Stepping off the train, Severus looked around. He was at Hogwarts, so far without any complications. Following the stream of young eleven-year-olds, led on by a very tall, broad man with a gruff voice, they halted in front of the lake.
Severus looked up in awe at the grand castle, full of sparkling lights. He had never seen anything so glorius... how his younger brother would be jealous of him now! Why, when he was here, he might be able to forget all his worries and devote himself to his dream, without any fathers or brothers ruining it all.
"Come on, firs' years!" hollered the huge man. "In teh the boats, all of yeh!"
Severus scrambled over to an empty boat, vaguely hoping that nobody would join him. He preferred his own company. Unfortunately, as Severus settled back, James Potter and another boy hurried over and climbed into the boat. Severus sneered, but in the darkness it went unseen.
"Sirius, this is Septerus," James said. The other boy, Sirius, did not smile but extended his hand towards Severus. "Hi, Septerus," he mumbled.
"It's Severus." Severus did not take Sirius's hand, he just nodded.
Before any of the boys could say anything, the boats pushed away from the bank and sped off along the glassy surface of the lake. The three boys sat back in awed silence, staring up at the magnificent castle for the entire boat trip.
Stepping out the boats, James, Sirius and Severus followed the line of young students to the Entrance Hall, where they all crowded into a side-room and waited, murmuring amongst themselves.
Severus ignored James when he said, "I've known Sirius for years. Our fathers knew eachother from their school days, too. Sirius's dad is my godfather, and my dad is Sirius's."
After a short while, a witch in maroon robes bustled into the room, standing before them all. She had shiny black hair, pulled back in a tight bun. She held her arm up until the room was silent, then started talking. "Shortly you will join the start-of-year feast, but before that you must be sorted into your house. Your house will be somewhat like your family at Hogwarts. You will have classes together, eat together and sleep in your house common-room. The four houses are Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw..."
Severus was listening with rapt attentiion, but beside him James was whispering to Sirius and not paying notice at all. For some reason, a nerve twitched in Severus. This Potter boy was very irritating, he thought.
After the witch had finished her speech, she led the first-years through another door and suddenly, abruptly, they had burst into the center of the splendid Great Hall.
Severus could feel the entire school's eyes upon him as they mutely shuffled past the long tables. Above them, stars twinkled on an inky black ceiling. Candles floated everywhere, giving light to the hall. Severus felt his heart swell with a new kind of happiness, a happiness that did not include brewing simple cough-syrup potions or reading about this great school in an old book.
After what seemed like a mile-long walk, the young group stopped in front of the teacher's table, where directly in front a solitary stool sat. Upon it sat a dirty, patched, frayed rag- but Severus reminded himself, it was a hat. The famous Hogwarts Sorting Hat.
It sang a bizarre song, all about braveness and loyalty and wits and cunning and a name or two here and there in it. Severus folded his arms, impatient, and waited until the song was over.
When it was finally done, the dark-haired witch (Professor McGonagall, Severus thought to himself) stepped forward and picked the hat up, holding in her other hand a roll of parchment. Reading out the names, one-by-one each student left for a table.
Severus noticed that James kept glancing over to the Gryffindor table, where Sirius now sat. Hopefully Potter would go to that house that he seemed to pride himself in, and Severus would go to another. It didn't really matter to him which house, as long as he was not in Gryffindor. He did not want to look like a humiliated fool with that lot. Though Slytherin did seem rather intruiging.
"Potter, James!" called out McGonagall.
Grinning, James hurried up to the stool and pulled the hat onto his head. There was a brief pause before the hat yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Yes, of course, Severus thought to himself. The twit gets his own way.
After a few more students were sent to their houses, Severus heard McGonagall call out, "Snape, Severus!"
Lip curling slightly at the mention of his last name, Severus stepped up towards the stool. The hat was slipped over his eyes, making the entire sea of faces disappear suddenly. Severus could hear a tiny muttering in his head; "Ah, yes, you seem like a very deterimed one. You'll do anything to achieve what you desire, won't you... yes. SLYTHERIN!"
Smirking, Severus pulled off the head and headed for his new 'family' table.

~~~~~~~

I need ideas for the teachers Sev will face tomorrow- will his potions teacher inspire him or what? And do you think Flitwick is there back in those days? I'm not sure. Please e-mail me your suggestions if you liked it so far ^_^