Disclaimer: See first chapter
The Welcoming Feast
Lily laughed with them all as they got off the train in search of a carriage. She jumped when someone picked her up in their arms.
"Hello my beautiful! How come you didn't come to our compartment after your meeting?" He said as he put her down. Jessica and Ashley had turned around.
"Well you see Kevin, I do have other friends." Lily said as she turned to Jessica and Ashley. "Jessica and Ashley, I would like you to meet Kevin Kikkert, my boyfriend."
The girls, minus Lily, giggled as they shook his hand. "Nice to meet you Kevin." Jessica said while Ashley asked, "Do you have any friends?"
They all laughed as at that moment Matt and Isaac walked up. "Why of course ladies," Kevin said as he smirked, "Meet my dear friends Matthew and Isaac."
"Pleasure to meet you both," Isaac and Matt responded.
Lily noticed the platform starting to look bare, "Come on! We have to hurry so that we can catch a carriage!"
They all hurried to where the carriages were and climbed in. It didn't exactly fit all of them so Lily sat on Kevin's lap. They chatted and laughed all of the way up to the castle. But before they got there it started to pour.
"Oh no! How are we supposed to get inside without getting soaked!" moaned Ashley.
"Don't worry! I know a charm, this way we won't get wet at all and we don't have to run in" Lily said. Then she used the charm, Dirikulous Premetual, on them all and they hopped out.
"How in the world did you learn that spell Lillian? It seemed like advanced magic!" Jessica asked.
"Well, I used to just spend hours reading because I was extremely board. I know much more than all the seventh years my guess, I even had gotten permission from Dumbledore several times to read some books in the Restricted Section."
"That is great! You are so lucky!" Ashley squeeled, much to Lily's horror.
They walked inside into the entrance hall and were met by tons of commotion. Apparently they had just missed Peeves dropping basketball sized water balloons on all of the students. She saw in the corner of her eye Dani and Sarah soaked to the bone shivering next to the wet Marauders. Lily smirked, served them all right.
They walked into the Great Hall, one of the only ones still dry, and Kevin said goodbye as he went to sit at the Slytherin table and the rest walked over to the Gryfinndor one. The five of them sat near the middle, Jessica, Ashley, and Isaac on one side and Lily and Matt on the other.
They kept chatting about their summers; Lily leaving out choice details, while waiting for the first years to come in. Lily looked up at the staff table looking for her favorite teacher, charms, Professor Krinkle to see a whole new set of Professors. There were a few familiar faces, that of Professor Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid, and some of the Professors that she didn't have a class with, but all of the teachers that she had had and were familiar with were gone. She caught Dumbledore's eye and him, seeing her confused face, winked sadly at her. She went back to talking to her friends still distracted by this.
Lily again was distracted from her thoughts when someone sat down next to her, putting their arm around her shoulder.
"Lily my darling, why did you sit so far away from me today? You know that I love sitting next to you!"
"Potter, leave me alone for once. You know that I hate sitting next to you."
James faked offense and started to say something back to her but at that very moment a strict looking teacher walked into the Great Hall with scared looking first years behind her.
Lily watched them walk up closer to the head table and smile reassuringly at a few of them. They were so small this year. She never remembered being that small when she was in first year! Well, of course not, she never remembered growing very much either but she did.
The teacher put a tattered old hat onto a stool and the hall filled with silence as it opened its mouth in song.
I may look dank and dirty
You may think I'm old and teared
But don't let my appearance fool you
I'm smarter than the average bear.
I'm the one that will sort you
Yet you're the one who helps
I read your mind to see where you'll go
Then I yell it for the world to know.
There are four houses where I can put you
Yet one is where you'll be
I've never been wrong, I've always been right
So don't you worry and don't you fret
I know where to put you without any mess.
The first house is Gryfinndor
For those who are brave and those who are true
They are protective and strong of those they love most
And they keep those away who are harmful and boast.
The second house is Ravenclaw
For those who are smart and those who are playful
They read and they study
And they help those when able.
The next house is Hufflepuff
For those so kind and so nice
They're shy and weary with whom they are unsure
But they're bold and brand with whom they trust dear.
The last house is Slytherin
For those so sly and so slick
They trust only their own and are boastful so quick
Yet underneath of very few there are passageways which are so new.
The four house were united
But now they crumble and fall
They must stick together
Or risk losing all.
Now put me on so nice and quick
And I will see if you are slick,
If you are brave if you are true,
If you are loyal or just new.
Lily clapped along with the rest of the hall unsure of what to make of the song. It was really rather interesting, but the part at the end about it crumbling and falling? What could that mean? Was Hogwarts going to fall and end?
The sorting had started, Anderson, Elijah (Isaac's little brother) – Gryfinndor, and ended, Zeenstra Susana – Hufflepuff, and then once again Lily was pulled out of her thoughts. This time though it was by Dumbledore, time for the start of term announcements.
"Welcome old and new to the start of a new term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry!"
Everyone cheered.
"I have a few start of term announcements before the feast. First of all, those of you second year and up may notice the drastic change at the staff table." He paused while the students began murmuring.
"Many of the teachers resigned and some just vanished. However I have been able to find replacements for all of them. In replacement of the Transfiguration Professor Hinsop we have Professor McGonnagal. For the new Potions position we have Professor Acrorrie, who is replacing Professor Tweening. For charms, replacing Professor Krinkle we have Professor Flitwick. For the Defense Against the Dark Arts position we have Professor Crander replacing Professor Johnson. For Herbology we have Professor Sprout replacing Professor Charning. For Care of Magical Creatures we have Professor Kettleburn replacing Professor Diddles and for Divination we have Professor Trelawny replacing Professor Goodyke. I believe that is all for the professors, so please join me in welcoming them."
There was a deafening clap going throughout the great hall, very few however were clapping at the Slytherin table Lily noticed. She did notice that Kevin was clapping and gave him a small smile, which he returned.
When the applause had quieted down Professor Dumbledore spoke again. "There are six transfers this year. All of them are in the sixth year. We have two in Gryfinndor, Isaac Anderson and Matt VanRynn." He paused as all of the Gryfinndors clapped. "One in Ravenclaw, Thomas Kikkert." Another round of applause from the Ravenclaw table. "One Hufflepuff, Anika Brooker." Yet more applause. Lily at this time had started a coughing fit and couldn't hear what was going on. "And two Slytherins, Kevin Kikkert and Owen Brooker."
Lily couldn't stop coughing so she got up and left the hall as to not disturb everyone else. At least she found out who the Hufflepuff transfer was, Anika Brooker. She had heard that name before but she couldn't remember where. It was so familiar! Oh well, she could ask her later.
She finally got rid of her coughing fit and walked back into the great hall. She noticed that the feast was already on the table and quickly sat down again next to Matt, and unfortunately, James.
"Lily, are you alright?" Matt asked quietly. "You were coughing pretty hard."
"I'm better now, thanks for asking though. So who was the other transfer from Slytherin?" Lily asked quickly changing the subject.
"I don't remember, I think that the persons name started with an 'o' or something. Sorry."
"That's ok. I'll probably meet him or her sooner or later."
The rest of the feast Lily spent in silence, well except for telling Potter to keep his hands to himself. Then, when the feast was done Lily and Remus stood up to lead the first years to the common room. Lily told Jessica and Ashley the password and they were all off.
Lily and Remus pointed out several aspects of the castle. Friendly paintings, Sir Nicholas, the trick steps, and some recognizable spots to help them find the tower should they lose the way.
When they got to the tower Lily spoke up again. "This is the entrance to Gryfinndor tower. Give this fine lady the password and she will allow you access. The password changes regularly so be sure to check with us every now and then to see if it has changed. The present password is 'Chocolate Apples'."
When Lily said that, she watched the first years faces light with amazement as they caught their first glance of the common room. They all climbed in slowly trying to keep their gaze on the common room, not wanting to miss anything. Lily smiled at them remembering well what her first thought of the common room had been like.
"Alright, girls dormitories are up the stairs to the right and boys the same to the left." Remus said, "you time tables will be handed out tomorrow."
Lily watched as the first years stumbled up the stairs, almost to tired to stay on their feet. She quickly sat down next to Isaac and Matt then smiled at them. "So, what do you think of the common room?"
"I think that it is great!" said Matt.
"It's fantastic." Isaac chimed in.
"Glad that you like it. Be warned it won't always be this peaceful. The marauders are always doing some sort of prank, then it gets really loud."
"Don't worry, we normally do the same thing. Except this time we don't have Kevin so you'll have to help us."
"Sorry. I can on some things but well. I am a prefect so I don't want to get into too much trouble. I'll help you with that one though that we had previously planned. But I think that we should change the affect. I am in every one of their classes and it would get disgusting seeing that all the time."
"How do you know that you are in all of their classes?"
"We take the same ones. You don't take Divination do you?"
"No, we all take Muggle Studies. Muggle studies is much easier, last year in Divination everyone failed because no one could see anything in the crystal ball."
"Yeah, well… I sort of can sometimes." Lily mumbled.
"What? You're a seer?"
"Huh? No, no, it's not that. I have, well… do you swear not to tell anyone?"
"I swear it." They both responded.
"Alright… well, I sort of get premonitions in dreams."
"You do? Wicked!"
"Hey, can you do it on will?"
"Well, no, not exactly. It only really happens when I accidentally fall asleep." Lily looked around as she said this seeing Potter's eyes on her. She glared at him and said to Isaac and Matt, "Well, I am really tired. I think that I am going to bed. See you both in the morning!"
"Alright, see you."
"Night."
Lily got up and quickly walked up the stairs not wanting to talk to Potter at that moment. He was really getting on her nerves. And the dream that she had about him at the end of the school year last year hadn't helped.
When Lily got upstairs, she immediately got dressed into her pajamas and went to bed. Hopefully she would be less upset in the morning. She didn't want to be distracted in her studies. Besides, it was her birthday tomorrow!
There you go! Hope you liked it!
Also, thanks for the review Elfobsession2931! Awesome that you turned 14! (I turn 15 monday the 23rd) Thanks for the Birthday Cake! (it was delicious!) and the great review! I hope to update on Wednesday or Thursday... if I don't, i apologize early.
OH! and i forgot last chapter... Siriuslyfun19212? I sort of gave you the answer. The dude is .... .......! Just for a refresher. :D LOL sorry, i don't give freebees. I am having some of my friends read this too and they have more of it (because it is on paper, not computer yet) and they still don't know either. but they have a guess... that means you - I said too much.
Toodles everyone!