So sorry it took so long to post this. I've been busy, and grounded. Enjoy!

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Lily walked back threw the archway, and into the pub. She smiled at Sam, the bartender, and at Keith, who was sitting with two wizards that had been watching her exchange words with Sam.

"Hello," she said, walking up to them.

"Hey, Lily." Keith said. "This is Remus, and this is Peter." He smiled, "Would you like to sit down?"

"Sure." Lily pulled a chair over from a vacant table, and sat down in between Keith and Remus.

"So were are you from, Lily?" Remus asked, "I've never seen you at Hogwarts before."

"England. but I moved back when I was nine."

"To where?"

"Ireland."

Remus looked at Peter, who just shrugged. "Why to Ireland?"

Lily looked thoughtful for a minute. "My grandfather was ill. but two weeks after we moved there. he passed on. And I wanted to come back to England. but my father's job was so much better there than it was here. and he didn't want to go. so I was stuck in Ireland."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Peter said.

"Why? You didn't know him."

Peter bit his lower lip, and leant back in his chair. "Sorry.." He muttered.

"Well, hate to leave you, Lily." Keith started standing from the table, "But we have to go off and find Sirius and James."

Lily smiled slightly and stood, "Yeah.. I should make sure I have everything."

"Bye, nice meeting you Lily." Remus took her hand and kissed it gently, "In hopes we meet again. very soon."

Lily grinned, "Bye."

Lily walked up the stairs, and down the hall. She unlocked number eleven, and stepped inside.

"James!" Remus called, and James turned his head. "Hey."

"Hey." James smiled, and looked over at Sirius who was taking his time with eating.

"We met this girl in the pub," Peter started, sitting in an empty seat.

"Oh?" Sirius said, still shoving his face with ice cream.

"Her name was Lily." Peter continued.

"Really.." Sirius said, still uninterested, James, however, watched and listened to Peter very carefully.

"She was pretty."

"Very pretty?" Sirius asked, his attention to his ice cream faltered, and he listened to Peter.

"Really, really pretty." Peter grinned.

"Oh.." James said, running his hands threw his hair, and yawning. "What'd she look like?"

"Really pretty. Like, drop dead gorgeous pretty.."

"Cool.." James said, scratching his cheek. "Has anyone heard from Blair over the summer?"

"Give it a rest, Prongs." Remus commented, "Blair doesn't like you anymore."

"So why bother getting your hopes up?" Keith asked.

James shrugged, "Because I really like her."

"You're probably going to end up liking that Lily girl once you see her." Peter said with a nod.

"I doubt it." He said, glancing at his watch on his wrist. "I've got to go. My parents wanna celebrate tonight for me being Headboy." James glanced at Remus, "Are you my understudy?"

Remus nodded, and grinned. "Let me guess. You'll want me to take care of all the details, right?"

James nodded and grinned, "Will you?"

Remus mocked a salute, "Sir, yes, sir!"

"Good. See you all tomorrow." James stood up, walked towards the brick wall, carrying his bag of books, and a large brown papered package, that looked like a broom.

"Bye!" Keith called after him. He took James' seat and grinned. "That Lily girl is really pretty."

Remus and Peter nodded in agreement.

"So, what's she look like?' Sirius asked, as the waitress, that Sirius had gotten the napkin from, took away his bowl.

"Red hair."

"Mmhmm."

"Green eyes."

"Yeah?"

"Pale skin."

"And.?"

"She's 'bout Roslyn's height."

"Who's my height?" Roslyn Harris asked, walking up behind Keith's seat, and wrapping her arms around him.

"This girl." Keith answered, placing his hands on Roslyn's.

"Is she pretty?" She asked.

Keith looked at Remus, who gave the knowing look. "Yeah. But not as pretty as you, Ros." Remus winked in her direction, and smiled.

"Stop sucking up, Rem." Roslyn said, "Dru isn't going to go out with you."

"And why's that?"

Roslyn shrugged, "She's not allowed to date until we graduate..."

"She dated Sirius in fifth year." Remus pointed to Sirius who nodded.

"But that was before she was banned from dating."

"Why was she banned?"

"Because Sirius brought her home a little bit to late one night."

"Five in the morning is not late! It's early!"

"Keep thinking that, Padfoot." Peter said, intrigued to join the conversation.

Roslyn smiled, and kissed Keith's cheek. "Don't have to much fun with the new girl." She grinned, said bye to them all and walked off to join Dru, and Blair.

Sirius crossed his arms and looked from Remus, to Keith, to Peter. "Are we for sure she's going to Hogwarts?"

"Pretty sure. I was on the train with her that was bringing her from Ireland. she said she was an exchange student.. I didn't give it much thought. But then I started thinking about how Davie Nichols last year said she was going to Ireland for her last year for a student exchange program. and that someone from Ireland would be going to Hogwarts." He trailed off, and then leant back in his chair. "Then she asked if she knew where the Leaky Cauldron was, and I knew it was the exchange student."

Lily walked down the stairs one last time that night. "Sam," she said, approaching the bar, "Can you make sure I'm up by ten tomorrow? I don't want to miss my train."

"Sure thing, ma'am." Sam said, cleaning a cup.

Lily smiled, thanked him, and walked back up the spiral staircase.

Knock. Knock, knock. Knock. Lily peeped open an eye, and then the other soon followed. Morning already? Lily delicately lifted herself out of the off white cotton sheets, and walked over to the door, and knocked twice. Knock, knock. Lily grinned, and opened the door.

"Hey, Sa--.." Lily stopped mid-sentence, and stared up at the boy who stood before her. "You're not Sam." She said, inching the door shut a bit.

"No, I'm not," The boy said, running a square hand through his outrageously messy black hair. "I'm James. But Sam did send me up here to wake thy lady."

Lily smiled slightly. "I'm awake now. Thank you." She went to close the door, but James slid his foot in-between the door, and the doorframe.

"I've also been given the duties of getting you to Kings' Cross Station." He smiled, and that smile made Lily's knees twinge with the idea of giving way. "My mum'll be here at 10:30."

"Thanks." Lily shut the door, and pressed her back against it. James. Untidy black hair. Outrageously gorgeous glinting mocha brown eyes. Moreover, that smile that made Lily weak in the knees.

Lily walked over to her luggage and searched through it. She pulled clothes she would wear for that day out, and then smiled slightly. She had her robes back in Ireland, where she had had them specially made by Madame Grokins, the robe maker for the magical humans. She would change into her robes on the train ride there, mimicking the other students, if they did change then.

Lily would make a good effort to fit in.

Pulling jeans, a t-shirt, and socks and shoes on, Lily made her way to the bathroom off the small inn room. She combed the mess that was her long, red, locks, and glanced into the mirror.

"Perfect, dear," The mirror said. Lily smiled, and walked out of the room, carrying her comb along with her.

Lily dragged her carpetbag down the stairs, and sat it on an empty table. She glanced around the empty pub, and sat down. James and another boy, she assumed was a friend, sat at the bar conversing. Sam and Tom mopped the floors on the other side of the bar. In all the places Lily had ever been, this must have been the most unusual.

"Morning, lass." Sam said, looking up from the glossy wet floor.

"Morning," Lily smiled, and watched him.

The belled jingled and in walked Remus. He smiled at Lily and sat down across from her, leaving a wooden trunk by the door.

"Have a nice sleep?" He asked pulling her bag off the table, and setting it on a dry spot on the floor.

"Yes." Lily answered, smiling at him.

"Hey!" James said, glancing over at Lily and Remus.

Remus' eyes followed the sound of the voice, and his smiled. "Hey James, Sirius." He nodded.

James and Sirius stood from the bar, and walked over to the other two. Sirius sat next to Lily and faked a yawn draping his arm over her shoulder. James just shook his head, and locked eye contact with Lily. She smiled, and scratched her forehead.

"You haven't known Lily more than a minute, and you're already hitting on her, Black?" Remus said, shaking his dirty brown hair out of his eyes.

"A growing man has his needs." Sirius defended.

Lily placed her hand gently on Sirius' and removed his arm, and hand, off from around her shoulders.

"I'd much rather get to know you all first." She said, glancing at James.

James smiled, and Lily felt her knees twinge with bitter excitement. "She told you, Sirius." He said, patting his friend's arm sympathetically.

"Eh." Was Sirius' reply, as he dug through his pocket.

The copper bell jingled again and Lily shot a look at the door, as a mid height, granite black haired, woman stepped into the pub.

"James, Black, Lupin, and ." She broke off looking at Lily. "And you must be. the girl I was informed I was bringing to the station. Eh, well, it's not any trouble.. Grab your bag, dear, come on, we mustn't dilly-dally. Train leaves at exactly eleven o' clock. C'mon, dear, no need to be scared. James doesn't bite."

Lily adjusted her bags, and walked out after Sirius, who took her bags and placed them in the trunk of car.

"Lucky you don't have to drag a trunk around, love," he said winking his left eye.

Lily smiled, and stood awkwardly in the street. She didn't know these people, and quite frankly, how was she to know that these people weren't all in the midst of some evil scheme to kidnap her and do only god knows what to her?

"Come on then!" The lady said, clapping her hands, "In the car! I haven't all day. James get in the passengers seat, Remus and Black in the back along with the girl. Come on!"

The three of them climbed into the back. Lily sat still in the middle with Remus on her right, and Sirius on her left. She managed weak smile at James who looked back at her. 'Thank you' she mouthed to him.

He nodded, as the lady, who Lily assumed was James' mother, drove off away from the pub.

The arrived at the infamous Kings' Cross Station in a matter of minutes. Lily grabbed her bags, and headed off in the direction of the door. The three boys, and the lady followed her, all talking in low voices.

Lily, who was have focused on making it to the train, and half listening to bits and pieces of the conversation looked frustrated. She hadn't suspected she'd be driven to the Mental Asylum from just listening to Sirius and his tales of how he got women.

Sirius nodded his head at a red-haired lady, who clucked un-approvingly, between platforms nine and ten.

"Hey, Molly." Sirius said, casually draping his arm over her shoulder as he did to Lily. "Haven't we met someplace before?"

"Yes, and that's exactly why I don't go there anymore." Molly said, moving away from Sirius and embracing a girl with auburn brown looking hair, with brown eyes.

"Bye, Molls!" The girl said.

"Bye, Riley!" Molly said, wiping her eyes. "Oh. four months until your back home with me and mum!"

"Bye." She smiled, and ran at the brick barrier that separated ten and nine.

Lily felt her lungs dry of air, and she sucked in her breath. "Did she.. Just. did she just go.. Where. what happened? Where'd she go?" Lily stammered at Remus.

"Platform 9¾." Remus said simply. "I'll go with you. Come on, run with me at the barrier." Lily looked at Remus, "One. two. three. run!"

Lily and Remus sped off towards the barrier, and Lily closed her eyes, and clutched her bags firmly in her hands.

"Open your eyes, Lily." Remus whispered.

Lily's eyes fluttered opened and she gasped. A scarlet steam engine sputtered steam, and crowds of families, friends, and students crowded on the magical platform. A younger looking boy chased around a blonde haired maiden as she giggled joyfully, trying to get away.

Lily smiled, and secured her bags. "It's marvelous." She said, as Remus started walking off towards the train.

"Come on, Lily. Let's save seats for Sirius, and Peter."

"What about James?"

"He's Headboy. He won't be joining us."

"What's a Headboy?"

"It's when you have top grades in your class." Remus explained, "And James had top grades, and I, and somebody else, had the second highest grades. out of the boys' rank. and then the Headgirl, which everyone believes to be Riley Bennett, has the highest grades out of the girls rank.. And two girls'll be her understudies. See, me, and some other guy, are going to be understudies to James."

"Oh."

Remus took Lily's bags, and placed them on his trunk. Remus led Lily down a long, red-carpeted corridor, with numbers next to sliding door such as, 'Compartment 3-A' or something like that.

"Lily, meet Roslyn, Dru, Blair and Riley. Everyone meet Lily." Remus said, pulling his trunk, and Lily's bags into a compartment.

"You must be the Lily Keith was talking about," Roslyn said, smiling.

"Yeah, that'd be me."

She smiled. "Welcome to. our magical wonderland."

Blair and Riley laughed.

Lily sat down by the door, and looked at Remus.

"I'd stay," he said, catching on. "But you all should get to know each other.Bye!"

Lily watched him leave, and she looked at the rest of the girls, smiling faintly.

"So, Lily, where are you from?" Dru asked, brushing her hair.

"Ireland."

"What's it like there?" Roslyn asked, muffling a yawn. She smiled, and leaned her head on Blair's shoulder.

"I don't know.. fun I suppose.." Lily thought a moment, "The guys are rather good looking."

"Ooh." Blair said, grinning.. "Better looking than James?'

"James.?" Lily rummaged through her bag looking for something.

"A guy we know that goes to Hogwarts." Blair informed her, "My ex."

"Oh." Lily said.