As Lily placed that hat back on its stool she became conscious of loud cheering coming from one of the four long tables in the hall. She assumed that it was the Gryffindor table, and began to walk over. The clapping continued as Lily approached the table, making her feel more than a little self-conscious. She nervously patted at her hair as she looked for a seat. As the noise died down Lily heard someone call out.
"There's room down here, Miss Evans!"
Lily looked towards the voice and saw an older girl, of about seventeen, looking at her expectantly. The girl had red hair like Lily, and was a little on the plump side. Lily smiled at her and began to make her way towards her.
"Make room Arthur," the girl said, nudging the boy sitting next to her. The couple scooted over along the bench so that there was room next to the girl.
"Hello, dear, I'm Molly Prewitt and this is Arthur Weasley. We're seventh years," she said. "Welcome to Gryffindor."
"Thank you. I'm afraid I don't know anyone else here," Lily said shyly. "You see, I'm muggleborn, and-" She was interrupted before she could continue by Arthur.
"Are you really?" he asked with excitement. "Have you even got ekeltricity?"
"Arthur, stop being rude to the poor girl. I'm sorry, Lily." Molly asked apologetically.
"You see, Arthur has a slight obsession with anything muggle, so I am afraid you may have to endure some extensive questioning during the feast. Feel free to sit somewhere else if you want. There's no stopping his chatter when it comes to muggles. I've tried for years, but to no avail."
"It's alright, really. I don't mind," Lily said, glad that she had met such a nice couple.
"So," Arthur began, "ekeltricity..."
Their conversation went on in that manner for a while longer, Arthur asking questions and Lily answering. She barely even noticed that the sorting was still going on until she saw Remus Lupin through the corner of her eye, walking in her direction.
"Remus! You're in Gryffindor too? Whatever will your parents think?" Lily asked him with a smile.
"They'll live," he said. "I have a couple of relatives that were in Gryffindor, so I think it will blow over eventually."
"Well, in any case, I'm glad we were both sorted into the same house," Lily told him. Lily was startled by a quiet cough from behind her. "Oh! I'm sorry, where are my manners? Remus, this is Molly Prewitt."
"Remus Lupin," he said, shaking her hand. He turned to Arthur, held out his hand and said, "and you must be a Weasley?"
Arthur's ears turned a light shade of red as he spoke. "I am, in fact. Arthur Weasley. But I must say, you appear to have me at a disadvantage."
"My father works with yours at the Ministry. The stories I've heard about Nigel Weasley... Anyway, my father mentioned Nigel had a son in Gryffindor, and you certainly have the distinguishing Weasley hair."
"Ah, yes, Romulus Lupin. That's where I've heard the name before. My father tells me he is a very good man," Arthur said.
"Thank you," Remus said sincerely. He sat down next to Lily and began a conversation with Arthur about the Ministry and other wizarding topics that Lily knew nothing about. She was very interested in what they had to say so she tuned out Professor McGonagall again. She barely registered the Professor's voice as it called off names. Eventually, McGonagall reached a name that was of interest to Lily, snapping her attention back to the sorting. McGonagall had just called off 'Potter, James.' Lily noticed that the murmur of the hall dimmed a little bit as heads turned to watch the raven haired boy walk to the front of the room. Lily couldn't help but watch intently as James Potter placed the hat over his head.
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted to the room after a few seconds of deliberation. Lily watched as Potter removed the hat and placed it back on the stool. Around her, her fellow Gryffindors were clapping. Lily even heard a few loud whoops coming from the end of the table. She looked down it and saw Sirius Black cheering, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Lily couldn't help but laugh at his ridiculous dancing.
She couldn't hear, but she saw Potter say something to McGonagall making her give him a stern look. Lily could tell, though, that she wasn't really mad, she could almost discern a twitch at the corners of her mouth. Potter had some nerve talking to her like that and Lily couldn't believe that McGonagall put up with it. She couldn't stand that Potter was going to be able to get away with anything he wanted because he had all the teachers in his back pocket.
"Oh, lovely," Lily said in an undertone, sighing.
"What's lovely?" Molly asked.
"Just that he's in Gryffindor!"
"Of course he's a Gryffindor. He's a Potter," Arthur said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh no, not that again. That Potter boy is such a prat!" Lily said angrily.
"Well, the Potter's have been in Gryffindor for generations. It's not all that unexpected," Arthur told Lily.
"But he's a Potter. Don't you know about his family?" Molly asked.
"No, but I really don't care. That should have nothing to do with his treatment. You people all act as though he is royalty."
"He practically is, Lily," Remus told her. "His father, Harold Potter, is the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry, might even be Minister of Magic some day. His mother, Sylvia, is the lead Healer at St. Mungo's." Lily looked at Remus, unable to keep the shock from her face. She had assumed that the Potter family was one of those that you always hear about, a family with 'old money.' It seemed though, that they deserved the respect of the magical community, that they weren't just riding on the family name.
At first, this made her reconsider her treatment of their son, but upon further thought, she realized that she was right. Harold and Sylvia Potter deserved her respect, but their son had done nothing to earn it. If James Potter wanted Lily to be civil to him, he would have to give her a reason.
Lily looked back over at Potter who she was shocked to notice was grinning at her. Grinning? Lily thought skeptically. No, he is most definitely not grinning at me. He's smirking at me, bragging... arrogant prat! Lily sent an ominous glare at Potter and his snobbish smirk and inwardly smiled at his shocked reaction as he walked over to where Sirius was sitting.
Lily knew that the sorting was nearing its end when the sorting hat announced that 'Winters, Alice' was to be in Gryffindor. Lily clapped and smiled openly as her new friend walked towards her.
"Congratulations, Alice!" Lily exclaimed, standing to hug her.
"Thanks. I don't think I have ever been more nervous in my life. Seriously, I nearly went in my pants. My goodness, my heart is still fluttering."
Lily laughed. "It couldn't have been that bad," she said, adding, "at least the hat didn't know your whole life story," in a slight undertone.
"No, it was pretty awful. I put on the hat, then nothing. I just sat there. Nothing happened, I thought the thing wasn't even go to sort me. I thought that someone had realized that I really wasn't supposed to be here, that I wasn't a witch or something. How long was I up there, anyway? It felt like years," Alice said and without taking a breath and continued.
"Anyway, all of sudden the thing started talking to me. Do you know what it said?" she asked, but continued before Lily could guess. "It said that my hair smelled nice! A hat! It said that it knew I was nervous and it was just trying to make me sweat a little. The nerve! I can't believe that a stupid hat was taunting me like that. But Merlin, I was definitely sweating. I think this blouse is ruined, thank goodness for these stupid robes. I must look awful. How's my hair?"
"Slow down, Alice," Lily said, smiling at her last question. She couldn’t follow what Alice was saying, so she tried to cover all the bases. "It's over, and you were sorted. You are a witch. You're a Gryffindor. And you were only up there for a second, don't worry about that. The stupid hat took ages for me. You look lovely, and your hair... My dear, if my hair ever looked that good I would die happy. Remus, shut your mouth," Lily added. She couldn't help but notice that throughout Alice's whole speech Remus had been staring at them with his mouth hung open completely petrified.
"I don't think I have ever heard anyone talk that fast. How do you do it? It seems so... exhausting." Alice and Lily were laughing at Remus' astonishment when Arthur interjected.
"Remus, clearly you have not spent enough time with Molly. She has mastered the art." Molly gave him a swat on the arm.
"I resent that Mr. Weasley!" Molly said playfully.
"Oh, then in that case, I am very sorry, Mrs. Weasley." Molly's face turned a shade of red that easily rivaled that of her hair.
Lily looked astonished. "Are you two engaged?"
"That we are," Arthur said with a huge grin, wrapping his arm around Molly. "We're getting married this summer."
"Congratulations," Alice said politely.
"Thank you... it's Alice, right?" Molly asked.
"My goodness, my manners really have escaped me tonight. What my mother would think! Molly, this is Alice Winters. Alice, this is Arthur Weasley and this is Molly Prewitt," Lily said.
"Prewitt? You wouldn't happen to be related to Gideon and Fabian, are you?" Alice asked.
"Yes, they're my brothers. How do you know them?"
"My brother went to school with them. I used to hear so many stories about them. They even visited the house one summer."
"Oh no, that can never be good," Molly said with a smile. "I hope they didn't completely destroy your innocence."
"Well, apart from never being able to see another stuffed rabbit without bursting out laughing, I don't think I was permanently scarred." The group laughed, but were cut short by Dumbledore who stood up to address the students.
"Welcome, students, to another exciting year at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore said. "Now that the lovely Professor McGonagall," he began, but was interrupted by a loud whistle. Lily could see his eyes sparkle with amusement as he said, "Thank you, Mr. Black, that will be enough." Lily didn't miss the slightly red tint of McGonagall's face as all of this was going on.
"As I was saying, now that Professor McGonagall has finished the sorting, let the feast begin!"
The feast lasted about an hour until everyone was too full to eat anything more. Lily had never eaten more of her favourite foods at once before. She had thoroughly enjoyed every bite from beginning to end, especially the treacle tarts. She felt herself getting tired when Dumbledore stood at last. Lily was so tired that she barely recognized anything that Dumbledore had said. Her head was resting on her hand and she would have ended up face first in her leftover dessert had it not been for a discrete nudge from Alice. Soon enough Lily was shocked back into reality when everyone around her stood to leave. Alice tugged on her sleeve to get her to stand up. Lily, Alice and Remus were heading towards a tall blonde girl who was calling for the first years when they were stopped by Professor McGonagall.
"Mr. Lupin, I would like a word with you, if you please." Lily looked at Remus questioningly, but he didn't meet her eye.
"But..." Alice began.
"Don't worry, Miss Winters, I will escort him to Gryffindor Tower when we are through," McGonagall told her.
"Yes, ma'am." Lily and Alice left the great hall leaving Remus behind with their head of house.
"What do you think that was about?" Alice asked.
"I have no idea," Lily said, wondering herself why the Deputy Headmistress needed to speak to Remus Lupin.
"I am positively exhausted," Lily said as she flopped down on her new bed.
"Well, positively exhausted, nice to meet you. I'm stuffed," said a dark haired girl to Lily's left who had, by the looks of it already passed out on her bed.
"I second that!" Alice said as she toed off her shoes and began to change into her pajamas.
"The name's Kayleigh Amelia Sullivan, by the way. Everyone calls me Kay, only my dad uses Kayleigh, and my mum is the only one who ever sticks on the Amelia, and those situations are never pleasant. Normally I'd shake your hand but I'm afraid I can't lift my arm at this point," the girl said. Her voice was slightly muffled by her pillow but her thick Irish accent clearly noticeable. Lily couldn't place it, but she felt like Kay reminded her of someone.
"Alice Winters. The snoring one over there is Lily Evans." At this a pillow came flying at Alice and in her current state of affairs she didn't react quickly enough. The pillow hit her in the face knocking her off the trunk that she was sitting on.
Lily laughed and mumbled, "I do not snore. But I am Lily Evans, at least she got that much right."
"So what do you girls think of all this so far?" Kay asked. "It's pretty incredible if you ask me."
"The bed is comfortable, and at this point that's all I can think about."
"I like the way you think, Daisy." At this Lily sat up straight.
"What did you just call me?"
"It's just a nickname. I give them to everyone, my poor brother has been Smoosh since he was two," Kay offered as an explanation.
"Oh, well, just not Daisy. Okay? That stupid prat called me Daisy."
"And would that stupid prat go by the name of Potter?" Alice asked.
"Potter? You two know James?" Kay asked, surprised.
"You're on a first name basis with him?" Alice asked her.
"I know him a little bit," she said, not being entirely honest with the other two. "Why? Are you guys friends with him?"
"Hardly!" Lily began. "He is the most insufferable, snobbish, infuriating, bratty little boy I have ever met!"
Struggling to keep a straight face, Kay said, "that insufferable, snobbish, infuriating, bratty little boy just happens to be my cousin."
At this Lily's face went completely white. Kay could barely keep her laughter in as she watched Lily's face. It went quickly from shock to anger to embarrassment and back to shock within seconds.
"Er... I am so sorry. That was completely inappropriate. I don't really know him all that well... Ummm..." As Lily was struggling to find words Kay couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"What is it, exactly, that you find so humorous?" Lily asked her seriously.
"It's just that everyone who's ever met James always goes on and on about what a 'darling boy' he is. But that is clearly not how you see him," Kay said with a laugh. "But, between you and me, you got it right."
"I don't understand."
"Was I not speaking English? I have this awful habit of speaking in French randomly." Lily didn't miss the sarcasm. "Seriously, though, James is a prat. You don't need to persuade me of what a git he is. Jamie, my nickname for him, of course, used to pull the heads off all of my Wailing Wendy dolls when he came to visit. Don't get me wrong, James is my cousin and I love him to death, but sometimes I feel like smacking him over the head."
"Well, it looks like we have something in common," Lily told Kay.
"You should give him a chance though, Red. He's grown up a bit since then."
"Red?" Lily asked quizzically.
"No?"
"Sure, why not? I could think of a worse nickname. For a while there my own sister called me 'Freak,'" Lily said, still slightly upset by Petunia's attitude after Lily got her letter. "I think she's gotten over that now. Anyway, I don't know about your cousin. He was pretty inexcusably rude to me on the train."
"That's just James. He's defensive around people he doesn't know."
"Oh, is that the term for it then?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow at Kay.
"Really, once he warms up to you he won't be so bad. I'll bet he threw the Potter card on the train, huh?"
"Oh, only about a half dozen times," Lily replied, enjoying the fact that Kay knew her cousin so well. It could definitely prove advantageous in the future.
"You see, I got off easy there. My mum is Uncle Harold's sister, so I'm not stuck with the Potter name. I'm not under as much pressure as Jamie is to 'uphold the family name,' as Grandpa used to put. James is just used to heads turning when they hear that his name is Potter. It probably shocked him when you didn't recognize it."
"You could say that. I'm pretty sure I shocked the bunch of them. Even that Sirius boy who was trying to act like nothing could ruffle his feathers," Lily said.
"Yeah, I could see that. Sirius is always acting like he is the best thing since sliced bread. Not in a bad way though; he makes up for it with his sense of humour."
"He does seem to be the comedian. You should have seen him on the boat," Lily said with a smile that was interrupted by an enormous yawn.
"Well, in any case, you should give Jamie another chance, he may not be what he seems, Red."
"We'll see I guess. Blimey, I am tired, and all this talk about James Potter certainly isn't helping..." Lily was beginning to nod off when she heard something.
"What in the name of Merlin is that?" Lily asked, bewildered. Kay looked around the dorm and when she found the source of the noise she let out a small laugh.
"It looks like Sleeping Beauty over there is snoring." Lily looked around the dorm until she saw Alice's bed. Expecting to see her friend in the bed next to hers Lily was shocked to see that it was empty and had been stripped of its blankets. Lily's eyes settled on a blob of fabric between her bed and Alice's. She laughed.
"Is that...?"
"I believe so," Kay told her. "And to think that she accused you of snoring? Here's to hoping we learn how to cast silencing charms quickly!" It seemed as though instead of climbing into her bed Alice had opted to pull the covers off of it and camp out on the floor. Then something struck Lily.
"Hang on, Sleeping Beauty? How do you know about that? It's a muggle story." Lily was beginning to develop a sensitivity to anything muggle. She so rarely heard terms that she recognized that they stuck out to her when they were mentioned.
"My dad was a muggle. We used to watch movies all the time together," Kay said. Lily couldn't help but notice the sad tone in Kay's voice.
"Was?" Lily asked quietly.
"He died a few years ago. Car accident." Lily could tell that talking about her father was hard for Kay. She regretted bringing it up.
"I am so sorry, Kay. I know that it doesn't help any to say that, but really, I'm sorry."
"Thanks," Kay whispered. For a second Lily wished that she knew the girl better so that she could go comfort her. A second later she figured it didn't matter so traversed the few feet between her bed and Kay's.
"Hey, it'll be okay," she said. Lily could see the tears falling down Kay's cheek and pulled the girl into a hug. She felt Kay tense up for a second, but then she could feel the other girls muscles begin to relax. For a few minutes the girls stayed like that; Kay cried and Lily held her until she was ready to talk about it.
"At home at least I had Mum to keep me together. I'm all alone here."
"You aren't alone, Kay. You have me, and Alice. James is here too," Lily told her.
"It's just so hard being here. He was so excited about Hogwarts. More excited than I was I think," she said with a sad laugh and a few tears. "Mum always told us the greatest stories about this place. He loved magic, everything about it. I swear he should have been born a wizard. When I was seven, I got so mad at him for not letting me watch the Brady Bunch one night. I was so angry I started screaming at him, the next thing I knew the telly blew up. I have never seen him so happy. Dad always told me that was his proudest moment. It was the first time I had done anything magical. We finally knew that I would get to go to this magical castle that Mum had made us fall in love with. He was so excited for me. He made me promise to tell him everything about it when I came. Now I'm finally here, and he's not. He'll never get to hear about it; I'll never get to tell him about it all," Kay sobbed.
"Shhh, it's alright," Lily said, stroking Kay's hair, doing her best to channel her mother who was always the best at comforting Lily when she was upset. A few minutes later, after Kay had calmed a bit, the two girls fell asleep, completely exhausted from everything that happened that day. It was on this first night at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that Lily Evans and Kay Sullivan developed an extraordinary friendship, one that would endure many more hardships along the way.
A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. I enjoyed writing it, especially the scene where we meet Kay. Please leave me a review letting me know what you think of the story so far.
Anyone who found the reference let me know in a review and I will love you forever!