parttwoIt's Only the Beginning

Forever

Year One - Part 2/5

Subtitled: The Beginning

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August 31, 7:00 p.m. – Lily's bedroom

Lily bit her lip as she looked around her room anxiously. She was to start her first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry tomorrow and if anyone had been observing her at that moment she would have been pronounced a "bundle of nerves". Seeing nothing else important she reached for her duffel bag to finish packing.

"I know I've never been very coordinated, but this was ridiculous." she thought as she tripped over her trunk, missed the duffel, knocked over her lamp, and proceeded to fumble in the dark for the doorknob. "It's going to be a long night." She thought with a sigh.

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September 1, 10:30 a.m. – Kings Cross-Station

"Take care of yourself dear." Her father said giving her a hug.

"I will dad." Lily said.

"Remember to write." Her mother reminded her tearfully.

"I'll write as often as I can." She promised a little to quickly, eager to leave.

"Well the letter says to walk through the barrier. So move along." Her father stated matter of factly as he got into the car. Lily looked one last time at her parents. She had to admit it she was going to miss them. She had tried not to think about it but the fact of the matter was that she had never been away from home before and was fairly nervous about it. Lily pulled herself together before pushing the trolley to the metal barrier.

"Walk through? Are they nuts? It's solid metal!" She muttered to herself. She let go of her trolley and walked close to it the barrier and gingerly pushed. Nothing happened. Lily shot the wall a glare.

"Whoa." Lily gasped. The wall had glared back. In surprise she leaned against the barrier for support, and much to her surprise she never felt the cold, penetrating metal. Instead she found herself toppled over on a platform in front of a very large old fashioned train! She turned around in wonder. She started to sit down on her trunk, but missed and landed on the hard cement. Where was her trunk? She must have left it!

"Oh no! How do I get back?" She wailed to no one in particular.

"The same way you came in of course!" A voice explained with an amused voice. "How else?" Lily whirled around.

Standing directly behind her, was a girl much shorter than she was. She sported shoulder length wavy dark brown hair, pale skin, and blue - gray eyes.

"Oh of course." Lily said looking embarrassed. The girl laughed good naturally at her flushed face and smiled.

"Here, follow me." She said with a kind grin. Lily nodded as she let herself be led through the crowd. All of the sudden the girl started running and pulled Lily with her before the nervous flower could protest. Just as Lily braced herself for pain that was sure to come when one runs directly at a wall they stopped.

"So where's your trunk?" The girl asked. Lily sighed as she threw up her shoulders in a shrug.

"It was just here a second ago." Lily explained looking around. They split up to look. She finally spotted a boy with extremely greasy hair standing on top of her trunk.

"Hey you! Kid! Get off my trunk!" she shouted. He grinned cruelly at her. Then with a wave of his wand he was gone.

"Over here." Lily called to the girl.

"You found it, good!" Lily nodded as she plopped down on her trunk. Just as her butt touched the trunk's exterior BANG! A godawful stench filled the air. And it was coming from her trunk.

"What was that?" gasped Lily backing away

"Probably a pressure bomb, I bet that boy planted it. Where did he go anyway? " She asked looking everywhere "What did he look like?" Lily described the boy as best as she could. The girls face stayed blank until Lily mentioned his hair.

"Ugh! I know him! Severus Snape is his name. Our parents work together." She shook her wavy locks in disgust. "You know there was a sale at Zonkos the other day, he might have stocked up so if I were you I'd watch out." She explained in a hurried rush.

"But how could he have known I was magical?" Lily asked looking puzzled.

"Um…. Look…. Lily?." The girl pointed to her trunk. On the lid pasted on construction paper was

LILY EVANS

HOGWARTS - 1ST YEAR

"Oh, I had forgotten about that." Lily breathed, her face coloring again.

The girl smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, we'll get him back, you'll see." She said with a twinkle in her eye and a mischievous grin.

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"I just don't understand how I could have just left it laying about." Sighed Lily for the tenth time as she and the girl found a compartment.

"Don't worry about it. By the way my name is Tina, Tina Crewe." The girl stated confidently.

"Lily Evans."

"Nice to meet you." Tina said cheerfully. Suddenly the door burst open.

"Mind if I sit here?" spoke a tall girl with short, thick brown hair, blue eyes, tan skin and a shy smile.

"Nope, not at all. I'm Tina and this is my friend Lily. You are…?"

"Anna Fisher."

"Nice to meet you Anna." Lily said with a smile.

"I see you've already changed into your robes." Tina said, not bothering to hide her obvious amusement.

"Yea, it's silly but I thought maybe if I put on my robes time would pass a little quicker." They all smiled. The rest of the train ride passed in a manner of this fashion until they were almost there when the subject of robes come up again. Lily explained to Anna what had happened to her while Tina changed,

"Do you think he'll target you at school?" Anna asked with a worried expression.

"I sure hope not!" Lily sighed

"Me too. So what house do you think you'll be in?" Tina interrupted just as she slipped in.

"Oh, I hope I'll be in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw." Exclaimed Anna decisively.

"Yea me too. What about you Lily?" Tina asked.

"What are houses?" Lily inquired. Although she was lost five minutes into the conversation, Lily did her best to listen to the detailed explanations on the houses, Quidditch, and the point system. She paid particular attention when they mentioned the sorting.

"My older sister told me you had to brew a potion and the potion would turn one of the four colors of the houses, so whichever color you got would match up with the house you're best suited to." Anna said

"I can't brew anything!" cried Lily

"Well I heard you had to get on the broom and whichever direction it takes you is the house you are supposed to be in." whispered a worried Tina

"I can't fly either." Exclaimed Lily in despair.

"You know that's probably the reason there are so few students at Hogwarts." Tina spoke thoughtfully. "I bet half of them don't even get past the sorting."

"You know whatever house they put you in your stuck there for all seven years!" Anna stated

"What if they make a mistake?" an anxious Lily asked

"To bad I guess." Said Tina with a shrug.

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Dark - Hogwarts

By the time they got to Hogwarts, Lily was in robes that were very uncomfortable, they were Anna's (hers still smelled like garbage), she was tired, hungry, and a nervous wreck. It didn't help that she saw stagecoaches drive away without a driver or horses, or that a giant approached her and all the kids her age (firs' years).

When they were finally going to be sorted one of the teachers, Professor Ashputtle led them into a room and told them to get into alphabetical order. (Which meant she couldn't be with her friends) "Oh I wish I wasn't so short," she said under her breath as she strained her neck to see the sorting. She still couldn't see anything, but heard the names being called out:

Abbot, Sarah -Hufflepuff

Black, Sirius-Gryffindor

Boots, Maggie-Ravenclaw

Crewe, Christina-Gryffindor "Alright Tina!" thought Lily excitedly

Eastland, Timothy-Ravenclaw

Went right before her. She could by now see everything now and was extremely relieved to find it was just a hat, and judging from the look on Tina's face, relatively painless. Although Maggie Boots nearly killed herself getting of the platform when she tripped down the stairs, and winced with emotional/physical pain all the way to the Ravenclaw table amidst catcalls and giggles. Finally her name was called.

Evans, Lily

She walked up to the stool and sat down to one of the most interesting dialogs she'd ever heard. The hat was talking!

"Hmmm, my, my we've got something here. You're quite clever, that's for sure. Talent beyond what I've seen in along time, bravery, kindness, and a bite of a temper eh? And oh what's this? Interesting, very interesting," The hat began.

"What, what?" Lily thought frantically

"We only get this every I don't know hundred years." The hat continued thoughtfully.

"WHAT!" Lily was starting to get really frustrated

"Of course you are the second one we've had this year. Strange, very strange." The spoke ignoring her presence.

"WHAT!!!" Lily was ready to pull this hat off her head and throw it out the window.

"I've never seen a hat with such nerve!" She thought crossly.

"Careful, you forget that I hear everything that goes on in your head." Said or should I say thought the hat.

"Sorry, but what!" Lily asked

"A destiny, your future is already laid out, and oh you have the power to unlock it too. A very powerful and dangerous tool, use it well. Better be…" Lily rossed her fingers "GRYFFIONDOR" she sighed with relief as she took her seat next to Tina.

Fisher, Anna-Gryffindor "Yea Anna!" was her next thought.

They went through a few more. The two boys in front (Pettigrew, Peter and Potter, James) The boy right after them, Stevens, Eric caught her eye just after the hat shouted Gryffindor, and smiled.

"What took you so long?" asked Tina looking anxious when they had a minute

"What do you mean?" Lily whispered looking worried

"You were up there for almost ten minutes!" Anna explained

Before Lily could ask anymore questions an old wizard with a crooked nose and a reassuring smile moved towards the podium to speak.

"Hello I'm Professor Dumbledore. Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I hope you're ready to stuff your heads; I can almost hear how hollow they are!" He said with a smile tugging mercilessly at his lips, though no one laughed. "I know you're all eager to start the feast so I'll be brief.

1) NO ONE is allowed in the Forbidden Forest, unless accompanied by a teacher.

2) A new tree was planted this summer called the Whomping Willow. If you value you limbs I suggest you stay away from it. The name of the tree should be sufficient explanation.

3) I would like to remind all students that the restricted section in the library is just that, restricted. And finally

4) For a complete list of rules please see Mr. Filch, or if you are a first year you will be furnished with one.

Now enough of these formalities lets eat." Thoughts of the sorting fled from Lily's mind as she laid her eyes on the gorgeous tablecloth and the delcious food sitting on top of it. All through the feast Lily stuffed her mouth and talked animatedly with her friends. Before she new it all her previous doubts about the school were gone like… well like magic. That night as Lily drifted off into a would-be peaceful slumber even though she jerked awake with the remembrance that she had a destiny, but before she could dwell on it, she sleep captured her.

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Dream sequence

A small but homey house was coming into focus. The picket fence was newly white washed, and the flower garden was home to several dozen dying white lilies. There was a pumpkin on the doorstep and the Oak tree in the front of the cottage was shedding its leaves. A cool breeze ruffled the shutters, and the over all effect was quite charming. Inside though was not charming. A shriek could be heard. Then a thump as though a body had dropped to the floor

"JAMES!" someone screamed.

"Stand aside silly girl." A masculine voice screamed.

"Not Harry, Please no take me. Not Harry." An oddly familiar voice shrieked in terror. Lily came to a shocking realization. That was her screaming. Then the world went black. Not the sweet darkness that lulls you to sleep on summer nights but a suffocating blackness that threatened squeeze the life out of Lily.

Lily sat up coughing. Just then a breeze whispered in her ear.

'' You can't hide forever." And Lily knew darkness.

A/N- Oooh cliffie!! I'm sorry but this seemed like a really good place to stop.

Disclaimer- All right basically if you don't recognize it, it's mine.