AN: New Chapter, finally! Hope you enjoy!
Well, I thought that I would be eating my dinner alone (though in a very crowded room) and in silence. But I was very, very wrong. I got to the Great Hall before too many students had arrived. Usually the section of the Gryffindor table where I sat was inhabited by other students who were very, very engrossed in their own conversations with their friends and paid no attention to me. I always sat in this area. However, on this particular evening, before the usual crowd could take their places in this section, Lily Evans came and sat beside me.
"Hello there," she said with a smile. She always smiled so nicely.
"Hi," I said. I was utterly confused. Why was she sitting by me instead of with her friends? Within a few moments, I saw James Potter enter the Great Hall and scan the Gryffindor table. Once his eyes found Lily, he darted straight at us.
"'Ello, Evans," he said, looking very proud of himself, "Fancy seeing you here."
Lily's demeanor quickly changed. She rolled her eyes at James, "Oh yeah, Potter, shocking seeing a fellow Gryffindor sitting at the Gryffindor table with all the other bloody Gryffindors at supper, isn't it?"
Wow, I thought. Lily had such confidence in herself and it was truly remarkable. James' face fell and before he could retort, the rest of his mates showed up, all of them sitting across from Lily and I. My cheeks became really hot and I knew that I was blushing, which made me blush even more. I didn't dare look at any of the boys, as I was too nervous and still embarrassed by the incident in the Common Room.
"Hello, Gabby," Sirius said. I looked up and saw him sitting across from me with a smile on his face, trying to look me in the eye. I could only manage to give him a quick smile, and then my eyes darted straight down to my plate of food.
"Oi, did you see Snivelly in Potions today? What a bloody know-it-all," James joked to his mates.
"Stop calling him that," Lily barked. I knew that she used to be really good friends with Severus Snape, and I guess she didn't like to hear him being mocked.
"What? You're still defending that Slytherin scu—" James started.
"Oh, will you come off it, Prongs? You're gunna upset 'er," Peter, who was sitting between James and Sirius, butted in. I was a bit confused as to why he had called James 'Prongs.'
"Gabby, is it?" Peter spoke again. I hadn't realized he was looking at me. "You're probably wondering why I called James that. See, we all got nicknames. James is Prongs, I'm Wormtail, Sirius here is Pa—OW!"
Sirius had elbowed Peter right in his side. The boy was rubbing his ribcage in pain. "What was that for?" Peter whined. James was laughing loudly and Remus smirked.
"Because," Sirius explained. "You've already given away James and yourself. I don't need you to blow my— as well as Remus'— secret identity. Sorry ladies, but it's on a need to know basis. Isn't that right, Remus?"
"Right, Sirius," Remus Lupin said. It was the first time I had really heard him speak. I looked up and saw him smiling politely at me.
"Gabby, are you finished here?" Lily asked. I nodded. "Let's get out of here. Later, boys." And with that, Lily and I left the Great Hall and started heading up to our dormitory.
"You seemed a little uncomfortable in there," Lily said once we were halfway to the Gryffindor Common Room. The halls were essentially empty, beside the straggler or two who was rushing to get down to the Great Hall before the all food was gone.
"Uh, yeah, a little," I said. After a long and tense pause, I continued. "I get nervous around new people sometimes." Really, I should have said that I get nervous around all people all of the time.
"Oh, well that's understandable," Lily said. "I get that way sometimes too. And I don't blame you for feeling uncomfortable around that lot. Bunch of show-offs and troublemakers. I could see why they might make you feel that way."
"R-really?" I asked, surprised.
"Absolutely," Lily responded with a smile.
That was the first time that anyone had made me feel like maybe I was normal. Lily was the only one who didn't seem to judge me, or avoid me, or think I was strange for being so quiet and shy. It wasn't long before I realized that Lily Evans was my first real friend.
…
Saturday morning I woke up rather cheerful. I hopped in the shower and then threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater. Soon I finished bundling up, as it was starting to get very cold outside, and heading down into the Common Room. It was pretty crowded with Gryffindors, and I presumed that not many people wanted to go out into the cold. I quickly made my way through the portrait hole, and once I got halfway down the hall, I was suddenly very aware of somebody grabbing my arm. Taken aback, I quickly looked up and saw no other than Sirius Black. I made eye contact with him for a millisecond, and then darted my eyes to the floor. I could feel my cheeks heating up and no doubt displaying a bright red hue. This knowledge only made me even more embarrassed, causing the hue to deepen.
"'Ello there," Sirius said warmly. I was suddenly very aware of my heartbeat. The only response I could offer him was a nervous half-smile.
"Heading outside?" he asked, I answered with a nod.
"Would you like some company?" He asked.
"No!" I said, mortified. By the look on his face, I realized that I had insulted him. "I mean, um, I, uh, I just need to be alone right now. Sorry," I muttered and then rushed off, not daring to look at him again.
Once outside, I felt the cold air creep into my body, cooling and calming me. I was so embarrassed. I just couldn't understand why Sirius Black was showing any interest in me. Really, what in the world could possess a boy like Sirius to want to talk to a girl like me? I was just extremely nervous that somehow him trying to talk to me was just some sort of joke or prank that him and his friends were playing. I was afraid I'd be the butt of some sort of joke, and I was terrified of that.
Within ten minutes of walking the grounds, I saw the large black dog running right for me. He came to a halt right at my feet, sat down and wagged his tail violently as he looked up at me. I laughed and rubbed the top of his head. The dog went on his hind legs and put his front legs on my shoulders— that's how big of a dog he was. Next thing I knew, I fell backwards only the grass, the dog on top of me. I laughed hard, and I swear that the dog looked very pleased with himself.
"I wonder what your name is," I said to the dog, who in return tilted his head. "I wonder if you've ever had a name."
I realized that the dog probably didn't have an owner, or perhaps had been abandoned. I rubbed the sides of his face with my hands. He sniffed the air and let out a cute little sneeze, I think because my perfume overwhelmed him.
"Hmm… I think I'll call you Snuffles," I told him. The dog licked my cheek, and I took that as a sign of approval.
All I knew was that for some reason, this dog kept coming around to see me. I didn't know where he came for or why he chose me for a companion, but Snuffles made me forget about everything else around me and simply made me happy.