****Lily is a bit of a lonely first year; she doesn't know many people,
especially anyone popular, like James Potter. She meets a bit of a weird
future Slytherin, then one of James friends, when she is in a bit of a
sticky situation in the girls loos. Alison helps her out, and introduces
her to her friends, but when James and Lily fall out big time, how will the
rest of the group react? James and Lily are forced to resolve it
themselves, or they will suddenly be friendless. But is there a scheme
going on in this resolution?
****Glumfroggie! hiya! WOW eight reviews thanks sooooooo much! I luv my reviewers!
August 'roxy' Taylor: I will update, I will! I will!
MIAKODA: Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, I told ya! hehehehe. But thanx 4 reviewing again, (and I don't mean to gloat)
Drowning rooster: Heeeeeloooooo... well, I'm a naturally interesting person *sticks tongue out subtly* hehehe.
Lady Wild Rose: I updated! Aren't I fantastic! *silence* ummmmmm... yeah. I DID actually VISIT YOUR WEBSITE! hmmmmmm... I wonder WHY? *looks at lady wild rose with one eyebrow lifted* (or, according to Ahila, looking like a Chinese man).
WindRider-Damia: Yes, yes, I know I'm very E-V-I-K?
Pttlvr: thanku soooooooooo much 4 putting me on ur favorite authors list. I saw, and I almost fainted! Thankuuuuuuuuuuu!
Lady Wild Rose: ooooo-hhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Pleeeeeeeeese take me 2 starbucks again... *pouts* Hopefully Those people cleared up all the sugar that Beulah left... hehe, oh yeah, and thanx 4 reviewing again!
MIAKODA: Hewooooooo! Thanx 4 reviewing again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!****
Every Witch has her Silver Lining
Meet carrot Head
Whilst walking along besides the morbid looking professor, or at least what she assumed was a professor, Lily hoped the fright she was feeling didn't show on her face. That *deal* hadn't sounded good. Until just then, Lily had been so engrossed in her thoughts of James that she hadn't noticed how much Cleo was shivering. Or, as they were led through gigantic wooden double doors, and the light from the old fashioned torches shone on each of them, how blue Cleo's lips were. Lily supposed that because she had hardly talked during the ride over there, that her attention hadn't been drawn towards her. Half-worrying about Cleo, Lily noted with an odd sort of satisfaction, that the walls weren't lit by electricity, but by candles, just as she had thought. They cast an eerie sort of shadow on the walls. Lily would have said something, but she didn't dare talk in the presence of the ominous professor, so she was left mentally to her own devises. She wondered where they would be taken. Then she reflected on the fact that she didn't even know why they were being taken, she had just assumed it was because she had fallen in the lake, but she had no actual proof. It could be for some completely different reason altogether. She fiddled with the sleeve of Hagrid's Moleskin overcoat that still bound Cleo and Lily together, wondering again where they were being taken, and tried to memorize the corridors and staircases that they went through or passed, but it was impossible.
Finally they reached what Lily assumed was their destination. (She noted that there was a lot of assuming to be done in this school.) Anyway, that professor stopped, and motioned them into a starch white room, with several beds lining the sides. It looked just like a hospital. The professor called out a strange name, and then turned to them with a back so straight, Lily thought she must have a sheet of ivory in the back of her robes.
"My name is Professor Macgonagall. I am the deputy head of Hogwarts. We are in the Hospital wing. This is Madam Pomfrey," She gestured to a rather plump young woman who stepped forward nervously out of the shadows, as if she expected Professor Macgonagall to freeze her to death with her glare, which she did well to, Lily thought, "Our new nurse. Since you both fell in the lake," "And may well be subject to pneumonia, Madam Pomfrey will... well I'm not quite sure what she will do, but then, I'm not a Hogwarts nurse," It struck Lily as rather odd that Professor Macgonagall could *not* know anything, and if she did, that she would ever admit it, but here she was, admitting it in front of two eleven year old girls. "But she's sure to clear you up." She glanced at Madam Pomfrey, and her face twisted strangely. Only when her face un- twisted, did Lily realise that she had been trying to *smile*.
She followed Professor Macgonagall's back as it exited the doorway with a raised eyebrow, but only to her back. She didn't like to think of the consequences if she had raised her eyebrow to the professor's face.
Madam Pomfrey seemed to recover her stance when the professor left. She ushered the two first years to sit on one of the beds lining the sides of the room. Then she went inside her office. It was the first chance that the two friends had been given to talk since the train. But Cleo didn't look capable of talking. The only thing she appeared to be able to do was hug the coat firmly around her. Lily's face betrayed her concern.
"Cleo-" But she was cut off by the new nurse returning with two steaming cups of red liquid. (They didn't look too appetizing to Lily.) She hadn't given them much of a chance to talk, but she looked cheerful enough. She carried on in her jolly way,
"Now, these 'ere cups might burn yer mouth a little, but yer jus' have to ignore that. Oh, and it might make yer hair smoke fer a bit afterwards, haven't quite perfected it yet. But that's nothing ter worry about now," She had a slight country accent, a bit like Hagrid's, but Lily suspected that would wear off with time, and working alongside professor Macgonagall.
As Lily took the mug in her hands, It burnt her fingers with it's sudden heat. From Cleo's similar gasp, Lily thought she must have had a comparable sensation. True to Madam Pomfrey's word, the potion, or whatever it was (more guess work on Lily's part,) *did* Burn a little. In fact, it didn't just burn a little, it burnt *a lot*. Lily had choked on her first mouthful, and to that Madam Pomfrey had replied,
"I call it the pepper up potion..." explanatorily, "By it's taste." Cleo had smiled wryly. Also, like the nurse had said, steam started rising out of the girls' hair. Lily could tell this by the state of Cleo's, and Cleo could tell his by the state of Lily's.
Some of the steam started to condense in her hair, and Lily felt her own start to plaster onto her forehead. They were going to be the laughing stock of the entire school! But at least Cleo's lips had become the normal colour again, (she had wiped most of her makeup of during the train ride), and she had stopped shivering. Both of them felt warmth flooding back... finally.
When Madam Pomfrey was finally satisfied with their pulse and temperature:
"I didn't become a nurse at The Magicks of Human Welfare fer nothin' yeh know"
Hagrid came to collect them again. He smiled warmly down on the two small girls.
"The school's waitin' fer yer."
This gave them something to brood on. How long had the school been waiting? Were they cross? Why were they waiting, for a start? This seemed like such a good question that Lily decided to voice it.
"Because o' the sortin', Lass."
"The sorting? What's the sorting?"
" Ah." Hagrid seemed slightly awkward, as he led the girls up more staircases, and through more passage ways. He was humming and haring for so long that Cleo had time to pay attention to her surroundings and think I. Little did she know every single first year was thinking exactly the same thing, even if they wouldn't admit it. Finally, Hagrid stopped:
"Now, I'd better not stop fer too long, a 'cause the hall waitin' fer yer an' all. Did Macgonagall not give yer her little prep talk thingamajig?" The girls shook their heads adamantly. "Tha's not like professor Macgonagall." He said, rubbing the back of his neck uneasily. "Well, I'm not no good a' this, and mind, I'm not sayin' I am, but basically, there's four odd houses, and you'll get put inter one or 'em, accordin' ter yer skills, er summat, by this 'at. Basically, yer house is yer family, yer sleep in the same dorms as 'em..." He stopped. How many times had he listened to Professor Macgonagall give this speech. Why he had sat there and listened to her compose it when she was appointed deputy head. Yesterday he could have summoned it word for word, but now, when he had an audience, he couldn't. Some more came to him.
"Yer'll be with 'em all through yer Hogwarts years, tha' yer will. Classes with 'em an' everythin'" Some of himself came through in his speech. "Go on in an' try yer best. Everyone's too hungry ter see if yer make a fool o' yer self." He grinned, and the girls grinned back at him. He smacked them on the backs, and they strode through the doors to the hall, steaming hair and all.
There were a few murmured whispers, Lily suspected from the Muggles of Hogwarts, but evidently, most people thought it perfectly normal to walk into the great hall with your head producing large quantities of steam.
They approached a three footed, rickety stool, whereon a filthy hat stood, (Lily assumed this was the hat Hagrid had mentioned) where A professor... Macgonagall! Awaited them. She looked pretty grim, which made Lily wonder what awaited her when she put on that hat, assuming she *did* have to put it on, and she held a piece of yellowing parchment. She appeared to be the only one actually paying attention to the two late first years, because the rest of their audience looked as if they might faint from hunger, just as Hagrid had said. Lily surveyed the room, and noticed the only two other people observing their conduct; Hagrid, and an old man who sat in the centre of the long teacher's table, Lily thought him to be the head master. He looked old enough anyhow. But he looked like a friendly sort of old man, not one that, haggard with age, is bored of life and the inadequacies of children, as many old people are. Lily decided she would quite like to meet him. The only worrying thing was how frightening it would be to meet someone with so much wisdom, experience, and *pain* in their eyes. She shuddered, and, as all these thoughts passed in a second, brought her mind back to the situation at hand. The forbidding Professor read Cleo's name off of the piece of parchment. Then she crossed it off in the same grim manner. Lily was, in an odd way, glad that she wasn't first, as she didn't have the first clue what to do. But Cleo walked purposefully across the Platform, eyes set on the stool. She sat, and placed the squalid hat on her head an waited. Things were getting worse by the second. She was alone, on the raised platform, watching her friend walk away from her. She was embarrassed, to be left alone, and shy in everyone's view, even if they were not focusing on her, but on their empty golden plates. Lily speculated absently if they were real gold. Probably not, she decided. Then she wondered *how* the hat was going to sort them. It wasn't very well going to yell it out for the whole hall to hear... was it?
Then, to Lily's very great surprise, it did! A tear in the dirty seams opened to resemble a mouth in the hat and it yelled
"RAVENCLAW!"
It was then that Lily spotted Alison's dark head in among the crowds. She watched Cleo expectantly, anticipating her approach to a seat next to Alison's. But the girl moved to a different table, the one next to it. Lily's heart sank slightly. She didn't know why, but she had expected her friends to be sorted in to the same house together. With a jolt of sadness, Lily realized that she'd already started to plan the fun that they would share, giggles in the dormitories, and in lessons. Well, hopefully she'd be able to see her friends from time to time. Suddenly a horrible thought struck her: hopefully she'd be in the same house as *one* of them! She hadn't really seen it before, or if she had, she hadn't taken it in, but there were two other long house tables. She could be sorted in to either one of them!
Her heart started to beat faster, like it did when she was just about to take a saxophone exam, as she realized that she was next! She didn't even get time to see Cleo take her place at the table before Macgonagall called her name out in her monophonic voice.
She walked over to the stool, where she had to climb on a rib between it's three legs to reach the stool. That was the annoying thing about being short. You couldn't reach places where other people could reach with ease. That was laughable, at least to your audience. It was lucky for Lily that the school was so hungry, really, and so couldn't pay attention.
Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't what happened next. She heard a voice in her head. At first only a whisper, and she thought it was her imagination running away with her. I hate that phrase. Makes it sound like my imagination's in control. That was when Lily was absolutely sure it wasn't her imagination, because a voice, loud and cold in her head, said almost pityingly,
"And you think it's not?"
"What are you?" She replied back, mentally. If this thing, whatever it was, could speak to her mentally, then she should be able to speak to it mentally. She was right.
"You should never answer a question with a question."
"Well," Lily retorted "You should never answer a question with a rule of etiquette either"
Lily could sense the indulging smile that whatever had invaded her head was placing upon her. "A sharp tongued young one, I see. Now where shall I put you?"
Lily's heart was racing with rage at the indulging smile. One which was often placed upon her, and she hated it more every time someone used it. It was a smile an adult used on a child So patronizing. Petunia had always loved it. Lily had always hated it. Neither of the sisters knew what Will had liked, because they weren't born. But a thought suddenly struck her that wiped all those others out of her head:
"You - you aren't the, you can't be the -"
"Ah but I am dear. The article upon your acme. The hat upon your head. The -"
"Alright, no need to gloat."
Lily could feel the smile coming on again. It drove her up the wall! It was lucky the hat brim fell well over her chin, because otherwise the whole hall would have seen her face contorted with rage.
"Now," said the hat rather matter-of-factly, "Which house to put you?"
Lily frowned. Was it asking her?
"No dear." It said, reading her thoughts. Lily's eyes closed in a what-is- the-point sort of way.
"I think it had better be... " And instead of just say the house into her head, it shouted out for the whole hall to hear, "GRIFFINDOR!"
Taking the hat off of her head, and putting it back, Lily stumbled off of the tall stool, and off of the raised platform to the table from which the most cheering was emanating. She was delighted to see that it was the table at which Alison sat. The dark haired girl was possibly cheering the loudest. She grinned as Lily made a beeline for her. When Lily sat down, the old man that she had thought to be the headmaster, (and evidently, judging by the way he spoke to the hall, and the way they *listened* he was) stood up and spoke a few words, which Lily could barely hear through the ringing in her head. Everyone cheered, and then as if by magic (which it obviously was) food appeared in the dishes drinks in the cups. Dazed momentarily, Lily sat staring, until Alison nudged her.
"Oi," She whispered, "tuck in!" Grinning her mischievous grin, (One that Lily was sure would get them into a lot of trouble over the next seven years) and spooning food onto her own plate. Lily blinked, once... twice, shook her head, and followed her friend's instructions.
There was another girl seated next to Alison, aside from Lily. Her name appeared to be 'Beatrithe' But that was probably the result of a severe lisp. She wore ugly, thick rimmed glasses that magnified her eyes to about twice their normal size, and her hair was bunched up messily in uneven pigtails. Lily made a quick judgement on her, and it was a bad one. She looked like a total *bore*! She said something to Alison that Lily couldn't quite hear, and snorted with a laugh that sounded unusually pig-like. Alison smiled too, and Lily felt a stab of jealousy. But then she saw the real expression on Alison's face, and it was exactly the one Lily would have pulled. So 'Beatrithe' and Alison weren't best friends after all!
Alison leant over to Lily and whispered explanatorily, "Thank GOD you came along. There were no other spaces along the bench, and she smiled this big toothy smile at me as I walked passed and offered the seat. I looked desperately for another seat, but there was none. So I was forced to sit here. Beatrithe is so *boring*!" Lily felt a bit sorry for Beatrice, because of Alison's remark as she mocked her lisp, but that didn't stop her snorting with laughter. "I would have been stuck with her in the dormitories as well," Alison continued, shuddering, "All on my own!" She shuddered again, more violently this time and helped herself to some more potatoes.
The beef was being passed along the bench from the left, the side on which Alison was not seated. When it was offered to Lily, she was half way through explaining that she was a vegetarian, she realized that her other companion was JAMES POTTER! She shut her mouth coldly, and he (realizing who she was a second later) shut his, passing the beef straight passed her. Alison took it, and scraped a piece onto her own plate.
At the first opportunity, Lily hissed at Alison,
"Why did you have to sit next to James Potter?!" Alison looked mildly surprised, and replied, not bothering to lower her voice,
"What on earth do you mean?"
"What I said."
"What's wrong with James Potter? He seems perfectly nice to me."
Lily gave her friend a withering look. "Since you didn't know, I'm going to let you off," Alison raised an eyebrow, "But" Lily continued, ignoring her, "As of now, me and Potter are sworn enemies."
"How come?" Alison asked with a mouth full of spinach quiche. It was Lily's turn to raise an eyebrow. Alison grinned and swallowed.
"Because he laughed at me and Cleo when we fell into the lake."
Alison barely had time to pull a face that said 'That's *it*?' Before James leaned over Lily's shoulder and said,
"Actually, I was only laughing at you, my dear carrot head, not your lovely friend." With a smug grin plastered all over his narrow features.
Alison swallowed her second mouthful of quiche before saying pointedly,
"You're right Lily, he *is* a total dickhead." And turning back to her food. Lily had to admire this use of open language. And it certainly got at James, because he said to Sirius, who happened to be sitting next to him, without turning around almost at once, directing it at Alison, who was half way though delivering the last little piece of quiche to her mouth,
"Don't you hate it when girls are hypocritical?" Sirius, not quite latching on, shrugged, and continued to desecrate his meal. Lily tapped James on the shoulder, so that he turned around, and slapped him with all of her might.
"Listen to me, you sexist Son of a Bitch, don't ever, ever say anything to insult my friends again!" Practically the whole table went silent, wondering how the famous James Potter was going to react to having his arse kicked by a girl.
He didn't even touch his cheek, but smiled, pressed his face up close against hers, and said, so quietly that no-one else could hear, "Your going to be very, very sorry you did that." And went back to his food. He smiled as he said it, and that was what scared Lily the most, Although she tried not to show it. Lily felt like slapping him again - he even had the cheek to mock her in his threat! - but didn't want to draw attention to herself. She didn't like the sound of what he had just said, and so contented herself with whispering in his ear one more time,
"Dickhead," and going back to her meal. The Griffindor table obligingly burst into speech again, so loudly that it was unnatural. From then until they had to leave the great hall, she satisfied her urge to rip James Potter's head off, with little things, that she knew wouldn't go unnoticed, but were too petty to complain about. Like reaching over for the orange juice, which was in front of Sirius, but reaching right across James, so he had to lean back a couple of centimeters, and stop eating. Lily didn't really like orange juice, but anything to get at James. She trod on his toes more than once, and even spilt potatoes in his lap. Lily had thought this last jibe would try his patience, but he just coldly removed the potatoes, without giving Lily any death glares, or hollow threats. Well, at least Lily hoped that his threats were hollow. If they weren't, she was in big trouble. If he was pureblood, as Kari had said, (and, even through Lily's prejudice of her, she didn't think Kari would have lied to her about something like that, it would have been completely pointless) then he would obviously know a lot more spells than she would. In Hogwarts she suspected that knowing few spells was rather a bit a of a disadvantage. She wasn't really very good with her fists either; she had made her name in St. John's with verbal abuse.
When the headmaster (whose name she had learnt Hagrid, whilst they were in the boat, was Professor Dumbledore) commissioned pudding, Lily realized the second big mistake she had made, making an enemy of James Potter. He would know so many more things about magic than she would, beat her in lessons, and therefore have the absolute right to sneer at her. She almost smacked her own head in the midst of the discovery. How STUPID of her! She would just have to study twice as hard as he did she said resolutely to herself, whilst picking at her pudding. After that nervous unearthing, she tried to put her enemies to the back of her head. Two were quite enough to make for one day.
Along with the rest of the Griffindor first years, Lily was led up to the tower and to their dormitories, by the school prefect. He was a snooty lard pot, with his nose in the air, and head in the clouds. He didn't notice that everyone was mocking him, and not only people from Griffindor house either. Lily would have felt sorry for him, if he hadn't been such an arse hole to her: she had stopped to tie up her shoelace, and fell behind the rest of the crowd. Only Alison waited with her. He stopped the whole year, went around the back of the huge throng, so that their attention was drawn to her, shooed Alison away, and then patted her on the bum, saying
"Run along, dear" With that indulging smile. Lily had half a mind to retort, but thought better of it. She contented herself with remarking,
"Pervert" Quietly to Alison. She smiled.
They reached a portrait of a lady larger than the prefect, dressed in ornamental Tudor clothes. Lily was very surprised when the painting suddenly moved, and even more surprised when the painting suddenly spoke:
"Password!" In a voice so shrill it was all Lily could do not to cover her ears.
The prefect said something that resembled,
"Poppycock." She wasn't sure if that was the password, or a jibe at the portrait's sanity, but it opened anyway. Lily was even more surprised at what was inside than she had been when the portrait. It was a large room that emanated a glow of red and gold. Lily was the last person to step inside that glowing room, and for a few moments, she forgot all her resolutions, her annoyance, even her steaming head, and reveled in the glory of this amazing room. There were squashy armchairs around an ornate fireplace, which Lily noticed many of the fourth years made a beeline for.
Suddenly noticing her tiredness Lily realized if she sat down in one of them she would fall asleep. She had to bite the back of her hand to keep herself awake. Faintly, she heard the pompous prefect direct the first year girls to their dormitories, and say something about their luggage. Lily dragged her limbs up the winding staircase, following the feet of her friend. She barely registered the four-poster beds. Finding her trunk in the dormitories, and using the remainder of her strength to get undressed, she rummaged around in her trunk for her pajamas. When she found them, her eyelids were already half closed and by the time she put them on they were shut. She flopped down into her bed, and pulled the curtains.
*
The first thing Lily saw when she awoke was... cream?
****OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have finally finished chappie four!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(sos. hehe)
Glumfroggie, bibi!****
****Glumfroggie! hiya! WOW eight reviews thanks sooooooo much! I luv my reviewers!
August 'roxy' Taylor: I will update, I will! I will!
MIAKODA: Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, I told ya! hehehehe. But thanx 4 reviewing again, (and I don't mean to gloat)
Drowning rooster: Heeeeeloooooo... well, I'm a naturally interesting person *sticks tongue out subtly* hehehe.
Lady Wild Rose: I updated! Aren't I fantastic! *silence* ummmmmm... yeah. I DID actually VISIT YOUR WEBSITE! hmmmmmm... I wonder WHY? *looks at lady wild rose with one eyebrow lifted* (or, according to Ahila, looking like a Chinese man).
WindRider-Damia: Yes, yes, I know I'm very E-V-I-K?
Pttlvr: thanku soooooooooo much 4 putting me on ur favorite authors list. I saw, and I almost fainted! Thankuuuuuuuuuuu!
Lady Wild Rose: ooooo-hhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Pleeeeeeeeese take me 2 starbucks again... *pouts* Hopefully Those people cleared up all the sugar that Beulah left... hehe, oh yeah, and thanx 4 reviewing again!
MIAKODA: Hewooooooo! Thanx 4 reviewing again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!****
Every Witch has her Silver Lining
Meet carrot Head
Whilst walking along besides the morbid looking professor, or at least what she assumed was a professor, Lily hoped the fright she was feeling didn't show on her face. That *deal* hadn't sounded good. Until just then, Lily had been so engrossed in her thoughts of James that she hadn't noticed how much Cleo was shivering. Or, as they were led through gigantic wooden double doors, and the light from the old fashioned torches shone on each of them, how blue Cleo's lips were. Lily supposed that because she had hardly talked during the ride over there, that her attention hadn't been drawn towards her. Half-worrying about Cleo, Lily noted with an odd sort of satisfaction, that the walls weren't lit by electricity, but by candles, just as she had thought. They cast an eerie sort of shadow on the walls. Lily would have said something, but she didn't dare talk in the presence of the ominous professor, so she was left mentally to her own devises. She wondered where they would be taken. Then she reflected on the fact that she didn't even know why they were being taken, she had just assumed it was because she had fallen in the lake, but she had no actual proof. It could be for some completely different reason altogether. She fiddled with the sleeve of Hagrid's Moleskin overcoat that still bound Cleo and Lily together, wondering again where they were being taken, and tried to memorize the corridors and staircases that they went through or passed, but it was impossible.
Finally they reached what Lily assumed was their destination. (She noted that there was a lot of assuming to be done in this school.) Anyway, that professor stopped, and motioned them into a starch white room, with several beds lining the sides. It looked just like a hospital. The professor called out a strange name, and then turned to them with a back so straight, Lily thought she must have a sheet of ivory in the back of her robes.
"My name is Professor Macgonagall. I am the deputy head of Hogwarts. We are in the Hospital wing. This is Madam Pomfrey," She gestured to a rather plump young woman who stepped forward nervously out of the shadows, as if she expected Professor Macgonagall to freeze her to death with her glare, which she did well to, Lily thought, "Our new nurse. Since you both fell in the lake," "And may well be subject to pneumonia, Madam Pomfrey will... well I'm not quite sure what she will do, but then, I'm not a Hogwarts nurse," It struck Lily as rather odd that Professor Macgonagall could *not* know anything, and if she did, that she would ever admit it, but here she was, admitting it in front of two eleven year old girls. "But she's sure to clear you up." She glanced at Madam Pomfrey, and her face twisted strangely. Only when her face un- twisted, did Lily realise that she had been trying to *smile*.
She followed Professor Macgonagall's back as it exited the doorway with a raised eyebrow, but only to her back. She didn't like to think of the consequences if she had raised her eyebrow to the professor's face.
Madam Pomfrey seemed to recover her stance when the professor left. She ushered the two first years to sit on one of the beds lining the sides of the room. Then she went inside her office. It was the first chance that the two friends had been given to talk since the train. But Cleo didn't look capable of talking. The only thing she appeared to be able to do was hug the coat firmly around her. Lily's face betrayed her concern.
"Cleo-" But she was cut off by the new nurse returning with two steaming cups of red liquid. (They didn't look too appetizing to Lily.) She hadn't given them much of a chance to talk, but she looked cheerful enough. She carried on in her jolly way,
"Now, these 'ere cups might burn yer mouth a little, but yer jus' have to ignore that. Oh, and it might make yer hair smoke fer a bit afterwards, haven't quite perfected it yet. But that's nothing ter worry about now," She had a slight country accent, a bit like Hagrid's, but Lily suspected that would wear off with time, and working alongside professor Macgonagall.
As Lily took the mug in her hands, It burnt her fingers with it's sudden heat. From Cleo's similar gasp, Lily thought she must have had a comparable sensation. True to Madam Pomfrey's word, the potion, or whatever it was (more guess work on Lily's part,) *did* Burn a little. In fact, it didn't just burn a little, it burnt *a lot*. Lily had choked on her first mouthful, and to that Madam Pomfrey had replied,
"I call it the pepper up potion..." explanatorily, "By it's taste." Cleo had smiled wryly. Also, like the nurse had said, steam started rising out of the girls' hair. Lily could tell this by the state of Cleo's, and Cleo could tell his by the state of Lily's.
Some of the steam started to condense in her hair, and Lily felt her own start to plaster onto her forehead. They were going to be the laughing stock of the entire school! But at least Cleo's lips had become the normal colour again, (she had wiped most of her makeup of during the train ride), and she had stopped shivering. Both of them felt warmth flooding back... finally.
When Madam Pomfrey was finally satisfied with their pulse and temperature:
"I didn't become a nurse at The Magicks of Human Welfare fer nothin' yeh know"
Hagrid came to collect them again. He smiled warmly down on the two small girls.
"The school's waitin' fer yer."
This gave them something to brood on. How long had the school been waiting? Were they cross? Why were they waiting, for a start? This seemed like such a good question that Lily decided to voice it.
"Because o' the sortin', Lass."
"The sorting? What's the sorting?"
" Ah." Hagrid seemed slightly awkward, as he led the girls up more staircases, and through more passage ways. He was humming and haring for so long that Cleo had time to pay attention to her surroundings and think I. Little did she know every single first year was thinking exactly the same thing, even if they wouldn't admit it. Finally, Hagrid stopped:
"Now, I'd better not stop fer too long, a 'cause the hall waitin' fer yer an' all. Did Macgonagall not give yer her little prep talk thingamajig?" The girls shook their heads adamantly. "Tha's not like professor Macgonagall." He said, rubbing the back of his neck uneasily. "Well, I'm not no good a' this, and mind, I'm not sayin' I am, but basically, there's four odd houses, and you'll get put inter one or 'em, accordin' ter yer skills, er summat, by this 'at. Basically, yer house is yer family, yer sleep in the same dorms as 'em..." He stopped. How many times had he listened to Professor Macgonagall give this speech. Why he had sat there and listened to her compose it when she was appointed deputy head. Yesterday he could have summoned it word for word, but now, when he had an audience, he couldn't. Some more came to him.
"Yer'll be with 'em all through yer Hogwarts years, tha' yer will. Classes with 'em an' everythin'" Some of himself came through in his speech. "Go on in an' try yer best. Everyone's too hungry ter see if yer make a fool o' yer self." He grinned, and the girls grinned back at him. He smacked them on the backs, and they strode through the doors to the hall, steaming hair and all.
There were a few murmured whispers, Lily suspected from the Muggles of Hogwarts, but evidently, most people thought it perfectly normal to walk into the great hall with your head producing large quantities of steam.
They approached a three footed, rickety stool, whereon a filthy hat stood, (Lily assumed this was the hat Hagrid had mentioned) where A professor... Macgonagall! Awaited them. She looked pretty grim, which made Lily wonder what awaited her when she put on that hat, assuming she *did* have to put it on, and she held a piece of yellowing parchment. She appeared to be the only one actually paying attention to the two late first years, because the rest of their audience looked as if they might faint from hunger, just as Hagrid had said. Lily surveyed the room, and noticed the only two other people observing their conduct; Hagrid, and an old man who sat in the centre of the long teacher's table, Lily thought him to be the head master. He looked old enough anyhow. But he looked like a friendly sort of old man, not one that, haggard with age, is bored of life and the inadequacies of children, as many old people are. Lily decided she would quite like to meet him. The only worrying thing was how frightening it would be to meet someone with so much wisdom, experience, and *pain* in their eyes. She shuddered, and, as all these thoughts passed in a second, brought her mind back to the situation at hand. The forbidding Professor read Cleo's name off of the piece of parchment. Then she crossed it off in the same grim manner. Lily was, in an odd way, glad that she wasn't first, as she didn't have the first clue what to do. But Cleo walked purposefully across the Platform, eyes set on the stool. She sat, and placed the squalid hat on her head an waited. Things were getting worse by the second. She was alone, on the raised platform, watching her friend walk away from her. She was embarrassed, to be left alone, and shy in everyone's view, even if they were not focusing on her, but on their empty golden plates. Lily speculated absently if they were real gold. Probably not, she decided. Then she wondered *how* the hat was going to sort them. It wasn't very well going to yell it out for the whole hall to hear... was it?
Then, to Lily's very great surprise, it did! A tear in the dirty seams opened to resemble a mouth in the hat and it yelled
"RAVENCLAW!"
It was then that Lily spotted Alison's dark head in among the crowds. She watched Cleo expectantly, anticipating her approach to a seat next to Alison's. But the girl moved to a different table, the one next to it. Lily's heart sank slightly. She didn't know why, but she had expected her friends to be sorted in to the same house together. With a jolt of sadness, Lily realized that she'd already started to plan the fun that they would share, giggles in the dormitories, and in lessons. Well, hopefully she'd be able to see her friends from time to time. Suddenly a horrible thought struck her: hopefully she'd be in the same house as *one* of them! She hadn't really seen it before, or if she had, she hadn't taken it in, but there were two other long house tables. She could be sorted in to either one of them!
Her heart started to beat faster, like it did when she was just about to take a saxophone exam, as she realized that she was next! She didn't even get time to see Cleo take her place at the table before Macgonagall called her name out in her monophonic voice.
She walked over to the stool, where she had to climb on a rib between it's three legs to reach the stool. That was the annoying thing about being short. You couldn't reach places where other people could reach with ease. That was laughable, at least to your audience. It was lucky for Lily that the school was so hungry, really, and so couldn't pay attention.
Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't what happened next. She heard a voice in her head. At first only a whisper, and she thought it was her imagination running away with her. I hate that phrase. Makes it sound like my imagination's in control. That was when Lily was absolutely sure it wasn't her imagination, because a voice, loud and cold in her head, said almost pityingly,
"And you think it's not?"
"What are you?" She replied back, mentally. If this thing, whatever it was, could speak to her mentally, then she should be able to speak to it mentally. She was right.
"You should never answer a question with a question."
"Well," Lily retorted "You should never answer a question with a rule of etiquette either"
Lily could sense the indulging smile that whatever had invaded her head was placing upon her. "A sharp tongued young one, I see. Now where shall I put you?"
Lily's heart was racing with rage at the indulging smile. One which was often placed upon her, and she hated it more every time someone used it. It was a smile an adult used on a child So patronizing. Petunia had always loved it. Lily had always hated it. Neither of the sisters knew what Will had liked, because they weren't born. But a thought suddenly struck her that wiped all those others out of her head:
"You - you aren't the, you can't be the -"
"Ah but I am dear. The article upon your acme. The hat upon your head. The -"
"Alright, no need to gloat."
Lily could feel the smile coming on again. It drove her up the wall! It was lucky the hat brim fell well over her chin, because otherwise the whole hall would have seen her face contorted with rage.
"Now," said the hat rather matter-of-factly, "Which house to put you?"
Lily frowned. Was it asking her?
"No dear." It said, reading her thoughts. Lily's eyes closed in a what-is- the-point sort of way.
"I think it had better be... " And instead of just say the house into her head, it shouted out for the whole hall to hear, "GRIFFINDOR!"
Taking the hat off of her head, and putting it back, Lily stumbled off of the tall stool, and off of the raised platform to the table from which the most cheering was emanating. She was delighted to see that it was the table at which Alison sat. The dark haired girl was possibly cheering the loudest. She grinned as Lily made a beeline for her. When Lily sat down, the old man that she had thought to be the headmaster, (and evidently, judging by the way he spoke to the hall, and the way they *listened* he was) stood up and spoke a few words, which Lily could barely hear through the ringing in her head. Everyone cheered, and then as if by magic (which it obviously was) food appeared in the dishes drinks in the cups. Dazed momentarily, Lily sat staring, until Alison nudged her.
"Oi," She whispered, "tuck in!" Grinning her mischievous grin, (One that Lily was sure would get them into a lot of trouble over the next seven years) and spooning food onto her own plate. Lily blinked, once... twice, shook her head, and followed her friend's instructions.
There was another girl seated next to Alison, aside from Lily. Her name appeared to be 'Beatrithe' But that was probably the result of a severe lisp. She wore ugly, thick rimmed glasses that magnified her eyes to about twice their normal size, and her hair was bunched up messily in uneven pigtails. Lily made a quick judgement on her, and it was a bad one. She looked like a total *bore*! She said something to Alison that Lily couldn't quite hear, and snorted with a laugh that sounded unusually pig-like. Alison smiled too, and Lily felt a stab of jealousy. But then she saw the real expression on Alison's face, and it was exactly the one Lily would have pulled. So 'Beatrithe' and Alison weren't best friends after all!
Alison leant over to Lily and whispered explanatorily, "Thank GOD you came along. There were no other spaces along the bench, and she smiled this big toothy smile at me as I walked passed and offered the seat. I looked desperately for another seat, but there was none. So I was forced to sit here. Beatrithe is so *boring*!" Lily felt a bit sorry for Beatrice, because of Alison's remark as she mocked her lisp, but that didn't stop her snorting with laughter. "I would have been stuck with her in the dormitories as well," Alison continued, shuddering, "All on my own!" She shuddered again, more violently this time and helped herself to some more potatoes.
The beef was being passed along the bench from the left, the side on which Alison was not seated. When it was offered to Lily, she was half way through explaining that she was a vegetarian, she realized that her other companion was JAMES POTTER! She shut her mouth coldly, and he (realizing who she was a second later) shut his, passing the beef straight passed her. Alison took it, and scraped a piece onto her own plate.
At the first opportunity, Lily hissed at Alison,
"Why did you have to sit next to James Potter?!" Alison looked mildly surprised, and replied, not bothering to lower her voice,
"What on earth do you mean?"
"What I said."
"What's wrong with James Potter? He seems perfectly nice to me."
Lily gave her friend a withering look. "Since you didn't know, I'm going to let you off," Alison raised an eyebrow, "But" Lily continued, ignoring her, "As of now, me and Potter are sworn enemies."
"How come?" Alison asked with a mouth full of spinach quiche. It was Lily's turn to raise an eyebrow. Alison grinned and swallowed.
"Because he laughed at me and Cleo when we fell into the lake."
Alison barely had time to pull a face that said 'That's *it*?' Before James leaned over Lily's shoulder and said,
"Actually, I was only laughing at you, my dear carrot head, not your lovely friend." With a smug grin plastered all over his narrow features.
Alison swallowed her second mouthful of quiche before saying pointedly,
"You're right Lily, he *is* a total dickhead." And turning back to her food. Lily had to admire this use of open language. And it certainly got at James, because he said to Sirius, who happened to be sitting next to him, without turning around almost at once, directing it at Alison, who was half way though delivering the last little piece of quiche to her mouth,
"Don't you hate it when girls are hypocritical?" Sirius, not quite latching on, shrugged, and continued to desecrate his meal. Lily tapped James on the shoulder, so that he turned around, and slapped him with all of her might.
"Listen to me, you sexist Son of a Bitch, don't ever, ever say anything to insult my friends again!" Practically the whole table went silent, wondering how the famous James Potter was going to react to having his arse kicked by a girl.
He didn't even touch his cheek, but smiled, pressed his face up close against hers, and said, so quietly that no-one else could hear, "Your going to be very, very sorry you did that." And went back to his food. He smiled as he said it, and that was what scared Lily the most, Although she tried not to show it. Lily felt like slapping him again - he even had the cheek to mock her in his threat! - but didn't want to draw attention to herself. She didn't like the sound of what he had just said, and so contented herself with whispering in his ear one more time,
"Dickhead," and going back to her meal. The Griffindor table obligingly burst into speech again, so loudly that it was unnatural. From then until they had to leave the great hall, she satisfied her urge to rip James Potter's head off, with little things, that she knew wouldn't go unnoticed, but were too petty to complain about. Like reaching over for the orange juice, which was in front of Sirius, but reaching right across James, so he had to lean back a couple of centimeters, and stop eating. Lily didn't really like orange juice, but anything to get at James. She trod on his toes more than once, and even spilt potatoes in his lap. Lily had thought this last jibe would try his patience, but he just coldly removed the potatoes, without giving Lily any death glares, or hollow threats. Well, at least Lily hoped that his threats were hollow. If they weren't, she was in big trouble. If he was pureblood, as Kari had said, (and, even through Lily's prejudice of her, she didn't think Kari would have lied to her about something like that, it would have been completely pointless) then he would obviously know a lot more spells than she would. In Hogwarts she suspected that knowing few spells was rather a bit a of a disadvantage. She wasn't really very good with her fists either; she had made her name in St. John's with verbal abuse.
When the headmaster (whose name she had learnt Hagrid, whilst they were in the boat, was Professor Dumbledore) commissioned pudding, Lily realized the second big mistake she had made, making an enemy of James Potter. He would know so many more things about magic than she would, beat her in lessons, and therefore have the absolute right to sneer at her. She almost smacked her own head in the midst of the discovery. How STUPID of her! She would just have to study twice as hard as he did she said resolutely to herself, whilst picking at her pudding. After that nervous unearthing, she tried to put her enemies to the back of her head. Two were quite enough to make for one day.
Along with the rest of the Griffindor first years, Lily was led up to the tower and to their dormitories, by the school prefect. He was a snooty lard pot, with his nose in the air, and head in the clouds. He didn't notice that everyone was mocking him, and not only people from Griffindor house either. Lily would have felt sorry for him, if he hadn't been such an arse hole to her: she had stopped to tie up her shoelace, and fell behind the rest of the crowd. Only Alison waited with her. He stopped the whole year, went around the back of the huge throng, so that their attention was drawn to her, shooed Alison away, and then patted her on the bum, saying
"Run along, dear" With that indulging smile. Lily had half a mind to retort, but thought better of it. She contented herself with remarking,
"Pervert" Quietly to Alison. She smiled.
They reached a portrait of a lady larger than the prefect, dressed in ornamental Tudor clothes. Lily was very surprised when the painting suddenly moved, and even more surprised when the painting suddenly spoke:
"Password!" In a voice so shrill it was all Lily could do not to cover her ears.
The prefect said something that resembled,
"Poppycock." She wasn't sure if that was the password, or a jibe at the portrait's sanity, but it opened anyway. Lily was even more surprised at what was inside than she had been when the portrait. It was a large room that emanated a glow of red and gold. Lily was the last person to step inside that glowing room, and for a few moments, she forgot all her resolutions, her annoyance, even her steaming head, and reveled in the glory of this amazing room. There were squashy armchairs around an ornate fireplace, which Lily noticed many of the fourth years made a beeline for.
Suddenly noticing her tiredness Lily realized if she sat down in one of them she would fall asleep. She had to bite the back of her hand to keep herself awake. Faintly, she heard the pompous prefect direct the first year girls to their dormitories, and say something about their luggage. Lily dragged her limbs up the winding staircase, following the feet of her friend. She barely registered the four-poster beds. Finding her trunk in the dormitories, and using the remainder of her strength to get undressed, she rummaged around in her trunk for her pajamas. When she found them, her eyelids were already half closed and by the time she put them on they were shut. She flopped down into her bed, and pulled the curtains.
*
The first thing Lily saw when she awoke was... cream?
****OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have finally finished chappie four!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(sos. hehe)
Glumfroggie, bibi!****
