A/N- Just FYI- this may be the longest chapter you'll ever get! So don't get too hopeful, but then again I have to finish this story, and 6 more after this!
I love all of you who reviewed, and I had one question I need to answer. And Im wondering why one question isnt being asked… I went back to read the story, and noticed that I left something unexplained, so I'm fixing it before it gets out of hand!
Lily's full name is Lucinda Liliana Bell Potter-Weasley. In Public she was announced as Lucy Potter. So everyone calls her Lucy or Miss Lucy (at least the tabloids do, and random people on the streets) BUT! When she was really little Remus started calling her Lily because her personality was so much like Lily Potters. SOOO her family and friends call her Lily. And that's what I call her, because the name suits her better. LOL
ALSO- Has anyone noticed that there are two "Dreas" in this story? Alexandrea "Drea" Lestrange (mentioned in chap 3 or 4) is a second year at Hogwarts. She is the Great-niece of Bella and her husband (cant spell his name). She will come into the story in the next few chapters. (and FYI- she has a twin brother named Alexander, or Xander (pronounced like Zander)). Drea Malfoy is Lily's childhood friend. The reason she attended a muggle primary school is because her mother (not mentioned in the books, my own character!) Venessa Goyle (Goyles little sister, only a year younger than the trio, in Slytherin) thought it would be safer for herself (to stay out of Azkaban) and her daughter (so she wouldn't be brainwashed by those muggle-loving freaks). These two People are totally different! So you don't get confused.
Anyways…
The Keeper of the Keys and the Sorting
For a while the four sat there, talking and laughing. After about a half an hour, Brian fell asleep, feet in Lily's lap. Ami settled down into a good book, and Kelly and Lily kept talking quietly.
"I can't wait to get my hands on all that good food in the great hall," Kelly tempted. "I heard that you can go in there at anytime and eat."
Lily laughed knowingly. "Actually, no you can't. But the kitchens are always open. I'll take you there later."
"Wait, how do you know where the kitchens are?" Kelly looked at her new friend in suspicion.
"My dad is the Headmaster," Lily said quickly.
"Your Lucy Potter!" Kelly screeched, making Brian snort and turn and Ami look up and smile smugly. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Because I hate it when people judge me on my parents. And, please don't call me Lucy, I hate that name." Lily cringed. "I practically grew up in the castle, so I know a lot of things."
"She even knows more then Harry," Ami said taking a break from her book. "And its not the ghosts who haunt the place, that's Lily's job."
"Ha ha, very funny AMANDA," Lily retorted. Ami cursed at her name. "That was when I was five and would pop up in the most unexpected places at the rarest of times." Lily started to smile, "Those were the good old days." Lily thought for a minute then spoke again. "Oh, and don't listen to what Peeves tells you, or what he does."
Kelly looked at her with suspicion. "Who's Peeves?" she asked.
"The poltergeist. He roams the school reeking havoc everywhere," Lily explained with a giggle in her voice. "And don't listen to any of the songs that have the words 'Oh, Potter, you rotter!' They are not true."
"What songs? You never told me of any songs," Ami asked defensively.
"I never told you because I never thought Peeves would remember them for that long."
At that sentence, Brian woke up. "We're almost there," he yawned. "I'm going to go and change into my robes. You three should do the same." He got up and left with his robes in arms.
"I hate it when he does that," Ami said with relish. "Wakes up and knows basically everything that's going on." She shuddered at the thought.
"Yeah, it is kind of creepy, but handy." Lily snapped her fingers, instantly changing into her robes. Kelly stared, wide-eyed. "What?" Lily asked not realizing what she just did.
Kelly stuttered, "H-how d-d-did you d-do that?"
Ami turned around halfway dressed, "Lily you idiot. You didn't tell her about your 'talents.'" She also smirked. "Mind finishing me up, then?"
Lily sighed and snapped her fingers again and Ami was dressed. "They aren't really 'talents', more like a 'birth-defect'. I can focus my magic without a wand. It has NOTHING to do with my family. Well, except my mother took and insanely large blow to her pelvic area, but nothing more."
Kelly looked at her incredulously. "Wow, I wish I could do that."
"Sometimes its not all its cracked up to be," Lily explained. "I get blamed for everything that goes wrong, and whenever I'm sick things either blow up when I sneeze or odd things happen to the people around me." She looked embarrassed. "And, that means clothes flying off or disappearing, and limbs falling off or moved on some ones body. It's horrible." Then she looked around for her kitten she had let out of its crate earlier that trip.
"But, still," Kelly fantasized, "everything else about it rocks! Being able to do everything we can do with wands, but not having to look for that blasted piece of wood."
"I guess so," Lily said picking up the black mass of fur. "You know, I still need to name this beast."
Ami suggested her thoughts, "How about Lucy? Or Panther?"
"No, doesn't suit her," Lily thought. "She's too feisty for the name Lucy, and Panther isn't that original."
"Ozzy is a cute name, but a bit too boyish for her," Kelly thought out loud, finally finished changing into her robes. "How about Ruthy?"
"I like it, because she is ruthless and odd," Lily exclaimed. "Come on, Ruthy. I'll let you out of your cage when we get into the dorms." The kitten mewed sweetly with fake innocent eyes. "You know, cats can't pull of a puppy-dog pout. Nice try, brat." The cat growled at this.
Brian knocked on the door. "You three descent?"
"Yes," all three girls said.
He walked in, all set with his robes in perfect order. Helping them to clean up the compartment before they departed, he said, "I bumped into the Lestrange twins. I sort of felt bad for Xander. He was sitting in the corner of their compartment and Dre was so rude to him."
"Why doesn't he just find new friends?" Ami asked. "It would be smart to."
"Yeah, but what if you couldn't?" Lily asked with a 'hey, stupid!' tone. "He is hated by his house because 1) his sister is the worst person to mess with, and 2) he's a Lestrange." Lily continued to clean. "Yeah, now that I think of it, the kid does have it rough."
Brian sighed, "Lily just finish cleaning! You three are pigs." Lily gave him a death glare.
"I'm not to be used as a maid!" she exclaimed. Everyone looked at her with pleading eyes. "FINE!" She snapped her fingers and the trash flew into the garbage can that lay in the compartment. "Next time I want something, I get it." She stared pointedly at Brian, who smirked.
The train came to a slow halt at Hogsmeade Station. The first years, being guided by the Prefects of course, got off the train to meet their home for the next seven years. The four followed a deep grunting voice beckoning to them with, "Firs' years! Firs' years, this way!"
"Hagrid!" Lily yelled as he came into view. She ran towards the familiar figure, dodging the older students. When she reached him, she gave him a hug that almost knocked him over.
"Ello, Lily," his voice boomed. " 'Ow 'ave ya been?" He hugged her right back, knocking the wind out of her.
"Pretty good," she caught her breath. The other three walked up in a more casual way, other scared looking people behind them.
"Alrigh' firs' years this way!" Hagrid started walking in the opposite direction, and everyone followed. He led them to a dock and boats. "Four to a boa!" Brian, Lily, Kelly, and Ami climbed into one all together. Once everyone else was seated, the boats jerked off into the darkness of the night. The first glimpse of Hogwarts, for most, was remarkable. The castle stood tall and proud with its windows gleaming yellow light in the darkness, the towers had small dark blue clouds around them, as if they ran into infinity. The children starred mouths open and eyes bulging to the size of golf-balls, some even drooled.
The boats slid to the door in which they would enter the castle. It opened to a stern looking woman with black and silver hair, like salt and pepper. She smiled at the group, "I'll take them from here, Hagrid. Follow me please," she said looking at them over top of her square framed glasses.
They followed her with that eerie silence, none brave enough to speak, and those who were played a part to follow the group. Lily just starred ahead in distinct silence, not wanting to bring attention to her. Ami walked next to Lily, her face pale making her strawberry-blonde hair almost as red as Lily's. Brian walked in front of them, a slightly smug look on his face, as if he knew something they didn't. Kelly just walked. She was behind Lily, walking next to a tall boy with chestnut brown hair.
Reaching tall dark wooden door, the came to a halt. The woman spoke to them. " I am Professor McGonagall, I teach transfiguration and I am one the Heads of this school. All right, as you cross these doors you will be sorted into four different houses. They are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. I will come back for you in a few minutes time." She turned on her heel and left through the door.
"Oh, no," Ami squealed. "What if I don't get into Gryffindor? Mum won't be pleased with me. Dad won't care, but mum! Oh, please teach us how to extinguish fires!"
Lily looked at her as if she was crazy, "At least your parents aren't watching!" she said in a high voice. "At least it won't be in the Daily Prophet if you get put into anything BUT Gryffindor." Lily was almost to tears. Kelly put an arm around her.
"Gosh, I guess it is tough being famous," she said looking around the room. "I just hope we are all in the same house."
Brain just stood there, still looking smug about something. "What's your problem, Mr. Cocky-pants?" Lily asked, slightly more calm.
"Nothing," he looked at her with sudden realization to where he was. "Just day-dreaming." The three girls looked at him quizzically as Professor McGonagall came back into the room.
"Two in a row, and follow me please," she said picking up a 3 legged stool. The first years followed her once again, this time entering a large room with four tables, each one marked by a flag with a House name on it. The tables were filled with restless teenagers with hunger and excitement on their faces. The room was lit with millions of taper candles floating in the air above them. The ceiling mirrored the night sky outside, the dark blue clouds and a few twinkling stars.
The First-years walked up to the front of the hall with the Professor. Telling the to stand in a line in front of her, she sat the stool down and set a raggedy old 'witches hat' on it that looked as if it had seen many centuries of lifetime. "When I call your name, please come forward and sit on the stool, I will place the hat on your head, and you will know which house you belong to."
Lily's eyes started to tear as she looked at her father, who sat in the large chair in the middle of the teachers table. He looked at her with slight sympathy that told her not to worry.
"Andrews, Heather" was the first name called. A small girl walked up to the stool with trembling legs. It took a minute, then the hat yelled "Ravenclaw!" One of the houses exploded with applause.
"Bradshaw, Kevin" went to Hufflepuff. Another table exploded.
"Bradshaw, Kaity" also went to Hufflepuff. Lily guessed that they were twins.
"Cook, Hector" joined Slytherin.
"Dumbledore, Brian" the boy skipped up to the hat with his smug smile back on his face. As soon as the hat touched his head it screamed "Gryffindor!"
They went through the alphabet, the scared looking children where flying by.
"Granger, Jon" was called forward. Ami and Lily looked at each other, their Aunt had the Maiden name of Granger. The hat yelled "Gryffindor." The girls watched their Aunt at the teacher table as she clapped loudly with a bright smile on her face.
More names passed and more people were sorted. They had reached the M's.
"Malfoy, Andrea"… 30 seconds later … "SLYTHERIN" Lily laughed silently to herself.
A few minutes passed by, and they had come up to Lily.
"Potter-Weasley, Lucinda" Lily walked up the stool, gave her father a weak smile and turned to sit on the stool. The hall was silent, except for those few whispers of questioning a person hearing. Professor McGonagall set the hat on her head on Lily's red locks. Please put me into Gryffindor, along with the rest of my friends. Please oh, please! "Ahh, I think I could make that work." Laughed the hat. "GRYFFINDOR!"
The whole school erupted into applause. Lily ran to join Brian. Sitting next to him she finally took a breath. "Didn't really have to worry, did you?" he laughed. Ignoring him she turned to watch the rest of her peers.
"Quinn, Jason" and "Smith, Nick" joined Gryffindor after Lily. Before her had come "Jackson, Susan" and "Madison, Orlando."
"Weasley, Amanda" her face become so white it was almost transparent. She sat on the stool and the hat was placed on her head. It only took a few seconds before it yelled "Gryffindor." Ami ran to sit next to Lily with a big toothy smile on her face.
"Wood, Kelly" she stumbled up there, being the last person, and was sorted into Gryffindor as well. The girls all squealed as she joined them. Brian just looked at them with the utmost disgust, as if he was saying 'and I chose you as friends?'
McGonagall cleared the stool and hat away, then stood up to speak. "Welcome, and welcome back. Dinner is served." The food suddenly appeared on the tables.
Lily started to serve herself, and thought nothing of the magic that just happened. The older students around her looked at her with an odd expression. "What?" she asked without looking up from her plate.
A seventh year, by the looks of him, spoke, "Most first years stare at the food for the first few minutes, and they don't usually look bored for the first month or two."
She looked at him. "Oh, come on, Jerry. You know who I am. I used to terrorize this place, why would I stare at the food? And why would I be so excited about the castle when I know it front-to-back, side-to-side, and every other way possible?"
The boy looked stunned. "Wait. Lily?"
"Yeah who else would I be?" she said through a mouth full of mashed potatoes.
"My god, you've grown up," said a girl sitting next to Jerry. "You haven't been here since fifth year." The girl said, reminiscing. "I remember you were everywhere possible, and you played some of the worst jokes on the teachers. Remember when you switched Trelawny's drinks with veriteserum (sp?) and she was spitting out the truth everywhere!" She and Jerry fell into fits of laughter, and Lily sat there with the cockiest smile on her face.
"Yeah, those were the days, but now I actually have to learn," she said with fake depression.
Lily spent the evening getting aquatinted with the other first years, hearing their family history and how they received their letters. It turned out the Jon Granger is Hermione's nephew, her brother's son.
As they finished their desserts, Harry stood up to talk. "Some start-of-term notices. The Dark Forrest is strictly forbidden. And Filch has a list of forbidden items on each notice board. Now it's goodnight to all so we can have a fresh start in the morning."
The students filed out of the room to their dormitories. Lily ran up to the teachers' table. "Hi, dad." She said standing in front of him. He smiled at his daughter. "So, like what should I call you in front of other students?"
He chuckled, "I don't know, really. Probably Professor, that's what you have to call Aunt Mimi and Remus." She made a sour face. "Fine, but you know that calling the Headmaster 'Daddy' will bring more attention to you."
"I never can win against you, can I?" she whined. Harry laughed at his oldest daughter's antics. "Fine then Professor, I guess I'm off to bed then. Night!" she called running out of the room. As soon as she was out of site of prying eyes she snapped her fingers and appeared in her dorm, nobody had arrived yet. She chose the bed closest to the door and set up her things and changed into her pajamas.
The other girls started coming into the room. "Lily, so this is where you ran off to," Ami said with a slightly angered voice, and with it her hair steamed slightly.
"Cool down, I just had to talk to the Headmaster." Lily said with attitude. The other three girls set up their beds, making it their own. Next to Lily, Kelly set herself up, then Ami, and then Susan was across from Lily.
They all changed into their pajamas, and climbed into bed. The lights slowly dimmed and the hectic day was at an end…
A/N- FINALLY FINISHED! That took a while to write. I'm glad that part is over. Please r+r! Next chappie, look for their first day of classes… you might get a hint about the plot, so it might not be up for a while, seeing as I still am trying to figure that part out. grins sheepishly I'm taking ideas! E-mail me them t for now