Of Moony Nights and Starry Eyes

                                                 Of moony nights and starry eyes

Year 1: Chapter 1: Lily

When Lily Evans first laid her eyes on the magnificence of Hogwarts, she had no idea what was about to become of her life in her years at this school. She started with a friendship she treasured, one day broken by useless prejudice. She walked through those golden doors without a clue of how she would fall in love and die for a love which she never thought she would see or experience. And so it was that as she made her way across that lake, she had only a sense of great joy that she was finally loved and accepted and perfectly welcome in this world she was made for.

“Oh just look at it! Isn't it marvelous? Lily exclaimed to a dark haired boy slunk low in the corner of the boat. As it so happened, Severus was in fact looking a tad green but this detail was slightly overlooked by her budding excitement.

" Severus?" Lily asked, finally tearing her eyes away from the castle and toward her friend instead. "Oh dear you poor thing, you look absolutely wretched! How insensitive of me to keep on rambling without even remembering your seasick- I really ought to have remembered considering we went to the docks last summer with my parents- although it really was awful because Tuni kept-" Lily never actually got to finish telling Severus what happened, although it really was quite unnecessary seeing as he was there, because Severus promptly leaned over the side of the boat and hurled quite dramatically.

Lily thought this was perfectly normal seeing as Severus obviously can't help being seasick, however their boat mates apparently didn't share her view on the matter. "James, did you hear, ickle Sevikins is seasick! Shall we call his mummy to make things right for him?" Sirius mocked. Lily and Sev had met these two boys earlier on the train and she really wasn't quite sure if she liked them very much.

After all, even if they weren't necessarily rude to her, they were still rotten to Sev and that was enough for her. The other boy, James, countered with "What does he need a mum for, after all he's got Evans here to set him straight. All she has to do is look at him and all his worries will go away." Never mind what Lily had thought before, they were just rotten after all.

Severus, who apparently wouldn't stand for anyone disrespecting Lily, poorly attempted standing up while saying to the boys "Don't you say anything about Lily, if you have a problem with me don't take it out on her." And while Lily truly did appreciate this show of loyalty she found it entirely unnecessary.

"Severus don't mind them, they're just immature boys." she said while shooting them a glare. The boys didn't pay her any mind, and simply kept laughing at some joke one of them had made.

"Besides," she said while grabbing his hand in hers, "We're at Hogwarts! We've made it! This is what we've been waiting for, aren't you excited?" Severus didn't respond, instead he just gripped her hand and squeezed three times. This signal had no absolute translation, but it simply meant whatever it needed to in the moment. I see you, I love you, i know how hard this is but don't worry I'm here for you. Lily thought that right now he was trying to say that we made it, and i know we'll stay together.

As the first years shuffled their feet into the hall, professor McGonagall gathered their attention.

"Students," she said while holding her wand to her throat, which seemed to enhance it to make it louder, "Welcome to Hogwarts. As i'm sure you are all aware, you must all be sorted into a House. These houses will be a sort of family to you while you are here. Your classes will be taken with your house, your meals at your house table, and your free time spent in your house common room."

"Let's just hope you get into Slytherin." Sev whispered to her. He had said this to her a couple of times, but Lily really wasn't sure if she would. From what she had seen she would be better suited for Ravenclaw for smarts, or Hufflepuff, for friendship and loyalty. But she could hope for him.

"Does it really matter where we get sorted? As long as we're together?" Lily asked him, feeling slightly worried now. "Well, i suppose not, as long as it's not in Gryffindor." he said in disgust. "Couldn't stand to be with Potter all the time, and we all know that's where he'll go. But of course Slytherin is best, and i have no doubt you can do it." he smiled.

As they had been talking, McGonagall had finished her speech and was now leading them into the great hall. As they walked down the row, Lily saw a ratted old hat sitting on a stool. She couldn't really find anything of much significance on it or around it, but she was sure it must be important. The hat was very, very old by the looks of it. It had spotty patchwork scattered all over it, and the top was hanging off to the side, as if it didn't have the energy to sit up straight. However, much to Lily's surprise, the hat started to cough, and eventually broke out into song.

Its song went like this:

You may see me and you think,

This is just a hat!

How could this play a part,

In deciding where i’m at?

Well I've been around the bend,

For many years I've placed these children,

Which house is yours you may ask?

Well sit on down and ill decide which house to place you in.

The first is loyal Huffelpuff,

For not a deceitful bone,

Lies in their sweetened head,

For their greatest fear would be to be alone.

Second is knowledgeable Ravenclaw,

Books and wisdom carve their soul,

And though it's not all the care for,

What they learn is what makes them full.

Next is brave Gryffindor,

The roar of this mighty lion,

If you call them a coward,

They’ll be sure to have you crying.

And last but not least,

We’re left with Slytherin.

Their cunning and their greed for power,

Makes it best not to ask where they've been.

So don’t fear my child,

This hat will choose for you,

Which house is meant to be,

The one to make you new.

As the sorting hat finished Its song, It was met with thunderous applause. Lily's applause however, was a little lacking. Not because she didn't find the song marvelous, but because she was growing more and more convinced that she and Sev wouldn't be sorted together. After all, it's not like their friendship was built on common interests rather than pure necessity. Growing up, Lily had always felt something off. She knew the things she could do weren't normal and so did Petunia, and her parents. She always played it off as a trick, or a game. Because after all, her father was a reverend. There was no way he had a witch for a daughter. It would be a disgrace. But that was when she had met Sev. He had told her what she was, and frankly, she hadn't wanted to believe him. Gradually he had warn her over. Asking her if she made strange things happen. And of course, she had. Obviously that excitement only grew as he told her of Hogwarts, and magic, and this world that was just waiting for them. And she didn't care if her family didn't really talk to her anymore, because she had Sev, and magic. And who cares if her sister called her a freak, and her parents didn't say anything, because this new house was going to be her new family. So what did she need her old one for? after all, they chose not to love her as she was, and even if it hurt, it didn't have to. Because she had a new world. And she was ready to take it with her best friend by her side. 

As she had been thinking, three other students had been called to the hat. Currently, the mean boy from the boat and the train, Sirius Black, was being sorted. It seemed that the Slytherin's thought he would be going there, because they were sitting puffed chested, and two girls were smiling extremely wide at him where he was sitting on the stool. 

The hat sat up straight and declared: "GRYFFINDOR!"

the room was so silent for a moment that you could hear a pen drop. The Slytherins were sitting with their Jaws dropped. The girls were no longer smiling, and the dark haired one was shooting glares at Sirius as he walked hesitantly over to the Gryffindor table. The silence was broken when the other boy the had been in the boat with, James, started cheering loudly from the group of first years. The Gryffindor table quickly follows suit, and the room is filled with roaring shouts. Sirius looked gratefully over to where James was standing, and Lily was fairly sure she saw James wink back at him. 

a few more students went, and were sorted into their respective houses. Finally McGonagall called out:

"Evans, Lily!"

Lily quickly squeezed Sev's hand three times, and walked up to the stool. As she sat down, a voice filled her head. 

Well, Well. Where should we put you? 

Ravenclaw would be fitting, seeing the brain you have on your shoulders, 

But Hufflepuff would also be appropriate seeing the loyalty you have towards that boy. 

But underneath it all, I see a very deep, very old sense of Love. My dear I think you 

would do anything at all for whoever carries it, and that is extremely brave, so it had better be,

And the hat shouted one word out into the world, "Gryffindor!" 

as Lily walked smiling over towards Gryffindor table, she saw Severus looking crestfallen. after all, they both knew where he was going. When his turn came, the hat called out, sure enough, "Slytherin!" and so their fate was sealed. The two friends were separated, and neither one of them knew how this would end. But one thing Lily did know, was that Severus had that love the sorting hat was talking about. And she didn't think anything would, or could break it. I suppose she will just have to see.