Silas Dune stepped with trepidation onto the Hogwarts Express. He was quite excited for his upcoming year as a Hogwarts student, but as one might expect, he was slightly nervous. Here was an entire school in a foreign country full of kids he didn't know at all, with a completely different culture despite speaking the same language. And there was a war going on. It was a surprise Silas was even allowed to attend Hogwarts; it probably would never have happened had his father been in his right mind. Sometimes, though he tried his best not to be, Silas was glad his mother was dead. Since her death, his father had begun to waste away right before Silas' eyes, allowing him to have complete control over his life. Unlike the majority of his peers, he did not have to worry about overbearing parents, but he paid for such freedoms with the life of his mother.
As Silas wandered through the train in the search for somewhere to sit, he pondered what he already knew about Hogwarts and magical Britain. He knew that, unlike in America, magical Britain ran rampant with blood purism, especially since the war began. Hogwarts had four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, each representing one of the school's founders and their defining traits. Personally, Silas thought he was a shoo-in for Ravenclaw. He had always been a good student and thoroughly enjoyed learning, as well as creative endeavors. Though, now that he reflected upon it, he had quite a few Slytherin and Gryffindor traits, as well. So he wasn't entirely sure which House he would be Sorted into. He would have to simply wait and find out. At last, he found a compartment with space. He politely knocked on the door, and it was answered by a moderately attractive brunette girl.
"You mind if I sit here?" Silas asked. "I've found no other compartment with space."
"No, not at all," replied the girl. "I'm Mary MacDonald, and that's Lily Evans." She pointed to the other girl in the compartment, a redhead with bright green eyes who immediately caught his attention.
"A pleasure to meet the both of you," he said with warmth. "My name's Silas Dune, and I'm a transfer student from the Ashbury Institute of Magical Study in the United States of America."
"Oh, you're from the States?" Lily Evans asked. "That's so cool! What's your school like?"
"It's small, probably smaller than this one. We don't have Houses, unlike you guys. But probably the biggest difference is that we are almost fully integrated with the non-magical world."
"What?" Mary MacDonald asked. "How is that possible?"
"A while ago, magical America collectively found a way to use non-magical technology in conjunction with magic. My school, like most other American wizarding schools, simply uses that innovation in conjunction with education."
"And people are okay with this?"
"We have none of the pureblood supremacy issues you've got here in Britain. There are still purebloods, but they don't have the kind of power yours do. So yes, people are okay with it. It is extremely useful."
"I can imagine," said Lily. "Both of us are Muggleborn, and have definitely missed the technology that we used to take for granted."
Silas grimaced at the derogatory word and saw that Lily clearly noticed.
"What?"
"Nothing, it's just that the word Muggle is frowned upon where I come from. It's seen as an insult; that's why we call non-magical people No-Majes."
"Oh, that makes a lot of sense. You Yanks are lucky. A lot of people don't like us because of our heritage."
"So I've heard," Silas replied, then, wanting to change the subject to a more pleasant topic, asked, "So, where are your other friends?"
"What makes you think we have other friends?" Mary asked.
Silas decided to keep them guessing. "I'm perceptive," he said with a slight grin.
"They're all with their boyfriends," Lily said, and Silas noticed a note of disgust in her voice. Interesting.
"Ah," was Silas' only reply.
"Hey, I just noticed your shirt, my dad really likes that guy," Lily said, referring to Silas' David Bowie T-shirt.
"Yeah, I'm a big Bowie fan. I love a lot of non-magical music, really. Most wizarding music is just bland in comparison."
"I've listened to many of my dad's records," replied Lily. "I like them quite a bit."
"Oh really?" Silas inquired, excited about having a possible shared interest with a girl as pretty as this one. "Who else does he listen to?"
"Mostly bands from the late 60s, when I was a kid. He was actually sort of in a band at one point."
"That's awesome!" Silas enthused. "I'm in a band myself; I play guitar and occasionally sing."
"That's so cool! You'll have to play for me sometime."
"I certainly can. I brought my guitar with me, actually. It's in a case up there with all the other luggage."
They spent the rest of the train ride discussing non-magical bands while mostly ignoring Mary. Silas, for all his perceptive talents, almost forgot she was there. She just sat there, staring out the window, probably thinking about whatever it was British teenage witches thought about. As she made no attempt to join Silas and Lily's conversation, he made no attempt to coerce her into doing so. He was greatly distracted by the flow of Lily's auburn hair and her infectious laugh and the curve of her neck. He had only known her a few hours and was already feeling something in his chest. His face kept calm, but inside he was overjoyed. He was not much of an optimist, but he could not deny his feelings of hope surrounding this new girl. He had had no luck with romance at this point in his young life; all the girls he had been somewhat into at Ashbury had either been taken or turned out to be much different than they had seemed. That was one of the reasons he had wanted to go to Hogwarts, along with his desire to escape his father's spiraling depression. For the first time in his life, he felt hope at the possibility of a romantic relationship, even with someone he had just met.
After the train arrived at Hogsmeade station, Silas was escorted to Hogwarts Castle in a boat with a few first-year students. The place was magnificent. America didn't have a school this stunning. Ilvermorny, the oldest one, didn't even come close. The walls were pristine, almost glowing, with magic rolling off the entire building in waves Silas could only barely sense, not see. He hadn't even entered the building yet and Silas could tell this was a very special place.
As he entered the castle, he was greeted with all sorts of sights and sounds that all came together to form a wonderful cacophony that embraced his senses and made him truly feel like he was in some sort of fantasy world. As he was led through the hall by a stern-looking woman who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, he felt the same kind of awe that the first-years' faces showed. Hogwarts was as incredible on the inside as it was on the outside.
When the reached what was referred to as the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall explained the Sorting process. They were supposed to put a talking hat upon their heads, and it would Sort them. This was exactly the sort of thing Silas expected from crackpot wizards, and he couldn't help but chuckle. He looked back and noticed a girl about his age in trimless Hogwarts robes. Another transfer student, perhaps? He wondered why he hadn't noticed her before.
As the first-years were Sorted, Silas watched not the first-years themselves, but the other students. The Gryffindor table, where he recognized Lily and Mary sitting at, cheered the loudest for every student, with the exception of those Sorted into Slytherin. The Hufflepuff table cheered quieter for everyone. The Ravenclaw table seemed to be too busy debating various topics to care, and only cheered when students were Sorted into their House. But the Slytherin table was the most interesting. They clapped politely at every Sorting, even those of Gryffindors. When a student was Sorted into Slytherin, they clapped louder, but not boisterously like the Gryffindors. It was a very interesting phenomenon, and Silas could not explain it.
After the first-years were done being Sorted, the other transfer student (Thea Sterling) was Sorted into Ravenclaw, and then it was Silas' turn. He confidently walked up to the stool and placed the hat upon his head. To his not-so-surprise, it began to speak to him within his mind.
"Ah, the transfer student from America. A very interesting mind you have. Occlumency shields are rare in non-pureblood children."
"My father is a pureblood, he taught me."
"Oh, of course. Now where to put you? You would definitely do well in Ravenclaw, though I sense a strong desire to break away from your past within you. Perhaps Rowena's house wouldn't be the best choice for you then; in Ravenclaw you would not change much. You only work hard when the work interests you, and you only value loyalty to those you deem worthy of it. Sounds like a Slytherin to me, but that wouldn't be easy for you, would it?"
"From what I've heard, it wouldn't."
"Well, that leaves only one choice. You clearly have already developed a friendship with Miss Evans, and I see you have a desire to experience something new and out of your comfort zone, so I'll have to put you in GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last word for the entire Hall to hear as Silas stood up and removed it. He placed it upon the stool and walked towards the Gryffindor table.
Silas sought out Lily, and when he found her, he gestured to an open seat next to her. She nodded enthusiastically, so he sat down.
"Surprised to see you here, Silas," she said. "Thought you'd be a Ravenclaw for sure."
"Well, the hat thought differently," replied Silas, not wanting to divulge the true reason for his Sorting. He then gestured to the other girls sitting near them "Are these your friends?"
"Yes, I'll let them introduce themselves."
A mousy-looking girl with dark red hair looked at him with a smile. "Marlene McKinnon, pleased to meet you," she said.
"Sarah Abbott," said the relatively unassuming blonde sitting next to her.
"And I'm Alice Smith," said a pretty brunette across from Marlene.
"Pleasure to meet you all. Now, if I may ask, who is that dark-haired boy sitting at the end of the Slytherin table? He looks like he wants to kill someone, and he's looking in our direction."
"Oh, him," Mary said with clear disgust. "That's Severus Snape, he used to be Lily's friend until he called her a Mudblood." She said the last word much quieter than the rest of her sentence. Silas remembered that it was a very insulting term for a first-generation magical.
"Damn," Silas replied, feeling it was the only appropriate response in this situation. "But why is he glaring daggers at me?"
"Probably because he fancied Lily before he ditched her to go play with his Death Eater friends," remarked a boy with long black hair sitting on the other side of Marlene. "I'm Sirius Black, by the way. It'll be nice to have you here. Some new blood."
Silas nodded. "Black? I know that name. You guys are a pretty prominent family here, right?"
Black snorted. "I guess you could say that. I don't exactly have the best relationship with my family. Mum almost disowned me." Surprisingly, Black's tone of voice did not falter at all, instead, it seemed to become brighter. Was Black proud of his separation from his family?
"Damn, what did you do to warrant that?" Being the scion of a prominent family himself, Silas knew the importance of disinheritance.
"Well, I got Sorted into Gryffindor, first of all, plus I befriended 'Mudbloods and blood traitors' as they like to put it. I'm also planning to become an Auror and fight You-Know-Who once I graduate, which they definitely don't like."
"What kept you from being properly disowned?" Silas asked, very curious.
"My grandfather. He's only loyal to the family, he doesn't care which side of the war we're on. He wouldn't let his heir get disowned."
"Ah." Silas then finally began to eat. The food was interesting; he had never eaten British food before, so it was a new experience for him. However, the lack of variety was disconcerting; in America, people ate all kinds of food from various cultures, whereas this was just fat, bread, and meat.
During his meal, he did not talk much beyond basic introductions, instead deciding to observe the students around him. Three boys who were clearly friends of Sirius Black's conversed joyously, as did the gaggle of girls around Silas. He did, however, notice one of Black's friends attempting to hide his unsubtle glances at Silas and Lily. The boy had messy dark hair and clearly had some sort of crush on Lily. Silas made a mental note to ask Black about it later. He did not catch the Snape boy from Slytherin looking at him again; he seemed to be chumming it up with his housemates instead.
After dinner, Lily and her friends led Silas up to Gryffindor Tower, where the dormitories were. After being introduced to his roommates (Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew), he purposefully took time unpacking his things and settling in, hoping to catch Black alone. He was successful.
"Black," he said, in a tone devoid of emotion.
"Yeah?" Black asked, looking over to him.
"All throughout dinner, I couldn't help but notice your friend Potter looking at me. Or maybe he was looking at Lily. I couldn't tell for sure since we were next to each other. What's up with him?"
"James has fancied Lily for years, Dune," the other boy replied. "He was jealous that you were sitting next to her."
"Why doesn't he do anything about it?"
"Oh, he's tried. But Lily hates him, though to be fair he can be a real git sometimes. She won't give him the time of day. I'm honestly starting to think she secretly fancies him right back, but is too afraid to say it."
Silas found that interesting but unsurprising. "I suspected as much, but I wanted to make sure. Thanks."
"No problem, man. I'm gonna head down to the common room. Want to join us?"
"In a little, I need to do a few things first."
"Okay, see you then." Black then descended the stairs to the common room and disappeared from view.
Silas brought out his guitar from its case that he had placed under his bed. He absently played a few chords but didn't make much noise. His guitar was electric, but he had no need for an amplifier like the No-Majes did. He just cast an Amplification Charm whenever he wanted to be heard; it was one of the few spells made specifically for non-magical technological items. Most spells, when cast upon a non-magical electrical item, would render said item useless; spells had to be specially created to work with non-magical objects. In this case, however, Silas did not cast the charm. After picking around for a few minutes, he launched into one of his favorite songs, a complicated yet beautiful line from one of the greatest guitar players in the world, though not one most wizards would recognize.
After finishing the song, Silas decided to stop playing before he got himself into a musical trance, something which often happened to him while playing guitar for long periods of time. He then put his guitar away and joined the others in the common room, and spent the next three hours socializing and playing games with his new housemates. He spent most of the time talking about his experiences in magical America and what his school was like, but he did manage to have a brief conversation with Lily and a few other first-gens about non-magical music, during which he promised to play guitar for them sometime. That night, Silas went to sleep content and hopeful for a very good year at Hogwarts, and if his dreams featured a particular redheaded girl, he wouldn't remember them anyway.
Severus Snape was not feeling particularly excited about his upcoming year at Hogwarts. He was still on thin ice with the rich purebloods in Slytherin, ice that only stayed firm due to Severus' innate talent with Potions and spell creation. It would have been alright had he still had Lily as a friend, but that was no longer after he had chosen his reputation in Slytherin House over Lily's friendship. He hadn't bothered to ask her for forgiveness; he knew it would never come. Lily was generally a person who tried to see the best in people, but she had been suspicious of Severus for years, and she had no need for his friendship anymore. She had plenty of other people without reputations to uphold to bring her companionship.
Despite his apathetic state, however, Severus had not failed to notice the two new sixth-years Hogwarts was playing host to. The boy had gone to Gryffindor and the girl to Ravenclaw, but Severus found himself wondering if their presence might affect… something this year. He at least hoped the presence of an extra boy in the Gryffindor dorms would tone down Potter's gang a little bit, though the boy had seemed to enjoy their company. The girl had seemed shy and unused to large crowds and boisterous noise; Severus wondered if she had been homeschooled before this year.
As Severus entered the library for his weekly study session with a few of his peers, he pondered what he had observed about the two new sixth-years. The boy, Silas Dune, appeared to have ingratiated himself with Potter's little gang. He had yet to say anything untoward to Severus or any other Slytherin, but it was only a matter of time. Severus had originally pegged him as a typical popular kid obsessed with Quidditch, but after further observation, he had acquiesced that Dune was perhaps more interesting than that. The girl, Thea Sterling, was a bashful person who rarely spoke up in class but showcased an intelligent mind when she did, which also interested Severus. He only needed a good opportunity to speak to the girl to get a better handle on who she was.
Luckily, such an opportunity came about a half hour into Severus' study session. He, Regulus Black, and Barty Crouch were sitting at their usual table in the library, silently reviewing and working through assignments, when a throat cleared from somewhere nearby. Barty didn't flinch, but Regulus' and Severus' heads both shot up to see Thea Sterling standing near their table.
"Hey, um, could I sit here? I need some help with this Defense essay on nonverbal spells, and you guys seem to know what you're doing," she asked uncertainly. "I'm Thea Sterling, by the way."
Regulus immediately slipped into Polite Pureblood Mode and stood up to kiss her knuckles. "Absolutely, Miss Sterling. I'm Regulus Black, and these are Severus Snape and Barty Crouch," he spoke with such sweet politeness Severus felt like his ears would burst. As it was, Barty barely held in a snicker; his Occlumency had never been a match for Severus' own. Severus nodded at the girl and pulled out the chair beside him.
"Thanks," she said softly. Once she sat down, she took out her half-finished essay and motioned for Severus to look it over, as he was the least busy of the three. He obliged and began a quick explanation of the virtues of nonverbal casting. As he talked, he noticed Regulus staring at him with a slight smirk, at which Severus winked.
By the time Sterling finished her essay, Regulus and Barty were done with their work, and the social portion of the study session began.
"So, Reg," Severus began. "Is there a specific reason why I haven't been brutally hexed by your brother and his gang of thugs yet?" It was quite rare for Sirius Black to not at least attempt to attack Severus for even a short period of time.
"I couldn't say, Severus," Regulus replied. "But if I were to guess, I'd wager it's got something to do with that American kid, Dune was his name?"
"I do seem to recall noticing him pulling Potter off some Slytherin third year the other day," Barty cut in. "Maybe he's having a positive influence on them, who knows."
"That would certainly be a breath of fresh air," agreed Severus.
Sterling, unaware of the twisted relationship being discussed, was noticeably confused. "His brother hexes you?" She asked, gesturing towards Severus.
"They don't exactly have the type of relationship you'd expect them to have," Barty said.
"I am perfectly capable of explaining the situation, Crouch," Severus sniped, before returning his attention to Sterling. "To answer your question, Sirius Black and his gang have been enemies of mine since first year. They are arrogant bullies who have an irrational hatred for my House. To them, a green and silver tie is almost equivalent to a Dark Mark in determining how evil someone is."
"Your House system certainly goes beyond a little 'friendly competition,' doesn't it?" Sterling asked.
"It's sad, it really is," enthused Barty. "Well, I should probably get going. Nice meeting you, Thea."
"Likewise," said Thea. Barty then stood and left the library.
"Severus, I do believe we had best leave as well. Our esteemed Housemates are likely wondering where we've run off to," Regulus said playfully.
"I expect you are correct," replied Severus.
"It was a pleasure to meet you both," Thea said, before picking up her bag and walking towards the door with Severus and Regulus on her heels.
As they exited the library, however, they were met with the familiar faces of Potter and his gang. Lily and a few other Gryffindor girls were also there for some inexplicable reason.
Black spoke first, as he always did. "Well, if it isn't Snivellus and my worthless, cowardly brother. And what are you doing here?" That question was directed at Thea.
Severus tensed and palmed his wand; he assumed Regulus did the same. A sharp reply formed on his tongue, but Thea beat him to it.
"What business is it of yours? I don't even know who you are," she retorted.
"I'm Sirius Black, and trust me, you don't want to hang around these two." Severus inwardly snorted, it was no surprise that Black would put a potential conquest above terrorizing he and Regulus.
Thea, luckily, was smart enough not to fall for Black's charms. "For your information, I just had quite a nice time conversing with these two, along with a friend of theirs named Barty. Severus here seems to be quite knowledgeable about Defense."
"Of course he is, he's training to be a bloody Death Eater!" Potter yelled as he drew his wand, speaking for the first time. Severus noticed Lupin slinking back, avoiding the confrontation, while Pettigrew observed with a small smirk on his face. As usual in these bouts, no one else spoke, content with merely watching.
Severus and both Blacks drew their wands. Severus glared hard at Potter, silently egging him on. But Regulus got the first shot.
"Too scared to hex me, Sirius? Maybe you're the coward, rather than me. No wonder, really, that Mother kicked you out; your only friends consist of an arrogant bully, a bootlicker Prefect, and a worthless sycophant," Regulus stated in a mocking but emotionless tone.
Sirius apparently couldn't handle being called a coward, the antithesis to any Gryffindor. "YOU SLYTHERIN FILTH! I WISH YOU'D JUST… JUST FUCK OFF AND DIE!" He pushed Regulus hard against the wall and proceeded to punch him directly in the nose before Severus was able to pull him off.
Just then, a new face arrived on the scene: Silas Dune, the other new student. His face brightened slightly when he saw Thea, and Severus wondered whether or not he knew Occlumency. When he noticed Severus, however, his eyes narrowed. Interesting.
"Hey, Thea, nice to see you. What's going on here?"
Most of the crowd was too stunned to reply, but Severus was not. "I assume you heard your friend Black here? This," he pointed at Regulus bloodied face, "was his doing."
Dune narrowed his eyes before addressing Lily and Lupin, the two prefects watching. "And neither of you did anything about this? You're prefects, are you not?"
Lupin shuddered but did not reply. Lily, however, did have an answer. "It all happened too fast, Silas. Anyways, these boys have been at each others' throats since first year. It's a common occurrence."
"So, just because it happens a lot and it happened fast, means nothing is done about it?" Dune asked accusingly, his voice rising. "This school really does have a lot of problems. Slytherin Black, you should get yourself to the Hospital Wing. Snape, why don't you take him?" Severus nodded, impressed by Dune's immediate takeover of the situation, and led Regulus out of the area and towards the infirmary.
Silas Dune was in a right state as he marched the Gryffindors into Professor McGonagall's office. He was not normally so quick to intervene in a conflict, but he had personal experience with bullies and family tensions, so this one was an exception. He knocked on the Professor's door politely, and she answered it.
"Mr. Dune, what is it you want?"
"Well, Professor, I just came across these Housemates of mine," he gestured at the assembled Gryffindors, "engaging in a sort of conflict with two Slytherin students, one of whom seemed to be Sirius' brother. Some… unpleasant words were exchanged, and Sirius here physically assaulted his brother. The two Slytherins should be in the infirmary by now."
"Would I be correct in assuming that the second Slytherin student is one Severus Snape?"
"You would be, ma'am."
"Ah. Now, may I ask why I had to be informed of this not by my sixth-year prefects, both of whom were involved, but by a student who has not attended Hogwarts for a week?"
Lily used the same excuse she had with Silas only minutes before. "Everything happened so fast, Professor. It was hard to intervene."
Remus looked at the floor in shame. "It happens all the time, Professor. These things always seem to… work themselves out, you know?"
McGonagall huffed. "We will discuss this later, Miss Evans, Mr. Lupin. Mr. Dune, ten points for intervening properly and informing me of the situation. Well done."
Silas beamed. "Thank you, ma'am."
"Mr. Black, twenty points will be taken for your actions and you will be serving detention tomorrow with me after dinner." Sirius nodded sadly, unable to justify himself anymore. "Everyone except the prefects, back to your dormitories. Good night."
Silas left the office surprisingly happy, given the circumstances. Back in the dorms, he brought out his guitar and began to play a soothing melody. Music always helped him calm down when he was feeling strong emotions; no matter how much he practiced Occlumency at his father's behest, it would never work as well as playing music would. At some point during his playing, Sirius wandered in.
"Hey, mate, I'm sorry about earlier. Us and Snivellus have always hated each other, and Regulus… he just adds to it when he hangs out with those Death Eaters. I know it was probably out of line, but it's not unusual for things to escalate like that with us."
Silas stopped playing as soon as Sirius had finished speaking. He then looked up at the other boy with a piercing gaze.
"It's funny, that's the same excuse Remus gave in Professor McGonagall's office. Maybe it's time these things stopped being common occurrences… Why don't you go back to your friends and think about that, Black?" Black quickly stood up and left the dorms, and Silas resumed his playing.
As he played, Silas reflected on the evening's events. He supposed he should have expected Sirius' reaction; he seemed like the type of kid to punch (or curse) first and ask questions later. Remus was Sirius' friend, so of course he wouldn't intervene in a conflict between said friend and an enemy of the group. The person Silas was truly disappointed in was Lily. He had thought her a strong-willed yet warm person, kind and caring but fiercely loyal and protective of her friends, the kind of person who would stand up against anyone to fight for what she deemed right. So he had not expected Lily to simply stand there and watch as Sirius, someone who she wasn't even really friends with, assaulted his younger brother. He'd definitely be having words with her in the future.