Chapter Eleven
FIRST FIGHTS
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to SndReAmer for her review. It's much easier to write when you know someone is reading!! So, please REVIEW!!
Thank you
Kobra
* * *
Lily watched Severus, tears really close to go down her cheeks. He tried to smile, but did not succeed.
The little girl headed slowly to Gryffindor's table. People was still applauding when she sat down. Peter smiled at her from the other side of the table, but Lily felt no better seeing that. She felt lost. Alone. For the very first time since that dream called Hogwarts had begun, for the very first time in her life, she felt lonely.
"Good evening everyone!" the room got silent at once. Lily looked up. An old man with a lightening white bear was standing in front of the school. "I am Albus Dumbledore. As some of you might know already, I am the new headmaster of Hogwarts. Till last year, I was just the teacher of Defence against the Dark Arts but, since Principal Dippett decided to retire, I've accepted the role. I'm sorry to say that we haven't found another professor of Defense for this year, so I'll go right on teaching it. Professor McGonagall has accepted the role of head of the house of Gryffindor, which was mine up until this year. So please, if you Gryffindors need anything, go to her." He paused for a moment.
Lily suddenly remembered where she had seen him before: in one of Severus's pictures. She hadn't paid much attention at that moment, but she thought to remember he had been a... Aurora? Aeor? She could not remember. Anyway, he now looked just like an old, good grandfather.
"I'd like to remind you," the headmaster continued, "that the Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden to all students. It is also forbidden to have magic competitions in the corridors, or to walk around the school late at night. The prefects will be patrolling it, and they are allowed to take points from your house if you're found out of your dormitory. What else... ah, yes. First year students are allowed to fly on brooms ONLY during Flying lessons. If you want to be part of the Quiddich team, ask Professor Igle. Quiddich competitions will start to take place from October." He stopped again, everyone looking at him.
A warm smile played on his face. "Welcome to this new year at Hogwarts!" he clapped his hands and the plates filled with food. Lily thought there was everything on that table: various kinds of meat, vegetables, fruit, cooked in the most extravagant ways. A party for eyes, nose, and, mostly, mouth.
But Lily was not in the right humor to enjoy all that. Peter was joking with some of his new fellows, she was obviously out of his thoughts.
"Try something," said an older girl at her side, smiling. Lily managed to smile back, and she took some potatoes. They tasted really good. After the very first mouthful, her stomach seemed to re-open and she realized she was very hungry. So, she took many other courses and spent the whole dinner time eating.
* * *
Half an hour later, with her stomach finally full, Lily was beginning to feel much better. Even if she hadn't really talked to any Gryffindor yet, she was seeing them as normal and also cheerful persons.
Lily started to pay attention to her new fellows' conversations. She noticed that Peter was sitting near that boy, James Potter, who seemed to be the center of first-years attention.
"... of course he did it! My father never lie! He was a Gryffindor, too, you know. And I mean it when I say that I really can't image how could someone willingly ask to be a Slytherin!" said the boy loudly
"Yeah! You're right!" shouted Peter quickly.
"PETER!!!" Lily hadn't even noticed she was shouting inside other people's conversation "How can you say that, when on the train you said you hoped to be a Slytherin, too?!"
People stared at Peter.
"It's... it's false! Liar! It's you who wanted to be a Slytherin! And you should be! You were sorted a Slytherin, why are you here?" everyone started looking at her. Lily felt really uncomfortable.
"I... I don't know, you'd better ask the hat!"
"But you'd prefer to be among them now!" Peter was re-gaining confidence in himself "Don't you?"
Lily felt unsure "I... that's not the point, why are you talking so badly about Slytherin?"
"Seeing that you were listening to our conversation, you should know that." It was Potter speaking this time.
James stared at Lily's eyes, she swallowed. She didn't know what to say. She realized that she had entered a conversation without being invited, and they were now accusing her of wanting to be a Slytherin. She could not understand what was wrong with it because she hadn't listened to their whole conversation. She was not a meddler or a spy. She wanted to tell them, too, but all she was able to do was staying there, waiting for judgment to come.
"Mind your own buisness, Slytherin girl!" said James harshly.
Lily looked down on her plate, trying again not to cry. It was much worst than being in a house without anyone you know. Everybody at Gryffindor should have thought at her as an outsider. A Slytherin infiltrate. She felt lonely again. And hopeless, too.
Lily closed in herself, always watching her empty plate for the following hour. Peter and his friends were sometimes joking on her, and every time she got closer to cry.
* * *
Finally, the headmaster got up again, announcing the end of the dinner and telling everybody to go straight to the dormitories.
Lily followed, as all Gryffindors, a prefect guiding them through the labyrinth of corridors and stairs ("Watch out, they sometimes MOVE") to the painting of a fat woman. There the prefect, a girl named Alicia, said the password ("White Oleander") and they entered a large, comfortable room with a fireplace warming it. There were several armchairs and sofas, some tables and chairs as well.
"This is our Common Room. You can stay here to study and to spend your free time, too." Alicia pointed the male and female dormitories.
Lily found that her cases had already been placed, as everybody else's. Her room-mates did not talk to her, as they had seen what had happened at dinner. She undressed quickly and went to bed.
When everybody was finally asleep, Lily started crying.
FIRST FIGHTS
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to SndReAmer for her review. It's much easier to write when you know someone is reading!! So, please REVIEW!!
Thank you
Kobra
* * *
Lily watched Severus, tears really close to go down her cheeks. He tried to smile, but did not succeed.
The little girl headed slowly to Gryffindor's table. People was still applauding when she sat down. Peter smiled at her from the other side of the table, but Lily felt no better seeing that. She felt lost. Alone. For the very first time since that dream called Hogwarts had begun, for the very first time in her life, she felt lonely.
"Good evening everyone!" the room got silent at once. Lily looked up. An old man with a lightening white bear was standing in front of the school. "I am Albus Dumbledore. As some of you might know already, I am the new headmaster of Hogwarts. Till last year, I was just the teacher of Defence against the Dark Arts but, since Principal Dippett decided to retire, I've accepted the role. I'm sorry to say that we haven't found another professor of Defense for this year, so I'll go right on teaching it. Professor McGonagall has accepted the role of head of the house of Gryffindor, which was mine up until this year. So please, if you Gryffindors need anything, go to her." He paused for a moment.
Lily suddenly remembered where she had seen him before: in one of Severus's pictures. She hadn't paid much attention at that moment, but she thought to remember he had been a... Aurora? Aeor? She could not remember. Anyway, he now looked just like an old, good grandfather.
"I'd like to remind you," the headmaster continued, "that the Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden to all students. It is also forbidden to have magic competitions in the corridors, or to walk around the school late at night. The prefects will be patrolling it, and they are allowed to take points from your house if you're found out of your dormitory. What else... ah, yes. First year students are allowed to fly on brooms ONLY during Flying lessons. If you want to be part of the Quiddich team, ask Professor Igle. Quiddich competitions will start to take place from October." He stopped again, everyone looking at him.
A warm smile played on his face. "Welcome to this new year at Hogwarts!" he clapped his hands and the plates filled with food. Lily thought there was everything on that table: various kinds of meat, vegetables, fruit, cooked in the most extravagant ways. A party for eyes, nose, and, mostly, mouth.
But Lily was not in the right humor to enjoy all that. Peter was joking with some of his new fellows, she was obviously out of his thoughts.
"Try something," said an older girl at her side, smiling. Lily managed to smile back, and she took some potatoes. They tasted really good. After the very first mouthful, her stomach seemed to re-open and she realized she was very hungry. So, she took many other courses and spent the whole dinner time eating.
* * *
Half an hour later, with her stomach finally full, Lily was beginning to feel much better. Even if she hadn't really talked to any Gryffindor yet, she was seeing them as normal and also cheerful persons.
Lily started to pay attention to her new fellows' conversations. She noticed that Peter was sitting near that boy, James Potter, who seemed to be the center of first-years attention.
"... of course he did it! My father never lie! He was a Gryffindor, too, you know. And I mean it when I say that I really can't image how could someone willingly ask to be a Slytherin!" said the boy loudly
"Yeah! You're right!" shouted Peter quickly.
"PETER!!!" Lily hadn't even noticed she was shouting inside other people's conversation "How can you say that, when on the train you said you hoped to be a Slytherin, too?!"
People stared at Peter.
"It's... it's false! Liar! It's you who wanted to be a Slytherin! And you should be! You were sorted a Slytherin, why are you here?" everyone started looking at her. Lily felt really uncomfortable.
"I... I don't know, you'd better ask the hat!"
"But you'd prefer to be among them now!" Peter was re-gaining confidence in himself "Don't you?"
Lily felt unsure "I... that's not the point, why are you talking so badly about Slytherin?"
"Seeing that you were listening to our conversation, you should know that." It was Potter speaking this time.
James stared at Lily's eyes, she swallowed. She didn't know what to say. She realized that she had entered a conversation without being invited, and they were now accusing her of wanting to be a Slytherin. She could not understand what was wrong with it because she hadn't listened to their whole conversation. She was not a meddler or a spy. She wanted to tell them, too, but all she was able to do was staying there, waiting for judgment to come.
"Mind your own buisness, Slytherin girl!" said James harshly.
Lily looked down on her plate, trying again not to cry. It was much worst than being in a house without anyone you know. Everybody at Gryffindor should have thought at her as an outsider. A Slytherin infiltrate. She felt lonely again. And hopeless, too.
Lily closed in herself, always watching her empty plate for the following hour. Peter and his friends were sometimes joking on her, and every time she got closer to cry.
* * *
Finally, the headmaster got up again, announcing the end of the dinner and telling everybody to go straight to the dormitories.
Lily followed, as all Gryffindors, a prefect guiding them through the labyrinth of corridors and stairs ("Watch out, they sometimes MOVE") to the painting of a fat woman. There the prefect, a girl named Alicia, said the password ("White Oleander") and they entered a large, comfortable room with a fireplace warming it. There were several armchairs and sofas, some tables and chairs as well.
"This is our Common Room. You can stay here to study and to spend your free time, too." Alicia pointed the male and female dormitories.
Lily found that her cases had already been placed, as everybody else's. Her room-mates did not talk to her, as they had seen what had happened at dinner. She undressed quickly and went to bed.
When everybody was finally asleep, Lily started crying.