Chapter 3: Year 1: The Mudblood and the Pureblood

The Hogwarts Express slowed down as it approached the boarding platform. Severus gathered his belongings together, and moved them over near the door. Luckily James and Sirius had not come back inside the car for the rest of the trip. They must have finally realized that he had wanted to be alone and did not want their company. The train stopped, and Severus slid open the door and walked out the door into the aisle. Many other students were piling toward the doorways, and one in particular was having a very extremely hard time walking. An overweight boy with short curly sandy hair kept tripping over his own feet, apparently under some kind of klutz curse. Severus looked around to see if he could find the unfortunate boys assailant.
Then he saw him a few feet away from the boy. A young wizard with long platinum hair and icy blue eyes was chuckling about the boy to his friends, and made him trip even more as more students filed into the lines. He had on very fine dress robes and had a very fancy snake headed wand that looked more like a walking stick when it was hidden in it's sheath. The boy must be Lucius Malfoy. The Malfoys were one of the wealthiest and oldest wizarding families in Britain. They were not very well known for their kindness toward anyone who they considered inferior to them.
Severus watched as James and Sirius approached and noticed what was happening to the boy. James immediately confronted Lucius, and the two looked as though they might turn one another into a pile of ashes when they heard a booming voice calling the first year students to follow him outside the train.
"Next time, Potter." sneered Lucius as he swept past him.
James fumed at the back of Malfoy's head and put his wand back in his robes. The sandy haired boy looked at James and Sirius gratefully and followed them out the door like a lost puppy. Severus caught the name Peter Pettigrew as they exited the train together. James and Sirius had probably bitten off more than they could chew, and Sirius seemed annoyed at their new shadow.
Severus smirked to himself and moved towards the door, thinking to himself about which house he would be sorted into. He thought that he stood a chance in Slytherin or Ravenclaw, but definitely eliminated the idea of being sorted into Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. He just wasn't the heroic type or the overly nice type.
While Severus was seemingly lost in thought, he was abruptly brought out of the trance when a young red-haired witch ran into him. He turned around with an annoyed expression on his face. The girl looked embarrassed and blushed slightly at her clumsiness.
"Sorry, I lost my balance." she said.
"Indeed. I hope you do not run into people on purpose." he said coldly.
The girl chuckled lightly, apparently questioning if he was joking or serious.
"No, that is not one of my hobbies. My name is Lilly Evans." she said giving him a slight smile, her green eyes shining.
"Oh..." said Severus not sounding very interested.
Lilly frowned a bit, then smirked slyly at him.
"Do you not have a name?"
"Yes, I do." he answered.
"I bet it's something funny sounding, and you're too embarrassed to tell me... Is it Ernest?" she laughed challenging him.
"NO," growled Severus, giving into the girl's game, "It's Severus Snape."
"Oh.. are you sure?" she asked.
"YES." he said warningly.
Lilly smirked and jumped down the platform in front of him, and waited for him to descend himself.
"I'm going to find someone now. Maybe we'll be put in the same house." she said happily as she rushed off through the crowd.
"I highly doubt it." he sneered to himself.
" That mudblood girl, bothering you? I find her quite disgusting myself." said a familiar snobbish voice behind him. Severus turned and saw Lucius Malfoy looking at him.
"Many people on this trip have bothered me with their silly introductions." answered Severus.
Lucius smirked and nodded.
"I suppose that idiot Potter and his pea brained friend Black have already bothered everyone on the train." laughed Lucius, his icy blue eyes resting on the back of James and Sirius, who where still being followed by Peter. "Their new shadow is really quite a git."
Severus only nodded.
"I bet the whole lot of them will end up in Gryffindor," he sneered. "As for me I will be going into Slytherin. Everyone in my family has gone through Slytherin."
Severus nodded again and moved forward to where a big hairy man named Hagrid was waving his arms around.
"Come on first years, over this way! All first years follow me!" he said.
"What house do you think you will be in?" Lucius asked.
"Slytherin." said Snape sounding certain that he would be chosen for that house.
Lucius nodded approvingly at his answer.
The group had reached the bank of a lake where there where many little boats floating around the lake with lanterns glowing in their bows. The big castle that was Hogwarts loomed across from it, its reflection cast in the rippling surface of the lake.
"Pick any boat ye like! Don't overcrowd them now!" said Hagrid as he climbed into a larger boat.
Severus got into one of the closer ones and Lucius followed him. When the boat had filled Severus noticed that Lilly was in the boat across from his with James, Sirius, and Peter. They appeared to be having a very exciting conversation. Lilly looked over across the water and waved at Severus, but Severus turned his head away and appeared not to notice her. Lucius smirked observing his cold attitude towards the girl he openly despised. He appeared to approve of Severus' company since he would have made it very obvious if he hadn't. Severus watched his dark reflection pass over the water as the boat crossed the lake, waiting for it to reach the other side so he could get away from the other gawking students in his boat. The only one who seemed to agree with him on this was the now silent blonde boy with the piercing blue eyes sitting next to him. Severus was now certain that they would both be in the House of Slytherin.