The Houses

Disclaimer: I don't own Lily Evans, and James Potter, and the characters you recognize. I only own those you don't. Have fun reading.

In a scarlet train sat a girl in a pair of black jeans, a green tee shirt, and a pair of sneakers. The shirt had a low back, and the girl's auburn hair spilled from its ponytail over her creamy skin. Unseen by all, or most, her wings shimmered over her back.

Lily and Sarah were discussing Hogwarts. As before, Sarah was explaining about magical houses, and about how they would be sorted. Lily was most interested in her new school, and asked several questions about houses, classes, and several other magical subjects.

"So what house would you rather be in?" asked Sarah.

Lily contemplated on what she had heard before of the houses. "I don't know. What are their symbols?"

"Well, Slytherin is green with a silver snake, Hufflepuff is yellow with a black badger, and Gryffindor is red with a gold lion."

"And Ravenclaw?"

"Blue with a silver eagle."

Lily knew instantly that was her house. She didn't know why, or perhaps she did, but it seemed to suit her.

So they continued talking and the train sped past the neat fields, and soon they saw wild lands that were unexplored. Misty rain fell once, and Lily saw several lochs. And she heard, her hearing keen, the hint of song, misty, luring siren's songs that she almost was scared of, yet, somehow, she loved the wild note they stirred in her.

She shivered slightly.

The land was totally different, and she knew her sister would turn up her nose in disgust if she saw the vast expanses Lily saw. It was wild, untamed land, with forests and forests. She heard the signal to change into the robes, their black wizard's robes. Soon enough, the train stopped.

Lily and Sarah, and a few other girls got out together, feeling very self conscious. Some of the girls were shivering—partially with the cold, and partially with fright. She didn't feel frightened. She was warm enough, thanks to her feathery wings.

A loud voice came over the hustle and bustle. "All firs' years, this direction, over here."

Sarah and Lily zoomed there.

A tall man stood there, so bushy and so wild that Lily instantly felt safe when she saw him. "I'm Hagrid. Now follow me," he said.

Through the intensifying gloom Lily saw something shimmer up above. A sliver of a crescent moon shone down over a lake. Tiny boats bobbed in it.

"We're crossing by boat?" asked Lily, uneasily.

"Yeah," said Sarah. She turned to look at Lily. "What's the matter Lily, do you get seasick?"

"Yes, I do. A little." She was never airsick. Sea sick was more like it. She had a distinct hatred of boats that she had never gotten over. "I'll be fine though."

Sarah sat in a boat next to Lily. A thin boy, his eyes intense sat with them. Another boy, remarkably good looking sat with them.

Lily examined on the course of the boat ride, trying to ignore the rocking feeling and the queasiness of her stomach. The thin boy, with intense eyes had brown hair and brown eyes that seemed near yellow. He introduced himself as Remus Lupin. She had no idea why she got a funny feeling when she sat near him. But she knew one thing: he was not human. Or only partially. His eyes had stared at her, something odd in her for a moment, and then he acted normal again.

She had never felt so much like she was under close scrutiny. It was almost as if he realized she was different.

Why did it bother her so much?

The other boy was Sirius Black. He had grey eyes, black hair, and nothing too interesting about him—he seemed average. Except, he was remarkably good looking. She had seen several girls quite literally lose all senses when they saw him. So it was not her feeling of strange things.

She listened to the others talk, smile, and she saw a strange look in Sarah's eyes when she looked at Lupin.

Then they rounded the corner, to see Hogwarts, and she totally forgot about her worries and concentrated on falling in love with her new home.

Amidst the dark velvety night, the lights of the castle shone out in sharp relief, large and welcoming. Her stomach felt wonderfully odd, and she felt something wrapping its arms around her.

She felt even more so when with the other first years she found herself in the Entrance Hall, waiting with the others for something she that she didn't know about.

The doors flung open to the Great Hall, and abruptly she felt the effect of being under watch. Thousands and thousands of eyes watched her. Finding no help in this, she glanced at the ceiling and saw the famous star flecked ceiling.

It helped, a little.

Sarah was looking nervous, right behind her. She noticed thousands of things, her senses sharpened by nervousness. The room was not quiet, vague bits of conversation murmuring all around. Lily tucked her hair even more securely over her pointed ears. She didn't want that getting around.

She realized, glancing at her friend, that her friend's eyes were not blue at all. Shades of silver flecked all over her eyes, setting a glow that added to the eeriness. Sarah's black hair was drawn over her ears, not quite revealing their shape.

Odd, thought Lily.

She was distracted from her musings by a hat being placed on a stool. Suddenly the hat began to sing.

She ignored the song. It only told her what she already knew. Still, she clapped politely with the school at the hat's song. The people were called out. But she remembered something. To look for the blonde girl she had seen.

She watched, and suddenly she heard her name.

"Evans, Lily."

She stepped out of the line, and the hat dropped on her head.

"Hmm,' said the hat. "You are a strange one."

How so?

"Your mind is guarded, something hidden, something powerful. I could put you in Slytherin," it said. She felt a rush of furious power surge. "No, I know"

"Ravenclaw!"

She went to the bench, and sat down. She was soon followed by Sarah. "What took you so long?" she asked of Sarah, eyebrow quirking, trying not to laugh too soon.

Sarah tossed her back a look of pure amusement, then answered with a straight face:

"I don't know."

They laughed.

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Lily sat in her bed. Outside the rain was falling again, softly and quite mistily. She knew she liked Hogwarts. Then she took out a book that was black suede bound with gold edges. The lock was a little circle. She took the key—which had wings on it—from round her neck, and opened the journal.

She set quill to paper and began to write . . . . . . . . about class expectation . . .

The little tiny professor said in his little voice "Remember, swish and flick. Swish and flick."

Lily watched him. Charms was her first class ever, and she honestly hoped she didn't bungle it. Especially not in front of her House Master.

She and Sarah looked at each other. "Whose going first?" asked Sarah, in a slightly faster voice than usual, indicating that Lily wasn't the only one feeling nervous.

"I guess I'll go," said Lily. "My wand is supposed to be good for charms."

Sarah smiled, and they watched the feather.

Lily got the words right in her head first. Then she concentrated. "Wingardium Leviosa." As she said the words, she swished and flicked like the professor showed them, and then she focused. The same inner power that she felt at Ollivander's came back . . . her fingers grew warmer and she watched the feather.

It wafted up, lightly, delicately over everyone's heads as they turned, gaping to watch.

"Well done, Miss Evans!" said Professor Flitwick, very pleased. "Ten points to Ravenclaw!"

She felt good, a funny warm feeling in her stomach. Then she realized. Hardly anyone praised her. That's why she liked it.

Sarah's eyes sparkled. "Wow, Lily. We have established that you are good for Charms. Now let me try."

She watched Sarah now. Her friend tried it once. She watched the feather.

It didn't budge.

On the third time, it budged. A little.

Sarah brushed hair out of her face and laughed. "Ok, I'll get it right now. I'm just not concentrating. Here we go. Wingardium Leviosa." Watching Sarah was weird. Sparkling lights of silver appeared out of nowhere in the dark blue of her friend's eyes. Lily realized that happened when Sarah felt strong emotion, but, still. She flicked the wand, eyes focusing as she stared at the feather, murmuring very softly.

The feather's flight interested the class, but not Lily.

She watched Sarah.

The feather wafted down. She's lost concentration. I wonder what startled her.

Sarah turned towards her. "What?"

"I didn't say anything," said Lily, surprised. "Why did you think so?"

"I thought I heard something. I thought it was you."

"Ok." A wild thought came to her. Could her friend hear thoughts? Impossible. But this was Hogwarts. The impossible was very, very possible.

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But she didn't have time to find out later in the day. However, Sarah showed remarkable aptitude at Transfiguration. She changed the match into a needle so suddenly that Lily nearly gaped, and Sarah dropped the needle. They found it, however soon enough to show the strict Professor McGonagall.

She was very pleased, and awarded points to Ravenclaw, albeit a little grudgingly.

However, none of their accomplishments stopped the teachers from giving them one thing: tons upon tons of homework.

Lily was startled. Even though she had homework before, well, this was ridiculous! There was also the measuring system of essays. Very strange. But strange was good. She was fairly happy, though when they were in the Ravenclaw common room.

Like the first years they were, they sat in the corner, careful to avoid any annoying people. However, the first idiot that came—a fifth year, by the look of her—demanding that she have back her seat, Lily scathingly remarked

"It's not your seat. If you wanted it, you would have stayed right here and stopped trying to steal your friend's boyfriend."

The girl looked at Lily, and backed off.

Sarah smiled. "You know, Lily you are wicked, aren't you."

Lily smiled. "Yeah, I am."

"You're right though. She was trying to get her boyfriend."

Lily nodded, with a chuckle, and then returned to her Transfiguration homework.

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However, all good things must eventually come to an end. And it was so.

"Flying lessons with the Gryffindors," announced Sarah.

Lily glanced up. "When?"

"Tomorrow evening. Flying lessons. I like to watch Quidditch, but I hate flying."

She must have looked puzzled, because Sarah told her what was Quidditch.

"Okay. Broomstick. I can live with that." How remarkably depressing. Flying with broomsticks when you have wings? It was ridiculous.

"Any way, it's tomorrow with the Gryffindors. I don't mind, since some of them I guess are nice."

Lily nodded. "You mean like Remus."

Sarah's slight start did not escape Lily's attention. "Yeah, Remus is nice."

"So we'll find out if the rest of them are okay people."

Suddenly, something hit her hard. A vision, almost. A picture. She saw herself falling, from above a green field, on a broomstick. Falling hard, headfirst.

She gasped. Sarah gave her an odd look. "Lily, you ok?"

"Where are the lessons?"

"Oh, on the Quidditch field . . . why? Are you okay?"

"Not really, and I won't be tomorrow. Trust me."

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Well . . . I won't answer review

s in this chapter, but the next. Glad you like it.