1An excerpt from a later, currently unpublished chapter of my other story, The Stranger.
Disclaimer: Don't own it
Lily Evans skipped down the deserted corridor on her way to the Charms classroom. Humming to herself, the redhead enjoyed the quiet atmosphere that lunchtime always brought to the hallways. With no students milling about, she was free to admire the castle's paintings and atmosphere without being hurried out of the way. Lily's dark red locks were pulled back in their characteristic ponytail and swung merrily behind her.
Lily's eyes scanned the corridor curiously as she skipped along; eyes darting from the ceiling to the ground to the painting of an old, gentle-looking wizard settled in his armchair, fast asleep.
Lily let her mind wander as she rounded yet another corner.
She reflected on the first three days at her new school.
She thought about the two arrogant boys that bothered Severus on the train.
She thought about her new best friend, Marlene, whom she met a few days before, but already felt closer to than any one of the 'friends' that she had in muggle primary school.
She thought about her classes, and how each lesson left Lily mesmerized with wonder.
She thought about the fact that a few months ago, if someone had told her that she would be attending a school in Scotland where the main subjects included Potions, Charms, and Flying lessons, she would have told them to seek professional help.
Flying lessons! As mind-boggling as it seems, Lily loathed them! With flying, there were no written rules; ones that can be memorized in theory, and exhibited perfectly by-the-book. No! Flying takes a different kind of smarts. Smarts that Lily Evans doesn't have time to acquire. No; Lily Evans has time for one thing; time to absorb as much of the Wizarding World as possible before waking up from this exhilarating, wonderful dream.
A dream. That's what this is… This place.
"Stop it!"
Lily abruptly stopped her skipping and looked around for the source of the sound.
"Please? I-I just want my things back," said the small voice.
Lily turned on her heel and made her way down a branching corridor from which the pleas where emanating.
Reaching the end of the corridor, she peeked her head around the corner and saw a young, blonde, teary-eyed girl standing in between what seemed to be a game of catch.
Upon closer inspection, Lily realized that the two boys on either side of the hallway were playing catch. Only, they were playing with a large book bag, and a few class books.
Enraged, Lily stalked around the corner and pointed her wand at the closer of the two boys.
"Cut it out!" she said with indignation.
The boy turned around and, seeing Lily's outstretched wand, he grinned at her.
"Aw. Look at the ickle firstie! Thinks she can hex us doesn't she, Will?" he said. The other boy chuckled with mirth and tossed the bag back over the girl's head and to the first boy. He caught it with ease, not taking his eyes off of the red head in front of him.
"I'd say so. Three days into school and she already has the audacity to threaten us!". He then shouted at Lily.
"What're you gonna do, Red?" He said, pointing at Lily's wand, " Throw it at us?"
Both boys howled with laughter. Will clutched the bag to his chest and doubled over.
"I'm telling you! Give her back her things or else!" Lily fumed.
"Or else what?" gasped Will through fits of laughter, "What is a little first year mudblood less than a week into school going to do to us?"
Lily's face burned bright red from anger and from embarrassment. She knew it was true. Lily knew only a few spells, most of which she had only read about and had never actually tried before. What she needed was a distraction…
She aimed her wand at a suit of armor near the end of the hallway, "Wingardium Leviosa" she whispered, unnoticed by the laughing boys. Discretely concentrating on the armor, she willed it to rise… and rise, it did. Lily was so surprised by the spell's success, she dropped her wand and her concentration and sent the suit or armor crashing to the floor.
Both boys jumped and looked for the commotion, dreading the interference of a teacher or other student. As they were turned, Lily streaked forward, snatched the girl's book bag from underneath Will's arm and grabbed the blonde's hand, speeding them both away from the two older students.
A shout came from behind them and they ran faster, four sets of fast-paced footfalls echoed through the empty corridor. Both girls ran as fast as they could. They flew past paintings and statues of old witches and wizards cheering and urging the two girls on faster whilst hissing insults at their pursuers. Lily turned her head, red hair dancing furiously about her face, and caught sight of the boys. She noticed, with dread, the quickly dwindling distance between them and herself. She and the girl sprinted faster, skidding around corners and flying up and down staircases but still, the boys gained on them.
Lily pulled the girl and herself through a tapestry and up the stairs behind it desperately hoping the boys hadn't seen where they went. They ran to the top of the stairs and pulled on the door. It didn't give. Lily tried the handle again. The door remained sealed shut.
"Oh, bullocks!" Lily exclaimed. The blonde girl turned toward the stairs again and whispered to Lily, "What are we going to do?"
With no answer to give, Lily stayed quiet and both girls held their breath, waiting for the tapestry to be thrown open and for the boys to find them both trapped at the top of the staircase.
Lily heard two sets of footsteps reach the hall in front of the tapestry.
"Where'd they go?" panted one of the fifth-year goons. The other one sighed in frustration.
"We weren't very far behind; they must be hiding," he reasoned. Lily fixed her gaze at the fabric of the tapestry. She pulled out her wand; her companion mimicked this action and both girls pointed them at the bottom of the stairs not that much could be done with them.
"Hey Will, isn't this the tapestry that connects the fourth and fifth floor corridors?"
Lily's eyes widened and the blonde let out a frightened squeak. Both girls backed up toward the locked door until their backs touched the solid wood.
Lily prepared herself and the blonde girl gripped her backpack to her chest as a hand grasped the worn fabric of the tapestry below and made to pull it aside.
"Hey! What the-? Aaaaarrrgggg!" The hand let go and disappeared quickly behind the tapestry. Lily and the girl exchanged a quick look and crept down the staircase. Peeking out from behind the tapestry, Lily giggled at what she saw.
Greenish-brown smoke was everywhere. A gross, putrid stench emanated from ten or twenty tiny little brown balls, hardly bigger than walnuts. In the middle of the massive cloud of noxious brown gas, were the two boys, one hunched over and coughing, the other on the floor covering his nose and mouth from the fumes. Tiny little spit balls were charmed to zoom toward the two and strike them repeatedly over the head and arms while a little team of air-horn shaped objects jumped and hopped around the boys, one occasionally stopping to blast a loud, short "HOOONNNKK!" in an ear of the fallen one.
The two girls giggled quietly and watched the scene unfolding in front of them with wonder. Lily looked up and down the hallway, searching for the witch or wizard who pulled off such amazing magic.
"C'mon! While their busy," whispered the girl. She grasped Lily's arm and started to jog away from the boys. Lily half-heartedly followed, keeping her head and eyes turned back, looking for their savior.
The girl was Alice Prewitt, a fellow first-year Gryffindor and future life-long friend. Ever since that day when Lily and Alice were rescued by a mysterious prankster, Lily never told, not a soul, of the shining, be speckled eyes. The glimpse of black, disheveled hair. She saw it peeking around the corner at the other end of the corridor. A fraction of a second. A smirk, and he was gone.
He grinned at her. "Look at the ickle firstie! Thinks she can hex us doesn't she?" The boy caught the bag with ease, not taking his eyes off of the red head in front of him. "What're you gonna do, Red?" He said, pointing at Lily's wand, " Throw it at us?"