Lily twirled her wand in her hands absent-mindedly, as she listened to the excited chattering of the students in the Great Hall around her. She wondered what everyone seemed to be so excited about.

"What's got everyone in such a dither, Em?" Lily asked, leaning over to her friend Emilee Striddleneck

"I don't –" Em begun before the confident, arrogant voice that annoyed Lily so much came from somewhere near her right ear.

"Evans, didn't you know?" It said, "The new girl comes today" and Lily felt a warm hand on her waist.

"GET OFF ME, POTTER." She retorted, whirling around to see a bespectacled boy with messy black hair grinning in her face. She wrenched his hand off her hip, and his friends laughed.

"Evans, stop playing hard-to-get, I know you dig me." James Potter smirked, "Hey there, Ems" he added, casually, nodding at Em. Em blushed and looked down at her soup, not answering. James didn't seem to mind, his eyes were searching the Great Hall.

"Where's Snivellus, Evans?" he inquired, with a yawn.

"Don't call him that, Potter, I'm warning you." Lily stood up and pointed her wand at James's chest. James merely sniggered. "I'll hex you, jerk, I swear I will."

Sirius Black, James's best friend stepped in front of him. "S'alright Lily, he's just having a joke, aren't you, Prongs?" He glanced over his shoulder at his best friend, and shot him a grin.

"Yes," replied James, with a sudden posh tone, "excuse us, ladies, we were just leaving."

And with deep bows, all four of the boys walked away, laughing.

"Total…utter…arrogant…filthy…scumbags!" Lily retorted, turning back to her plate, just as the doors to the great hall opened, causing everyone on all four tables to look up, eagerly. Two people entered, one (Lily's heart gave a massive jolt) was Severus Snape, and the other was a pale, thin and extremely attractive girl with waist length fiery red hair. She looked incredibly nervous. Lily felt a stab of pity for her, remembering how anxious she had felt as her and Severus waited together to be sorted, six years ago. She imagined it would be one hundred times worse for this new girl, since she was to be sorted alone, in front of everyone in the Great Hall. Lily made a mental note to introduce herself to the new girl, make her feel welcome.

"This," the voice of Professor Albus Dumbedore came from the staff table, "is our new student, Miss Casabella Merrythought. She has joined us from our close friends at Durmstrang, and I am sure you will all make her feel welcome."

The hall was filled with excited whispering. Lily overheard an eager Gryffindor 4th year two seats down say to his friend "I hear they teach those students Dark Arts…she'll probably be in Slytherin." Lily shook her head, disbelieving that people had chosen to judge this girl before the sorting hat had even reached her head.

Professor McGonnagal entered, with the old school sorting hat, and asked Casabella Merrythought to sit on the stool. She then placed the sorting hat upon her head, and silence fell over the students. The sorting hat took a few moments to make its decision, then roared at the top of its voice "GRYFFINDOR!"