Chapter 2
In accordance with the suggestion of Severus Snape
Rebecca dragged her heavy trunk through the crowded train. looking for an empty compartment. They all seemed to be full. She had never been a very social person, preferring books to people, but it looked as if she was going to have to start socializing today.
Her mother had brought her onto platform nine and three quarters, helped her lift her trunk onto the Hogwarts express, then, with many apologies, disapperated.
Near the back of the train, she found a compartment with only one person in it: a boy with shoulder length black hair and skin as white as hers. She wondered idly if he preferred books to people as well.
"Is anyone sitting here?" she asked softly.
The boy, who had obviously not noticed her until she spoke, jumped and turned to look at her. His eyes, which met hers briefly, where like pools of black ink. He shook his head, and muttered sullenly, "who wants to sit with a vampire?"
Rebecca stared at him. Thinking she might have misunderstood, she asked "a vampire?"
He laughed shortly. "Yeah, a vampire." He watched her face carefully.
She shook her head. "You're not a vampire."
"Tell that to them."
"Who are they?" she asked, shoving her trunk into the compartment.
"Oh, some boys who came through earlier. They went into the next compartment."
"Did you tell them you were a vampire, or did they ask you?"
The boy shot her a piercing look. "They said it, not me. I suppose they were only kidding, of course, but. . ." his voice trailed off.
Rebecca found herself wishing he would keep talking. He had a melodious voice. Low and soft, like velvet over steel.
She sank into a seat. "I'm Rebecca Morgain, by the way," she told him.
"Severus Snape."
The train gave a jerk, and started moving. The two of them sat in silence, watching the station move past the window.
"I bet the whole year's like this," muttered Severus.
"Like what?"
"With those stuck up gits making fun of me, me ending up sitting alone-"
"You're not sitting alone," cut in Rebecca.
"All right," he conceded. "I'm not sitting alone. But I can guarantee you they're sitting in the next compartment laughing at me." He sounded like being teased was nothing new for him, and Rebecca's heart ached. "I just wish they would get to know me before judging me," he mumbled, with evident hurt in his voice. "I'm really-" suddenly realizing he was talking to a complete stranger, he stopped abruptly. "I'm sorry, you don't want to hear this." He turned to look out the window.
She shook her head, "No, please, I don't mind."
He smiled weakly. "You're just easy to talk to."
"Thanks. You're easy to listen too." She smiled back.
"Do you read a lot?" she asked after a few minutes. He looked surprised. "I mean," she added swiftly, "you use a lot of words that most eleven- and twelve year olds wouldn't usually use."
"Like what?" he wanted to know.
"Well," she thought. "Like 'guarantee,' and, oh, I don't know. You just sound. . .older."
"I'm eleven," he said.
"Me too."
There was another long silence, then she thought of something. "I'd better get my school robes on. Do you know where I can change?" He was already wearing his black robes.
He nodded. "Change right here." She flushed, and he quickly added, "I'll go stand in the passageway, I mean." He got up and left quickly. She noticed how he seemed to float, rather than walk.
Maybe he is a vampire after all, she thought to herself. She quickly shook the thought away and changed into her billowing robes. She slid open the compartment door to tell him he could come back in, and noticed that he was not alone.
Three boys were standing there, glaring at him. Two of them had dark hair. One of the dark haired boys looked furious, and the other had messy hair hanging into his eyes. The third boy, hanging behind the other two, was short and fat and blond.
The first boy, the one with messy hair, was shouting at Severus, "we really don't care what you are, you-" but stopped himself when he saw Rebecca. Severus wheeled around.
"This is nice," commented Rebecca smoothly, if a bit coldly. "What a way to start the year off. Picking a fight before we even get to the school." The boys exchanged looks.
Another boy appeared suddenly. "What's taking you so long, James? I thought you guys were-" He stopped suddenly, at the sight of everyone's angry faces.
"This is the vampire we were telling you about," said the fat blond boy.
The new boy's face seemed to Rebecca to change colour. When he spoke again, it was in a rather subdued tone of voice. "I'm Remus Lupin. And you are?"
"Severus Snape."
"Rebecca Morgain."
"And this is James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew," finished Remus.
Severus's voice grew colder. "Charmed, I'm sure."
"What say we move this out of the passage so other people can get through?" Remus started ushering them into the compartment. As she passed him, she heard Remus say sharply to James, the boy with untidy hair, "Don't ever say anything like that again to someone you don't know." James looked as surprised as Rebecca felt.
Back in the compartment, there were apologies, if less than sincere ones, all around, then the other boys left. Rebecca and Severus were alone again.
"What happened out there?" asked Rebecca softly.
Severus shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."
"All right," she murmured. "But if you ever do, I'll be glad to listen." There was a note of tenderness in her voice.
"I don't want your pity," he snapped.
"Fine. I wasn't planning on giving it to you anyway." He looked at her then. A hard, piercing stare.
"Are you a pure-blood?" he asked in a changed tone of voice.
She shook her head. "Half-blood. Muggle father." She spit out the word "father" as though it were a curse word. Severus was staring at her. "He left my mum before I was born," she explained.
"So you probably won't be in Slytherin," he muttered. "But I will be." He said all of this with the heavy air of someone on his way to the gallows.
"Can I ask how you know for sure?"
"Can you keep a secret?"
She leaned forward. "Of course."
He licked his lips. He looked so nervous. She longed to reassure him, but knew it would only put him on the defensive again. Suddenly he shook his head. "I can't."
"Can't what?"
"Tell you. I don't know you. You're a mudblood-" She flinched. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean. . ."
She sighed. "You can use the word. I'm used to it. My cousin Lucius-"
"Your cousin?" She nodded. He looked stunned. "Lucius Malfoy?" She nodded again. He looked even more stunned. "He's your cousin? My father works with his father. He's, what, a third year?" She nodded yet again. Severus seemed lost in thought. "I'm sorry. I won't use the word 'mudblood' again."
"I said it's okay-" Rebecca started.
Severus cut her off again. "No, it's not. I hate people who judge me before they know me, and I refuse to judge you by your bloodlines. I don't even know you."
She looked impressed. "You never told me if you read a lot."
He smiled. "I do."
They spent the entire trip to Hogwarts talking about books they had enjoyed. Severus, true to his word, never used the word "mudblood" again.
