"Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes." -Jim Carrey 

"Lalia, chill." Spencer groaned, as he hurried after the panic stricken girl. Lalia turned around so fast she might've got whip lash, her hair was a frosty white.

"No, I will not 'chill' Spence!" Lalia peers into a compartment with rowdy six years, and pulls herself back shaking her head in distaste. "Who I meet on the express, determines everything. You said it yourself."

She was really throwing his words back at him.

Spencer ran a hand through his slightly red tipped hair, "Look. Lals. You can come sit with me and the guys."

Lalia peered into another compartment, and saw a pair of fourth years snogging. She tapped on the window, making the pair pull apart abruptly. "You might wanna pull down the blindss!" She drawls out slowly, making a blind pulling gesture.

Spencer's hair tipped pink from embarrassment, as he watched the angry boy storm over and pull down the blinds rudely. "Arse." Her eyes rolled, and she continued down the corridor.

He hurried after her, grasping her wrist. "Lalia, do you just want to sit with us?" She eyed him, and the words 'blood supremist' formed on her lips like venom, but she swallowed her words and shook her head.

"No. I'll be fine on my own." Lalia dismissed with a wave of her hand, she couldn't bare the thought of being confined in a compartment with Lucius Malfoy. She loathed him with every ounce of her being.

"Narcissa will be pretty bummed." That was Spencer's 'go to' guilt trip tactic, he knew his cousin had an undeniable soft spot for the older girl. Lalia actually genuinely liked her. 

But nevertheless, she shook her head firmly. "I'll be fine. Go find your friends." 

With much hesitation, and a backwards step- he turned on his heel and headed in the opposite direction, leaving his cousin to fend for herself. But that's what she'd wanted. A chance to completely sway her mind before being sorted.

The door to Spencer's usual compartment slid open, Lucius looked up over a book of runes and back down again. Noah was laid across the lap of Bellatrix, flipping through a magazine. He peered around it and smirked, "Took you long enough, Emrys."

Spencer rolled his eyes playfully, and took a seat closest to the door beside Narcissa. The third year girl looked around him, her brows furrowed in confusion. "No Pierce?" Bellatrix spoke up as if reading her sister's mind.

Spencer shrugged, as Noah sat up letting Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange filter in and sit between him and Bellatrix. "I'm letting her do her own thing, I guess." He answered, as Rodolphus kissed Bellatrix affectionately on the forehead.

Lucius set his book down, closing it with a dramatic thud.

"Your giving her a chance to fall in with the wrong  sort." Lucius' pale grey eyes were piercing, but Spencer just shrugged.

Ignoring everyone, as usual. Rabastan pulled out an advanced DADA book and began to read away as Noah now lent his head on Rab's shoulder. "Weren't you supposed to bring Black?" Spencer looks between the Black sisters, completely ignoring Lucius' presence.

Narcissa decided to answer, tucking a strand of her long blonde hair behind her ear. "Bella is afraid Andy-" She says in reference to her other older sister Andromeda. "Has had to much influence over Sirius."

Andromeda Black, was the only Black to ever not be sorted in Slytherin. "Hufflepuff vermin." Rodolphus rumbles, making Narcissa flinch slightly.

"I have hope for mini Pierce." Noah looks over the top of his magazine, "She's a Pierce-Emrys after all."

"Did you hear about Eileen Prince's son?" Rab spoke up, everyone's eyes flicked to him but he just kept reading. "Half blood, from Spinners end. In his first year."

Lucius scoffed, his face contorting in dislike. "What about him? why do we need him?"

"He might be a helpful recruit." Noah offers. "For bigger things..."

"He shares our belief system, from what I hear." Rab licked his finger, flicking the page with his slender hands. "Blood status isn't our top priority, Lucius. It's loyalty, and numbers." Bellatrix added, her eyes swelling with misplaced hope.

Narcissa fiddled with the hem of her robes, biting her inner cheek. "And if he's in Slytherin...?" Spencer asks, trying not to draw any attention to the blonde Black girl with confused belief's.

"He'll be perfect."

Lalia trotted down the corridor, and peered into a compartment with two redhead boys who looked to be twins- and a redhead girl sitting beside them. Obviously noticing her nervous expression, the small girl gave her a warm smile and waved.

Lalia waved back politely and continued.

"Please, please have people my age-" 'Who don't look like blood supremacists' Her sentence finishing in her head. With her fingers crossed behind her back, she peered in nervously- her hair whiter then ever.

Sitting in the compartment was a red haired girl, who sat staring out the window. And three boys, one with untameable curly hair and grey eyes, the one beside him had golden, circle shaped glasses, and the messiest raven hair she'd ever seen- and the final boy had long, greasy black hair and looked malnourished. 

They all looked to be first years, making her light up in glee and her hair turn bright orange. Sliding open the door, all their eyes snapped to her. "Hi." She cleared her throat, her fingers fiddling with her robes. "May I? everywhere else is full." A lie.

"Sure, come in." The girl spoke, a warm smile on her lips. She shuffled in awkwardly sitting beside the girl, and greasy haired boy.

"I'm James, James Potter." The raven haired boy offered a confident hand, Lalia gave him a bright smile. "Lalia, Lalia Pierce." They shook hands, and she could see a flicker of uncertainty in James' eyes.

"Don't be so quick to assume Potter," Lalia laughed, "I'm not like- that."

The boy beside him offered his hand next, his eyes swelled with knowing relatability. He didn't seem scared of her at all, which made Lalia's cheeks burn pink and her hair turn to match the pink coat on her face. "I'm Sirius."

She shook his hand with furrowed brows, "Sirius? about what?"

The two boys broke into laughter, their heads tilting back- as a roaring like noise escaped their lips. "My- my-" Sirius tried to get out between heaps of laughter, "It's my name." They'd calmed down now.

"Sirius Black."

Lalia's eyes widened in surprise, "Oh! I didn't know Narcissa had a brother- my cousin Spencer and her are in the same year. Their best friends."

Sirius gave her a weak look, "She's not my sister-" he paused, "My cousin."

She turned redder, if that was even possible. "Oh- sorry-" Her laugh was awkward, and they'd decided not to say more on the topic.

"Don't wear my name out." Sirius winked, kicking his feet up onto her lap. It was as if they were the only two there, "A-as i-if I'd ever talk about you Black." She shoved his feet off, but he just kicked them back up again.

"I'm Lily Evans, and this is my friend-" James did a subtle scoff. "Severus Snape." The redhaired girl gave her a warm smile, her eyes were red and looked bloodshot.

"That's a pretty name." Lalia muses, her hair fading into purple as she begins to play with Sirius' shoelaces.

Lily's cheeks could give her hair a run for it's money, "Thank you- I like yours." She watches as Lalia's hair fades into orange again. "If you don't mind my asking, how do you change-" Lily gestures to her hair.

Lalia grins, making her hair flash various shades of the rainbow. "It's because I'm a Metamorphmagus." 

Lily gives her a slightly confused look, "Erm- what's that?"

She must be muggleborn.

James pipes up, "Metamorphmagus, aka. Metamorphmagi- is a witch or wizard with a rare ability. The ability to change their physical appearance through sheer will alone, without using the Polyjuice potion or being an Animagus." Lily's face lights up with curiosity, and she turns to Lalia again.

"Can you turn into animals?"

She gave Lily a sheepish look, "No- not yet. I can do people though." Lalia inhales sharply, and pictures Lily vividly in her mind- she feels her hair grow slightly longer and her hands shrink. Lalia looked like an exact replica of Lily Evans.

"Woah!" Lily laughs, watching as Lalia changes into a replica of Sirius.

"Lookin' good Black." Sirius wolf whistles, as he winks at the Lalia version of himself. Lalia/Sirius rolls her eyes, and shifts back into herself again. "I look better."

The trolley lady comes by, and Sirius, James and Lalia order for the whole compartment. Lily and Severus were hesitant on eating any of the sweets, "Please, my treat." Lalia hands Lily a box of every flavoured beans, and Severus a liquorish wand.

"So what house do you want to be in?" Sirius asked, swallowing a chocolate frog. 

James sprung up in an instant, he flexes his muscles and starts posing in various 'manly' ways. Lalia choked on a liquorish wand, and began coughing as she watched James strike a pose and grunt in an attempt to pop his non-existent muscles out. "Gryffindor! dwell the brave at heart!" 

Severus scoffs, making James send a sharp glare in his direction and sit back down. "What's wrong with Gryffindor?"

Severus glanced up between his hair, "Gryffindor is a pathetic excuse for a house. Their all brawn."

Sirius sent her an amused look, as the pair sat back and watched the start of an argument between James and Severus. James shot up, nostrils flared. "What's that supposed to mean?" James snarled, looming over a seated Severus who looked as cool as a packet of Ice Mice.

"It means that Gryffindors are all brawn and no brains. At least Slytherin's have a brain." Snape's voice was monotone, and drawled out which seemed to anger James more.

Lalia sighed, and popped a chocolate frog in her mouth. Trying her hardest to ignore the blubbering morons, she inspected her chocolate frog card. "Merlin." She muttered, "I got Merlin." There was a slight hint of amusement in her voice, as she tilted the card on various angles.

"Gryffindor's might be all 'brawn' but at least we're not racists."

Lalia's head snapped up at James' words, and she watched on wide eyed. "We're-" Severus pauses, "Correcting, genetic mistakes."

In an instant James had grabbed Severus by the scuff of his robes, and pulled him off his chair. A confused looking Lily sprung up from beside Severus, and glared at James. "Let him go."

Lalia and Sirius shot up, pulling James back off of Severus. "Of course you have to have a blood supremacy complex, Severus." Lalia glared.

Lily grabbed Severus by the hand, as Sirius and Lalia lowered James back onto his chair. "Let's go Severus." Lily snarled, pulling him away. 

Sirius stuck out his foot, making Severus trip and stumble. "Bye Snivellus!" Sirius waved with his fingers. Lily sent him a sharp glare, and turned to Lalia. "We'll talk later." She nodded in response.

And with that, Lily yanked Severus out of the compartment slamming it behind her.

"Snivellus?" James asks between cackles of laughter, "Do you know him or something?"

"No." It seemed like he was lying, but Lalia didn't dare mention it.

James bit into a liquorish wand, "Personally, I think If I were sorted in Slytherin I'd just leave."

Sirius' eyes darkened, and an unexplainable expression crossed his face. Lalia shifted uncomfortably, her hair now jet black. "My whole family is from Slytherin." Sirius spoke.

"Mine too." 

Sirius looked at her knowingly. "And I was just starting to think you two were alright." James chuckled, throwing a Drooble in the air and catching it in his mouth.

Lalia and Sirius cracked a grin. "Don't worry." Sirius laughed.

"-I plan on breaking that tradition." They said in unison. They both gave each other identical, happy grins and Lalia's hair was the brightest ombre of orange and green.

This was the start of everything. 

end of chapter