Lily woke up the following morning when the bell rang and scrambled out of bed along with the three other girls she shared the room with. None of them had really spoken to her the night before, which was understandable given that it had been a long day and until she'd gone to bed she'd spent all her time with Severus. Now they were all rushing to get ready for their first day of school, brushing their teeth in the bathroom and flinging on their robes, so once again there wasn't really time for making conversation. Or at least, there wasn't time for them to make conversation with Lily. The bored blonde that she and Severus had shared their boat with as they sailed over the lake to Hogwarts had also been sorted into Slytherin. Her name was Ethel Hubble and she still seemed to be bored with everything including her bed, which was at the end of the row. Lily's bed was the opposite end, which possibly made her more isolated from casual conversation, she considered as she shoved her books for the day into her satchel. The girls in between them were making conversation of sorts with Ethel, however, and the three of them had stood together as they brushed their teeth, leaving a clear gap between them and Lily.
Narcissa's words from the previous night echoed through her mind, but she tried not to let them upset her. Narcissa was only one person, and the reason the girls had yet to exchange even the most basic of greetings with her was almost certainly just because the previous day they'd had no chance. They made friends with each other and Lily was determined to believe that they would become her friends once she had a chance to talk to them. It was just unfortunate that her and Severus had not been seated with them during the Welcome Feast, but they would undoubtably be time during breaks in class and at lunchtime to get closer to them, not to mention all the evenings she would presumably be spending in her dormitory before bed. She wondered what the boys were like, and if Severus had already made friends with them. She hoped they were nice, just as she hoped that the three girls she was to room with for the next seven years would prove to be nice.
The dormitory was of a decent size, with a small bathroom containing a shower none of them had opted to use that morning attached to it. Their trunks were all placed at the ends of their four poster beds, which had thick curtains to provide some privacy. The bed had proved to be extremely comfortable, a conclusion Lily had reached based mainly around the fact that she'd fallen asleep almost instantly and woken up feeling pleasantly refreshed and ready to face her first day as a trainee witch.
Hogwarts was a big place and she was still worried about getting lost, as well as the prospect of making new friends, but she was feeling more optimistic about classes. Somehow the prospect of her first day learning, really starting her new life at Hogwarts, made all the negative experiences of the day before seem less important. She trooped down the stairs with the other girls to wait by the entrance to the Common Room with the boys. It was still new enough of an experience that she felt a thrill from wearing her plain black robes, and being surrounded by her classmates in theirs. As they waited for a prefect to guide them to the Great Hall for breakfast, Severus materialised by her side, clutching his tatty old satchel. His expression of excitement was undoubtably mirrored in her own face. She hoped, however, that her hair looked slightly better than his.
Breakfast was in many ways a hassle. Lily and Severus sat together and ate what was on offer but neither of them could remember what it was that they had eaten. It was clear that they were the only ones so excited about the prospect of class, as two of the girls from Lily's dormitory were complaining about how they weren't looking forward to having to touch anything disgusting in Potions.
This was in stark contrast to Severus's whispered comment of "We're going to make actual real magical potions in an actual real class, today!"
Lily found that she was in agreement with him, as the prospect of making actual magical potions that did actual magical things was far more exciting than maybe having to handle newt eyeballs. That was after all the whole point of being a witch, she'd always assumed. Long before she met Severus and discovered that magic was real she'd entertained herself by brewing magical potions out of whatever disgusting ingredients she could find. Normally, this had resulted in her mother yelling at her. After meeting Severus she had introduced him to this game of make-believe, which he had added a degree of actual knowledge to and they had had great fun making all sorts of disgusting concoctions. This had still resulted in her being yelled at by her mother, but Lily still felt it was definitely worth it.
It was a relief that they had each other. Even though unlike Lily, Severus had grown up knowing about magic for about as long as he could remember, he was still excited about the prospect of learning how to cast actual real spells. They'd both struggled to decide which of all the various classes marked on their timetable they were the most excited for, as all of them sounded amazing. The other Slytherin first years seemed to be so used to magic that they were almost bored before even beginning. Lily wondered if she'd ever become so used to magic that she'd be able to treat it with such a casual, blasé attitude. Maybe to the other first years something like maths would seem exotic or exciting.
Lily didn't think she'd ever grow tired of the idea of having classes like charms or transfiguration marked on her timetable. Even the least magical subjects like Astronomy and History of Magic sounded exciting to her. History was fascinating and obviously she'd only learnt about muggle history at primary school. The idea of there being all sorts of elements of history that her primary school teachers had never encountered filled her with curiosity. Maybe it was because she didn't come from a magical background, but the idea of the history of magic thrilled her. She was almost eager for whatever homework she'd be set, and the chance to explore all the textbooks undoubtably stocked in the Hogwarts library.
While she did partially want to start off with the really uncompromisingly magical subjects, in some ways she was also slightly glad that their first day wasn't going to be purely spell casting. It actually looked like it might involve no spells at all, which was both disappointing and also somewhat reassuring. The morning was going to be dedicated to Herbology, which didn't sound like it was going to be spell-heavy. History of Magic likewise sounded like it would be fascinating but theoretical, though Lily did wonder if time travel was possible with magic, as that would definitely make for an exciting way of learning history. Either way, it promised to be interesting. The day's classes would end with Potions, where there was the most potential for them to do actual magic. Aside from the obvious spell-casting, it was the brewing of potions that was the most obviously magical in her mind. Even before she knew that magic was real, she knew that witches brewed potions.
The prefect who guided them to the greenhouses for their first class at Hogwarts was Lucius Malfoy from the night before. Lily was glad that they were being guided about for the first two weeks of term, as otherwise there would be no chance of her finding her way anywhere. Hogwarts in the daytime was just as majestic as it had been the previous night, despite the fact that clearly most of it wasn't used as classrooms. The grounds also seemed to extend in all directions, which made Lily feel quite small.
After shooing them all into one of the greenhouses, Lucius Malfoy turned sharply on his heel in an elegant flurry of black robes and walked smartly back towards the castle, though not before giving the woman who was clearly their teacher a courteous bow. Inside the greenhouse there were a number of stools, with small attached desk arms that folded out with magic to provide a small desk for them to write on, which the class of first years sat down in. Whether it was intentional or not, they separated themselves into House affiliations. Ethel still appeared to be bored and disinterested with everything around her as she took her seat and gave her textbook a look of utter contempt. Lily was starting to wonder whether she really was so dismissive of reality in general or whether it was just the way her face was naturally. Alternatively, she might just be really uninterested in plants. Lily didn't like to judge people without due cause.
"Hello my dears" the short, smiling woman standing in front of them started, "I am Professor Sprout and I will be teaching you Herbology. Some of you may already know me as the Head of Hufflepuff. Herbology may not be as glamorous as some of the other subjects on offer, but it is taught as a core subject for a reason. It is deeply interwoven with the other subjects, particularly Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures, and provides a good basis for all of your magical endeavours. Some of the most modest plants play truly important roles in our daily lives, and you only need to look to the Whomping Willow so recently planted in the grounds to see that plants can be dangerous and should be treated with an appropriate level of caution. As such, we will be starting today by studying the humble nettle. Nettles are common and pose very little risks to you, making them a good starting point. However, should you accidentally touch their leaves you will find that their sting can be quite unpleasant, though it will do you no actual harm. I do however recommend that you wear gloves when handling them. They have a wide variety of uses, showing that even the most humble of plants can be crucial for our society,"
If Lily was going to be perfectly honest, the fact that her first class was going to be focused on nettles was slightly disappointing, but at the same time the fact that they weren't starting with anything really dangerous was probably for the best. Besides, the idea that the nettles that she'd spent so many years wading through with Severus back in dull old Cokeworth actually had potentially magical properties did add a little bit of glamour to her childhood. It even gave her a slight thrill at the weekend they'd spent intentionally walking through nettles to the point that the stings didn't bother them anymore so they could hide from the adults (and Petunia) without having to constantly rub dock leaves on their stings. So she made careful notes as Sprout lectured them about the various types and uses of nettles, seeing Severus do the same from the corner of her eye.
She'd initially been uncertain about how writing with a quill would work, but after one attempt over the summer she'd been relieved to discover that it was very similar to using a fountain pen. The only real different was that she'd never accidentally poked herself in the eye with a feather while using a fountain pen before, but aside from that it wrote nicely on the parchment. It was also lucky that she'd never been the type to chew her pen, unlike Petunia, as a mouthful of feather would almost certainly be unpleasant.
After Herbology came History of Magic, which Lily and Severus were delighted to discover was taught by an actual ghost. The fact that he seemed determined to bore his class to death was considerably less exciting. It also explained why a large number of the class had not bothered getting out any parchment or their textbooks when they had taken their seats. In fact, Potter had withdrawn a small red and gold pillow from his bag and started sleeping before Binns had even arrived, which had made Black hoot with laughter and claim loudly that he'd be doing the same next lesson. It had also made Lily very glad to be at the opposite end of the room and in an entirely different House.
Ethel still looked incredibly bored, but for the first time Lily could understand why. Binns had the kind of voice that just droned on in a monotone. He also didn't appear to pay any attention to his students, seemingly not caring in the slightest that well over half the class was blatantly sleeping and that the remainder were struggling to stay conscious. She glanced at Severus sitting besides her who gave her a glum look in between scrawling dates and names on the parchment in front of him. She doodled a cartoon ghost saying 'Boo!' and showed it to him, which made him smile.
As a consequence, they were both a little dispirited at lunch, unlike most of the other first years who were well-rested.
"You'd think that being taught by a ghost would be exciting…" Lily complained over her jacket potato, which she'd smothered in baked beans.
"It's such a shame, it's so perfect the idea of a ghost teaching history…" Severus sighed, drowning his potato in melted butter and cheese in disappointment, "But I think we might learn more by just reading in our own time…"
"How are the other boys?" Lily asked, curious. She'd notice that just like the way in which the girls seemed to be putting some space between her and them, he had been avoiding the boys he roomed with. They weren't exactly making any effort to be anywhere near him either, and she wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not but it looked to her rather like one of the boys had physically forced the other to sit between him and them when they sat down for lunch. It was not intentional on her part, though she wasn't entirely sure about Severus, but while they were sitting at the Slytherin table they were at the very end and it definitely felt like there was a gap between them and the other first years.
Severus shook his head and shrugged vaguely, not appearing to be willing to answer the question. Lily supposed it was too early to tell for sure. She hoped they were nice, but neither of them seemed to be particularly friendly.
The prefect who shepherded them from lunch to the Potions classroom, deep in the dungeons, was once again Lucius Malfoy, who once again gave their teacher a courteous bow. Lily remembered the way that Narcissa had accused him of aiming for the position of Head Boy the night before, and the way in which he had cooly acknowledged that ambition. She wondered if the effort he was putting into carefully ensuring that the first years were all safely shown to and from their lessons was in part connected to this, as the other Slytherin prefect that had ushered them between Herbology and History of Magic had not bothered to make her presence known to Sprout, though Lily could understand that there might not be much point in expecting Binns to notice which prefects were doing their duties and which were not. Binns probably wouldn't notice if the entire class died, or possibly left mid-way through the lecture.
The Potions Master was the Deputy Headmaster from the Welcome Feast. Now that she was less distracted by the glory of the Great Hall in all its finery, Lily could focus more on him, though the atmosphere of the dungeon classroom did vie for her attention as well. He was old, though not nearly as old as Dumbledore, and impressively fat. He had a small amount of pale, wispy hair still clinging to his head, though the crown was entirely bald. His robes were clearly well made despite not being at all ostentatious, being a rich deep velvet green. He and Lucius shared a mutual bow, and Lily wished she understood whatever political power play was being negotiated in front of her. She took a seat next to Severus at the front of the class and they both removed their textbooks from their satchels. Like their satchels, Severus's was in considerably worse condition than hers.
She could feel their teacher's eyes passing thoughtfully over them, as he surveyed the class. It felt as if they were being judged in some way, though she had no idea what the criteria was. She hoped that she passed his silent assessment. He made them wait, almost as a test of their patience, before he began by introducing himself as Professor Slughorn, Potions Master, Head of Slytherin and Deputy Headmaster. Like Sprout he took the register, though the thoughtful smile he gave each of them was different from the brisk way in which she had done it. Binns hadn't bothered with a register, which may have been because he couldn't hold material things or possibly because he didn't care. Despite the gloomy darkness of the classroom, Slughorn proved to be a cheerful and kindly teacher. He didn't lecture them for long, merely guiding them through some basic aspects of safety before giving them a page in their textbooks and sitting back to allow them their first attempt at brewing.
They were brewing in pairs, which allowed the class to gain a low level hum of chatter as they worked. This would have been quite pleasant, had Lily not been able to hear Potter and Black. The curved nature of the room meant that they weren't direct behind her and Severus, but they weren't directly to their side either, but rather diagonally behind her. Severus, in the corner as much as it was possible to be in a corner of a room without corners, was undoubtably in a better position for avoiding hearing what they were saying. Lily rather envied his position as it was quite clear that neither Potter nor Black were capable of being silent for any significant period of time and it was really quite distracting when she was trying to concentrate on the recipe in front of her. The fact that her and Severus seemed to be a focal point of their muttering did not help. It appeared that they had made as much of an impression on the Gryffindors as they had on them. The dislike appeared to be entirely mutual.
Very carefully, Lily and Severus measured out the correct amount of beetle eyes, checking the recipe in the textbook far more than they probably needed to. Severus had even compared the recipes in their two textbooks, skimming through it to check if they were the same as his book was considerably older than hers. It occurred to Lily that she should probably remember to bring a hair bobble to class with her as she didn't really want to accidentally dip her hair into her cauldron.
"Lucky you managed to get Gryffindor, or you'd have to sleep in the same room as that," Lily heard Potter say, the words drifting to her over the hum of the class discussing their potions. 'That' was clearly Severus, who was scratching his head absentmindedly as the fire heated up underneath their cauldron, reading and rereading the recipe.
"Thank Merlin, they probably have fleas," was Black's response.
Lily ignored him, moving closer to Severus to carefully crush the dried nettles, sprinkling them into their potion. It changed to a dull blue as it was supposed to and she felt a thrill of delight at the instant proof of something happening, especially after having spent the morning learning about nettles. Severus stirred gently, mixing all the dried nettle flakes in as she watched, waiting for the right moment to add the pufferfish spine. Throughout the entire process Lily could hear the mutterings coming from behind her, even as she tried to focus on Severus and their potion. They commented on all manner of things, such as Severus's second hand robes and text book, his hair and nose, the manner in which both of them were seriously paying attention to their classes as evidenced by their attempt at brewing before moving on to insult her hair for being a gingery red.
"Do you think she's some kind of Weasley?" Black continued, clearly not concentrating on his potion as much as he should have been. Or maybe, Lily wondered, to people who had grown up in the magical world this was easy and they didn't need to concentrate or get used to it like her and Severus. It was something she'd like to ask, but there didn't seem to be any candidates for that kind of conversation. The closest she had to an expert on growing up magical was Severus and knowing about magic did not erase the fact that Spinner's End was about as magical as a dead slug. She wished she knew what a weasley was, as she had no idea if she was one or not or how something like that was even judged.
"In Slytherin? Doubt it. She's some kind of evil carrot-top," Potter replied, not providing Lily with any hint as to what a weasley was. The fact that it was this comment and not anything else that finally made Lily lose her temper was something she would later be deeply embarrassed about. Grabbing the ginger root that Severus had just handed her so she could grate it, she turned and threw it straight at him. A childhood of tossing cricket balls with first her father and later Severus had given her a pretty good aim, so it hit him right in the middle of his forehead, before bouncing off to land with a splash in their cauldron. The smug satisfaction she felt at the shocked looks on his and Black's face was sadly short lived.
"Evans, Snape," Slughorn commented dryly, not moving an inch from his seat, "I would prefer it if you didn't throw the ingredients. If you must behave like uncivilised animals then you can do so in detention with Filch this Saturday, rather than my class,"
Lily winced and the shocked expression on Black and Potter's face swiftly changed to mirth, with them both sniggering to each other in clear enjoyment at the result. She looked guiltily at Severus, who clearly had not expected the ginger root to go flying towards the Gryffindors rather than be grated for their potion. He cautiously picked up another piece of ginger and hesitated.
"I'm sorry, I'll grate it this time," Lily said, and he gingerly handed it to her, watching carefully. She determinedly grated it, doing her best to block out the chuckles coming from behind her, which were obviously also bothering Severus to some extent too.
"Black, Potter, assuming you are not too badly injured, I hope that you will be able to quietly continue with your brewing," Slughorn continued, silencing their laughter.
Luckily, the rest of the class passed without any significant incident and their potion was a success, but neither Lily or Severus felt that the day had been an ideal start.