Remus then added fervently to James, "I'd start running if I were you."
"Yeah?" said James, then, looking where Remus had nodded, "Whoa, Evans! We're sorry we blasted the hole in your compartment in an attempt at seeing what you were leaving Sirius and me out of." He still looked inclined to laugh, but screwed up his face so he wouldn't. Lily rolled her eyes.
"Well, Nice meeting you Remus," she said, though rather stiffly. She turned on her heel to walk back into her compartment with Raven, who shrugged at Sirius, Remus, and James, but left with Lily nonetheless.
Ten minutes later, changed into their Hogwarts robes, Lily, Raven, and the rest of the girls in their compartment heard an announcement stating they'd be arriving at Hogwarts in tens minutes.
Raven's stomach gave a jolt of excitement. Lily muttered, "At last," but the remainder of the compartment looked either nervous or ill.
The train pulled into the Hogsmeade station on perfect time, and the older students swarmed out to grab seats on the Thestral-drawn carriages, which'd take them to the school. The first years, however, were led to Hogwarts' front doors by an enormous man (who introduced himself as Hagrid), from across a large blackish lake.
Raven and Lily were some of the first few to step into a magnificent hall, complete with a remarkable marble staircase, with a torrent of "Ooooh"s from the surrounding students.
They were led into a rather small chamber off to the side by a stern-looking witch with her black hair drawn into a severely tight bun on the back of her head. She told the first years she was Professor McGonagall, along with informing them what was to happen that evening, and a bit about the school's houses . . . something that'd completely slipped Raven's mind until this point.
She hardly had time to dwell on this realization, as, soon enough, they were all ushered into the Great Hall. Every eye was upon the first years as they followed Professor McGonagall up towards a three-legged stool, bearing the school sorting hat. Professor McGonagall turned to the first years to explain.
"Now," said she, "When your name is called, you are to come forward, I shall place the Sorting Hat on you, and it will sort you into the best house for you."
McGonagall unrolled a large sheaf of parchment, and with calling, "Basil, Armany" began the sorting ceremony.
After Armany, came, "Black, Sirius," who strode confidently forward, and was sorted into Gryffindor - though the hat took a few moments before deciding.
After a few more letters down the alphabet, "Evans, Lily!" was called.
"GRYFFINDOR!" said the hat.
"Emerson, Samuel!"
A dark brown-haired, very pale boy made his way forward and allowed the Sorting Hat to slip over his head.
"RAVENCLAW!" the hat declared after a moment.
Down the list it went, the crowd of first years slowly thinning.
Raven watched as "Lupin, Remus!" was called forth, and then sorted into Gryffindor with Lily and Sirius. Raven was beginning to wonder what she'd do if she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor as well. Would she ever see Lily again? McGonagall didn't say whether different houses ever interacted or not . . .
"Pettigrew, Peter!" A small, roundish boy with blonde hair was trembling from head to foot as he moved up to be sorted, and waited for round about two minutes until the hat sorted him into Gryffindor. He scurried over to the Gryffindor table and seated himself.
After Peter, came Sturgis Podmore, who also was sorted into Gryffindor.
"Porter, Emily!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Potter, James!" James was immediately sorted into Gryffindor, and he almost ran over to the seat next to Sirius.
"Sinistra, Raven!" called McGonagall.
Raven hastened forward and let the brim of the Sorting Hat obscure her vision. It lasted not even a second; she barely had time to think before -
"RAVENCLAW!" yelled the hat.
She could hardly feel her insides. She slipped off the stool and joined the brown-haired Samuel Emerson at the Ravenclaw table. She looked over at the Gryffindors to see Lily waving at her. Raven waved back at her, and shrugged to mime, "Not much I can do, is there?" Lily traced a line on her face with her finger, leading from her eye, straight down her cheek to show she was sorry for Raven. They both laughed at their silent conversation that was going on across the hall.
As Raven looked up at the continuing sorting, a small, black-haired boy, Severus Snape, had been freshly sorted into Slytherin House. Raven noticed Sirius nudge James and mutter something to him, then beckon to Remus, who leaned in, and said the same to him.
When the ceremony finally ended, and the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, had given his start-of-term speech (warning students to stay away from the forbidden forest on the school's grounds, and informed all of the list of forbidden magical objects that resided in the caretaker - Mr. Filch's - office) the dishes before the students were magically filled with food.
The feast was entirely uneventful to Raven, with the exception of filling her empty stomach. She was eager to talk to Lily.
The girl who was seated across from Raven, next to Samuel Emerson, was watching Raven wolf down her food with a curious, surprised look on her face.
"Hungry, are you?" she said, but smiled.
Raven laughed a little, covering her mouth with her hand, and swallowed her mouthful of potato, before replying.
"Just wanted to finish quick so I'd be able to visit a friend." She gestured towards the Gryffindor table. The girl nodded and said, "Oh, yes," but continued knowledgably, "but I'm not sure as to whether or not they a lot of moving round the hall - during mealtimes, I mean."
"Ah . . . " said Raven, discouraged. "Well, then, I ought to take my speed down a bit . . . . what's your name anyway?" she added, feeling inclined to make a new friend.
"I'm Saige Choudhury," she replied, smiling politely. "And you're Raven, right?" she added.
"Yep," stuffing her mouth with meat pie.
"This place is just astounding, isn't it?" Saige continued. "My mum and dad're both Muggles, so I've only recently found out about the magical world." Saige said this and paused before drawing breath to ask, "What about you?"
"Well," said Raven, setting her goblet onto the table. "Dad's a wizard, and Mum - " she thought for a second, then, "is a Muggle." She felt it safer saying what her mum was closer to.
"Wow!" said Saige. Apparently, this was a new concept. "That must've been really something to grow up with a real wizard."
"Not as good as it could've been," replied Raven slowly. "I don't live with my dad anymore."
"Oh . . . I'm so sorry," Saige said, and she did look like she meant it. "Here, do let's talk about something else. Tell me, which is your friend in Gryffindor?"
Raven smiled. It never bothered her too much to talk about her family, but she was quite grateful for Saige's respect of the matter.
"Over there, that girl with the curly red hair."
Lily looked up at the very moment they'd spotted her, and waved, grinning.
"Is that her?" asked Saige.
"Yep. That's Lily Evans." Raven returned Lily's wave. "I've known her most of my life."
"Oooh," said the other. She paused a moment before adding, "Yeah . . . I've only ever had Muggle friends."
"Naught wrong with that," said Raven. "Lily didn't know she was a witch - or what one was, really - until her letter came. She's muggle-born as well."
Saige nodded to this again, and continued with her meal. Raven polished her plate in a couple of minutes and waited patiently with an elbow rested upon the table, lacing her fingers delicately together in her lap.
When the remnants of dinner vanished out of sight, and the students were sent off to bed, Raven realized that the first years needed to cling to their house prefects so they could find their common rooms. She wouldn't be able to talk to Lily, then . . .
"First years Ravenclaws!" called a tall, skinny girl with tan skin. "First years, stay with me!"
They all did as they were told, and were taken out of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase they'd seen upon entry. Up the stairs, then to their right, they were led to the West Wing of the castle. Up another flight of stairs, down two long corridors and then one more smaller one . . . there. They'd reached two suits of armor, and this was where they stopped.
"Wine-red," said the prefect who'd been leading them.
And before her, between the two suits of armor, a long, silken banner - royal blue with a bronze pattern round it enveloping a magnificent bronze eagle - rolled down the wall in front of her. She seized one side of it and pulled it back, revealing a narrow doorway. The prefect stood aside, still holding back the silken curtain, and gestured for the first years to move through it.
Once they'd passed through, they found themselves in a spacious, comfortable-looking room filled with beautiful, elegant furniture, with a wonderfully built fire that was at it's highest burning point. There were some scattered students sitting round the room, looking wide-awake.
"First years," the prefect called for attention. "Boys, your dorms are over through that door," she said, pointing. "And ladies, we're up here." She waved toward the doorway behind her.
Raven, who had every intention of getting to bed so as to make time for reading, was one of the first up to the first year girls' dorm.
Once inside, Raven cast her eyes round the room and spied her trunk at the foot of the bed closest to her. She walked over to it, clicked to lock open with her toe, grabbed a pair of black pajama pants, a white camisole, and a copy of The Secret Garden by Frances Hogdson Burnett.
A/N: yeesh . . . what a dull way to end a chapter . . . ANYWAY, next chappie we'll get to see the Gryffindor dorms, and it's occupants, though it might'nt be up for a day or two…or three…I'm at work a good portion of the day, so regular posting is a bit difficult - BUT IT IS COMING!
Yeah . . . don't ask about the Secret Garden idea; just the first thing that came into me 'ead . . . plus, I'm listening to the movie's soundtrack (such cute music - there's that word again, Medea!! Arrrgghh!!!) Whoa, sorry, so . . . yeah, stay tuned