Thunder

Prologue: The Calm before the Storm

"Do you know you're unlike any other?
You'll always be my thunder, so bring on the rain,
So bring on the pain, and bring on the thunder"

Taken from "Thunder-Boys Like Girls

Jacqueline looked around cautiously at the train platforms surrounding her. Trains came and went and she still couldn't figure out quite where she was meant to go. She looked down at her ticket, nope, 9 ¾ was definitely printed on it. She listened intently to the people near her, hoping for some piece of advice that would her in her seemingly impossible task.

"Tell me again Sev; How do we get onto the platform?"

The young girl's voice echoed over the other patrons and Jacqueline quickly traced it to its source. A red-haired girl standing next to a pale boy with long black hair that fell like curtains over his face. He was talking and the girl was listening intently,

"...just walk straight to the wall, you see, its actually a door, just Muggles can't get in..."

He continued in a softer voice when he realised that some people were looking at him and Jacqueline moved forward to hear what he was saying.

"...We'd better go now, it's nearly eleven..."

As he said that, he looked up, and caught Jacqueline's eye. He ran his gaze suspiciously over her, as though she had been eavesdropping, but his eyebrows arched as he saw her trolley with its trunk and her oddly coloured ticket. The red-haired girl looked over as well, but instead of looking suspicious, her gaze brightened at the sight of someone who looked to be going to the same place.

The boy pushed her forward towards the wall, and she turned around and smile at Jacqueline before, 'poof' disappearing entirely. The boy looked back at Jacqueline's stunned expression and motioned her towards the wall between platform's 9 and 10 before he too, ran at the wall and went straight through it.

Jacqueline stood there for a minute, trying to digest what had just happened, then she decided that she'd rather take a chance than be stuck and late for her train, which on her ticket said it came at 11 sharp. She started walking towards the brick wall and closed her eyes as she got closer and closer until...

She opened her, eyes, she should have by all rights hit the wall but there she was, standing on a whole other platform, with a gleaming red steam train in front of her. She saw other people putting their trunks on the train, and moved her trolley so that she could as well. There were so many people everywhere. A kind boy helped her hitch her trunk up the stairs of the train and she walked down the corridor aimlessly, looking in at the compartments, watching other young people compare wands, robes, spell-books...

She looked at her right and saw a nearly empty compartment, except for the girl she had seen before on the platform and her friend the dark-haired boy. She knocked on the door of the compartment and asked quietly, "Umm, excuse me, would it be alright if I sat in here with you?"

The girl looked over and smiled at her warmly,

"Of course it would be, wouldn't it Sev?"

The boy didn't reply but attempted what looked like a smile at Jacqueline and the girl moved over so she could sit next to her.

After she sat down the girl turned to her and eagerly started asking questions.

"My name's Lily, Lily Evans, and this is Severus Snape, but you can just call him Sev. What's your name? What house do you think you'll be in? Do you know anything about the wizarding world at all? I didn't until Sev told me about it."

Her voice trailed off after a while as Jacqueline answered her questions and on finding out that she was Muggle born, even Severus joined in, and the conversation became quite jovial.

A fat witch came around with a trolley full of sweets and other food, and it was both Jacquelines' and Lily's first chance to use their wizard money they had exchanged at Gringott's; the wizard bank.

After they had eaten their fill the conversation turned lazy until two boys, about their age turned up at the door of the compartment. They knocked quickly and walked in, taking their places next Severus and Lily.

The first one, short with messy dark hair and glasses spoke up first as they entered the compartment,

"Hi, Are you all first-years too? My names James Potter, who are all you lot?"

Introductions had been made and it was clear to Jacqueline that Severus didn't like these new arrivals at all, even the slouchy form of Sirius Black, who looked like he could be distantly related to him, though Sirius was much better looking, Jacqueline decided.

They got onto the topic of houses soon enough,

"Jacqueline, Jackie, can I call you Jackie?" James started, "What house do you reckon you'll be in?"

Jackie just nodded to his first question but answered the second with a non-committal shrug and an "I don't know, a good one I hope."

Severus laughed, "Oh, they're all good, but there's no doubt Slytherin's the best, what house will you be in Potter?"

James raised his eyebrows at the house, but laughed also, "Oh, I'll be in Gryffindor, just like me dad, hopefully this one will be as well, hey Sirius."

Sirius looked moodily at the ground, "I dunno James, I'll probably end up Slytherin, my whole families in it."

James looked aghast, "and here I was thinking you were decent..."

This sparked an avid debate between the boys as the which houses were the best, while Lily and Jacqueline kept up a whispered commentary of who was walking past their compartment.

As she was looking an older boy, already in his school robes walked past, he was tall and slender, with white blonde hair, halfway to his shoulders. Jacqueline, elbowed Lily and said slightly louder than she intended, "Who do you think that is?"

Severus looked up, "He's wearing green, so he's in Slytherin, probably a second or third year, he's too old be our age..."

Jacqueline looked back at the boy, he had stopped at the compartment across from them, and he was lounging casually in the doorway as if he owned the place. James and Sirius stood abruptly, apparently having had a disagreement with Severus. As they walked out she heard a small part of his conversation, and she would have easily said that his drawling voice was the most beautiful, thing she'd ever heard.

"I hope I'm in Slytherin," she said with a sigh.

Severus's eyebrows raised slightly, a common occurrence it seemed with him, "I hope we're all in Slytherin, that way we already know people and already have friends."

They proceeded to get changed into their school robes as it was announced that they would soon be arriving at school.

The scariest part of coming to the new school Jacqueline thought, was definitely standing in a line waiting to walk into that big hall, knowing that everyone was going to be watching her. She stuck close to Lily and Severus, hoping along with them that they were all in the same house. The first-years formed a line, and walked into the hall following a teacher. The next 40 minutes felt like they passed in a blur; first Jacqueline was standing in line, watching the 'sorting' which was done by hat. She watched as Lily got sorted into Gryffindor, and moaned alongside Severus as she flounced off towards the table, and laughed as she promptly turned her back to James Potter.

Severus was sorted next, into Slytherin, and she watched him walk to the table with his head down as the rest of his house cheered, including the blonde boy, who patted him on the back as he sat down.

When Jackie sat on the chair and the hat was put on her head, time seemed to stand still,

"hmmm," said, what seemed to be the hat in her ear, "What have we here? Intelligence, strong will, hmmmm, some more intelligence, hmmm, maybe Ravenclaw for you? Ooh, what's this, hmmm, let me think."

There was silence for a moment as the hat 'thought' and after about a minute of Jackie sitting and hoping she wouldn't be in Ravenclaw alone, the hat lifted its brim and shouted to the hall, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The whole table of Gryffindors cheered and she ran down gratefully to sit next to Lily, unable to face Severus who looked very forlorn over in Slytherin by himself. She was a bit disappointed, but she thought to herself 'they have to talk within the houses don't they, otherwise no-one would get along. We can still talk to Sev and I can still talk to that blonde boy.'

The rest of the first-years were sorted and the Headmaster Dumbledore welcomed them to the school. Jacqueline was so tired she didn't hear much of it, but she ate her fill of the food that appeared magically on the plates in front of them, and followed blindly the prefect that led them to their common room which led to their dorms. He told them the password to get past the painting of The Fat Lady, who was the portrait, guarding the portrait hole, 'alakazam' and pretty soon, Lily and herself were comfortable in their four-poster beds with 2 other girls of their age.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Jacqueline could still remember that day as if it was yesterday, 4 years on. She was 16 now, and in her 5th year at Hogwarts. She was still friends with Lily Evans, and she still thought that blonde boys voice was the most beautiful thing she could ever hear.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

A/N: Any reviews are helpful and appreciated, even criticism is appreciated. This one is obviously set in the Marauders Time, so uhh, yeah. That's it really :D Enjoy, there is more to come. Also, there's more than one point of view late so don't get all turned off because of the POV of the OC. It's not there the entire time.

Disclaimer: I'm flattered that you think I wrote Harry Potter buuut, I'm not good old J.K so, yeah. Sorry. I just take the characters and mind-fuck them. Wooot!