Chapter One: The train ride

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, UK).

Snape scowled. Lily giggled and the boy who had spoken smiled at her. The other boy was on the floor with laughter. Snape glared at both of them before turning to Lily.

"And you think that's funny?"

"It was though!" giggled Lily. "Lighten up, Severus. It's only a joke." The boy who spoke smiled so big Lily thought his face would burst.

"Be quiet, you don't know what you're on about. Slytherin is the only house anybody would want to be in!" Snape declared proudly.

"But Gryffindor sounds fun," protested Lily. "You make Slytherin sound like double Maths on a Monday!"

"SHUT UP!" yelled Snape. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, MUDBLOOD!"

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, but the next thing he knew the other boys in the carriage were holding him up against the door and Lily sat shocked in her seat. She knew what a Mudblood was, Severus had told her.

"NEVER say that again!" yelled Boy One, the one who had spoken.

"NEVER talk to her like that!" shouted Boy Two, the one who had been on the floor.

"Li-ly," choked Snape. "Help-me."

"Get out," said Boy One coldly.

"What?"

"You heard him," Lily cut in. "Get out. It's quite simple actually, or is that not something that your Slytherin loving brain can deal with?"

Snape gasped, then glowered, then stormed out of the compartment.

"Nice," said Boy Two. He held out his hand. "I'm Sirius Black, by the way."

Lily shook it. "Lily Evans. And you are?"

"James Potter," said Boy One happily and hugged Lily. "Gryffindor through and through."

"I'm gonna end up in Slytherin," groaned Sirius.

"We'll visit," said Lily cheerfully.

The door opened and a Prefect stood there. He was from Slytherin. "Severus Snape said you were beating him up," he drawled. "So I have to punish you."

"He called me a Mudblood," said Lily. The Prefect ignored her.

"So I'm going to report you to a Professor Slughorn and then you'll stay away from Severus Snape. Understood?"

"He called her a Mudblood!" said James angrily.

"I don't care!" replied the Prefect. "Just leave Slytherins' alone!" And he walked off.

"Well, he was rude," said Lily.

"That's Lucius Malfoy," Sirius told her. "Ignore him, he's an idiot."

"Um...Lily," said James.

"Yes?"

"When you said 'double Maths on a Monday'...um, what did you mean?" James asked awkwardly.

Lily laughed. "I mean boring. REALLY boring!"

A knock on the door brought them to attention. Standing outside was a boy with sandy coloured hair. "Can I sit with you?" he asked. "I mean, if that's OK and after you've got changed and everything..."

"Sure!" interrupted Lily brightly. "Of course. I'll just go the toilets and when I come back you boys better be changed!"

"Yes, Mum!" Sirius sighed in fake annoyance.

Lily laughed and grabbed her robes. The toilets were at the end of the corridor-right passed the Slytherin compartment. It had a big 'S' on the door and the Slytherin symbol. Prats, Lily thought to herself. They opened the door and spotted her.

"Oi, Mudblood," one called out as she passed. "How come you're up here? Shouldn't you be with the traitor and Potty? Or did they ditch you?"

"Wouldn't be surprised if they did!" laughed a small podgy boy. "Who wants to be friends with someone like that?"

They all roared with laughter. Lily ignored them.

"OI!" yelled the first one. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

"Toilets."

"You dare speak to a Pureblood?" gasped Malfoy in horror. Lily glared at him. "Oh, she's angry! Look out everybody, the first year Mudblood is gonna do some magic! Maybe she'll produce sparks!" They all roared with laughter again.

Lily carried on walking. Why is this compartment so long?

"Keep to your own kind, Mudblood!" called Snape and they closed the door. A small tear trickled down Lily's cheek. I hate Slytherins.

***

Five minutes later, Lily was changed and back in her own compartment. The sandy haired boy was playing Exploding Snap with Sirius, who was covered in soot and very annoyed.

"Oh, hey, Lily," said James who was watching Sirius in amusement. "This is Remus Lupin. He's currently beating Sirius to a pulp, come watch."

"OK," said Lily.

"What's wrong?" asked Remus, looking up just as a pair of his cards exploded. The soot missed his face by millimetres.

"The Slytherins, they were just making fun of me and they said that I should, I should stick to my own kind and that I shouldn't speak to Purebloods and..." Lily collapsed into tears. James hugged her close and patted her back.

"It's OK, Lil," he said. "Just be grateful that even if you do end up in Slytherin, we'll be your friends."

"Promise?"

"Promise," said the three boys at the same time. Suddenly, a glow of golden light filled the compartment and disappeared.

"What just happened?" asked James.

"I think," said Remus in shock. "I think we just made an Unbreakable Vow."