"You'd better be in Slytherin," I told Lily again, encouraged that she had smiled at me.

"Slytherin?"

The boy with the short and messy black hair had spoken. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" He addressed the boy sitting next to him. I almost gasped. The boy had shoulder length black hair, and a very handsome, smooth face with the texture of cream. He had shrewd looking black eyes, like pools of oil. He had a devastatingly handsome smile, more like a smirk, and what bothered me was that he looked as though he could have any girl he wanted, because any girl would be lucky to have him. His lounging body and bored expression confirmed my suspicions. I hated him before I hated the other boy.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin," he answered. His voice was prematurely cracking.

"Blimey," said his friend. "And I thought you were alright!" The long haired boy grinned. I realized that Lily and I had been taken out of the conversation, so I turned towards her, tuning out they're conversation, until I heard the word "Gryffindor."

"'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!'" shorter boy, brandishing and invisible sword at his friend. I scoffed loudly. After seeing the boy round on me, I tried to turn it into a cough, to no success.

"Got a problem with that, Shorty?" he snapped. I glared at him. "No, if you'd rather be brawny than brainy-" I would either be in Slytherin, the house of the shrewd, or Ravenclaw, but definitely not Gryffindor!

"Where're you going, seeing as your neither?" mocked the handsome boy.

That was it. I hated this slug with every fiber of my being. And his hyena- like friend was not helping my dislike. Lily stood up, looking from one boy to the other in sincere and wonderfully open dislike. I didn't like the way the short haired boy looked at her. The other one was still laughing, but the other one couldn't stop staring. She apparently didn't notice. Good. "Come on, Severus," she sniffed, "let's find a different compartment."

The two boys imitated her voice. I grabbed her hand and tried to get out, but the staring boy tried to trip me. I hate it when people do this. It has no effect, and it is such an obvious move. "See ya, Snivellus!" yelled one of them as I slammed the door shut. I was glad to be rid of them. Lily was looking apologetically at me. "I'm sorry, Sev," she muttered, taking my hand. "It was my own fault for choosing that compartment." I liked her soft touch on my hand. I looked at her deep emerald eyes with my black ones. They were so open and honest. "It's not your fault," I contradicted, walking with her down the corridor. "Here, let's try this one." Lily opened one door. Inside, there was no one there except a young girl sitting by the window. Her honey tinted brown hair glinted in the sunlight as it hung over her face. She was reading a book, and did not look up when we entered.

"Excuse me," said Lily politely, "can we please sit here? Everywhere else is full."

The preteen looked up, and I actually gasped this time. She had soft, short bangs above her oval shaped topaz eyes. Her hair hung just over her shoulders, and she didn't look any older than me or Lily. Her smooth skin was the lightest possible shade of peach, almost caramel colored. She was not pale, but a rather creamy color, which gently waxed into her perfect pink lips. Her face was heart shaped, and her long, exquisite neck was lifted high and graceful above her Hogwarts uniform. The reason I was staring at gasped was because she was extraordinarily beautiful. More beautiful than any girl I had ever met. "Sure," she answered Lily. Her voice was mature for her age, not high and breathy, but not low; just calm. Lily smiled her beautiful smile at her, and sat across from her. I (in my infinite gracefulness) tripped over my own feet and fell into my chair. The girl smiled apologetically at me. "I'm sorry about my book bag." She pointed to a bag on the floor. It took my brain a little time to register that she was talking to me. When it did, I was sure that at least five minutes had past, and I looked in the direction of her hand. "No, it was my fault," I answered without even thinking. "Not yours, Miss-?"

"My name is Maria," she said quickly. "Just Maria." With a nervous glance at me, the preteen returned to her book. I shook my head to get rid of the fluffy white clouds surrounding it. "What are you reading?" asked Lily. She looked up again, and the fluffy white clouds came back all over again. "The Life and Times of Albus Dumbledore," she answered quietly, and took her exquisite face away again. I almost jumped in my seat at her next move. She touched something on her face, and I realized that they were glasses, round glasses, that could cover her eyes perfectly. I couldn't believe that I hadn't noticed before, though probably due to the fact that she was like a dark haired angel. It took me a few seconds to also notice that she seemed very standoffish. I could see that she kept glancing up at me, nervously, like she was inwardly torturing me and was very sorry for it. I couldn't understand it.

"I like your glasses," said Lily sweetly. Maria shot her head up, and dropped her book. "You do?" she asked, sounding confused. "You, y-you like them?"

"Yeah, they're very professional."

Maria smiled. Her smile was like a punch to the head. I had to look away just to get some air. Her smile quickly faded.

"Severus, are you okay?" asked Lily concernedly. "You're face is all red."

"I'm sorry!"

Lily and I stared at the strange girl. "I mean, uh, I, uh," she stuttered, and then went red. "I'm sorry about your face."

"What do you mean? What did you do?" I asked. I couldn't believe that this lovely girl could do anything bad to me. "Oh, nothing, I just, have said too much already." She finished in a very quiet, almost inaudible, voice. "Thanks," she added, blushing, to Lily, when she returned her book. "No problem. So, anyway, what year are you? You look like a 3rd year or something."

Maria laughed. "No, I'm a first year. You as well?"

"Yeah, me and Sev."

"Oh, I am sorry!" cried the girl. "I didn't ask for your names!"

"That's fine. I am Lily Evans, and this is Severus Snape."

"Snape," repeated the girl. "I think I've heard of your grandfather before."

"Yeah," I said chokingly.

"I haven't heard of you, though," she added to Lily.

"Oh, I'm Muggle born," said Lily nonchalantly. I turned sharply to Maria. "But she's the smartest girl in our year, I bet you," I told her fiercely. Maria looked me with momentary surprise, but then she smiled widely and happily. "Good, then Andromeda Black can have some competition."

I was very shocked at her reaction. Normally, wizards would shun Lily for that. Maria didn't seem like a normal wizard, though……..

"Of course, she is a 6th year," she continued, "But you can beat her score in the N.E.W.T.s," she assured her.

"What's a N.E.W.T?"

And so, for the next few hours, I had more fun than I did even with Lily. Maria turned out to be extraordinarily smart, and a great conversationalist. Lily and her were often having one sided conversations, but I didn't mind. When the lunch trolley had come around, I had stocked up on Cauldron Cakes and Drooble's gum. While I ate these, I was able to contemplate the current situation. Maria seemed even more beautiful than was humanly possible. It just didn't seem like my opinion. Her beauty seemed more like a fact. In fact, if she had silvery blond hair and glowing skin, I would have thought her a Veela.

"It's getting dark," she remarked. I looked out the window. Indeed, the sky was darkening quickly. "We'd better get rid of our candy trash."

"You're right," I agreed.

"Alright, Snivellus, I know you took it!"

Our compartment door had been slid open, and the long haired boy and the hyena-ish boy were standing there.

"Took what?" I snapped.

"My compass, you twit! You saw it in my hand, and you took it!!!"

"Don't' talk to him like that!" interjected Lily. "And wash your hair, you dog!"

"We can talk to him however we want, right, Sirius?" said the short haired boy, smirking down at Lily.

"Oh, shut up."

"Don't tell James to shut up!"

"I can tell him whatever I want!"

"Where is it?" snapped the tall boy, whipping out his wand, and bearing down upon me.

"WILL YOU ALL SHUT THE HECK UP?!"

We all looked at Maria. She was standing, and her face was flushed. She was glaring at Sirius. "Don't talk to my friends like that, or I'll cut your hair for you!" she whipped out her wand as well.

"Hey, listen lady, we don't want any trouble. Just give up the compass, and we'll be free to go," said James. I was a little surprised. he was looking at her like she was any other girl. I thought that James would be affected by her beauty. I turned towards Sirius.

"We don't have your stupid compass!"

"Look," began Sirius; he had made his voice low and husky, and messed up his hair so he looked even more carelessly handsome that before, "No one is making you do anything. I mean, I highly doubt that you would have stolen anything of mine!" He put a very strong and husky emphasis on "you."

"And who are you?" she snapped.

"Sirius Scorpius Black," he said pompously, holding out his hand. "I'm gonna be in Slytherin. I guess someone as smart as you would be going there, too?"

"Over my dead body."

"I can't see why you would rather hang out with greasy nosed Snevellus, when you could sit with me, and my friend?"

"My friends aren't arrogant little toe rags."

Friend. She considered me a friend! I had been very deprived of friends, and I was proud to be friends with someone as nice as Lily was.

"Yeah, so buzz off!" added Lily.

"I'll be back for my compass," snapped Sirius to me. "See ya around, Maria," he added, smirking, before closing the door.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE GONNA BE IN SLYTHERIN?" we hear outside the glass. I snickered, and Lily soon joined me, followed by Maria. Soon, we were all laughing hard and happy. I was laughing because I had finally found to beautiful friends, inside and out.