Chapter 4.
The Hogwarts Express.
If you've seen it before it belongs to JK Rowling.
"Mum come on!" the five-foot two bundle of excitement topped with red hair enthused. Lily pulled on her Mother's hand spotting Severus ahead of them in the crowd.
"Sev! Wait up!" she called waving her free arm, in an attempt to catch his attention, as she watched him being dragged quickly through the barrier between platforms nine and ten by a woman with long dark hair. Sadly, he didn't seem to hear her over the crowd.
Lily and her family followed, emerging into the press at Platform 9 and 3\4. Disappointingly she was unable to see Severus in the throng. Mr and Mrs Evans stared into the crowd, absorbing the scene made by the people wearing brightly coloured robes. They carried bird cages with owls of every species and dragged trunks behind them. Lily paused and turned to face Petunia who had stopped a short distance behind their parents, arms folded across her chest, a scowl marring her face.
Not far from the Evans', just a little way further along the platform James Potter, a boy with dark unruly hair also watched the passing crowd. Glancing up the platform his gaze fell on a sallow faced boy standing next to a sour-looking woman whom he greatly resembled and who was staring at a family of four a short distance away. James' gaze followed to the two girls who stood a little apart from their parents. The younger, whose hair looked like liquid fire, seemed to be pleading with her sister.
"…I'm sorry Tuney, I'm sorry! Listen-' She caught her sister's hand and held it tight, even though Petunia tried to pull it away. "Maybe once I am there- no listen, Tuney! Maybe once I'm there, I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!"
"I don't- want - to-go!" said Petunia and she dragged her hand out of her sister's grasp. "You think I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a-a-"
He laughed to himself- the girl must be Muggleborn and her sister a Muggle. As if a Muggle could attend Hogwarts, didn't they know anything!
Her pale eyes roved over the platform, over the cats mewling in their owners' arms, over the owls fluttering and hooting at each other in cages, over the students, some already in their long black robes, loading trunks on to the scarlet steam engine or else greeting one another with glad cries after a summer apart.
"- you think I want to be a-a freak?" she spat. Her tone quiet enough that parents, too used to disagreements between the girls and Petunia's snide words, failed to notice the impending confrontation.
Lily's eyes filled with tears as Petunia succeeded in tugging her hand away. Lily swiped her hand across her eyes, looking past Petunia at the crowd. Just a little further up the platform she finally saw Severus.
James' mind froze at the vehemence, why would that long necked giraffe speak to her sister that way? Why would she think her sister a freak? Surely someone had explained. He felt a little guilty watching these private moments, but something drew him in and he couldn't look away. He wasn't the only one, several people nearby had thrown glances towards the slight disturbance momentarily before judging it a family matter and turning away. The sallow faced boy he had spied early was still watching the girls intently.
"I'm not a freak," said Lily. "That is a horrible thing to say."
"That's where you are going," said Petunia with relish. "A special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy….weirdos, that's what you two are."
What! Thought James, she knows another wizard?
"It's good you are being separated from normal people. It's for our safety."
Lily glanced towards her parents who were looking around the platform with an air of wholehearted enjoyment, drinking in the scene. She noticed they were still completely unaware of the conflict. Then she looked back at her sister, and her voice was low and fierce.
"You didn't think it was such a freak school when you wrote to the headmaster and begged him to take you."
Petunia turned scarlet. James chuckled to himself again as he continued to watch- definitely Muggleborn. He wondered if Muggle post would even reach the castle. He supposed it must, how else would the parents of Muggleborn's write to them? Surely, they didn't all buy owls.
"Beg? I didn't beg!" Petunia's voice gained an octave in indignation.
"I saw his reply. It was very kind."
"You shouldn't have read-" whispered Petunia. "That was my private – how could you-?"
Lily gave herself away by half glancing towards where Severus stood nearby. Petunia gasped.
"That boy found it! You and that boy have been sneaking in my room!"
"No – not sneaking-" Now Lily was on the defensive. "Severus saw the envelope and couldn't believe that a Muggle could have contacted Hogwarts, that's all! He says there must be wizards working undercover at the postal service who take care of-"
"Apparently wizards poke their noses in everywhere!" said Petunia, now as pale as she had been flushed. "Freak!" she spat at her sister, and she flounced off to where her parents stood.
Lily hung her head and shuffled closer to her parents as she wiped a hand over her eyes. Too engrossed in the sights, her Father failed to see her tears as he helped her pick up her trunk and carry it towards the train.
Judging the matter over James, who had often over the years wished he had a sibling (maybe someone like Justin) turned his attention elsewhere, briefly feeling grateful that he was an only child. He glanced back to see the girl hug her parent's goodbye and board the train. As he continued watching the people on the platform he couldn't help but think his parents never would have failed to notice if he had been that upset.
A short distance away stood another family with 2 dark-haired boys. Their Mother and Father were lecturing the eldest on their expectations of his behaviour while at Hogwarts. James briefly overheard "You will only consort with those of an appropriate station…," tuning out the rest of the diatribe he turned away to look around again, thinking they seemed a bit uptight, poor kid.
A call came from off to his left interrupting his thoughts. "James!" it was his Mother. "Quickly now onto the train." She smiled at him gently as she indicated towards the clock showing five minutes to eleven.
He briefly hugged her before weaving his way through the other families saying goodbye to board the train and enter the compartment in which they had stowed his trunk. It was no longer unoccupied. There in the corner sat the girl with red-hair. She didn't look around as he came in. Seated opposite her was a sandy haired boy with green eyes who smiled welcomingly.
"Mind if I come in? I put my trunk in here earlier," He said by way of explanation. "My names James," the girl didn't turn around, so he looked to the boy.
"Sure," the other boy replied with a shrug, "I'm…"
They were interrupted as a small blonde boy came into the compartment.
"Hi," he said starting to speak but was interrupted by the dark-haired boy with the bossy parents entering the compartment behind him.
"Looks like everywhere else is full," he said with an exaggerated sigh, "Think I'll join you guys here, if that's alright. I'm Sirius, Sirius Black. Who are you?" he was brimming with confidence.
The boys introduced themselves, but the red-haired girl continued to look out the window engrossed in her own world and presently the boys ignored her and began to discuss Quidditch.
Severus had changed into his school robes at the earliest opportunity and was now searching for Lily. At last he stopped, outside a compartment in which a group of rowdy boys were talking. Hunched in the corner seat beside the window was Lily, her face pressed against the window. She had been crying. She looked up as he came in.
"I don't want to talk to you," she said in a constricted voice.
The smile that had begun to spread across his face at the sight of her froze and fell before it was fully formed "Why not?"
"Tuney h- hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore."
Severus failed to see the issue after all it was just Petunia. "So what?"
She threw him a look of deep dislike.
"So she's my sister!"
"She's only a –" He caught himself quickly; Lily, too busy trying to wipe her eyes without being noticed, did not hear him. Severus let out a sigh of relief and let his excitement take over instead.
"But we're going!" he said unable to suppress the exhilaration in his voice. "This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!"
She nodded, mopping her eyes, but in spite of herself, she half smiled.
"You'd better be in Slytherin," said Snape, encouraged that she had brightened a little.
"Slytherin?"
The slight unruly haired boy sharing the compartment, who had shown no interest at all in Lily or Severus until that point, looked around at the word.
"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" James asked the boy lounging in the seats opposite him. The other dark-haired boy didn't smile.
"All my family have been in Slytherin," he said.
"Blimey," said James, "and I thought you seemed all right!"
Sirius grinned. "Maybe I'll break with tradition. Where are you headed, if you've got a choice?"
James lifted an invisible sword. "Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart! Like my dad".
Severus made a small disparaging noise. James turned on him.
"Got a problem with that?" he raised his chin in challenge.
"No," said Severus, though his slight sneer said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny then brainy-"
"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?' interjected Sirius.
James roared with laughter. Lily sat up, rather flushed, and looked from James to Sirius with dislike.
"Come on Severus, let's find another compartment."
"Ooooo…"
James and Sirius imitated her lofty voice; James tried to trip Severus as he passed.
"See ya, Snivellus!" a voice called as the compartment door slammed.
Further down the train Lily and Severus found another compartment where the sole occupant was a curly dark-haired girl who didn't respond when they asked if they could sit with her but sat gazing out the window. They took her silence to be agreement and chatted to each other quietly. Pausing only when interrupted by a clattering outside the compartment and a cheery voice saying:
"Anything off the trolley, dears?" as a grey-haired witch with a kind round face looked in through the door.
"Oh Sev, the sweets are different! What should we try?"
After a short discussion a dozen chocolate frogs and liquorice wands were purchased to be shared. They offered some to the other occupant of the compartment who graciously accepted a liquorice wand and stated her name was Nerida Lovegood, but she soon returned to her silent contemplation. The rest of the journey passed without incident, Severus leaving the compartment briefly to allow the girls to get changed into their robes.
As Lily and Severus exited the train Severus accidently stood on the back of Lily's robe and she stumbled, falling off the last step and knocking into the person in front of her.
"Oi," the boy called out as he fell.
"Oh I'm sorry, I…"
Green eyes meet hazel - there was a moment of connection, as she realised it was the messy haired boy from the first compartment.
"Sorry I tripped," Lily blushed in embarrassment.
He laughed as he jumped up seemingly not bothered, by the collision or the previous altercation "S'alright."
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" a voice called over the crowd.
Lily and Severus struggled to cross the crush of students exiting the train and move in the direction of the booming voice. When she finally found its owner Lily's froze in shock, never had she ever seen anyone quite like him. He was a giant of a man, his face almost hidden by a long shaggy mane of hair and a wild tangled beard. She trembled in fright and stared up at him, her eyes large and round. His black eyes looked down at her pale visage and he grinned.
"I'm quite a sight ain't I, names Hagrid!" he chuckled "Don't you worry none, I don't bite" his dark eyes glinted, and she smiled shyly in return.
"C'mon, follow me- any more firs' years? Mind yer step now! Firs years follow me!"
Slipping and stumbling they followed Hagrid down a steep narrow path, and round a bend.
"Now, that there is yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts, ain't she beautiful?" he indicated the castle as it came into view.
"Wow!" sighed Lily "It's just like I imagined it."
"No more'n four to a boat!' Hagrid called pointing to a fleet of little boats in the water by the shore.
Lily and Severus carefully clambered into a boat and were joined by Nerida and the sandy haired boy they had seen earlier who introduced himself as Remus Lupin. He seemed quieter than the other boys had been and less opinionated, though this might have been because he was now on his own. Hagrid waited until they were all settled before stepping into the largest boat by himself.
"Forward," he shouted and the boats began to glide across the water.
The silence was only broken by the lapping of the water as the boats drifted across the lake towards the great towering castle.
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff on which the school stood.
Bending their heads, they passed through an ivy curtain and were carried into a dark tunnel, eventually reaching an underground harbour. The first years then clambered out of the boats, up a flight of stone steps and crowded around a door as Hagrid raised his hand. The sound of his knocking echoed round the cave.
Boom, boom, boom.
The door swung open to reveal the stern face of Professor McGonagall, her hair pulled back into the tight bun Lily recalled from their previous meetings. The Professor led them through the entry hall to a side chamber.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into you houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common-room."
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history, and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours" as she finished she heard a whispering from the somewhere in the cluster of children standing in front of her and her eyes flicked to a group of four boys standing towards the back of the group, her lips drew into a thin line.
"The sorting ceremony will take place presently, see that you are respectable." So, saying, she departed the chamber.
Lily frowned and whispered to Severus "Is it some kind of test? I don't think I'll do any good, what if I don't have enough magic and they send me home?"
The four boys overheard and began to snicker. Ignoring the noise Severus reassured her "It'll be ok, Mum didn't say what it was, but she did say that it was simple, besides you have plenty of magic or you would never have received a letter."
He was interrupted from saying anymore by Professor McGonagall's return.
"We are ready for you now."
The group walked out of the chamber, across the entryway and through the double doors into the Great Hall. Lily's eyes were immediately drawn to the ceiling. She gazed in wonder at the starlit sky, the thousands of floating candles and then finally looked at the four long tables laden with golden plates and goblets that lined either side of the hall.
"It's like a fairy tale," she murmured. "How did they do that?"
James overheard and couldn't refrain from whispering "It's Magic!" into her ear, she was too filled with wonder to roll her eyes.
Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years and on top of this placed a much patched and frayed wizard's hat. The hat moved and then from a tear near the brim it began to sing:
I am a magic wizards hat as you can plainly see.
The Founders took their brains and hid them inside of me.
My job now is to sort you into the house where you'll reside
Just pop me on your head so I can see what is inside.
Are you Gryffindors like Godric where dwell the Brave of Heart
Or Ravenclaws like Rowena where dwell the very smart
Or Hufflepuffs like Helga where the loyal make their friends.
Or Slytherins like Salazar where cunning folk achieve their ends.
So now is the time for all of you, to set me atop your head.
Let's get this sorting over so, that you can all be fed.
The hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. Professor McGonagall stepped forward unrolling a large scroll.
"When I call your name, you will come forward and sit on the stool and I will place the sorting hat on your head," she said. "Abbott, Anthony."
A stout brown-haired boy stepped forward and the hat was placed on his head as he sat down.
"Hufflepuff!" shouted the hat.
Aubery and Avery, were sorted then:
"Black, Sirius," the cocky, black-haired boy stepped forward his grey eyes glittering, as he sat on the stool. James looked up at his new friend willing him to be in Gryffindor.
"Mmm," Sirius heard a dusty voice in his mind, "a Black well, Blacks have always been Slytherin and yet… you don't want just follow the crowd, always questioning the rules hey? Hmmm, you're not the first, I have seen this before seven years ago, but she WANTED to be placed in Slytherin. But that's not what you want is it? Hrumph, a Black who is BRAVE, there is only one place for you… Gryffindor."
The last word was shouted to the hall.
As Sirius took off the hat and strutted to the cheering Gryffindor table, he turned his back to the Slytherin table and pretended he wasn't bothered by the glares of his cousins. He sat down and turned to watch the rest of the sorting throwing a grin at James.
Lily waited nerves building for her turn as child after child was called…..…until finally Professor McGonagall said "Evans, Lily."
She walked forward on trembling legs and sat down on the rickety stool. Professor McGonagall dropped the Sorting Hat on to her head, barely a second after it had touched her dark red hair the Hat cried "Gryffindor!"
She heard Severus let out a tiny groan. Lily took off the Hat, and handed it back to Professor McGonagall, then hurried towards the cheering Gryffindors, but as she went she glanced back at Severus and there was a sad little smile on her face. Sirius moved up the bench for her. She took one look at him, seemed to recognise him from the train, folded her arms and firmly turned her back on him.
As the roll call continued Remus Lupin, Mary McDonald and James Potter all joined Lily and Sirius at the Gryffindor table. The hat deliberated for over 5 mins before it sorted the stout blonde-haired Peter Pettigrew eventually calling out Gryffindor.
"Fancy that, our young Peter is a hatstall. I believe Minerva was our last," murmured Dumbledore to the diminutive charms professor who was sitting beside him.
Finally when only a dozen students remained to be sorted, Professor McGonagall called Severus.
"Slytherin!" cried the Sorting Hat.
And Severus Snape moved off to the other side of the Hall, away from Lily, to where the Slytherins were cheering for him, to where an elegant blonde-haired boy with, a prefects badge gleaming upon his chest patted Severus on the back as he sat down beside him. Then it was over, Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment and carried the Sorting Hat and stool from the Hall and the Headmaster rose to his feet his blue eyes twinkling.
"Welcome to a new school year, I would like to say a few words; however, they can wait until after the feast, so tuck in."
A cheer rose from the students as food appeared on the dishes in front of them. Lily had never seen such a feast; the food was amazing, and ghosts drifted across the hall greeting the students with merry wishes. Lily stared as they passed by and had a terrible urge to put a hand through one just to see what it felt like, but she thought it might not be polite, a small smile twisted her lips.
"Hey Red, what are you smiling at?" a laughing voice chuckled next to her.
She looked over, frowning in irritation at the teasing, as it bought to mind the jeering she had suffered at her last school, only to see a red headed boy looking back at her, smiling genuinely. His face was graced with a multitude of freckles and his pale eyes laughed merrily at her showing no hint of mocking.
She relaxed. "Just a thought," she hedged, smiling shyly back.
"Go on, I'm always up for a good laugh," he grinned, it seemed to be his default emotion.
"I was wondering what it would feel like to stick my hand through one of the ghosts, but then I thought it might be a bit..well..rude."
He smiled indulgently "Oi Nick!" the closest ghost turned around.
"Yes?" a ghost with an enormous ruffled collar turned and drifted towards them.
"This young lass wants to know what it feels like if she were to accidentally run through you. Would you mind?"
The Ghost puffed out his chest and introduced himself "I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington."
"Otherwise known as Nearly Headless Nick," chirped the redhead.
"Someone didn't do an efficient job?" guessed Lily.
"No," agreed Nick "And you are?" he held out his hand.
"Lily," she stuck out her hand and they made a show of shaking at the same time, she laughed at the icy cold feeling as her hand passed through his.
"Well I must go and meet the other first years, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask,"
"It was nice to meet you," she called as he drifted away.
"Well I have to ask, are you a Prewett or a Weasley?" the redhead enquired.
"Um," she said trying to decipher what he meant before deciding that they must be family names. "I'm an Evans, Lily Evan's," she replied as she stuck out her hand again.
He took it and gave it a proper shake.
"Ah, a Muggleborn then, but I bet there is Prewett or Weasley blood somewhere back in your family line, which would mean you are related to us." He indicated a boy sitting across from him who was clearly his older brother "I'm Fabian and this is Gideon and we are Prewetts," he said somewhat dramatically with a cheeky smirk "oh and that git, sitting next to my brother is Caradoc Dearborn."
A handsome dark-haired boy maybe two years older than herself, waved a fork in her general direction "Call me Doc," before returning his attention to the plate of food in front of him.
"Now seeing as we are nearly related, if you have any trouble, especially with the Slytherins, you just give us a call, and we'll sort it out."
"Oh thanks," Lily blushed "but I don't think I'll have any trouble, you see my best friend just got sorted into Slytherin."
"Well we'll see," he replied with a good naturedly as he turned back to his meal.
Lily turned her attention to eating and let the conversations flow around her as she finished her meal.
As suddenly as it had appeared the food vanished, and Dumbledore stood.
"Now that we have eaten our fill, I have a few start-of-term notices. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is strictly forbidden to all students. I have also been asked by our caretaker to remind you all that no magic is to be used in the corridors between classes. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term and anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. Finally, this year a unique specimen has been planted on the grounds. Walking in the area surrounding the Whomping Willow is inadvisable to anyone who does not wish to be painfully injured. And now, before we head to bed, let us sing the school song". Dumbledore gave his wand a flick and a long gold ribbon flew out of it and rose high above the tables, twisting itself into words.
Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy, Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing.
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn till our brains all rot.
Lily giggled at Gideon and Fabian who were singing the song in falsetto.
"Now," said the headmaster as the cacophony had ceased, "Off to bed with you."
"Gryffindor first years this way," called Alexandria Wood, the fifth-year prefect, as she and Kingsley Shacklebolt lead the way out of the Hall and up the marble staircase.
The Prewett brothers and their friend tagged along behind the group, walking beside Lily and providing an amusing commentary on the sights of Hogwarts. Lily's favourite was the moving portraits and it wasn't long before she became distracted as she started to stop and say hello to each of the friendly faces. Doc smiled at her.
"Come on Squirt you can say hello to the rest later, now you need to pay attention to where you are going, or you will get lost tomorrow," he said as he ushered her towards a staircase.
"Oh and pay attention to the staircases they like to change, hurry up or we will lose the rest of the group!" Gideon interrupted.
They caught up to the rest without much trouble and were finally led down a corridor at the very end of which hung a portrait of a very fat lady in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" she said.
"Talis est vita," replied Alexandria and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall.
They all scrambled through it and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room. It was a cosy room furnished in rich reds and gold with many comfortable looking chairs and couches. The girls were directed through a door to their dormitory and the boys through another. Up a spiral staircase they found their beds at last and each fell asleep hidden behind the red velvet curtains of their four poster beds.