"Who would want to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"
"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?"
"See ya, Snivellus!"
Those words rang in Severus Snape's head even as he and his friend had entered a new compartment far away from their initial carriage. How dare those snotty boys insulted him?! He thought he already had enough back at his home in Spinner's End, but now…
"Sev, you're scaring me," a girl's voice broke through his mist of rage and he blinked profusely, trying to control himself.
The redhead girl opposite him was Lily Evans, and she was his first friend. They both lived in Spinner's End but Lily was in the nicer part of town while he stayed in the slums. Their friendship was rather bizarre but Severus was utmost grateful that Lily hadn't dismissed his words about her being magical and hoped it will last long.
"I… Sorry," he muttered. "It's just… they really are jerks!"
Lily rolled her green eyes, "Don't bother with them. Even if we get Sorted into different Houses, we are still friends, yes?"
Severus gave her a weak smile. Lily was certainly the braver between them, but the thought of her joining those troublesome boys in Gryffindor made him worried. Would it worth to change his stance to be Sorted into Slytherin?
…No.
Severus thought back of what caused him to choose Slytherin in the first place.
He would make himself proud. He would use the time in Hogwarts to his fullest and made a new name of himself. He would invent and improve the very concept of magic. He would take his mother away from the dreadful house and horrendous man in Spinner's End. He would have a good life and be respected by others. His family and descendants would live well again.
He would…
He would…
He would…
So many things to do, to achieve…
And only Slytherin House could help him with his desires.
It was 1st September 1971, and Lucius Malfoy walked into Hogwarts' Great Hall in a proud stance. How could it not be? He was made a Prefect and such position was just as much a symbol as the Malfoy family's influence in the wizarding world. The Malfoys were an old family, and their pureblood status elevated their presence. Being a Prefect meant another Head Boy title will fall into the Slytherins' hands and how the Snakes couldn't wait for it.
It had been over thirty years since they had a Slytherin Head Boy, and the last Snake to get the title was one Tom Marvolo Riddle. Whoever Riddle was, he remained an inspiration to other Slytherins to this day for being the unlikely hero of Hogwarts.
After meeting up with his friends at the Slytherin table and showing off his new Prefect badge, he watched as Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress led the new students into the Great Hall.
It was always fun to see the curiosity and awe in their eyes over the school's magnificence.
After the ancient Sorting Hat sang its song and Professor McGonagall began to call the newcomers' names, Lucius had his eyes on the Headmaster of the school.
Albus Dumbledore. Oh, how Lucius detested him.
The wizened warlock was instrumental in defeating Gellert Grindelwald – a Dark Lord who wished to spread the magical force around the world – but at the same time, also asked the magical folk to be more accepting toward Muggles and made connections with non-magical people. The same Muggles whose descendants and ancestors had endangered and tortured the wizards through live-burning and crucifixions.
As if that would happen anytime soon. Those who did were often banished from their families and cannot possess the heirlooms without explicit permissions. And that's why Lucius was interested in the movement that would change the world.
A newcomer by the name of Lord Voldemort had arrived to Britain, whose Parseltongue powers had convinced them he was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, the very founder of Slytherin House in Hogwarts. His magic was unlike anything they had seen, with his father, Abraxas Malfoy singing praises over the new Dark Lord's powers.
The great Lord Voldemort had plans that would bring prosperity to the wizarding world and Lucius would be in the front seat to witness it. He was nearing adulthood, and the wait would be over soon.
He would be one of the Dark Lord's supporters and join the mysterious man to make history.
He observed as young Michael Avery was Sorted into Slytherin and clapped alongside other Snakes when his grey eyes fell onto the girl beside him who had a frown in her angelic face.
Narcissa Black.
"Hello, love," he said. When she didn't answer, he pouted. "Don't worry too much. Your cousin will make a fine addition to Slytherin."
Narcissa snorted, "Don't bother. He's bull-headed and brash. Even comparable to Andromeda. Can already imagine he will be a disgrace to all Blacks."
"Ah, but who knows… Maybe we are wrong. Not to mention being a Snake will subdue him."
Narcissa quirked her eyebrow and Lucius laughed before watching the Sorting of Narcissa's cousin, Sirius Black.
The Sorting Hat barely touched Sirius' hair when it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
The boy jumped in delight before hopping off the stool and sat at the Lions' table, all the while nearly everyone gave him a look that made him lower his head in slight shame.
"…Well, that was one way to start this year," Corban Yaxley commented and Lucius shot him a glare before looking back at the Black heir. A Black Sorted into Gryffindor was unheard of until now. All previous members of the Black family were Slytherins, even Andromeda Black who had become a blood traitor and recently married to a Muggleborn named Edward Tonks.
He could just imagine what the Black family would be when they knew of this shocking news.
Lucius watched on as the new students were Sorted into either Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. He noticed a boy with black shoulder-length hair groaned in dismay after a redhead girl was Sorted into the Lions and decided to keep an eye on him.
Narcissa's other cousin, Evan Rosier, and Alaric Mulciber was Sorted into Slytherin, while two boys named Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were the Lions.
When a snotty bespectacled James Potter was Sorted into Gryffindor, that mysterious boy was at the end of his wits and had his fists clenched. He looked rather expressive and Lucius was curious to know more of the boy.
"Snape, Severus!" Professor McGonagall called.
The boy marched toward the stool and put on the Sorting Hat hastily.
"SLYTHERIN!" it cried.
Much to Lucius' surprise, Snape grinned widely and placed the Hat on the stool before approaching the Snakes' table. "Scoot over," he hissed at the others.
"Welcome to Slytherin House!" Lucius greeted and patted Snape's back as the boy took his seat. "Already fancy being a Snake before coming here?"
Snape smiled, "Yes. I hope the House of Ambitions lives up to its name."
Lucius couldn't help laughing at the statement before filling Snape in with information that those Sorted in Slytherin were the most successful of all.
The Sorting concluded with William Wilkes as a Slytherin and the Headmaster clanked his fork against his glass. A second later, various drinks and meals appeared on the long table.
Lucius conversed with his friends while watching Snape from the corner of his eyes, to which he began to chuckle. "Don't just gawk at your food!" he told Snape, whose onyx eyes were wide in disbelief at the seemingly endless sight of colorful puddings and steaks.
The boy gingerly took a spoonful of the nearest meals and hesitated to eat.
"Not hungry?" Lucius asked with a raised eyebrow.
Snape lowered his gaze but didn't say a word.
Lucius rolled his grey eyes. "Here, a sandwich," he said and pushed a plate of chicken sandwiches. "Not used to eat in a banquet, eh?"
"I suppose," Snape mumbled before nibbling on the breads. When the desserts came by, the boy didn't take anything at all but Lucius deduced Snape still felt rather queasy from the long trip to Hogwarts and kept his mouth shut.
About thirty minutes later, all the foods and beverages vanished and the Headmaster stood up.
"Welcome to both new and old students," Dumbledore began with a warm smile. "As always, there are a few start-of-term notices: the forest on the grounds is forbidden to everyone except if they are accompanied by a teacher. There will be no magic between classes in the corridors as per our caretaker, Mr. Argus Filch's words. The Quidditch trials will begin at the second week of the term and open to second-years and above."
There was a series of groans from the Gryffindor table and Lucius saw the bespectacled boy – James Potter – muttering to Sirius Black. He then heard a snort and saw Snape with a smirk and a glint in his onyx eyes.
"Something caught your interest?" he asked.
At that, Snape clicked his tongue. "See that git over there?" he said, discreetly pointing at Potter. "He insulted me and my friend in the train. And he also said Slytherin's a bad House."
"Is your friend the redhead girl?"
"Lily Evans. We, uh… we live in the same neighborhood."
Lucius only hummed in disinterest. 'Evans' sounded like a Muggle surname and frankly, it was not entirely his business to stop Snape from befriending her. He only hoped Snape had enough resilience to endure their friendship for seven years in school.
"Show them what Slytherins have in store," he advised. "We Snakes are not called cunning for nothing."
Snape beamed in determination before they looked back to the Headmaster who was wrapping up his speech.
"And finally, the tree nearby the greenhouses is forbidden to approach by any means. It is a Whomping Willow, and unless you want a quick painful trip to the hospital wing, I suggest you to avoid it altogether," Dumbledore concluded with a serious look.
Lucius narrowed his eyes at the announcement; in the past years there was no such tree planted apart from in Herbology classes and even then, they were contained in the greenhouses. Why would this time the Willow was in public?
No, he suspected there was something suspicious going on. Perhaps the new information could be useful in the future.
After singing the dreaded school song, Lucius and the other Slytherin Prefects then led the students in green and silver to the dungeons, introducing the first-years to the nearby classrooms and their Head of House and Potions Professor, Horace Slughorn who beamed at the prospect of gaining new interesting acolytes as well as the Bloody Baron, the Slytherin ghost.
That night, he accompanied Narcissa to the Owlery to inform the Blacks about Sirius' Sorting and his father about the mysterious Whomping Willow.
Albus Dumbledore steepled his fingers in the Headmaster's room, his mind filled with the Sorting ceremony a few hours ago. It certainly was interesting, with young Sirius Black breaking the lifelong tradition of his family and Remus Lupin was Sorted into the House of Bravery. Perhaps there really were any hidden talents within the two unlikely boys?
Ignoring how Phineas Nigellus Black's portrait was spluttering in rage over his descendant's House choice, Albus called for his prized phoenix and caressed its red-orange plumes.
"This batch sure will be interesting, hmm, Fawkes?" he said to which the bird cawed in agreement and he smiled.
Oh, how he couldn't wait to see the years unfold.