Lily walked miserably down the corridor of the Hogwarts Express. She was dragging her trunks after her and she looked so heart breaking people were opening their compartment doors and offering her to sit with them. She ignored them and carried on back towards the end. She found a group of boys in one of the compartments. She slid the door open and they all turned to look at her.

One of them had messy black hair and hazel eyes. The other looked like him, but was far more handsome. He had black hair that was smooth and sleek with dark eyes in his handsome face. The other was small, round, with blond hair and brown watery eyes. The last was tall, lanky, with brown hair and hesitant brown eyes. He was cute as well, all of them were except for the mousy looking boy.

"Do you mind?" she sniffed.

They all just stared at her until the most handsome boy said,

"No. Not at all. I'm Sirius Black. You are…?"

"Lily Evans."

"I'm James Potter," the hazel eyed boy declared, as he eyed Lily.

"'Lo." she whispered miserably as she pulled her trunk into the compartment.

"That's Remus Lupin," Sirius pointed to the hesitant boy who had an expression on his face like he couldn't believe he was here, "and that over there is Peter Pettigrew."

Peter was looking Lily up and down as well, but not in the way that James was. It was more as if to size her up, to see if she could handle this.

"Nice to meet you all," she gave them a weak smile, "thank you for letting me sit."

She took a seat across from Remus and rested her head on the window pane, gazing out at the country landscape that was flashing by. Remus looked at her and asked in his quite voice,

"Is there something wrong?"

Lily tried to stop her tears but she couldn't. She hid her face from Remus.

"I'm just sad, that's all." she whispered.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly as James and Sirius laughed behind them.

"No, thank you though." Lily sighed.

She peeked up Remus and he gave her an encouraging smile before he moved over to sit across from Peter, closest to the door. Lily curled her feet up in the seat and kept her back to James, who was sitting in the same seat as her, and cried silently. Sirius was lounged out across from him, his long legs sprawled out in front of him.

The door slid open and nobody looked around. Lily glanced under her arm, saw Severus, and looked away again. Trying to hide her face. He came and sat across from her. Her eyes were red but she was no longer crying. She kept looking out the window and said in a tight voice,

"I don't to talk."

"Why not?"

"Tuney h-hates me now because we read the letter from Dumbledore."

"So?"

Lily threw him a look full of hatred.

"She's my sister."

"She's--" Severus stopped talking. Lily tried to wipe her eyes without being noticed.

"But we're on our way! This is it! We're going to Hogwarts!" Severus declared.

Lily nodded and couldn't help but half smile at the exhilaration in his voice.

"You better be in Slytherin," Severus said, happy that she was smiling now.

"Slytherin? Who wants to be a Slytherin? I'd leave, wouldn't you?" James asked Sirius.

Sirius didn't smile as he said,

"My whole family's been in Slytherin."

"Blimey. I thought you were alright!" James exclaimed.

Sirius smiled.

"Maybe I'll break it. Where are you heading, then?" he asked.

James stood up on the seat and acted like he was lifting a sword,

"'Gryffindor--where dwell the brave at heart!' Just like my dad."

Severus made a disparaging noise from behind him. James spun around and snapped,

"Have a problem?"

"No," Severus sneered, "not if you would rather be brawny instead of brainy--"

"And where do you want to go; seeing as you aren't either?" Sirius interrupted.

James let out a roaring laugh. Lily sat up and glared at them. Sirius stopped smirking when he saw her but he didn't stop smiling. James quit laughing and his face was extremely smooth with a hesitant look in his eyes that give Remus's a run for his money.

"Come on, Sev, lets go." she said.

They're grins came back. Sirius let out a mocking,

"Oooooo!"

James imitated her voice and attempted to trip Severus as he passed.

"Catch ya later, Snivellus!" Sirius called as Lily slammed the compartment door shut.

[X]
"Firs' years! Firs' years!" a booming voice called.

All the first years, even James and Sirius, stared up at the giant with round eyes. He beamed down at them all and waved as more students got off the train,

"C'mon, follow me--any more? Firs' years! Mind yer step! Firs' years this way! C'mon now. Firs' years!"

Soon all the first years were gathered around the large man, looking around terrified. They stumbled quickly after Hagrid, down the a smooth, narrow, path. It was dark and hardly anyone could see what they were doing. There was loud declarations of pain as someone trod on someone else's foot.

"In a sec yeh'll get yet firs' look o' Hogwarts." Hagrid called back to them.

Everyone gasped as the path opened up to the edge of a large, black lake. Perched on top of the high mountain on the other side, with its windows sparkling against the starry sky, there was a large castle with many towers and turrets could be seen.

"No more'n four in a boat!" Hagrid called as the students noticed the fleet of little boats rocking by the edge.

Severus and Lily quickly claimed one and were annoyed when James and Sirius followed them into it.

"Everyone settled? FORWARD!" Hagrid bellowed and the little boats set off with a jolt.

Lily looked over the edge excitedly, monetarily forgetting her unworthy company. The boats slid smoothly over the black surface as they headed across the glassy water. She looked up and watched as the castle loomed closer and closer. She was able to make out the flickering of lights which meant that the castle had torches instead of electricity. She was quivering with nerves and excitement as they drew closer and closer to the cliff's edge and the steady climb up towards the castle.

"So, Snivellus, tell us how you got to be with such a pretty girl?" Sirius grinned as he stretched out in the boat.

"Quit it," Lily snapped, "you'll tip us over."

Sirius rose an eyebrow and leaned further back. The end that Lily and Severus were sitting in was raised off the front of the water a bit.

"I'm serious. Stop it," Lily hissed.

"And what are you going to do if I don't?" Sirius mocked.

Lily only glared openly at him. James was smirking along with his friend as he watched Lily's cold glare. Sirius leaned further back and her expression turned to panic as the boat rose even further out of the water. She, and Severus were now a good seven inches above the water.

"Stop it!" she shrieked.

Sirius leaned further back still and with a sudden jolt leaned forward quickly. James began to rock the boat, and unable to hold on, Lily fell into the cold black water. Lily let out a scream as she fell beneath the surface. She stood up, sopping wet, in the shallow water as the boats came to stop with a jolt on the shore. Severus jumped out and began to shout angrily at James and Sirius who looked extremely mad and guilty. Lily wadded forward to find that Hagrid had joined in on the yelling, and Severus came running over to her. He helped her out of the water and, teeth chattering, she walked over to the three standing near the edge. The rest of the first years were hanging back, unsure if they should laugh or just stand there. A few laughed hesitantly but that was it. Hagrid glared at the two boys as if he were waiting for an explanation.

"We thought she would like to see how the water would feel," James was saying, "and she just…jumped in."

"You liar!" Lily screamed, "You and that stupid friend of yours were rocking the boat and that's the reason why I fell!"

James glanced at her and then back at Hagrid.

Hagrid glared at the two, muttered something to himself about telling the headmaster, and then headed off towards the front of the first year groups taking the shivering Lily with him.