~*~ Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor... ~*~
~I'm nervous ~I guess it shows ~Can't make my mind up ~Where I want to be ~Where I belong ~I suppose it doesn't matter much ~As long as I'm with you
~Wishing upon a star ~Preying to the gods above ~Hoping with all my heart ~Fingers crossed as always ~Wonder if luck is on my side ~But you know that I'll be there ~Waiting with baited breath
~Wonder if it worked ~Guess I'll never know ~Whether it was me or not ~Could have just been fate ~If it is I like destiny so far ~Cause my wish has been fulfilled ~I think I'm glad that Im with you
~Wishing upon a star ~Preying to the gods above ~Hoping with all my heart ~Fingers crossed as always ~Wonder if luck is on my side ~But you know that I'll be there ~Waiting with baited breath
'Firs' years! Firs' years over here!'
I quickly caught up with Bella, who was farewelling Sirius. Honestly, the two had only just met and they looked heartbroken at being separated. It would only be for about ten minutes while the first years were sorted. I found it rather stupid, especially seeming as it was beginning to rain, and I was getting quite wet waiting for her. Besides, the giant that was calling the first years looked like he was ready to leave. 'Come on, Bella!' I cried, grabbing her hand. She laughed and waved over her shoulder at Sirius as I dragged her along. 'This is awesome!' she breathed as we ran through the rain to catch up with the other first years.
'Right,' said the large giant. He was quite tall, with warm, black eyes and a fuzzy black beard. The minute I looked at his face I got the impression he was a very kind and friendly person. 'Now. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, and I'm the keeper of the keys and grounds at Hogwarts. It's my job to take you younguns up to the castle. Firs' years, traditionally, travel to the castle by boats across the Lake. Unlucky for yers that it's rainin'. All your school mates get ter go in carriages, the lucky ducks. Yes, well. Best be gettin' up to the castle before yers all catch cold. Four to a boat! N'more than four! Right, in yers all hop!'
I was still holding hands with Bella as we made a mad dash for a boat. We ended up with another girl, and a boy, which Bella didn't seem to mind. 'Hi. My name's Arabella Figg,' she told him. I elbowed her and whispered 'Sirius' in her ear, but she ignored me. 'Ian Brockelhurst.' 'Reilly Oaks,' the girl added. Reilly Oaks was rather small, and had her golden brown ponytail of hair was pulled back in a careless way that reminded me of Joey. She looked like the sporty type, slender and fit. Despite the fact that her damp ringlets of hair were plastered along her back and face because of the rain, she was quite pretty in a way. 'Lily Evans,' I smiled at her. She smiled back. I looked over at Bella to see her flirting non-stop with Ian. I rolled my eyes. In my opinion, we were too young to be bothering with guys. And stringing them along had been losing its fun for awhile now. Most of the guys had been in that 'girl germs' phase for a couple of years by now and didn't really want anything to do with us. Either boys in the wizarding world were different, or there was just something about the people I made friends with.
I didn't speak during the trip. I stared blankly out over the dark black water, tuning in and out from Bella's nervous chatter. I smiled at how quickly we had hit it off. I had a feeling we were going to be best friends. As I thought that, I felt a funny jolt in my stomach. What about Joey? She was my best friend. She had always been my only best friend. I sighed. I supposed it was alright to have other best friends. After all, I was sure Joey would make another best friend, considering she wouldn't be seeing me that much. Then my thoughts turned back to how bad I felt, leaving her behind. 'Hey, Lillers. Time to get into the nice, warm castle, honey,' Bella tittered, waving her hand energetically in front of my face. I accepted the hand she offered me, and let her help me out of the boat. I let out a shiver and pulled my cloak around me as we made for the castle.
Hogwarts was enormous. We all crowded into the Entrance Hall, dripping wet. A stern looking witch walked brusquely towards us. 'Check it out, Lily. The wicked witch from the west!' Bella giggled. I elbowed her when the witch looked sharply in our direction. 'Right. My name is Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House. You are all a bit wet, but there's not much we can do about that for now. Shortly, we'll go into the hall, and you'll all be sorted. When I call your name, go and sit on the stool and put the hat on your head. Follow me.'
I pinched Bella, who had been taking to a guy and hadn't heard a word Professor McGonagall had said. 'Ow! Prat,' she laughed, pinching me back. 'Come on, we have to follow her,' I sighed, grabbing her arm and dragging her along. We scrambled into the Great Hall and immediately ceased our pinching war. The Hall was full of people. We all straightened ourselves up and pretended to brush off our clothes as we walked up the front, where a ratty old hat was sitting on a three legged stool. Suddenly, the hat seemed to clear its throat and began to sing.
'Listen to me carefully I have a story to tell Though some of you already know This certain tale quite well
Once upon a long ago I was a normal hat Until my owner gave me brains And put an end to that
He was one of four sorcerers Who shared the same idea They began a school named Hogwarts Which is why this castle's here
Each had different virtues Values and a varying point of view Thus the separate houses Now to choose the one for you
Godric started Gryffindor Where belong the lions brave They share the purity of heart And for courage they crave
Rowena began Ravenclaw The studious and sharp minds For with their wit and logic They can read between the lines
Helga was from Hufflepuff And valued justice true They enjoy hard work and Like to try things that are new
Salazar, the Slytherin Held ambition and resource Cunning runs through their blood And power is their source
So what is my job you may ask now And I'll answer you this I have to go through and sort you So my advice isn't something to miss
The way I do this follows on You place me on your head Then I'll tell you it is in which house That you will rightly tread.' When the song finished, the Hall applauded, so we all joined in. McGonagall gave a small smile and a clap then took out a roll of parchment. I glanced at Bella out of the corner of my eye. She didn't seem to look nervous. I certainly was.
'When I call your name, please take your place on the stool. Aaronmore, Kelsey!' 'GRYFFINDOR!' A loud cheer erupted from Gryffindor table. Kelsey smiled and ran over to the table and took a seat. 'Brockelhurst, Ian!' 'RAVENCLAW!' 'Bateson, Emma!' 'HUFFLEPUFF!' 'Denver, Luke!' 'HUFFLEPUFF!' 'Douglas, Jason!' 'SLYTHERIN!' 'Evans, Lily!'
Bella squeezed my hand and showed me her other hand, fingers crossed. 'Gryffindor,' she mouthed. I nodded and squeezed her hand back, then walked up to the stool. Almost hesitantly, I placed the hat on my head. 'Hmm, I thinker, yes. Very practical, excellent sense of logic. Definite Ravenclaw material.' 'Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor...' I chanted silently in my head. 'Gryffindor, eh? Yes, a great value of friendship. And great courage. A thirst to prove yourself, too. Slytherin could do you well...' 'Not Slytherin!' I whispered, horrified at the very thought. 'Yes, well... Gryffindor? I suppose it suits you well enough, so, GRYFFINDOR it is.' I breathed a sigh of relief as more cheers broke out from Gryffindor table. I pulled the hat off my head. 'Go Lily!' whooped Bella loudly. I grinned and gave her a thumbs up as I made my way to where the Gryffindors were sat. 'Hey, Lily! Over here!' I looked over to where the voice had come from and saw Sirius Black waving wildly. I waved back and walked over. Sirius immediately moved over to clear a space between him and James. I sat down.
'Welcome to Gryffindor,' Sirius said, shaking my hand enthusiastically just as McGonagall called, 'Figg, Arabella!' I crossed my fingers under the table. 'Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor...' 'GRYFFINDOR!' bellowed the hat. Bella threw off the hat with an enormous grin and ran over to sit with me as we all cheered and clapped. 'Yay for Bella!' yelled Sirius, whistling loudly. As soon as she was close enough, I hi-fived her. 'Why, hello again ladies,' Remus smiled as she took a seat on Sirius's other side. 'Hi, Remmie,' Bella grinned. James smirked. 'Oooh, Remmie,' he cooed, pinching Remus's cheek. Remus swatted his hand away.
'Oaks, Reilly.' 'GRYFFINDOR!' 'Mornington, Jessica.' 'HUFFLEPUFF! 'Livingstone, Dave.' 'SLYTHERIN!'
We clapped politely for Reilly as we continued the conversation. James turned to me. 'That hat's a bit of fun, don't you reckon?' 'It is a bit clever,' I shrugged. 'If you thought that was clever, wait until the food arrives,' he laughed. 'Did someone say food?' Sirius asked, the story he was telling immediately forgotten. 'Nope. Sorry to disappoint,' I told him, seeing James give me a look that clearly said that not mentioning food would be wise around Sirius. 'Once he gets started he'll never stop,' he murmured. I grinned. 'Sounds a bit like Sam.' 'Who?' James asked curiously. 'Oh, no one. Just a boy I... know,' I said. 'Oh? A friend, huh?' he asked, seeming to be attempting to hide his interest. Being as young and naive as I was, I simply thought he was trying not to be nosy. Never occurred to me that James Potter might be JEALOUS. 'Yeah,' I nodded. 'I've known him for ages.' 'Good friends?' James asked. 'Oh, I wouldn't say that.' James's mood seemed to dampen a little after that conversation, but I didn't particular notice.
'So,' I asked him, putting my elbows on the table and placing my chin in my hands. 'Who are we crushing over at the moment?' James scanned around the room. 'See that girl, over there?' he asked. A followed his gaze to the Hufflepuff table, where a pretty girl with gorgeous blonde hair was talking to someone I recognised as Nicholas Mornington. I supposed James liked her for her looks, which annoyed me a little. Why didn't guys ever think about what was on the inside? However, I didn't really think it was any of my business so a giggled a bit when I noticed the way James was staring at her. 'Take a picture, it'll last longer,' I laughed. James grinned and snapped out of it. 'Her name's Tara Bailey. She's seeing that guy next to her at the moment.' 'Nick?' 'You know him?' 'Yeah. He's Jessica's brother. We met a week or so ago.' James nodded. 'He's pretty popular.' 'So are you, Jamsie boy,' Sirius said, squeezing James's cheek like James had done to Remus. 'Knock it off, grandma,' James drawled, and Sirius immediately let go, looking horrified.
Sirius quickly involved himself in a different conversation and James turned triumphantly back to me. 'Who does Miss Evans like?' You. What the hell? Did I just think that? 'I don't know anybody.' 'Who do you find, 'absolutely charming', as you would no doubt put it?' 'Oh, Sirius definitely tops the list,' I said seriously, although I was joking. James looked shocked. 'Joking! He's Bella's, anyway,' I said. I gestured towards the pair, and James followed the direction. Bella was leaning her head on Sirius's shoulder sleepily while they talked. 'But he is cute,' I added slyly. 'And what about moi?' James demanded in mock outrage. 'Definitely not!' I replied in mock horror.
He raised an eyebrow. 'You're not too hard on the eyes,' I admitted. 'Ha,' he said, self-satisfied. 'Ha yourself.'
Just then, a tall man with a greying beard stood up. He looked very extravagant in purple robes and cloak, and a rather funny looking hat on his head. 'That's Dumbledore,' James said, obviously seeing me looking at him. I nodded as Dumbledore began to speak. 'Greetings, students of Hogwarts, and a special word of welcome to all our first years. We hope you enjoy your time at Hogwarts. I won't keep you long from your food, however; just a few words. The caretaker, Mr Filch, would like everyone to be aware that rapid-grow cobweb spray had been added to the list of banned items. Anyone wishing to view the list is inviting to visit Mr Filch's office.' All four boys snorted, and I got the impression that no one would really set foot in Filch's office if they were threatened with a three foot poker. 'You are also reminded that the Forbidden Forest is, in fact, as unbelievable as it is, Misters Black and Potter, forbidden.' James and Sirius shared a mock surprised look. 'Reeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaally?' they drawled loudly. Everyone laughed. 'We go through this every year,' James told me. 'You've only been here one year,' I pointed out. 'Hmmph,' mumbled James. 'Do you now that you are far too smart for your own good?' 'No,' I replied, folding my hands in my lap as Dumbledore cleared his throat. 'Quidditch tryouts will take place within the next few terms.' 'Yes!' hissed James and Sirius, hi-fiving each other. 'Going to try out?' I asked. 'But of course,' James said smugly. 'You know what Quidditch is?' he asked suspiciously. I rolled my eyes. 'I have done some reading, Mr Potter.' 'You're alone, there.' 'No one ever died from reading a book.' 'Yeah, but you'd hate to be the first.'
'Now, dig in!' Dumbledore said happily. He clapped his hands and plates of food dissolved into view on the tables in front of us. 'Wow,' I finally managed, after gawking at it for awhile. Bella grinned at the look on my face. 'Cool, huh?' she asked, helping herself. After staring for a moment more, I followed suit. Out of the corners of my eyes, I watched James and Sirius pile up their plates with enough food to feed twelve elephants. 'Hungry?' I mused. 'Poking fun at my eating habits, skimpy?' James asked, raising an eyebrow. I let out a snort. 'I am definitely not skinny, Potter,' I laughed. And I wasn't. I wasn't terribly overweight, but I was pretty well-built. Muscles, as I fantasized. 'Nah, you're just right,' he agreed. 'Not anorexic, which is always a good thing.' 'Yup. And I suppose you're just a growing boy?' 'Yup.' 'I see.' 'Yes, I can imagine you would. You do possess eyes, after all, and you haven't yet mentioned being blind,' he replied, spooning a pile of potatoes into his mouth. 'Probably because I'm not.' 'Fi kfan sgee phat,' me mumbled through a mouthful of food. 'Your powers of speech seem to have deteriorated very quickly.' 'I had my mouth full,' he said, rolling his eyes. 'I said, I can see that.' 'Yes, I can imagine you would. You do possess eyes, after all...' I grinned slyly. He shook his head. 'You're not bad, Evans. Not bad.' 'Fank oo,' I answered, my own mouth now full. 'Your powers of speech seem to have deteriorated very quickly...' he trailed off, smirking. I hit him on the arm. 'Stuff it, Potter.' 'Where?' 'Don't be ulteriorly gross.' 'Hey, who said I was being gross? You are the one being gross by considering things and thinking I'm considering them,' he said, before heaping his plate a second time, having eaten his first serving already.
'Well, aren't you two just jolly-jolly?' Bella asked, narrowing her eyes mischievously at me. I knew I was really going to cop it once we got a moment alone. 'Aren't you and Sirius just jolly-jolly? And you and Ian? And you and...' Bella scowled and quickly put a hand over my mouth. However, Sirius didn't appear to have heard. James grinned. 'So, how is Hogwarts, Miss Black?' he asked. 'Good,' Bella replied. She suddenly seemed to realise what he had called her because she turned red. 'I am not Miss Black! I am a Figg and proud of it!' 'And he's a Sirius Romeo Mercutio Benvolio Tybalt Juliet Black and proud of it,' James told her. 'Are they really his middle names?' she inquired. I noticed Sirius was too busy concentrating on something he was doing with his wand under the table to join into any conversation. 'No. His real name is Sirius Neros Black. He thinks that all the Shakespeare makes him sound smart and sophisticated and according to him it really impresses all the chicks. Maybe I should change my middle name. Hmm... what about James Montague Capulet Potter?' 'Very romantic,' I laughed. 'What is your middle name, anyway?' 'Harold.' 'Oh, Harry. A nice name,' Bella giggled. 'Mine's Donna. Get it, Belladonna? My parents were so creative,' she said sarcastically. 'If I ever have a baby, and it's a boy, I'd like to call it Harry,' I said without thinking. 'What's yours, Lily?' James asked.
I hated my middle name. I hated the flowers. Lily would have been fine, but who wants two flowers? I certainly didn't. 'Ambrose.' OK, not exactly a flower, but close enough. And my mum called my Lilian Rose anyway. Don't know why she bothered with the Ambrose if she just called me Rose. Petunia's name was just as bad. Iris. I actually like the name Iris, but put it next to Petunia... urgh. 'That's a nice name. I had a friend called Abigail once, and everyone called her Abby. But she watched this movie about a princess called Rose, and decided she wanted to be called Rose. But she thought just 'Rose' didn't sound posh enough so she made everyone call her Rosalyn. No one could spell that so she changed to Ambrose, 'cept she got really sick of it and went back to Abby. It suited her so much better.' 'Hilary named her guinea pig Rosalyn. I reckon it's a stupid name,' James said, wrinkling his nose.
'Speaking of, big bro. Too busy talking to your new girlfriend to congratulate your sis on making Gryffindor?' James looked across the table. 'Yo, sis. Congratulations.' 'What are you saying about Rosalyn?' 'That it's a stupid name.' 'It is not!' 'I think it's a nice name,' I said. 'But Rosalyn's a boy guinea pig!' James exclaimed. I took one look at the expression on his face and cracked up laughing. 'It's still a nice name,' defended the girl that I supposed was Hilary. 'So, Jamsie. Who's your girlfriend?' 'Hilary, this is Lily. Lily, this is Hilary-Lavinia whom us mere mortals know as Hilary. You are both females. Females gossip. You are both first years. First years laugh and giggle a lot. You are both Gryffindors. Gryffindors are extremely loyal to one another. This is good, because you can talk about terrible female first year Gryffindor stuff, and good little Lav can be loyal to her brother and report back to Potter HQ,' he said evilly. 'Hi,' I laughed, extending my hand to Hilary. 'Hi,' she replied. 'You can call me Hilary or Hil, or Larrie, or Lavinia or Lav or what ever you want.' 'You can call me Lily or Lil or whatever other name you come up with, as many people do,' I grinned. 'You forgot Lilac, Lillers and Lilianã,' Sirius piped up. I rolled my eyes. 'So, you've met the gang already, huh?' Hilary asked. I nodded. 'Poor you,' she sighed.
'Stop trying to get her to break up with me,' James warned, pouting. Hilary looked shocked. 'Oh, you are... I mean, I was joking...' 'No,' I said firmly. 'We're not together, he's joking too.' 'Keep it that way,' Hilary muttered so only I could hear. 'It never lasts with him.' 'Apparently so,' I agreed, looking over at Tara Bailey, who was still talking to Nick. 'Where's Paige?' James drawled in a bored tone. 'Over there,' Hilary smirked. 'When are you going to break the news, big bro?' 'I'm not. And Tara's off limits.' 'More like you can't. Tara's muggle-born?' Hilary asked. I looked at James. 'Can you imagine what dad would say? Besides, Nick's not going to let go of her in a hurry.' 'Can you blame him? If she was your girl, would you be in a hurry to dump her?' 'No,' James replied.
'Who's Paige?' I asked. 'James's girlfriend,' Hilary said teasingly. 'In a manner of speaking,' James said curtly, popping a grape into his mouth. 'She's the Minister's daughter.' 'And you're the billionaire's son. Which is why you two were set up,' Hilary finished. 'Dad just wants to get in the Minister's good books,' James scowled. 'Wait until he sets you up with somebody. You know he's trying to get a hold of that new Firm in London. His son is my age. He'll get him onto you in no time.' Hilary pulled a face. 'Seriously, Lily. You are so lucky to be normal,' she sighed. 'All our dad cares about is money, Quidditch, bloodlines, age-old grudges, work, money and the value of the car people drive. It's sad, really.' 'Your dad doesn't like muggle-borns?' I asked hesitantly. 'He doesn't like anything other than pureblood. He doesn't know about Peter and Sirius. Not that it should matter,' Hilary said dryly, rolling her eyes. 'We just ignore him. My best friend's a muggle-born. He won't let her come over, and tells me I can't speak to her, but what he doesn't know can't hurt him.' 'Or you,' James added, looking her in the eye. Hilary went quiet and swallowed. I watched silently. James wasn't implying... ? 'He's never done anything serious,' she protested in a low voice. 'And now you're defending him?' James hissed. 'Who cares if it's serious or not? Who knows when it will get too serious? You have to tell someone, Hilary.' 'Tell someone what?' 'You can cover it up all you want, but I know what he does to you.' 'James, drop it. I don't want to discuss it now.'
By now everyone appeared to have finished eating. A student at the head of our table stood up. 'Listen up, first years. My name's Anthony. I'm a Prefect and it's my job to show you the way to Gryffindor Tower and where everything is. So if you could all come with me...' Hilary never took her gaze from James's as she stood, her mouth set in a grim line. I grabbed the shoulder of Bella's robes, who was talking to Sirius and hadn't heard, and pulled her up. 'Gotta go, missy,' I said. Bella blew Sirius a kiss. 'See you, Siri!' 'Bye, Bell. See ya, Lils.' 'Bye Sirius, bye James, bye Remus,' I replied, pulling Bella away from the table before she got involved in another conversation. 'See you, Peter,' I added, noticing no one was really paying him any attention. 'See you, Lily. Bella. Hilary,' James said impassively, his eyes still boring into Hilary's. 'Goodbye,' Hilary said, and quickly joined me and Bella.
'He is so annoying,' she moaned. 'I want to tell him, Lily, I do... but...' 'But what?' I asked, as we made our way out of the hall. I was surprised how open she was being to me. We had only known each other for half an hour. 'I can't talk about it here,' she muttered. 'Tonight.' I nodded. 'So, Bella Black. How was tea with Sirius?' Bella giggled. 'He is so dreamy,' she sighed. I shook my head, smiling. Hilary grinned. 'He isn't bad, is he? Neither's Remus.' 'What about James, Lily?' Bella smirked. I coolly raised an eyebrow at her. 'What about him?' 'Nah, he's not cute. He's my brother,' Hilary laughed. 'He so likes you, Lily. You watch him. You'll be his flavour of the week soon enough.'
I was glad she had cheered up. I smiled when she laughed. She had a nice, merry laugh that made you feel warm inside. 'This is the Fat Lady. She guards the Portrait Hole to Gryffindor Tower,' explained Anthony the Prefect. The Portrait showed a lady that was indeed quite fat. She was wearing a frilly pink dress and was fanning herself lazily. 'Password?' she asked. 'The password is Leone Immortalis.' The lady bowed and the portrait swung open. We all clambered inside.
Anthony the Prefect cleared his throat. 'This is the Gryffindor Common Room.' We were all in awe. The entire room was decked out in gold and scarlet, banners lining the walls. There was a warm fire crackling against a wall, and the room was filled with many lounges, couches and various furniture. 'It's like a fairytale,' Bella whispered. 'Now, first year dormitories are located on the first landing,' Anthony the Prefect continued. 'Boys to the left. Girls to the right. Lessons start tomorrow around nine, so be in the Great Hall around eight for breakfast. If you get lost, feel free to ask an older student for direction. I'm sure they'd be happy to help.' He finished there, and we all decided it was our cue to go upstairs. 'By the way, girls dormitories are out of bounds to the boys and vice versa,' he called as we made our way up the stairs. The boys sniggered.
The dormitories were beautiful. Everything scarlet with gold trim. All the beds were four posters, with brilliantly warm looking scarlet quilts. There were drawers, mirrors, and a window with a great view of the grounds. Us girls quickly chose our beds. 'Mine!' Hilary announced, flopping down on a bed. Our trunks had been left in the corner, so we grabbed them and began unpacking. I took a bed between Bella and Hilary. Reilly went to the far right, and a girl named Toni took the one on the far left. We all unpacked, changed into our nightgowns, and fell onto our beds, exhausted.
'That was hard work, or my name isn't Anastasia Truewill Innocence Destiny Baker,' Toni sighed. We all gaped at her. 'What?' she laughed. 'My parents were imaginative,' she shrugged. She laughed, then added, 'Either that, or they were extremely drunk.' 'Well, most people don't use their proper name. My name is Lilian, but I'm always called Lily,' I pointed out. Bella agreed. 'And my name's Arabella.' 'My name's Hilary-Lavinia,' Hilary added. 'And my name's Reilly,' Reilly grinned. 'I think you have a nice name,' I told Toni. 'Which one is the Toni short for?' 'None, really,' she giggled. 'I don't particularly fancy any of them as a name, so I picked the most normal thing I could think of.' 'You know, two of my closest friends both have odd names,' I thought out loud. 'Oh? Do tell,' Hilary smiled, taking out a nail file.
'Well, my oldest, bestest friend in the whole wide world's name is Joey, which is a boy's name. But I used to be great friends with a guy called Ashleigh.' 'Yeah?' Bella asked. 'What happened to him?' 'He moved, and we lost contact. His mum didn't really like me, so I think it was partially because of her.'
Ashleigh Tucker had been a really close friend of mine. Joey had always been my best friend, but Ashleigh was pretty close to it. Most people found it abnormal that a guy and girl could be good friends without it meaning anything else, which annoyed us to no end, but we just really connected. It took awhile to get over him when he left.
'My best friend was a muggle. She turned really nasty when she found out I was a witch,' Toni sighed. 'Joey was really great about it,' I told her. 'Yeah, well I guess some friendships aren't as strong as others.' 'Well, I always thought blood was stronger than water, but my sister hates me because I'm a witch. Joey was more a sister to me than Petunia ever was.' I stopped. Had I just said was? As in past tense? I was thinking like Joey had disappeared, and I didn't like it. 'Yeah, but think - if you were sister's you'd probably fight just as much.' 'Yeah, I guess,' I said, shifting uncomfortably. 'Hey Lily, you know what Sirius told me? He thinks James -'
'Why, hello ladies!' called James cheerfully as he threw open the door and barged right on in. We all shrieked and pulled the blankets over our rather underdressed selves. He didn't seem swayed. 'James! This is a girls dormitory!' Hilary laughed. She was still sitting casually on top of her blankets, not caring that she was wearing a sheer blue nightie. I suppose she was used to being around James in her night clothes often. 'So it is,' he commented. 'I'm glad you've learnt the name of this area so quickly. You're really learning your way around fast.' 'What do you want, James? You aren't allowed in here,' Hilary sighed. Bella giggled. 'James, where's Sirius?' 'In our dormitory,' James said quickly. Bella narrowed her eyes and looked at the doorway. 'Nope. He's here somewhere. I can tell.'
James gaped at her. Suddenly, Sirius Black appeared in the doorway, also gawking at Bella. 'Where did you come from?' I asked in shock. 'How did you know I was here?' Sirius asked. 'I just knew,' Bella shrugged. 'Sirius was invisible,' James said slowly. 'He was under my invisibility cloak. How the hell did you know he was there?' 'You have an invisibility cloak?' Bella asked. 'Yeah,' James said proudly. 'My dad gave it to me.' 'What do you want?' Hilary demanded. Everyone fell quiet. 'Er,' James turned red. He bent down and whispered something in Hilary's ear. She gave him a strange look. 'What the hell do you want that for?' she asked. 'A trick we're playing on Snape.' 'Oh,' Hilary giggled. 'In that case... but I don't want them back. T if they're going anywhere near Snape. I'll find my worse pair.' 'Can you put them in a bag or something?' 'And why is that, big brother?' Hilary asked innocently. James's cheeks turned redder. 'So no one sees me with them, you dolt.' Hilary smirked and dove into her trunk, coming bak with some matching burgundy underwear and a bra. 'Here you go, big brother. Nice and frilly for you.' We all stared at James, who avoided everyone's eyes. 'If you want to see something really funny, be in the Great Hall by eight,' he grinned. Sirius grinned at Bella before following James out. We all stared at the spot where they had been.
'What are they going to do with them?' 'Anything that involves Snape and lingerie should be amusing,' I commented. All the girls giggled and readily agreed. 'Snape's that git of a Slytherin, isn't he?' Reilly asked. 'Yep,' we all confirmed. 'I should know,' Hilary laughed. 'James never shuts up about how stupid he is.'
~I'm nervous ~I guess it shows ~Can't make my mind up ~Where I want to be ~Where I belong ~I suppose it doesn't matter much ~As long as I'm with you
~Wishing upon a star ~Preying to the gods above ~Hoping with all my heart ~Fingers crossed as always ~Wonder if luck is on my side ~But you know that I'll be there ~Waiting with baited breath
~Wonder if it worked ~Guess I'll never know ~Whether it was me or not ~Could have just been fate ~If it is I like destiny so far ~Cause my wish has been fulfilled ~I think I'm glad that Im with you
~Wishing upon a star ~Preying to the gods above ~Hoping with all my heart ~Fingers crossed as always ~Wonder if luck is on my side ~But you know that I'll be there ~Waiting with baited breath
'Firs' years! Firs' years over here!'
I quickly caught up with Bella, who was farewelling Sirius. Honestly, the two had only just met and they looked heartbroken at being separated. It would only be for about ten minutes while the first years were sorted. I found it rather stupid, especially seeming as it was beginning to rain, and I was getting quite wet waiting for her. Besides, the giant that was calling the first years looked like he was ready to leave. 'Come on, Bella!' I cried, grabbing her hand. She laughed and waved over her shoulder at Sirius as I dragged her along. 'This is awesome!' she breathed as we ran through the rain to catch up with the other first years.
'Right,' said the large giant. He was quite tall, with warm, black eyes and a fuzzy black beard. The minute I looked at his face I got the impression he was a very kind and friendly person. 'Now. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, and I'm the keeper of the keys and grounds at Hogwarts. It's my job to take you younguns up to the castle. Firs' years, traditionally, travel to the castle by boats across the Lake. Unlucky for yers that it's rainin'. All your school mates get ter go in carriages, the lucky ducks. Yes, well. Best be gettin' up to the castle before yers all catch cold. Four to a boat! N'more than four! Right, in yers all hop!'
I was still holding hands with Bella as we made a mad dash for a boat. We ended up with another girl, and a boy, which Bella didn't seem to mind. 'Hi. My name's Arabella Figg,' she told him. I elbowed her and whispered 'Sirius' in her ear, but she ignored me. 'Ian Brockelhurst.' 'Reilly Oaks,' the girl added. Reilly Oaks was rather small, and had her golden brown ponytail of hair was pulled back in a careless way that reminded me of Joey. She looked like the sporty type, slender and fit. Despite the fact that her damp ringlets of hair were plastered along her back and face because of the rain, she was quite pretty in a way. 'Lily Evans,' I smiled at her. She smiled back. I looked over at Bella to see her flirting non-stop with Ian. I rolled my eyes. In my opinion, we were too young to be bothering with guys. And stringing them along had been losing its fun for awhile now. Most of the guys had been in that 'girl germs' phase for a couple of years by now and didn't really want anything to do with us. Either boys in the wizarding world were different, or there was just something about the people I made friends with.
I didn't speak during the trip. I stared blankly out over the dark black water, tuning in and out from Bella's nervous chatter. I smiled at how quickly we had hit it off. I had a feeling we were going to be best friends. As I thought that, I felt a funny jolt in my stomach. What about Joey? She was my best friend. She had always been my only best friend. I sighed. I supposed it was alright to have other best friends. After all, I was sure Joey would make another best friend, considering she wouldn't be seeing me that much. Then my thoughts turned back to how bad I felt, leaving her behind. 'Hey, Lillers. Time to get into the nice, warm castle, honey,' Bella tittered, waving her hand energetically in front of my face. I accepted the hand she offered me, and let her help me out of the boat. I let out a shiver and pulled my cloak around me as we made for the castle.
Hogwarts was enormous. We all crowded into the Entrance Hall, dripping wet. A stern looking witch walked brusquely towards us. 'Check it out, Lily. The wicked witch from the west!' Bella giggled. I elbowed her when the witch looked sharply in our direction. 'Right. My name is Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House. You are all a bit wet, but there's not much we can do about that for now. Shortly, we'll go into the hall, and you'll all be sorted. When I call your name, go and sit on the stool and put the hat on your head. Follow me.'
I pinched Bella, who had been taking to a guy and hadn't heard a word Professor McGonagall had said. 'Ow! Prat,' she laughed, pinching me back. 'Come on, we have to follow her,' I sighed, grabbing her arm and dragging her along. We scrambled into the Great Hall and immediately ceased our pinching war. The Hall was full of people. We all straightened ourselves up and pretended to brush off our clothes as we walked up the front, where a ratty old hat was sitting on a three legged stool. Suddenly, the hat seemed to clear its throat and began to sing.
'Listen to me carefully I have a story to tell Though some of you already know This certain tale quite well
Once upon a long ago I was a normal hat Until my owner gave me brains And put an end to that
He was one of four sorcerers Who shared the same idea They began a school named Hogwarts Which is why this castle's here
Each had different virtues Values and a varying point of view Thus the separate houses Now to choose the one for you
Godric started Gryffindor Where belong the lions brave They share the purity of heart And for courage they crave
Rowena began Ravenclaw The studious and sharp minds For with their wit and logic They can read between the lines
Helga was from Hufflepuff And valued justice true They enjoy hard work and Like to try things that are new
Salazar, the Slytherin Held ambition and resource Cunning runs through their blood And power is their source
So what is my job you may ask now And I'll answer you this I have to go through and sort you So my advice isn't something to miss
The way I do this follows on You place me on your head Then I'll tell you it is in which house That you will rightly tread.' When the song finished, the Hall applauded, so we all joined in. McGonagall gave a small smile and a clap then took out a roll of parchment. I glanced at Bella out of the corner of my eye. She didn't seem to look nervous. I certainly was.
'When I call your name, please take your place on the stool. Aaronmore, Kelsey!' 'GRYFFINDOR!' A loud cheer erupted from Gryffindor table. Kelsey smiled and ran over to the table and took a seat. 'Brockelhurst, Ian!' 'RAVENCLAW!' 'Bateson, Emma!' 'HUFFLEPUFF!' 'Denver, Luke!' 'HUFFLEPUFF!' 'Douglas, Jason!' 'SLYTHERIN!' 'Evans, Lily!'
Bella squeezed my hand and showed me her other hand, fingers crossed. 'Gryffindor,' she mouthed. I nodded and squeezed her hand back, then walked up to the stool. Almost hesitantly, I placed the hat on my head. 'Hmm, I thinker, yes. Very practical, excellent sense of logic. Definite Ravenclaw material.' 'Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor...' I chanted silently in my head. 'Gryffindor, eh? Yes, a great value of friendship. And great courage. A thirst to prove yourself, too. Slytherin could do you well...' 'Not Slytherin!' I whispered, horrified at the very thought. 'Yes, well... Gryffindor? I suppose it suits you well enough, so, GRYFFINDOR it is.' I breathed a sigh of relief as more cheers broke out from Gryffindor table. I pulled the hat off my head. 'Go Lily!' whooped Bella loudly. I grinned and gave her a thumbs up as I made my way to where the Gryffindors were sat. 'Hey, Lily! Over here!' I looked over to where the voice had come from and saw Sirius Black waving wildly. I waved back and walked over. Sirius immediately moved over to clear a space between him and James. I sat down.
'Welcome to Gryffindor,' Sirius said, shaking my hand enthusiastically just as McGonagall called, 'Figg, Arabella!' I crossed my fingers under the table. 'Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor...' 'GRYFFINDOR!' bellowed the hat. Bella threw off the hat with an enormous grin and ran over to sit with me as we all cheered and clapped. 'Yay for Bella!' yelled Sirius, whistling loudly. As soon as she was close enough, I hi-fived her. 'Why, hello again ladies,' Remus smiled as she took a seat on Sirius's other side. 'Hi, Remmie,' Bella grinned. James smirked. 'Oooh, Remmie,' he cooed, pinching Remus's cheek. Remus swatted his hand away.
'Oaks, Reilly.' 'GRYFFINDOR!' 'Mornington, Jessica.' 'HUFFLEPUFF! 'Livingstone, Dave.' 'SLYTHERIN!'
We clapped politely for Reilly as we continued the conversation. James turned to me. 'That hat's a bit of fun, don't you reckon?' 'It is a bit clever,' I shrugged. 'If you thought that was clever, wait until the food arrives,' he laughed. 'Did someone say food?' Sirius asked, the story he was telling immediately forgotten. 'Nope. Sorry to disappoint,' I told him, seeing James give me a look that clearly said that not mentioning food would be wise around Sirius. 'Once he gets started he'll never stop,' he murmured. I grinned. 'Sounds a bit like Sam.' 'Who?' James asked curiously. 'Oh, no one. Just a boy I... know,' I said. 'Oh? A friend, huh?' he asked, seeming to be attempting to hide his interest. Being as young and naive as I was, I simply thought he was trying not to be nosy. Never occurred to me that James Potter might be JEALOUS. 'Yeah,' I nodded. 'I've known him for ages.' 'Good friends?' James asked. 'Oh, I wouldn't say that.' James's mood seemed to dampen a little after that conversation, but I didn't particular notice.
'So,' I asked him, putting my elbows on the table and placing my chin in my hands. 'Who are we crushing over at the moment?' James scanned around the room. 'See that girl, over there?' he asked. A followed his gaze to the Hufflepuff table, where a pretty girl with gorgeous blonde hair was talking to someone I recognised as Nicholas Mornington. I supposed James liked her for her looks, which annoyed me a little. Why didn't guys ever think about what was on the inside? However, I didn't really think it was any of my business so a giggled a bit when I noticed the way James was staring at her. 'Take a picture, it'll last longer,' I laughed. James grinned and snapped out of it. 'Her name's Tara Bailey. She's seeing that guy next to her at the moment.' 'Nick?' 'You know him?' 'Yeah. He's Jessica's brother. We met a week or so ago.' James nodded. 'He's pretty popular.' 'So are you, Jamsie boy,' Sirius said, squeezing James's cheek like James had done to Remus. 'Knock it off, grandma,' James drawled, and Sirius immediately let go, looking horrified.
Sirius quickly involved himself in a different conversation and James turned triumphantly back to me. 'Who does Miss Evans like?' You. What the hell? Did I just think that? 'I don't know anybody.' 'Who do you find, 'absolutely charming', as you would no doubt put it?' 'Oh, Sirius definitely tops the list,' I said seriously, although I was joking. James looked shocked. 'Joking! He's Bella's, anyway,' I said. I gestured towards the pair, and James followed the direction. Bella was leaning her head on Sirius's shoulder sleepily while they talked. 'But he is cute,' I added slyly. 'And what about moi?' James demanded in mock outrage. 'Definitely not!' I replied in mock horror.
He raised an eyebrow. 'You're not too hard on the eyes,' I admitted. 'Ha,' he said, self-satisfied. 'Ha yourself.'
Just then, a tall man with a greying beard stood up. He looked very extravagant in purple robes and cloak, and a rather funny looking hat on his head. 'That's Dumbledore,' James said, obviously seeing me looking at him. I nodded as Dumbledore began to speak. 'Greetings, students of Hogwarts, and a special word of welcome to all our first years. We hope you enjoy your time at Hogwarts. I won't keep you long from your food, however; just a few words. The caretaker, Mr Filch, would like everyone to be aware that rapid-grow cobweb spray had been added to the list of banned items. Anyone wishing to view the list is inviting to visit Mr Filch's office.' All four boys snorted, and I got the impression that no one would really set foot in Filch's office if they were threatened with a three foot poker. 'You are also reminded that the Forbidden Forest is, in fact, as unbelievable as it is, Misters Black and Potter, forbidden.' James and Sirius shared a mock surprised look. 'Reeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaally?' they drawled loudly. Everyone laughed. 'We go through this every year,' James told me. 'You've only been here one year,' I pointed out. 'Hmmph,' mumbled James. 'Do you now that you are far too smart for your own good?' 'No,' I replied, folding my hands in my lap as Dumbledore cleared his throat. 'Quidditch tryouts will take place within the next few terms.' 'Yes!' hissed James and Sirius, hi-fiving each other. 'Going to try out?' I asked. 'But of course,' James said smugly. 'You know what Quidditch is?' he asked suspiciously. I rolled my eyes. 'I have done some reading, Mr Potter.' 'You're alone, there.' 'No one ever died from reading a book.' 'Yeah, but you'd hate to be the first.'
'Now, dig in!' Dumbledore said happily. He clapped his hands and plates of food dissolved into view on the tables in front of us. 'Wow,' I finally managed, after gawking at it for awhile. Bella grinned at the look on my face. 'Cool, huh?' she asked, helping herself. After staring for a moment more, I followed suit. Out of the corners of my eyes, I watched James and Sirius pile up their plates with enough food to feed twelve elephants. 'Hungry?' I mused. 'Poking fun at my eating habits, skimpy?' James asked, raising an eyebrow. I let out a snort. 'I am definitely not skinny, Potter,' I laughed. And I wasn't. I wasn't terribly overweight, but I was pretty well-built. Muscles, as I fantasized. 'Nah, you're just right,' he agreed. 'Not anorexic, which is always a good thing.' 'Yup. And I suppose you're just a growing boy?' 'Yup.' 'I see.' 'Yes, I can imagine you would. You do possess eyes, after all, and you haven't yet mentioned being blind,' he replied, spooning a pile of potatoes into his mouth. 'Probably because I'm not.' 'Fi kfan sgee phat,' me mumbled through a mouthful of food. 'Your powers of speech seem to have deteriorated very quickly.' 'I had my mouth full,' he said, rolling his eyes. 'I said, I can see that.' 'Yes, I can imagine you would. You do possess eyes, after all...' I grinned slyly. He shook his head. 'You're not bad, Evans. Not bad.' 'Fank oo,' I answered, my own mouth now full. 'Your powers of speech seem to have deteriorated very quickly...' he trailed off, smirking. I hit him on the arm. 'Stuff it, Potter.' 'Where?' 'Don't be ulteriorly gross.' 'Hey, who said I was being gross? You are the one being gross by considering things and thinking I'm considering them,' he said, before heaping his plate a second time, having eaten his first serving already.
'Well, aren't you two just jolly-jolly?' Bella asked, narrowing her eyes mischievously at me. I knew I was really going to cop it once we got a moment alone. 'Aren't you and Sirius just jolly-jolly? And you and Ian? And you and...' Bella scowled and quickly put a hand over my mouth. However, Sirius didn't appear to have heard. James grinned. 'So, how is Hogwarts, Miss Black?' he asked. 'Good,' Bella replied. She suddenly seemed to realise what he had called her because she turned red. 'I am not Miss Black! I am a Figg and proud of it!' 'And he's a Sirius Romeo Mercutio Benvolio Tybalt Juliet Black and proud of it,' James told her. 'Are they really his middle names?' she inquired. I noticed Sirius was too busy concentrating on something he was doing with his wand under the table to join into any conversation. 'No. His real name is Sirius Neros Black. He thinks that all the Shakespeare makes him sound smart and sophisticated and according to him it really impresses all the chicks. Maybe I should change my middle name. Hmm... what about James Montague Capulet Potter?' 'Very romantic,' I laughed. 'What is your middle name, anyway?' 'Harold.' 'Oh, Harry. A nice name,' Bella giggled. 'Mine's Donna. Get it, Belladonna? My parents were so creative,' she said sarcastically. 'If I ever have a baby, and it's a boy, I'd like to call it Harry,' I said without thinking. 'What's yours, Lily?' James asked.
I hated my middle name. I hated the flowers. Lily would have been fine, but who wants two flowers? I certainly didn't. 'Ambrose.' OK, not exactly a flower, but close enough. And my mum called my Lilian Rose anyway. Don't know why she bothered with the Ambrose if she just called me Rose. Petunia's name was just as bad. Iris. I actually like the name Iris, but put it next to Petunia... urgh. 'That's a nice name. I had a friend called Abigail once, and everyone called her Abby. But she watched this movie about a princess called Rose, and decided she wanted to be called Rose. But she thought just 'Rose' didn't sound posh enough so she made everyone call her Rosalyn. No one could spell that so she changed to Ambrose, 'cept she got really sick of it and went back to Abby. It suited her so much better.' 'Hilary named her guinea pig Rosalyn. I reckon it's a stupid name,' James said, wrinkling his nose.
'Speaking of, big bro. Too busy talking to your new girlfriend to congratulate your sis on making Gryffindor?' James looked across the table. 'Yo, sis. Congratulations.' 'What are you saying about Rosalyn?' 'That it's a stupid name.' 'It is not!' 'I think it's a nice name,' I said. 'But Rosalyn's a boy guinea pig!' James exclaimed. I took one look at the expression on his face and cracked up laughing. 'It's still a nice name,' defended the girl that I supposed was Hilary. 'So, Jamsie. Who's your girlfriend?' 'Hilary, this is Lily. Lily, this is Hilary-Lavinia whom us mere mortals know as Hilary. You are both females. Females gossip. You are both first years. First years laugh and giggle a lot. You are both Gryffindors. Gryffindors are extremely loyal to one another. This is good, because you can talk about terrible female first year Gryffindor stuff, and good little Lav can be loyal to her brother and report back to Potter HQ,' he said evilly. 'Hi,' I laughed, extending my hand to Hilary. 'Hi,' she replied. 'You can call me Hilary or Hil, or Larrie, or Lavinia or Lav or what ever you want.' 'You can call me Lily or Lil or whatever other name you come up with, as many people do,' I grinned. 'You forgot Lilac, Lillers and Lilianã,' Sirius piped up. I rolled my eyes. 'So, you've met the gang already, huh?' Hilary asked. I nodded. 'Poor you,' she sighed.
'Stop trying to get her to break up with me,' James warned, pouting. Hilary looked shocked. 'Oh, you are... I mean, I was joking...' 'No,' I said firmly. 'We're not together, he's joking too.' 'Keep it that way,' Hilary muttered so only I could hear. 'It never lasts with him.' 'Apparently so,' I agreed, looking over at Tara Bailey, who was still talking to Nick. 'Where's Paige?' James drawled in a bored tone. 'Over there,' Hilary smirked. 'When are you going to break the news, big bro?' 'I'm not. And Tara's off limits.' 'More like you can't. Tara's muggle-born?' Hilary asked. I looked at James. 'Can you imagine what dad would say? Besides, Nick's not going to let go of her in a hurry.' 'Can you blame him? If she was your girl, would you be in a hurry to dump her?' 'No,' James replied.
'Who's Paige?' I asked. 'James's girlfriend,' Hilary said teasingly. 'In a manner of speaking,' James said curtly, popping a grape into his mouth. 'She's the Minister's daughter.' 'And you're the billionaire's son. Which is why you two were set up,' Hilary finished. 'Dad just wants to get in the Minister's good books,' James scowled. 'Wait until he sets you up with somebody. You know he's trying to get a hold of that new Firm in London. His son is my age. He'll get him onto you in no time.' Hilary pulled a face. 'Seriously, Lily. You are so lucky to be normal,' she sighed. 'All our dad cares about is money, Quidditch, bloodlines, age-old grudges, work, money and the value of the car people drive. It's sad, really.' 'Your dad doesn't like muggle-borns?' I asked hesitantly. 'He doesn't like anything other than pureblood. He doesn't know about Peter and Sirius. Not that it should matter,' Hilary said dryly, rolling her eyes. 'We just ignore him. My best friend's a muggle-born. He won't let her come over, and tells me I can't speak to her, but what he doesn't know can't hurt him.' 'Or you,' James added, looking her in the eye. Hilary went quiet and swallowed. I watched silently. James wasn't implying... ? 'He's never done anything serious,' she protested in a low voice. 'And now you're defending him?' James hissed. 'Who cares if it's serious or not? Who knows when it will get too serious? You have to tell someone, Hilary.' 'Tell someone what?' 'You can cover it up all you want, but I know what he does to you.' 'James, drop it. I don't want to discuss it now.'
By now everyone appeared to have finished eating. A student at the head of our table stood up. 'Listen up, first years. My name's Anthony. I'm a Prefect and it's my job to show you the way to Gryffindor Tower and where everything is. So if you could all come with me...' Hilary never took her gaze from James's as she stood, her mouth set in a grim line. I grabbed the shoulder of Bella's robes, who was talking to Sirius and hadn't heard, and pulled her up. 'Gotta go, missy,' I said. Bella blew Sirius a kiss. 'See you, Siri!' 'Bye, Bell. See ya, Lils.' 'Bye Sirius, bye James, bye Remus,' I replied, pulling Bella away from the table before she got involved in another conversation. 'See you, Peter,' I added, noticing no one was really paying him any attention. 'See you, Lily. Bella. Hilary,' James said impassively, his eyes still boring into Hilary's. 'Goodbye,' Hilary said, and quickly joined me and Bella.
'He is so annoying,' she moaned. 'I want to tell him, Lily, I do... but...' 'But what?' I asked, as we made our way out of the hall. I was surprised how open she was being to me. We had only known each other for half an hour. 'I can't talk about it here,' she muttered. 'Tonight.' I nodded. 'So, Bella Black. How was tea with Sirius?' Bella giggled. 'He is so dreamy,' she sighed. I shook my head, smiling. Hilary grinned. 'He isn't bad, is he? Neither's Remus.' 'What about James, Lily?' Bella smirked. I coolly raised an eyebrow at her. 'What about him?' 'Nah, he's not cute. He's my brother,' Hilary laughed. 'He so likes you, Lily. You watch him. You'll be his flavour of the week soon enough.'
I was glad she had cheered up. I smiled when she laughed. She had a nice, merry laugh that made you feel warm inside. 'This is the Fat Lady. She guards the Portrait Hole to Gryffindor Tower,' explained Anthony the Prefect. The Portrait showed a lady that was indeed quite fat. She was wearing a frilly pink dress and was fanning herself lazily. 'Password?' she asked. 'The password is Leone Immortalis.' The lady bowed and the portrait swung open. We all clambered inside.
Anthony the Prefect cleared his throat. 'This is the Gryffindor Common Room.' We were all in awe. The entire room was decked out in gold and scarlet, banners lining the walls. There was a warm fire crackling against a wall, and the room was filled with many lounges, couches and various furniture. 'It's like a fairytale,' Bella whispered. 'Now, first year dormitories are located on the first landing,' Anthony the Prefect continued. 'Boys to the left. Girls to the right. Lessons start tomorrow around nine, so be in the Great Hall around eight for breakfast. If you get lost, feel free to ask an older student for direction. I'm sure they'd be happy to help.' He finished there, and we all decided it was our cue to go upstairs. 'By the way, girls dormitories are out of bounds to the boys and vice versa,' he called as we made our way up the stairs. The boys sniggered.
The dormitories were beautiful. Everything scarlet with gold trim. All the beds were four posters, with brilliantly warm looking scarlet quilts. There were drawers, mirrors, and a window with a great view of the grounds. Us girls quickly chose our beds. 'Mine!' Hilary announced, flopping down on a bed. Our trunks had been left in the corner, so we grabbed them and began unpacking. I took a bed between Bella and Hilary. Reilly went to the far right, and a girl named Toni took the one on the far left. We all unpacked, changed into our nightgowns, and fell onto our beds, exhausted.
'That was hard work, or my name isn't Anastasia Truewill Innocence Destiny Baker,' Toni sighed. We all gaped at her. 'What?' she laughed. 'My parents were imaginative,' she shrugged. She laughed, then added, 'Either that, or they were extremely drunk.' 'Well, most people don't use their proper name. My name is Lilian, but I'm always called Lily,' I pointed out. Bella agreed. 'And my name's Arabella.' 'My name's Hilary-Lavinia,' Hilary added. 'And my name's Reilly,' Reilly grinned. 'I think you have a nice name,' I told Toni. 'Which one is the Toni short for?' 'None, really,' she giggled. 'I don't particularly fancy any of them as a name, so I picked the most normal thing I could think of.' 'You know, two of my closest friends both have odd names,' I thought out loud. 'Oh? Do tell,' Hilary smiled, taking out a nail file.
'Well, my oldest, bestest friend in the whole wide world's name is Joey, which is a boy's name. But I used to be great friends with a guy called Ashleigh.' 'Yeah?' Bella asked. 'What happened to him?' 'He moved, and we lost contact. His mum didn't really like me, so I think it was partially because of her.'
Ashleigh Tucker had been a really close friend of mine. Joey had always been my best friend, but Ashleigh was pretty close to it. Most people found it abnormal that a guy and girl could be good friends without it meaning anything else, which annoyed us to no end, but we just really connected. It took awhile to get over him when he left.
'My best friend was a muggle. She turned really nasty when she found out I was a witch,' Toni sighed. 'Joey was really great about it,' I told her. 'Yeah, well I guess some friendships aren't as strong as others.' 'Well, I always thought blood was stronger than water, but my sister hates me because I'm a witch. Joey was more a sister to me than Petunia ever was.' I stopped. Had I just said was? As in past tense? I was thinking like Joey had disappeared, and I didn't like it. 'Yeah, but think - if you were sister's you'd probably fight just as much.' 'Yeah, I guess,' I said, shifting uncomfortably. 'Hey Lily, you know what Sirius told me? He thinks James -'
'Why, hello ladies!' called James cheerfully as he threw open the door and barged right on in. We all shrieked and pulled the blankets over our rather underdressed selves. He didn't seem swayed. 'James! This is a girls dormitory!' Hilary laughed. She was still sitting casually on top of her blankets, not caring that she was wearing a sheer blue nightie. I suppose she was used to being around James in her night clothes often. 'So it is,' he commented. 'I'm glad you've learnt the name of this area so quickly. You're really learning your way around fast.' 'What do you want, James? You aren't allowed in here,' Hilary sighed. Bella giggled. 'James, where's Sirius?' 'In our dormitory,' James said quickly. Bella narrowed her eyes and looked at the doorway. 'Nope. He's here somewhere. I can tell.'
James gaped at her. Suddenly, Sirius Black appeared in the doorway, also gawking at Bella. 'Where did you come from?' I asked in shock. 'How did you know I was here?' Sirius asked. 'I just knew,' Bella shrugged. 'Sirius was invisible,' James said slowly. 'He was under my invisibility cloak. How the hell did you know he was there?' 'You have an invisibility cloak?' Bella asked. 'Yeah,' James said proudly. 'My dad gave it to me.' 'What do you want?' Hilary demanded. Everyone fell quiet. 'Er,' James turned red. He bent down and whispered something in Hilary's ear. She gave him a strange look. 'What the hell do you want that for?' she asked. 'A trick we're playing on Snape.' 'Oh,' Hilary giggled. 'In that case... but I don't want them back. T if they're going anywhere near Snape. I'll find my worse pair.' 'Can you put them in a bag or something?' 'And why is that, big brother?' Hilary asked innocently. James's cheeks turned redder. 'So no one sees me with them, you dolt.' Hilary smirked and dove into her trunk, coming bak with some matching burgundy underwear and a bra. 'Here you go, big brother. Nice and frilly for you.' We all stared at James, who avoided everyone's eyes. 'If you want to see something really funny, be in the Great Hall by eight,' he grinned. Sirius grinned at Bella before following James out. We all stared at the spot where they had been.
'What are they going to do with them?' 'Anything that involves Snape and lingerie should be amusing,' I commented. All the girls giggled and readily agreed. 'Snape's that git of a Slytherin, isn't he?' Reilly asked. 'Yep,' we all confirmed. 'I should know,' Hilary laughed. 'James never shuts up about how stupid he is.'
