Motivation

By Miss0Lemonade

Chapter One; Of Daisies, Dreams, and Dames

Author's Doom: This used to be two chapters, but they were way too short, so they've been combined into one. Next chapter will probably be this long.

It was a brisk day at the end of a languid summer. A light breeze played with the black strands of a boy's hair as he fought with a large trunk forcing it into a small cart. Not one of the many people rushing around him in the busy London train station stopped to glance at him as he grunted with effort. Finally he managed the heavy trunk into the wire cart. Glaring malevolently at anyone he made eye contact with, he pushed forward, the squeaking of the wheels sending sharp pains through his skull. Glancing briefly around him he made his way to Platform 9. With a final condemning thought (At least here I can fight back a little) he strode confidently towards the brick column between Platforms 9 and 10.

An owl's screech greeted him as he walked onto Platform 9 3/4. Teenagers adorned with badges directed the less experienced among them with generic announcements. Shouts and greetings rang out all around him; students discussing what they had done over the summer, commenting on a new hair cut or cloak.

The boy had neither new clothes nor any greetings. His gray shirt had a hole in the right sleeve near his thumb and the hem was fraying. His black slacks were nearly worn out; a belt loop was disconnected on his hip. His big toe wiggled through the growing hole in his left sock, scraping against the rough leather of his second-hand shoe. He received a few disdainful looks from some of the people around him. The boy simply set his face into his perpetual sneer, and dragged himself over to the baggage cart.

Half an hour later, a girl sat alone in a modestly small room aboard the Hogwarts Express. She sat next to the window, her feet propped up in the seat opposite her. Her honey brown eyes focused intently on the Daily Prophet newspaper draped casually over her lap. A picture in the cent of the page unceremoniously displayed a scene of utter chaos. Several wizards ran about in front of a house that had been burnt to the ground. The headline read RESILIN FAMILY DIES IN FIRE, SUSPECTED VICTIMS OF THE "PURE BLOOD MURDERER".

A frown turned the corners of her thin lips as she put the paper away with a wave of her wand. She sighed, already bored with the beautiful English countryside that zipped past her window.

Standing outside her compartment, the boy with stringy black hair looked hopefully through the window in the door. The room wasn't empty as he'd hoped, but he doubted he would be able to find an empty one by this point. Resigning himself with a sigh, he gripped the door handle and yanked it open. Startled, the girl jumped to her feet, her wand now pointed directly at the boy's hooked nose. Blinking, she recognized him as her classmate, and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry 'bout that," she breathed, her heart still racing. "I've been so jumpy lately."

The boy shrugged his indifference. "D'you mind if I sit in here?" he asked apathetically.

"Oh. No, I don't mind," she replied, partly glad she wouldn't be so bored, and partly sad that her peaceful repose had been interrupted. She sat back down, and watched the boy's reflection as he sat down carelessly in the middle of the opposite seat, taking out of his bag an used edition of A Wizard's Guide to Defending Yourself Against Muggles and Their Inventions. "My name's Katarina, by the way. Katarina Coppes," she introduced, offering her hand.

He glanced at the hand, and regarded it as a booby trap. "Severus Snape," he grimaced as he returned to his book.

She smiled blithely, still offering her hand. "You can call me Katarina if you want."

Glancing at her hand again, Severus decided that touching her would probably not kill him, and she'd hopefully leave him alone. He reached out attentively, and gripped her strangely warm hand. She shook it twice, her smile widening. He released the hand, her fingers gently grazing across his palm. The touch sent an indescribable shiver up his spine.

Both of the now solemn teenagers leaned back into their own seats at the same time. "Call me-" he didn't finish. This five sentence conversation had been the most amiable on he'd had in years. At least where his peers were concerned. The entire school was so in love with James Potty and his friends that they instantly disliked anyone that their heroes didn't endorse. The "one" in "anyone" meaning Severus Snape. Could this girl really be that unaware of his disdain for her? "Call me Snape," he stated, coming to the conclusion that this had to be a trick in some way; this girl didn't deserve that kind of generosity on his behalf.

"Okay. Whatever you say," said Katarina, her joy obviously deflated. She stared out of the window, wondering why this boy was so distrustful. She didn't believe she'd come off too strong, as she'd been told she had a tendency to do. Katarina was so immersed in her own thoughts, she didn't notice Severus's body suddenly become rigid. She didn't see the anxious look in his eyes as they fixated on the door window. And she certainly didn't hear the snide calls faintly coming from down the hall. But she did notice when he jumped off his seat and took his wand out of his pocket. "What're you-"

"Shush!" he cut her off, emphasizing with his free hand. Holding his breath, he looked through the window, down the hallway, seeing a pair of sharply dressed legs ambling towards their door. Grinning horribly he remembered the hex he'd read about over the summer, and slid open the door as inconspicuously as he could.

----

"Ooooh, Snivellus, where did you run off to?" called a scathingly friendly voice. Sneering maliciously, the teenager's voice carried throughout the train. He stood two inches taller than his seemingly meek friend, who gazed uninterestedly at him with honey toned eyes. Shaking his light brown bangs out of his face, he chastised his comrade.

"C'mon Padfoot, do you really want to start up before we even get to school?"

"Yes, Moony dearest," came the instant response. "Before he has the chance to develop any sense of security," the taller boy answered, malevolence glinting in his eyes as he glanced into another compartment, disappointed yet again.

"Seriously, can't you just let it be? It's a new year, our second to last. Just let it be."

"After he covered Prongs in boils for three weeks?!" he asked with an insulted tone. "Remus, we lost the Cup because of him! I need my revenge, Gryffindor needs revenge!" he said loudly, drawing more attention from the surrounding compartments. A pair of startling green eyes gazed out of one curiously at first, then furiously as she recognized the shouter.

"Sirius Black, what are you going on about now?" she accused, storming out of her room. Sirius groaned inwardly at the sight of her. Her, the one who had broken his best mate's heart over and over again.

"Go back to plotting the next time you'll crush James's hopes, Evans, this isn't your business."

"It's my business if you get points docked before you even step off the train."

While Sirius was busy arguing with one Lily Evans, a head of stringy black hair peeked out of a nearby compartment. Thin lips twisted into an awful grin, then whispered an incantation, a wand pointed at Sirius's feet. Grinning again, the head disappeared behind the door, which slid shut as quietly as it had opened.

"Evans, I honestly couldn't care less what you have to say, I'm paying Snivellus back for what…he…he's…" His face suddenly blanched. "He's dead! He's-" an unexpected burp interrupted his death threat. He closed his mouth, trying to collect himself, but suddenly his cheeks bulged out.

Lily, disgusted, backed away, as did Remus. With a cough, Sirius spat up a large bunch of fresh pink daisies. "Sn-Snape! You're de-CAFF!" he roared. Lily began laughing as more daisies spilled from Sirius's infuriated face. From the window in the door down the hall, an amused Katarina watched Sirius vomit.

"The pink's a nice touch," she commented airily. Severus simply sat near the window, a rare smile gracing his snide features for the first time in a long while.

----

Some time later, Severus let out a sigh as he closed his book. At first he had felt anxious, expecting Sirius to burst in, screaming a hex at him. But eventually the gagging sounds traveled down the hall, towards the head of the train, and he relaxed.

Looking across from him, he blinked when he saw Katarina asleep. He had barely noticed her at all at first. She had seemed so carefree when she introduced herself, but he wondered why she had jumped up, ready to defend herself when he came in. There had been a fleeting terror in her eyes that was slightly disturbing

But now Katarina's expression was rested, and by her position it didn't seem like she had fallen asleep purposefully. Her shoulder was jammed against the wall and her head was at a strange angle. Checking the clock above the door, Severus decided it was about time to get into his school robe.

Standing, he looked down at Katarina. She seemed so very peaceful, a different person might have felt bad for waking her up, but Severus felt no remorse as he said loudly, "Hey, Coppes." She merely mumbled something. "Hey, wake up," he said a little louder." She twitched. Snape let out a huff of frustration. He had turned and was about to walk out of the room, when Katarina's voice murmured pitiably at him.

"No, mum, I can't do it…nrm…" Katarina's face was contorted in concentration. "Mum, can't I rest…I don't wanna learn…that…curf…"

Feeling as if he was somehow intruding on something he shouldn't, Severus pulled out his wand and gave her a little shock with it. "Pudding!" she shouted as she came out of whatever dream that had shaken her so badly. "Hrm, I mean," she blustered, realizing where she was. "What's going on?"

"We'll be at school soon," said Severus as he pocketed his wand.

"Oh, right then. Thanks," Katarina said amiably. Severus just snorted as he reached to get his robes out of his bag. Long, black, and partially tattered, they were pulled out of the bag and just as he was about to put an arm in, he looked over, and was shocked to see a familiar green and silver emblem sewn on the chest of Katarina's robes.

"You're Slytherin?! I've never seen you before," Severus stated. Katarina looked down at her robe, at the embroidery, and looked gaily back up at him.

"Yeah, I suppose I am. I usually keep to myself, and I was out half of last semester, so I'm not surprised." Severus had concluded that she was a loner from the moment he had entered her compartment. No girl ever sat alone, especially not a Slytherin girl. They had horribly true reputations as terrible gossips and flirts, ones who had more of a tendency to act on their impulses than the high and mighty Gryffindor dames. Then again, there were always exceptions to the rules. Severus knew of one girl in particular, whom he had been wooing for some time now, who possessed more virtue than any girl he'd ever known. But she was too virtuous, seeing his advances as merely shows of friendship and platonic admiration.

What he wanted to do to Narcissa Lestrange was far from platonic.