Dear Diary,

Well, I now have a new diary to place my thoughts. My other one has been filled to capacity. I feel it is only proper to introduce myself seeing as we are going to spend a lot of time together over the next few years. I tend to write a lot. Anyways my name is Lily Evans, and I am ten years old with one sister Petunia. She is fourteen and is in to makeup and boys, and I like dirt and games. We are completely different, near total opposites. I like blue, she likes pink. I like birds, she likes cats. My hair is red, and hers is brown. She’s tall and I’m shorter. The differences go on and on.

Today is moving day right now in fact we’re driving to our new house completely on the opposite side of town. I won’t be able to see my friends at school anymore. I won’t even be attending the same school! How harsh is that? Well, I’m going to have to cut this entry short because mum says we are almost there.

I’ll write more later!

Love,
Lily Evans

I set my diary back into my backpack as we turned onto a back-road off the highway. Then onto a neighbourhood street. For some reason we were driving at a snail’s pace through the neighbourhood. I looked out the window and saw four boys looking at me. The boy with messy black hair smiled at me, but I only frowned at him in response. I was already in a bad mood over leaving my friends, and I was happy being grumpy. He looked taken aback as if he wasn’t accustomed to being frowned at or not liked or something. As we kept driving I saw a girl about my age across the street. She was roller-skating in her driveway. Dad pulled our car into a driveway a moving van behind us parking at the curb, and I thought well we’re here, our new house.

I got out of the car walked into the house. I was directly behind Petunia. I walked around the new surroundings, and took in what the house had to offer. It was definitely larger than our old home, having four bedrooms instead of three. A dining room opened into the expansive kitchen, and the living room off to the side. It was like a great room, everything was open, and airy. I peaked into a door off of the dining room and saw stairs, most likely leading down into a basement. Basements always gave me the creeps, so I decided not to explore down there any further. I walked slowly up the stairs, running a hand along the banister. Petunia had already claimed the largest bedroom for herself by throwing her backpack and books from school onto the middle of the floor. I chose the room furthest from her because she tended to play her music loudly. I placed my backpack on the floor, and walked over to the window. I had to have the best view in the whole house since it was the only room facing the front of the house. The houses in this neighborhood were more sporadic than those in my old neighbourhood. The yards were larger, giving us much more room to play. The girl I noticed earlier was still struggling to skate up and down her driveway. She must have been teaching herself because she wasn’t doing very well.

Petunia walked in my room, and started talking “Did you see those cute boys a few blocks back?�

“Yes, but they weren’t cute,� I retorted, bored as I continued to stare out my window, yet I still said it carefully knowing full well that she would start rambling about all the cute guys she had ever met. She always seemed to want to talk about boys. Is that what all teenagers do? If so, I never want to become one. After I thought this, my mind reverted back to what I had been thinking I had a great view of the entire neighbourhood.

“Did you see the one with those beautiful, grey eyes?�

“No, I wasn’t paying attention to them. I’ll see you later Petunia.�

I went down the stairs to look for my parents, the door bell rang, my dad came out of nowhere it seemed, and answered the door. I couldn’t understand what he was saying to whoever our first visitor was, but he suddenly yelled for my mother, Petunia, and I to come to the entrance hall. When we all got there, I saw that it was the girl from across the street, still wearing her skates with whom I could only assume were her parents.

“Sheryl,� he said, “this is Tim and Wanda Rosewood and their daughter, Ashley. She is the same age as Lily.�

The girl had light brown hair and ice blue eyes. She smiled brightly at me, and I half smiled back being impacted with the thought that I’ll have to make new friends. I couldn’t go back to my old ones every time I wanted to play. My dad waved his hand toward Petunia and I, he latched onto my arm, and I was pulled to his side.

“These are my daughters, Petunia and Lily.�

Ashley asked Petunia and I, “I’ve got a puppy; you want to come see her? I just got her and her name’s Jax and she’s really cute! Mum, can Lily come over to play?�

I could tell this girl was probably as desperate for friends as I was. There were hardly any neighbours around. I grinned, feeling happier at the thought of making a friend so easily. I found myself looking to my new friend’s mother in anticipation, hoping it would be okay for me to go over.

“I think that would be alright,� Mrs. Rosewood stated, smiling warmly at her daughter.

I then turned to my own parents. “Mummy, Daddy can I go? Please. I promise I’ll be good and do everything Mr. and Mrs. Rosewood tell me to do. Please!�

“That’s fine, but I ask that Petunia go along. We don’t know this area very well, and I’d feel better if she was with you,� my dad answered, looking to his oldest daughter. Petunia, being who she is, smiled sweetly at my father, and agreed. She then whispered to me that if I annoyed her, she’d get me in trouble.

“Just be home before six,� he responded, and then turned back to Ashley’s parents to quickly end their conversation. “You’re more than welcome to come over for dinner. We love to entertain, and my wife’s the best cook in the country."

“That sounds lovely, thank you for the invitation. We’ll see you at six then?� Mrs. Rosewood asked politely.

“That sounds wonderful.� My mum turned to Petunia, and I, and pointed at my chest. “I want you to be on your best behavior, promise?�

“Yes ma’am.� I turned to Ashley and followed her out of my new house and across the street to hers. Her parents were behind us, followed by Petunia. I noticed the large building behind her house. “What’s that?� I asked, pointing at the structure.

“Oh, it’s just the barn. That’s where we keep the horses,� Ashley replied nonchalantly as if everyone in the world owned horses.

Horses? I haven’t ever seen a horse up close before. The closest I’ve come was at the circus when I was eight my mind thought in a crazy haze. “You have horses? I’ve never seen one up close before!� I said in a rush, hoping that I might be able to see them.

“Mum, Dad, can we go over to see the horses?� Ashley asked pretty much reading my mind and, giving her parents a sweet angelic smile. I knew, then, that she had her parents wrapped around her little finger, just the way I had mine. That made me all the more sure that we should be friends.

“Of course, honey, but you’d better come a get your father or I before you think of riding one,� her mum answered, running her hand over her daughter’s hair.

We parted with her parents then as they went into the house and we walked towards the barn. Ashley pulled open a heavy sliding door and I was amazed at the amount of horses she had. There had to be at least fifteen. “Hey, Ashley, why do you have so many horses?�

“Simple, my dad’s a horse trainer.�

“What’s your mum?�

“She’s a wi… err… She’s a house wife. What are your mum and dad?�

“My dad is an accountant, and my mum is a lawyer.�

“That’s cool! Oh and, by the way, that horse’s name is Feather. She’s my mum’s.� She pointed to the horse that was nudging my arm over the stall door. I liked her. She was the prettiest and friendliest horse I had ever seen.

After that, Ashley left Petunia and I in the barn as she ran to ask her mother to come outside so we could ride. She and her mother then showed Petunia and me how to tack up our chosen horses. I, of course chose Feather because she was the most beautiful with a brown body and white spots. Her mane and tail were both white. They also showed us what signs to use to get the horses to respond.

“Okay Lily, and Petunia ready to go on a path around the field?�

“Sure, how far is it all the way around?� I asked looking at my watch, seeing it was almost four thirty.

“It’s like a mile it shouldn’t take more than an hour,� she said looking at her watch, too.

Her mother stood by the fences as we rode around the field. We started at the barn, and went clockwise having an ever changing conversation, while Petunia trailed behind. When I looked back, I noticed she wasn’t having much fun at all. She would keep lifting herself from the hard saddle and make a face, so I figured it must have been hurting her bum. When we reached the far side and were about halfway across it, four boys suddenly came running through the fence, trying to catch an odd looking ball that looked like it had been flying. They must have kicked it really hard to still be in the air. I thought. I looked at Ashley, and she had an odd look of fear and anger on her face.

“Hey, Ashley, are you okay?� I asked my new found friend.

“Yeah,� she replied looking in my direction, “but I don’t like those boys. They’re trouble.�

I had a second look at them and saw that they were the same boys from earlier. It was then that I heard Ashley call out, “Hey, you, what are you doing on my property again? I thought I told you to stay away.�

The one who had messed up black hair spun around and said “Oh, hi, I didn’t see you there, Ashley. We were playing Quid-�

Ashley threw him a dirty look and screamed, “Get out of here, now, Potter! Don’t you ever come here again!�

He ignored Ashley’s comment and instead, turned to me, looking up as I wasn’t about to get off my horse, and said, “My name is James Potter.�

“I’m Lily Evans. You need to go away, Ashley has already asked you.� I said stiffly, not really liking this James Potter at all for his disobedience to my friend.

“Want to come play a game with us?� he asked, totally ignoring the fact we had asked him to leave now twice.

I looked at Ashley and saw she was looking over at the other three boys who had crossed back to the proper side of the fence. She was staring at one with wavy, black hair. “Ashley,� I said annoyed that she was almost as obsessed with him as my sister seemed to be. “Do you want to go play with them?� All signs of me pleading not to go were in my voice, but she only heard the words.

“Yeah, but we have to put up the horses first. You go ahead. I have to ask them something first.�

************

As Lily turned away, Ashley turned to the boys and when she noticed her friend was out of the hearing range, she said frantically, “No magical games! Lily’s a Muggle!� and with that she trotted off towards Lily. When they reached the barn, Ashley unsettled the three horses and put them into their stalls, and then said hurriedly to Lily, “Let’s go so they don’t have to wait for us.�

*********

It surprised me how quiet Petunia was being, allowing me my own time to be myself with my new friend instead of catering to whatever she wanted to do. I imagine, when we’re back home, she’ll be forcing me to complete her chores for weeks on end.

When we got to the edge of the field, they were sitting there, and tossing a red ball back and forth, but as soon as they saw us, they stopped. I glanced at my watch, and saw that it was only five fifteen. I couldn’t wait for five forty-five, so I could head home. Why was Ashley so keen on spending time with these disrespectful boys? After they stopped playing, they got up and walked over. James who was at the head of the group seemed to be in charge.

Noticing I was looking at the other boys, James said “Oh by the way this is Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew,� waving his hand extravagantly over each boys’ head as he spoke their name. His confidence was full of an air that made me sure he was in charge.

When their name was said, a large grin would break out on the boy’s face, letting me know which one was which, as if I didn’t know by the hand gestures. Since Ashley already knew them, they didn’t bother introducing themselves to her. I can guarantee, though, I’ll never remember their names. They’re so weird. Who names their kid Serious and Raymus? That’s not normal. Petunia giggled. She is alive, I thought.

Sirius’s hair was as black as night, wavy and a little longer than his ears. His eyes were steely, grayish silver, and he looked older than he acted. It was definitely this boy Petunia had spoken of earlier. Remus was nice looking with light brown hair, and his eyes were an odd amber color. Peter was shorted and more mousey looking than the others, and one bad thing about him was he had bit his finger nails down to the quick. All these boys are so different from one another, I thought to myself. When we got to his house James asked us if we had any games in mind.

“Do you like football?� I asked looking hopefully over the crowd.

“What’s that?� both Sirius and James responded almost immediately.

I looked at them dumbstruck that they didn’t know what football was, but I was slightly relieved to find out that at least Remus knew what it was. Peter just looked at me dumbly. I asked Remus if he knew how to play, and he told me he knew the rules, but was bad at actually playing the game.

After that, I turned my attention to James, Peter, and Sirius, and said “Okay Ashley, Remus, and me, are going to teach you to play football.�

After going over the rules with them, and showing them how to kick the ball, Ashley asked them if they were ready to play an actual game of football. They just got into the spots that we had showed them, and waited. I was still completely amazed that there were people in England that didn’t know of the most famous sport!

As soon as the game started, I was positive that they were going to lose. I was on a team with Peter and Ashley. Our referee was Remus because he opted to sit out, so as soon as he said “Game� (he didn’t have a whistle) it was on. I was just a little worried because Peter sounded like he had asthma, but at the same time I was confident that we were going to win because both Ashley and I knew how to play. After five minutes, I started to get worried because they actually had more points. They were naturals! We ended up losing eight to six, and after we lost James and Sirius both bragged about it. At first it didn’t bother me, but then when they didn’t stop after ten minutes I told them to shut up or Ashley, and I would go home. They stopped rather quickly after that. When I looked at my watch again later, I was surprised to see that it was five fifty, and I apologized rather quickly to the boys and Ashley and I ran and ran all the way back to my house only stopping to grab Ashley, remembering that we were having dinner together.

We were both breathing heavily as we walked inside my house, Petunia had left earlier. Not wanting to play football with us, she had gone home, against my mother’s wishes. I didn’t care much, though. She didn’t seem to want to play with the boys. She must have realized how much younger we all were than her. Mr. and Mrs. Rosewood were already at my home helping my mother set dinner on the table by the time we arrived, looking spectacularly disheveled.

As we ate dinner, mum and dad asked Petunia and I how we liked the neighbourhood, and if we had done anything interesting today. Ashley and Petunia took turns explaining how we had met boys, while the whole time, I grumbled how much I disliked James Potter and his friends. I was sure I had already forgotten their names, and I didn’t even attempt to supply them. I was totally amazed that Petunia didn’t go on and rant about meeting the grey-eyed one, that there told me immediately that she was upset they were so much younger than her.

That night, I as laid in bed, I was thinking about that group of boys. Something was just not right with them. They were different somehow from other boys I knew. They just acted different like they were our superiors, not just stupid boy stuff no they took that to a whole new level. The more I got to know them the more I knew they were different, and the less I liked them. It was like a secret that they knew, but no one else knew. Come on who in their right mind in England doesn’t know how to play football? It’s England for crying out loud! My dad had me kicking around a football by the time I was able to walk!

We moved in, in late August so on September first, I started my last year of primary school. One of my only friends at school was Ashley. At least the boys didn’t go there (Ashley told me they were all home-schooled). Maybe that explained their oddities? The last year of school flew by.

On May fifth, Ashley and I got invited to James’s eleventh birthday party, which was on the fifteenth. I would have skipped it, but my parents were making me go. They had met James’ parents and felt it rude if I decline my invitation. At least they didn’t expect me to buy a birthday present, they did it themselves. What do you get a boy that has every toy imaginable?

The fifteenth came all too soon. An hour before the party, I went to play hopscotch outside. Petunia came out, and said it was time to go. I really didn’t want to go, so I told her, she went inside, and a couple of jumps later, mum came out, her hands on her hips with a very stern look upon her face. I dropped my tossing rock, knowing I was defeated, all the while thinking my sister had stooped too low.

“It’s time to go now, go put on your dress.� I knew there was no arguing with Mum, so I lowered my head, and followed her inside. I ran up the stairs reluctantly, and got ready for the party.

When we got there I went and sat down in the parlor their house was more of a mansion with ten rooms. I really didn’t want to associate with James Potter. Last time Ashley and I tried, he threw a frog at me. I heard people walk by, but no one came in, after awhile I fell asleep. I woke up startled by a knock in the doorway, rubbing the sleep from my eyes I saw James coming in to the room. I tried to hide my dislike.

“I’ve been looking for you all over. I wanted to see if you wanted to play football, but clearly you won’t want to in that,� he said, waving a hand, letting me know he meant my dress. Just then, Mrs. Potter called us for cake, which was a good thing, since I felt like strangling James. Then, at the same time, I couldn’t help but wonder why he wanted to play with me?Why couldn’t he play with Sirius? Why me?

When we got to the dinning hall, James picked the seating arrangements forcing me to sit on his left side, and Sirius on his right. The seats filled up before I had a chance to move, and before anyone worth sitting next to could sit next to me. Remus plopped down on my other side, and Peter on Sirius’s other side. I was officially fuming. After they sang happy birthday, I sat with my arms crossed, and James made a wish, I ask him what he wished for, but he just smiled mischievously.

After we got our cake James turned to me and said, “You’re the only one who hasn’t said ‘Happy Birthday’ to me yet.� I was already mad, but when he said this it pushed me over the edge, and I wished that his cake would just fly into his face. I had shut my eyes trying not to scream at the same I time I wished that messy fate upon him, and then when I opened my eyes I thought I was dreaming. He had cake all over his face, all down the front of his shirt, and in his hair. I was satisfied at whoever was brilliant enough to follow through with my wishes. For some reason, he was smirking at me.

What did he know? Stupid boy! That was it. I couldn’t take it any more.

I screamed, “James Potter, I hate you. I never want to see you again.� With that said and done, I balled up my fists at my side, restraining myself from hitting him, and I stomped off towards my house.

Halfway there, I tripped and hurt my ankle and I just sat there, crying, thinking, I hate James, I hate my ankle, and I hate my life. Then, the four people I least wanted to see at that moment came out. When James saw me he looked as if he wasn’t sure if he should help me, but he came over anyways.

“Are you okay?� he asked.

“Yes, it’s just that I hurt my stupid ankle. It’s happened before. I think I sprained it.�

“Lily my mum can fix it!" James grinned proudly trying to help me off the ground, but I was fighting him pretty adamantly. I didn’t want to be in debt by him for helping me.

"Really, is she a doctor?" I knew my eyes were blazing in anger. I was trying really hard to be nice, I really was, but it was so hard. Every little thing he did just drove me mental!

"Well, no, but she can help. Honest!"

"I don't want anyone touching me that doesn't have a degree in medicine!" I shouted, forcing my weight on the burning joint just to prove it was alright, and continuing on my trek to the house. Tears were pricking in my eyes with the fiery pain in my leg. It seemed to be traveling up with every step. James followed obviously not getting the signs I was throwing his direction. That was another thing I hated about him. He’s clueless!

“Here if you come with me my mother can fix it up in a jiffy, really.�

“How can she do that? It usually takes about four weeks to heal from a sprain.�

He looked around as if to see if anyone was listening, “You’ll see, I can’t tell you here, it’s not safe.�

“Okay, I guess,� was all I could say. Anyway, I was extremely curious. Then, I let him and Sirius half carry me back to the house.

They took me back into the parlor, while James went to get his mother. When she came in she looked kind of worried, and mad. I thought maybe she was mad at me for my wishing James’s cake into his face, and it actually happening.

She turned to me, and smiled sweetly. She dragged James out of the room by the arm, and stopped just outside the door. I craned my neck to see if I could see what was happening. Her voice was muffled by the wall, but she was pretty upset with her son. “I can’t fix it. How dare you ask me to fix it! No matter how much I want to help, I can’t and you know that.�

James returned almost immediately his head down in shame, and possibly embarrassment. He had told me his mum could fix it, and now he was disappointed. “She went to go call your mum,� he spoke quietly, taking a seat across from me. He kept looking at my ankle which was by now three times its normal size, and turning purplish blue. The pain was unbearable, and now my parents were going to be mad at me for twisting my ankle. Maybe I even broke it! It was hurting enough to be broken. That was it when that popped into my head I realized that I couldn’t take it any more. When a girl’s upset, and has run completely out of options there’s nothing left to do, but cry, and maybe scream, and that’s exactly what I did. I turned to James, and with tears streaming down my face said loudly, “This is your entire fault! If you would have let me sit where I wanted, or even not tried to get me to say happy birthday to you, I would be fine. I would be home by now, and I wouldn’t be hurt! Will you leave me alone, please!?� I knew I was overreacting, but I hated him right now. He boiled my blood just that goofy look he always had on his face when he looked at me made me so mad I could strangle him. I was jealous of Ashley for being out of town this weekend, and not able to attend his birthday party.

He left dragging his minions with him. My parents and the Potters came in. My mum glanced at my ankle and decided that I had to go to the hospital. As my dad carried me to the car, James came out, and asked if he could come. I couldn’t open my mouth quickly enough to tell them no, so my parents being the friendly people they are said sure. James jumped into the car beside me, and I just scowled crossing my arms my swollen ankle elevated on the compartment between my parents’ seats.

We got there, sitting for hours, waiting on a doctor. I had fallen asleep. My mum had given me some extra-strength pain killers, and I was in heaven at the moment. No, I take that back, James Potter was sitting beside me.

The doctors took x-rays of my ankle, and found that I had broken it in two different spots. While I was getting a cast on, James was looking totally mystified at the hospital. He was being weird. Had he never seen a hospital before? When I got my cast on the doctors gave me a pair of crutches, and as they instructed me on how to use them James whom had slipped out to the bathroom, chose to reappear at the exact moment I fell down practicing. He started to laugh hysterically, and I hit him with a crutch. He fell silent immediately, and when it came back for a second blow, he dodged it easily.
“Now, now, Miss, they’re not weapons,� the doctor chuckled, writing something in my chart before he left, handing a sheet of paper with instructions, along with a prescription, to my parents.

On the car ride home, I turned to James, my parents were chatting in the front seat so I whispered, “Earlier, when I got really mad at you, who threw the cake in your face?�

For the first time since I had met him, he looked dead serious. I had also never known him to be speechless. “Are you eleven yet?�

“No, I won’t be eleven until June twenty-first, why, and please answer my question.�

He grinned mischievously at me, but said nothing more. Why wasn’t he answering me? He was once again making me mad, but I suppressed my rage, and stared out the window not daring to look at the boy again.

*********************
A month later, on June twenty-first, I turned eleven. Then it happened; my entire life changed in a split second. I got a visitor and a mysterious letter on my birthday. I was invited to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, and Wizardry. It was one of the happiest days of my parents’ life, and also one of the worst of mine. My big sister disowned me completely, and said she would never speak to me again. I felt heart broken. I had always love Petunia. She was my sister, and I loved her unconditionally, so when she screamed at me and told me I was a freak, and an outcast, I spent the night in my room, crying.

When we went over to the Potters later that week, James had hounded me mercilessly to come over, but I had not told him about the letter or visitor. I was positive that was why he was so weird on his birthday after the cake flew into his face. James showed me his letter and I told him about mine, so he congratulated me on being a witch. Apparently, he too was going to attend Hogwarts. Mrs. Potter answered all my parents’ questions. She explained that whenever someone with magical abilities was born, their name was written down, and on their eleventh birthday, they received a letter to go to the school closest magical school. She went on to explain how I would live at the school during the term and come home for holidays if I wished. Mrs. Potter promised that while at school James, if I needed it, would watch out for me. I was, of course, furious. I could take care of myself!

She explained that magical people when they had the right training used a wand (a narrow piece of wood) to direct their flow of magic and is able to use it for pretty much anything. She told us as much as she could, and then told my parents to bring me by before September 1st with some money for school supplies, and that we would go to Diagon Alley with Ashley and her mother (she was actually a witch and her mum was, too, and worked for the Ministry of Magic). I was surprised to be surrounded by so many magical people that hadn’t ever mentioned anything about this!

When we got to Diagon Alley, I didn’t know where to look first. There was so much to look at. So many funny looking people dressed weird. First, we had to go to Gringotts (the bank) to transfer my Muggle (non-magical) money into wizard money. It was amazing to see all the different creatures working in the bank. When we exited the bank, I looked around again, and this time looked more closely at the stores lining the street. There were hundreds of stores. The biggest included Madam Malkin’s Dress Robes For all Occasions, Gringotts, Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor, Flourish and Blott’s book store, a potions store I couldn’t make out the name, and lastly, even though it was a lot smaller than the rest, it probably had the most customers was Ollivander’s wand shop. I got all my stuff in these stores. My robes according to the list had to be black with the Hogwarts symbol on it (an H with a Lion, Snake, Badger, and Raven touching it) on them, a pewter caldron, potion supplies (such as dried beetles and dandelion roots), books for transfiguration, potions, charms, history then a general book of spells grade one, and my wand. It was ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow and with a dragon heart string. But the whole time in Diagon Alley, what I had first spotted was an owl, and that was all I really wanted. What made it worse was James had shown me his before we had left. Unfortunately, I was out of money.

We got home about seven thirty and all I could think about was how much I wanted school to start. That night, the Potters came over for dinner and during the whole thing, even though it was rude I totally didn’t pay attention to them, because I was in such a hurry to tell my parents every thing I had seen, but I didn’t want them to think of me as weird for not knowing before hand.

That night, I fell asleep thinking I couldn’t wait for September first to come and the school term to start. I was so excited to be joining this new world. To learn everything I could (I had already read parts of my text books. I was hoping to memorize them because I knew all the other students would already know more magic than me. I didn’t want to be farther behind the others).

When the day finally came, I couldn’t even imagine what laid in store for me.

September 1st 1971 Dear Diary,



I am sorry I have not written in you for so long. I just have not had any time. First things first, last time I wrote in you we were going to our new house. Since then I have met Ashley Rosewood and her parents. I was also unfortunate enough to meet James Potter and his friends, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. I hate James Potter. I was invited to his birthday party and then during the party I got so mad at him; I threw cake in his face with magic.



Oh yes, I forgot to tell you, I am a witch and now, I am on a train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am so happy. I found out that Ashley is also a witch. Of course, the only thing that could ruin this happy time happened, James Potter, and his awful friends are all wizards. Uck! Maybe I will get lucky, and he will be jinxed.



I will write in you later. Its time to put on our robes! I am so excited. We are almost there!



Love,

Lily Evans



With that, I snapped my diary shut and stood up. As I looked around the compartment, the only person in it besides me was Ashley. Just then, I realized beside, Ashley, I had no friends unless you count the boys, and I most certainty will not. With that thought in my head, I turned to Ashley and asked, “Do you actually know anyone else besides the boys and me who will be at school?�



She looked at me a second as if I were crazy. Then slowly, she said, “Um… actually, no, I don’t, or at least no one in our year. I have met a few people who are 6th or 7th years, though.�



“That settles it then. Let’s go explore the train and see if we can meet any new people.� I got up and started to reach out to open the door when the person I was really starting to hate, James Potter, suddenly opened it.



When he saw me, he seemed surprised but he got over it quickly, and said “Oh, hello Lily. We were just looking for a compartment to sit in.�



I quickly recovered from the surprise of his, or should I say their, because he never goes anywhere without his motley crew and Sirius was standing behind him, fast appearance. “You can have this one. Ashley and I were going to go explore the rest of the train to see if we could meet anyone else new to the school,� I said slowly, inching around the group and towards the door, but it was too late.



Sirius shut the door, and they all sat down around us, while James said, “Why don’t you stay here and talk to us? Anyways, anybody you meet now might not get put in to the same house as you when your sorted, so you might as well wait to be put in to your house before you go and make friends.�



When he said this, I started to get mad. I wanted to get away from the boys as fast as I possibly could. James Potter was driving me batty with his superior, know-it-all attitude. I quickly glanced at Ashley. She kept discreetly looking over at Sirius. I realized that she probably would want to stay here, now that he was here, so I quickly said, “Will you guys leave for a few minutes? We need to change into our robes.�



This was true. I had written in my journal, and then completely forgot. I gave the boys a significant look and they left.



“You know I didn’t really want to go explore the train anyways,� Ashley grinned at me, but I knew she just wanted to be around Sirius. She had that glazed look in her eye that I often saw with Petunia.



After we finished changing, I reluctantly let the boys back in and we started talking about school.



“You know how we get sorted?� James asked. “My parents said they put an old hat on your head and it tells you where you belong.�



I was confused, so I asked, “How would some hat know where to put you? Moreover, how does it even tell you? Hats aren’t alive.�



James looked at me funny and spoke in a tone that said I should have known better. “It’s magic of course! That is why we’re going to Hogwarts.�



“Oh well, what is the school like?� Ashley asked, bored of the talk about sorting.



This time, Sirius spoke up, “I’ve heard that it’s huge. It has got like seven floors, and the staircases move! Then there are the classes: Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Astronomy, not to mention the elective classes we get to take in 3rd -5th year before O.W.L.s.� With that, he fell silent like the rest. All of us were lost in our thoughts of the immediate future, but a moment later, surprisingly Peter spoke up.



“I heard when you get into the third year you can go into Hogsmead, the only non-muggle community in Great Britain. It has a whole bunch of stores, like Honeyduke’s and the pub, The Three Broomsticks.� Peter fell silent, looking as if he wished he had not said anything at all.



“That sounds cool and all, but what about this year? Do you know who any of the teachers are? What are the rules? How long are classes?� I asked not really expecting much of a reply. We are talking about boys here.



Remus answered, “The Transfiguration teacher is Professor McGonagall, Charms is Flitwick, and Potions is Slughorn. That is all the teachers I know of. Oh yes, and Professor Dumbledore is headmaster. There are too many rules to list, and classes are an hour each. Double classes are two.�



Everyone stared at Remus a little taken aback that he knew so much of all the facts of Hogwarts. After that, Remus, Ashley, and I got into a conversation of everything we hoped to be able to learn in our first year. I have so much I need to learn. Everyone seems to know everything there is about magic already, how am I ever going to catch up?



Sirius interrupted our discussion. “Anyone want to play a game of exploding snap?�



I looked up at him confused and asked, “What is exploding snap?�



Now, it was everyone else’s turn to stare at me for a second before they remembered I was from a muggle family. Ashley spoke up and explained, saving me from further embarrassment, “Exploding snap is a wizarding card game. You try and build a card house before the cards blow up, that’s where the exploding part comes in.�



“Is it dangerous?� I really did not want to get hurt before I even got to school.



“No, the worst thing that could happen is if you’re too close when it blows, it might scorch your eye brows,� James assured me, with a lopsided grin.



“Ok I’ll play, I guess.�



Sirius dealt out the cards evenly and we all got to work on our towers. As we continued to place one card delicately after another, Ashley cards suddenly exploded as if it was a firecracker. After the main explosion was over the rest of our towers came exploding down in a chain reaction. As if they had, all been waiting for the rest to explode.



Mine was the third to explode; I had leaned closer to my tower than was safe to see what was left of Ashley and Peter’s towers when mine went off. At first, I did not realize mine had exploded, then I smelled burnt hair and I looked over at my smoldering tower remains then at my hair. The bottom inch was fried. I could not believe it. “Oh well it’ll grow back,� I grinned sheepishly because they were all looking at my hair. Half of them whether or not to be horrified (with the possibility I had gone batty) or laugh. “Does anyone have a pair of scissors?�



Remus dug into his trunk above his head and pulled a pair out, handing them to me. I had Ashley cut my hair evenly and to right above where it had been burnt.



As Ashley was cutting Sirius remarked, “At least your eye brows weren’t singed off. That is a lot worse than your hair.�



“Oh yeah?� I asked wanting to know why he said that. “How do you know?�



“I was playing Exploding Snap when I was seven, and it exploded right in my face. My eyebrows and lashes were completely burned off. Unfortunately, my eyebrows were never the same again.�



Even though he said this in a sad and somber tone, when I looked at Ashley we could not help but laugh aloud. Sirius sat down on one of the seats with humph and had his lip stuck out in a fake pout. With that, we laughed even harder, and were joined by the boys.



Before we knew it, we were puling in to the Hogsmead station. The prefects (which I learned were the fifth years and above that were in charge) were at all the doors, opening them, and we could hear a loud voice echoing through our ears. “Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here! Mind yer step now! C’mon, follow me! Firs’ years come with me!�



As I climbed out of the train, I saw what had to be the largest man in the world. I had seen a man claiming to be the largest at the circus when I was little, but the man with the messy mass of black frizz and the giant hands swinging a lantern, by far surpassed the circus man’s claims. Two of me wouldn’t even equal him in height. His face was covered in a beard that looked made of black wires. Once all the first years had come over to this gigantic man, he said, “My name is Rubeus Hagrid, but I would like yeh all to call me Hagrid. Now follow me ter the boats!�



“What boats?� a boy in the back of the group asked.



“The boats that’ll take yeh across the lake, and to Hogwarts, o’ course. Yer just lucky it not rainin’. Only four to a boat.�



As we climbed in to the boats, I started to get worried. What would happen if the hat that was supposed to sort us decided that I was not good enough for Hogwarts and refused to sort me? Could that even happen? I kept thinking up crazy ideas as to what would happen to me, until I was brought out of my stupor by some one in my boat shouting, “Look at the castle.�

I looked up to see what had to be the most wondrous place in the world. As we slowly drifted toward the castle, I could see a large hall with hundreds of candles illuminating it. In addition, since there was not a cloud in the sky it looked as if there was a black sheet over the world with an amount of holes in it and a silver light so majestically bright showing through it.

Suddenly with a jerk, the boats washed ashore in a cave under the school. Suddenly making me look towards the door in the wall that Hagrid had just walked up to and knock three times with such a force I was surprised that it had not given way under his large fist. A woman that looked as if you even smiled in front of her you would be in serious trouble quickly opened it.

“Follow me this way children. I am Professor McGonagall,� she said in a voice that was no less strict than her look. Her hair was pulled into an elegant knot at the back of her head and the robes she wore were impeccable, not a single flaw.

She led us into a room that was barley large enough for all of us. Then she left only for a moment, excusing herself. “I shall go see if they are ready for you.�

When she retuned not even two minutes later, she ushered all of us in to the large hall that had been visible from the lake. It had four long tables going horizontally with banners hanging over them in each red, blue, yellow, and green. Then there was also a table at the head of the hall that was full of teachers. At its center, in a golden throne-like chair was a man who literally glowed with an aura of wisdom and kindness. His hair and beard were waist length and as silver as the stars outside. He wore half moon glasses and had sparkling blue eyes that shone with happiness and delight as he watched the group of us walking in between the house tables.

There was a stool with a tattered old hat sitting upon it and I knew immediately that it was the sorting hat the boys had told me about.

After a few seconds the hat opened its mouth, if you could call it that, it was closer to a rip near the brim, and started singing. The song was for all purposes informational. He explained the four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw. I could not help but think through his song how boring life would be to be a hat sitting atop a stool. It explained how it was made by Godric Gryffindor, one of the school’s founders and given a bit of knowledge from each of the four to help it decide where to place the students.

The old, raggedy hat fell silent. Everyone clapped, including the teachers. I looked at the old hat with interest. Was it told what to say? If not, how did it come up with the lyrics? Did it have a brain somewhere inside it?

Yet again, Professor McGonagall pulled me out of my thoughts unrolling a scroll of parchment. She said, “I will call you by you last name in alphabetical order, and I would like you to come up here, put on the hat, and it shall sort you.�

As Professor McGonagall read names of several students who I had not yet met, I looked around. I quickly looked at the ceiling, not really expecting to see anything, but did a double take when I saw it was exactly like the night sky outside. I gasped in awe, causing a few people to look at me then where I was looking. It had the same affect on everyone, and then I heard Professor McGonagall clear her throat and call out, “Black, Sirius�

This caused me to look back up at the old hat to see it sort someone. I had not bothered to watch the few before him. It sat upon his head, sinking over his eyes, and looked almost as if it was thinking before it screamed “Gryffindor!� This caused several older students to look surprised. I made a mental note to ask Ashley about it later. After Black came, “Bones, Edgar� he was then placed in Hufflepuff. After listening to a few more names, I zoned back out waiting to be called up.

After what seemed like forever, that voice that I knew, I would hear almost daily now shouted, “Evans, Lily.� I quickly walked to the stool and plopped down on it just waiting for it to be dropped on to my head. Now I would find out how this hat could decide where I belonged! Almost the instant I felt it touch my head, I heard a voice in my ear. “Ahh, who do we have here? Ms. Lily Evans, I see. Now, now where to put you? You are more than smart enough for Ravenclaw. You have a strong need to prove yourself worthy, like a Slytherin. Brave and loyal enough for Gryffindor, but Hufflepuff I believe you are too strong willed and fiery for Hufflepuff. So where do I put you? Which house would play to your strengths?�

This whole time I had been frozen because of, well, to be honest, a hat was talking to me!

“Difficult decision,� it whispered then shouted, “Gryffindor!�

Professor McGonagall took the sorting hat off my head. I hopped up, and nearly ran to the table with the large red banner and the students there were all clapping enthusiastically. I felt my face burning from the attention, so I sat down across from Sirius and stared avidly at the golden place setting in front of me.

By the time I was seated and turned to the front again, Professor McGonagall called out “Fenwick, Benji.� After a moment of deciding it shouted out, “Ravenclaw!�

This went on for quite a while and, of course, I got bored fast, only paying attention to my friends and those I knew. Ashley was sorted into Gryffindor, as was James, Remus, and Peter.

Wow, I thought to my self, that is weird. All of us were put together. I wonder what will this do to Ashley and me, being stuck with those boys. I shivered to my self, then realized that the hall had gone quiet, so I looked up to see the headmaster stand up and clear his throat.

“Welcome all to what is going to be a great year at Hogwarts. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore.� His voice was cheerful and his eyes were sparkling merrily. “I have great pleasure in welcoming all of the new students. Now, without further ado, let’s let the feast begin!�

He clapped his hands once and mounds of all different kinds of food appeared on platters in the middle of the table. So much food appeared in fact that I gaped and its sudden appearance. James, who after he had been sorted, came and set across from me and next to Sirius, just laughed at me, then said, “You know, you just might want to get used to this because the food appears like this every day.�

I grinned at him, and then turned to Ashley who was seated on my left. “I think I like this place!� She just smiled at me and continued to eat.

After what seemed like hours, and many, many courses, the plates suddenly vanished, Professor Dumbledore stood up again. “Now that all our stomachs are filled to capacity, I shall give you a few start of term starts, all students need to stay out of the forest and the newest addition to our grounds, the whopping willow. Our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me once again to remind all students to follow all the rules of what can and cannot be done in the halls. The list is located on his office door. Now, prefects, if you would, please stand up and lead your first years to their correct dormitories. Good night to all.� Every one started to get up and leave and I followed the boy that stood up calling for the first years. He was wearing a red and gold badge on the front of his robes.

We went up seven floors and came to a portrait of an enormously fat woman in pink who simply said, “Password please.�

The prefect said, “Hippogriffs.� Then, he turned to all of us. “Remember that password. You will need it every time to get in to the dormitories. We’ll change the password once a month and we’ll make sure you are aware.�

“Boys on the right and girls on the left,� the prefect ordered, pointing at the different staircases once we were inside the common room as he called it. There were plush couches and wing-backed chairs standing regally in front of a blazing fire. Some of the older students were sitting at tables, playing cards, and chess. They seemed so comfortable and I imagined how I would be in a few years. I glanced at Ashley and could tell she was thinking the same thing. We followed the other first year girls up the stairs on the left, waving to James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter as they went up the opposite steps.

Once we got to the door that read, “First Years,� on a golden plaque, Ashley, the other girls and I all went in. Immediately, I saw that each girl’s things had been placed at the end of a bed. After changing into my nightclothes, I was asleep in less than two minutes. It was the best sleep I had in a month, but I still worried about what lay ahead for me.

I all but ran out of the dormitory and out the portrait. I was the last first year girl to leave this morning. Ashley had left while I was in the shower. Classes were going to start in less than two hours and I could not be more excited. In the corridor, I saw a large group of older students and I followed them, for I had completely forgotten my way to the Great Hall, already. I just hoped that was where they were going as well. I noticed the familiar heavy oaken doors and happily made my way inside, spotting Ashley almost immediately in the same place we had sat the night before.

I greeted her happily, telling her how anxious I was to begin classes and then helped myself to some bacon and eggs. Professor McGonagall walked up behind us and gave us our schedules. I quickly looked down mine, and then at Ashley’s.

The schedules were identical. Potions from 9:30-10:30, Transfiguration 10:30-11:30, an hour and a half for lunch and a short study hall from 1-2, then Charms at 2:30-3:30, Charms was the only class we were scheduled for every day. The others were Monday, Wednesday, and Friday classes. Our Tuesday and Thursday classes seemed just as bad, with Defense Against the Dark Arts from 9-11, a short Charms lesson from 11-12, then a short break after lunch in time for Herbology from 2-2:30 and History of Magic from 2:30-3:30. Wednesday nights held Astronomy classes from Midnight to 1 a.m. and I wondered if I would ever be able to wake up for the 9 o’clock classes Thursday mornings. Flying lessons were Tuesdays from 4-5.

“Are all first year schedules the same?� I questioned Ashley, a little upset at the idea that I would have to spend nearly every day with James Potter and crew.

“In Gryffindor, yes. Each house has different schedules for the core curriculum. Look at your schedule. In potions, we have it with Hufflepuff, but Transfiguration is with Slytherin. In third year, we’ll get to choose our own electives.� That led to my question of what other classes there were to take and how in the world it was all going to fit into my schedule! We still had to take the subjects we were starting and at least two more before taking the O.W.L exams in fifth year. My head was spinning thinking of all the work that went into a magical education.

We finished our hefty breakfasts and I glanced at my watch, noting that we had a little less than 15 minutes. “Are you ready? Ok… let’s go ahead and get started trying to find,� I quickly looked at my schedule again, “potions. With Professor Slughorn.�
*********
We got to the classroom and took seats in the front. The air was thick with the smell of something woody and I immediately was brought back to a camping trip with my parents in the forest when I was nine. After everyone was seated, a man who greatly resembled a walrus, with a large protruding stomach and a thick moustache, came in and walked to the front of the classroom.

“Hello class, my name is Professor Slughorn. I shall be your teacher for at least the next five years so you had better get comfortable. I shall teach you the ways of potion brewing, poison making, and antidotes for those poisons. I just hope that at least one of you has exceptional talents at potions. Today we shall just be going over the basics.�

He began taking role, looking up at each name and adding in comments to many. “Yes, yes, Mr. Johnston, how is that dear aunt of yours… Matilda? Wonderful woman, wonderful!�

“Chachere, any relation to Dennis? Yes, he was always a magnificent potion’s student. Amazing on a broom though! I always did tell him he’d go far.�

“Mr. Potter, pleasure! Your dad was made for the Aurors. Always with a quick and steady hand.�

Although I knew none of the students he was pointing out, save Potter, I could see the embarrassment he was causing each one.

Class ended after three pages of notes on the proper methods of brewing potions and cauldron care. The professor was long-winded, but he really knew what he was doing and took great care in making sure his students knew his subject well. He thoroughly welcomed questions and comments from the students and I thought that I would maybe grow to like him and the class as one of my favorites.

After Potions, we had Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. Ashley and I hurried up to her class on the fifth floor.

I also really enjoyed Professor McGonagall’s class. She discussed the art of Transfiguration and the different things we could do with the subject. She handed us a matchstick and walked us through turning it into a needle. The only thing I could get was a grayish wooden match by the end of the class and I wasn’t the only one. No one had succeeded in changing the matchstick completely, but James had been close and earned a point for being the furthest along in the transfiguration.

Professor McGonagall did assign a half-foot essay on the basic transfiguration of a matchstick to a needle with the correct wand movements and incantation, as well as what we believed we were doing wrong in class. I didn’t mind though, my favorite part of school back home was learning from my mistakes, so I was quite excited to start on my essay.

“I’m exhausted!� I exclaimed to Ashley when we sat down for lunch. “Later is going to be just as bad! At least we have Charms. I think it seems like a fascinating subject.�

“Yes, well I personally can’t wait until we have Transfiguration again! But wait ‘till later, you’ll be even more tired,� Ashley replied happily.

After that quick exchange, we fell silent, only talking when asking some one to pass a certain dish. Once we finished we headed out of the great hall up to the third floor for Charms. Once we got there Ashley and I got a seat at the front of the class. After Professor Flitwick took roll, he showed us how to do basic wand motions that we would be using most of the year. After class was over we all had sore wrists from the unusual movements that we used.

I could barely keep my eyes open throughout dinner and my feet were aching. We must have walked miles to get to and from classes today. Ashley begged out of desert and retreated to the dorms. I thought about going with her but the pudding looked too tempting to pass up. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the Portrait hole and the Fat Lady was staring impatiently at me, tapping her foot, with her arms crossed over her chest, and I realized that she was waiting for the password. “Err… sorry!� I said and quickly gave her the password and climbed in, tiredly finding my way to the dorms and Ashley, who was lazily perched against her pillows, going over notes from today’s classes. I stretched, yawned, and got ready for bed. I was asleep the second my head hit the pillows. It had been a long day.

The next morning I awoke slightly confused as to where I was, then the past two days came rushing back. I smiled happily, humming to myself as I climbed out of bed, showered, and got dressed. As I went to get Ashley, after getting dressed in the bathroom directly after my shower, I saw that her bed was made and she was nowhere to be seen. So I rushed down to the common room, thinking that she might be down there waiting. After I looked around and decided that she was not, I noticed James was waiting by the portrait hole. I assumed that he was waiting for one of the other boys, but as I approached to leave for breakfast, he turned to me and said, “My mum told your parents that I would take care of you while we are at Hogwarts. So I felt like fulfilling my duties this morning.� I simply ignored him. I didn’t want to talk to him; it was early in the morning. I continued on my way out the portrait hole.

Once I reached the landing for the stairs to the sixth floor, I turned around and was just a little surprised that he was right behind me, following me. When I stopped, he stopped, looking mischievously innocent.

“Ok, you go ahead and follow me, just don’t get in my way,� I told him grumpily, turning and continuing my journey to the Great Hall. Once again, I reached the Great Hall to find Ashley had beaten me to breakfast.

“How do you do it?� I asked her, amazed.

“Do what?� she asked right back, hardly glancing up from her schedule.

“Get to breakfast before me? I thought I was an early riser, and I know you’re still asleep when I go into the shower, and I hear other people get into the other showers,� I said as I sat heavily in the seat beside her and helped myself to breakfast.

“Oh, that’s easy. I take my showers in the evening, so you may get up before me, but I leave before you.�

“Oh,� I said, “Well then what time do you get to breakfast?�

“Oh, seven thirty to eight, depending on how sleepy I am.� I decided to take a page out of Ashley’s book and I got out my schedule. It still wasn’t fixed in my head yet and I couldn’t remember what classes I had today. “Huh, it looks like we have Herbology, then: Oh my gosh! Flying lessons! Moreover, after that we have a break, and lunch. After lunch we have Charms, and then finally we have History of Magic.�

“Wow, Lily. You seemed surprised that we have flying lessons,� James said in his haughty tone from next to me, where he had sat after following me into the Hall.

“Well sorry, Mr. Know-It-All. If you’ve forgotten, I didn’t know about magic my whole life! In fact, I haven’t even known about it a whole year, so get used to the fact that I may be lacking in this area of expertise, or at least for the next few months or so,� I nearly yelled. Several of the older students were looking at us, and muttering under their breath about how they had never been that obnoxious. James just looked at me abashed and continued eating his breakfast.

I hurriedly finished my breakfast and tried to leave James, “Potter� as I’ve been coming to think of him He doesn’t deserve me to call him by his first name, behind. As I reached the Green Houses, one of the professors I had seen at the head table, but had not yet met, was walking around the green houses towards Green House Number One. Noticing I was the only one at the class so far, I turned to the professor, and introduced myself, “Hello Professor-� but I stopped not knowing her name.
“Professor Sprout, dear.�
“Well, hello, Professor Sprout, I’m Lily Evans. I’m one of the new first years, I have your class next and since no one else is here yet, I just thought I would introduce my self!�

“I love your name, dear. I don’t feel so odd being the only one named after a plant! Well, at least my last name.�

“You should meet my sister some time, because she’s also named after a flower: Petunia.� For a second it sounded so right, and then I was pulled back to reality by the memories of my sister’s harsh words. “I’m sorry, never mind on meeting my sister. I’m from a Muggle family, and my sister, the day I got my letter, denounced me,� I said in a calm voice, but I was in tears and Professor Sprout had grabbed me into a hug. I was a little taken aback as well as ashamed, not knowing this woman and crying in front of her, but her arms around me felt comforting as only a mothers’ arms would.

“You must really love your sister, my dear, don’t you?�

I simply nodded. “Why don’t you come and have some nice herbal tea and sandwiches with me during lunch?� she asked kindly.

“Alright, thank you, Professor,� I got out in a hoarse whisper, for once she had pulled me into her embrace I had started sobbing.

Just then, the rest of the class came slowly walking down the hill, so I entered the green house that Professor Sprout had opened. I got out my parchment, quill, and inkpot and was ready to start taking a plethora of notes from this kind professor. I kept my head bowed, so as not to draw any attention to the fact that I was homesick and desperately missed the company of my only sister. Ashley walked over to me and got out her notes. When she looked back up at me, apparently to greet me, she seemed to suddenly realize that my face was red and blotchy and her jaw dropped slightly. “Lily, what happened? Are you alright?� she asked worriedly.

“I’m fine. I’ll tell you about it later.� I sniffed, rubbed my hands against my eyes and cheeks, effectively dismissing the question for now.

Professor Sprout’s class was interesting, to say the least. She took us through a tour of the greenhouses, specifically ordering us to stay out of the upper-level greenhouses due to the vicious and often poisonous plants. We would be getting to those in our O.W.L. & N.E.W.T. years.

She really knew her material and covered a lot of valuable information for future plant owners. Our first actual lesson was care and maintenance of plants, magical and not. I took over a page of notes and could see Ashley’s parchment was as covered as my own.

At the end of the lesson, as the class was leaving, Professor Sprout reminded me of our lunch.

“I won’t forget! I promise!� I replied with a smile as I ran out of the building. Unsurprisingly enough, Potter was waiting for me just up the hill.

“What do you want now?� I asked him, not at all trying to hide my sarcasm or frustration. He seemed like such a tag along lately and it was getting on my nerves.

“We have flying lessons next!� he said happily, not taking the hint that I wanted to be alone. I was homesick, I just wanted some time to myself to get over it, but he didn’t understand my tone of voice. Did I have to spell it out for him?

My heart lightened just a little at the thought of soaring through the sky. When I was a child, I would always dream of flying like the children in Peter Pan, but I schooled my features, not wanting to give him the pleasure of knowing he had made me feel a little better. “Yes, so what? You still didn’t answer my question.�

“Oh…I was just wondering if I could walk you there,� he said, sounding a little disappointed.

I let out a sigh; I am not going to be able to get rid of him today, am I? I thought to myself while aloud I said, “Yes, I’ll walk with you.� He suddenly grabbed me by the hand and pulled me across the grounds. He stopped suddenly, causing me to run into him and I glared. It took a moment for me to realize where we were. I looked around and was rendered speechless. I had never seen a stadium, if you would call it that, so large.

“What is this place?� I asked in awe of the sight before me. The grass on the ground was green, spongy, and unblemished. It felt like a gymnastics mat below my feet. At the end of each side of the field were tall poles with golden hoops on the top, making me think of the wands Petunia and I used to use to blow bubbles with when we were little. The stands were terrifyingly high off the ground and wooden, giving them a rickety look. I wondered how the stands supported the entire population of the school without breaking.

“It is the Quidditch Pitch,� he said proudly.

“What’s Quidditch?�

He looked at me amazed as if suddenly realizing that I had not been a part of this world since birth. “It’s only the most popular sport in the whole entire magical world…� He went on to explain the rules, positions, and point system. In the end I was sure I wanted to play this game, it just sounded so, well, fun. “Oh and did I mention that there are house teams?� he said in the end in an off hand voice.

“Really? Like we can play?� I asked in disbelief, feeling the excitement welling up inside me. “I want to join the team!�



“So do I, but we can’t for two reasons. One, no first years can have a broom, thus they cannot be on the team, and well, they won’t make the team. Two, there are no positions currently open on the team.�

“Oh well then by next year I plan to learn to fly, pass first year, practice, and then try out.�

“Good luck,� James chuckled, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his slacks. The grin on his face told me he planned to do the exact thing I was.

As we walked onto the Quidditch pitch, I looked around, even more stunned than before. There were probably enough seats in the pitch to seat the entire student body and half their parents. The stands were beautiful, striped with a red and gold section, a blue and bronze section, a yellow and black section, and a green and silver section, each representing one of the four houses. When I finally came back to myself, out of my dazed and awed expression, other people were arriving. Once all the students were there, a middle-aged witch with short, graying hair and bright yellow eyes came out onto the pitch.

“Hello, class I’m Madam Hooch. Please walk up to a broom lying on the ground. Once everyone is in position put your hand directly over your broom and say, ‘Up!’ Once your broom flies into your hand, mount, and I shall come around and check you grip and position. You don’t want to be slipping off your broom now do you?� she asked in a matter of fact voice.

I stepped up to my broom and looked around. When everyone else was at his or her broom, I put my hand above my own and said, “Up!� To my surprise, it flew gently into my hand and I closed my fingers around it and straddled it as I used to do as a little kid with Mum’s kitchen broom. I smiled to myself at this small reference to home. Once everyone else was on his or her broom, Madam Hooch came around to help us adjust our grip so we would not slip off the end of the broom. She and James seemed to have an easy camaraderie and nothing was corrected with his form. When she got to me, she smiled and asked, “And how long have you been flying, dear?�

“I’ve never flown. Why?�

“Because your grip is perfect and so is your position. Your form is as natural as any student that grew up in a magical household.�

I turned beet red at the compliment. “Thank you!� She moved on to the next person. Once she had gone around to everyone, she turned back to the class and said, “Ok, on my whistle I want every one to push lightly off the ground and hover and when you hear my whistle again, lean forward and land again.�

I heard the piercing peep of her whistle so I lightly pushed off, I shall never forget that moment, one second I was just standing on the ground and the next I was flying! All too soon I heard that whistle again. I leaned forward and the broom gently sank to the ground. We continued exercises like that for the rest of class until many of the Muggleborns, unlike me, who was wishing to soar around the pitch, were comfortable being a few feet from the ground. Professor Hooch dismissed us with a promise that if everyone was comfortable on his or her broom by the next lesson, we could begin the lesson on flying around the pitch. I couldn’t wait!

As I headed back across the grounds for lunch, I remembered my tea date with Professor Sprout so I headed back to the green houses. Once I arrived, I saw that she was waiting outside for me.

“Well, you sure do look a lot better than this morning,� she said happily.

“Yes, well, I just had my first flying lesson and Madam Hooch said I was a natural!�

“That’s good, dear. I was thinking the greenhouses were a bit crowded for our tea so I thought we would have it outside. It’s such a lovely day. Look around and pick a spot on the grounds.�

“How about we go over to one of the trees by the lake?� I asked, pointing to a spot beside the calm body of water where a small group of trees were standing.

“That’s perfect!�

We headed over to the lake and picked a tree so big that it would give off shade all day long. As I looked around, I realized she had not brought anything with her.

“Ummm…Professor, what about the tea? Should we go get some?�

“No, no, don’t be silly! We’re not witches for nothing.� She pulled out her wand and gave it a little flick, and suddenly there was tea and cakes and a few sandwiches on plates. I looked from the food, then to her in wonder. I can definitely get used to this!

“Dig in, dear! The plates will refill themselves.� I couldn’t hold it in any more. I was dying to ask how she could create food out of thin air. “How did you do that, and will you show me?�

Professor Sprout just chuckled and said, “I went to the kitchen earlier and asked the elves to make tea for us, and that I would summon it. I just used a summoning charm. I could show you, but why take the fun away from Filius? It’s something you learn in your fourth year Charms.�

“Who is Filius?�

“Sorry, dear. Filius is Professor Flitwick.�

“Oh, I have him next period. After that I have History of Magic.�

“You’ll enjoy them, I’m sure.� She paused. “So do you want to tell me about your family?�

In truth, I did not, but I knew that I needed to so I launched into the story of me. I told her how I’m the youngest with an older sister. She always picked on me, but it was only a little sibling rivalry. I explained to Professor Sprout how when I received my letter before Hogwarts, Petunia started yelling at me and calling me names until finally one day she told me that I wasn’t any relative of hers at all. As if I was just a distant cousin she could easily dismiss. By that time, I was crying, but I continued. “She refused to see me off at King’s Cross and I’m afraid she’ll never speak to me again!�

I took a long sip of my tea, the warmth filling the icy cold that had consumed me during my story. I wiped the tears from my eyes, and then looked up at the kindly professor who knew I just needed an ear, rather than advice.

“Thank you, Professor, for listening to me,� I said after we had sat for a few minutes in silence.

“You’re welcome, Lily. You should hurry up to the castle now. You don’t want to be late to Charms.
“Goodbye!� I called, darting towards the castle, my heart feeling so much lighter than before. I even felt better than after the flying lesson.

Once I reached Professor Flitwick’s room, I took a seat in the front of the class. Yet again, I got out my notes, ready for another hour of writing.

When Ashley came in, she sat down next to me, and then turned to face me. “Where were you at lunch? First you leave me after Herbology for flying with James, and then at lunch you don’t show up!� Although she sounded annoyed, she didn’t let her face show it.

“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry! Before Herbology this morning, I met Professor Sprout and she invited me to tea, so I went. And as for flying, James’ mum told my parents that he would watch out for me while we’re at school so he felt like ‘fulfilling his duty’. At least, I think that’s how he put it. When we got to the pitch, I was so amazed and he started telling me about Quidditch. And you know what? I want to join the team as soon as I’m allowed to!�

“Oh, okay, I thought for a little bit you really didn’t like me and you were ditching me as soon as you got the chance.�

“What! I would NEVER do something like that. Anyway, you’re my only friend here!�
Charm class was taught by a half-goblin named Professor Flitwick. He was so small that he stood on top of books on his chair when he lectured. I couldn’t help but think how adorable he was.

His lecture started the same as every other Professor’s. He introduced himself, took role , and introduced the syllabus and course aims before dismissing us.

The class immediately following took me completely by surprise. When we entered and took our seats, readying ourselves for taking notes, a ghost (much like Sir Nicholas) soared straight through the wall and began taking role. He then launched into a monotonous lecture on goblin rebellions of the 1200’s and I, along with the majority of the class, fell asleep on top of some drowsily scribbled notes. His voice was so droning that I couldn’t help myself!

I woke up when the bell rang shrilly and quickly scribbled the homework, then followed Ashley out the doors towards the common room to drop off our books before dinner.

As we headed up the stairs, my leg suddenly started to sink. “Ashley HELP!�

When Ashley turned around from her spot three stairs up, she rushed back down and quickly tried to pull me out of the stair, but in the process she slipped and her foot slid right into the stone step. Ashley looked at me, I guess trying to gauge my reaction to this setback. She must have seen that I had no clue what to do, so she took over. “Okay, on the count of three let’s yell for help. One….two…three!�

“HELP!�

We sat there for a few more seconds before I started the count down again. “One…two…three�

“HELP!�

This time, several people heard, but they happened to be Slytherins, older Slytherins at that. I had already learned that Slytherins do not like Gryffindors. One stopped and said in a sugary, false voice, “Oh did the new Gryffindor babies get stuck in the trick stair?� The girl laughed with her friends and walked by us as if we were nothing.

I was so mad that I reached out and grabbed her leg as she lifted it to jump over the stair. It slid into the stone perfectly, but her friends just glared at me and pulled her out. She turned around with an evil look in her eyes, pointed her wand at Ashley and then me. “Silenceo!� Then, she and her friends turned and left.

I turned to Ashley and opened my mouth to ask her if we should yell some more, but when I tried to get the words out nothing happened. I tried to scream and again nothing came out. I looked over at Ashley, knowing that my eyes would show the panic I was feeling, and she had a scared look on her face.

I quickly grabbed my bag and pulled out some parchment, quill, and ink jar. I started writing

Ashley, what should we do?

I don’t know

Can you see over the side of the steps?

Yes

Is anyone down there?

Yes, well… occasionally

Do you think you would be able to send sparks out of your wand to get their attention?

Maybe. Let’s give it a try.

Alright.

With that, I picked my stuff up, and Ashley got out her wand and waited for someone to come by that she could shoot sparks at. I hope that they would come to investigate where the sparks were coming from. I silently prayed that someone would come soon, because I couldn’t feel my leg from it being in the same position for so long. After a few minutes, Ashley sent sparks out of her wand, and then started to wave frantically. I turned as far around as I could to see who was coming. A girl with blond curly hair and brown eyes was coming up the stairs. I remembered her name was Marlene McKinnon. She was a first year Gryffindor with us too, but we hadn’t really talked yet.

As she approached where we were stuck she said aloud with out looking at us, “Hello, did you want someth…Oh my! I know you two! Do you need help?� I quickly nodded my head. The she immediately came over, grabbed first Ashley then me by our hands, and pulled us out.

After we had both been rescued she turned to us and asked us, “What happened? How did you both get stuck in that stair?� I opened my mouth to reply, but remembered I could not talk and I shut it again. I held up one hand, while with the other I dipped my quill in the ink and scribbled a note on the parchment I was writing on with Ashley.

I wrote to her We can’t talk some; Slytherin put a hex on us. After she read the note she said, “You two should go to Professor McGonagall.� After we nodded our heads in agreement she continued, “Do you want me to go with you?� I nodded my head again, so she headed off with us following her.

Once we had gotten to Professor McGonagall’s office, we knocked on her door. “Yes, what do you need, Miss Evans, Miss Rosewood, and Miss McKinnon?� she asked once she had opened her door. Since I still had our parchment out I quickly dipped my quill into my ink again, and wrote one word on the parchment – “Silenceo� – then handed it to my Head of House. She pulled out her wand and called “Finite Incantatum,� then looked at us with a stern expression. “Now, what happened?�

Ashley and I began speaking at once, quickly relaying the tale of getting stuck and hexed, but the professor held up her hand. “Come inside my office, and then the three of you can tell me about it one at a time.�

We both blushed as Marlene, Ashley and I followed the professor into her office and took seats across from her desk. Ashley and I retold the story, ending with the fact that we were hexed by an upper-level Slytherin student who we didn’t know the name of, and that we would have been stuck there if Marlene had not come along.

“Miss McKinnon?� Professor McGonagall asked.

“Yes?� she replied.

“Is this true?�

“Yes,� she said again.

“Well then…I think you should earn 5 house points, for helping them. Now you two, do try not to get yourself’s stuck again any time soon,� Professor McGonagall said before turning and leaving.

With that, I turned to Ashley and asked, “Now that we’re free of that wretched stair do you want to go to dinner?�
“Yes, sure. Marlene do you want to go to dinner with us?� Ashley asked.

“That is if you want to hang out with us, Marlene,� I said to her.

“I would love to, what were you two doing before you got stuck?�

“We were heading up to the common room. You are in Gryffindor, aren’t you?� I asked just to double check.

“Yes, I am. In fact I sleep in the bed across from you.�

“Oh yeah, that’s right! I remember now� I said, proud that I had been correct.

After dinner, we headed up to the Common Room where I quickly said, “Hippogriffs,� and then climbed in through the portrait hole. As soon as we all got inside, we looked for a place where we all could sit together. We ended up at one of the study tables that had been previously occupied by someone who clearly didn’t know how to clean up, because there were wads of used parchment on it and an old quill. Once we had brushed it all in to a nearby rubbish bin, we all got cozy and started to get to know each other better.

“So, Marlene,� I asked, “did you know about Hogwarts before you got your letter?�

“Yes, both my parents are magical, and my older brother is in Hufflepuff.�

“That’s cool,� Ashley said, “What year is he in?�

“Oh, he’s only in his third, but he keeps sneaking up on me from hidden corridors, and scaring the magic out of me, literally. He does it at home too. Once, when I was younger, he grabbed me from behind. I was so scared I somehow put a disillusionment charm on myself. My mum had to fix it but at first she kept missing because she couldn’t see me.� Marlene smiled to her self while recollecting the funny scene.

“So Lily, what was you first memorable magical burst?� Marlene asked, while Ashley just looked uneasily at me.

I grimaced for a moment before stating my explanation. “I was invited to James Potter’s eleventh birthday. While I was there, I got super mad at him and I closed my eyes and wished that cake would fly at his face. When I opened my eyes, it had happened. I didn’t find out later thought I was me who had done it.� I gave a little laugh as I finished my shorted version. We continued to talk until late into the evening. Luckily, for us it was the start of our first weekend.

The next morning upon my awakening, I looked at my clock and saw it was almost noon! I was so surprised I jumped up out of bed and hurriedly got ready, forgetting it was a weekend, and thinking I had missed my first class. Once I was half way through my shower I suddenly remembered it was Saturday. I felt so dumb I felt like banging my head on the wall. Once I re-entered the dormitory from the bathroom to exit it, I noticed only one other girl was awake. She was sitting on her bed reading so I quietly asked her if she wanted to hang out in the common room until the others woke up. She said yes, so we quietly left and walked down the staircase to the common room. At about one o’clock, the other girls came down and we all headed for a late lunch. Once we got back to the portrait hole, the Fat Lady, who I thought only asked for the password, said, “You don’t want to go in there.�

Curious to know why she said that, I gave her the password and, though she swung open obediently, I heard her discreetly mumble something about students and being rude. I turned my attention back to the common room, climbing through the hole when the worst smell I had ever smelled hit me in the face full force. With my eyes watering, I took a quick look around, only seeing the boys who were looking faintly ill, holding a thing that looked a little like a deflated brown balloon. I turned around and sped back to the safety of the hall, my roommates only a step behind me. Once there, after I took a huge breath of fresh air, I asked Marlene and Ashley, “What is that awful smell?�

Marlene spoke up. “A dung bomb. I think I’ve only smelled it once before. My brother dropped it and was grounded for the whole summer. That’s the only thing I can think of.�

“It must have been them,� Ashley croaked, her eyes glittering angrily.

“Them?� Marlene asked in confusion.

“The boys, Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew. They were the only living things in there and they were the only ones not at lunch,� I said with the same angry look in my eyes.

I turned back to the portrait, gave the password again, and covered my nose. Once inside, I walked over to Potter and the others, and started to scream, “WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU SET OFF A DUNG BOMB? I’M GOING TO…TO…OH AS SOON AS I LEARN SOME GOOD CURSES I’M GOING TO GET YOU! BUT UNTIL THEN, I’M JUST GOING TO HAVE TO GO GET Filch,� I said, lowering my voice and emphasizing the last word.

I do not think I had ever seen them look more scared and I could not help the feeling of triumph.

I turned around and marched back out the door to go find the man in question. In the few short days I had been here, I had learned he was the most feared caretaker that had ever worked in Hogwarts and how if he had his way, he would hang every student by their toes.

As I hurried through the corridors, I looked for either Filch or his cat, Mrs. Norris, until I finally found Mrs. Norris.

“Please go get Mr. Filch for me,� I said knowing she could understand me. In less time than I had to look around, he was suddenly there in front of me.

“Yes, what did you…� he stopped mid sentence, “I smell dung bombs, you’re going to get detention for this, girl! Come with me…now!� he said.

I followed him, trying to explain why I smelled the way I did, but he just kept cutting me off saying things like, “No excuses,� and, “But nothing.� Therefore, I decided to just wait until we reached our destination. As we were walking I reflected back to screaming at the boys and I wondered why I had done it, and even more so why I was tattle tailing on them. Potter was the only reason I could think of. Tt was like he was the only person who could just… well, make me explode like that.

In the end, we came to a door. When he opened it, it turned out to be Professor McGonagall’s office. He pulled me inside and began to rant about me and how there were Dungbombs somewhere in the castle and that it was my fault. That I set them off just to make his job more difficult and that if we were back in the day, I would be hanged by my toes for three hours for this violation. After he was done with his tirade, Professor McGonagall turned to me and asked, “Would you like to explain yourself?�

“Yes,� I said, glancing at Filch “I was just trying to tell Mr. Filch that four boys, Misters Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew, had set off a dung bomb in our common room. I had entered with my friends to find it like that, so that’s why I smell.�

“A likely story,� Flitch muttered sarcastically, crossing his arms across his chest. Professor McGonagall just gave him a quick glance, but that’s all it took.

“Thank you, Miss Evans.�

On my way back as I found my friends, who I had just left unceremoniously standing there at the portrait, I made a silent vow to get back at Potter for nearly getting me detention.

December 8th, 1971
Dear Diary,

I am sorry that I have not written in you since the train ride here, but my life has been quite hectic. I am now aquatinted with all the girls in my dorm. There is of course Ashley, but there is also Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadows, a girl who is content with being secluded Emmeline Vance, and I.

None of the other girls are as close to me as Ashley is, though I really like Marlene. She really is very sweet; she helped save Ashley and me on the second day of classes. No one really knows Dorcas, because she stays to herself. Emmeline has a very outgoing personality. She clashes with me on occasion though. We both have a pair of earrings that look alike. I left mine on my night table and when I came back, it was gone. She was wearing them the next day and I asked her if she had taken them. Of course, she denied it and we got into a bit of a fight. It only ended when Ashley came over and told Emmeline that she had borrowed her earrings. So Emmeline gave me mine back. Then she got her earrings from Ashley and started yelling at her, but Ashley just walked away.

I miss my family even though I write them every week. I found out that after I had left and Petunia was back in school, she got a boyfriend. Before him, she had had two others. The new one, his name is…umm…something Lars I think, but I am not sure.

Potter as of late is the last person I would want to see on earth. He thinks it’s “cool� to humiliate me in front of the other girls. He is just lucky I do not know any curses yet. Remus keeps leaving for a day or two every month and just says things like, “My mothers ill,� or, “I have to go visit my aunt.� I think there is something he is not telling the others or me. The boys do not seem bothered by it though; this shows what idiots they all are. First, set off a dung bomb in the Common Room, then this morning…Urg... I cannot even write about it, it makes me so mad.

Well it is time to go; I need to get some sleep, and it is 11:30.
With Love,
Lily

After finishing writing, I shut my diary and lay down, even though I knew I would not get to sleep any time soon. No, I still had Potter’s latest prank on me in my mind. He and his motley crew had decided to make everyone’s goblets float above their owners’ heads. We just learned the floating charm the other day, in Charms. I wonder if this was an original prank. I thought to myself. They each had control of a house table’s goblets. Potter had Gryffindor’s. Well, it was somewhat funny, or at least, until Potter lost control of his charm and all the goblets came crashing down on the Gryffindor’s heads. While I was drenched in pumpkin juice, I got up, walked over to Potter, and screamed at him. I would have kept yelling if Professor McGonagall had not come over and given Potter and the others detention. That stopped my yelling (for now) but if he does one more prank that goes wrong, I swear I will never stop yelling at him if I get a chance.

With that thought I drifted off to sleep, only to be awakened all too soon by Ashley. It seems that her new goal in life is to get up before the sun and now she has dragged me into her crazy idea, whether I like it or not. Which I did not. I got up, and walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on cold, got undressed, and stepped in. I truly awoke and with such speed that I yelped and literally jumped out of the shower, then turned on the hot water. I had been doing this every morning since November, but the shock did not fade.

After my shower, I got dressed, and went down to the Common Room to wait for Ashley. True, she might now be the first to awaken but she has to be slower than Petunia at picking out what accessories she was going to wear. Probably to impress Sirius, I thought wickedly. After about ten minutes, Ashley came down and was half way out the portrait door before I had even stood up. Once I was outside the portrait, I yelled at Ashley to slow down. When she actually heard me, she stopped on the landing two stories below me.

Once I caught up I asked, “Why are you in such a big hurry?�

“What?� she asked me in return, distracted.

“Earth to Ashley!� I joked. “Why are you in such a big hurry to get to the Great Hall?�

Ashley just stared at me before replying, “Uh…no reason really, except today’s my birthday.�

“What! Why in the world didn’t you tell me?� I asked, shocked that she could forget something like that.

“I didn’t want you to try and get me a present while you’re in school. Owl delivery cost a lot more than buying something in the shop.� She said this as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

“Okay, so why were you in such a big hurry? It being your birthday doesn’t explain it,� I said rationally. I happened to look up to see where we were, and that’s when I noticed that we were right in front of the Great Hall.

“My parents said they were going to send me something,� she said as we walked over to Gryffindor table.

“Cool! Do you know what it is supposed to be?� I asked, happy that someone was getting Ashley a present.

“No idea, but it should be here any minute,� she said happily.

As we sat down, the morning post arrived. Four owls, carrying a large wicker basket, flew straight at Ashley. Unlike normal deliveries, they did not just drop the basket, but they placed it carefully in front of her. Before she could open it, another owl dropped a letter in her lap. Ashley opened it and showed it to me.

Dear Ashley,
Happy 12th birthday Darling. Your father and I love you very much. Before you open your present, we advise you to take it up to your dormitory. Have a spectacular day! We hope you decide to come home for the holidays.
Love, your adoring parents
Mum and Dad

Ashley turned to me and said, “Lily, grab us some toast and let’s go back upstairs before our first class.�

She grabbed her letter, shoved it into her bag, and then gently picked up the basket. I followed her to the Entrance Hall, where I noticed she was having trouble carrying everything, so I asked, “Ashley do you want me to carry your bag?�

“Lily would you please? Thank you so much!� Ashley said hurriedly, while she took her bag off and tried not to drop the basket.

As we got to the portrait, I quickly said the password and held the door open for her. We all but ran up the staircase to our dormitory, where Ashley sat the basket on her bed. She plopped down on it for a second and reread her letter to try to find a clue as to what it is. I went over to the basket and tried to see into it, but I couldn’t.

“Open it Ashley,� I urged her.

“Ok well here goes,� she said as she started to undo the leather fastenings. As she tipped the top back, I caught a glimpse of the cutest kitten I had ever seen. It was all black except its paws, which were white, and a starburst on its forehead. It was sleeping soundly. Ashley reached in and I thought she was going to pick it up, but instead she picked up another letter. She read it, and let out a delighted squeak.

“My parents sent her to me, and said I get to name her. She has a sleeping spell put on her and it should wear off any time!� Ashley whispered, smiling.

“She is so adorable! What are you going to name her?� I asked, just as excited as Ashley was.

“Hmm…I think I’ll name her Starburst because of the starburst shape on her forehead. Star for short,� she said.

Just then, Star started to wake up. Once she was wide-awake, she looked around and took in her new surroundings. When she looked at me, I saw that her eyes were bright ice blue, just like Ashley’s. How awesome that her parents were able to get a kitten with such remarkable eyes! I thought suddenly.

“Ashley, we should get to class now. We’re going to be late,� I said sadly, because I didn’t want to leave Star and I knew that Ashley wanted to stay with her even more than me.

“Alright, let’s hurry though.� She bent and kissed the kitten quickly on the forehead, and then whispered, “I’ll be back soon Star!� With that, we ran out the dormitory.

We had Herbology first. Ever since Professor Sprout helped me feel better, I had come to visit her in some of my spare time, helping water some of the less harmful plants, and talking. Once we reached the Green House I was surprised that she was nowhere in sight. After a few minutes, we all moved close to the Green House for warmth.

After about fifteen minutes of waiting, she still had not showed up and I was starting to get worried. Then Potter said loudly, “I’m cold. I’m going to head back up to the castle because it looks like she’s not going to show up.� With that, he started back up towards the castle. As the rest of the class was leaving, I was unsure of whether or not I should go with them or not. As I was about to go with the few remaining students that were about to leave, Potter yelled at me, “Hey Evans! Are you coming? Hurry up!� When he said that, I got so angry that I turned back around towards the Green House and away from him.

By now, Professor Sprout was about 30 minutes late and I was worried, so I decided to go look for her. I took one last look behind me and saw that everyone had left. Except Potter, who was heading back down from the school. It looked like he was coming to get me. I quickly turned back around to get away from him, and to look for Professor Sprout. As I reached the Green House I whispered to myself, “I guess the first place to start is inside,� and I turned the doorknob to go in.

Once inside, I looked around for her, but did not see her. Therefore, I decided to look around. You never know; she could have forgotten class, while taking care of some of the plant’s in here. Knowing her that is what happened. I thought, thinking of the woman I had come to think of as more of a friend than a teacher. She always acted like her head was in the clouds, but then again she was the Head of Hufflepuff. As I wandered farther into the building, I heard the door open and close. I turned around to see Potter, standing by the door looking around. Once he spotted me, he hurried over.

“Evans,� he said, exasperated, “She’s not here. Let’s go back up to the castle. That way at least, we can tell Professor Dumbledore that she is missing.� I simply shook my head; I knew that something was not right about this.

“No, she’s here somewhere, I’m sure of it,� I said as I continued to walk deeper into the greenhouse. However, the farther I walked the more unsure I felt that I was right. After walking through the whole greenhouse, with Potter still following behind me, I decided to give up.

“Let’s go,� I said in a weary voice. I was very worried about my friend. As we walked back towards the entrance, I decided, that I would walk around the greenhouse, to see if she was out back. Therefore, instead of heading for the castle when we got outside I turned to the right, which was the fastest way to the back.

“Evans, she’s not here. Let’s go tell Professor Dumbledore or McGonagall.�

I just shook my head and kept walking. By the time we had gone completely around the greenhouse, I was distraught. I had no clue what had happened to my friend and mentor.

“Ok fine, let’s go back, Potter,� I said, caught between the fear that she had been hurt, and the hope that she had just overslept.

We reached the castle and started heading, or at least I thought, to Professor McGonagall’s office. Instead of going up another flight of stairs and taking a left, we only went to the second floor and down a long hallway. At the end, we reached a statue, but before I could see what it was, I heard someone coming up behind us. I turned around and there was Professor McGonagall.

“Um, Professor. We came to see Professor Dumbledore,� Potter told her.

“May I ask why you are coming to see the Headmaster, instead of being in class?�

“Because Professor Sprout is missing,� I spoke up.

“Well then, he’s right inside,� she said and walked past us right up to the statue, to which she said something that sounded oddly like Twizzlers, which I thought was weird because that is a Muggle sweet. So I must have been mistaken.

Once we got inside, after going up a moving set of stairs, we reached a large door. Professor McGonagall knocked and the door opened almost immediately. Professor McGonagall strode into the office and when she saw that we had not followed her, she signaled for us to come in also.

“Headmaster, Miss Evans, and Mr. Potter have something of importance to tell you,� she said and gave us a look that said that we should tell Professor Dumbledore, who was standing there in front of us waiting patiently. Potter glanced at me with a look that said 'You can tell.'

“Um, well, we were on our way to class. Well, we were at class but Professor Sprout never showed up. We were very worried. So we were looking all around the greenhouses, because everyone else had left, but she wasn’t there so James thought it was a good idea to come tell you,� I said, in one rushed breath.

“Humm….This is not good. Thank you. Will go you tell the rest of the first year Gryffindor students that this class period will be used for studying,� he said distractedly . I took that as a dismissal, and Potter was close behind me as we left the office.