A/N: For all you cool band kids… here's a story for you! Okay, it's also for you non-band kids.

Disclaimer: I own nothing that belongs to JK Rowling. Absolutely nothing. So there!

The Ordinary and the Unordinary

Chapter 1: Through the Barrier

A boy walked with his mother and father down King's Cross station as he pushed his luggage in front of him. He had a huge grin plastered on his face, his hazel eyes dancing with mischief. Running a hand smoothly through his jet-black hair, he ran at the barrier and disappeared. Just like that.

"Mum! That's it! I'm waiting in the car!" a tall, boney girl of fourteen screamed, seeing the boy one moment, and not the next. She knew that was the same platform they were headed for and was not happy at all. Nor was she keen on her sister's new ambition of becoming a witch. After all—they were far from normal. Who could stand to have one of them in the family? "Lily, for all I care, you can go off and live with all those—freaks and never come back!" She stomped off.

"Bye, Petunia!" the redheaded girl who'd been standing by Petunia called sarcastically. Rolling her emerald-green eyes, she turned to her parents, Greg and Marie Evans. "Well, um…" The young girl stared at her feet.

"Oh, Lily, sweetie!" Marie said, pulling her into a tight embrace.

Greg soon joined in on the group hug. "We're so proud of you. Make sure you have fun and don't forget your studies!"

Lily laughed at his remark. He was an English teacher at the local high school and was overjoyed at her love for learning. In past years, he'd always joked about getting her homework done, preparing herself for his class.

"I guess I'll see you next summer, then…"

"Yes…" Marie trailed off, letting go of her daughter. "Have a good year!"

With one last wave to her parents, Lily grabbed her trunk and, with the butterflies in her stomach protesting all the way, ran at the barrier separating platforms nine and ten.

As quickly as King's Cross melted away behind her, a breathtaking sight appeared. There was a bright red train labeled Hogwarts Express, and many parents and children wandering around. Some were loading luggage, others saying a last good-bye. A few older boys and girls were strolling around, catching up on each other's holidays. Lily saw a door open on the train's side and marched to it.

After struggling to pull her rather heavy trunk inside, she walked down the hallway with it until she came to an empty compartment. She stowed her things under the seat and sat down. Checking her watch, Lily noticed it was ten fifty.

"Hi."

Lily tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and faced the door. A girl stood there with her short brunette hair clipped up on either side, a wand stuck on the left side. She sported a knee-length black skirt and a soft-pink tank top. Behind glasses, her eyes shown in a way that added a witty aura to her. She looked rather—abstract. Yes, Lily thought. Abstract is the right word.

"You don't mind if I sit here, do you?" Apparently, it didn't matter either way. The girl had already begun laying her things beneath the seat opposite Lily.

"Not at all."

Standing, the girl introduced herself. "I'm Rachael Li. What's your name?" Rachael was a very chatty girl; anyone could have noted that even by just hearing her first statement of 'Hi.'

"Lily Evans."

"Nice to meet you, Lily. Are you a first-year?" Seeing her nod, Rachael continued, "Oh, good! Me too. I missed breakfast this morning; we rushed out so fast. I think I'll go find the trolley lady and grab some food. You want anything?"
Lily tried to take in her many words. "Oh, no thanks. I'm fine."

"Suit yourself. Be back in a flash."

Whoa, Lily thought to herself once she was alone. I'm actually on the train. Leaving for Hogwarts. And I think I've got a friend already!

"Oh, hey, Lil, I brought you some frogs even though you said you didn't want anything," Rachael said, finally back from her food scavenge. Beside her stood a tall, dirty-blonde girl. She was very shy looking. Rachael saw Lily glance at her, and added,

"This is Morgan. I found her on my way to the food cart."

"Hi, Morgan," Lily said to the girl. "I'm Lily."

"I told her to come sit with us."

"Hi."

Just then, the train started moving. The two standing girls took their seats. The remainder of the ride was rather uneventful. All three of the girls quickly engaged themselves in conversation. Rachael was obviously the more social of them, and although Morgan was shy, she was soon comfortable around the others. Lily felt very at home.

Lily learned that Rachael was a pureblood, not that it really mattered to her, and that Morgan had a witch for a mom and a muggle for a dad.

Their only interruption the entire ride was when a jet-black haired boy ran in, out of breath. "Have any… have any of you seen… seen…" He paused, breathing heavily.

"Uh, no one's been in here except you," Rachael answered.

"Just us," Lily added. Morgan nodded in agreement, her mouth full of chocolate.

The boy abruptly ran out the door.

Morgan swallowed. "That," she said, "Was weird."

Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration teacher, lead the first year students to the Great Hall. She had told them that they would be sorted into one of the four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. No one knew exactly how they would be sorted, and as the professor left them, that was half the topic of discussion.

Finally, the doors opened for them. Looking up, each new student saw an enchanted ceiling. It seemed to open up into the sky, but it was just spelled to look like it. Since it was rather late, it was dark, stars twinkling in the night sky. The moon, in its last quarter, shone brightly. Lily gave her attention to an old man at the teacher's table her attention, instead of the ceiling.

His blue eyes twinkled just like the stars behind his half-moon spectacles. Fingering his long silvery beard, he stood up, facing the students. "Professor McGonagall, if you would proceed with the Sorting, please."

"Certainly, Professor Dumbledore." She carried out a three-legged stool and a ratty old hat. Then she turned to the first-years. "When I call your name, come forward and place the Sorting Hat on your head. Aurei, Morgan!"

Morgan gracefully walked over to the professor, who put the hat on her head. Only a minute went by before the hat bellowed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Evans, Lily."

Lily took a deep breath as her name was called. She hadn't been paying attention to the other names at all, and it took a moment for her's to be registered.

Ah, Miss Evans. You could very well be in either of two houses… Now, where to put you? You have skill, but many other qualities as well. You'll fit perfectly in GRYFFINDOR! The hat yelled the last word loud enough for the entire hall to hear. Lily placed a huge grin on her face and joined Morgan. They both waited intensely for Rachael's turn.

"Li, Rachael."

"GRYFFINDOR!" It had hardly even touched her head. Lily and Morgan clapped with the rest of their house as Rachael flopped down on the other side of Lily.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"RAVENCLAW!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

And finally, ending with "Yala, Gabby," the Sorting ended.

Dumbledore rose again. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! We have a few announcements before the feast begins. Firstly, the Forbidden Forest is off limits." He looked, of all places, at a mouse-brown haired girl sitting at the Ravenclaw table. "Professor Nealy, our Defense teacher, is recovering at St. Mungo's from a nearly fatal accident over the summer. Professor Shannow will be replacing him. And for my last point of discussion, I'm sure you all remember our quite unforgettable end of the year feast last year…" He chuckled, as most of the student population, broke out in laughter and started talking amongst themselves.

He hushed them. "Carley Summers' exclamation of 'Hogwarts needs a band!' has been taken to heart." Applause broke out at the Ravenclaw table, directed at the same girl Dumbledore had previously glanced at. "This year, I am pleased to inform you that we will have house bands. Sign up sheets will be posted in the common rooms tonight. Now then, I'm famished. Let's eat!"

The normal conversation broke out as food appeared along the tables.

"So, either of you going to join?" Morgan asked.

"I will if you two will…" Lily said. "Rachael?"

Said girl sighed and turned to her friends, saying, "Of course! Music is the secret to all life! It's so beautiful, so free, so expressive. How can anyone live without it? It's like a new spring, like—"

"Would somebody please pass the potatoes?" Lily cut in.

Rachael playfully glared at Lily. "So it's an all around yes, then?"

"Uh-huh," Morgan replied.

Finally, after trekking to the common rooms, giving the Fat Lady the password, waiting in line behind the band sign-up sheet for ten minutes, the three girls threw themselves onto their beds in the first-year dormitory.

"What an exciting day…"

"See you…" Morgan yawned halfway through her sentence. "In the morning."

A/N: Oh, this is going to be great, guys! How is it so far? Do you like it? I'll keep this one updated; it's second only to Yhanisi's.

Mystery of the chapter: (Okay, these aren't really mysteries, but see if you can guess the answer to the question.) What is Lily's "skill"? Who's the un-named boy? (These are kinda easy, but whatever.)

Please send me your reviews! Tell me exactly what you think!

Cady