The Raven and the Serpent
Ch. 14
A/N: I am sooo sorry for the long delay! Good news is I only have a part-time job and writing is a priority this summer. Even though it has been ages, please review!
Also, I have a poll for after you read this. If you could take a moment, it will help with the next chapter.
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The color of the boy's eyes should've been brighter, more filled with vibrance, but they weren't. They were dull, life hidden behind errant clouds of gray, as if they were judging him still. The boy's body was thin and fragile-looking, as if he could be swept up by the wind, like a minute twig flailing from a sparrows nest. Although his demeanor was normally uptight, body still with his eyes ravenously picking apart his surroundings, today he was unnaturally subdued.
Of course, his constant counterpart, just as stick-like, was (as always) the variable in the equation. Trisha was smiling, pale lips slightly stretched, baring her yellowish teeth, made even more yellow with the unnatural whiteness of her small body. She slapped Harry lightly on the arm, and said, "Something's good's coming. I can feel it." And with that, she turned back to her bowl of porridge on the table.
A hint of a smile pierced through the boy's face, and his eyes brightened, just for a moment, and Severus felt, that maybe, just maybe, those eyes weren't convicting him, and his heart grew light, before he stomped out the idea.
He strode into the room and a soft of chorus of 'Good morning,' greeted him, both still absorbed in their bowls of porridge. He didn't understand their strange fascination for the bland meal, but he took note of the large lump of brown sugar diluting within Trisha's own bowl. He also took note, that the boy,
('Harry,' he tried to force himself to think) frowned at the large lump while eating his own, gray, porridge.
Severus sat down at the table, and both heads glanced up and acknowledged him. Ever since the whole 'chosen' incident, they had become almost unbearingly polite. The strange thing was that it didn't irritate him all that much. What he did find irritating was the fact that their unnerving politeness didn't bother him. And that bothered him. The two had also not opened up any more to him; it was as if they were biding their time, but Severus had no wish to encourage them to open up. The matter was currently at rest.
"All business this morning, are we?" Harry asked with a mouthful of porridge.
Severus eyed him with distaste. "I would prefer if you would refrain from exhibiting your delightful breakfast, whether you are in my presence or not."
Trisha made a show of swallowing the half piece of buttered toast she had carelessly stuffed in her mouth, and then opened it wide to both Harry and Snape.
"That is also inappropriate, Miss Trisha," Severus said, "And yes, I'm all business this morning." He fished out two tickets and laid them on the table. "These are your tickets."
Harry and Trisha both leaned over, their shoulders hunched to their ears, and examined the tickets. They looked up to Severus dumbfounded.
"Platform Nine and Three Quarters?" she asked slowly, as if she was speaking to a small child.
"I can honestly say I've never heard of such a thing," Harry added, his gaze still focused on the ticket.
"It is a Wizarding train, and if you allow me to explain exactly what is going on, I will you tell you how to find and board the train."
"You're not coming with us?" Trisha asked, and Harry's head jerked from the ticket to study Snape's black eyes.
"On the contrary, Miss Dursley, I will be dropping you off, but it will be your duty to walk through the passageway and board the train."
Harry fiddled with his ticket, interest growing in his eyes as he lifted an eyebrow and asked, "And how will you be going to Hogwarts?"
"I have other modes of transportation as I would prefer not to spend my time with a trainload of squabbling eleven-year-olds. Now I suggest you start packing, unless, you'd rather miss the train tomorrow morning…"
Grinning and clutching their ticket, Harry and Trisha scampered off, and Severus breathed a sigh of relief. The last three weeks had been trying; even though they had been polite, they were not above trying out magic. The two had delved deeper into their books, specifically their curse and bewitching ones, and while Severus could catch most of them, he woke one morning to find his hair streaked blonde. After that, he had a good 'talk' with both of the children and urged them to work on more practical spells. To his dismay, he later realized one of their favorites had been 'Alohomora.' Severus prayed that the two would not become friends with the Weasley twins.
"Look at her hair, Harry!" Trisha exclaimed, pointing out a young girl with red hair begging to go with the rest of her family. Harry sighed and shook his head. While Trisha was fierce and sometimes scary to be around, she had a thing for red hair, and adored all types, so it was no surprise she found this family of redheads most interesting.
"Hey, it's the twins we met at the restaurant," Harry said, nudging the excited girl.
"It is! You think they'll remember us?" Trisha asked.
Harry's eyes flashed. "We weren't ourselves then, remember?" he said pointedly. "Besides, they can't know we were with him. Nobody's supposed to know."
Trisha stuck out her tongue. "Since when do you follow rules when nobody tells us why?"
"Because like it or not, he was chosen, and that's always worked out for us," Harry hissed. "And he seemed really serious."
"He always seems serious," Trisha muttered as they walked towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. She lightened up as she saw one of the redhead boys walk through the barriers.
"Well doesn't he look pompous?" Harry whispered in Trisha's ear. She giggled.
They walked past the last redhead boy, who was the youngest-looking, apart from the girl, and through the barrier. The two looked in awe at the scarlet steam engine and the wrought-iron sign behind them. The moved fluidly through the mass of people; years of dodging people on the streets had taught them how, and boarded the train without a problem.
They found an empty compartment and watched the redhead family theatrics from their window. "It's slike a cute little movie," Trisha cooed. Harry snorted. They settled back as the train began to move.
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A/N: I was going to write more, especially since it has been ages since I've updated, but I've come across a slight problem. As nobody knows where the famous Harry Potter is on the train (nobody noticed them) anybody can come into the compartment. I can't decide who should come in first, Ron or Draco. I can do the story either way, but whichever one comes in first will affect the outcome of the story. So please do
the poll, and the sooner you do it, the sooner the chapter should be up. I will not wait forever again! I promise!
Please review. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, and I only had one review last chapter. If you hated it for some reason, please tell me why.