Hello again everyone! I'm so very sorry it took me this long to write the second chapter-I kinda forgot about it. Well, I'm writing more now, so let's get on with it. Oh, btw, the Disclaimer still applies. It will for the whole story.
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Later that night, Harry, Ron and Hermione walked up to Gryffindor tower together, once again discussing the 'figure in the doorway' as Harry and Ron decided to call it. Hermione protested because, as she pointed out, it wasn't really in the doorway. It came all the way through. She couldn't think of anything better, though, so they decided to call it that anyway.
"Who-or what- do you suppose that was? A messenger maybe?" Ron asked no one in particular.
"I think it was a friend of Dumbledore's, coming to warn him about something." Hermione stated matter-of-factly.
Harry stopped. "Well, lets go find out!" He said in a low tone, trying to keep anyone from hearing. "They probably took whoever it was to the Hospital Wing. Why not just take a peek?"
Hermione stared at him incredulously. "What, and get ourselves in trouble on the very first day back? I think not!" She crossed her arms and turned up her nose.
"Oh come on, Hermione," Ron chimed in. "We'll only be there but a second. Who'll get us in trouble for that?" Hermione looked down at them again, as if considering the idea.
"Oh, fine." She uncrossed her arms and stomped her foot. "You two always talk me into these kind of things!" Harry turned around and casually started walking toward the Hospital Wing.
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Harry, Ron and Hermione snuck through the hall leading to the Nurse's office, hiding behind various decorations. When they reached the door, they stopped behind a detailed statue of a unicorn. Harry listened through the door, and the others waited anxiously behind him. Suddenly, he waved at them, gesturing that he heard something. Ron and Hermione checked the empty hall, then crowded around the door.
"...lucky she didn't lose... Well I shouldn't mention that here. She'll be fine in a bit, up and good as new." They heard Madame Pomfrey say. Next they heard Dumbledore's deep, gently voice.
"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey. So, she'll be up any second now? I need to ask her... Oh, there she is." They heard a slight groan, obviously feminine, and a bed creaked.
"Where... oh, I remember... Al- I mean, Professor Dumbledore, it's so nice to see you. While I was flying here I ran into a couple of... oh they were horrid, but I got inside the castle. They, drained me somehow, and I just-I just couldn't stay up anymore. I'm sorry I had to disturb your dinner." The new voice was pleasant, and reminded Harry of a piccolo, or maybe wind chimes. Dumbledore quickly told her she needn't apologize, and after a little chatting, Dumbledore persuaded her to get some rest.
"You can stay in the Gryffindor Tower if you'd like, I'm sure the girls there won't mind. Come now dear, you need your rest." There was a sound of shoes clicking softly on the floor, and Harry, Ron and Hermione quickly jumped out of the way, scurrying down the hall, desperately trying to get out of sight of the doorway. They turned a corner just in time, and they heard the door creak open.
"She'll be coming to Gryffindor! We can meet her there. I wonder who she is? Oh my, it is late, isn't it? We'd better get back before they do!" Hermione whispered excitedly. Apparently she really wanted to meet this new person. Harry and Ron nodded quickly while pushing Hermione down the hall. They rushed through the corridors, running almost all the way to Gryffindor Tower.
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Inside the Gryffindor common room, there were only three students left. Almost everyone else was asleep in their dorms with full stomachs from the feast. Harry, Ron and Hermione were, of course, up and waiting for... oh, nothing in particular. They had collapsed in the squishy chairs in front of the fireplace, and quickly tried to calm their panting when they reached the common room. They had just regained control of their breath when the painting of the fat lady creaked open, and Dumbledore climbed in. He looked around and spotted the three, and walked over to them.
"Hello, Harry, Ron, Hermione. It's very late, and I think you should all go to bed. I've got a guest, and, if you wouldn't mind, Hermione, she'll be staying with you and the other girls for a bit. But I imagine she's tired, and does not want to be bothered with questions-" Dumbledore was interrupted by Harry and Ron's protests. He silenced them by holding up his hand, and sent them up the stairs without a word. Hermione turned and smiled tauntingly at them. Ron stuck out his tongue at her, and the boys proceeded upstairs. Turning back to Dumbledore, Hermione spoke.
"Would you like me to show her around, Dumbledore?"
"No, that won't be necessary, Hermione. She's been here before, but perhaps she could come to your classes with you tomorrow? It might be a while before we can discuss what she came for, and she won't have anything to do until then. You and the other girls could probably take turns bringing her along... I don't think she would mind. Well, you can discuss it with her tomorrow. If you'd stay right here, I'll bring her in."
Dumbledore strode back to the painting, and offered his hand to someone outside. A small, booted foot stepped through, followed by the rest of the person. She was wearing a long, dark green, ankle length skirt made of a material that looked like velvet with a white shirt that was mostly covered by a long black cloak. The cloak was a waterproof, satiny material that Hermione knew to be very warm and practical, good for traveling but expensive. The hood was laid back, revealing soft, dark blond hair that framed an oval face. The girl's face was pleasant, beautiful in a natural way. Her eyes were a striking blue, very bright and intelligent-looking. She looked around the room, sighing as if she had come home after many years of being away. She noticed Hermione, and nodded to Dumbledore. She walked over to Hermione, all the while taking in the warmth and comfort of the common room, and when she reached her the girl smiled and offered her hand to Hermione. "Hi, I'm Lily... Lily Escavon. Pleased to meet you...?"
"Hermione Granger. Nice to meet you too." Hermione accepted her hand, and noticed that it had a black glove on it. Hermione returned her smile, then looked over to Dumbledore. He waited until Lily looked too, then bid them good night and stepped out of the common room. Hermione turned back to her new acquaintance. "Dumbledore told me you'd be tired... Would you like me to show you up to the girls' dormitory?"
Lily smiled in humor, then sat down in the chair that had belonged to Ron. "He told you that? Oh, Dumbledore, he worries too much. To tell you the truth, I'm not really all that tired... Madam Pomfrey fixed me up pretty well. But if you want to sleep, I'll come up with you. You've got classes tomorrow... Do you think I might be able to tag along?" Her voice was light and pleasant to hear, but she had an interesting accent. It wasn't too profound, but obviously not from around Hogwarts. Hermione was curious about her; where she had come from, why she was here... Well, with all the questions you'd probably like answered. Hermione grinned, glad that she would have sometime to talk to her new roommate. She grinned back at Lily and plopped down in a chair across from her.
"No, I'm not all that tired either. I think it'd be great if you came with me, but... Well, my schedule's a little hectic." Hermione wondered if Dumbledore remembered how many classes she had (and how she got to them all), but of course he did. He was Dumbledore! He trusted her to find something that would work. "So, where are you from?"
"I was born in Norway, but I've been traveling a lot since then. How about you?" They continued their conversation for a while, and Hermione found out that Lily was 15, like all the other fifth years, her school didn't start until a lot later than Hogwarts, she liked riding horses and brooms, she didn't have a boyfriend... Well, after that it was pretty much just girl talk. Later that night, Dumbledore peeked in and kindly told them to get to bed. They walked up the stairs together, talked a bit more on Hermione's bed, then decided that it was finally time for bed. The house elves had placed another bed in the room (which Hermione noticed and scowled at, and that started a whole new topic of conversation where Hermione found out Lily was against house elf slavery too) for Lily to sleep in, and she produced a pajama gown from a pocket somewhere in her cloak. They fell asleep short after, with the moon shining down in the room lighting Lily's sleeping form. Her hands were strangely still gloved.
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Woo hoo! Second chapter! Wow, it's taken me forever. Sorry! I've had a lot on my mind. Well, tell me what you think of Lily. Is she good or evil? Why is she here? And what's up with... wait a minute, I can't tell you that. Stay tuned for the next chapter, where Lily will meet the rest of the school.
P.S. This is the revised version, the first one looked horrible! Ok, I admit, it still looks horrible. It looks a whole lot better in Word! (collapses into a heap, crying) Alright, I'm better now. Oh, and can someone from the Fluff Club kindly tell me the exact meaning of fluff? :-D Thank ya in advance!