A/N: This chapter is a missing moment chapter and features the night that Lily met and became friends with Tracey and Daphne.
It was the evening of Thursday, September 1st, 1991, and the students of Hogwarts were indulging in the Welcoming Feast after having been sorted into their houses mere minutes and nanoseconds ago.
Most of the students seemed cheerful and upbeat.
However, at the Slytherin table, Lily Moon had a very sad and somber look upon her face and had very obvious tears rolling down her cheeks.
Sitting across from Lily, Tracey Davis observed her fellow first year's tears. Sitting to Tracey's right was her bestie, Daphne Greengrass. Tracey and Daphne had first met as babies owing to their parents having been a close quartet in their own Hogwarts years and Tracey and Daphne had been besties ever since.
Tracey nudged Daphne on the left shoulder with her right hand and whispered in her left ear, "Notice Lily crying across from us?"
Daphne looked over and now saw Lily's tear-stricken face as well.
"Yes, I see, " Daphne told Tracey.
"Daphne, I think we should try to talk to Lily in our common room later, " suggested Tracey seriously, "I think we should try to find out why she's upset and if we can do anything to console her."
"I agree, " said Daphne a nanosecond later, "If our house is supposed to be our family, then it's up to us to look after our housemates and be there for them."
So, later that evening in the Slytherin Common Room, when Tracey and Daphne observed a still distraught Lily sitting on a couch in a normal way but still weeping, they cautiously approached her.
"Lily?" piped up Tracey in a soft and gentle voice.
Lily looked at Tracey and said, "Yes, Tracey, do you need something from me?"
"No," said Tracey calmly, "But Daphne and I wanted to check on you. We've noticed that you've been crying a lot tonight."
"I-I miss my mom and dad!" blurted out Lily, her sobs increasing.
First years missing their parents when they went away to Hogwarts was not unheard of, but something seemed to be a bit different about Lily's case.
"Lily?" inquired Daphne softly, "Are you especially close with your parents?"
Lily now looked Tracey and Daphne in the eyes. She could now tell that Tracey and Daphne understood how she was feeling.
"Yes," confirmed Lily with some tears still coming down her face, albeit at a reduced rate now, "My mom and I have long been bonded over her common love of sewing. Mom taught me how to sew in the summer between Kindergarten and First Grade. Dad and I have long bonded over our common love of music. When I was a toddler/preschooler/kindergartener dad would sing me to sleep each night. As they years have gone by all the time I've spent with mom and dad, be it sewing or listening to music or doing something else has been special. This fall 1991 semester at Hogwarts is the first time in my life I've ever spent a day without mom and dad and well..."
Lily took a deep breath. It seemed as though speaking these feelings out loud had made her feel slightly better.
"Is that all that's bothering you?" asked Tracey and Daphne in unison.
"I'm just sad because I miss mom and dad, but I'll get over it and be a good student, " said Lily matter of factly, "I'm a muggleborn Slytherin and proud to be so. The Sorting Hat debated hotly between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, but it decided on Slytherin in the end."
"Muggleborn? repeated Tracey slowly, "You probably feel lonely away from your parents or anyone you know."
"This is true," confirmed Lily.
"Lily, " said Tracey fiercely, "I'd like to be your friend. "
"You are sweet and kind, Tracey Davis," replied Lily gratefully.
"I'd also like to be your friend," added Daphne.
"You are sweet and kind, Daphne Greengrass, " responded Lily gratefully.
"When we noticed you in tears at the feast, " explained Daphne, "We knew we had to try to help you if we could. At Hogwarts, your house is your family and family takes care of and looks after family when they need it."
"When you told us you miss your parents, " said Tracey seriously, "It became instantly clear to both of us that you needed friends. It's not unheard for first years to feel sad because they miss their parents. However, this circumstance is far worse if one is lonely. When you told us you are Muggleborn, it was obvious to Daphne and me that you don't know anyone here, a reality that would make you lonely as well. "
"Loneliness is the worst possible thing for a person in your position, Lily, " declared Daphne bluntly, "Loneliness can make the pain of missing one's parents in a situation like yours far more intense. Having friends will make it easier for you to move forward and adjust to your new life."
"Tracey, Daphne," said Lily sincerely, looking them in the eyes, "Thank you for reaching out to me to begin with and even more so for befriending me. It'll be at least a few days before I'm fully past missing mom and dad but I'm already feeling a LOT better about being at Hogwarts. I bought a barn owl that I've named Marino that's at Hogwarts with me and I thought he might be my closest companion while I'm here. Pets are great in their own way, but pets can't come remotely close to the special bonds that friends have."
"It is our pleasure to provide you with that friendship, " exclaimed Tracey warmly.
"And, " smiled Daphne glowingly, "I also have a younger sister named Astoria and I think she would also be delighted to be your friend when the time comes."
"How old is she?" wondered Lily.
"Eight, three years younger than me," answered Daphne, "She'll be starting at Hogwarts in our fourth year, but I'm sure you'll have opportunities to meet her before then. "
"Tracey, Daphne, " piped up Lily fiercely, "I promise to be the best friend I can be to both of you too. I promise to be a giver as well as a taker and I promise that our friendship will be a two-way street. I will always appreciate the way you reached out to me and befriended me tonight. If you are true friends to me, I promise to be a true friend to both of you, and Astoria as well when the time comes."
Lily now rose from the couch and threw herself at Tracey and Daphne and engulfed them both in tight and meaningful hugs.
Beautiful friendships had begun.
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