Chapter 6
"What do you think you're doing?" asked the irritable girl. She had flyaway red hair that looked as if it had been groomed in great haste, and the buttons on her vest didn't match up with the buttonholes properly. She had tied her tie in a knot instead of the usual way.
"You look a fright, Miss," said James, his neck sore from staring at the girl. It was also sore because he was bent over, in Sirius' headlock. Peter stood by, curled in the corner and watching the scene with wide eyes.
"Excuse me? You're in a much worse position than I am," replied the girl, though she did seem a bit self-conscious and tugged on the tie a bit, as if that would undo the bad knot.
"Let me fix that," said James, wriggling out of the headlock and whipping his wand out of his back pocket.
"No, don't you dare put a spell on me," she said dangerously.
"Evertae Bindi," he chanted, and waved his wand in a small circle. The tie immediately twisted and knotted into a bow tie, which looked rather odd in her sweater vest.
"Oops, wrong one," said James sheepishly, blushing. "My dad uses that one when he's going out to dinner parties. I think I can fix it."
"No, no, you've done enough damage," she muttered, pulling the tie, but it stayed stubbornly. "What were you fighting about?"
"Oh, nothing," they both said at once. She glared at them.
"I'm going back to my compartment," she said.
"Wait, Miss!" James said suddenly, grabbing her hand. "I didn't get your name."
"That's because I didn't give it," she replied testily, yanking her hand out of his grasp and storming out of the compartment.
*
James stood in the small crowd of first years. He was so relieved that the first-years wouldn't be given a spell test or something. The only spell he knew was the Bow Tie Charm, and it would have been awful to have to stand in front of all those students and get the steely Professor McGonnagal ready for a dinner party.
Of course, there was the snob Sirius Black, going on about training for months to battle a goblin (but his story quickly increased to slaying a dragon). James was sure he was would be in Slytherin, the Blacks being one of those pureblood families like the Malfoys, whose heir James had already that day kicked in the stomach.
And then there was the redheaded girl who had been too stubborn to give James her name. She shook her head back and looked defiantly into the crowd, but her hands betrayed her. They danced on her hips, tapping her fingertips to some frantic beat. They ascended to her red hair, pulling it and twisting it. When she tired of that (in about 20 seconds) she began chewing her fingernails.
Two twin girls, both Blacks, sat down at the Slytherin table.
"Black, Sirius," said McGonnagal. James hadn't even realized the Sorting had been going on. Sirius stepped up to the stool with the Sorting Hat upon it, cool as you please. He set the Hat upon his head delicately. The Hat quivered as it considered Sirius. After a minute or two, it made its announcement.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table clapped cheerfully, but in confusion. Wasn't a Black supposed to be in Slytherin? What was next, a Malfoy in Hufflepuff?
"Chang, Frederick," McGonnagal called next to a boy with Asian-like eyes. James turned back to the redheaded girl and watched her.
"Evans, Lily," beckoned McGonnagal. To James' surprise, the redheaded girl gave an awful shiver as she started for the Hat.
So her name was Lily. It was pretty. And James grew fast fond of the girl, a warm and heavy place forming in his chest, only for her. He wanted to touch her shoulders gently to comfort her, to ease her fear.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat called.
James watched her descend to the Gryffindor table and sit on the bench next to Sirius Black. It wasn't long before "Lupin, Remus" became a new Gryffindor. Peter was under the Sorting Hat. James could see him silently pleading the Hat for a good house, any house that would take him.
"GRYFFINDOR." Peter gave a huge sigh before resetting the hat and tripping over himself to sit next to Remus.
"Potter, James," McGonnagal called. James did his best to imitate Sirius and swaggered up to the Sorting Hat. He placed it on his head.
"Long have I been Sorting your ancestors, and more Potters always come back," whispered the Hat.
"What can I say? We breed like locusts."
"You are not unlike your forefathers. Good humored and mischievous, but not without limit. Hufflepuff trait, you know. Most were Hufflepuffs. There is strength here, the likes of which I have seen traces of on your mother's side. But your mind is neatly divided in portions of white and black, where there is no room for exception, and that is interesting indeed. Pity there is a blindness for your own faults."
"I don't care what you say, I want to be in Gryffindor."
"Because of Miss Evans, of course. Yes, it is true. Many that pass beneath my brim will be cheated, for fools are not born, they are made, most often by pretty girls."
"I want to be with her in Gryffindor. She won't cheat me and I'm not a fool."
"You could be entirely wrong, you know. Would you truly give up a more suitable house to follow a girl who wouldn't even tell you her name?"
"Please put me in Gryffindor."
"If you're sure, then it most certainly is GRYFFINDOR!"
*
And here they were, six years later, Sirius having James in a headlock and Lily looking down at them with contempt.
"Fools! I think there was a prefect on the sixth floor who didn't hear you coming!" she hissed. Okay, the Sorting Hat had been right. James was a fool. But even so, he had found the right house even for the wrong reasons. He had best friends now.
"I can yell for him if you'd like," offered Sirius.
"What I'd like is a bit of competency. Now, I asked you here, in the secrecy of the girl's bathroom, to help me conduct a raid in Severus Snape's dormitory."
"Wicked, we're actually being asked to invade the Slytherin Dungeon?" said Sirius.
"Awfully naughty of you, Lily," said a girl ghost lying across the tops of the stalls. "Bringing boys into the girl's loo and planning to do more intrusion."
"It's for the good of all, Myrtle," said Lily coaxingly.
"Well, of course, if it's for the good of all," said Myrtle sarcastically. She rolled her eyes for emphasis and sunk down into the cubicle.
"So all you need is for us to get you in? That's easy," James said.
"Well, we can just infiltrate through the Slytherin dungeon guard, right? We'd just need the password," added Sirius.
"And get recognized by tens of Slytherins and stopped halfway through the common room?" asked Lily skeptically. "I don't think that'll work."
"Well, there might be an alternate route," said Sirius. "I'll, er, have to check up on it."
"Let me know. I have to be in History in three minutes." She walked out of the bathroom without so much as a good bye.
Reference: tiny bit of dialogue from Daredevil, from the scene where Matt and Elektra first meet. And an insignificant piece of script from 101 Dalmations.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked the irritable girl. She had flyaway red hair that looked as if it had been groomed in great haste, and the buttons on her vest didn't match up with the buttonholes properly. She had tied her tie in a knot instead of the usual way.
"You look a fright, Miss," said James, his neck sore from staring at the girl. It was also sore because he was bent over, in Sirius' headlock. Peter stood by, curled in the corner and watching the scene with wide eyes.
"Excuse me? You're in a much worse position than I am," replied the girl, though she did seem a bit self-conscious and tugged on the tie a bit, as if that would undo the bad knot.
"Let me fix that," said James, wriggling out of the headlock and whipping his wand out of his back pocket.
"No, don't you dare put a spell on me," she said dangerously.
"Evertae Bindi," he chanted, and waved his wand in a small circle. The tie immediately twisted and knotted into a bow tie, which looked rather odd in her sweater vest.
"Oops, wrong one," said James sheepishly, blushing. "My dad uses that one when he's going out to dinner parties. I think I can fix it."
"No, no, you've done enough damage," she muttered, pulling the tie, but it stayed stubbornly. "What were you fighting about?"
"Oh, nothing," they both said at once. She glared at them.
"I'm going back to my compartment," she said.
"Wait, Miss!" James said suddenly, grabbing her hand. "I didn't get your name."
"That's because I didn't give it," she replied testily, yanking her hand out of his grasp and storming out of the compartment.
*
James stood in the small crowd of first years. He was so relieved that the first-years wouldn't be given a spell test or something. The only spell he knew was the Bow Tie Charm, and it would have been awful to have to stand in front of all those students and get the steely Professor McGonnagal ready for a dinner party.
Of course, there was the snob Sirius Black, going on about training for months to battle a goblin (but his story quickly increased to slaying a dragon). James was sure he was would be in Slytherin, the Blacks being one of those pureblood families like the Malfoys, whose heir James had already that day kicked in the stomach.
And then there was the redheaded girl who had been too stubborn to give James her name. She shook her head back and looked defiantly into the crowd, but her hands betrayed her. They danced on her hips, tapping her fingertips to some frantic beat. They ascended to her red hair, pulling it and twisting it. When she tired of that (in about 20 seconds) she began chewing her fingernails.
Two twin girls, both Blacks, sat down at the Slytherin table.
"Black, Sirius," said McGonnagal. James hadn't even realized the Sorting had been going on. Sirius stepped up to the stool with the Sorting Hat upon it, cool as you please. He set the Hat upon his head delicately. The Hat quivered as it considered Sirius. After a minute or two, it made its announcement.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table clapped cheerfully, but in confusion. Wasn't a Black supposed to be in Slytherin? What was next, a Malfoy in Hufflepuff?
"Chang, Frederick," McGonnagal called next to a boy with Asian-like eyes. James turned back to the redheaded girl and watched her.
"Evans, Lily," beckoned McGonnagal. To James' surprise, the redheaded girl gave an awful shiver as she started for the Hat.
So her name was Lily. It was pretty. And James grew fast fond of the girl, a warm and heavy place forming in his chest, only for her. He wanted to touch her shoulders gently to comfort her, to ease her fear.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat called.
James watched her descend to the Gryffindor table and sit on the bench next to Sirius Black. It wasn't long before "Lupin, Remus" became a new Gryffindor. Peter was under the Sorting Hat. James could see him silently pleading the Hat for a good house, any house that would take him.
"GRYFFINDOR." Peter gave a huge sigh before resetting the hat and tripping over himself to sit next to Remus.
"Potter, James," McGonnagal called. James did his best to imitate Sirius and swaggered up to the Sorting Hat. He placed it on his head.
"Long have I been Sorting your ancestors, and more Potters always come back," whispered the Hat.
"What can I say? We breed like locusts."
"You are not unlike your forefathers. Good humored and mischievous, but not without limit. Hufflepuff trait, you know. Most were Hufflepuffs. There is strength here, the likes of which I have seen traces of on your mother's side. But your mind is neatly divided in portions of white and black, where there is no room for exception, and that is interesting indeed. Pity there is a blindness for your own faults."
"I don't care what you say, I want to be in Gryffindor."
"Because of Miss Evans, of course. Yes, it is true. Many that pass beneath my brim will be cheated, for fools are not born, they are made, most often by pretty girls."
"I want to be with her in Gryffindor. She won't cheat me and I'm not a fool."
"You could be entirely wrong, you know. Would you truly give up a more suitable house to follow a girl who wouldn't even tell you her name?"
"Please put me in Gryffindor."
"If you're sure, then it most certainly is GRYFFINDOR!"
*
And here they were, six years later, Sirius having James in a headlock and Lily looking down at them with contempt.
"Fools! I think there was a prefect on the sixth floor who didn't hear you coming!" she hissed. Okay, the Sorting Hat had been right. James was a fool. But even so, he had found the right house even for the wrong reasons. He had best friends now.
"I can yell for him if you'd like," offered Sirius.
"What I'd like is a bit of competency. Now, I asked you here, in the secrecy of the girl's bathroom, to help me conduct a raid in Severus Snape's dormitory."
"Wicked, we're actually being asked to invade the Slytherin Dungeon?" said Sirius.
"Awfully naughty of you, Lily," said a girl ghost lying across the tops of the stalls. "Bringing boys into the girl's loo and planning to do more intrusion."
"It's for the good of all, Myrtle," said Lily coaxingly.
"Well, of course, if it's for the good of all," said Myrtle sarcastically. She rolled her eyes for emphasis and sunk down into the cubicle.
"So all you need is for us to get you in? That's easy," James said.
"Well, we can just infiltrate through the Slytherin dungeon guard, right? We'd just need the password," added Sirius.
"And get recognized by tens of Slytherins and stopped halfway through the common room?" asked Lily skeptically. "I don't think that'll work."
"Well, there might be an alternate route," said Sirius. "I'll, er, have to check up on it."
"Let me know. I have to be in History in three minutes." She walked out of the bathroom without so much as a good bye.
Reference: tiny bit of dialogue from Daredevil, from the scene where Matt and Elektra first meet. And an insignificant piece of script from 101 Dalmations.