Off to Hogwarts: the Prince's Tale.
It's been a long time since I've updated anything on FF but I've had this idea for awhile and I just had to write it down before homework gets the better of me! Just a one shot, drabble piece about our favorite potions master's trip to Hogwarts! Hope you enjoy!
There were a number of reasons why he could not wait to get to Hogwarts. To begin with, anywhere seemed better than where he lived. At times he was sure he went unnoticed at home. Even he, at the age of eleven could tell he was neglected, but what frightened him most was that he had begun to prefer to go unnoticed by his mother. That way he was not disappointed when she overlooked him.
The next reason was because finally he was going to the best school of Witchcraft and Wizardry! He already had his very own wand and would soon be able to learn how to control his magic. The idea excited him, but there was one more reason why he could hardly sleep at all during the nights that lead up to September the first. Lily Evens.
His best and only friend. At Hogwarts, he would be able to see her every day, have classes with her and not have to worry about her muggle sister. He cared little for the sister, but Lily cared about her immensely and he struggled to behave around Petunia. He had no patience for the whiney, muggle girl.
Out on the platform, Severus hoisted his trunk into the carriage on his own. He had glanced around the platform for the emerald green eyes and flaming red hair, but did not see his Lily. He was disappointed to say the least, but not defeated. He knew she would be on the train.
Eager to get out of his muggle clothes, Severus changed found an empty compartment and quickly changed into his school robes. They were second hand, but looked rather new. The previous owner must have grown out of them before any wear-and-tear took place. As he shoved his muggle clothing back into his trunk, a group of girls opened the compartment door and looked disappointed upon seeing that it wasn't empty.
"C'mon, lets keep looking," a pretty girl with hazel eyes and sandy hair muttered to her friends as they turned to leave.
"Wait!" Severus called as he awkwardly pulled his trunk behind him.
The girls turned around, though wore reluctant expressions. He doubted he'd be getting to know them any time soon.
"I'm looking for someone, you can have my compartment," Severus explained as he lugged his trunk out of the doorway and into the hall behind him. The first girl's expression turned into a brilliant smile.
"Great! Thanks!" she cried as she led her friends into the compartment, closing the door behind her.
Realising that he was now standing alone in the corridor, Severus grabbed his trunk again and hurried along, looking for Lily. After awhile, he began to panic that Petunia had convinced her not to go to Hogwarts after all, when finally he spotted her in a compartment with a couple of rowdy boys. Severus paused outside the door. He hadn't expected to find her in a compartment with anyone else, but to his relief she was ignoring them. She most likely didn't even know them.
Severus awkwardly opened the compartment door and dragged his trunk inside. The two boys glanced at him.
"Er, mind if I sit in here too?" Severus asked, his eyes falling on Lily, though she did not look around at the sound of his voice. A boy with unruly hair and glasses shrugged.
"Only if you promise not to be a git," the boy joked as he sat back in his seat, allowing Severus past. As the boys continued their conversation, Severus hoisted his trunk up onto the rack. The whole time Severus did this, Lily did not turn to face him. She didn't even seem to acknowledge that he was there.
Finally Severus sat down opposite Lily and noticed that she had been crying. A small perplexed frown appeared on his face as she finally looked at him.
"I don't want to talk to you," she told him in a constricted voice.
"why not?"
"T-Tuney hates me. Because we saw the letter from Dumbledore," she explained miserably.
"So what?"
Lily shot him a look of deep distaste.
"So she's my sister!"
"She's only a-" but he cut himself off, not wanting to make matters worse. Luckily she was wiping her eyes and had not paid attention to what he was saying.
"But we're going!" he said, allowing his excitement to enter his voice and expression. "This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!"
Severus watched as she nodded, still trying to wipe her eyes, but in spite of herself, she smiled slightly.
Encouraged by her smile, Severus continued. "You better be in Slytherin."
"Slytherin?"
Both Lily and Severus turned to see who had spoken and were met with the quizzical gaze of the messy haired boy with glasses.
"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" he stated, turning to direct his question to his friend who looked bored but casual as he lounged on the seat opposite the boy with glasses.
"My whole family have been in Slytherin," he said without smiling.
"Blimey! And I thought you were alright!"
The second boy grinned.
"Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading if you get the choice?"
The boy with glasses raised what seemed like an invisible sword and puffed out his chest.
" 'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad."
Severus couldn't help himself and gave a small scoff. The boy turned on Severus with indignation.
"Got a problem with that?"
"No," assured Severus, though the sneer in his voice said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy-"
"Where are you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" injected the lounging boy with a smirk. The boy with glasses roared with laughter at his friend's comment. Suddenly Lily stood, her face flushed as she shot looks of dislike at the two boys.
"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."
"Ooooo,"
Severus stood up also and ignored the boys as they imitated Lily's voice. He followed her out of the compartment, and glowered at the boy with glasses as he tried to trip Severus as he passed.
As Lily and Severus stepped out into the hall, a voice called out: 'See ya, Snivellus!' Lily huffed.
"Ignore those stupid boys Severus," she insisted as she lead him further down the corridor. Despite the boys, Severus was glad Lily was talking to him again, but soon began to wish that he hadn't given his compartment away to the group of girls earlier.
They glanced in surrounding carriages, but most seemed full or filled with students that did not look like they were about to share. With a sigh of resignation, Lily turned to face Severus.
"Maybe we'll just have to go back to that compartment Sev," she voiced reluctantly. Severus wasn't too keen on the idea, but anywhere was fine as long as she was talking to him. He already had more enemies now than friends, and he wasn't even sorted yet.
Before Severus could answer, a door slid open and a boy with Ravenclaw robes and a shiny Prefect badgestuck his head out of the doorway.
"Oi, I'll give you both a sickle if you can mind the compartment for me," he offered.
Severus nodded, though smirked.
"two sickles, or no deal," he countered, earning an irritated groan from the prefect.
"Fine, whatever, but watch our tone boy, I'm a prefect you know," he muttered as he hurried down the train.
"That was unfair Sev," Lily scolded softly as she took a seat by the window. Severus merely smiled as he sat opposite her, watching as she glanced up at the trunks above.
"Oh no, we left our things behind with those boys!" she cried, her eyes darting back to Severus. He shrugged, noticing two Ravenclaw trunks and a Hufflepuff one above him. He doubted they all belonged to the prefect and assumed that the other two belonged to friends who had already left.
"Should we go back?" she asked quietly.
"No."
"Do you think those boys will leave our stuff alone?"
"Sure," Severus assured his friend as he turned his gaze out the window.
"So tell me about Slytherin and Gryffindor," Lily asked as she made herself comfortable. Unable to resist, Severus burst into an enthusiastic explanation. He talked of how brilliant and clever Slytherins were and how thick headed Gryffindors were. He explained what Quidditch was and even gave his impression of what Hogwarts would be like. Lily sat and listened, asking questions and enjoying the way Severus told her about the world she barely knew.
Not long after the candy lady trundled past with her trolley, the three original occupants of the compartment returned.
"Alright a deal is a deal, out you get," the Ravenclaw announced, not unkindly. He wore a warm, friendly expression though his voice held authority he seemed assured suited his prefect status.
"We'll leave once we get our sickles," Severus reminded the older boy who glanced at his Hufflepuff friend. She nodded at him and he sighed as he rummaged in his pocket for the silver.
"Here you are, now off you go," the prefect said as he handed two sickles to Severus then Lily. Lily smiled and took only one silver coin.
"I'm happy with one," she insisted as he glanced at her with a raised brow.
As the door slid closed behind the three fifth years, Lily turned to Severus.
"Should we go back to the other compartment?" she asked. Severus took note of the setting sun outside and shrugged.
"I guess so. We can't be too far away now."
With that, the pair travelled down the corridor and reluctantly returned to the compartment with the two boys. Another boy was with them now, though he did not seem as rowdy as the first two.
Pushing past Severus, Lily opened the compartment door and defiantly retook her seat, making the new boy shuffle over to give her room.
"Severus closed the door and reclaimed his seat too, careful to avoid being tripped over.
"Well well well, look who came crawling back," sneering the boy with glasses. Lily shot him a scathing look, then stubbornly ignored them. The first two boys weren't going to give in that easily though.
"Who's your friend Snivellus?" the boy with glasses asked. Severus turned his gaze back out the window, resisting the urge make some sort of retort.
"Is he ignoring you James?"
"I think so Sirius."
"What are you going to do about it?"
At these words, both Lily and Severus couldn't help but look to see what it was exactly that this James boy was going to do.
Impressively he drew his wand and playfully brandished it at Severus, who followed it with his eyes, otherwise didn't react.
"Don't, put it away!" Lily demanded. Severus had already told her that underage wizards weren't allowed to do magic outside of school and even though they were on the Hogwarts Express, she was sure the rule still applied.
Sirius sniggered as he helped himself to a chocolate frog, his eyes darting to James lazily.
"Why? Scared that I'll hurt your friend?" James taunted though he pulled back slightly and resorted to twirling his wand around his fingers.
"No, you probably don't even know any spells," Lily shot back defiantly. James looked a bit taken aback, but didn't let it phase him.
"She's got you there,"
"Shut up Remus," Sirius injected, his mouth half full of chocolate frog as he smirked at the third boy.
As James sat back down, Lily sighed and stared at Severus, who returned her gaze. The boys; Sirius and James had started throwing another chocolate frog back and forth at each other while the third boy, Remus, watched, but laughed. At one stage the frog hit Severus on the side of his face which earned roars of laughter from Sirius and James. Grabbing the frog and squishing it in his hand, Severus turned his gaze back to Lily, who was watching him with a bemused expression. Although the other boys were annoying, he couldn't help but feel strangely happy. He decided he would always be happy, as long as he and Lily remained friends.
"How long until we get there Sev?" lily asked, obviously fed up with Sirius and James.
"Not long," Severus replied, though in a way he hoped the train ride would never end.