The Princess and the Pauper
One is a spoiled, rich brat from a muggle family. The other, a poor yet satisfied pauper that comes from a wizarding family. Could they ever meet and… fall in love? Not your average Cinderella story, I promise you!
Sierra Sitruc- For now she's nice… she seems to be getting a bit violent and using that sports training she received pre-Hogwarts. I know, I liked Binah, but I killed her anyway for a reason… or two… or three, I think I have. Three good reasons. I'll put 'em below. I hope this is kinda soon… mesa not having much compu time any more!
Flower- Heyy! Yourself! Thanks, and I will! ;-D
Taracollowen- you'll find out whether they know or not soon enough, thank youpe! Hehe. Did take a turn, didn't it? welpers, we'll see what happens next!
Lady Ani- Well, I'm glad that you at least love the guys! We can't have you NOT loving the guys, can we? I liked Petunia at the beginning, but then I realized that that was a BAD thing to do. She's supposed to be mean and nasty, not nice and understanding. I was using Binah to make Lily seem less likeable, though, 'cause of the way Lily treated her. Oh twell! You like who you like and you hate who you hate, that's just how things work!
AngelStar88- yes, she had to die, reasons stated below. I'm sorry about the no Peter thing and you being glad about it… find out in this chapter what I'm talking about. Thanks for reviewin', and I read the chapter (checking for more in a sec, don worry).
Hufflepuffer242- yay! Somebody's interest was piqued by the picture! Woohoo! Really, it's something important, but you don't find out why until a while later. And thank you!
Hyper Princess- he sho' did, sista! Sorry. Wow, talk about moodswings! You cheer someone on, get sad, then get really excited, all within three sentences. What an accomplishment!
Puddles- thank you, yes poor Binah, and I don't think it will quite yet. Here's more!
SilverSickle17- sorry, can't remember. What great feedback! HEY, EVERYONE ELSE, CHECK THIS! this is how NOT to review: geez, how much sugar did you have in your bloodstream while writing that last bit? I mean, what does that tell anyone? Emma, you need to learn how to review. That was the longest chapter of anything I've EVER written, and you can only comment on the last half page! I'm so loved, aren't I?
HPMystery- thank you! Wow, forever is a REALLY long time. Her daddy isn't Voldie! Actually, he could be. I'm not a hundred percent certain who her father is. Yeppers, poor Binah! Yeppers, Lily's getting nicer! Notice the word GETTING and the word NICER. She's not necessarily going to be a bundle of joy, here!
Thistlemeg- thanks! That just about covers everything… well, you know dear ol' Dumbly, I thinkies that he might just get better.
Saphire- I will and thanks!
Sailor Capricorn- yeah, she wasn't around long enough to get REALLY attached to, and I kinda moved the focus off of her before I killed her. People would probably be REALLY mad if I had showed her going to the orphanage and stuff… just imagine Snape looking a few years younger, maybe not as nasty, and definitely shorter. And not intimidating yet. He's twelve! A million dollars would be nice…
Silverkonekotsukari- tankies! I twill continue!
Princess Gin-Gin- thanks! Yes, everyone is getting sad and dead and mad. All at once! Hehe sorry.
Clavel- I will! I hope this is quick!
Erin- thank you! Yeah, it twas sad, but perhaps not so. I know what's gunna happen! Hehehee dundundun! Welpers, here's the next chapter.
Nasha L. T. M. Potter- here's more, thanks, and I'm glad it's different. Sometimes the same is good if it's good, but different is good if it's good or just different. Did that make any sense?
Kay, here are my reasons for killing Binah! 1) It's an excuse for Pia to hate magic and Lily. 2) She was getting to be a bit too much of the main character, and seemed to be the only thing holding Lily out from having friends. 3) It brings the orphanage into the story [read this chap to find out how] which is necessary. 4) It makes Lily a bit nicer. 5) This reason I can't tell you yet, but I'll let y'all know when it comes 'round!
*** *** *** ***
Lily changed into her school robes immediately and found a completely empty compartment to sit in and think. She seemed to be thinking a lot, lately, about her family. She couldn't talk to them, she really couldn't. It would just make her more miserable than she was now. She also realized that she couldn't start being really nice to everyone, but she would try to talk a bit more maybe, and not be completely withdrawn. If she went too quickly, though, she'd scare them all. Completely.
The four boys were getting frustrated. They couldn't find Lily anywhere to compliment her, and if they didn't claim a compartment soon there would be no room left.
"Come on, let's just sit in here," James said as the others turned to leave the empty compartment they'd found.
"Okay," Dung agreed, plopping down onto a seat. "I'm dead on my feet, any ways."
"Me too," Remus said, sitting.
"I'm hungry!" Sirius announced.
"Is that all you ever think about?" Dung asked disgustedly.
"Well, as the great George Bernard Shaw once said, 'There is no sincerer love than the love of food.' And no, I do think about other things, like pranks, not getting detentions, and my schoolwork." He shuddered at the word 'schoolwork.' Even though all of them did work at it so they wouldn't get in trouble, none of them really enjoyed it.
"Just wait for the cart," James ordered, rummaging through Sirius's trunk. "Let's play Exploding Snap." He pulled out a deck of the cards, and the four boys settled down to play the game.
Bella and Kora were also having fun in their compartment. The Hufflepuff that they'd sat with in Charms the previous year had brought a few of her friends in, and all were playing Gobstones. It was funny to see their faces turn purple when they got squirted. Little did the two Gryffindors know, soon they would be very sad with certain information on a certain friend of theirs that had been in a certain, currently blown up, orphanage.
That was how the train ride passed: thinking, Exploding Snap, and Gobstones.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Now that the Sorting is completed," Dumbledore began, (The only notable new Gryffindors were Frank Longbottom and Shirley Jones. Both held potential for trouble making.) "I would like to make an announcement. As some of you may or may not have heard, over the summer holidays Merciful Merlin's Orphanage was attacked by the dark wizard that is rising to power, Voldemort. There were few deaths, among them Binah Dumbledore, who would have been a second year Gryffindor. As the orphanage itself was blown up, we are taking in all the children that went there. They have already been sorted, and I will call them in momentarily. I expect you all to treat them with the utmost respect, and refrain from asking any questions about what happened. It was truly traumatic, and I do not want any of our new students reliving the event unwillingly.
"So, will you please all seat yourselves as follows: First years at the closest end of the table, seventh years at the farthest, and the rest organized accordingly in between." After the changing of seats had occurred, he simply said, "Be kind," and threw open the doors to the Great Hall. A large group of children of various ages entered, glancing around nervously, and headed to separate tables and different sections of those tables.
The food appeared and talking began. The four people seated around the second year Gryffindors glanced at each other, and the one boy began introductions.
"Hello," he said cheerily. "I'm Peter Pettigrew, second year, I guess. Who're you?"
"James Potter," James said, sticking his hand out and shaking Peter's. "That's Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Mundungus Fletcher (we call him Dung), Arabella Figg (call her Bella or die), Kora Schnozzlewoggen, and Lily Evans." He pointed to each person in turn, and Lily was surprised to have been introduced.
"I'm Electra Tejada," a girl with bright blond hair and bright violet eyes said. (A/N: Lots of brights cuz she's Electra. Tay ha da.)
"As this boy so cleverly pointed out, I'm Bella. Should I go over everyone else again? No? Okay, that's Lily Evans, Kora Schnozzlewoggen, Dung, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter." Bella was talking very fast and trying not to laugh.
"Thanks," Electra said dryly. "I so needed to hear that again."
"I am Kay Oss. Spelt K-A-Y O-S-S, thank you, but most people just call me Chaos, y'know, C-H-A-O-S. Don't know what my parents had been thinking about when they named me. Couldn't ask either, they died when I was two." The girl speaking looked as if she were the exact opposite of her name. She appeared calm, with her light brown hair and pale blue eyes.
"Kora of the icky last name," Kora said. "Do YOU need introductions again?" Chaos shook her head. "Good, 'cause I'm not going over them."
The last girl straightened up a bit, and the other three began grinning like mad. She brushed her short black hair out of her equally black eyes, and took a deep breath. "Greetings, all Hogwartians. I am Bronwyn Zsa Zsa Talia Giselle Letitia Ninnette Samala Elnore Aurelia Regina Kamilan Umeko Gabrielle Morgan Matuschanskayasky the third. But you can just call me by my middle name, Rhiannon. Oh, and Kora, I guess my last name beats yours," she added, sticking out her tongue. The other three children from Merciful Merlin's began laughing at the 'Hogwartians'' shocked expressions. {A/N: I wanna name the first daughter I have that. Fun name! Zsa Zsa is pronounced like jue jah. Make up the rest if you can't figure it out!}
"Her mother and father were a Duke and Duchess, but they lost their holding. She was still stuck with the name," Electra informed in a stage whisper.
Lily began laughing with the new kids. The Hogwarts students gave her blank looks. "What? I just realized that this was a very funny situation. I mean, you should have seen your expressions!" She continued laughing. Wiping a tear from her eye, she addressed Rhiannon. "Are you going to ever make us repeat your name? I'm Lily, by the way."
"Actually," Rhiannon said primly, shaking out her napkin, "there will be a quiz later."
Everyone's (minus Merciful Merlin folk and Lily) jaws dropped even lower, if that was possible. "You're joking!" Sirius gasped.
"No," Rhiannon said, shaking her head.
"How much later is later? And does spelling count, or is it verbal?" Lily asked, taking notes on her napkin. She had most of the name written out already.
"Well, even if spelling did count, you'd have no problem," Chaos said, peering over her shoulder. "You've got it all right. Except you spelt 'third' wrong."
"What? How'd I do that?" Lily exclaimed, looking closer.
"Well, first you…" Electra began, but Lily interrupted.
"It was rhetorical. No need to answer!" The original Hogwarts students were still looking at her funny. "What is wrong with you all?"
"We just found out that Binah died, and you are able to laugh and joke?" Bella hissed.
"I've had time to recover," Lily said stiffly. "I found out the day after it happened, as my sister was invited to the funeral."
"You knew Binah?" Chaos looked rather shocked. "I didn't really know her. None of us did, actually, because she came so late. I guess she was here for a while. Most of the people that got into Hufflepuff were her friends."
"Oh," Kora said simply.
Lily settled back as the subject swiftly changed, letting the conversation wash over her. Maybe, just maybe, this year wouldn't be quite so bad if she had some of the new people as her friends. She knew Bella and Kora weren't going to happen yet, but Rhiannon seemed to like her, and Chaos and Electra might, too.
She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, unaware that everyone else was still awake.
"Hey, guys, over here," Kora whispered, poking all the other girls. "Come on my bed."
A moment later, Bella, Kora, Electra, Chaos and Rhiannon were seated on Kora's bed.
"We just wanted to talk about people," Bella began lightly. "Slytherins are awful. I think you could've guessed by who ended up there from your school, right?" The three girls nodded their heads. "Hufflepuffs are okay, but they aren't really brilliant or anything. Ravenclaws are bookworms, and rather dull. Now, you three are lucky to have landed in the best house, Gryffindor." Bella and Kora grinned broadly. "We are smart, AND have fun while we're at it."
"Now, out of Slytherins, the people we hate the most are Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy. Snape is our year, Malfoy two years ahead." Kora produced two photos of the mentioned boys. "These are their faces. Remember them. They are our main targets for pranks." She fished out another photograph from under her pillow. "This is the fourth on the Gryffindor's Most Wanted list. First is Snape, second Malfoy, third Slytherins in general. The name of this person is Lily Evans. She was evil, mean to Binah, rude to everyone else. She's a spoiled, rich brat, and you want nothing to do with her."
Rhiannon looked surprised, and said, "But she seemed nice at supper."
"Have you ever heard of acting lessons?" Bella queried. "She's taken them, no doubt. Her family is a very prominent muggle one."
"Well, I guess we'll take your word for it," Electra said dubiously. Chaos was quiet. She seemed a bit like Remus in that way, not at all chaotic as her name suggested. Sort of like Sirius's was the opposite of him. He wasn't that serious.
"Well, that was lesson one of who not to deal with. In the morning, introductions to the school and residents!" Kora said brightly, shoving everyone else out of her bed. "Sleep well!" Her curtains closed with a little WOOSH!
In the boys' dorms, a similar conversation was occurring, this one including everyone in the room. The congregation spot was Peter's bed.
"Petey boy!" Dung said, bouncing onto Peter's bed.
"Hello, Dingy Dung," Peter replied, smiling. "Please don't call me Petey boy, or I will come up with the most horrendous name imaginable to call you. Not that you can do much worse than Dung, but it's possible."
Dung stuck his tongue out at Peter while Sirius, Remus and James laughed. "We just wanted to give you the scoop on the people," Sirius informed him.
"Basically, stay away from all Slytherins unless you are pranking them, don't share secrets with Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, but you can talk to them, and Lily Evans is trouble with a capital T." Remus was sounding very energetic, which wasn't a good thing for eleven at night the day before school starts.
"Why is Lily Evans trouble?" Peter asked.
James replied simply with, "She's a spoiled rich snob that is unbearable now that she found out she was adopted and has no idea who her parents are."
"Oooh, I get it," Peter said knowingly. "Actually, I don't really, but any ways! I think I know what to do to the Slytherins tomorrow morning."
The other four grinned at each other. They'd all get along very nicely. Very nicely indeed.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Morning, everyone!" Lily said cheerfully as she brushed out her still amazingly long hair.
The five other girls glared at her and left the room.
"All… righty then!" she said sadly.
"Watch what you're doing with your hair, dear," the mirror cautioned.
"I'm not worried about that right now," she responded tartly, but stopped brushing her hair up anyway.
She grabbed out a small, dark green book with a blood red lock on it and opened it up.
Dear Diary,
I have no idea what just happened. I was perfectly nice at the feast last night with the new girls. I even think that Rhiannon liked me and that Electra and Chaos thought I was okay. But then this morning, I said "good morning" and everyone glared at me.
Are Bella and Kora turning everyone against me? I'd almost bet that Peter won't talk to me now. James, Sirius, Remus and Dung probably said something. This year was starting to look so much better, and now my chances are ruined. Why is my life turning against me?
I don't think I'll try out for the Quidditch team. If I made it (which I probably wouldn't) everyone would say I cheated and that I should be kicked off to give someone truthful a chance. Maybe I'll get some homework for tonight. If I don't, I'll do something to get myself a detention so I can do SOMETHING to stay out of the room. Or maybe I could just go to the library.
Oh, yes, before I forget to write it down: Remus Lupin is a werewolf. I figured it out this summer when I was reading some of the books in Flourish and Blotts. He's always ill around the full moon, and very tired after. There was also the incident with the boggart last year in Charms, when he opened the book closet. We all thought it had turned into a crystal ball, but it really was a moon.
Well, now that I've avoided breakfast and everyone glaring at me, I should go get my schedule.
LCE
PS Isn't it odd how my initials almost spell lice? I've never had lice in my life, and I certainly don't plan on it. Maybe I'll start signing this something else.
Lily sighed and closed her book, then ran downstairs to retrieve her timetable and get to class.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"She looks sad," Chaos whispered to Electra and Rhiannon.
"Well, it's her own fault then. Remember what Kora and Bella told us?" Electra said.
"Maybe we should get our own opinions," Chaos said reasonably.
Rhiannon snapped, "I'll believe them. If she was so rude to Binah, she can't be that great."
"Maybe she's changed," Chaos said quietly. So quietly that neither of her friends heard her.
Two tables over, the boys were having a slightly similar conversation. "Are you sure that she's all that bad?" Peter asked, glancing sympathetically at Lily. He understood what it was like to be pushed aside. When he had gone to the muggle school before his parents died, all the students had picked on him because of his slightly Hufflepuff-ish look but Ravenclaw-like brain. Not quite Ravenclaw, actually. He was of normal intelligence to be expected in a twelve-year-old boy.
"Yes," Sirius said firmly. "You should've seen what she did to Snape, and I'm on her bad side too. We need to stay away."
"Know something, Sirius?" Remus said quietly. "I don't get why we can't be nice because you were dumb enough to read the letter she was writing. I think she might not be all that bad."
"Are you insane, Remus?" Sirius sounded very shocked. "Remember Binah?"
"I propose an experiment," Dung announced.
"Sounds good."
"How about we see how she treats the house elves in the kitchen?" James suggested. "If she treats them like she treated Binah, she hasn't changed, but if not, maybe she's okay."
"Fine," Sirius said, pouting a bit.
"It's going to take a while, though," Dung said. "We're going to have to get her to trust us or someone else so she'll go with them."
The other boys fell silent to think about how to accomplish this task. The same thought seemed to dawn on them at the same time.
"The girls," the five chorused.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"No way."
"Not happening."
"Nu uh."
"Are you serious?"
These responses were, respectively, Kora, Electra, Bella and Rhiannon.
"Yes, I am Sirius," Sirius, the addresser, responded. "What about you, Chaos?" He peered closely at Chaos's face to see her reaction.
"You know," she said slowly and quietly, "I think I'll do it. I told them that she seemed nice, but they didn't seem to think so. You don't either," she said the last bit flatly.
Taken aback by her perception and bland way of stating it, the opposite of himself, he only nodded.
"So, I need to become friends with her, then bring her to the kitchens, and see how she treats the House Elves? If she's nice to them, she's nice, and if she's mean to them, she's mean. Makes sense. Ta!"
Everyone else looked staggered at her quick acceptance. She really seemed to like Lily already, and wasn't just doing this for the sake of the experiment.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Lily sat on the roof of the castle, munching on a bit of toast. She'd found this spot the previous year, by climbing out the dorm window, pulling herself onto the roof, and climbing up the slope. It was a very pretty view, but she was currently busy scrawling away in her diary.
I know they're up to something. I can feel it. They were eyeing me all today like I was something poisonous, but after Charms that changed. They were looking at me, calculating. I think they're going to try something, and I don't know if I'll like it.
She continued writing as she finished her toast, then picked up her wand to practice the new charm she'd found. While she was still writing. {A/N: How is this possible? Well, she's a righty, but a lefty with a wand, remember?}
I'll just have to be careful around all of them from now on. They think I'm still mean, and that I'm acting when I am nice. I wish I had a sister to talk to that didn't hate me.
Lil E. (get it? Lily, Lil E. Fine, it's not that funny, but it's better than 'lice'.)
Sighing, Lily stretched out on the roof and closed her eyes for a short nap before going in for supper.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Professor Dumbledore says that Lily is fine and has been living in the Leaky Cauldron," Sarah Evans said, looking up from the letter. "Should we put more money in her Gringotts account, just to be safe? I don't want her to run out of money and then starve because she refuses to come back. You know her temper."
"Mother, don't worry so much. You know she'll find a way to get her own money. I'm going to go make sure everything is packed," Petunia said, slipping upstairs.
"I'm so worried, Rob," Sarah said softly to her husband. "So worried."
"I know. I am too," he said, embracing his wife. "We'll put more money in tomorrow."
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Where'd she go to? I'm getting really worried! No one's seen her since just after classes, and now I'm hopelessly lost. Chaos was wandering around the school, attempting to find Lily. She was having absolutely no luck. Great! Here comes Peeves! Just the ghost you need to talk to when you're lost and looking for someone.
"Oh, look, it's an ickle little orphan. Looking for Mommy and Daddy?" Peeves cackled.
Now, there are certain lines you can and cannot cross. Peeves had just crossed one that he most definitely shouldn't have. "Waddiwasi!" Chaos whispered, pointing her wand at a door that had been locked shut with gum in it for a few years. The gum zoomed out of the lock and up Peeves's nose. {A/N: Now we can know where Remus got that…} She muttered a very bad word and started down the steps she'd stumbled across. Unfortunately for her, they were the ones with the disappearing step, and she sank down to her waist and stuck.
"Shoot," just about summed up her feelings. Unfortunately for her yet again, no one came down those stairs on the way to supper from their common rooms.
Lily woke up and swore softly. It was dark out already, and stars were appearing in the velvety darkness of the sky. She stuffed her things into her bag and took off running across the roof, using the shortcut that no one else had ever thought about. She slipped in a window and began to run down the stairs, jumping the middle step out of habit. She stopped about three steps later and turned around.
"What are you doing in there?" she cautiously asked Chaos.
"Having a party," the other girl muttered. Then she looked up with a pleading expression. "Help?"
Lily laughed, set down her bag, and pulled the other girl out of the step and settled her on the stair below. "You need to remember that step," she explained as she scooped up her bag. Turning and running down the stairs, she added, "As you've probably noticed, people don't come this way too often!"
Chaos was silent for a moment, staring after the girl. Then she realized something. "Lily?"
Lily turned and faced her, walking quickly backwards. "Yes?"
"I don't know where I am."
"Well, hurry up then, or we'll miss all the food!" Lily said.
Chaos grinned and jumped down the stairs, catching up to the red head. Really, I don't know why they think she's so awful. She has no reason to be helping me, yet she is.
*** *** *** ***
I was gunna have them all be mean, but that wouldn't be nice, so Chaos might be pretty okay. Anyone wanna guess at the pairings I'm going to have? I'll read and review anyone's fics who gets them right! Do them by the boys, not the girls, kay? Hehehehe toodles!
R&R!