Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

I'm using my IM talk for their online convos and if that's confusing for anyone, let me know and I'll change it.

Chapter 2: Hogwarts

The next day, Lily and Miranda could hardly contain their excitement.

"We're going to Hogwarts tomorrow! We're going to Hogwarts tomorrow!" they kept shouting. Marianne suggested that they go online to talk with people who were also going to Hogwarts, to calm down. That didn't help.

Emereladeyes99: We're going to Hogwarts tomorrow!

Quidditchstar23: We're going to Hogwarts tomorrow!

Magicalgirl58: We're going to Hogwarts tomorrow!

Moonsrevil: We're going to Hogwarts tomorrow!

NotasblackasBlacks: WE'RE GOING TO HOGWARTS TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!

Finally, Marianne and Jennifer gave the girls some money and Marianne drove them to the mall. (A/n: I heard that England doesn't have malls…in a book, but I don't know if it's true. Anyway, if it is, pretend they do have them. And I'm gonna use American stores). After the car pulled away, Lily and Miranda excitedly ran into the mall.

"Where do you want to go first?" asked Miranda. Lily looked at the mall map.

"Let's go to Pacsun!" she said. "I love that store." They walked quickly to Pacsun, making sure their wands (which they just had to bring) stayed hidden. Miranda had only been at the mall once before, but Lily had gone numerous times.

"I love this shirt," said Miranda, holding up a blue shirt. It had a duck with a surfboard on it and said "Just add water." "But I think it would look better on you." They both tried it on, and it did look better on Lily. Miranda tried on a pair of cargo pants.

"They look really good on you," said Lily when Miranda came out of the dressing room.

"Thanks, I think I'll get them." Lily was walking over to the accessories when she found really comfortable looking socks. There was a sale so she and Miranda both bought three pairs. They decided to not buy any jewelry at Pacsun, and purchased their items. They browsed shops for a while, buying shirts and pants and skirts. Then, they went to Claire's and bought loads of accessories.

Tired and hungry from all their shopping, they went to the food court. Both bought teriyaki chicken from the Japanese restaurant. They didn't finish it all, because they were going to a restaurant with their families that night. After eating, Lily called Marianne, and she picked them up.

It was now 4:00 and Lily and Miranda were incredibly bored. They had gotten tired of trying on their new clothes and decided to go online. They logged on Lily's screen name and checked who was online. It was only Remus.

Emeraldeyes99: Hi.

Moonsrevil: Hey.

Emeraldeyes99: Please tell me why your sn is Moonsrevil!!!

Moonsrevil: No, I can't.

Emeraldeyes99: Why not?

Moonsrevil: Because, I just can't.

Emeraldeyes99: Fine :(

Emeraldeyes99: Anyway, what's up?

Moonsrevil: Nm u?

Emeraldeyes99: Aside from the fact that I'm going to Hogwarts tomorrow, nothing.

Moonsrevil: I know. I can't wait!

Emeraldeyes99: Me neither. I wonder what it's like.

Moonsrevil: I've heard it's awesome. It's this huge castle with a lake. They also have a forest in which a lot of creatures live. Some of them are dangerous even.

Emeraldeyes99: Wow! What kind of dangerous creatures? Like, werewolves and stuff?

Remus shuddered, looking at his computer screen.

Moonsrevil: Yeah…like werewolves and stuff. Listen I g2g, bye.

"Did I say something?" Lily asked Miranda.

"No, he probably really does have to go," she replied.

Emeraldeyes99: Ok, bye!

Remus pressed the block button on their conversation. He wasn't mad at her; he was just uncomfortable talking to her for the time being. Miranda linked her screen name to Lily's and looked at her buddy list.

"He's still on," she said. She double-clicked on his screen name and began talking to him.

Magicalgirl58: Hi.

Moonsrevil: Hey.

Magicalgirl58: Did you block Lily? Because she told me you just signed off but I'm talking to you.

Moonsrevil: Oh. I must have blocked her by accident. I'll unblock her then.

Lily heard the sound of a door opening, which meant Remus had signed on.

Moonsrevil: But I have to go, bye.

Magicalgirl58: Bye.

Remus signed off and this time, he signed off on both of their buddy lists at the same time.

"Good, he didn't block me," said Miranda.

"Yeah. Well, there's nobody interesting on anymore, so let's go watch a movie," said Lily. They had barely made it down the stairs when Marianne appeared.

"It's time to go to the restaurant," she said. Lily and Miranda nodded. They ran outside and got in the car. Soon they were joined by Richard (who thought they were going because Lily started Muggle school soon. Marianne was going to tell him the truth tonight), Tom Mitchell, Marianne, Petunia, and Jennifer. They drove to the restaurant and parked the car. Then they went inside and were showed to their seats.

"So, how are you, Tom? We haven't talked in a while," said Richard.

"I'm good. Robertson over-filled one of the instruments today, though. It took ages to clean up."

"Really? He did the same in my lab on Tuesday."

"Well, if he does it again, he's probably going to lose his job. Bob won't stand for it." Bob was their boss.

"Yes," said Richard. "You know, I figured out what was wrong with that acid?"

"I heard. But I never got any details."

"There were some chemicals floating around in it. Apparently, someone spilled something in the container and just left it there."

"So, what will happen when they are caught?" asked Tom.

"They might be fired, or the cost of the new acid will be taken out of their paycheck, and that acid was incredibly expensive."

"I can imagine." With that, Tom and Richard opened their menus, and started looking at the choices.

Half an hour later, they were all eating and talking happily. The waiter came to take their plates, and Marianne decided it was time to tell her husband.

"Richard," she said.

"What?"

"I need to tell you something. You know my brother's wife, Molly?"

"What about her?" Marianne took a deep breath.

"She is a witch."

"What?"

"She is a witch." Richard stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing.

"You're telling me, you're sister-in-law is a witch?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I get it. You sent that letter about that magical school for Lily, didn't you? Do you think this is some sort of funny joke?"

"No, I swear," said Marianne, her voice breaking. Richard's face softened.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to snap. But do you have any proof?"

"Lily's going to Hogwarts tomorrow."

"W-what?"

"She's going to be trained as a witch. She's leaving tomorrow."

"Oh." Richard turned towards Lily. "I don't know what to say. Well…congratulations! This is amazing. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine…wait. Shouldn't this be kept a secret?" he asked, looking at the Mitchells.

"Jennifer's a witch," said Tom. "We're what they call Muggles."

"Wow," said Richard, amazed.

"Wow, is right!" exclaimed Petunia. Everyone turned to look at her. "You're actually going to believe this bullshit?"

"Petunia! Watch your language," Marianne scolded.

"This is ridiculous! You're actually going to believe that there's such thing as magic? I can't believe it."

"I can prove it to you," said Jennifer. "After dessert. But now let's finish this dinner in a pleasant manner."

Petunia nodded angrily.

After a delicious dessert of chocolate cake, the adults paid for the dinner, and they all walked outside. They went behind the building where nobody could see them. Jennifer pulled out her wand. Petunia gasped and backed away. Jennifer muttered a spell and waved her wand. The dumpster in front of her levitated a couple of feet. Petunia paled.

"It's true. There is such a thing as magic," she said. Her expression hardened. "Then you're freaks. All three of you." She ran towards the car. Marianne frowned.

"I'm so sorry," she said.

"It's all right," said Jennifer quietly. "There are people who might react like this."

"I can't believe her," muttered Lily once they were back home. She cornered Petunia in her room. "What's your problem?" Lily shouted.

"You're a freak! You all are! You, your friend, her mom, and anyone else who's like you! Leave me alone, Freak!" Petunia slammed the door in Lily's face.

"Fine!" screamed Lily through tears. She ran to her bedroom and threw herself onto the bed. She lay there for a while, before falling asleep.

At 9:00, Marianne walked into Lily's room. She turned over the calendar to September. She then shook her daughter, trying to wake her up.

"Lily. Lily, it's time to get up," she said. Lily moaned and rolled over. Marianne sighed. She went down to the kitchen and got a glass of cold water. Then she walked up the stairs and into Lily's room. she poured a drop of water onto Lily's neck. Lily opened her eyes groggily.

"Okay, okay, I'm up," she mumbled. Marianne left the room, closing the door behind her. Lily was starting to fall asleep again, but she saw her calendar. It was September 1st! She shot up and jumped out of bed. She showered and got dressed quickly. She found some stray items that hadn't made it into her trunk, closed it shut, and grabbed it along with Marigold's cage. Giving her room one last glance, Lily walked out into the hallway and closed the door.

She dragged the trunk downstairs and left it in the living room with her owl. Lily went into the kitchen for breakfast.

"I see you're finally up," commented Richard from behind his newspaper.

"Yeah," said Lily, helping herself to some pancakes. By the time she was finished with breakfast it was 10:00. The whole family (including Petunia) rushed into the car. Richard loaded Lily's things up and then got in and pulled out of the driveway.

They got to King's Cross in half an hour. After loading the trunk and cage onto a trolley, they started walking to the platform. Lily was getting strange looks because of Marigold. When they reached platforms nine and ten, Lily turned towards her family.

"Bye, Mom, Dad," she said, giving them hugs. "Bye, Petunia," she added glaring at her sister, who was sneering. Lily took a deep breath, grabbed the trolley's handles and started running. Marianne and Richard watched her anxiously, and Petunia looked on, hoping her sister would crash and make a fool of herself. But she didn't. Marianne shut her eyes as Lily neared the barrier, not able to watch. Richard and Petunia kept looking, though. And in a blink of an eye, Lily was gone.

The platform was full of students and parents. Older students, who were not even giving the train a second glance, and younger students who were staring, open-mouthed. The train was a beautiful scarlet color, and looked magnificent. Lily struggled onto the train and found a compartment. It was at the very end of the train. She was trying to put her trunk on the shelf when the door slid open. A cute boy with blond hair and blue eyes walked in.

"Need help?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks," said Lily. With his help, the trunk was carefully stowed away.

"I'm Jesse Burnshaw," he said.

"I'm Lily Evans," said Lily.

"Cool. First year?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Second."

"That's cool," said Lily. She put Marigold's cage away. "Well, I was going to meet some of my friends here, so I better go."

"Oh, sure, me too." They both left the compartment, and Lily walked towards the exit. Jesse went in the other direction. Lily turned back to look at him, at the same time as he did. They laughed, and Jesse waved. Lily waved back, and turned away.

She got off the train, and looked for her friends. Miranda suddenly materialized out of the barrier.

"Miranda!" Lily called. Miranda looked at her and smiled. She walked over.

"Hey, Lily. What's up?"

"I just met this really cute guy," Lily said. "His name's Jesse Burnshaw."

"You have to point him out to me later. Let's get my trunk on the train," said Miranda. They got her things to Lily's compartment. Then they walked back out onto the platform. "Well, where is he?"

"Um. I'm not sure he's out here…no wait. There he is!" Lily said.

"Where?" Lily didn't want to point; that would be too obvious,

"Blond hair, medium height. White sweater."

"Ooh, I see him. Nice one," said Miranda. Lily laughed.

"He's in his second year."

"Nice. Have you seen James, Sirius, Remus, or Peter anywhere?"

"No."

"Well, let's go look." They found Remus and Peter and showed them the compartment. Then they all went out to look for the other two. The group strolled around the platform until it was 10:55.

"They're not coming," said Lily.

"Of course they are," said Miranda. "They wouldn't miss this for the world." At that moment Sirius and James burst through the barrier. They were panting; apparently they had run to the platform.

"Finally!" yelled Lily, running up to them. James and Sirius grinned and carried their things to the compartment. All six of them sat down, right as the train began to move.

"That was close," said Miranda.

"Why were you two so late?" asked Remus.

"We had to be fashionably late," answered Sirius.

"Fashionably late isn't five minutes before the train leaves," muttered Miranda.

"Exploding Snap, anyone?" James asked, pulling out a deck. They all nodded, and soon everyone's eyebrows were singed. For the next hour they talked, and then Lily had an idea.

"Let's play Truth or Dare," she said.

"Sure," said everyone else.

"I'm going first!" shouted Sirius.

"Whatever," Lily shrugged.

"For that attitude, you're my first victim. Truth or dare, Lily?"

"Dare."

Sirius grinned.

"Good. I dare you to go into the compartment next to ours and sit on the person's lap."

"What if there's more than one person?"

"First person you see. If it's a girl you don't have to do anything, but if it's a guy, you have to do the lap thing and then you have to say that he smells good. You have to stay on his lap for five seconds after that, too. And we're going with you."

"Okay." Lily stood up, and the others followed her. She seemed really calm, but inside she was nervous and praying it was a girl. She had never done anything like this before. She stopped outside the neighboring compartment and opened the door. Four faces looked up at her. The first person she saw was…Jesse. 'Oh no.' Sirius nudged her forward, and the group hid behind the door but watched through the glass, so the people in the compartment couldn't see them. Lily gulped and walked towards Jesse.

"She's not gonna do it," whispered Sirius.

Lily took a deep breath and sat down on Jesse's lap. He looked surprised.

"Mmm, you smell good," she said. One...two…three…

"Er…thanks."

Four…five! Lily leaped up and ran out. Sirius shut the compartment door and they all ran into their own compartment laughing.

"That was great! I can't believe you did it!" Sirius said.

"Neither can I," admitted Lily.

"Okay, your turn," said Sirius.

"Are we allowed to ask the same person who just dared us?"

"Yeah, but not more than once in a row," said James.

"Okay. Sirius, truth or dare?"

"Dare!"

"Great. I dare you to go into compartment number…" Lily trailed off, trying to remember which compartment a particularly nasty looking girl had gone into. "Compartment number eighty-two, and do the same thing I just did. To a girl with black hair."

"Fine." Again, they all left the compartment, walking quickly past the one next to them. When they reached compartment eighty-two, Sirius slid the door open. When he saw who was inside he paled. "Dear God, no."

"What, scared?" Lily teased.

"No, let's go to a different compartment," Sirius said, and slammed the door shut. The girls inside stood up and reopened it, looking at him curiously. One girl remained sitting, however, the one with black hair. Sirius walked coolly back to their compartment.

"What was that?" Lily asked.

"I couldn't do it. She's my cousin!" Sirius said. "And a really nasty person. She's in her second year."

"Oh. What's wrong with her?"

"She's totally Dark. Like the rest of my family."

"Oh." The rest of the train ride, everyone either slept or talked.

Finally, they arrived at Hogwarts. Everyone had changed by now, and were excitedly stepping off of the train. A loud, booming voice was heard.

"Firs' years! Firs' years, follow me!" All of the first years turned toward the man. He was huge, with a bushy beard and mustache.

"Wow," breathed James. The older students were walking by the man, towards carriages.

"Hey, Hagrid," most of them were saying.

"'ello," the man called Hagrid was replying. Then "Firs' years! Firs' years, follow me!" again.

When all of the first years were assembled in front of him, he pointed at the lake on which boats were floating.

"Four to a boat," he said. Hagrid climbed in one of the boats; he took up the whole thing. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter got a boat and Lily and Miranda found one with two other girls. One of them had blond hair and blue/grey eyes, and one had brown hair and brown eyes.

"Hi," said Lily.

"Hi," said the blond-haired girl nervously.

"I'm Lily Evans, and this is Miranda Mitchell."

"I'm Megan Thomas."

"I'm Tina Keeter," said the brown-haired girl.

"You guys nervous?" Miranda asked.

"Yeah. I could barely walk to the boats my legs were shaking so much," said Tina. The other three girls laughed.

"Me too," admitted Lily. "I'm Muggleborn."

"I'm half," said Tina.

"Me too," said Miranda.

"I'm pureblood, but I don't see why it matters. Only Slytherins care," said Megan.

"That's true," replied Miranda.

"Who were those guys you were with earlier?" asked Tina. "They were really cute. Except the short one. He was okay."

"Yeah, who were they?" asked Megan.

"The one with glasses is James Potter," said Lily.

"The other one with black hair is Sirius Black," said Miranda.

"Slytherin," said Megan at once. "They all are."

"Sirius is different," said Miranda defensively.

"Anyway, the other one is Remus Lupin, and the short one is Peter Pettigrew." Lily explained.

"Oh." The girls all watched as the boys started rocking the boat they were in. It seemed like in no time they were at shore. Lily, Miranda, Tina, and Megan joined the boys. Tina and Megan were introduced, and then they all followed Hagrid up the stone steps to the oak doors. They were greeted by a stern-looking woman. She led them into the entrance hall.

"I am Professor McGonagall," she said. Hagrid slipped through the doors behind her. As she explained about the Houses and points, Lily looked around the hall. There was a big marble staircase leading to the upper floors, and two huge doors behind Professor McGonagall. Soon, the doors were opened and the first years nervously followed Professor McGonagall into the Great Hall. Inside it was a sea of pointed black hats. Boys and girls were sitting at their House tables, wearing uniforms with their House colors. The Slytherins were looking unhappy and sneering at the first years, scaring them. Everyone else was smiling, though.

Professor McGonagall stopped in front of a big table where Hagrid was now sitting. 'That's probably the teachers' table,' Lily decided. In the middle of the table, an old man in violet robes was sitting. He had half-moon glasses, and sparkling blue eyes. A three-legged stool was brought out in front of the teachers' table and on it was a tattered witch's hat. Professor McGonagall pulled out a scroll from her pocket and unrolled it.

"When I call your name," she said, "you will come forward and put on the Sorting Hat. It will then place you in your House. Ashnin, Amanda." A girl with short black hair stepped forward and stumbled up to the stool. She sat down and put on the hat. It fell over her eyes. After a couple of seconds, a rip in the hat appeared.

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted. The first table on the right of the aisle burst into applause. 'So that's the Ravenclaw table,' thought Lily. There were no other A's, so people with last names beginning with B's were called up next. Soon it was Sirius' turn.

"Black, Sirius." He walked confidently up to the stool and put on the hat.

"Another Black, eh?" said the hat. "You're not like them, though. Maybe you'd do better in…GRYFFINDOR!" Sirius grinned and ran over to the first table on the left of the aisle. Lily's name came up so fast, it seemed like she was right after Sirius.

"Evans, Lily." She made her way up to the hat. When she put it on, it covered her eyes and she couldn't see.

'It's better this way. I can't see everyone watching me.'

"Muggleborn, I see. Not afraid to take risks…smart mind…brave," said the hat in her ear.

'Brave? What's it talking about? I'm not brave.' The hat laughed.

"You may not see it now…but someday. GRYFFINDOR!" Lily walked over to the Gryffindor table happily. She had heard that was the best house. When she sat down, she immediately blushed but was pleased. She was sitting next to Jesse.

"Gigzley, Derrick."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Gontel, Annabelle."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Jefferson, Elizabeth."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Kingsley, Michael."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Keeter, Tina."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Kon, Ryan."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Kopper, Julia."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Lupin, Remus."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Malfoy, Lucius." Lucius walked coolly towards the hat, and it had barely touched a hair on his head when it shouted.

"SLYTHERIN!" Malfoy smirked and headed over.

"Mitchell, Miranda!"

"GRYFFINDOR!" Soon it was James' and Peter's turns.

"Pettigrew, Peter."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Potter, James."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

(Skipping ahead…)

"Thomas, Megan."

"GRYFFINDOR!" The Sorting was over soon. The old man, who Lily figured was the Headmaster, stood up.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" he smiled. " I am Professor Dumbledore and I have three things to say to you all. The first is that the Forbidden Forest is strictly forbidden! Second, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has a list of banned items in his office. You may see them any time. Third, tuck in!" Food and drink magically appeared in front of them. Lily gasped and began eating.

After the wonderful feast and dessert was cleared away, Dumbledore stood up again.

"Now, off to bed! Prefects, please guide the first years." Everyone stood up, and the first years followed their House prefects. The two Gryffindor prefects led them up to a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress.

"The password is Fairy lights," said the male prefect, Tom. The female prefect led them through to the common room. Inside a fire was crackling merrily and there were comfortable looking chairs and couches.

"Boys' dormitories are the left staircase, girls' are to the right. And boys," said Emma, the female prefect, "don't try to go to the girls' dormitories. You can see what happens if you want, but you won't be able to get in. All of your belongings are in your rooms." With that they left to their rooms leaving the first years in the common room. Lily, Miranda, Tina, and Megan said goodnight to James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter and they all went to their dormitories, ready for a good night's sleep.