A/N: This is my version of how the Marauders, Lily and my original characters Mary and Brice from my fan fic My Everlasting Love met

A/N: This is my version of how the Marauders, Lily and my original characters Mary and Brice from my fan fic My Everlasting Love met. Mind you, this one-shot was written long before Deathly Hallows came out, so it's not really in line with canon anymore. However, I still think it's entertaining, so I thought it might be a good idea to also post it on this site. Enjoy and R&R! –Mara

Disclaimer: I not own either Lily or, sadly, the Marauders. But I do own Mary and Brice.

A Whole New World

A man in his late thirties was standing in front of platform 9 at King's Cross Station. He was frowning at a piece of parchment and looked up occasionally to let his eyes wander around the crowded platform, where a lot of commuters were pushing their way past him and his family, clearly annoyed that they were blocking the passage to the trains on platforms 9 and 10. He suddenly realized that he, his wife, daughters and of course a large trolley with a trunk, another suitcase and a cane cage containing a small grey cat did take up a lot of space.

He quickly pushed the trolley aside to give the other travellers more space and looked down at his shy-looking daughter. "Mary," he said, crouching down so he could look at her. "Did the letter also say where you have to go to that 3/4 part of the platform?"

His daughter, an eleven-year-old skinny girl with chocolate brown hair and remarkable blue eyes, was staring at the floor when she shook her head. "I can't remember," she said quietly.

"Sure you can," Mary's mother, holding her other daughter of about four years old in her arms, said brightly. She took the parchment from her husband and glanced down. "I could swear I read something about it in this letter. Ah, see? It's supposed to be a pillar at the end of this platform. It doesn't say exactly which one, but I'm sure Mary won't be the only one going to Hogwarts for the first time."

Mary's father nodded and pushed the trolley further up the platform with one hand and holding Mary's hand with the other. They approached the end of the platform carefully, looking around pointedly to spot other parents and their children with large trolleys around a certain pillar. Mary's father walked around the very last one of them and shot it a close look. "You'd think there would be some sort of door or hole in it somewhere. Or am I just looking at the wrong one?"

"I don't think so, darling," Mary's mother said while she looked over to an approaching woman in some sort of cloak and her son, pushing a large trolley ahead. Mary's father walked back to his family and curiously watched what was going to happen next. The guy gave his mother a hug before pushing his trolley straight at the pillar and - Mary's father had to blink twice in order to make sure he wasn't dreaming - walked right through it.

Clearly he wasn't hallucinating, because his daughter had seen it too. "Dad, dad!" she cried excitedly while she tugged the sleeve of his coat. "Did you see that?"

"Yes, I did," he replied dazedly, still trying to figure out what had happened in front of his eyes. He was about to ask the guy's mother how this walking through the pillar-thing worked, but she had vanished without a trace whilst he could swear she was still standing there only a few seconds ago. Odd. Well, they simply had to find out on their own.

He and the others approached the pillar together and studied it closely. "I think it's safe to walk through it, Mary," he said.

Mary shot him a nervous look. "Will you come with me?"

He and Mary's mother exchanged glances. "Oh honey, we wouldn't know how to get back. Just ask an older student where to go when you get at the right platform. I'm sure it'll be fine." She bent down to give Mary a hug. "And I'll be expecting a long letter the minute you arrive, alright?"

She nodded and kissed her little sister on the cheek. "Bye Jenna."

Mary's father pulled his daughter into a close embrace. "Be a good girl. And don't forget how to have fun."

Mary sighed and good a good grip on the handle of her trolley. "See you later then," she said before pushing her luggage straight through the wall and following shortly after.

Their daughter had disappeared completely. Mary's mother looked around nervously. "D'you think anyone noticed?"

Mary's father shook his head. "Most humans, and especially commuters, are too egocentric to notice what is happening around them." He sighed. "Our little girl is gone."

Mary's mother smiled and placed a hand on his arm. "Oh John, Mary is able to easily adjust to her surroundings. She'll feel right at home soon enough."

Mary's father sighed again. "Yes Pat, that's what concerns me the most."

"Where am I supposed to go now?" That was the first thing Mary thought when she opened her eyes and looked around. A large sign on the wall pointed out that she had indeed arrived on platform 9 ¾. It was – if possible – even more crowded than the entrance of King's Cross Station at rush hour. There were students everywhere. Surrounded by their trunks, some talking animatedly to their families while others had already said goodbye and were entering an old-fashioned train that was being pulled by a scarlet steam locomotive.

Mary grinded her teeth. So her parents would have been allowed to accompany to her to the platform after all. She spotted several parents who weren't wearing robes and looked just as uncomfortable around this environment as their children. Instead, she probably looked like a scared mouse who was about to be eaten by a giant cat. However, remembering her mother's advice to ask for help, Mary pushed her trolley past a couple of older students, but they were either still talking to their family or hanging out with their friends, looking equally intimidating. Right when she had gathered enough courage to ask a group of girls after all, she suddenly heard someone ask : "Are you okay?"

A girl who was sitting on her trunk was eyeing her curiously. She had brown amber eyes and wavy blonde hair that fell just over her shoulders. "You look kinda lost."

Mary decided now was not the time to act like she was doing fine. "Yeah, I have no idea where I'm supposed to go. First-year, you know…" She shot her another look. "Are you a second-year student?"

The blonde girl laughed. "Nah, first-year like yourself. Are you a Muggle-born?"

"Pardon me?"

"Muggle-born; it means you don't have a magical ancestry. I assume that's a yes, then?"

Mary pulled a face. "That obvious, huh?"

The girl chuckled. "The fact you don't know what Muggle means was a pretty clear indication. That, and the question mark over your head couldn't be bigger." She jumped off the trunk and held out her hand. "Brice McDonald."

Mary took it. "Mary Woods."

"Nice to meet you. Shall we hop on the train? It's nearly eleven o'clock."

Brice pushed her trolley towards a carriage at the very end of the train. Mary followed suit and couldn't stop looking around at the scenery and the rather oddly dressed people on the way. She passed a tall boy with jetblack hair and glasses who (vainly) tried to avoid being hugged by his mother. A few carriages later Mary's eyes were drawn to a particularly posh-looking witch, who was talking sternly to a pretty-faced boy with dark hair, who looked bored and sulky. "And don't you dare socialize with anyone who's not pureblood," she said coldly. "I mean it, Sirius. Always remember you're a Black; you will honor the family laws and tradition. Half-Bloods and Mudbloods are far below your standards. Am I making myself clear?"

Mary could hear the boy mumbling "Yes, mother" while she walked on and wondered what Half-blood and Mudblood meant. She made a mental note to ask Brice while they were on their way to Hogwarts. Brice had already pulled her trunk inside the train and was now helping Mary. When their luggage was standing in the hallway and Mary wanted to jump onto the train herself, her eyes fell on a small skinny girl with dark-red hair, who looked just as lost as she had been only minutes before. "Hang on," Mary told Brice and she jumped back out. She walked straight to the nervous girl. "Hi."

The girl whirled around and Mary noticed she had the most amazingly bright green eyes she had ever seen. "Can I help you?"

The girl nodded and shot her a timid look. "I don't know where I'm supposed to go."

Mary grinned. "Neither did I just a minute ago, but a nice girl helped me out and now I'm helping you. Would you like to sit with us?"

"That'd be great," the girl said and she pushed her trolley towards the train. "Thanks for doing this."

"Not at all," Mary replied while she helped getting the trunk into the carriage. "I know what it's like to feel lost. I'm Mary by the way, Mary Woods."

"Lily Evans," she smiled.

The girls shook hands before making their way to the compartment Brice managed to confiscate. After she and Lily had been introduced to each other and they had all sat down, Mary remembered what that posh woman was telling her son. "Brice, I was wondering," she said. "On the way over here, I heard a mother say something about Muddybloods or something. What is that?"

Lily looked also curious, but Brice gasped. "Mudbloods? You should never use that word again!"

"Oh," Mary said, looking shocked. "I'm sorry," she stammered. "I… I didn't know."

"Well, you couldn't have, of course," Brice nodded.

"But what does it mean, then?" Lily asked.

"It's a very foul word to describe people like you, witches and wizards from Muggle ancestry. You see, some pureblood families think Muggle-borns, and Half-Bloods too, are beneath them or something." She rolled her eyes. "Totally ridiculous, of course."

The other two girls nodded in agreement. It sounded rather silly to alienate people just because of their origin. Mary and Lily continued to ask Brice as much as possible about the magical world, so when they finally arrived at Hogsmeade station, the girls had already learned a lot more about Hogwarts.

The girls got out with everyone else, feeling slightly nervous. They considered following the older students who were walking towards a bunch of horseless carriages, but suddenly a gigantic man appeared right in front of them. Mary couldn't help but gasp when she eyed him up and down. She had to throw her head in her neck to look at his face. To her surprise, the man's eyes were dark and beady but twinkling and he was grinning widely when he said: "Firs' years?"

"Yes sir," Lily whispered.

The man pointed over to the large and dark lake where a large amount of sloops was waiting for them. Many students were already getting in line near the bank. He winked. "Jus' wait there. I'm Hagrid by the way. Gamekeeper of Hogwarts," he added proudly before walking off to look for other lost first-year students.

Mary, Brice and Lily joined the back of the row and waited for Hagrid to come back. The gamekeeper returned a few minutes later with ten other students. He walked inside the water of the black lake and announced he would place four students in every boat. The cue became shorter and shorter, and Mary wondered how long it would take them to row to the castle, whose dark silhouette and bright lights was shimmering in the distance. At last the girls had arrived at the bank. Brice and Lily got into a boat and Mary automatically wanted to follow, but Hagrid held her back. "This one's already full. Gotta catch the next one."

Lily and Brice shot her an apologetic look and Mary looked back over her shoulder. There were only three other students left: the jetblack-haired boy with glasses, the boy whose mother had said Mudblood and a small and a shy thin boy with long black hair that was dangling in front of his dark glinting eyes.

This boy climbed into the boat first, closely followed by the haughty boy who sat next to him, but very reluctantly. Mary noticed he was shifting to the very side of the boat, determined to avoid touching the other boy. The guy with glasses got in next; he turned around to offer her a hand and Mary took it gratefully. "Thanks," she whispered as he pulled her on board.

"I couldn't let a sweet girl like you crawl in there all by yourself," he grinned. "I'm James Potter."

The boy's behaviour could be described as a little over the top and conceited, but Mary decided she kinda liked it. "Mary Woods," she said, shooting a curious look around when the boat started to glide towards the castle entirely on its own.

The haughty boy shot her a close look. "Woods… That's not a familiar name, is it? Are you from a big family?"

Mary was about to reply when she spotted a large tentacle rising out of the water to pick up a dead fish floating at the surface. Her eyes widened and she gasped. James followed her shocked gaze and grinned. "Oh brilliant, it's the giant squid!"

"The what?"

The haughty boy was now narrowing his eyes. "You've never heard of the squid?"

"Eh no. Should I've known?"

The sulking boy made a scornful sound but remained silent. The boy next to him on the other hand, did not. "You're not from a magical family, are you?"

Mary simply shook her head, but James's eyes were glinting when he said: "And that is a bad thing because…"

The haughty boy shot him a look that was torn between indignant, amused and if Mary was interpreting it correctly, slightly impressed. "I didn't say that," he said quickly, shooting James another look. "You said you were a Potter, right?"

"Yeah," James said proudly.

The other boy nodded. "Powerful Pureblood family but unpopular among older magical families because they're sympathizing with… eh Muggle-borns."

James frowned, as if he was a little surprised the other boy hadn't used a fouler word. "You're probably part of that group. Let me guess… You're a Malfoy, Rockwood… A Nott?"

The boy snorted. "Oh please, I'm a Black. Sirius Black, in fact."

The other boy scowled again. Sirius looked sideways and shot him a nasty look. "Not impressed by that, eh? I bet you wish you were part of a family like mine. From looking at you, I reckon your mum and dad cannot even buy you a bottle of proper shampoo."

The pale skin of the other boy turned sour and Mary could hear him grind his teeth from her side of the boat, but he didn't say anything and merely stared down at the water. Mary expected that James would stand up for the boy, but he didn't. Instead, he laughed aloud. "Shampoo," he grinned. "I couldn't have put that better myself. Well Sirius, I think you're not such a bad lad after all. Despite your family, if you don't mind me saying."

Sirius grinned back. "Not at all. I'm glad to have escaped from my mother's insanity myself. Even if it means I have to sit next to a filthy guy who would put a tramp to shame."

James burst out laughing again, but Mary didn't think it was funny at all. "Will you shut up," she called indignantly. "You have no right insulting people like this. Who do you think you are anyway? You don't even know him!"

James looked impressed, and so did Sirius (somewhat), but the other boy was speaking up for the first time and he was not amused. "I don't need help from someone like you. Just leave me alone," he hissed viciously just as their boat was docking to the quay. He jumped out quickly and stalked off to the front of the line, so that he was standing right in front of Hagrid.

"Don't bother, Mary," James said as he climbed out of the boat after her. "He's just not worth the trouble, I can smell it."

"Well, smell him you definitely will," Sirius observed when he was standing next to James. "And there's something terribly wrong with that fellow. I don't like him one bit."

Mary huffed. "Well," she stated loudly. "I don't like you one bit, you…. You vile… git." And she stalked off to find Lily and Brice, leaving a stunned James and Sirius behind.

The Sorting Ceremony would take place in a few minutes, or so they were told by a strict-looking witch called McGonagall with a pointy hat. While the nervous first-years were waiting for her to return, Brice quickly explained about the Hogwarts Houses before Mary filled her, Lily and Alison, a girl who had sat in the same boat as the other girls, in on what had happened on the lake.

When she fumed that she couldn't stand that arrogant Sirius Black, Brice laughed and said he'd probably end up in Slytherin like the rest of his family. "And," she added, "You're not a Pureblood, so there's no way you'll get sorted in the same house."

"Well, that's a relief," Mary said right when McGonagall returned and ushered them to follow her inside the Great Hall. Mary was walking next to Lily and both of them couldn't stop staring at the ceiling, which seemed to be enchanted. The clear dark sky resembled a beautiful half moon and many brightly shining stars.

They only looked back down when they had reached the front of the hall and stopped right in front of the staff table. A stool was standing on the stage and there was an old battered-looking hat lying on top of it. After the Hat had finished singing his song, which was about the four founders of Hogwarts but Mary did not fully understand (although she did plan to write a letter to her parents about this odd hat as soon as possible), McGonagall picked it up and unfolded a large scroll of parchment. "When I call your name," she said clearly, "You will step forward to get sorted by the hat. Good luck. Jules Avery."

A short plump boy shuffled towards the stool and sat down. The hat only needed a few seconds to make up his mind and shout: "SLYTHERIN!"

After another few students had been sorted, McGonagall called out the name "Sirius Black." The haughty guy stepped up, looking much too confident for Mary's liking, and when he had sat down, Lily whispered: "Isn't that the guy you don't like?" Mary nodded while she stared at the hat. The boy would get sorted into Slytherin, surely? The hat seemed to take ages to decide, but just when some older students in the hall started to whisper frantically, it called out: "GRYFFINDOR!"

Brice looked stunned. "That's odd. I mean, with his family you'd think…" But Mary had already stopped listening. Great, now that Sirius Black had been sorted into Gryffindor, that house clearly wasn't an option for her anymore. So that left Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, then. Mary sighed and continued to watch the Sorting. The cue was getting shorter and shorter, and she witnessed Lily getting sorted into Gryffindor as well, and Brice too. Mary felt sad that they wouldn't be placed in the same house, but she decided that they could still remain friends. The greasy-haired boy from the boat turned out to be called Severus Snape, and he got sorted into Slytherin right away, which was a bit of a relief for Mary.

At last, with only two other students behind her, McGonagall called out her name. Mary suddenly felt very nervous when she stepped onto the stage and sat down on the stool. Right before McGonagall was placing the hat on her head, Mary had started to chant inwardly: "Not Gryffindor or Slytherin. Not Gryffindor or Slytherin."

"Well, well, well," a small and quiet voice suddenly resounded inside her head. "Think you can influence the Sorting, girl? Well, you can always try. Not that I ever listened to it before…"

"Not Gryffindor or Slytherin," Mary thought.

"Now what do we have here?" the hat continued, apparently completely undisturbed by Mary's chanting. "A good set of brains, lots of magical talent, courageous too…. Hmmm… You rather act before thinking and are positively allergic to injustice. Indeed… Yes, I'm afraid you're only meant for one house…"

"Ravenclaw?" Mary thought hopefully.

"No."

"Hufflepuff?" Mary thought desperately.

"No, you belong in… GRYFFINDOR!"

"Oh bugger," Mary thought when McGonagall took the hat off. Mary hurried down the stage, feeling shy because the Gryffindor table was loudly applauding her, and also slightly dazed. She had been sorted into the same house as that arrogant Black. But on the bright side… Lily and Brice were in Gryffindor too, and so was James. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad after all. She flopped down next to Lily, who grinned at her. "We're all Gryffindors now, isn't that totally cool?"

"Yeah," Mary smiled back, realizing she was quite happy with it too. She looked at the other first-years at her table. Brice was still following the last part of the Sorting. And there was Sirius, looking pleased with himself as ever; he was talking animatedly to James. Mary noticed those two buys had already become close friends. Her eyes fell on a chubby and small guy, who was eyeing the empty plates and bowls on the table hungrily. "Hello," she said kindly, trying to distract him a little. "I'm Mary."

The guy looked up; he seemed to be shocked that she was speaking to him. "Hi," he replied nervously. He had a high, somewhat squeaky voice. "I'm Peter."

Mary smiled at Peter again and looked at the guy sitting next to him. This boy was looking around the hall with interest. His hair was a sandy-like brown and despite the large scar on his left cheek, he had a very gentle look about him. He noticed she was watching him and looked up. He smiled when their eyes met. "I'm Remus."

"Nice to meet you, Remus," Mary said. "I'm Mary."

"I already knew that." When Mary shot him a surprised look, he added: "I paid attention at the Sorting."

Her cheeks turned bright red and Remus laughed. "And James and Sirius told me about you. Quite the feisty character, huh?"

Mary shrugged. "I just don't like it when innocent people are being made fun of."

"You'll fit right in Gryffindor, then," Remus smiled before he focused his attention on Professor Dumbledore, who had stood up to welcome them to the school, and to open the welcoming feast. Mary couldn't be more surprised when the food appeared right in front of her by magic, and so was Lily. The two of them kept shooting looks at the ceiling too. They agreed it was the most extraordinary thing they had ever seen so far.

After dinner, the Gryffindor prefects took them to the Gryffindor tower. The common room looked cosy with its fireplace, the many comfortable arm chairs and a reading table in the corner. The prefects told them about the Hogwarts rules on the dormitories (James and Sirius couldn't stop sniggering when the female prefect warned them about the girl's dormitory stairs changing into a slide when boys tried to climb it) before sending them straight to bed.

Mary, Lily and Brice were all excited when they opened the door to their dormitory. Their large bedroom looked like heaven to Mary, who had never slept in a four-poster bed before. The view from their tower over the Hogwarts ground was no les than spectacular; on their very left they could see the Quidditch pitch (Brice had tried to explain what the sport was about, but it didn't make much sense to Mary and Lily yet) and on the right they had a clear view on the Forbidden Forest.

After they brushed their teeth and hair and had changed into their pyjama's, Brice announced she was so tired she could sleep for an entire month. This wasn't possible of course, because term would start the next day, so the girls decided to go to sleep. Mary yawned when she pulled the blankets up to her chin and stared at the ceiling of her four-poster bed. She tried to reflect on today's events.

Although she had felt more nervous today than ever before, the stress from the morning was already fading away. This new environment full of unknown creatures, people and things, magical things, that had still seemed so distant and unreal to her by yesterday, already started to make more sense. "Yes," Mary thought with a surreptitious sigh as she turned onto her side and closed her eyes. "Hogwarts was already starting to feel like home."

- The End -