NEW FRIENDS
A/N: Sorry for the hugely long delay, fans! (Oh, who am I kidding?). I had thought of giving up, but had a recent plot-bunny attack. Be prepared for plot twists extraordinaire! As usual, everything's J.K. Rowling's, except for Emerald and the sparklingly original plot.
"Hi," said Lily. She waved a hand tentatively.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"Hi."
"So," said Emerald, as she plopped down on the bench next to Peter, "Tell me about yourselves."
"I'm Sirius Black. First year at Hogwarts – like you, right? I like romantic candlelit dinners and long walks on the beach…" He sniggered.
"Me too," piped up Peter. Lily looked at him. He was a short, somewhat fat boy with small beady eyes and an unfortunate mushroom cut. It didn't help that he was slouching.
"Hey, Lily," said Remus. "Sit down." He patted the bench beside him. Lily sat.
"James," nodded the dark-haired boy next to Sirius. The two looked remarkably alike. They could have been brothers. "Not really much to tell. It's my first year, as you probably guessed. Sirius and I go way back. I met Remus last summer at the annual Ministry picnic, and Peter – well, he's a leech. He was glued to Remus and we are now stuck with him forever."
"Hey!" protested Peter.
"It was a joke," said James.
"Oh, right. I knew that." Peter reddened. Sirius coughed. "I did," Peter insisted.
"Well, you heard our history. I'm Remus Lupin. My dad works for the Ministry, my mom owns a hole-in-the-wall bookstore in Hogsmeade."
"Sorry-" Lily interrupted. "The Ministry? Hogsmeade?"
"Muggleborn," said Sirius knowingly.
"Yeah. I read some books, but they obviously didn't cover everything."
"Okay," said Remus, and he cleared his throat. "Crash course on the wizarding world coming up."
LATER...
James leaned over Peter. "Remus is going to be a professor someday," he said to Emerald. She looked pleased by the attention.
"I can see that." Giggle.
Fifty minutes later, Lily felt considerably more at ease with wizarding lingo. "So, Hogsmeade is the village near Hogwarts –"
"- the only all-wizard village in England –"
"- and the places to see are The Three Broomsticks, The Shrieking Shack, Honeydukes, and – did I forget any?"
"Zonko's," said Sirius dreamily. "Home of wonderful practical jokes and pranks."
"Shrieking Lollipops, Self-Inking Pens, fake wands, singing doormats …" James trailed off.
"Shrieking Lollipops?" Lily frowned. Remus sighed.
"There's a lot to learn. You'll pick it up as you go along."
"I'll help you," said Emerald, grinning widely.
"So will I," added Remus hurriedly. James kicked him lightly, a suggestive smirk causing his eyes to sparkle. Remus glared. Just then, the door to their compartment came open. A woman stood outside, one hand on a trolley filled with food. She looked supremely bored.
"What'll it be, then?"
"Three Chocolate Frogs and a Cauldron Cake," said Sirius.
"A Cauldron Cake, what?"
"Please," said Sirius, shrinking a little under her stare.
"A Cauldron Cake, a Chocolate Frog, and a roast beef sandwich, please," James sang out. She handed them to him, smiling broadly.
"So nice to see a well-mannered youth."
Sirius groaned loudly, and the woman flashed him another glare. Lily giggled.
"Adults love James," Remus whispered in her ear.
"Can I have seven Chocolate Frogs, please?" asked Peter. He got them. Lily stared. The pile of frogs went nearly up to his eyes. He'd be sick for sure. No wonder he was a little pudgy!
"And you, dear?" the woman asked Lily.
"Sorry?"
"Everyone else has theirs. What would you like?"
Lily looked questioningly at Remus.
"Um, she'll have roast beef –" Lily nodded, "- a Cauldron Cake, and two Chocolate Frogs."
"Six Sickles," the woman said as she handed over the goodies. Lily pulled out a handful of change, and Remus pointed out the Sickles. She handed them over and gratefully went to work on her sandwich.
Emerald and James occupied the next hour or so with chatter. Emerald talked and talked, until Lily thought she'd run out of breath and go unconscious. And then she went on. She never seemed to run out of topics for the conversation. James was happy to punctuate her monologues with "Mm-hmm" and "Oh yeah." But he really perked up when she got onto the subject of Quidditch.
"I was thinking of trying out for the Quidditch team," said Emerald, almost offhand.
"Yeah!" said James. "You'd be great!"
"You've never even seen me play," she laughed.
"Whatever. You should try out, that's all. I'm going to try for Seeker as soon as I'm old enough. First years can't play, or even have their own broomsticks. Mine's at home, but I'll bring it next year. It's only a Comet Two Sixty. I'd like a Whirlwind. Maybe if I make the team my dad will buy me one."
"I've got a Whirlwind," Emerald said. James' eyes widened.
"Really? They're the newest brooms on the market and everybody wants one! I've heard Puddlemere United has ordered seven for their team, and they're being monogrammed with team, player's name, and position. But they're really expensive. Is your family really rich?"
Emerald laughed.
"Not especially, but there's only two kids to pay for. Besides, Quidditch runs in my family, and my moms want me to have a good broom to practice on."
"Wait." Sirius interrupted. "Your moms?" He looked incredulous.
"Lesbians," snapped Emerald. "Problem?" She looked so fierce that Sirius, despite being almost a foot taller than her, backed down.
"No, not at all. Cool." Emerald smiled sweetly, and turned back to James.
"So, yeah…"
LATER...
"Come on, Lily! We have to get changed! We're almost there!" Emerald beckoned from the end of the train's aisle. Lily trotted down, her arms full of a heavy black fabric. Her "robes." They were a little awkward to put on, and for a girl used to jeans and t-shirts, would certainly take some getting used to. Nevertheless, it was kind of cool. Lily was surprised not to find herself too nervous. The environment was a little strange, but she'd made friends already.
"I hope we end up in the same house," said Emerald, startling Lily out of her reverie.
"What?"
"I keep forgetting you don't anything about Hogwarts."
"Sorry."
"Oh, don't be. It's kinda cool. Anyway, at Hogwarts there are four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. While you're at school –"
"- you live, eat, and work with your house. Your success earns your house points, and your transgressions cause your house to lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points earns the House Cup." Professor Dippet, the Headmaster, paused to accommodate the older students' cheers.
"Without further ado, let's Sort!"
An old woman walked reverently out to the front of the room, carrying an ancient hat. She placed the hat on a tall stool and retreated. Lily wondered what was going on, when the hat began to sing.
A long, long time ago
Four founders wandered free
In white and whirling snow
They saw an azure sea
A castle stood nearby
Atop a grassy knoll
The friends all heaved a sigh
They knew they'd teach the soul
At Hogwarts Castle School
The place the four would found
The place the four would rule
And soon gather renown
Ravenclaw, of sapphire
Loved clever ones the best
Gryffindor, red fire
Craved brave young ones to test
Hufflepuff, golden maid
Thought loyalty was all
Slytherin, of green jade
Loved those in zeal's thrall
Which one will you follow?
Who will be your teacher?
Now lies you must swallow
Of four, choose your feature.
Lily had hardly had a chance to take everything in when she heard a name called. Thankfully, it wasn't hers.
"Abbott, Emma Lynne!"
Emma Lynne Abbott stepped nervously up to the hat. She placed it lightly on her head and started. Lily watched in wonderment. The girl seemed to be listening to something. The Great Hall was extraordinarily quiet. Every one of the seven hundred or more students and teachers had their attention focused entirely on Emma Lynne.
After a few moments, the hat roared out, "RAVENCLAW!" Emma Lynne looked immensely relieved. She took the hat off her head and practically skipped over to what Lily assumed was the Ravenclaw table. Her robes had developed a blue lining. The other Ravenclaws clapped her on the back, congratulating her.
Next were "Bell, Joshua!" (Hufflepuff), "Black, Sirius!" (Gryffindor), and "Carter, Eileen!" (Slytherin). Then it was Emerald's turn. She wasn't a bit nervous, and walked up to the hat with a definite swagger. She smiled at James and put the hat on her head at a jaunty angle.
Lily watched. She sincerely hoped Emerald was in the house she wanted, whichever that was. And oh, she hoped with all her heart that she and Emerald were in the same house. After what seemed like an eternity, the hat roared out, "GRYFFINDOR!" and Emerald, tossing her head, ran to the table, where she was swarmed by students much older than her.
Lily was starting to tune things out and was a bit surprised when the name "Evans, Lily!" was called. She looked around wildly, and then Remus gave her a slight shove. She tripped up to the hat and managed, even with trembling fingers, to put it on her head. A voice began speaking (rather loudly) in her ear.
"Hmmm, Evans comma Lily. Quite nervous, aren't you! Calm down, dear, you needn't be. I'm only a hat, after all." The hat sounded exceedingly amused at its joke, despite it being at its own expense. "You're very clever, sweetheart. I guess you knew that. But you don't seem like a Ravenclaw to me. They're a bit too bookish sometimes, and you've got far too much spirit for those library lovers. Nor are you a Hufflepuff. Huffles have even less spirit than Ravenclaws. Well, you could say something, so I have an idea of who you are."
"You seem to know me quite well," she stammered. The hat laughed in such a way that she was sure it would have been throwing back its head and showing all its molars, had it had head or molars. "I'd like to be with Emerald, in Gryffindor." The hat ignored her.
"I can see you'll be one to watch. Spirit, indeed! There's really only one place for you, and I'm not putting you here because you of your friend. This is all your doing, sweetie. You belong to GRYFFINDOR!"
Lily replaced the hat on the stool and speed-walked to the Gryffindor table. She was completely thrilled.