I waited in suspense for September 1 to arrive, but when it did, I was glad Mother and Petunia were coming to the station. I couldn't wait to see what a magical train looked like, but walking through the station, I only saw regular passenger trains. However, we were meeting the Potters at Platform 9. When we got there, they told us to just walk through the wall, but I was still nervous. Just as I was about to go through, a rather handsome boy with dark, long hair and Dark almost black eyes came up to the Potters, but then I leaned against the wall and fell through. I looked up at a sign that read: "Platform 9 and 3/4." I had just opened my mouth when the boy with the long hair almost ran me over with his cart. He mumbled sorry as he rushed by, but didn't take the time to stop and see if I was okay. That made me mad, but I got over it as I loaded my trunk and tried to find a seat. I waved good-bye to Mother and Petunia, then settled back into my seat so I could avoid another good-bye.
The train started off and I started to get excited... Then, when I was about to get out my book, the long-haired boy from outside the barrier walked in. He asked if he could sit here, and I said, "Sure, why not?" He sat down next to me, and I scooted as close as I could to the window. Then, I opened my book. Just when I'd gotten to a good part, James Potter opened the door and mumbled, "Hey Lily, can I join–hey, you're Sirius Black, right?" The boy nodded, and James sat down across from me, and then introduced himself. I said, "Um, Sirius? My name is James." Sirius, since I guess that was his name said, "Um...hello...Lily and James?" I smiled at him, and was about to assure him that he'd been right when suddenly the door slid open...
A tall girl with shoulder-length black hair, dark green, exotic looking eyes, and a dark complexion stepped in. She was dressed in jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and she was wearing tall boots. She tossed her hair back. "My name is Kali Alexia Jacquanetta. This is my sister, Sari. She said pointing to the girl sitting next to me that looked exactly like her except that she didn't have a long jagged scar running down her face and had blonde hair instead of black. We were a bit shocked, and I said, "Do you even know I am?" She said, "No, but I don't really care anyway." That irritated me, but I tried to be civil while she talked with James and Sirius, basically ignoring me. I studied her intently, noting that her hair covered her ears at all times, and that she had a long, jagged scar on the right side of her face. It went from above her eyebrow down across her eye then down her body. I saw another one that ended on her right ring finger. James sat, speechless, while she talked, and Sirius very happy with the fact she was talking to him and engaged in the conversation rapidly.
I tried to start a conversation with James, asking, "So, what do you think Hogwarts will be like? I wouldn't know, since no one else in my family is magic." His eyes lit up, and he replied, "My mum and dad were both magic, you know that, so I know a little about it, but Mum and Dad thought I would like a surprise." He made a face, "I don't like surprises." I felt the same, and I told him that I wished I knew more. He said that I would learn quickly enough. I felt like I had found a friend. "Hey, do you know anyone here? I only know you because of your father. So, I don't know any other girls here, except for her, but I don't really include her, since she happens to treat me like crap!" James looked mostly puzzled. "Right, um, do you know anyone else?" I said sheepishly. He said, "No, no one but you, Sirius, and Alexia, who actually seemed pretty nice until she saw you. What did you do to her?"
I turned to glare at her, and she gave me the finger. I humphed and turned back to James, "Nothing. But I can't stand her! Already, and I've only known her for 15 minutes!" I just hoped we wouldn't have any classes together...
The train screeched to a halt, throwing me across the compartment, into James' lap. I mumbled sorry, and tried to get up, ducking my head to hide behind my hair. He picked me up sort of, and set me down a little ways away from him. I noticed that his cheeks were pink. I felt better that he was embarrassed, too. He said, "Um, I think we're at the school. Should we get our trunks?" I said that I guessed. Just then, I heard a huge, booming voice yell, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" I assumed that meant me, so I lugged my trunk over to him, and dropped it. Then I saw the giant man who was still yelling. At first, he frightened me, but then he turned, and I saw his kind eyes hidden in his mass of dark hair. I walked over and said, "Sir, what am I supposed to do with my trunk?" He replied kindly, "I'll take that, and it'll get sent to the castle. You ride in the boats to the castle with the rest of the first years. Oh, I fergot t' tell you. I'm Hagrid." I thanked him and turned.
I tried to find James, but saw that he was standing next to Sirius, Sari, and Alexia. I tried to turn away, but they'd seen me. James waved me over, calling, "Lily, c'mon, we get to ride in the boats and we need another person to fill up ours." I despondently trudged over to them, grumbling. James and Sirius smiled in greeting, but Alexia acknowledged my presence with a curt nod. I ignored it and turned to the boys. "Let's go," I said. We headed to the boats, and climbed in. Sirius started looking for Alexia, and he found her talking to the tall blond boy I met in Diagon Alley. "Oh! That's Lucius Malfoy!" Sirius looked at me, shocked. He couldn't believe that I knew him. I explained how I met him, and Sirius got mad. "He said that!" Sirius shouted angrily. I told him it was okay, and that I wasn't a baby. James smirked at that, while I glared furiously at Sirius. "Leave her alone, mate," said James, "She knows what she's doing." I smiled at him, then turned around, smacking Sirius in the face with my hair. Alexia, that jerk, joined us, complaining arrogantly about that prat, Lucius Malfoy. "Oh, he's not so bad, maybe he just doesn't like you. I can't imagine why..." I said innocently. "She looked down her nose at me, with cold fury. "Oh, I'm sure you two get along wonderfully, with him being a stupid, arrogant git who cares for nothing but himself, and you being a stuck up arrogant spoiled brat," I snorted at her description of Lucius Malfoy, and then laughed aloud at her attempt to be condescending to me. I said, "You know, that's just like the pot calling the kettle black...oh, sorry, Muggle expression, you wouldn't understand."
With that, I turned and started talking to James, excluding that git. I didn't look, but I could feel that she was steaming mad, and I could hear her muttering to her sister. I laughed at something James said, while the boats sailed across the lake. I then saw the castle rising out of the mist surrounding the lake. I gasped in amazement as I stared at the huge castle. The monstrous turrets and towers loomed over me, and I shivered with some feeling that was half fear and half excitement. Then the boats stopped, and we climbed stairs that led to a huge, open-air hall. Then, Hagrid left us, and a tall, skinny woman with graying hair joined us. "Follow me," she said in a crisp voice.
We followed the woman into a warm room with a high ceiling. She said, "I am Professor McGonagall. The Sorting will begin in a few minutes. Wait here." She disappeared through a tall, wooden door. Just then, Lucius Malfoy walked up to James, and started to say something. Then he caught sight of me and jerked his mouth closed. Then he said, pointing at Sirius, "You, you are friends with him?" I opened my mouth to reply, but then he turned to James. "You are doing right to associate yourself with her, but him, are you insane? He is a traitor, even worse than a Mudblood." Sirius gasped, and I asked him what a Mudblood was. He explained that it was an awful term for someone with non-magical parents. I realized that he was talking about people like me, and that made me mad.
I pushed my way past James, and confronted that jerk. I started yelling, "You jerk! Do you know that you were talking about me! Both of my parents are Muggles. You dirty, nasty–" I was cut off by James dragging me away from my intended course, which was to probably rip that–that arsehole's throat out. I heard him muttering about how he had known that I was pureblooded, otherwise how could I have been so pretty, and how that beautiful red hair must be the cause of such a temper. That made my blood boil, and I ripped my body out of James' arms. I turned on Malfoy, screaming, "It is not because of my hair! It is because of you, you bloody git!" Then Sirius grabbed me, and retreated to the edge of the crowd. I glared at both of them, then pouted. "I hate you all," I muttered. They just laughed and I thought my feelings were justified.
Just then, Professor McGonagall came back and said that the Sorting was beginning, and we were to line up alphabetically. I ended up being the third person in line. I was behind Amos Diggory, and in front of Jacqueline Fisk. She introduced herself, telling me to call her Jackie. We filed into an even bigger room, with a ceiling that looked like the night sky. I was enthralled, and I saw Jackie was thrilled, too. We looked up at a platform, then, the hat started to sing! I was a bit scared, I mean come on! A singing hat? Then, the first person in line was called, a scowling boy by the name of Adam Ackerby. He went, sat on the stool, put the hat on his head, and sat there. Less than 10 seconds later, the hat yelled, "SLYTHERIN!", and the boy went and sat at the far table. Next was Sirius. With him, the hat yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!" I hoped that I was put there, too, at least I'd know someone. Soon, Professor McGonagall called, "Evans, Lily." I stood up, and walked (somehow) to the stool. I picked the hat up, and plopped it on my head. The hat started to speak. But, not just that, it was inside my head!
It said, "Hmm..I see you're very smart, Ravenclaw'd be good for that...but you are loyal and true, also...but to a degree, so not Hufflepuff. Slytherin would be alright, but you don't have the malevolent spirit that they do. And I know you're brave. So I think, perhaps, maybe this will be best. GRYFFINDOR!" I was shaking with relief, as I almost skipped off to join Sirius at the long table on the opposite side from Slytherin. I turned to watch Jackie get sorted. The hat almost immediately roared,
"GRYFFINDOR!"
I was so happy, I almost bounced in my seat as she half ran towards me. She greeted me with a happy smile. "I knew we'd be together," she said, squeezing my hand. We both turned to watch the rest of the Sorting. 'Jacquanetta, Kali' was called, and I groaned, hoping desperately that she would not be put in Gryffindor. After a few minutes, the hat roared, "GRYFFINDOR!" I sank down in my seat, moaning, "Why me?" Alexia, that evil, disgusting brat, floated towards the table, earning looks from many of the older students. I prayed that Professor McGonagall would call her back, put the hat back on her head, and send her to Slytherin. But, alas, it was not to be...
I was stuck with her. Groan!
She came and sat down in one of the last open seats, right across from me. She turned to look at her sister as she was called up. She looked hopeful and worried. She actually looked pretty normal, and I was shocked. Her sister, Sari, if I remember right, put on the hat, and after just a few seconds, it shouted, "Ravenclaw!" Alexia looked crushed, and I almost felt sorry for her. I watched her sister shoot helpless looks at her, then turned to watch an Alice Jones get put in Gryffindor. She was a tiny dark-haired girl with big brown eyes. Frank Longbottom was also put in Gryffindor. He was a shortish boy with brown hair and blue eyes. Then, Remus Lupin, a skinny boy with dark blonde hair, and gray eyes came to join the table. Panita Patil was 5th girl to be put in Gryffindor. She walked over, then starting staring at the hall. Then, small, round boy with blonde hair and watery blue eyes joined us. I think his name was Pete or something... Then I heard 'Potter, James' resound through the large room. I turned to look at him, and he caught my eye and winked.
I could feel my cheeks flaming. I wondered why he had done that. I heard whispering, and I saw that Sirius was trying to get Alexia's attention, and I rolled my eyes. I focused on James again. I saw him screw up his face in concentration, then his voice echoed through my head. "Please, please put me in Gryffindor...with her." I heard him say. The hat yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!" I was puzzled, but I shoved it out of my mind as I greeted James. He grinned and sat down next to me and across from Sirius.
"Hey," he said, "Miss me?" Sirius replied, "Tons, sugar-pie." I rolled my eyes and turned to Jackie. "See what they're like," I whispered. "Yeah," she said, "He's cute." "Which one?" I whispered. "I dunno," she thought for a while, "Both of them." "Oh my gosh," I almost shouted. James turned and grinned swarmily, "She's right, you know, I'm adorably cute and abnormally funny. You really should get to know me." I got kind of mad and sort of yelled back at him, "No, you are not! You, with your big head shoved half-way up your arse–" Once again, I was silenced, not by James, but by Sirius. I decided that I hated them both...sort of... Then I bit Sirius' hand, glared at them, and then left, laughing. When I looked back, Sirius' was cursing and shaking his hand, and James was smirking. He looked at me, and I winked, making him turn pink.
I wondered about that, but once I was back in my dorm, I forgot it, while I explored the common room and bedroom. It was amazing! The common room had beautiful, tanninsh walls, with all the furniture in scarlet. Portraits, talking ones, covered all the walls. There were gold accents everywhere, and there was a huge fire roaring in the fireplace. It was extremely cozy. I walked up the left flight of stairs, marked 'Girls', and walked into a room with a sign that said 'First Years'. I walked in, and gasped. There were five beds, each with a crimson canopy. The walls were the same as the common room, and the beds were dark, gleaming wood. There were gold accents there, too. There were five closets, each huge, extending 6 feet back and 5 feet across. It was already filled with all my clothes. I was shocked, everything was perfectly organized, just like my mom did at home. Then Alexia came up and spat at me, "Oh, you're here! I thought they would've sent you home already...I guess this isn't a top-notch school like I thought..." I rolled my eyes and left, laughing inwardly. That was the best she could do, ha! When I knew she was gone, I came back, changed and crawled into bed. I sank comfortably into the cushiony pillows, sighing. This was the life...