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Chapter 5 – Rachel's secret comes out

Lily's carriage was the last to arrive at the castle. She jumped out, not even bothering to wait for James. Most of the school was already in the great hall. Lily entered the great hall, closely followed by James. It looked exactly the same. The enchanted sky was misty but the stars shone brightly through it, the 4 house tables were filled with anxious and hungry looking students waiting for professor McGonnagal to enter with the first years. Lily made her way over to the Gryffindor table and was happy to see her friends were nowhere near the marauders. Lily was anxious to find out what Rachel had been keeping from them. She hurried down the table past the marauders and sat down next to Ashley, across from Rachel and Riley.

"Im so glad you didn't sit near them." Lily said basically spitting out the word 'them'.

Before anyone could answer the great hall doors opened, professor McGonnagal walked carrying a stool and an old hat in followed by a scared looking batch of first years.

Professor McGonagall proceeded to the front of the hall. She placed the bench down and put the hat on top of it. Everyone went silent when we heard a loud rip on the brim of the hat. The rip formed a mouth and the hat started singing.

When the hat had finished its song the hall erupted with applauses. Professor McGonagall stepped forward again with a long script, "When I call your name please come forward and put the hat on," she opened the parchment and began to call names.

From Abraham, Michael to yang, Sue every name was called. Rachel was pleased to see that Gryffindor had what looked like a good batch of first years. When the sorting was complete Dumbledore stood up to say a few quick words.

"Before we start on another stunning feast I would like to make a couple announcements," Dumbledore was a wise old man who had a long white beard and half moon spectacles. He was one of the bravest wizards of all time. Everyone respected him,

"First thing I would like to say is a welcome new students to Hogwarts. If you need help with anything please ask your older peers or teachers. Secondly, the Forbidden Forest is forbidden to any student of any age," he sparkling blue eyes turned towards the Marauders seats, "Thirdly, enjoy!" Food of every kind appeared on the tables and students began to eat. Rachel looked longingly at the yum food placed around her. She sighed at the divine looking French fries and instead turned to the nearest plate of skinless chicken with a glum look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Riley asked catching the miserable look of her best friend.

Rachel looked up, Ashley and Lily had stopped eating and looked over at Rachel.

"Is it about that thing you wouldn't tell us in your letters?" Ashley asked looking worried.

Rachel nodded slowly. She would have to tell them. How could she not? "I will tell you guys after the feast." She said wanting to tell them somewhere more quiet.

The 3 girls nodded and Riley changed the subject. After the last plates cleared away, Dumbledore rose from his chair and looked around at the students who instantly stopped talking and looked forward at Dumbledore.

"Well, I hope everyone is well feed and ready for classes to begin tomorrow. I have just one more announcement before you head up yo your dorms. I would like to introduce our headboy and girl who this year, are both from Gryffindor, Lily Evans and James Potter." The hall erupted with applause as James and Lily stood up, letting themselves known to their fellow students. Dumbledore bided the hall goodnight and requested to se James and Lily to give them their instructions.

Students began to file out of the hall, the first years behind the prefects. Rach, Riley and Ashley headed along with the crowd to Gryffindor tower, agreeing to meet Lily there once she was done.

Lily marched down to the teacher's table where James already stood next to Dumbledore. Lily gave James another of her famous death glares and stood next to him.

Dumbledore looked very excited as he told Lily and James about their responsibilities and expected behaviour while being headboy and girl. James looked like a kid in a candy shop, being told he could knock house points and hand out detention, Lily looked livid as Dumbledore started talking about dorm rooms.

"Professor McGonnagal will be taking you to your new dorms to show you where they are-" Dumbledore started.

"Why must we have separate dorms professor?" lily asked interrupting him. She looked over at James with a livid look still upon her face, James smile however couldn't have possibly got any bigger, and if it did his face would surely break. Come on James grin wider!

"Its one of the many benefits of being Head Girl, Miss Evans."

"Yeah its one of our benefits!" James said in a matter of fact tone. As we left the room to go meet Professor McGonnagal.

"You have a serious problem." Lily said walking ahead of James, who just merrily caught up.

"Oh come on lilyfull, you know you want me."

Lily sighed. "Get over yourself Potter."

"Good evening." Came the voice of Mcgonagall, who walked out of her office and closed the door behind her.

'Evening Professor." James and Lily Replied.

They followed Mcgonagall down the corridor leading to the fat ladies portrait but they stopped outside a portrait just before the fat lady.

"Sugarplums!" McGonagall said at a portrait of Godric Gryffindor himself, which opened. "This will be your new common room. The password obviously is sugarplums. All your belongings are already here. Goodnight." McGonagall said before heading back the way they came, leaving Lily and James alone.

James climbed through the tunnel first then offered Lily his hand, which she ignored and climbed through herself. Lily looked around in amazement. It was better than she expected. The room was about the size of the common room with a black leather sofa and 2 armchairs; they were placed right beside a blazing fire that heated up the entire room. The walls were painted red and gold, obviously for Gryffindor with the Hogwarts cress in the middle. She looked over at James, who was obviously thinking the same thing as he plumped himself down on the couch.

To the left and right of the fire there were two doors, obviously leading up to the dorms. On the left door lily's name was written in gold letters and James was the same. Lily opened the huge door and entered her own dorm room. It was a huge circular room. To one side was a huge canopy bed with a nightstand next to it. There were big open doors leading outside to a balcony overlooking the lake. There was also another door; Lily guessed it was a bathroom. She just god hoped she didn't have to share it with James. She opened the door and found the most luxurious looking bathroom, much like the one in the Potter mansion. It had a huge bath and nice shower with a huge basin and an even bigger mirror on the wall. There was another door leading off the bathroom.

"God, how big is this place?" Lily thought to herself in amazement. She opened the door to find a huge spa/swimming pool. James was there too. His eyes gleaming at the pool.

"This is great isn't It." he beamed at Lily.

"Sure is." She smiled back.

"Rach would like this, its just like the one at home!" James said trying to keep the conversation going so Lily wouldn't go.

Lily them suddenly remembered. She had to go and see Rachel to find out what she had been keeping from her all holidays. "Speaking of Rachel, ive got to go and see her. She apparently has been keeping something from us all holidays and I must find out what it is." She turned around and headed for the door. "Bye Potter."

'See ya." Called James looking a little disappointed.

Lily trooped back into the common room and out the passageway. She had just had a normal conversation with Potter. No shouting or arguing! She couldn't believe it. Her feet had leaded her to the fat ladies portrait, she muttered the password (pickleberry) and entered the much nosier Gryffindor common room. Neither Riley, Ashley nor Rachel was there. So Lily headed up to their dorm room. As she climbed the stairs, she could hear Rachel's loud voice booming down the stairs, sure enough as she opened the door her 3 friends were busy unpacking, in deep conversation about boys, as per usual.

"I told you last year I was so over him!" Rachel finished as Lily walked further into the dorm.

'Hey Lils!" Rachel greeted her friend merrily. "My brother wasn't too horrible was he?" she asked while putting away her clothes.

"Actually we had a normal conversation, with no yelling or name calling." Lily replied, still looking astonished, or it might have been the amount of clothes Rachel had bought that made her look this way.

"Really? I don't believe it!" Riley said surprised as she helped Rachel with her clothing. Together the girls managed to get everything in with the door closed.

"So what have you been hiding from us all holidays?" Ashley asked interested as she stopped putting away her stuff and sat down next to Lily who was looking over at Rachel, Riley was still helping Rachel with her other personal belongings.

Rachel sighed. Trying her hardest not to make it the big deal that it was she began explaining. "Well over the holidays I heard something and –"

"What did you hear?" Lily interrupted rudely.

'I'll get to that later." Rachel said carrying on with the story. "Anyway I heard something and it wasn't very nice." This made her 3 friends even look even more worried. Rachel ignored them. "Well basically I'm on a diet." She said. Rachel's mind was racing. She knew she had to tell her friends, she told them everything but it just felt so weird, would they look at her differently?

Riley stopped what she was doing and sat down next to Lily.

"Well don't all speak at once!" Rachel said not being able to take the silence any longer.

"Haha! Rach, you are kidding aren't you? You don't need to diet!" Riley said, making the first statement.

"She's right, you don't need to." Said Lily standing up moving next to Rachel.

Rachel glared at them. 'You try telling Sirius that', she said in her head. She lightened her glare and said no louder than a whisper. "Yes I do."

"Rach, why?" Ashley said standing up next to Lily.

Rachel sighed heavily again and filled them in on the whole story of overhearing Sirius and to making a decision and her near hell experience so far of dieting.

"So are you saying?" Riley began, not daring to believe what she heard. "That Black called you fat?" she spat, putting a huge tone on Black.

Rachel nodded.

"I'm going to kill him!" Riley yelled getting up and marching to the door, only to be pulled back by Ashley and Lily. "How dare he call my best friend fat! And it's not even true, I mean if he had called her loud mouth or cant shut up to save herself, that would have been ok-"

Rachel laughed. "Riley sit down!" she said still laughing at her friend.

"Rach, but why do you care if Sirius called you fat?" Lily asked sitting back down again.

Rachel looked down but smiled. "I thought that would be the obvious part."

"Ah ha!" Riley yelled causing everyone to jump. "Our Rachie likes Black!"

"God Riley, yell in any louder and half of London would have heard!" hissed Ashley.

Riley ignored her. "Well?" she demanded.

Rachel nodded slowly with a huge smile on her face.

"Ah ha!" Riley screeched again as she ran to give Rachel a hug. "So you must really like him if you want to torment yourself with dieting!" she said sounding astonished.

"Yeah but I wish I didn't, if it was anyone else I would have given them hell!"

"Oh I bet you would have!" the 3 girls laughed.

"I can't wait to see the look on Black's face when he starts to notice!" Riley sniggered.

Rachel nodded in agreement as she put away the last of her things. With the help of Lily the girls finished putting their things away. Classes started tomorrow so Lily left the girls early and headed back to her own quarters, Ashley went to bed shortly after, not wanting to be tired tomorrow. Meanwhile Riley and Rachel stayed up, talking about numerous things from Sirius's best features to what career they wanted when they left Hogwarts. It wasn't until after midnight that the girls finally fell asleep in giggles about Sirius playing the bagpipes for a living.

ok, the next chappie will be up soon! and ive got a question for you guys! heh! ok, what do you want to happen in the next few chapters?