They were having class in a dungeon... a dungeon! Lily had never been in a dungeon in her life. Of course, she had never really been in a castle either, besides a few touristy visits. Goosebumps erupted all over her arms as she walked through the stone archway that served as the door to the Potions classroom. The students’ cauldrons had been deposited earlier�”by whom, Lily did not know�”and now stood simmering next to rows of tables. Lily shivered again as she realized she was about to do her first real magic! Well, Potions didn’t require the use of her wand, but still....

As the ten Gryffindors took their seats (all ten Ravenclaw first years were already seated), Lily took notice of the large man at the head of the room. Professor Slughorn, as he introduced himself, was a rotund man who distinctly reminded Lily of a walrus. But he was nice enough, she thought. He spent a good ten minutes name-dropping, though, as if his students really cared that by his help Chester Clevenger had quickly ascended the ranks of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.

But then began the discussion of actual Potions-related material, which was absolutely fascinating to Lily. She had occasionally tried to help her mother with the family’s cooking (Violet Evans needed all the help she could get!), and was delighted to hear Professor Slughorn compare his classroom to a kitchen. “And if one of you could whip up a potion for some candied pineapples, well that would be mighty fine indeed,” he said with a hearty wink.

He then proceeded to introduce some basic potion ingredients from their supplies, asking various questions about them. Lily was beyond ecstatic when her answer on the correct use of Bishop’s Weed in Love Potions scored her five points for Gryffindor. Gwendolyn, who was sitting next to Lily, raised her eyebrows and looked at her, clearly impressed. Lily smiled and then whispered guiltily that her answer had been based on luck alone�”the only potions she had happened to read about during the summer were Love Potions. This made Gwendolyn grin even wider.

But Lily’s five points for Gryffindor were soon overshadowed by the tremendous effort of one Gaspard Shingleton, a Ravenclaw boy who had apparently memorized his copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. If the buttons on Professor Slughorn’s waistcoat were about to burst already, Lily thought they would only last a few more seconds the way he kept puffing up his chest with pride at Gaspard’s answers. After answering a few questions about animal ingredients in potions, Gaspard launched into a lecture on precisely how to use Mooncalf dung to its fullest extent in common fertilizer potions. Sirius, at a great contrast to the beaming Professor Slughorn however, merely groaned and whispered to James that he’d like to find a sample of Mooncalf Dung to demonstrate precisely how to use it to its fullest extent by chucking a bit at the back of Gaspard Shingleton’s fat head.

Lily tried not to laugh as she copied down notes from Gaspard’s monologue�”after all, how would she feel if it was Sirius and James making fun of her? But as the blond boy launched into a flowery description of the exact silvery hue of the dung, Lily began to agree with them. As he rattled on about the Mooncalf’s full moon dances, Lily glanced to Remus, sitting to her left, expecting him to be laughing along with his friends, but he had a rather pained expression on his face. Checking to make sure Professor Slughorn was still absorbed by Gaspard, she whispered to him: “Are you all right, Remus?”

It took him a moment to respond, and when he did he absentmindedly rubbed his right arm, and his eyes were strangely glazed over. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired, I guess. Still sick, maybe.”

Lily nodded and was about to say more as Professor Slughorn spoke. “Well, Mr... Shingleton was it? That was quite a recitation! Yes, quite good indeed. Keep that up, son, and perhaps it’ll be you at the head of this class one day! Oho, yes indeed.” He pulled out a gold pocket watch and gave a shout. “Well class, it seems that our first class has already ended. Pity we didn’t get to brew anything today, but not to worry, not to worry. We’ll be making some excellent potions soon enough.” The class started to rise from their chairs when Slughorn opened his mouth again. “And for homework,” he said to the general mumble and disgust of the class, “Please read the introduction to your textbooks and write a short essay�”six inches or so�”on your favorite weed and its uses in potion making. And congratulations to Mr. Shingleton and Miss Evans for their correct answers today!”

Lily blushed as she gathered her books up and filed out of the classroom. Her blush deepened as Gaspard sidled up next to her and stuck his hand out. “Gaspard Shingleton. Pleased to meet you.”

“Lily Evans. You too,” she said, shifting her books to grasp his hand.

“I see that you have a talent for Potions,” he said, continuing to walk beside her.

Lily laughed, but stopped abruptly when she saw that Gaspard was serious. “Oh,” she said, “I don’t think I do... I mean, I only answered one question! And that was just lucky.”

“I see,” he said. “Well anyway, you answered more questions right than almost anyone else, so that’s something!” He smiled and ran ahead to catch up with the group of Ravenclaws walking ahead of them.

“Lily,” said Sirius, now walking beside her and thrusting out his hand. “Shaspard Gingleton. I see that you have a talent for Potions,” he said, puffing out his chest and doing his best Shingleton impression. Before Lily could shush him, Sirius continued. “You may have noticed that I have a talent for collecting Mooncalf dung. It’s just a gift, I suppose. Anyway...”

She interrupted him. “Sirius! He can hear you!” But she was laughing right along with the rest of the Gryffindors.

“What an idiot!” James said, joining Sirius. “‘I see that you have a talent for Potions?’ How can he see that?”

Apparently James was the only one who didn’t realize how this comment sounded, as he balked at the stares on all the Gryffindors’ faces. Eventually he realized his gaffe, however, and corrected himself. “Oh, come on. You know I didn’t mean it like that. I meant how could he realize you have a talent for Potions�”which I’m sure you do, of course�”by you answering just one question!”

“It’s OK, James, I know what you meant. And I agree. I just got lucky with that question, anyway. I didn’t know the first thing about Mooncalf dung, or whatever he was rattling on about.”

“Well, you certainly know about it now!” said Remus, sending Marlene into a fit of giggles.

“I just hope we don’t have to use any of Gaspard’s favorite stuff anytime soon,” Gwendolyn chimed in.

There was a chorus of agreement, and then Sirius and James started talking about their next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Viridian.

“He’s wicked brilliant. His curses are amazing!” said Sirius, a look of pure joy on his face.

“Yeah, like, did you read about the Hair-Loss Curse in his newest book? I’m dying to try it on someone!”

Lily’s hand flew protectively to her head, as if James would just jinx her right there.

“Maybe he’ll demonstrate some hexes today in class?” Peter suggested.

“Awesome!” James and Sirius said in unison.

“Probably not, though. I mean, I doubt we’ll get to see anything practical since it’s the first day of class,” said Remus, a bit crestfallen.

“Yeah, but at least no Gaspard Shingleton in this class,” said James.

“Just the Slytherins,” Sirius countered, making James groan.

“Oh, that is so much worse...”

And the rest of the Gryffindors listened as Sirius and James launched into another verbal attack on the detriments of Slytherin House, which lasted all the way until they reached the classroom.

***

Remus’s guess that they wouldn’t do anything practical on the first day was soon proven wrong. The Gryffindors had barely taken their seats when Professor Viridian appeared from a concealed door at the head of the class. He was tall and pale, with black hair and piercing blue eyes, and as he started speaking, Lily got goosebumps for the third time that morning. “I suspect many of you have at least heard of�”if not read�”some of my books,” he said, twirling his wand between his fingers as he stood and surveyed the class. There was a general murmur indicating that yes, the students had read the books, and, in Sirius’s case, had practically memorized them. “Excellent,” replied Viridian in a raspy whisper, and Lily was staunchly reminded of Count Dracula. “In that case,” he continued, “would anyone care to demonstrate some of my hexes?”

There was another round of murmurs as classmates looked around the room. Did any of them dare to volunteer? Lily didn’t have the first idea about how to do any of the spells, so her hands stayed firmly by her sides.

Sirius, on the other hand, couldn’t have been more obvious if he had set his arm on fire. His hand shot up as soon as the words were out of Viridian’s mouth.

“Excellent,” said the professor again. “And your name?”

“Black, sir. Sirius Black.”

“Excellent, Mr. Black. Please step to the front of the room.”

Sirius hopped off his chair and practically ran to the front. Lily glanced to her left and saw James give Sirius a brief thumbs up. “Should I just cast the spell, Professor?” Sirius asked.

“Oh no, Mr. Black. You need a target, of course.”

“Right, of course! Er, should I aim it at the wall, then?” Sirius looked confused. Surely, surely he wouldn’t be casting spells on fellow students on the first day of class!

“I believe Mr. Black needs an assistant, class. Are there any volunteers?”

The class looked just as confused as Sirius. Surely, surely they wouldn’t be hexed on the first day of class!

After a few moments of silence, however, one boy seated near the front of the room raised his hand. Lily couldn’t see his face from her seat, but she had an inkling who it was. Professor Viridian confirmed her fears almost immediately. “Ah yes, Mr. Snape. Thank you for volunteering.”

“How does the professor already know Snape’s name?” James asked Remus in a harsh whisper. Remus just shrugged. “Oh well,” James continued, his eyes narrowed. “Sirius will tear him to shreds. Just you wait.” James had a strange look of anticipation etched on his face. Remus and Peter also looked excited. Janus wasn’t really paying attention�”it seemed to Lily that he was trying valiantly just to stay awake. To her right, however, the Gryffindor girls were looking worried. At least Marlene and Diana were. Artemia seemed to be in the same vein as Janus with her head propped up on her hand. Gwendolyn, sitting next to Lily, leaned over and whispered, “I thought this was supposed to be Defense Against the Dark Arts!”

Lily nodded. “I know! I can’t believe this is happening on the first day!”

“Wicked, isn’t it?” Gwendolyn looked almost as excited as James.

Though she didn’t quite agree, Lily just nodded again as Sirius and Severus looked ready to start. Well, Severus looked ready. Sirius did look determined, but turned again to Professor Viridian. “I just send the hex at him?” As the professor merely nodded, Sirius grinned and squared himself against Severus. “All right, then!” He opened his mouth to say the hex, but before the word was formed, Severus pulled out his wand, aimed it straight at Sirius, and shouted something�”Lily wasn’t quite sure what he said.

Sirius stumbled backward and hit the wall. He stood there, gasping for breath, and raised his wand with a shaky hand. No words came out of his mouth, however, and it looked like he was having serious difficulty breathing.

Lily glanced at Professor Viridian, but he was still just nodding his head as if calmly appraising the situation. She looked to the other side of the classroom. Most of the Slytherins were laughing or cheering. She glanced to Remus. “Should we do something?” she asked frantically.

“I don’t know!” he said, looking to James.

James, however, knew exactly what to do. He stood up, knocking his chair over in the process, and aimed his wand directly at Snape who was now looking quite smug. “Lacrimate!” James shouted. In an instant Snape had doubled over, and appeared to be sobbing. Tears were streaming down his face, and he, like Sirius, was struggling for air.

Sirius, however, had finally gotten a good lungful. He pushed himself off the wall, directed another curse at the weeping Snape, and fell back onto the wall for support. For a second, Lily was sure the curse had missed, as nothing happened. But then a large chunk of Snape’s long, black hair fell off his head and to the floor. He looked up through his tears, positively livid, and raised his wand. But he couldn’t seem to decide which boy to hex first, James or Sirius.

“Why doesn’t the professor do anything!” Marlene cried, her hands on her face.

Perhaps Professor Viridian sensed the tension though, for he stepped forward and gave his wand a little flick. Sirius stood up of his own accord and Severus stopped crying, though there was still a good chunk of his hair missing.

Remus and Lily looked at each other, both worried. “That wasn’t supposed to happen, was it?” asked Remus.

James answered, looking almost as livid as Snape. “No. That slimy git hexed Sirius�”caught him off guard. Slimy, slimy little b�””

But before James could finish his thought, Professor Viridian began speaking. “Excellent, students, excellent.”

“Excellent?” someone to Lily’s right muttered.

“A wonderful display of three of my favorite curses.” Viridian brought his large, pale hands together in a slow clap. The rest of the students looked around anxiously before eventually clapping as well, though their applause was less than enthusiastic. “Mr. Snape, tell the class which hex you used.”

“The Ton-of-Bricks Hex, Professor,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Exactly. And what does that curse do, Mr. Black?”

“Well, it seems to cause the recipient�”that is, me�”to feel like he’s been hit with a ton of bricks, sir,” he said, shooting a murderous glance at Snape.

“Aptly named, is it not, Mr. Black?”

“Very, Professor.”

“And Mr. Potter, what spell did you use in defense of your comrade Mr. Black?”

James, still standing, answered. “I used Lacrimate, sir. The Crying Curse.”

“Yes, and it was very well-applied. Many people do not see the purpose of this curse, and indeed, it seems trivial upon first thought. And yet, as Mr. Potter has just showed us, when applied with the right amount of force, it is quite powerful, is it not, Mr. Snape?”

Snape just sneered.

“Finally, Mr. Black applied one of my newest creations, the Hair-Loss Curse. The results are obvious, as I’m sure you all can see.” He gestured to the lock of hair on the ground at Snape’s feet. “Thank you very much for being guinea pigs today, Mr. Black and Mr. Snape. And thank you for demonstrating the noble thing to do, Mr. Potter. Please take your seats now, and will the rest of the class open to page ten of your textbooks?”

As the class shuffled through their bags to bring out their books, Sirius returned to the table, rubbing his chest a bit. “I hate to say it, but that’s a good hex he hit me with,” he said with a smile. “Not bad for the first day of class, eh?”

The boys laughed, clearly relieved that Sirius wasn’t still angry. Lily was relieved, too, although for the rest of the class, she couldn’t help but notice the lethal looks Sirius kept shooting at the Slytherins.

***

After lunch the Gryffindors headed to their lesson with Professor McGonagall: Transfiguration. Here, Lily learned that a Transfiguration Master was, in fact, not an action figure, but rather a very strict witch.

Professor McGonagall gave the class a brief lecture on the merits and importance of Transfiguration, a warning on the consequences of misbehavior in her classroom, and rounded the speech off with an explanation of their first activity: turning matchsticks into needles.

As soon as she had distributed all the matchsticks, Professor McGonagall demonstrated the incantation and wand movement, and within a heartbeat her match turned into a shiny silver needle.

Lily looked down at her own match lying perfectly still on the table. She had absolutely no idea where to begin. It didn’t seem possible to change it into a needle. It was a matchstick! She inclined her head and looked around surreptitiously. Her classmates were all muttering their incantations and waving their wands, but Lily couldn’t even remember what Professor McGonagall had said to do. Finally, after a few minutes of feeling utterly hopeless and after a quick consultation with Remus, she pointed her wand at the matchstick and muttered the spell.

After she recited the incantation, Lily was elated, for she saw something shoot out the tip of her wand. This elation was short-lived, however, as her match ignited, leaving a black soot mark on her desk. She looked around, hoping nobody had seen her faux-pas but, of course, everyone had. Blushing, she raised her hand. “Um, Professor McGonagall? Can I have a new matchstick, please?”

The omnipresent wrinkles on Professor McGonagall’s forehead shifted into an even deeper frown as she placed a replacement matchstick in front of Lily. As soon as the professor had turned back to check on the other students’ progress, Lily heard James give a little laugh. She looked over to the table he was sharing with Sirius just in time to see the latter pull a shiny, silver needle�”the exact silver needle she was hopelessly striving to produce�”from his pocket.

“My cousin Andromeda told me this is what McGonagall always has students do on the first day. I thought I’d give it a spin, see if she buys it,” he whispered conspiratorially to James, placing the unneeded match in his pocket. “Professor!” he said, this time much louder and with much more flair. “Professor McGonagall, ma’am! I think I’ve done it!”

Professor McGonagall turned around slowly, her face the definition of skepticism. She walked toward Sirius and James’s table, each step deliberate, each glare piercing. Lily would have cracked under such a stern gaze, but Sirius kept his smile plastered on. After what seemed like hours, the Professor reached the table and bent low, her spectacles sliding down the tip of her nose as she examined the needle.

Like a drill sergeant inspecting his troops, Professor McGonagall inspected the needle from all angles. She picked it up, held it to the light, rolled it around in her fingers... Finally, she spoke. “Well, Mr. Black, it seems that you’ve done it.” She placed the needle back on the table as Sirius flashed a huge smile around the classroom. To his right, James was trying very hard to bottle up his laughter. “However,” Professor McGonagall said, turning her sharp gaze from the needle to Sirius’s face, “There is just one more test I must do, just to make sure, Mr. Black.”

Sirius’s grin faltered for a moment, and Lily thought she saw a look of panic pass across his eyes, but within an instant he was smiling again. “Sure, Professor. Do whatever you need to do.”

“Thank you, Mr. Black,” said McGonagall, her eyes little more than slits. She pulled her own wand from her sleeve and tapped it at the needle. Of course nothing happened. Sirius’s grin was now in severe danger of disappearing completely. “Just as I thought, Mr. Black. This needle was never a matchstick. Three points from Gryffindor for your cheek.”

Sirius was gaping in disbelief. “Oh, come on, Professor! It was a joke!”

“Yes, and I admire your pluck, Mr. Black, but my decision is final!” But as she turned around, Lily saw that the corners of her mouth were twitching, and she broke into a slight, pinched smile as she shook her head.

And though Sirius and James both came close, no one truly Transfigured the matchstick that day.

***

The rest of the week rushed by. On Tuesday morning they had the exciting combination of Professor Flitwick and Charms, followed by the less-than-stimulating History of Magic. Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs had Herbology together in the greenhouses outside, and Professor Sprout was delighted that no one was attacked by the Venomous Tentacula on the first day.

Wednesday night at midnight they climbed to the top of the tallest tower for Astronomy lessons, and Lily went slightly cross-eyed by looking through the telescopes for so long.

By the end of the week Lily felt like she had a pretty solid idea of how the year was going to go, though she was dismayed at the amount of homework the teachers had already piled on.

“Well, I guess we can’t learn it without practice, right?” she said one night as she and Gwendolyn worked on Defense Against the Dark Arts.

“Yeah, but I’m just not seeing how writing about these hexes is going to make us be able to use them, you know?” Gwendolyn responded, flipping through her copy of one of Viridian’s books.

“Good point. Hopefully we won’t have to use the jinxes, though!” Lily said. Though if one was to be so often in the company of Sirius and James it was best to keep oneself armed!

Sirius and James had already begun to establish themselves as troublemakers. One of them nearly always volunteered to perform the hexes in Professor Viridian’s class, with Severus Snape nearly always on the other side. And Lily swore that Professor McGonagall still swept over Sirius with a scrutinizing look every time he entered the Transfiguration classroom.

But all in all they were fun to be around, and pretty handy when she needed help with some of the more complicated Transfigurations. In fact, Lily was building herself quite the little support network.

Gaspard Shingleton had taken to sitting next to Lily in Potions, which was fine. He was very good, if a bit pompous.

Madam Pince, the school’s authoritarian librarian, had taken a strange liking to Marlene McKinnon, so Marlene and Lily could almost always work there undisturbed.

Gwendolyn, it turned out, actually enjoyed History of Magic, so she was always a font of information on whatever goblin rebellion they happened to be studying. Lily couldn’t quite get over the fact that their teacher was a ghost. And Remus had a strange affinity for Astronomy, and could go on for hours about the movement of planets and stars.

Such was Lily’s life in the first few months at Hogwarts. She was happy. Her anxieties were kept almost always at bay, she had good friends and good fun, not to mention good food, and best of all she was constantly in awe at the wonders of magic and all that it could do....