The Half-Blood Prince: Year One
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, but I do own this plot, and any original characters that I use.
Author's Note: In the last chapter, I mentioned him having a terrible fear of heights. This is to make him seem more normal, but it will be dealt with later. He won't be afraid of heights once he's a Hogwarts teacher.
Chapter Two: The Hogwarts Express
Severus got onto the platform easily. He smiled when he saw the scarlet Hogwarts Express—it was exactly as his mother had said it would be. He lifted his trunk easily onto the train. It was quite light. Aside from his books (on which he had placed a shrinking charm to make them all fit) and his clothes, there was remarkably little that he had wanted to take to school with him.
He sat alone in a compartment near the back, checking his watch every now and then. Severus was contemplating working on a rather complex charm he was trying to invent when the door to his compartment slid open, revealing a boy who looked much taller than he was. He had grey eyes, and long blonde hair. He was dressed in a green sweater and black pants, with a cloak wrapped around him.
"Are you a first year?" asked the boy. Severus nodded, and received a smile from the blonde. "Me too. Can I sit here?" Another nod from Severus. The other boy easily stowed his trunk next to Severus's.
"My name's Lucius Malfoy. What's yours?" Severus told him, now quite happy that Lucius had happened to sit with him. The Malfoy family was full of Dark witches and wizards.
They heard laughing outside, and opened the door slightly so they could see who it was. Lucius made a face.
"It's James Potter," said the blonde. Severus knew exactly why Lucius was making a face—Alexis Potter and Brian Potter (James's parents) were famous Aurors. Severus knew for a fact that they had captured more than three Malfoys in the past. No wonder Lucius already disliked him.
Lucius slid the door shut again. "Have you tried any spells yet?" he asked. Severus nodded.
"I can do all of the spells in our Transfiguration, Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts books," answered Severus. Lucius whistled.
"I'm not even that far," the blonde sounded amazed. "You must've had loads of background information to be able to do those so quickly…"
"You could say that…" Severus told his friend about the way he would order books from Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, and how he created his own spells. Lucius was amazed.
"Have any of them worked?"
"Not very well," replied Severus truthfully. Suddenly the compartment door slid open, and James Potter stood there.
"Either of you seen a short, kind of heavy kid?" he asked.
"No. Get out," Lucius told him. Potter rolled his eyes.
"I think you should get over it, Malfoy," said Potter. "I was trying to be civil."
"Well don't. I would like it much more if you were to go away," responded Lucius. Potter glared at him, and then shifted his eyes to Severus.
"Whoever you are, I've got some advice for you: don't be friends with this guy. He's trouble," Potter told him.
"Why should I listen to you?" Severus asked bluntly.
"Fine. Be that way. But remember—I warned you." Then he slammed the compartment door shut.
Lucius was looking at him oddly. "What?" asked Severus.
"No one's ever defended me like that before," Lucius told him.
"Oh."
It was then that they decided that no matter what, they would be friends.
The sun had set when they reached Hogsmead, the village near Hogwarts. "Leave your luggage," a Ravenclaw prefect told them. "It will be taken up to the castle separately."
Severus and Lucius climbed off of the train, looking around. They couldn't see much, since there were so many other students around them.
"Firs' years! Firs' years, over here!" Severus recognized the large man from Diagon Alley, the one that had stopped him from going into Knockturn Alley.
"That's Hagrid. He was expelled fifty years ago," Lucius told him.
"My mother didn't tell me about him," answered Severus, frowning. "Well, she didn't talk about Hogwarts that much, actually."
"Oh, he's not really worth mentioning," Lucius said. "Let's get a boat."
They road on the lake in a boat together, looking for the castle. Then, suddenly, there it was.
It was made of stone, and had many towers. Parts of it looked as if they had been added on later, as it grew older. Severus thought it looked magnificent. Especially since he had never seen anything but boring, Muggle buildings.
They got out of the boats, and Hagrid took them up to the large front doors of the castle. They stood there for a moment before they were pulled open, revealing a young witch—in her thirties, perhaps—with her black hair tied back in a tight bun. She wore red robes, and a black, pointed hat.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take them from here," she said. They followed her inside, and found themselves in an enormously large entrance hall. She then led them to an empty room.
"Welcome, everyone," she said. "I am Professor McGonagall. In a minute or so, the start-of-term feast will start. That is when you will be sorted into your houses. While you are here, your house will be like your family. Any good deeds will earn you points, and any bad behaviour, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup, which is a great honour.
"You will eat with your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in your house common room.
"The four houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Each house has a unique history, and has produced very fine witches and wizards over the years," McGonagall explained. "The sorting ceremony will begin soon, so please prepare yourselves. I will return for you when it is time."
"I'm going to be in Slytherin," said Lucius. "My whole family's been in Slytherin for ages. What house did you say your mum was in, Severus?"
"Slytherin," he answered.
"I would die if I got Slytherin! That house is worse that Hufflepuff!" The two looked over and saw James Potter, standing with a boy with shoulder-length black hair, and a short, dirty-blonde boy.
"Rather Hufflepuff than Gryffindor," Lucius said loudly, making sure not to look at them as he said it. The three all glared at him and Severus.
Severus got a bad feeling about those three, and turned to tell Lucius so.
He never got the chance. For at that moment, the doors opened again, and Professor McGonagall appeared.
"It's time."