Scarred For Life

Disclaimer : I own Harry Potter and everything else related to him. Pfffttt. I wish. They all belong to J.K. Rowling… *sigh* The plot belongs to me, though, so no stealies! =P

A/N : All right… sorry for taking so long to update. But I DO have a life besides writing… I enjoy it, but it's not my main hobby, and anyway there's school that I need to focus on. Especially around this time, when tests and exams are coming on swift wings… Well, hope you like this, and pray that I can write the fourth chapter ASAP. I think I'll be focusing more on this fic than my other one, since I feel more comfortable writing this one. :) Let J.K. take care of the fifth book… I've run out of ideas already. Heh. So if you happen to like HPTPR… too bad. XD Oh, and before I forget, thanks to everyone who has reviewed my fics... You guys rock. ;)

Chapter 3 : New Life, New Friends

Good for you, son.

            That was all. Not a single hug, not even a smile. Good for you.

            The words kept replaying themselves over and over in his mind. He stared grumpily at random passers-by as he stood by himself with his heavy wooden trunk beside him in the crowded train station.

            He didn't even bother to send me off.

            Mrs Morris had gladly offered to send him to King's Cross station that day, but she had had to rush off immediately as she had an errand to run. He was completely alone, feeling stupid, and the hem of his slightly oversized school robes trailing behind him wherever he walked. He felt stupider when he noticed that he was the only one on Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters wearing the black school robes.

            This is all his fault.

            He looked enviously at numerous students in Muggle clothing, being hugged and kissed goodbye by their parents, then told himself that he was being silly. He didn't need all that. He didn't need parents. He didn't need company. He would get a car in the train all to himself if he could. He had himself, as well as his new school things, and that was enough. He didn't need anyone. He didn't need friends. He didn't need love. He didn't need –

            'Chocolates and candies from home,' he heard someone said loudly a few feet away from him. 'Don't forget them.'

            Oh yeah, and those too, he added absent-mindedly to himself.

            What?

            He did a double take, and turned to look in the direction where the voice came from. The speaker was a man, clothed in gleaming silvery-black robes, with short pale hair as silky as his voice. He was talking to a boy with about the same features, wearing the Hogwarts robes and sneering haughtily at everyone else in the station as he clutched onto several boxes unmistakably full of the best Honeydukes sweets. His mother was practically curdling him.

            The pale-skinned boy caught Severus looking at him, and he quickly looked down at his feet. There was something intimidating about those three people. Just breathing the same air which they were breathing made him feel awkward. He kept his eyes on the ground and didn't look up until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

            'Hey.' It was the blond-haired, pale boy talking to him. His sneer had been wiped off his face, but nevertheless, Severus felt the patronising aura about him.

            'Hey,' Severus replied, warily. He didn't know why, but he had a prickly feeling on the back of his neck.

            'My name's Lucius Malfoy,' the pale boy said. 'What's yours?' He didn't smile, just fixed a hard look with his cold grey eyes.

            Malfoy. The Malfoys were one of the richest wizarding families in the world. He wasn't sure what to say and how to act.

            'Severus Snape.'

            'Nice to meet you, Sev,' Lucius said, and relaxed his face into a half-smile. He extended a hand to Severus.

            He felt awkward, but nonetheless honoured, to shake hands with a Malfoy.

            'You look like you don't have a lot of friends here,' Lucius said. 'You're the boy with the dead mum and the mental dad, aren't you?'

            They may be rich, Severus thought, but if the Malfoys are lacking in one thing, it's tact. Or maybe more like just a tad of sensitivity.

            'Yeah,' Severus replied, not sure whether to keep cool and calm or to look pained.

            'My dad used to know yours. He says your father is a bit of a nutcase even before the accident – always mingling with Muggles and such. You aren't the same, are you?' Lucius' sneer returned to his face.

            Severus was starting to dislike Lucius more and more now. His dad wasn't exactly his favourite person in the world, but he was still the only dad he could ever have. But something had struck the mark. Lucius had turned to the subject of Muggles. Severus felt his fist clench.

            'No,' he replied defensively, almost without thinking.

            'Good,' Lucius grinned. 'I see you're not like some people after all. You know what, Sev? I think we can be friends.'

            Severus didn't say anything. He didn't want to be friends with someone like Lucius. But on the other hand, Lucius hates Muggles too. That brought one common interest between them. And besides, Lucius was right – he didn't have any friends. He might as well make one while he could.

            'Yeah,' he said. 'I suppose we can.'

            Lucius grinned widely. 'Come on,' he said. 'I'll take you to my folks. You can put your trunk on our trolley.'

~***~

The meeting with Lucius' "folks" turned out to be another handshake and a brief talk about the Ministry's latest blunders. Mrs Malfoy kept quiet, though she remained haughty and unruffled. Mr Malfoy couldn't stop talking about how the Ministry failed to catch a Muggle pickpocket who stole a wizard's wand. Clearly, making people look bad so he could look much better than them was a favourite hobby of his. It made Severus feel quite sickened and disgusted, but nevertheless, he shook hands with Mr Malfoy without recoiling, laughed at the right places and added in a few comments about the Ministry's "inefficiency".

            'He's Snape's son?' Severus heard Mr Malfoy mutter to Lucius.

            'Yes, father,' Lucius replied.

            'Seems like a nice boy,' Mr Malfoy continued. 'Keep an eye on him.'

            Severus pretended that he didn't hear anything, and kept silent until the train came. Then, he felt greatly relieved to finally be able to get away from the Malfoys. Lucius seemed all right, but his parents made him feel very small and low, somehow. He waited patiently as Mr Malfoy hugged his son briefly, and Mrs Malfoy clung onto Lucius for at least a few minutes. Then they both walked towards the steaming red engine.

            'Hey, let's join my friends over there,' said Lucius, dragging him towards a compartment nearby.

            Severus had wanted a compartment all to himself and his new friend, but decided that it couldn't hurt to meet a few other people. He let Lucius pull him towards the compartment. There, he saw two boys his age, but definitely not his size. They were at least twice as big as he was. Each one taking the space of two seats, they looked almost like twins.

            'This is Crabbe,' said Lucius, pointing to the first one, 'and Goyle.' He pointed to the other one. 'Their parents are my parents' friends, and my family has been close to their families for generations. Don't mind their gibbering, they're quite stupid.' He smirked.

            Severus smiled back, weakly. He reluctantly shook hands with both Crabbe and Goyle, and after the whole thing he could barely feel his hand again.

            'Well, now that we all know each other, let's set a few things straight,' Lucius began, as though it was a speech. 'Make sure you pay attention, especially you, Severus, after all the years you spent with that mad maniac of a father you have.'

            Rules? Mad maniac? Lucius was talking as though he was the ruler of the universe.

            'You see,' Lucius continued, 'in Hogwarts, and in many other wizarding schools, there are people like us, real wizards coming from real wizarding families, growing up to be real wizards. We're the Purebloods. Then there are those, in the lower castes if I may say so, who do not fulfill all those three categories. Those are the ones you don't want to mess with. Stay away from them; all they bring is trouble to our pure wizarding blood.

            'In Hogwarts, there are four houses – Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. I guarantee you, we're going to be in Slytherin, the best one of all. I've heard that Slytherin is constantly fighting with Gryffindor for the House Cup – that's a sort of prize for the best house of the year – but I think it's not going to be very hard to beat that bunch of dunderheads. The important thing is, never mix with a Gryffindor. The rivalry between us is no longer just some mere game – it's hatred. Don't even ask about the other two houses. Those are left for the nerds and idiots.'

            Lucius looked meaningfully at the other three in the compartment, and Severus kept his eyes on the ground. So it was no different at all. Hogwarts was just another society – with fixed beliefs and prejudices. How was his life going to ever change?

            Severus barely heard Lucius talk on and on, about the people he hated, about the pranks he was thinking of playing on the Gryffindors, about the teachers. He was too busy thinking. He didn't think he could stand the pressure his friends, especially Lucius, were putting on him. He had to stick to one group of friends, and he had to learn to hate others. Especially Gryffindors. He wondered if they were as hateful as Lucius described them. And for the first time in a long time, he wished he was back home with his father.

Anything is better than this, he sighed to himself. But the train speeded by, and they would be reaching Hogsmeade station soon.