“Lily Evans. I have heard so much about you…”
“Me?” Lily asked, incredulously. “I don’t think so,” she said, only taking a second to consider the absurdity of having a conversation with a hat.
“Well, you are Lily Marie Evans, are you not?” the sorting hat asked.
“Yes, that’s me, but I don’t see how you would have heard of me. I’m only a muggleborn, I’m nothing special.”
“Au contraire, Miss Evans. You are an exceedingly special girl. Professor Dumbledore and I were just discussing you this afternoon, actually.”
Lily blushed at the hat’s comment. Did it do this with everyone? The other kids didn’t seem to take this long. She wondered why the hat thought that she was particularly special.
“And how is that?” she asked sceptically.
“How long have you known that you were a witch, Miss Evans?” it asked her. Lily could tell from its tone that the hat was taking the long way to explain, but she answered anyway.
“I got my letter about a month ago. That was when I first knew,” Lily replied honestly.
“Wrong!” The hat exclaimed.
“Wrong? What are you talking about? I could not have known about being a witch before I got that letter. I didn’t even know magic existed before that. Well, minus the sort that I saw at the fair, but we both know that isn’t real.”
“Quite right, that isn’t real. It’s the work of fakes like that who give the wizard kind a bad name. Pulling a rabbit out of a hat? Honestly! About as useful as another hole in the head!” Lily smiled at the hat’s vehemence on the issue.
“Miss Evans, I am not talking about your letter. When was it that you first knew that you were magical?”
“I told you, my letter…”
“Wrong! How about little Jimmy Fisher?”
“Jimmy Fisher? Jimmy Fisher from the second grade?” She asked scepticism obvious in her tone. “What are you talk…” Lily gasped, slapping her hand over her mouth.
“How did you know about Jimmy Fisher?”
“Miss Evans, I know everything. I challenge you to think of one thing that I do not know.” Lily scanned her memory for something that the hat would not know. “Billy Gaverty? Nope, I know about that one too. Sean O’Malley. Scott Parsons. Corey Standish. I could go on for hours. You really were quite the tough little girl, weren’t you Miss Evans?”
“Ummm…,” was all Lily could say. As the hat continued naming boys from her past Lily’s face had gotten redder and redder. She was certain that everyone in the room beyond was staring at her beet red face. Lily had no idea how the hat knew about all those boys; it must have been able to read her mind. With every name that the hat mentioned Lily realized that she had been exhibiting magical abilities for a very long time, she just hadn't known about it.
The hat’s words made Lily recall events that were years past. The first boy, Jimmy Fisher, was in her year two class. Lily didn’t like him; he picked his nose, which for a seven year old girl is easily enough justification for dislike. But Jimmy had a crush on Lily. He was always trying to sit next to her and hold her hand. Lily wouldn’t have any of that behaviour. Her father made sure of that. She vividly remembered her father telling her as a little girl that she was not to allow boys to touch her until she was at least thirty five, and at the age of seven Daddy’s word is as good as gospel.
One day, Lily recalled, Jimmy tried to kiss her. His attempt did not end well for either involved. Not only did Jimmy receive a slap on the face, but he somehow ended up with pink hair, and he never did get that kiss. Lily ended up getting sent home with a very harsh Letter. No body could explain how Jimmy's hair had turned pink, but now Lily realized that she had done it inadvertently with magic.
Billy Gaverty, a brutish boy with a face reminiscent of a pug, did not like Lily. He was constantly bullying her and making fun of her red hair. Lily recalled year three at her primary school; there wasn’t a day that went by without him picking on her. Until, that is, something happened to make him stop. It was break time and Lily was playing hopscotch with a few of her friends when Billy the Bully came over. For no apparent reason he shoved Lily so hard that she fell and skinned her knee. Lily stood up, bloody knee and all, and gave him the classic, “pick on someone your own size” speech. Billy just laughed, and turned to leave, but as he was walking away, he fell flat on his face, to the delight of Lily and her friends. Somehow his shoelaces had tied themselves together. Lily always assumed that one of his friends had done it to play a joke on him. As she remembered that day, Lily unconsciously was rubbing her knee; she still had the scar.
Sean O'Malley, Scott Parsons and Corey Standish did absolutely nothing wrong. It wasn’t their fault that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lily’s year five teacher, Mrs. Sanderson, was awful. She was a short, squat woman of approximately fifty years. She always wore the atypical outfits that every primary school teacher wears, shoulder pads and all. Mrs. Sanderson had an unsightly mole directly above her decidedly unfeminine moustache. She had an annoyingly raspy voice that was constantly used to scold her students, especially Lily. All in all, Mrs. Sanderson was the type of teacher that everyone loves to hate.
Mrs. Sanderson and Lily did not get along in any manner. The two were like oil and water; they did not mix. The particular day that came to mind was March 17th. The only reason that Lily remembered so specifically was because it was the date of her last day at Hampton Primary school. Her class was beginning its break time and nearly everyone had already left the room. Only Lily, Scott, Corey and Mrs. Sanderson remained inside. Lily approached the teacher intending on speaking with her about an inaccuracy in the history lesson.
Mrs. Sanderson was standing with her back to Lily erasing the chalk from the board. Lily cleared her throat.
"What is it now, Miss Evans?" Mrs. Sanderson asked, turning around.
"I couldn't help but notice that you made a mistake during the history lesson, ma'am," Lily said timidly. She did not mean it to offend the teacher, merely to correct her for the future.
"I assure you, Miss Evans that I know more about history than you. I did not make a mistake in the lesson, perhaps you were misinformed."
"Well, it's just that you said that 'the only thing we have to fear is fear itself' was said by Churchill during World War II, but really it wasn't," Lily said.
"Miss Evans, are you questioning my knowledge of history?"
"No ma'am, I am sure that everything else was correct, you just misquoted Churchill."
"I didn't, Miss Evans. I can tell you without a doubt that it was he who said that at the onset of World War II," Mrs. Sanderson said, clearly affronted that a student would question her teaching.
"It wasn't, Mrs. Sanderson! That quote was part of one of Franklin Roosevelt's speeches."
"Miss Evans, I am tired of your nonsense! Please get your things and head outside this instant!"
"But you're wrong," Lily said, beginning to get angry. Lily hated it when Mrs. Sanderson acted as though Lily knew nothing about what she was talking about. In reality Lily knew an inordinate amount about world history; her father was a history professor at a university and was constantly spouting random facts to Lily and her sister. "I am certain it was Roosevelt! My father has it framed in his office at home..."
"I well not tolerate this any longer, young lady. You and your father are both wrong. Get outside this instant or I will inform the Headmaster of your behaviour!"
Lily could understand the teacher questioning a ten-year-old's knowledge of history, but she was furious that Mrs. Sanderson would question her father. Lily loved her father regardless of his bookish ways. It was he that got Lily interested in learning; his enthusiastic nature about education was infectious, and Lily caught the bug. She was very proud of her father and her family, and easily became angry when anyone spoke badly of them.
Lily was enraged and shouted, "My father is not wrong, you are." When Lily was enraged she tended to say was she thought regardless of propriety. This was one of those occasions. Lily's passionate and slightly immature ten-year-old self came through loud and clear when she said, "I would be surprised if anything you have ever taught me was true! And have you ever considered waxing that upper lip of yours? I suppose if you can't outdo my father in historical terms at least you can take comfort in the fact that you have a fuller moustache than him!" With that Lily stormed out of the classroom and ran the four blocks to her house where she stayed the rest of the day.
Within the next few days it was decided that Lily would finish the school year at a private school due to the animosity between Lily and her teacher. Lily and her parents returned to the school to gather her things from the classroom. When they entered the room Mrs. Sanderson turned towards the door. Lily couldn't help but giggle. Her parents just stared, open-jawed at Mrs. Sanderson. It occurred to them that maybe Lily's accusations that Mrs. Sanderson was mentally unstable could have been true. The reason for their reactions was the peculiarity of the teacher's appearance. On her face was a black moustache that appeared to have been drawn on with a marker. Lily thought that it was quite appropriate and laughed some more as she gathered her things. Upon cleaning out her cubby Lily noticed that Mrs. Sanderson was not the only one with a strange moustache, but Sean, Scott and Corey all had matching moustaches as well. Lily didn't understand at the time, but now she knew that she had been the cause of the moustaches; that in her rage she lost control of her magic and had inadvertently drawn moustaches on anyone near her.
"That's right, Miss Evans. You have been magical all your life," the hat told Lily.
"Okay, I can believe that, but that doesn't make me any more special than any of the kids here."
"No, I suppose it doesn't. What makes you special has to do with your acceptance to Hogwarts."
"How so?"
"Well, normally a child's name is marked down on the Hogwarts list when he first exhibits magical ability. That is how it works no matter who they are. It's the same whether or not they have magical parents. In every single case this was how it happened, even in with the most remarkable wizards throughout history."
"Alright, so I was added when I turned Jimmy's hair pink?"
"No. You are correct in assuming that, though. Your name should have been added then, but you are a special case, as I have been telling you. Your name was not added when you first used magic," the hat informed her.
"Then when was I added?" Lily asked, growing increasingly confused with the entire situation.
"Guess," the hat said in a playful tone.
"I don't have any clue," she said, not wanting to play his game.
"Oh, come on, just give it a guess."
"Birth?" She asked incredulously.
"Close, but wrong. Your name was marked down even before your birth."
Lily's mouth dropped open. "How is that even possible?"
"I haven't a clue, and neither has Dumbledore. I don't mean to come off as arrogant, but Albus Dumbledore and I have the greatest minds since the founders of this education, and you have baffled us, Miss Evans. You, my dear, are a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. No one understands how the name 'Lily Marie Evans' was magically written on a very important piece of parchment even before there ever was a record of Lily Marie Evans in England or anywhere else. That is why you are special. It is my opinion that you will become an extraordinary witch some day. Lily Evans is not a name that the world will soon forget," the hat said, adding as an afterthought, "well, perhaps the Evans part..."
Lily could not respond, she didn't know what to think.
"Now... I must get back on task. Hmmm.... Where to put you?" the hat paused, and then added, "Where do you think that you should go, Miss Evans?" the hat asked Lily.
"Is it my choice?"
"No, not in the end."
"Then why does it matter?" she asked.
"Humour me, will you?"
"Alright. I do not want to be in Slytherin, obviously. Hufflepuff either, I don't think that I would fit in there. But other than that, I don't know," she sighed. The house issue had been on her mind since she had first overheard Potter talking about it on the train.
"Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, eh? Tough decision between those two, it always is. Very interesting. I have a feeling though."
"You are going to base this decision on a feeling?" Lily asked in disbelief, astonished and a little apprehensive that her future depended on the 'feeling' that an old, battered talking hat had.
"Yes. Intuition can be a very powerful thing, even coming from a hat. But I do have a feeling that you were always meant for this house and will do very well there. I am confident that you will grow to be a remarkable witch some day, Miss Evans. I am sure of it."
"Well, what's it going to be then?"
"My decision is to place you in GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted to the rest of the room. Relief flowed over Lily as she realized that Gryffindor was where she wanted to be all along. As she removed the hat from her head she distinctly heard it say, "make sure to come visit me for another chat sometime, Miss Evans..."
A/N: That's all for now. I am sorry that it took so long for an update. I kind of dug myself a hole with the sorting hat thing, and it took some time to sort that out. I hope you liked it, it's definitely not my favorite chapter because I didn't involve any other characters, it is sort of just a filler one. I think that after the next chapter I will FINALLY be done with Lily's first day at Hogwarts! Took long enought, huh?
Anyway, make sure to leave a review, I appreciate them more than you could know.
**Points to those who recognize the Churchill quote I stuck in there**
Thanks to my new beta joeandnath for sorting everything out!