alotofgood | First Year; Post-Sorting Hat Ceremony

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First Year; Post-Sorting Hat Ceremony - Common Room

James Potter stands in the Gryffindor Common Room, a little in awe but mostly smug about it all.

The Hat barely settled on the top of his head before it had shouted, 'Gryffindor!'

Oh, yes. He's a Gryffindor, just like he knew he'd be.

"I'm glad I'm in Gryffindor too," says Peter beside him, even though he's looking rather awkward, like he's uncomfortable in his own skin.

James places a hand on the other boy's shoulder and grins.

"It's going to be brilliant, Pete," he says, reassuringly. "You and me in Gryffindor. Maybe we'll even let Sirius Black be friends with us."

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Behind them, looking around the Gryffindor common room with an expression that's equal parts awe and trepidation, is another new Gryffindor who isn't feeling quite comfortable in her own skin.

Lily's experiences in the Wizarding World before today consisted of one trip to Diagon Alley three weeks ago to buy her wand and her school supplies.

And that had been amazing and exciting, and even Tuney's being perfectly horrid when they got back hadn't really put a damper on the experience.

But Severus had been there.

Severus had always been there, to explain things and tell her what to expect and now here she is, with those dreadful boys from the train, and she doesn't know anyone, and she's in Gryffindor, and Severus barely ever mentioned Gryffindor expect to tell her not to worry because she'd never be a Gryffindor, and he's not here and she's alone and she doesn't know anyone or know what she's meant to be doing and she's never really been away from her parents before and it's all a bit overwhelming.

And she'd rather like to tell the awkward-looking boy up ahead that it's okay because she isn't sure about any of this, either, except he's with one of the boys from the train who was mean to Severus, and Lily doesn't really want to talk to him.

So she just looks around and tries to take at least part of it in, and hopes that someone will show up to tell her what to do soon.

"Oy —"

James has just noticed the ginger Gryffindor girl who'd been hanging around that weird slimy git earlier on the train.

She might not want to talk to James, but James certainly wants to know why a perfectly normal-like witch would be friends with said weird slimy git.

"Hullo."

Lily eyes him carefully, and there's a definite wariness to her expression.

"Hello."

"Welcome to Gryffindor," James says, sticking his hand out politely.

Peter stands to the side, looking incredibly, incredibly awkward.

(James just nudges him in the side to act normal.)

"I'm James Potter, and this is Peter Pettigrew."

Lily shakes his hand because it would be hopelessly rude not to. (She's not entirely sure what to make of the welcome; after all, she's been in Gryffindor longer than he has.)

"I'm Lily Evans," she says.

(Technicalities.

James considered himself a Gryffindor the day he learned about Hogwarts at all.

The Sorting Hat merely confirmed such things.)

Peter mumbles something like a 'hello' before turning red.

James gestures to their surroundings.

"So, how d'you like it so far? My mum and dad told me all about Hogwarts when I was little. They were both in Gryffindor, too."

"I don't know," Lily says truthfully.

"It's all very ... " she looks around the common room again and then settles on " ... red."

James raises an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah. Red and gold are Gryffindor's colours. Ravenclaw's blue and bronze. Hufflepuff's yellow and black. And Slytherin —" There's a definite change to the tone of his voice when he mentions the last House "— green and silver."

(It isn't a very kindly tone, that's for sure.)

"Which you probably saw while we were in the Great Hall. You're lucky you got landed in the best House, by the way."

Show off, Lily thinks.

(She doesn't use a very kindly tone, either.)

Lily shrugs. "I guess.

"I don't know a whole lot about it."

There's a short hesitation and then, with her chin raised slightly, Lily adds, "My parents are Muggles."

"Oh. That probably explains why I've never seen you before. My parents force me to go to these really boring parties, so I practically know everyone in our year," says James.

Even the kids who ended up in Slytherin.

(He really hates the parties.)

"What do your parents think about you being a witch and coming to Hogwarts?"

"They think it's brilliant," Lily says.

They think it explains a lot.

"Though my dad's a little worried about my classes."

"Why would he be worried? You'll be learning under some of the best professors in the Wizarding World," James says. "And Dumbledore's probably the greatest Headmaster Hogwarts has had in all its history."

His parents are good friends with Professor Dumbledore.

"You're in the best and safest place to be, I'd say."

James nudges Peter again, who seems to have taken to just nodding and smiling a little wobbly every now and then.

"Wouldn't you say so, Peter?"

Peter nods. "U-uh. Yeah, of course."

"There seem to be a lot of things we won't study, though," Lily says.

"Like ... well, like maths. And literature. And science.

"Dad wrote to inquire about the curriculum, you see, when I got my letter."

James shrugs.

Clearly, these things don't seem to hold very much importance to him.

"Is that what you'd learn if you were going to a Muggle school?"

Lily nods.

"That's what I did learn when I was going to a Muggle school."

"Well, you're about to learn so much more," James says. "Of course, I'm looking forward to joining the Quidditch team as soon as I'm allowed.

"It's not fair that First Years can't join. D'you know anything about Quidditch?"

"It's some sort of game, isn't it?" Lily says, though she doesn't sound completely sure of this fact.

It wasn't anything that Severus ever talked much about.

"'Some sort of game'?"

James shakes his head.

"D'you hear that, Pete? She said Quidditch is 'some sort of game'."

He really does look a little aghast. Peter makes an echoing expression of surprise.

"It's the best game ever, Lily Evans. Two teams, seven players all on broomsticks, three sets of balls, each player with an important role."

James looks a little dreamy.

"You'll get to see a number of matches while you're here."

Lily's eyes narrow slightly.

There's no call to get all ... condescending about it.

James Potter is something of an insufferable git, isn't he?

"Right," Lily says. "Some sort of game."

(Just a little bit.)

James merely guffaws, jaw hanging open in utter shock, because he simply cannot conceive anyone calling Quidditch just 'some sort of game'.

"Have you got a pet?" asks Peter hesitantly, in the meantime.

Lily turns her attention from James Potter to the other boy, who at least is not laughing at her, and shakes her head.

"No. Mum thought it was probably better to see how things went and if I thought I'd have enough time to look after one and then talk about getting a pet.

"Have you got one?"

"Nn-no. I'm not actually very good at taking care of one," Peter says.

"That's right. He found a mouse once, called it something ridiculous like 'Brown' or 'Chocolate' —"

"— Clove —"

"Right. And then one day he went and sat on it."

"I didn't know it was there!"

"Squashed it flat like a pancake," James goes on, as though Peter hadn't said anything at all.

He shakes his head.

"I'm very sorry to hear about your mouse," Lily says, kindly, to Peter.

"And I think Clove is a perfectly lovely name for a mouse."

She frowns very hard at James Potter, who does not seem to be a very nice boy at all.

"Thank you," Peter says quietly, though it isn't clear whether it's for the condolences or the name of the mouse.

"I've got an owl," James says. "Well, he's actually the Potter owl, but he'll bring the post to and from my house in London.

"Where do you live?"

"Milton," Lily says. "In Lancashire."

Her tone, however, says oh, a Southerner.

And from London.

Probably thinks he's all posh and important, with his owls and his boring parties and his silly wizard game.

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