Green eyed and of average height, with sleek black hair and somewhat sallow skin, not to mention a slight dusting of freckles about the nose, Wendyl Snape was a bright, inconspicuous girl. She had lived most of her life in a mostly shaded house on a partly shady street, and perhaps, from moving so constantly from shade to sun, she had learned to bring her presence in and out of focus, like a broken and battered microscope. Her family, the Snapes, lived in a quieter part of London, where the watery sunlight shone on shingled roofs and dust bin lids- and, occasionally, the odd puff of unexplained smoke that rose furtively towards the clouds. The witches and wizards in Wendyl's neighborhood were rather few, and older than her. The muggle children laughed at her sallow skin and clung to their mother's skirts when she made faces in return, so Dill was not often surrounded by children like herself. However, that was about to change.
The September sunlight shone on her dull lustre, like that of worsted silk, as she moved through the crowded train station. Her mother pushed a cart laden with her school trunk and a basket which was hissing spasmodically. She tossed her brilliant red hair from side to side, speaking to Dill and her father almost at once. Her father was quieter, replying once in a while to what Lily said, and observing the station watchfully. Severus Snape's subdued air seemed to produce an inciting contrast to his wife's excitement, and he smiled inadvertently as she brushed a strand of red hair away from her mouth to free the flow of animated speech, her green eyes flashing with joy. "Look, Sev, there's Amelia with her sister…and little Susan in tow!…could that be Nott and Goyle? Wonder who they had to threaten to get wives..." she elbowed him, with a sidelong smirk. "Hey, Sev, they were your friends once, weren't they?" Snape scowled. "Let's avoid them. This way…". Dill glanced at her father's impassive coal black eyes and followed, curious but silent.
They reached the space between platforms 9 and 10 and waited for the crowd of muggle commuters to thin. Her mother stepped forward and began to push the cart through the barrier. Wendyl quickly caught hold of her sleeve and felt herself pulled forward. Blinking, she looked around. A long scarlet steam engine was pulled along the tracks, and steam covered the platform. A confused chaos of shapes and sounds were the immediate passengers. Above, a smoky shaft of sunlight laddered across the sign 9 ¾ . Wendyl followed the trajectory of her arm, and her green eyes mirrored her mother's. Lily was smiling down at her. "Well?".
Her father appeared behind them, and they made their way towards the train. Lily lifted the quieted demonic basket from the cart and Severus pointed his wand at the trunk, causing it to rise and hover inside the compartment. Dill hugged her mother tightly, inhaling the familiar scent and locking it inside her heart. "You'll write me, mum?". She had asked it before, but time seemed jumbled that day. "Of course, Wendy," her mother murmured, brushing Dill's black hair away from her face. " Don't mess with the whomping willow, and stay out of trouble- or at least, don't get caught." They both grinned. " And don't trust boys-" she stole a glance at Severus. "Especially childhood friends." Her father, who had been studying the crowd and had pretended not to hear that last bit, came up to them. "Good luck, Wendyl." He seemed uneasy suddenly and murmured, "There is someone you should be wary of-" a loud whistle cut him off. Lily, who had not heard him, bustled her daughter onto the train. Dill looked back at her father, confusion vying with excitement and a nervous apprehension.
The train lurched backwards suddenly and began to move. Dill quickly pressed herself to the side of the door frame and caught a last fleeting glimpse of her parents- her mother, an expression of joy and sadness discernable through the frenzy of dark red hair tossed by the wind, and her father, one hand on her shoulder and the other raised in a half wave of farewell.
As the Hogwarts express gained speed, the wind whipped her hair about and plastered it to her face. Tucking it behind her ear, Wendyl turned and began to make her way down the narrow corridor. This was not easy, as it was filled with people of varying heights and tempers, who pushed about and chattered loudly, their owls, cats, and frogs adding to the din. As she passed the glass doored compartments, Dill looked out of the corners of her eyes into each one, hearing snatches of conversation and laughter.
Towards the middle of the train the corridor became relatively empty, and Dill paused next to an invitingly quiet compartment, whose door was teasingly ajar. She slid the door open, and, seeing nothing but several battered seats and some rather lumpy shadows, sat down. The Express was nearing the country, and she gazed out the window at the hills and occasional cow flicking by. A sudden sound, halfway between a snore and a grunt, startled her from her reverie. The shadows across from her had come alive. Dill watched nervously as a mass of black robes unfolded themselves and sat up, revealing a shock of short, peach colored hair. "Whazzatime?" the apparition mumbled. "Er- we've just left, recently" Dill stammered. "I'm sorry-" the person mumbled something inaudibly, and then blinked at Dill bemusedly. "Who're you?" "Wendyl-Wendyl Snape. And you?" "Pamela Withers, first year. This your first time, too?" Dill nodded. "I hear there's supposed to be a food trolley, but so far no one (other than you) has been breaking down my door to offer any life saving grub" Pamela grumbled. Dill hemmed and hawed in apologetic sympathy. Feeling a bit guilty for intruding, she reached into her pocket for the sandwich her mother had insisted on making. "You can have half, if you like. I'm not really hungry." The other girl's eyes widened. "Really? Thanks! I'm always starving." Eagerly accepting the proffered sandwich, she stuffed it into her mouth and chewed with an expression of ecstasy. Dill laughed, and took a bite of her own. It was good. Pamela watched her approvingly, if not a little enviously, as Dill gulped the rest of her sandwich-half down.
"My gran always puts mayonnaise in her sandwiches" the peach hair informed her, with a rueful grin.
"Oh."
"I live with my gran, and she has the worst obsession with mayo. I think she might've named me mayo, if my parent's will didn't have a say in it. Pamela's almost as bad, though: it's frightfully old-maidish. That's why you must call me Pam."
The peach-haired girl suddenly gave such a look that, forthwith, nobody disagreed with her on the point.
Pam and Dill continued to talk as the landscape outside changed and the sky crept towards darkness. People were passing their once quiet corridor more often now, and presently someone opened the door. It was an older boy who seemed to be looking for someone. "Not here, then" he said, upon seeing them. "Say, have you seen Wood?" Dill shook her head, but Pam piped up; "If he's any sense, he's looking for me. I'll be able to play next year, you know." The boy laughed. "You're the one who was making a ruckus outside Flint's compartment, weren't you? Little first year Withers, already raring to be on the team. You don't even know what house you're in yet." Pam jutted her chin out defiantly. "That's why it's good to know people beforehand" she said. Dill, who had become uneasy when houses were mentioned, jumped a little when the boy, half turning to her, said; " You might want to take a tip from your friend here; she's not assuming too much about houses yet, it seems. What were your parent's houses?" "Well," Dill said hesitantly, "My mum was a Gryffindor, and-" "My whole family's been in Gryffindor for ages!" he broke in. "What's your mum's maiden name?" "Evans." He grinned. "I didn't know there were any Evans' aboard-" "No, you wouldn't." Dill said quickly. "I'm a Snape."
The boy's smile drooped, and he looked uncomfortable. "Oh, well, er… I've got to find Wood, broken broom and all that- good luck, Pam- maybe you'll be Gryffindors." With that, he left, hurriedly closing the door behind him. Pam huffed indignantly. "Well, I don't know if I want to be a Gryffindor, if they're that bad at recruiting." Dill smiled weakly, glad that Pam hadn't noticed the change in the room. She stared at the darkened window blankly, and as Pam's voice grew fainter in her ears, her thoughts took her to another day, not too long ago.
Severus and Lily were sitting in the kitchen, bickering. A thick parchment envelope with a scarlet seal lay on the table between them. Dill sat on the floor, staring up at the wooden grain of the table, not completely understanding some things her mother said- half finished sentences that seemed to carry greater meaning with them. " …from a long line of Slytherins, however." "And a Gryffindor on my side-" " It might not be enough to have wrought any change, I'm afraid… if it's necessary. I trust her, though." Lily looked slightly disapproving, but she caught Dill's eye and smiled. "Just choose carefully, Wendy" she teased.
Dill pulled on her robes and stuffed her wand in her pocket. It was 9 inches long and of poplar wood, with a unicorn hair whose exact location Dill could only guess at. She ran her thumb over the handle and felt a small surge of excitement. They were almost there. Pam had fallen asleep a while ago, and the slowly rocking compartment was still save for the occasional snore or hiss. Dill picked up the basket and began to murmur a few words of comfort. Suddenly, the train lurched to a halt. Pam snorted and sat up. Dill, glad that she was holding her parcel, peeked out of the door. A cool night breeze filled the corridor, and black cloaked shapes hurried along it. She pushed the door open. A voice behind her said, "Well, see you at the feast, er-" Dill's stomach lurched. The feast. "Yeah, bye" she said distractedly, letting herself be swept along by the crowd that was flowing towards the door. Pam watched her leave, frowning slightly, and then went back inside for her shoes.
The night air was cool, and Dill cradled the basket to her chest as she followed the other first years down the embankment. The boats were small and oar-less, and she stared critically at one of them before nimbly climbing in. She was joined by Pam and two boys that she didn't know. The boys' hair was dark like hers, so Pam's head stood out in the gloom. She seemed about to say something, but just then the giant in the furthermost boat shouted a command, and they sped forward across the black surface of the lake. Dill watched the large castle come closer and felt a strange, thrilling feeling bubble up inside of her. The stars slid along and slipped behind a shadow. The first years clambered out of their boats and followed Hagrid out of the cave and up the steps of the castle. Inside, Dill spent a few agonizing moments trying to gather her thoughts as she stared fixedly at the high ceilings. Then it was time. They walked through the doors of the great hall.