When the small gathering broke up shortly thereafter, it being curfew and time for prefects to lead the First Years to their common rooms, Lily ducked her way out of the room as swiftly as possible. After years of practice, she was well accustomed to taking shortcuts in order to avoid lectures from Professor Trelawney, the Ravenclaw common room her one true sanctuary from the well meaning Divinations instructor.

In doing so, however, she nearly crossed paths with the very person she had been hoping to avoid. She heard the teacher before she saw her and dove quickly behind a suit of armour to wait things out. Peering around the leg, she saw that Professor Trelawney was speaking to the Headmaster.

"Oh, Albus! It truly was a most delightful evening, and a most excellent gathering. Our Jane was so admired, nothing could be like it. I am certain Mr Black thought her to be quite beautiful for they drank punch together. Oh, and there was dancing, and he did choose her to be his partner for the first two dances. Then he danced with Lily, and directly after that he danced with Jane again! But then he danced with that Charlotte Lucas, which vexed me as I had not foreseen it, but for the next what do you think?"

"Enough, Sybil, enough!" Dumbledore sighed, though his twinkling eyes seemed fixed upon the statue. "Would that he had sprained his ankle with his first steps!"

Though slightly taken aback, Trelawney continued with vigour. "And I daresay the lace on Miss Bellatrix Hurst's robes was --"

"No lace, Professor, I beg you!" The alarm in her favourite professor's eyes nearly caused Lily to burst out in a fit of giggles and reveal her clever hiding spot.

"Oh." Once again, there was a brief pause. "But the friend he brought with him, Mr James Potter! Such an arrogant, disobliging young man! Why, he slighted poor Lily, you know, and flatly refused to dance with her!"

"Slighted Lily, did he?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and caught Lily's gaze around the statue's leg. She rolled her eyes and mouthed, "Blah," in response, indicating her own impression of Mr James Potter.

"He did indeed! I had hoped to find her this evening to tell her she should not dance with him even if he were to ask her, but I could not find her after the gathering." Trelawney shrugged. "No matter. I will instruct her tomorrow." At this, Dumbledore gave a non-committal answer, winked at Lily, and continued on his way, Trelawney hurrying after him with more details on how the gathering went.

Lily waited until they had rounded the corner to breathe a sigh of relief. She quickly hurried on her way to the Ravenclaw common room. When she arrived at the entrance, however, she realised that she had not heard the password yet. Sighing resignedly, she leaned against the wall to await any of her housemates.

In a scant few minutes, Jane led an orderly line of First Years down the corridor. Lily grinned when she discovered that her dear friend was not only taking them to their dormitory but also giving them a detailed tour of the castle as they walked. Alternately speaking over her shoulder and walking backwards as she gestured to this painting and that statue, Jane did not see Lily even as she stopped at the entrance. Turning to give the password, she visibly started when she heard a rather familiar giggle.

"Lily!" Jane admonished. "You shouldn't go jumping out of the woodwork like that! Honestly."

"Oh, but Jane... First of all, there isn't any woodwork in this particular part of the castle. And secondly, I was here all the time. Was I not?" she asked the wide-eyed eleven-year-olds. They all nodded as one. "Ah, such bright students. Is it any wonder they are with us in Ravenclaw, Jane?"

Jane hid a smirk. "Everyone, this is Lily Evans. She's my dearest friend and a top student here at Hogwarts." Lily suddenly felt as though she was part of Jane's tour. "If any of you are having trouble, particularly with Charms, she's the one to go to!"

"Bah," she scoffed. "Flattery will get you nowhere. The password to our Common Room, however..."

"It's hieroglyph." With that, the doorway was revealed and Jane ushered her charges inside. "I'll meet you upstairs."

Lily nodded and waited for the lot to move on before scrambling in after them. She then made her way to the room she shared with the other Ravenclaw girls in her year, pausing to say hello to some of her schoolmates.

Hours later, after the others had fallen asleep, Lily sat upon Jane's bed with the curtains drawn around them. Lily had cast a silencing charm as well in order to keep their whisperings from both waking the other girls and from having any rumours spread.

"His friends and relatives are going to keep him company so as he does not need to settle into a new school completely on his own." Jane was giving Lily an update on the information she had gathered on the new students. "And apparently it would not do for Miss Hurst to travel anywhere without Mr Lestrange, for, though they are quite young, an engagement has pretty much been agreed upon. I am sure they will all make charming schoolmates, though we are not in the same Houses."

"Mm." Lily agreed, a twinkle in her eye. "One of them, maybe."

Jane immediately caught Lily's meaning. "Oh you are ridiculous. Though he really is everything a young Wizard ought to be, you know. Intelligent, talented, sensible, well-mannered..."

"Handsome too, which helps," Lily judiciously added. "And he seemed to like you as well, which shows he has good judgement. Yes, I give you leave to like him, for you have liked many a stupider person."

Jane strove to change the subject. "And what of his sister and cousin? They seemed very friendly too."

Lily sniffed. "Better pleased with themselves than with anything they saw, I should think."

"Oh, did you not like them?"

"Not at all. Nor, I must admit, his friend."

"Oh, I don't know, Lily. I am sure they will all prove to be very agreeable. And," it was her turn to have twinkling eyes, "you may well find that even Mr Potter will improve upon closer acquaintance."

Lily gasped. "Do you mean he shall be in good humour to give consequence to young ladies who have been slighted by other boys??" She struggled to keep a straight face as she imitated him. "She is tolerable, I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me."

As soon as she finished the sentence, the two burst out laughing. "It was very wrong of him to speak so," Jane managed. For all that Lily made light of the matter and thus had her in hysterics, she was deeply upset that he insulted someone so unworthy of such comments.

"Ah, yes," Lily agreed, more for Jane's benefit than for her own. "A capitol offence. But come, it is high time we went to bed. Classes begin in the morning, and we must gain ample amounts of beauty sleep ere the sun rises." Jane groaned. "Professor Trelawney is, after all, the Divinations instructor. She will be able to See were we not to take her instructions seriously."

Lily undid her charm on the bed curtains and shuffled over to her own bed, yawning in spite of herself. Flopping onto the mattress and burrowing under the blankets, she waved goodnight at Jane before quickly falling asleep.