Severus awoke to none of the familiar sounds or smells he'd heard his entire life, and felt disoriented. He could not detect his mother making breakfast, nor the stomping around of his father, nor the usual sounds of fighting. There was only silence.

Then, he recalled the events of the previous day. With a jolt, he realized he was at Hogwarts-finally-and, due to his own stubbornness and rash request from the Sorting Hat, had ended up in Gryffindor.

He tried not to groan aloud.

Severus Snape, not in Slytherin. Not in the house of his mother, of most of his mother's family. Not that the latter had really mattered, as they had disinherited her when she had married Tobias Snape. Still. He cared what she thought about him, and wanted her to be proud of him. There was no doubt in his mind that she wouldn't be happy to learn that he wasn't in Slytherin, but in Gryffindor. Ravenclaw might have been acceptable, if not disappointing, but Gryffindor? The house of brawn, of rashness?

What had he been thinking, telling the hat to place him there?

Of course, Severus reasoned, she might simply be relieved that he hadn't been sorted into Hufflepuff, although Severus thought that he might have followed Lily there, if it had come down to it.

He'd have to send her an owl within the next few days. Severus knew he could get away with waiting a day or so, since he didn't have an owl, and classes would begin right away, which would limit his ability to write to her. She knew that there was an owlery, of course, for students without owls, but he didn't know where it was. Not that Severus knew where anything was in this castle.

Well, he would hardly be the only student with that problem, and certainly hardly the first year. Come to think of it, Lily didn't have one, and she would want to send word home. Her parents didn't know about the houses, but they would want to know that she'd arrived safely.

They could make plans to go together, then. Lily would like that.

Severus rose, then pulled away the curtains to leave his bed and retrieve his toiletries and school robes. His mouth had an unpleasant taste from foregoing brushing the previous evening, and he could change in the bathroom before anyone else arrived.

The bathroom was large, with five stalls and as many showers that included a tub. He should probably bathe before class...

To his surprise, there was actually shampoo and something called "conditioner" already in the shower stall. Provided by the house elves, no doubt. He and his mother had always used regular soap, and Severus knew that it might get his hair clean, but it also made it look lank and even oily. Cutting it short was not an option, thanks to a scar his father had given him along the neck...

Slowly, Severus squirted a small amount of the shampoo into his hand, and then worked it into the top of his hair. To his astonishment, upon touching his hair, the shampoo seemed to have a mind of its own. It went at his scalp as though invisible hands were there. Severus let out a surprised gasp, but realized that it actually felt...pleasant. He let himself relax as the invisible hands worked at his scalp and, then, throughout the rest of his hair. After a few moments, it stopped, and Severus, bemused, stood with his back to the shower spray, allowing the water rinse off the suds.

Severus hurried through the rest of his shower, unwilling to risk seeing any of his roommates see him without his clothes on. Remus seemed decent enough, and but he wasn't sure where he stood with Pettigrew. Potter and Black might still be out to get him, or they might decide to let their argument on the train go, given that they were in the same house.

There was just too much Severus didn't know, and he didn't like it one bit. At least at home, he could try to avoid his father.

Well, he reckoned he'd find out where everyone stood before long.

He toweled his hair dry as best as he could, then dressed. Afterwards, feeling a bit safer, Severus gave his teeth a thorough brushing. Slowly, he returned to the bedroom, feeling nervous but determined to meet whatever lay before him without looking like a sniveling fool. Except, a look around told him that the curtains on all of the beds except one were open. Black and Potter, he saw, were engaged in conversation, and still dressed in their sleeping shifts (as Severus had been taught to call them). The shifts worn by males of wizarding families weren't quite as long as female nightgowns, but were made of the same type of material-cotton for the warmer months, flannel for the winter. Darker colors, sometimes with stripes, and the ones for children might have more vivid patterns. Or so Severus had heard, anyway.

Remus pulled his curtain aside and emerged, dressed in his school robes, and gave Severus a small smile upon seeing him. Severus had gone to sleep without knowing who would take the bed next to him, and was relieved that it had been Remus. He rather hoped that the beds they chose would be the ones they would remain in for, if not their seven years at Hogwarts, at least that year. Sleeping next to Potter or Black meant that Severus would hardly sleep at all. The bed next to Remus, Severus noted, belonged to the still sleeping Pettigrew. Black and Severus, he supposed, had chosen the ones closest to the windows, but he didn't know who slept where.

"Hello," said Remus, as Severus took a seat at the edge of his bed. "Sleep all right?"

Severus nodded. "Had a bit of a shock when I woke up," he admitted.

Remus chuckled. "Yes, I wasn't sure where I was, at first. Took me a minute to remember I was at school."

Before Severus could formulate a response, he saw Black and Potter stand up and began to walk in his direction. Severus willed himself to look at them impassively, as opposed to letting his fear show. Slytherins didn't do that, and Gryffindors certainly didn't. Showing fear was showing weakness before your enemy, and he couldn't afford to do that. At least, upon glancing at his roommates' empty hands, Severus could see that they weren't planning on hexing him just yet. His own wand was in the right pocket of his robes.

After giving a nod to Remus, they stopped directly front of his bed. Before Severus could jump up, they each took a step backwards. Were they trying to appear less threatening? Or, did they genuinely not want to alarm him?

Potter spoke first. "Look, er, I reckon we got off to a bad start yesterday."

"I suppose so," Severus allowed, keeping his eyes on both of them, inwardly debating whether it would be better to stand or remain seated.

"Sirius and I were talking, and we'd like to start over, if that's all right with you. We're in the same house, after all, and we're going to be living together for the next seven years," James went on. "I expect there's enough rivalry between the houses without adding one in our own."

It sounded well enough, just as long as Potter wasn't messing with him. Of course, he wouldn't know unless he got burned by him or Black, but there was little reason to reject the offer of, if not friendship, at least not rivalry.

He'd still keep his wand at his side at all times, preparing for an attack. But that could come from a student friend another house as much as Potter and Black.

Severus gave a quick nod towards Potter, then turned to Black. "You both want to start over, then?"

Black nodded, his face turning a bit red. "Yeah. And I shouldn't have called you Snivellus. I-I'm sorry, Snape."

Severus nodded. Then, feeling that he should make a gesture, just in case they were telling the truth, he thought he should make an effort. Slowly, he said, "It's all right. And, since we're in the same house, maybe we should use our first names?"

The relief and smiles on Potter and Black's faces looked genuine.

"Sure," Black agreed. Extending his hand, he added, "I'm Sirius Black. Call me Sirius."

Severus shook it. "Severus Snape. Call me Severus."

"Sev" was Lily's nickname for him. But maybe, if they really became friends, he might let them use it.

Maybe.

Potter went next. "James Potter, here. James." He grinned. "Nice to meet you, Severus."

They shook hands.

Severus felt the knot in his stomach fade. He wasn't stupid-they couldn't be trusted entirely. But, perhaps, they wouldn't be his enemies.

Remus spoke up, moving over on the edge of his bed to offer space. There was only room for one of them, so Sirius took it, and then James glanced at Severus, who nodded and moved over. James sat next to him, and made a motion with his hand, but Severus involuntarily stiffened, and James' hands went to his sides. The knot returned, followed by a sense of shame.

They chatted for a bit, Severus trying to contribute intelligibly, and if it didn't work, at least he didn't earn any more rude nicknames. Then, James and Sirius excused themselves to change in the bathroom.

"I suppose we better wake Pettigrew," Severus offered, once they were gone.

"Yes, I can't expect he'll want to be late on our first day," Remus returned, with a bit of a laugh.

They headed over, moved back the curtains, and Remus gently prodded a still sleeping Pettigrew, who awoke confused, but quickly recalled where he was, and was eager enough to get on with the day.

Several moments later, the five of them headed to the common room, where the Prefects were gathering the first year students to take to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Perhaps, going to Gryffindor had been a wiser choice than he'd initially anticipated.

Author's note:

Next up: Severus sends his mum a letter about his sorting, and Sirius receives a Howler from his mother. Also, perhaps James and Sirius ARE being sincere in seeking out Severus' friendship?

As always, constructive feedback is most welcome!