Chapter 2: Meeting, Making and Keeping Friends
The train was now slowing down and Remus was looking out the window. "We're almost there" he said
The train slowed to a stop and people were starting to get off the train. "We should go if we want to get a carriage." James said "Are you coming with me, my Lily flower?"
"I can make my own way Potter" Lily said as she walked past his outstretched hand.
The group disembarked from the train and headed toward the horseless carriages,
"Potter let go of my hand" Lily exclaimed
"Sorry Lily flower it's just that your hand is perfect I wanted to protect it" James said sweetly
"My hand doesn't need protecting" Lily said as she climbed into the empty carriage.
The others followed. It ended up that there were 3 people on each side of the carriage, Lily was between James & Elle and Remus was between Brittney & Sirius.
"So what school did you go to? Lily asked Elle
"Just a little school in the middle of the bush."
"Was it a castle?" Lily asked
"No more of a manor, than a castle"
"So it's a little school?" James asked
"Yeah"
"How many people?"
"About 30, 35 including teachers"
"Interesting" said Remus.
Elle shrugged
By this time the carriages had stopped and the group joined the rest of the crowd of students heading toward the castle. "Wow" Elle breathed as she saw the castle for the first time.
"It's awesome hey?" Remus whispered
"Yeah" Elle agreed. They entered the castle and made their way toward the great hall
Sirius, Remus, James and Peter sat down near Lily.
"Where'd Elle go?" James asked
"She said before that she had to wait for McGonagall so she could be sorted." Lily said.
The group started up conversations with the people around them, and discussed their summers and things they were going to do that year.
The door opened and in came Professor McGonagall leading a group of about 50 first years and Elle coming behind them. The noise in the Great Hall died as McGonagall stood facing the students and began to explain to the sorting process to the 1st years standing in front of her. When she finished she started reading out the names of children to be sorted.
"Aliquis, Nicholas" she called and a little dark haired boy came up and sat on the stool as the sorting hat was placed on his head.
"Gryffindor" the hat shouted.
The process was repeated for every child right up until "Zarabella, Lauren. Who was sorted into Ravenclaw.
"Smith, Elle." McGonagall called as Elle came up to the hat. The hat sat on her head for a while until it finally yelled out "Gryffindor".
The Gryffindor house cheered and clapped as Elle sat down next to Lily.
Dumbledore stood up and the hall became quiet.
"Welcome, welcome to a new year. Welcome back to past students, welcome to our new first years, and welcome to our new transfer student, Miss Smith. As you know the forbidden forest is out of bounds. The list of banned items at Hogwarts has grown another 20 items. You can view the list in Mr. Filch's office. I would like to introduce to you our new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Bracken. Congratulations must go to out new Head Boy and Girl: Mr. Potter and Miss Evens." James and Lily stood up and people clapped for them. When they sat down Dumbledore continued "And now, as I know you are all hungry, let the feast begin."
As Dumbledore sat down food appeared on the plates on every table. Everyone started eating and continued with their discussions of their holidays.
When everyone had finished eating Dumbledore stood once again. "Well now that you've all eaten, and you have classes tomorrow, I think you should be going to bed. Prefects could you show the first years to their dorms. Goodnight."
Remus went to go and help the other prefects with the 1st years leaving Lily, James, Elle, Sirius and Peter to wander up to the common rooms by themselves.
"James I really think we should go and help the prefects" Lily said "I mean we have responsibilities as Heads, we should set an example and-"
"Wait did you just call him JAMES?" Sirius asked "JAMES! Not Potter but JAMES!"
"Yes BLACK I did. We decided we'd be civil towards each other seeing as we'll be working together for the rest of the year." Lily told him
"I'm sure that'll last" Sirius muttered.
They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, and James gave her the password (Dancing pixie) and the group entered the Gryffindor tower. The three boys and Lily moved into the common room greeting other Gryffindor's they hadn't seen since the beginning of summer. Elle stood near the portrait taking in the wonderful room decorated in red and gold with a large table to one side and couches scattered around the other. There were plenty of people in the room and the noise they were making was so LOUD. But maybe that was because they'd just got back from holidays.
"Hey Elle" Lily was calling her "Come over here"
Elle made her way over to Lily. She was standing with a tall girl with dark brown hair, chocolate eyes and dark skin, another girl with straight black hair with the tips dyed bright red stood with them.
"Elle, this is Monica" Lily pointed to the first girl "Jess" she indicated to the other girl. "They're in our year. Guys this is Elle, she's from Australia"
"Oh wow, I've been there, my family went to somewhere called uh the something Coast. It was so cool, the beaches were packed but the, what do they call it, oh yeah the surf was awesome" Monica exclaimed.
"Mmm the Gold Coast is great" Elle said.
"So you went to the school in the middle of the country, what was it called oh yeah Arilina?" Jess asked
"Uh yeah" Elle said.
"Do you miss your friends?" Monica asked
"A little" Elle said slowly.
"Urgh" Jess sighed "well I'm tired so I'm going to bed, you lot coming?"
The other three agreed. They walked towards the far wall of the room, and started up an elegant set of wooden stairs. At the very top of the stairs was a wooden door that had a gold inscription engraved on it that read "7th year Girls Dormitories". Jess pushed the door open and all 4 went inside.
Jess and Monica immediately dove onto the two beds closest to the door. Lily walked over to the only other spare bed and sat down.
"That's weird" Lily commented, "they don't seem to have a bed for you yet Elle"
"I'm tired" moaned Jess
"Well then go to bed" Monica told her
"I bags the bathroom" Lily yelled as she dove at the trunk at the end of the bed. She pulled the lid up and stared in wonder. "This isn't my trunk" She said.
Elle was standing behind her "No, it's mine"
"What's going on?" Lily asked confused. Just then a tapping was heard on the window. Monica stood and opened the window and an owl flew in. It landed on the lid of the trunk Lily was kneeling at and stuck its leg out to her. Lily took the letter tied to it, unfolded and read it
"I do not believe this" Lily cried "I DO NOT BELIVE THIS! No, no, no, no this cannot be happening. Not only is he made head boy but no I refuse to do this. I ABSOULTLY REFUSE!" Lily yelled and ranted her way down the stairs and into the common room.
She stood at the base of the stairs with Elle, Monica and Jess behind her. "POTTER!" she screamed.
James was standing with Remus, Sirius and Peter when Lily came down the stairs. When she screamed out his name he walked over to her, with his friends following behind him.
"Lily I thought we agreed we would call each other our first names, you know be civil and all" James said calmly.
"You want me to be civil to you when, when, when this is…" Lily spluttered.
"When this is what?" James asked confused
"THIS" Lily yelled thrusting the letter at him.
He snatched it out of her hand and began to read. As he did a grin spread across his face. "Lily I don't see what your so worked up over. I think it's a good thing. Come on, we mustn't keep Dumbledore waiting" And he grabbed Lily's hand and dragged her towards the portrait hole. Just before he left he called out over his shoulder, "I'll see you guys in the morning, Lily and I have to go find our dorm"
"Well that was odd" Remus commented before he Sirius, Peter, Elle, Monica and Jess collapsed into fits of laughter.
"Oh yes Remus, definetly odd" Jess gasped as they began to calm down. The group sat around the stairs to the girls dormitories as they waited for their breathing to become normal.
"Well I'm going to bed" Monica said as she stood up.
"Me too" Jess said, and the two walked up the stairs together.
"I think I'll go up as well" Remus said, as he stood and stretched.
"I'll come with you" Peter yawned. The two walked over to the boy's dormitory stairs and wandered up them, chatting idly.
Now it was just Sirius and Elle left sitting on the floor near the stairs.
"Well I should probably go with them, though it is a bit early to be turning in" Sirius said, looking over to where Remus and Peter had been seconds before.
Sirius stood up, and was about to walk away when something grabbed his hand. He turned back to Elle, "Yes?"
"Don't go, please" she said softly.
"Why?" he asked harshly.
She pulled her hand away from his, wrapped her arms around herself and stared at the ground. "I'm sorry" she whispered.
Sirius sat down next to her, his legs stretched out in front of him. "What for?" he asked a little more gently then last time.
"For the thing on the train, I didn't think you were being serious, and I didn't think you'd get so, you know, angry about it. I'm sorry"
Sirius put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him, so that her head was resting under his shoulder. "You shouldn't be sorry, it's my fault. I was being a dumb ass. I shouldn't have done that, especially on your first day and all." Sirius said.
After a short silence Sirius spoke again "Well I think that was my best apology ever. What do you think?"
Elle smiled, "It was good, and the whole taking the blame thing made it better"
"I was wondering, do you really think my lap is comfortable?"
"Well" Elle said slowly, and she slid her hand onto his thigh, "I think your lap is…" She rubbed his leg slowly; "fairly comfortable" and she slid her hand even higher up his leg.
Sirius' eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Elle laughed as she stood up. "Goodnight Sirius" she called as she skipped up the stairs.
"Night" Sirius whispered. He sat there at the foot of the stairs for a long time, running over all that had happened that day in his head. 'What a day' he thought to himself 'What a day'. He shook his head and stood up, the common room was empty, so Sirius decided it was time for him to head up to bed.
A/N thanks to my one and only reviewer, Dannyphantomsgf and Noasgf, or do you count as two? Sorry I took so long to update, but I'll have more chapters up soon. I would never ignore anyone on a sugar high, seeing as I'm almost always on one.
Hey Lauren (if you read this) you recognise the leg thing? I thought I'd throw that in for you.
Sorry that was so long. Please review, Ellen.