The Start of Something

As she had every year, Lily felt small beneath the gleaming stars that adorned the faux night sky upon the ceiling of the Great Hall. Each time she walked through this hall, it was like being a first year all over again; she fully expected to be trying the Sorting Hat again.

At the Gryffindor table, it was all anyone could talk about.

"Here come the firsties!" Marlene hissed. A line of petite children streamed through the middle of the House tables and came to a stop in front of the woman who had lead them in. She was tall, with perfectly polished spectacles, a wide brimmed hat, and robes of navy blue. This was a woman who could silence even the rowdiest class, but who also lived and breathed bravery. Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor, faced the relatively small group of students and began to speak,

"When I call you name, you will come to the front of the hall and sit upon this stool," she spoke with a thick Scottish accent, and gestured to the worn three-legged stool. Sat upon the stool was a hat Lily had become familiar with over the years. It's tattered, raggedy appearance was deceiving, as she believed even Dumbledore could be triumphed by the wit of the Sorting Hat.

The Hat's mouth- or rather, tear- opened wide, and a loud, croaky voice began to sing.

"Be you short or tall,

Large or small,

I am the Hat,

That is here to sort you all.

I am here to choose the table,

Where you will be sat,

For I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat!

If you are academically able,

Hardworking, wise and smart,

Ravenclaw is where you fit the part.

If you are crafty and sly,

Always willing to reach for the sky,

Slytherin is where your loyalties lie.

If you are friendly, loyal and true,

Forever trying to see your friends through,

Hufflepuff is the house for you.

If you are brave,

And adventure is what you crave,

Then Gryffindor is the home of such a knave.

So put me on and meet your fate,

Make haste; don't be late.

Take care,

And choose your friends if you dare."

The whole student body burst into applause. Dorcas, now free of makeup, leaned over the table and whispered to Lily, "Didn't really have much to say this year."

"Maybe it's trying not to scare them." Lily replied. With the war going on, she could imagine several of the new students were scared to be away from home. She couldn't imagine how her parents would react if she has told them just how bad the war was. She may not have been allowed to return to the school.

McGonagall finished applauding the Hat and pulled out a long piece of parchment containing the names of each student. Clearing her throat, she began.

"Alesi, Herbert." A small boy with brown skin and sharp eyes slowly made his way to the Hat. The entire hall waited quietly, each house hoping their would claim the first new student.

The tear in the Hat opened, and it's final decision was made, "SLYTHERIN!"

Sighs of disappointment erupted around the Gryffindor table as Herbert Alesi moved over to the house of the snakes, who cheered.

"Bugger," Peter said, slapping the table. Mary turned bright red and giggled. "Ah well, there's always the next one." But the next student, Zinnia Anderson, went to Ravenclaw. And the next three (Elphias Bournemouth, Everett Boot, and Rita Connelly) were Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff.

"Elkins, Mia" Lily had high hopes for the next girl. A gasp down the table, followed by excited chattering, alerted her to Rebecca Elkins, an obvious family member.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the entirety of the Gryffindor table began to stomp and clap as their first student of the year was announced. Mia dashed over and squeezed in next to Rebecca. Both girls were beet red and squealing with joy. Lily wondered what it would be like to have family in a house, she could only imagine the pressure. Remus had told her all about Sirius' dilemma on patrol last year. The only Gryffindor in his whole family, and he'd been treat like a black sheep since.

By the time Lily has started listening to the Sorting again, Adelaide Greengrass had just been sorted into Slytherin. She listened intently as the next student was called up.

"Hoffenboffer, Susannah." Marlene, who had just been taking a drink of pumpkin juice, spat the sticky liquid everywhere as she burst into laughter. She quickly reigned herself in, however, when the girl was given a seat in the Lion's house. Susannah Hoffenboffer plopped herself down next to Dorcas and extended her hand to Lily expectantly. Lily returned the favour, to which Susannah shook her hand excitedly.

"Suze, if you please! I noticed you had a Prefect badge on- I hope I'm a Prefect one day. Say, what year do you become a Prefect anyway?" Lily exchanged looks with Marlene. Suze was tall, with big hands, thick brown plaits, and covered in freckles. Already, several students looked irritated with her attitude.

The next four students went fairly easy, with Jason Hooper and Elliot Hughes both entering Ravenclaw, whilst Jenny Lutterworth and William Macmillan earned a spot in Hufflepuff. Ruben McCormac was their newest Gryffindor, but they didn't get another until five students later, just after tiny Sophie Puckle skipped off to Hufflepuff.

"Sloper, Elizabeth."

"GRYFFINDOR!" the call for Gryffindor came three more times, with one girl and two boys Lily didn't listen to. Sorting always took too long. She just wanted to bloody eat, and then go to bed.

The final four alternated between Ravenclaw (Julia Stroulger), Hufflepuff (Eugene Woodage), Ravenclaw (Ryan Yates) and finally Slytherin (Ignatius Yaxley). Both stool and Sorting Hat were put away for the next year, and the hall once again descended into silence as the Headmaster stood.

Clad in sky blue robes decorated with black stars, the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, looked exactly like Muggles would expect Wizards to dress. His long white beard, often a symbol people associated with Merlin himself, was tucked into the belt neatly fastened around his waist. Lily noticed a little silver bell had been attached to the buckle, and grinned. Dumbledore was mad, absolutely crackers, but he was still a man she admired like a grandfather.

Professor Dumbledore coughed, opened his arms, and spoke, "I'd very much like to welcome both our old and new students back to Hogwarts. I hope you have all enjoyed your time here so far. Now, there are a few announcements I'd like to make. The first, of course, is addressed to all those in third year or above. Hogsmeade visits will be restricted, monitored, and guarded at all times by both teachers and Prefects from now on," he waited for the loud protests to die down before continuing. "I would also like you all to welcome our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Renee Ferryhill."

The new Professor, a frail older woman with greying hair and beady eyes, stood up and cracked a smile at the sea of pupils. Lily hoped she would sit soon; Professor Moore didn't look fit enough to walk on her own, let alone teach entire classes to defend themselves against Dark Creatures.

"Now, as always, the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds for any students, no matter how hilarious you think a prank involving centaurs will be," at this, Dumbledore paused his speech to gaze down at four boys sat at the Gryffindor table, attempting to look innocent. Lily felt her blood boil. "I would also like to warn students away from playing by the Whomping Willow, I am afraid Mr Gudgeon's eye will never be the same." several first years glanced at each other in fear. Lily held back a laugh; Davey Gudgeon, the idiot, should have used that Ravenclaw wit of his to realise that the Willow, when hit, would hit back. It was his own fault, though almost losing an eye was a bit extreme. Dumbledore cleared his voice and continued for his final say. "And with that, I'd like to add: Bilgebub, Snorkel, Rabbit and Imp."

Oh, thank Godric, the food was here. Lily had to force herself not to drool as the plates around her filled with the most delicious, heavenly dishes imaginable. Full trays of lasagne, an endless supply of sausages, and boats of gravy. She reminded herself to take it easy, even as she loaded her plate with a mountain of mashed potato.

"God, Evans, where do you put it all?" Black asked her. Lily shrugged and helped herself to green beans, smothered in butter and garlic. "I don't think I've ever seen a bird eat so much."

"Call me a bird, and you'll never see anything ever again." she replied coolly. Black's face cracked, and he began to howl with laughter. Lily felt her ears begin to burn as she watched Black and Pettigrew mock her warning like annoying little children. Even Marlene seemed amused, though anything her on-and-off boyfriend said was funny to her. After Marlene and Black had begun dating, Dorcas had compared their relationship to 'a moth to a candle'. When Black wanted her, Marlene was there. When he didn't want her, she left him alone, but pined after him like a lost puppy. Both denied any actual romantic feelings; it was all about snogging and the occasional rendezvous in a broom closet.

Lily had half expected Potter to also be laughing at her expense. James Potter, prank extraordinaire. Every girl in the school seemed to fawn over his messy hair and hazel eyes, and the way he mucked about with that bloody snitch, even though he wasn't even a Seeker on the team. Yet he only had eyes for one girl. Lily. The only girl he had wanted since third year was also one of the only girls who couldn't stand to be near him. So Lily was more confused than ever to find that James bloody Potter, prank extraordinaire, was ignoring her. She couldn't even recall him looking her way.

The feast disappeared just as Lily was finished off her lamb chops, and stood up to quickly grab Remus. The two of them had already volunteered themselves to guide the first year Gryffindors to their new living quarters.

"Hey, Remus, we gotta go." he nodded, dusting crumbs from his tatty robes. Remus, no matter what time it was, always seemed to look tired. Dark circles were a permanent fixture under his eyes, and his sandy hair often fell in his face when he wrote. Most students usually focused their attention on the very feature he was most ashamed of; three long, jagged scars slashed across his face. Lily had asked Black about them once. she had gotten a gruff "dog attack" as an answer, and nothing more. Back when she had hung around with Sev-Snape, he had always remained apprehensive about the real reason Remus was mauled.

The two sixth-year Prefects shepherded the first years through the trickle of students flooding out through the doors. Every now and then, Lily caught snatches of conversations.

"Do you think my hair would look better like this, or this?-"

"I got a Winnifred Wylump card from my Chocolate Frog yesterday-"

"Come on, Sev, she doesn't want to talk to you-" Lily whipped around to spot a dark haired boy with piercing grey eyes drag his fellow Slytherin down the stairs, where a gang of other students waited, each wearing green and silver. She turned away before any of them could make eye contact and focused a false smile on the new students. There were definitely less than the previous year. Lily didn't want to think about the reason why.

"Gryffindors! Over here please," Remus called out. The children crowded around the bottom of the stairs and looked up at the two Prefects. Lily counted seven students. Four girls and three boys made up the new year of Lions. Right at the very front of the group was Suze Hoffenboffer, who had attached herself to another girl Lily recalled as being Elizabeth Sloper. Both were staring in amazement at the moving staircases. Lily could remember being the same when she had first arrived. The memories of her first year, as well as meeting her friends, filled her with warmth. "Hello, new year! I'm your sixth year Prefect, Remus Lupin. This is my fellow Prefect, Lily Evans," Lily gave an awkward wave to the group of children, who smiled back hesitantly. "Now, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask-"

"How'd you get them scars?" Ruben McCormac questioned. Lily shot him a sharp glare, which silenced the boy. As Remus lead the children up the stairs, he mouthed a silent 'thank you' to Lily.

The students chattered constantly until they reached the entrance to the Gryffindor tower, where the Fat Lady sat waiting. Draped in robes of pale pink, she turned to Remus and asked, "Password?"

"The password at this moment is 'Groovy Shades'," Remus informed the children, several students giggled at the thought of saying 'Groovy Shades' every time they wanted to get in. "the password may change in the future, however." The Fat Lady swung open and allowed the pupils inside. Once within the confines of the Gryffindor Common Room, Lily sighed with relief. Finally, she was at home.

The entire Common Room was adorned with red and gold. Banners were draped across the walls, often blowing in front of several disgruntled portraits. The entire room was packed with students of course; everyone was excited to find out about what their friends had been up to over the holidays. The war was also a conversation on everyone's lips.

Lily found Mary and Dorcas trading Chocolate Frog Cars in the far corner. Both girls had claimed the same armchair and were squished together. Mary had already changed into pajamas.

"Hullo Lily."

"Hey, Mary." Lily perched on the armchair and examined the cards Mary held. There was nothing Lily didn't already have.

"Don't you have Prefect duty, Miss Evans?" Dorcas asked, taking on a mocking tone. Lily rolled her eyes, but replied,

"The seventh years have taken over, thank Merlin, it's a bore." a fifth year student moved from the other armchair, giving Lily full access. She darted over and leaned back, relishing the comfort of being right next to the fireplace. The fire crackling and hissing was one of Lily's favourite things to hear, especially on nights where she was up till three in the morning, usually studying for Transfiguration or Ancient Runes.

The overwhelming feeling of tiredness began to wash over her, and her eyelids suddenly became heavy. Determined to keep herself awake, Lily barely even noticed that the Common Room was emptying of students.

Her eyes snapped open almost hours later, when the scratching of a quill against parchment alerted her to the presence of a lone student. The entire Common Room was empty, except for her and-

And James bloody Potter. Of course. He'd woken her up writing as loudly as possible. Had he been down here this whole time? Oh Merlin, what if he'd pranked her whilst she was asleep. She checked her clothes and hair just in case, but found nothing. No, instead, he was staring at her. That, she was used to.

"Have something to say, Potter?" she snapped at him. Potter didn't reply. Instead, he stood up, gathered his things, and headed for the Boys Dorm. Before climbing the stairs, he stopped and turned to face her. Mischievous hazel eyes met puzzled green ones and for a moment Lily's heart stopped.

"Goodnight, Evans." he said softly. And then he disappeared up the staircase.

Lily sat rooted to the armchair. What the bloody hell had just happened?