Of Moony Nights and Starry Eyes

Chapter 3: lily 

If you were to ask her, Lily would absolutely deny any worries over meeting her dorm mates. But as she left Remus and walked the stairs to the girls dormitory, she was struck by an odd sense of nervousness. She didn't have much experience in meeting new people, after all she had Severus. What did she need any other friends for? But of course, that was before they had been sorted into different houses. Now, she would be surrounded by new people every day and she really did want to know them, and be at least friendly, if not actual friends. 

And by the looks of it, Sev would throw a right fit if she hung around the Gryffindor boys. Not that she would want to anyways. 

So it was as she entered the dormitory that she promised she would do her absolute best not to act to much like a freak.

When Lily walked in, she was greeted with pleasant smiles all around. The girls were truly all rather pretty. Alice had her gorgeous brown curls, and Mary her warm, brown skin. Marlene had the sort of blue eyes where if you looked at her for too long you had the sense of being caught in headlights. And Emmeline was simply drop-dead gorgeous. She had the most stunning blonde hair, and her face was just that of an angel. 

All this to say, it was a rather daunting thing to be paired with these girls. 

Currently, they were sitting in the center of the room, listening to some album on a stereo that one of the girls had brought. 

When lily walked in she was greeted by many hellos. 

"Hi Lily!" Mary greeted warmly, "where you been?" she asked. 

"Oh you know, meeting a friend for a chat." she summarised. Not wanting to go into details of her and Sev's arguement.

"That greasy Slytherin Boy?" Emmeline asked with a semi disgusted look on her face. 

"What's his name... Oh right Snivelus." Alice added, simply trying to be helpful.  "Severus." Lily interjected firmly. 

"Snivellus suits him better," Emmeline said with a smirk. 

"Why do you hang around with him anyway Lily?" Asked Marlene. 

"I dunno," She said hesitantly, "We grew up together I guess. He taught me about magic, and Hogwarts and all that. He was really my only friend most of the time, plus,  he didn't have much interest in making different ones." She said while wringing her hands. 

"So it was a pity friendship," Mary nodded sympathetically. "No-" Lily was quick to interrupt. "We just didn't have much need for anyone else. I think he's rather disappointed we got sorted differently actually." 

"I bet you're not though, those Gryffindor Boys are real lookers wouldn't you say?" Emmeline remarked while examining Lily's hair.

The rest of the girls agreed wholeheartedly. 

"Well, that Sirius Black certainly is, and James potter isn't terrible either." Alice conferred. 

"No no, you've got it mixed around, It's James and then black." Mary stated, although the little integrity that statement had died when she burst into giggles. Soon the whole lot of them joined in. Lily really couldn't disagree with them that the boys were attractive, but they certainly weren't people she planned on knowing all that well. 

"Lily," Emmeline said thoughtfully, "You ought to let me braid your hair. It would look so cute with little plaits, and we can even give you a little fringe for the front of your hair." 

"You want to cut it?" Lily asked, looking appalled.  

"Not much, she reassured, just enough to frame your face, and give it some shape." 

Although Emmeline did seem to know what she was talking about, Lily didn't really trust an eleven year old girl near her face with scissors. She did, However agree to let her braid it. And so the Gryffindor Girls started their first night at Hogwarts with various braids and styles worked into their hair, all thanks to one marvelous Emmeline Vance.

                                                                                                     *******

As the girls left their dormitory the next morning, Lily truly did think she would be able to take on the world. After all, for the majority of her life she had only had one friend, and now she had at least four. 

As they walked down the hall to breakfast, Emmeline linked her arms with Lily's. 

"So," Emmeline started as they walked just slightly behind the other three girls, "How are you feeling about classes? Your muggleborn right? So you haven't really seen much magic?" 

"mhm, but i did see quite a bit when Sev and I visited Diagon Alley. I've truly never been so awestruck. It was so gorgeous." Lily told her excitedly. Emmeline seemed content to listen. 

"I'm really excited about classes, but i'm not sure which I'll be best at. Sev-" Lily never got to tell her what Sev did, because she felt something wet and slimy hit her firmly in the face. Eggs. She had been hit with eggs.

"Oh! Sorry Evans." Sirius black grinned at her, with James silently holding in laughter. 

"Didn't mean to hit you, was aiming for Severus, but he seems to have ducked away somewhere." 

Lily hadn't noticed Severus, until he came out from behind a pillar to glare at the boys. He must've decided they weren't worth it because he turned to Lily apologetically. 

"I wouldn't have turned if I had seen you there-" He started, but Emmeline cut him off. 

"I guess now we know why you weren't placed in Gryffindor, that wasn't very brave of you was it." She remarked snarkily. Sev didn't deign her with a response, but merely kept on talking to Lily as if the whole thing hadn't happened. 

"I was just wondering If you wanted to sit with me at the Slytherin Table?" He asked her with a hopeful look on his face. Lily really didn't want to disappoint him and she was on the verge of saying yes, when Alice called from the table, "Oh buzz off Snivelous, She doesn't want to sit with you, she wants to eat with us." 

This caused roaring laughter to come from the boys, who started to call out to poor "Snivelous." His face turned red, and he looked like he was about to let loose something very nasty towards them, but then he glanced at Lily and apparently thought better of it. 

"Right," He managed to grit out, "If you do want to sit with your real  friend you can come join me at our table." He said. Then he turned and slunk over to the Slytherin table to brood over there instead. 

To be totally honest, Lily was feeling bad for severus, but they were finially at Hogwarts! did he really have to make everything so hard all the time? Lily hoped he would make some friends in his own house so that he stopped feeling so dejected when she did. 

Gryffindor table was quite rowdy that morning. The first years were abuzz with excitement over their first classes of the year.

"Well, I hardly even need flying!" James was animatedly telling the others as Lily came over to the table. "I've been on a broom since before i could even hold one." 

Lily thought that must be an exaggeration, but no one else seemed to correct him so she just kept her mouth shut. 

At the table the seating went like this, as it would for many years to come - James and peter were across from Sirius and Remus, forming their little group. The girls were a few feet down the table, with Mary and Alice and Marlene on one side and Emmeline and Lily on the other. The girls were already talking about classes too, but not flying. 

"What's the first class Mary?" - this coming from Marlene. Mary had her schedule out in front of her, and seemed to be reading it at the same time as the daily profit. 

"Hmm- Oh Right! It's charms first with Flitwick." Mary said, although she barely glanced over at it, so Lily was a little unsure how accurate that was. 

"I wonder what we'll really be learning in charms, it just seems like a broad topic don't you think?" Emmiline asked.

of course none of them could really answer because they weren't yet in charms at all.

"Ohh, Look at this Marls! Here in the gossip panel it says that the lead singer of the gobstoppers is having it on with the head of the department of magical law inforcement. But the best part is, She was Married!" Mary gushed. This gossip truly didn't do very much for Lily, who didn't understand much of it anyways. But it was either that or talk to the boys, which she had absolutely no interest in doing.

Out of everyone Lily had expected to save her, Professor McGonagall was the last person on the list. Funny how things turn out sometimes isn't it. 

"Hello students, I've come to give you some quick instructions. You will all be taking the same courses this year, however whatever house you share classes with will vary. Take time to look over your schedule, and then meet me in transfiguration for the first period." 

And although Lily hadn't wanted to talk to the boys much, she couldn't help it if they wanted to talk to her.

"Hiya," one of the boys, Lily couldn't quite name him, said. "Whatcha think about our schedule?" He asked. Lily truthfully didn't know, and she was in part still reeling from her interaction with Sev. They didn't get into fights much, and when they did it was always easy to make up. Hopefully this time won't be different. In his defence, Peter was just trying to be friendly, but Emmeline didn't care for it very much. 

"Oh, Snuff off pettigrew, can't you tell when a girl just wants to be left alone?" She snapped at him. 

"Oi! He was just being friendly, and if Evans didn't want to talk to us, why didn't she just sit with old Snivelly instead?" James returned. The two of them really did have quite fiery tempers, and Lily was sure there would be many worse interactions before the year was up. Lily decided to interject before Emmeline threw away all care, and attempted to hex him with a wand she didn't know how to use.

At this point the boys all grabbed their bags, and without a word of goodbye left off to their first class of the day. 

"I suppose we'd better follow." said Alice. but it seemed to be hinted with nervousness. 

Mary just grabbed her shoulders and squeezed tight. "This is it girls, off we go to the beginning of our lives." she sighed. And so the Gryffindor girls left the dining hall, already quite the sight to behold.