Disclaimer: Who owns the Harry Potter books? J. K. Rowling. Who am I? Well, not her that's for sure.

Chappie Two:

Waking Up At Hogwarts

Or

A Conversation With the Sorting Hat

Golden sunlight streamed down on Lily's face. She was sleeping in a large, comfortable bed with a down comforter covering her. Lily blinked and woke up.

'Uh, oh,' Lily thought, 'where am I?' Slowly, so as not to alert any watching eyes of her movement, Lily reached into her back pocket to retrieve her wand. It wasn't there! Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw a dark figure move. As it came toward her, Lily prepared herself. All at once she sprang out of bed with her pillow poised for attack.

"Jeez, Lily, what's gotten into you?" the figure asked.

"How do you know my name? What do you mean what's gotten into me? Who are you?" Lily questioned, the golden brightness of the sun dazzled her and she could not see the person's face. The figure just crossed its arms. Lily blinked, she was getting used to the light now. "Maggie?" she asked. "Maggie, is that you?"

"Duh, who else would it be? I told you I would see you at Hogwarts. Who did you expect?"

"Well, I just assumed that you meant when term started. I didn't even know that I was going to be here. How did you?" Lily lowered her pillow and examined her surroundings. She was in a large circular room with five beds and desks set up along the walls. The beds had canopies of vivid scarlet that matched the comforters and sheets. Two doors sat opposite from each other and three large windows let in the noonday sun.

"Well," Maggie explained, "I wasn't completely sure when I saw you at the fitter's, but my mom had told me I'd be showing a new student around Hogwarts before term started, and when you told me that you came from Spain, I just assumed it was you."

"Uh huh, well you guessed right!" Lily replied. "How long was I asleep? I'm starving."

"Too bad, but you can't eat yet," Maggie said as she started for the door. "Dumbledore wants to see you in his office; you're probably going to be sorted into your house."

"Sorted into my house? I don't get it. Aren't I going to live in the castle with the rest of you?" Lily asked Maggie as they walked down the stairs and out of the common room.

"Wow, you don't know anything about Hogwarts, do you?"

"Well, I just got here," Lily defended.

"In Hogwarts there are four houses. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Last night you slept in Gryffindor; that's my house."

"Oh, I see," Lily stated, and she did. "We had the same sort of thing in Spain. Do you guys get points for stuff you do right and lose them for breaking the rules?"

"Yep, and when you house team wins in quidditch you get those points too."

"Really, you get to play quidditch here? I've always wanted to fly. You know, they never taught us in Spain, said it was 'too dangerous' and 'unlady like' and rubbish like that."

"I'll teach you if you want. I'm the keeper for Gryffindor. Pretty good if I do say so myself. There aren't any spots open, even after last year, but if you're good enough you might get to be an alternate," Maggie offered.

"Thanks, but even though I've always wanted to fly I'm terribly afraid of heights. I can't even climb up a ladder without being scared stiff!" Lily laughed. "Thank you, but I think I'll keep my feet firmly on the ground."

"Okay, but the offer's still open anytime you want to learn. Here we are," she said as she stopped in front of a huge statue. "Razzles!" At this the statue moved and revealed a spiraling staircase. "Just go up and knock on his door, he'll be expecting you."

"Ah, yes, Miss Evans, come on in," Dumbledore motioned to a seat next to his desk. "I assume that you are already acquainted with Miss Mangrich. Well, let's get down to business. I've had you called here to be sorted into your house. Now at Hogwarts there are four hou-"

"I'm sorry, sir, but Maggie explained it to me already. It's not really unlike what we had in Spain," she told him.

"Yes, well," he seemed satisfied, "that saves me a story. So Miss Evans, please take this hat, place it on your head and we will find out which house suits you best."

Lily grabbed a tattered, black witch's hat with a tear through the middle. Truthfully she didn't see how this was going to sort her into a house, but Dumbledore was staring at her expectantly, so she put it on anyway.

She sat there, with the hat on her head, for ages, it seemed. Just as she was about to take it off, a voice in her ear said, "My, well you are a doosie if I've ever seen one."

"What?" she thought.

"See," It said to her again, "I am the Sorting Hat of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I can read your thoughts and tell what kind of person you are. I am placed on the head of all incoming students and choose the house that suits them best. As I said before, you are quite puzzling. You would fit in every house; I can't decide where to put you."

"That's interesting. How do you know where to put people, if you don't mind me asking?"

"When I was created by the very founders of this school, they bestowed me with the knowledge of all things and allowed me the power to read a person's most secretive and innermost thoughts."

"That seems like an invasion of privacy to me. What if I don't want you to read my thoughts?"

"I suppose you could block me out," the Hat stated, "but how could I sort you into your house?"

"True. I've got an idea. How about you tell me about the houses and then maybe you'll have a better job at deciding what house is best for me."

"That sounds okay. I really do have to mull over you thoughts for a while. Where should I start?"

"How about Gryffindor?"

"Gryffindor it is then. Well, Gryffindor is for the brave and loyal. It all started with Godric…"

And so the Hat told her all about the founders. What they were like, how each of them wanted Hogwarts to be, and what their houses had accomplished. The Hat told her everything it knew about them, and although the story bored me to tears, Lily loved every word, nay, every syllable of it. In the end, the Hat still did not know what to do.

"You are quite a puzzle, Miss Evans, you really are," the Hat remarked again.

"You've told me quite a few times already Sorting Hat, have you not decided what house I should be in yet?"

"No."

"That's it? No? So are we just going to sit here until you can decide?"

"I suppose," the Hat replied, "but I have better things to be doing with my time and I don't doubt that you do too. I've never done this before, Miss Evans, but I suppose there is a first time for everything. I can tell that you want to be in Gryffindor. No, don't think about trying to hide it, I can read you mind remember. Now I've never let a student influence me on which house they want to be in, but I feel there is no other way around it. Besides there is someone, in the house I'm going to choose for you, that I think may change your life forever."

"Who is this person? What's their name?"

"No time for that now. Better put you in-"

Wow. I'm done with that chapter! WooHoo! I would like to say thank you to all three of you who reviewed. THANK YOU! You are the bestest people in the whole wide world! Now the rest of you! Follow their example and review!

PotterSnitch7: You were my very first reviewer! You are my hero! Thank you!

Dwntwndanbrwn : Lily is at term a couple of days before term. As I assume you already read. :) You'll find out about Jimmy being on the train later. ;) Promise!

Heaven and Earth: Thank you!

Now go out there and review, people!