and one grown up - this being the caretaker Mr. Filch -
had broken their legs. It was after this "incident" that most people at Hogwarts stopped
thinking their pranks were fun and started to think of them as dangerous.

Of cause most of the girls had secret crushed on James, Sirius or Remus - there were
also some that liked Peter, even though it's hard to believe when you first see him.
Peter were a bit shorter than the rest, not ugly but not really good looking either. His
hair was somewhat colourless, brownish grey - mousy if you like. Most of the girls
claiming to be in love with him probably had other motives - as to get close to Remus
who was the least out going of the marauders.

Sirius never seemed to have a trouble finding a woman - neither did James.

James and Sirius switched girlfriends every week, it was no idea trying to keep up with
them. Most of James' girls were dumped nicely without anyone making to much of a fuss.
Sirius on the other hand could be called a "drama queen" - if only he had been female. He
tried to chose the most public spot and brake up by giving a reason that never favoured
the girl. That's probably the reason while most of his girlfriends dumped him before
they had been a couple for a week. Of cause this never troubled him or any of the other
girls that he started to date after the dumping. There were almost lines of girls from
all the houses ready to take the spot next to him as his girlfriend. It was this that
probably troubled Lily Evens the most.

***

Sirius glanced ground in the hall at all the faces that was turned towards him, instead
of his face turning more red that it was - it went back to it's normal pale colour. He rose
and bowed. 'Thank you, thank you!' he said aloud and sat down again. Most of the students
turned away and continued chatting and eating.

Lily gave Sirius a questioning look that said "and-what-was-that-all-about", he smiled
back at her as to say "later-Flower-later". This was enough for her and she turned back
to her friends who now moved on from butts to eyes. Of cause Sirius Back with his deep
black eyes were the first name to be mentioned by Caroline but Linda showed it off as it
were yesterdays trash.

'So you're over him?' Caroline said.

'Of cause I am, he's sooo immature - just look what happened earlier!'

'Who's it now then?' Linda didn't answer, she looked right through Caroline as she were
air with a dreamy look. As to the girl turned to Lily who were sitting next to her.

'The Slytherin prefect - Thomas Jacobs - she were talking to him and Malfoy the whole
train ride.'

'Really, he's kind of cute - don't you think?'

'I never really bothered to look, after all... he's a Slytherin!'

'Oh, common Lily!' she said louder that Lily had hoped because a few faces turned their
way - including James' and the other marauders 'It's nothing wrong with him, he's really
good looking!'

'I guess so - yeah your probably right' she said in a low voice hoping that no one picked
it up. But the look on James' face said that he had - of cause he had no idea of whom
they spoke, which could seem like a relief - even though a very small one.

***

A fire was lit in the fireplace in the common room inside the Gryffindor tower. For the
first time since the ride home before summer Lily and Linda had a "private" conversation.
This one wasn't about boys in the same meaning as the one during the Term start feast,
but of cause it was about boys - the four marauders to be precise.

'I can't believe you left me there with those Slytherins!' Linda began 'Where were you?'

'Well, I... I went talking to Remus and those guys. I was really bored.'

'Why? I can't believe you even hang out with them!'

'Why not? I think they are nice - at least Remus is.'

'But still, you left me in a compartment with FIVE Slytherins!'

'You would have done the same if you noticed the looks on James and Sirius faces.'

'They were there? Out side?' Linda's voice had changed, Lily didn't know if she really
liked this change. It was like she knew something Lily didn't.

She nodded, 'In the corridor - what is it with you?'

'Do you like James?' she asked without a warning.

A sound sounded, Lily thought I probably was her own chock of the question. 'Weeeell...
eh...' she felt kind of uneasy 'He's cute and all... but... I... I don't think so - no.
Why would I be? - It's Potter you're talking about, get real!' She looked puzzled at her
best friend. 'Why do you ask?'

'No reason really.' Lily saw that Linda looked at something while she said that,
slowly she turned around - just in time to see someone with messy black hair run up
the stairs to the boys dormitories.

The look which Lily gave Linda was hard to describe, mostly it told her to piss of.
But she said nothing, she couldn't say anything, the words just got stuck in the
throat. She rose and ran to her own room //he were there all along, all the time or
just when she asked me? How could she do that? At least I didn't say that I am in love
with him. Am I? With James Potter - hardly - if it had been Remus or Sirius I could
have said yes - but James. I hope I didn't hurt him.//

***

'Prongs! I really think you should ask her out' Peter said when James entered the
room he shared with Peter, Remus, Sirius and a another Gryffindor boy named Trent.
All four of his roommates were in the room. Peter and Remus were playing wizards
chess. - A game alike the muggle variant of it, but the chessmen were "alive" in the
wizard sort, hitting the opposite chessmen out of the square and carrying them out
so that the player don't need to do it. - Trent were on his bed reading a Quidditch
magazine and Sirius were watching the chess game.

'Who?' Trent asked looking up fro his magazine for the first time in 20 minutes.

'Lily Evens' Remus said 'They would make a beautiful couple' to this Trent agreed.

'Why would I even bother?' James answered looking cloudy. 'And I am quoting "Why
would I be? - It's Potter you're talking about, get real!"'

'She said that?' Sirius said. James just nodded and sat himself down on the window
seal looking sad.

'I actually thinks she likes you' they all looked at Trent, he had been one of Lily's
closest friends since their first year. 'Well it's a thing girls say "get real" when
they really meant that they meant the opposite of what they said.' the other four boys
looked questioning at him 'I know it doesn't make sense but that's just pure fact.' James
big puppy eyes was almost back to normal again.

'Why does they do that?' Sirius asked confused 'Isn't that just stupid if everybody
knows about it why can't they just say it straight out from the beginning?'

'Well everybody doesn't know and most of the times when girls say what they don't mea
is when they want to keep it secret - from everyone.'

Remus started to laugh 'Well that was actually an obvious one.' he turned to the window
and looked at his best friend 'I think you should ask her, use some of that Potter charm
you got there and ask her out on a date.'