A/N: I will try to update this story every other day. However, when I get busy, it might turn to every two to three days. Enjoy this chapter! I quite like this one!

Chapter 3: The First Day

September 2, 1971

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

The first day of school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry provided for a bustling, exciting day. In the Great Hall, students were pouring in, taking seats at their House's tables, and chattering conversationally about what was to come that day.

Lily Evans had woken up bright and early, and was now staring into the mirror as the other Gryffindor girls prepared for the day behind her.

Lily looked into the mirror, smoothing out any wrinkles on her outfit. She stroked the Gryffindor badge sewn onto her robes, and straightened out her red and gold tie.

Her mind was racing. It was really happening. This was it, she was at Hogwarts!

She pulled a smile into the mirror. She was determined to make this day perfect.

Lily turned around and followed her fellow Gryffindors out the dormitory, and out of the Gryffindor common room.

Mary MacDonald slid up next to her and greeted her with a warm smile. "Lily Evans, correct?"

Lily grinned, glad to be making new friends. "Yes! And you're Mary MacDonald, right?"

Mary beamed, "Sure am. I can't wait to see what's for breakfast. I wonder if all meals are as nice as the one we ate last night!"

Lily laughed. "Oh, me too!"

When they reached the Gryffindor table, Lily looked across the Great Hall, searching for a mop of black hair.

At last, she found Severus sitting awkwardly in the middle of the Slytherin table, scrunched between two tall boys. His face looked rather sour, and he looked up to catch Lily's eye.

Lily smiled and waved, and Severus immediately brightened up, waving before Lily turned back to her table.

"Saying good morning to your boyfriend?"

Lily looked up from her toast to glare at James. "Potter, was it?"

James grinned, and once again, straightened up to radiate pride. "Yes, I am. And who're you? Oh, yes! Lily, isn't it?"

Lily narrowed her eyes. "It's Evans to you."

"All right, Evans," James grinned. "But don't let Snivelly see me talking to you. Wouldn't want a jealous boooyfriend!"

Lily shot him a look of deep disgust. "Leave me alone, Potter. And leave Severus alone as well."

"Whatever you say, Evans!" James chortled.

"That gorl wis sow uptight," Sirius said as he stuffed a sausage into his mouth.

"Right you are. No wonder the only boy she can get is greasy-haired Snivellus," James grinned.

"You shouldn't be so rude to her," Remus interjected. "She wasn't doing anything to you."

James scowled, and made to respond before being cut off by Professor Dumbledore.

"Welcome, students! I hope you are having a wonderful start to the first day of school! After breakfast, please collect your schedules from your Head of House! Have a great day, my dear pupils!"

Once Dumbledore took a seat, the students all shoved their last bites of breakfast in their mouths before running off to get their schedules.

The first class the Gryffindors had was Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws.

The students eagerly filed into the classroom, watching McGonagall's stiff composure at the front as they chattered excitedly about their first lesson.

"Take a seat, students, take a seat. Quickly, quickly!" McGonagall ordered.

All of the students quickly chose a seat, and took out their quills and their copy of "A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration," by Emeric Switch.

Once class began, McGonagall strided briskly to the front of the room, the end of her long robes billowing behind at her feet. "Welcome, first year students, to your very first Transfiguration lesson, as well as your first Hogwarts lesson overall."

She turned around sharply, staring at them strictly through her spectacles. "Now, students, I need you all to listen to me. Transfiguration is an extremely complex, and at times, dangerous type of magic. As a result — "

BAM!

All heads whipped around to the doors of the classroom, where four boys were scurrying in.

Lily narrowed her eyes as she watched them speed walk up to McGonagall.

James was wearing a cheeky grin on his face that utterly confused and annoyed Lily as he strode up to the front. Behind him, Sirius bore a similar expression, and behind Sirius, Remus' face was pale and his eyes were wide with fear. "I can't believe I'm late to my first lesson! I can't believe I'm late to my first lesson…" Lily heard him mutter frighteningly as he scurried forward.

Lastly, Peter Pettigrew shakily followed them up to the front of the classroom, his eyes flicking around at his fellow students in fear and embarrassment.

"Well, late to our first lesson already?"

Remus and Peter looked up at McGonagall for a brief second, and then cowered back, while James and Sirius stared up at McGonagall long and hard. "Yes, Professor, we're very sorry. We got — er, lost."

McGonagall's lips thinned and her eyes narrowed. "Uh-huh. Ten points from Gryffindor — "

"But, Professor…"

"Each."

All of the Gryffindors in the classroom groaned harmoniously.

"Seriously?" "Already?" "Not fair!" Their voices whined.

"Enough!" McGonagall snapped.

Immediately, the classroom fell silent once again.

She turned back to the four boys. "What are your names?"

"James. Er — Potter."

"Sirius Black."

"R-r-remus L-Lupin."

"P-peter... Pettrigrew."

"All right. Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew — detention in my office tonight at five o'clock."

"Oh, come on, Professor—" James protested.

"We may have an additional detention tomorrow, if you'd like, Mister Potter."

James finally looked down. "Sorry, Professor."

"Take a seat, boys. You have delayed my class enough for today. As I was saying before…" And McGonagall continued her strict lecture.

After the boys' discipline, nobody dared speak, or break eye contact with the Professor.

When class ended, the students eagerly rushed out of the classroom, and began chattering the second their feet stepped across the line between the Transfiguration classroom and the hallway.

"That McGonagall's rather uptight, I reckon," James said. "Took forty points from her own house. Only somebody mad would do that."

Remus scowled. "Don't say it like that. We deserved it." He sighed heavily, staring at the end of the hall with emptiness. "How did I end up in detention on the first day? I'm a horrible student!"

"Nah, Remus. You're over exaggerating it. Everybody's bound to be in detention at least once in their Hogwarts years," Sirius quipped cheerfully.

"We got potions next?" James asked.

"No, history of magic, and then Potions," Remus said, checking his schedule.

James grinned. "All right, then! Let's go this way! I think it's a shortcut!"

Remus flushed with color. "No! The last time I followed you I cost my House ten points and myself a detention! No more detours and shortcuts! I don't really know much about you, but you should know about me that I take school seriously! I must do well. I shouldn't even be at Hogwarts." He added the last sentence in a quieter voice.

"What'd you mean?" James asked, but Remus had already scurried off down the hallway.

James turned around. "You care for some adventure?" He asked Peter. The small boy looked taken aback by surprise that James had spoken to him.

His eyes flickered left to right, and then he said "I think I'll just go with Remus. Er...yeah. Bye."

He awkwardly took off after Remus, and Sirius piped up. "I'll go with you! Never mind if we're late to History of Magic. I've heard it's a bore."

However, the boys were not late to History of Magic, although they wished they had been because History of Magic did indeed, turn out to be a bore.

"All right, class is over, students. Get out of my classroom now. Hurry along," Professor Binns dryly said.

Just as eager as Professor Binns that class was over, the students hurriedly rushed out of the classroom and scattered into the hallway.

"That class was s-sooo," Marlene stifled a yawn, "boring."

The other girls nodded in agreement, and Lily shrunk, having found the class quite interesting.

"Hopefully our next class will be better. What've we got?" Gwenog Jones asked curiously.

"Potions," Mary MacDonald said. "With Slytherin."

Alice Prewett groaned. "Mental, those Slytherins. Never heard of a single Slytherin who hasn't turned out rotten."

"My friend's in Slytherin," Lily said defensively. "He's not horrible at all."

"The boy on the train?"

Lily nodded.

"He didn't seem too keen on sitting with us," Marlene recalled.

"He was just put off by those two idiot boys. Potter and Black," Lily responded argumentatively.

"I think they're rather funny," Marlene said.

"I don't see what's so funny about them," Lily said, stiffening her shoulders. "From what I've seen, they're just a lot of troublemakers who think teasing innocent people like Severus is amusing."

"I haven't seen them tease anyone!"

"Well, if you were in the same train compartment with them, you would've seen how horrible they were! Making snide comments! That Potter boy even tried tripping poor Severus!"

"I'm sure it was just an accident."

"It wasn't."

"Whatever!" Alice interceded. "Come on, let's not fight over boys! That's not supposed to happen until we're older!" Alice teased.

The girls relaxed, and giggled a bit.

"Yeah, come on! We're Gryffindor girls, we're supposed to be best friends! Arguing over boys certainly won't get us there!" Gwenog continued.

"Oh, all right," Marlene said. "What's after Potions?"

Lily fumbled with her schedule. "Charms with Flitwick, and that's the last class of the day."

"Wonderful!" Marlene chortled.

When the girls arrived at the Potions classroom, a large, pot-bellied man was at the front. "Welcome, students! Please, take a seat!"

Awkwardly, the students sat down, and pulled out their copy of "Magical Drafts and Potions," by Arsenius Jigger.

As Lily sat, she kept glancing at the door, hoping to see Severus.

At last, she spotted him coming through the door, and he smiled. "Lily! Here, come sit with me!" He beckoned over to the other side of the classroom.

"I —" Lily looked over at her new friends, but then figured that she would have the chance to sit next to them in all her classes, versus Potions might be the only class she had with Severus.

"All right," she said, jumping down from her seat and collecting her bag.

Severus grinned widely as Lily sat next to him.

When class started, the pot-bellied Professor began wobbling around the classroom. "Welcome, first-years! Welcome! Ah, I remember my first day at Hogwarts. Memorable day it was," he said, staring dreamily across the room.

"Well," he snapped out of his trance. "I'm Professor Slughorn, and as you all know, I teach Potions. Potions is a very complicated type of magic that requires extreme precision and detail. Today, we will start off with a simple potion: Cure for Boils. The recipe is in your copy of 'Magical Drafts and Potions.' You will need to partner up. Happy potion-making!"

The students all flipped through their textbook, searching for the recipe, while the ones who had found it were scrambling for the ingredients.

Slughorn was wandering through the room, observing every pair's station. When he arrived at Lily and Severus', he beamed in extreme satisfaction.

"Well, well, well" he boomed. "I've got two Potion masters in the making right here!"

Lily blushed, but Severus's face remained straight.

"Tell me, what're your names?"

"Lily Evans."

"Er— Severus Snape," Severus' eyes flickered awkwardly around the classroom, unused to attention.

"Well, Miss Evans and Mister Snape, I see much potential here. Keep working! I'm very interested to see how your final potion turns out!"

When Potions class finished with Slughorn praising Lily and Severus' potion, all of the students filed out, eager that there was only one class left in the long day.

"Where're you headed next?" Severus asked Lily hopefully.

"Oh, Charms. You?"

"Herbology," Severus wrinkled his nose. "I'll see you later?"

"Of course!" Lily smiled.

Severus walked off, and turned around to grin at Lily, crashing straight into someone as he did so.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, Snivellus!" James yelled with a teasing laugh.

Students in the hallway all looked at Severus and giggled.

"Oh, man! You've got to wash your robes, James! They're all greasy, now!" Sirius played along.

"Good point, Sirius. Do wash your greasy hair next time you plan on attacking me, Snivelly!" James snickered.

"Stop it! How horrible are you?" Lily yelled incredulously at James.

"Oh, Evans! I forget you're friends with Snivelly!" James teased, running his hand through his hair. "I wonder how Snivelly has a pretty girlfriend. I mean, I'm the one who washes my hair!"

Laughter filled the hallway as Lily's face twisted into an expression of deepest loathing. "You disgust me, Potter. Come on, Severus!"

She grabbed Severus by the arm and dragged him away, ignoring the "OoooOoo, Snivelly's got a girlfriend," that James and Sirius were chanting from behind.

In Charms class, Lily was extremely moody, but still managed to perform a spell that made Professor Flitwick squeak in excitement.

Across the room, she could see James and Sirius grinning at her, and heard multiple mentions of "Snivellus" as they loudly whispered. She gripped her quill tightly, and ignored the boys.

At dinnertime, she was sure to take a seat on the other end of where James and Sirius sat, and she hurried off to her dorm before everyone else finished with dinner.

As she climbed the stairs, she couldn't stop thinking angrily: How does Marlene think he's funny? It's only the first day and I can already tell that he's just a bully. Poor Severus, he must have been so humiliated!

When she reached the dorm, she lay on her bed, and fell asleep quickly, tired from the long day.

About two hours later, the rest of the first year Gryffindors entered the dorm. "Shhhh! I think she's sleeping!" Marlene whispered.

"Oh, that's where she went!" Mary exclaimed.

"Poor girl, I suppose she had a long day," Alice muttered sweetly.

And the rest of the girls got ready for bed, tiptoeing around the dorm and slipping under the soft, maroon comforters as they dozed off to sleep in their new home.