When Black Met Blue (Marauder Fanfic)

chapter 2 *Edited*

Orla was first to be called up to be sorted, she held her breath as she walked closer and closer to the ragged old hat. She sat on the stool her bright blue hair falling round her shoulders everyone was whispering thinking she was either a giant first year or a transfer.

The hat was not on her head for a second before it shouted "GRYFFINDOR" for the whole school to hear. As Orla walked over to the table that had now burst into life and screams she saw the boys from the train and the girl sitting as far away from them as physically possible.

Orla sat next to Sirius since it was the closest free seat. As she sat down all the boys started crowding her with information on how brilliant Gryffindor is. She managed to catch Lily's eyes but Lily had quickly looked away.

"Orla are you there" said a voice suddenly there was a tapping on her head. She flicked her head round her wand out of her robes pointing at a startled face.

"Calm down" James said pulling her wand down "We thought you had gone on us then"

Orla then realised that there was loads of food in front of her and she started to tuck in.

Lily's POV

‘Ten beetle eyes, Professor,’ James said without missing a beat. Lily rolled her eyes. Of course he had it right. He always had it right, even if he hadn't been paying attention. 

What really interested her was the emotionless tone he said it in. He was one of the most animated people she knew. She wondered what might have caused the sudden behavioral change. Her mind drifted back to on the train, when Remus had read about deaths in the Prophet. Could that be what had upset him? She shook her head. No, James Potter wouldn't care about a few muggle deaths.

It had to be something else. Perhaps something she‘d done? She had turned him down again, but that was nothing new... she supposed it was the first time this year... No, that couldn't be it either. 

‘And how many strips of sandalwood?’ Professor Slughorn asked. He was the Potions Master at Hogwarts, and looked rather like a walrus.

‘Three,’ Sirius said just as easily as James had. Even he sounded a little more muted than usual. She risked a glance at Remus who looked as he always did; as if he were concentrating. That was reassuring, at least until she noticed his eyes flicking to Sirius and Peter and then all of them staring at James. James would smile a smile that didn't reach his eyes and look away. Surely he wasn't oblivious to the concerned looks the other three were sharing?

'Ten points to Gryffindor, Mr Black!’ Slughorn boomed, clapping his meaty hands together.  

'What about James, Professor?’ Sirius asked. ‘Shouldn't he get points too?’

‘Oho!’ Slughorn waggled a finger. ‘Mr Black, you should have been a Slytherin! Such cheek!’ Lily noticed with amusement that Sirius looked disgusted at the thought of belonging to Slytherin house. The Slytherins in the room looked likewise insulted. A small smile settled on her face. ‘All right! Ten points to Mr Potter. Class dismissed.’ 

The class filed out the usual chatter filled the dungeons as the seventh years headed to their respective common rooms. The Marauders converged on James and minutes later, four sets of loud laughter filled the corridor. Lily began to miss her friends. 

Her first ever friend Severus Snape had called her “mudblood” in fifth year, a dirty name for someone with muggle parents. That coupled with the fact that he was falling in with Slytherins who hurt people... well, they didn’t talk much anymore. Snape had stopped giving verbal apologies, and, although it hurt her, Lily had stopped looking at him for the sad, pleading smiles that made her want to forgive him. She sighed. They were too different now.