James and Lily: It Took A While

BEFORE

BEFORE

Nervous. I was nervous.
Even more nervous than I had been on my first day of school, or the time I got my first tooth pulled out by the dentist.

I was even more nervous than when I had gotten my Hogwarts letter.

Standing there, in the middle of the Great Hall, I was more nervous than I had ever been. Even with Sev there, right next to me, I didn't feel an ounce of comfort. What house would I be put in?

Sev had explained to me about each of the four houses and who belonged in them. I wasn't really sure which one I would be sorted into. All I knew was that the severe looking lady, Professor McGonagall, had just led us into the Hall, then placed a ripped hat onto a stool. The most amazing part was that the hat had come to life and sang a song about it sorting us into the houses! The hat explaining how we would be sorted had relieved some of the tension emanating from the group of first years I was standing with- but only minimally. Professor McGonagall was standing beside the hat now, with a tightly furled scroll in her hands and a look on her face that said she went through this process annually.

I seemed like I could be a Ravenclaw, I had always had good grades in elementary school. But I could possibly be a Hufflepuff, I was kind and loyal. I didn't see HOW I could be a Gryffindor, I mean, I wasn't brave at all! I had no idea about anything in the wizarding world except for the few things Sev had explained to me, so how could I be brave now if I didn't even know what I was up against? And even though Sev had told me that Slytherin was a great house for those who were ambitious and cunning, and that all the stories about dark wizards always coming from that house were just myths and coincidences, I just didn't feel the right vibe from Slytherin.

I was yanked back into reality by Professor McGonagall, who had just cleared her throat. My nervousness intensified. I looked up and down the line of first years and felt a bit better when I noticed that everyone else looked just as nervous as me-except for that James Potter boy and his equally haughty looking friend, Sirius Black. They had identical looks on their faces that clearly said 'We own this place.' I had already gotten a sample of their attitudes when James had knocked my trunk clear out of my hands when I was pulling it onto the platform! He'd been running past with some other boys and Sirius and had collided with my trunk, not even stopping to apologize!

I turned my attention away from stuck up James Potter and watched as Professor McGonagall unfurled her scroll and called out a name. A boy from the group I was standing with approached the stool with the hat. I could see him shaking. Professor McGonagall picked up the hat, but not before pushing the boy onto the stool. She then placed the hat on the boy's head, where it fell down clear to his nose.

Watching with rapt attention, the other first years and I, as well as everyone else in the hall, witnessed the hat suddenly coming to life again, before it yelled out to the entire hall:

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The boy stood up and walked away so fast, the hat toppled off his head and McGonagall had to use some sort of magic to bring it back into her hands! I goggled at the magic she had done, but most of the other first years didn't look surprised about her casual use of magic.

'They all have wizarding families,' I remembered. That reminded me of how different I was from most of the other kids. 'Muggle Born' I thought. Sev had said it didn't matter, and although id told him it was fine, it wasn't really.

Professor McGonagall placed the hat back onto the stool before calling out another name.

The next few names passed in a blur. I was only half listening, I was so nervous, mulling over each of the houses and the attributes I would need to get into each one, over and over again.

Before I knew it, Professor McGonagall had reached the E's.

"Evans, Lily!" she called out.

I left Sev's side, but not until after he had squeezed my hand and wished me good luck. I slowly made my way through the group of first years and neared the stool. I was there faster than I'd have liked. I sat on the stool, placed the hat on my head, and closed my eyes.

"Nervous, eh? It's good to be nervous," a little voice said in my ear.

I nodded.

"Hmm... You could be in any of the houses.. Brave, cunning, loyal, and intelligent, all wrapped into one," the voice said.

I waited in silence, thinking the houses' names over and over in my head.

"I say..." The hat began.

I squeezed my eyes tight.

"GRYFFINDOR!!"