Previously: Just as Lily is getting ready to go to Hogwarts, the relationship between her and Petunia appears as if nothing can heal it.
Chapter 5: The Hogwarts Express
The car ride to King's Cross Station had not been pleasant. Both Petunia and Lily were forced into the back seat of the family's little Cadillac, but that did nothing to ease the tension. Mrs. Evans kept glancing back at her daughters from the rearview mirror as if hoping that one of the girls would say something, but Petunia just sat with her arms crossed, staring determinedly out the window and avoiding Crackerjack's basket that Lily silently poked treats through.
The long trip finally came to an end when Mrs. Evans pulled into the nearest parking spot. Petunia absolutely refused to help, so after Mr. Evans hefted the large trunk and they were all done loading Lily's things onto a spare cart, the little family of four made their way through the train station. Petunia tried hard to distance herself from her sister while Lily and her parents received many odd and whispering looks from Muggle passerby.
"How did Professor McGonagall say that we could get on to the platform again?" asked Mrs. Evans.
"Walk through the barrier between nine and ten," said Lily.
She glanced down at the ticket clutched in her hand for the hundredth time that day, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Petunia snort with derision. Lily ignored her.
"There it is."
Mr. Evans, the tallest in the family, pointed it out, and Lily looked up just in time to see two girls pushing carts disappear into the seemingly solid metal ticket box dividing platforms nine and ten. Several people dressed in quite plain clothes lounged around, observing the Muggles running to and from other trains before glancing back at the exact spot the two girls had passed through; they had to be the Ministry of Magic employees from the Obliviator Headquarters that Severus had told her about – the people who were tasked with modifying any passersby's memories should they notice something strange.
"That's it," said Lily, and she pushed her own cart forward, stopping just a little ways away. Glancing back at her parents, Lily silently asked what to do next, but they were as clueless as she was.
One of the watching wizards seemed to notice the Evans family's hesitation and discreetly approached them.
"Muggle-born?" he guessed kindly, still glancing up and down for any people who needed memory modification. "My name's Arnold Peasegood; I was just wondering if you needed help getting onto the platform. Four is too many people to take through at once, and Muggles can only get through if they're with a witch or wizard. I take it you're the witch?"
This was directed at Lily.
Lily nodded.
"I'm Lily Evans. Does that mean that I have to say good-bye to my parents here?"
"Heavens, no," laughed Mr. Peasegood. "How about I take you and your father through first, and my good friend Lance Rice can take your mother."
Here, Mr. Peasegood subtly gestured to another wizard with a scruffy beard. The good friend Lance Rice joined their little group.
"And Petunia too – Petunia, come here, dear," called Mrs. Evans.
Petunia, who had been hanging back, very reluctantly approached, eyeing Mr. Peasegood and Mr. Rice with clear distrust – and a little fear. She placed herself firmly behind Mrs. Evans, unable to look away from the tip of the wand peeking out of Mr. Rice's jacket pocket.
"Now, all you have to do is go right though that wall. All set, Lily?" asked Mr. Peasegood, placing one hand on her shoulder and the other on the cart; Lily's father gripped her hand tightly. Mr. Peasegood scanned the station once more for any Muggles who may have been looking their way before guiding Lily and her father towards the barrier dividing the platforms nine and ten.
As they reached the wall, Lily shut her eyes, sure that she was going to crash, but nothing happened. She just kept running until Mr. Peasegood pulled to a stop, and she opened her eyes. Mrs. Evans and Petunia quickly appeared behind them, both holding on to Mr. Rice with their eyes closed. Lily stared back at the archway that she had just passed through as her sister and mother quickly joined her.
"Well," said Mr. Peasegood cheerfully, clapping his hands together. "Our job is done. You three should be able to exit the platform easily; it's just entering that's the tricky part. Good luck at Hogwarts, Lily."
With that, he and Mr. Rice exited the platform.
Lily did not bother watching them go. Her attention was focused solely on Platform 9¾. Dominating the magnificent scene was the renowned Hogwarts Express in its entire splendor. It was just as she and Severus had imagined it: a gleaming scarlet train stretching back as far as the eye could see, white smoke piping out of the front engine which had Hogwarts Express printed on the side in gold lettering and a crest depicting a lion, a snake, an eagle, and a badger, all surrounding a large black H.
Around her, people yelled and shouted out to catch the attention of friends or say good-bye to their parents as they loaded their trunks to board the train. Cats mewled and owls hooted as Lily's parents led her forward through the never-ending sea of Hogwarts students and families, and she struggled to see everything she could. Most of the students were older, with robes signifying which house they belonged to, but other kids closer to Lily's age were there as well, looking just as nervous as she felt and had no identifying markers as to what house they belonged to.
At long last Lily spotted a friendly face. Severus stood a little ways a way with his mother, and she gave a little smile and a wave. She was about to start going over there to join him when Lily realized that Petunia was not standing with them. Instead, she had put as much space as she possibly could between herself and Lily. With a rueful glance Severus's way, Lily approached her sister cautiously while her parents were still captivated by the scene playing out before them – she did not want the argument from last night to be the last time she spoke with her sister before she left.
"Tuney," said Lily quietly, but her sister coldly ignored her. "Tuney, can you please just talk to me?"
Petunia jerked her head around and placed her hands on her hips, glaring at her.
"Don't you have some hocus-pocus to learn? Leave me alone!" she snapped angrily.
"I really wish you could come with me, Tuney. Can't you see that I miss you?" pleaded Lily.
Petunia sniffed and looked away.
When she said nothing, Lily said, "I know we haven't gotten along, but please, you're my sister. Whatever I did to make you hate me so much, I'm sorry, Tuney, I'm sorry! Listen –" Lily reached out and caught Petunia's hand, holding it tight even though Petunia tried to shove her away. "Maybe once I'm there –" Petunia once again tried to jerk away, but Lily was not going to let her sister go without a fight, "– no, listen, Tuney! Maybe once I'm there, I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!"
"I don't – want – to – go!" growled Petunia, and with one last hard tug, she ripped her hand back out of Lily's grasp. "You think I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a – a –"
Her voice drifted off as her blue eyes wandered the platform, full of students just like Lily, eager for school to start. Lily followed her gaze and saw what Petunia must have seen: hooting owls in cages, excited students in long black robes, and the occasional pops as some parents turned and disappeared into thin air after seeing their children onto the Hogwarts Express. Her sister watched all of this with open disgust, but even after everything that had happened between the two of them, Lily was still her sister as much as they tried to deny it, and Petunia could not completely hide the hint of longing in her eyes as she observed the magic that infused the very air she breathed.
However, she turned back to Lily with the usual spark of resentment to finish her earlier statement.
"You think I want to be a – a freak?"
Lily could not help the tears that welled in her vivid green eyes she had inherited from her father, so unlike the wide, pale blue eyes Petunia shared with their mother.
"I'm not a freak," she said. "That's a horrible thing to say."
But it was impossible to mask the hurt in her eyes, and Petunia was relentless in her envy.
"That's where you're going," she said with relish. "A special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy … weirdoes, that's what you two are. It's good that you're being separated from normal people. It's for our safety."
Lily tried to hide her sniffle while she glanced over at her parents. They had not noticed the argument occurring between their daughters, but Lily did not want to drag them into it either. Mr. and Mrs. Evans had been nothing but ecstatic upon learning about the secret world of magic, and it would not be right to ruin one of the few times they could witness the Wizarding world, so instead Lily sighed.
Would it always be like this? Would Petunia, her only sister who she would always love unconditionally no matter the circumstances, forever look at Lily with nothing but disgust and contempt? Would she ever be able to heal the rift that divided them? What use was magic when all it did was isolate her from the rest of her family?
No, thought Lily heatedly. Petunia was the one isolating her, not magic. Severus and Hogwarts had nothing to do with it; it did not matter that Lily had magic and Petunia did not. The only problem here was that Petunia refused to accept that Lily had something that she herself would never have, no matter how desperately she herself wanted it.
When Lily spoke, her voice was low and fierce.
"You didn't think it was such a freak's school when you wrote to the headmaster and begged him to take you."
It was a mean, mean blow, but Lily could do nothing to take it back. The only thing she could do was watch as Petunia's normally pale cheeks turned a deep scarlet.
"Beg? I didn't beg!" she protested.
Perhaps she should not have been so unkind. Needling Petunia in the one spot that she knew would hurt was like her, and Lily worked to keep her voice quieter as she said, "I saw his reply. It was very kind."
Petunia was at a loss for words as she stared at Lily with galled disbelief.
"You shouldn't have read – that was my private – how could you –?"
Lily glanced over to where Mrs. Snape helped Severus load his battered, secondhand trunk onto the train with no pets in sight – unlike Lily, Severus did not have a cat. Maybe he was right: maybe Lily should not have let temptation get the better of her. After all, what good did it do? There was nothing that Lily could do to make Petunia become a witch. She and Petunia would never be the same again.
Petunia followed her eyes and gasped. Too late, Lily realized, she had accidentally given her and Severus away. She winced as Petunia looked back at her, outrage visible in every line of her face.
"That boy found it! You and that boy have been sneaking in my room!"
"No – not sneaking –" defended Lily.
It had only been one letter, and her door was wide open! She had been around Lily long enough to know that she was helpless to reel in her curiosity. Really, it should not have been that much of shock when the letter was just there, simply waiting to be read.
"Severus saw the envelope, and he couldn't believe a Muggle could have contacted Hogwarts, that's all! He says there must be wizards working undercover in the postal service who take care of –"
"Apparently wizards poke their noses in everywhere!" said Petunia, now going pale after she had been flushed. "Freak!" she spat before flouncing off to where their parents stood.
Lily watched her go with regret. They had reached a breaking point, and she barely paid attention as her parents hugged and kissed her good-bye. Petunia stood behind them, nose wrinkled in disgust, and she was torn as she watched them leave the platform and head to where they had entered. If she passed up on Hogwarts and learning the magic she had looked forward to for years, would Petunia forgive her? Would they once again be as they always were? Would they –
Too late. They were already gone.
Lily hastily wiped the tears away from her eyes before turning around and making her way through the train's corridors, searching desperately for an empty compartment.
~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ 1971 ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~
"Good-bye, sweetie. Don't forget to write to us," said Mrs. Potter, hugging her son tightly after his parents heaved James's trunk up onto one of the storage cars. In one hand, he held his wand and his bag with the Invisibility Cloak, money, and other goodies to keep him occupied for the entire journey. In his other hand, he held the large Eagle Owl his father had gotten for him in Diagon Alley – after much deliberation, James had decided to name Quaffles after his love of Quidditch.
"Mum, you're embarrassing me."
James's voice was muffled.
He was finally going to Hogwarts after years and years of waiting and planning (for excellent pranks, of course). Excitement bubbled in his stomach. Here was proof he was old enough to not be treated like a child. He was ready: with his wand in his wand in his pocket, his Invisibility Cloak in his bag, and all the prankster goodies from Zonko's in his trunk, the only thing he still needed was the perfect partner-in-crime.
"Let him breathe, Euphemia," Mr. Potter told his wife.
After she finally relented and released her son, Mr. Potter clapped James on the shoulder and, peering down at him, said, "You make your old man proud, now. Try to keep from getting detentions and don't stick anymore Dungbombs in the toilet."
James grinned. He loved his parents, but he sometimes felt that they did not understand the concept of fun. Sure, they let him mess around all the time, but they would always draw a line before he ever even had a chance of progressing to the really interesting parts of his plans – his mother in particular seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to all the pranks that James managed to cook up.
"Dad, you know me," said James.
"And that's why I'm asking you not to stick Dungbombs in the toilet," he replied without missing a beat.
James huffed.
"Fine. I won't stick Dungbombs in the toilet."
Maybe under the desks, he thought as he pulled himself past the large step to enter the Hogwarts Express. There was barely anywhere to move, so with one final wave to his parents, James readied himself for the trip, but before he closed the door, he could hear his mother say disapprovingly, "You do realize he will probably stick Dungbombs somewhere else, right?"
Mr. Potter laughed at his wife.
"Then where is the fun in life, Phemie?"
With that, James headed further into the train's hallways, keeping a tight grip on his bag and his brand-new wand as he maneuvered the throng of people. It was slightly disconcerting to be half as tall as most of the students on the train, but nevertheless, he hurried forward, squeezing through gaps that most fourth years would not have any hope of getting through.
All the compartments James passed were full of older students, some of whom stared at the running James, who was desperate to find another first year to ride with. He was nearing the back of the train until he at last found a compartment. The only other occupant was a single student curled up in a little ball near the window, a student so small she had to be a first year.
But James was not the only one trying to claim the compartment – another boy his age was reaching for the handle.
"Hey, wait!" yelled James, and the boy turned suddenly, giving James a pretty good look at him. The boy's hair was black just like his was, but it was nowhere near as messy as James's, instead falling in a sleek curtain around his face. There was an aristocratic but haughty air to his handsome features, not unlike the ones surrounding several less-than-savory people he had been forced to endure at Ministry parties.
"Who are you?" asked the boy, his bright grey eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"James Potter," said James, holding out his hand. It would not hurt to try to make some friends before he got to the castle, and while the boy was not overly friendly, he was not sulking or telling him to leave either, something that James decided to take as a good sign.
There was only a moment of hesitation before the boy responded.
"Sirius," he said, shaking the hand that James had extended.
He noticeably did not offer up a last name – perhaps he was afraid that James would not recognize his surname if he gave one. Whatever the case, there were very few sitting options left, and since this was likely James's only chance at getting a compartment …
James opened the door and poked his head through, but the girl either did not care or did not notice that there were two new people wishing to share the compartment with her because she did not move an inch, instead just continuing to stare out onto the platform where students were hurrying to say good-bye to their parents before the train sounded its horn and departed for Hogwarts. It might have just been his imagination, but James thought that he noticed a glistening tear on her cheek.
"Can we sit here?" he asked the girl. The only feature he could distinguish was her long mane of dark red hair that hung in coiled waves falling over her shoulders. Other than that, he could not see anything else.
The girl nodded, not even bothering to look up at them and continuing to stare out of onto the platform. James tried to poke his head around to get a glimpse of her expression, but her thick hair shielded her face from any onlookers. There was something about her that was vaguely familiar, but his mind drew a blank. Deciding to forget about it for the time being, he dropped his bag onto a spare seat. Beside him, Sirius was assessing the girl as well, though he did not seem to mind the silence as much as James did.
"What's your name?" inquired James, deciding that it was a neutral enough question to ask, and beside him, Sirius had already settled himself into the compartment, jadedly shuffling a worn pack of Exploding Snap cards that he had pulled from his pocket.
"Lily," said the girl – short and simple.
Wait a minute; Lily … the name was familiar. James was sure he had met her before, but where, he had no idea, and Lily gave no other indication as to who she was. There was no last name, no year even though her thin frame made it quite easy to tell that she was only starting her first year, same as James. She just continued to stare at some spot only she could see, completely ignoring James and Sirius as if she could not care less who she let into her compartment.
"Got a last name?" asked James.
Frustratingly, Lily still did not turn around when she answered, "Evans."
Sirius caught James's eye and simply shrugged at him; she must have been too preoccupied with something, maybe which house she wanted to be in or who her roommates would be, but whatever it was, the only thing he cared about was the fact that she was not going to be much fun for the next couple hours, so, realizing that they were going to get nothing else from Lily Evans, James pointed at the pack of Exploding Snap card Sirius mindlessly shuffled around.
"Are you any good at that game," he asked.
Sirius gave him a look, but before he could answer with some sarcastic remark that James was sure was on the tip of his tongue, the door opened again, revealing a pale boy with light brown hair already dressed in his Hogwarts robes.
"Can I join you?" asked the new boy, his eyes darting nervously between James and Sirius as if afraid they would reject. James could not help but notice the faint scars marring his skin on his neck, back of his hands, and three rather noticeable but healed cuts in front of his left ear. James would have bet his broomstick there were more scars under his robes.
Dragging his eyes away from the marks, James scooted over and patted the empty spot next to him.
"The more, the merrier," he told the boy who smiled gratefully and hurriedly sat down, eyes darting around the compartment.
"This here is Sirius, and I'm James Potter," said James, holding out his hand.
"Remus Lupin," said the boy, staring hesitantly at James's hand like nobody had ever offered to shake hands with him before hesitatingly taking it.
James grinned at Remus Lupin and pointed to the Exploding Snap cards in Sirius's hands while Sirius himself carefully evaluated their newest traveling companion just as he had with both James and Lily.
"You're here just in time, Remus. We're just about to start."
Remus muttered a quick thanks before settling into the corner of the seat while Sirius and James readied themselves for the game.
Within fifteen minutes, it was clear that James and Sirius were on their way to becoming the best of friends. After two rounds of Exploding Snap which James won, Remus politely excused himself from the game and looked on at the Exploding Snap games with an amused expression as he withdrew into a book while James and Sirius both battled it out. Another boy by the name of Peter Pettigrew opened the compartment door a little while later, desperately searching for a place to sit, and Remus kindly allowed him to join them as both James and Sirius were too absorbed by their rounds of Exploding Snap at the time to pay him much attention.
"Are you kidding me?" yelled Sirius after the tenth round. He was quickly getting over his reserved silence earlier as his competitive side won out. "This is so not fair."
Every single round, including the two that both Remus and Peter had joined them for, James had come out on top. With each new loss, Sirius grew more and more frustrated, grinding his teeth together. He soon went from just lightly tapping his wand to violently smashing the cards so hard the sparks flew from his wand, but no matter how many points he received, James was always just the smallest bit faster.
James grinned at his newest friend's obvious frustration.
"I'm just playing. Nothing is different from what you're doing," he said, but that did little to curb Sirius's infuriation.
"That's not it – there must be a trick that you just won't tell us," said Peter. However, he seemed more interested in figuring out what James's so-called "trick" was, squinting as he poked the cards with his wand. "Maybe you should just do what I did, Sirius – quit and try to decode his tells before facing him again."
Sirius snorted.
"I ain't no quitter, Peter. No, James must just be using a sleight-of-hand. Seriously, he's winning every – bloody – time!"
"Call it luck," said James, reshuffling the cards for the eleventh round, barely thinking twice as he moved his legs to allow a skinny boy who had just entered their compartment to pass him. "I believe that's eleven rounds for me and … hmm, only one for you."
"Never, I tell you, never have I met anybody who won this much in Exploding Snap, a game mostly based on luck!" cried Sirius.
"Well, now you have," said James simply.
"… you better be in Slytherin."
He did not mean to eavesdrop on the two, but … well, they were right next to him, and the moment the S-word came out of the boy's mouth, dislike for the pair instantly flared up from within him. Growing up, he had no shortage of stories from his father that concerned Slytherin house, ranging from things as trivial as teasing Mr. Potter about his fist name (Fleamont) to harassing and tormenting poor Muggle-borns.
"Slytherin?" echoed James.
Both the boy and the girl looked over at the newest outburst, which was when James got his first good look at Lily. She was very pretty; the dark red hair he had noticed earlier framed a pale, heart-shaped face with pink, slightly upturned lips. However, it was her eyes that commanded his attention – they were the brightest, most vivid green eyes James had ever seen, and they sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight streaming through the window as those green, green eyes studied him with dislike. The boy sitting across from Lily glared at him, but he was not nearly as pretty as she was: a large hooked nose, sallow skin, and long, greasy hair that jumped around in front of his face.
James turned back to Sirius, who had forgotten their earlier debate over Exploding Snap in favor of glaring at the two, and said, "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"
Sirius did not smile.
"My whole family have been in Slytherin," he said, still scowling at the boy by the window.
"Blimey, and I thought you seemed all right!" said James.
Switching his eyes back to James, Sirius let a small grin escape as he said, "Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"
James held up the invisible Sword of Gryffindor and said proudly, "'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad."
The boy by the window gave a scornful snort, and James jerked his head around to frown at the boy, the flicker of dislike he had first felt towards the boy deepening even further as he shot back, "Got a problem with that?"
Lily was now openly glaring at James. With a jolt, James realized that she was the same girl who had accompanied Alice Prewett into Madam Malkin's shop in Diagon Alley. He studied her curiously; Alice had said that Lily herself had stood up to Mrs. Mulciber, but at the same time, what was she doing with a boy who wanted to be in Slytherin? However, his quizzical thoughts were cut short by the boy in question.
"No," said the boy, though his sneer said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy –"
James had a retort on the tip of his tongue, but Sirius beat him to it: "Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?"
Lily had finally had enough. She stood up, sharply looking between Sirius and James, giving them each such a venomous glower that James flinched. He would have never suspected the tiny girl could be capable of such anger, but a sneaking feeling told James that while she may be diminutive, there was also a temper hidden just below the surface of that pretty little face.
"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment," Lily told her pallid-faced friend who could only be named Severus.
"Ooooo…" teased James and Sirius.
Both Lily and Severus walked past them, coolly and pointedly ignoring them. James let Lily pass without interference, knowing it would not be very chivalrous to trip a lady, no matter how angry she was with him, but James held no reservations for Severus. He stuck his leg out, and Severus stumbled forward. He would have fallen flat on his face had Lily not caught him, but while he shot one last look of dislike at James, Lily pulled Severus's arm, not so much as glancing in their direction.
"See ya, Snivellus!" called James as she slammed the compartment door in their faces.
"Ha! Brilliant name, James," said Sirius, high-fiving him.
~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ 1971 ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~
"Do you know who that was?" asked Lily as they made their way down to the end of the train. As was expected, most of the compartments were already full of groups of students catching up after a long summer apart, and Lily grew more desperate with each compartment they passed. Not a single one was empty, but Lily would be damned if she went back to sit with those boys rather than wander the halls until the Hogwarts Express reached its destination.
Severus shook his head. "No, you?"
Lily huffed.
"Unfortunately. I met him and a boy named Mulciber at Madame Malkin's, but he wasn't mean or anything then – I have no clue what's his problem now …"
She had hoped that the harassment would stop once they reached a school full of children just like her and Severus, but if those boys were any indication, Hogwarts held just as many bullies as Muggle schools for kids their age, magic or not. But unlike Hartlem Primary School, the students here would soon know all those jinxes that Lily and Severus had read about in the spell books rather than just verbal insults and pushing. Bullies here, bullies there…. What was Lily to do? They were not even to school yet, and people were already picking on Severus and her.
"Lily!" called a familiar voice suddenly from behind her, and Lily stopped, surprised, before turning around. In her haste to get away from the compartment where those four boys sat, she had not even noticed who she had passed.
"Alice?" she asked.
It was indeed Alice Prewett, the same young witch who had introduced her to James Potter when she first met him in Madam Malkin's, and she looked almost exactly the same as the last time Lily saw her, with her golden blond locks falling in little ringlets to the middle of her back and her eyes the same clear blue as before. The only difference was that Alice now wore her spanking new robes that she had purchased with Lily, and though she was still as bubbly as ever, she also looked relieved.
"Oh, Lily! Thank Merlin I found you." Alice bounded over to her before peeking behind Lily to see Severus who was staring at Alice with open distrust.
"Is this Severus?" she asked with forced politeness.
Severus drew himself up.
"Yes," he said determinedly. "Who are you?"
"Sev, this is Alice Prewett," said Lily. She gave him a pointed look, silently warning him to behave. "Alice is the one who showed me around Diagon Alley."
Severus merely shrugged with indifference while Alice looked to Lily and said, "Do you need a place to sit? I got here only a couple of minutes before the train left, so I got stuck in the compartment with other first years who have nowhere else to sit. C'mon, come join us. Besides, most of them are actually pleasant company."
Lily glanced back at Severus, but as they had no better ideas, Lily followed Alice into the nobodies' compartment.
There were four other people in the compartment. The closest one, a timid boy with dirty blond hair, smiled at their entrance. He was not tiny by any means, but he was not lanky either, just average height. Beside him sat a tall girl with a sheet of glossy, mahogany hair that tumbled down over her shoulders, framing an angular but very pretty face with penetrating eyes the color of cobalt. With her intense gaze and clear olive complexion, she retained a kind of refinement not seen in most eleven-year-olds. Across from the striking gem was a girl who, though much more ordinary than the previous one, was still cute with dimpled cheeks and caramel locks. She gave a friendly wave, which Lily returned. The last one in the compartment was a grinning boy with wavy blond hair and a very wide, very white smile who sat in the back trying to make himself look important.
"This is Charity Mueller," said Alice, pointing to the dimpled girl who had waved at Lily. "Terry Abbott," – the shy boy sitting closest to the door – "Marlene McKinnon," – the attractive girl who gave Lily and Severus a picture-perfect and serene but still cheerful smile when Alice gestured in her direction – "and Gilderoy Lockhart." The last boy also smiled, but unlike Marlene, his was less jovial and more arrogant – was it Lily's imagination, or did Alice's voice sound more annoyed when she mentioned Gilderoy's name?
Lily nodded at each student as Alice introduced them one by one before turning to introduce Lily to the rest of them. However, when Severus's turn came, since Alice was blanking on his name and Severus looked to be in no mood for cheery hellos, Lily decided to take the reins and she stepped aside so the occupants could get a clear view of her friend.
"This is my good friend Severus Snape."
Unlike Lily, or anybody else for that matter, Severus merely nodded in each person's direction without saying a word.
Lily sighed at her friend and whispered, "Don't be shy, Sev, they won't bite."
However, he still did not say anything since his face plainly spelled out that he wanted to leave, so Lily simply shook her head ruefully. If there was one thing she needed to help Severus with, it was his people skills. He was so cheerful when they were alone, but in a big group? That was another story entirely.
"So," said Alice as she took the seat on the opposite side of Lily, "Now that we're all … acquainted with each other, does anybody know what house they want to be in?"
It seemed that she was looking at everybody except the blond boy in the corner, Gilderoy Lockhart. At first, Lily thought she had already talked with him, but once Gilderoy starting speaking, even though Alice had not directed her question at him, it quickly became obvious why exactly Alice had no wish to converse with Gilderoy.
"Well," said Gilderoy loudly as everybody else in the compartment groaned silently. "Quite honestly, I'm not sure if they'll be able to decide which house to put me in. Mother was always proud that she finally had a child with magic. I mean, I've been showing signs of magic since I was a baby, mind you."
Here, Severus gave a soft snort, and Gilderoy started at the interruption.
"We all showed signs of magic, Lockhart," scoffed Severus, "That's why it's called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, not Hogwarts School of Muggles and One Magic Git."
Gilderoy looked only mildly offended and responded with a wagging finger as if he and Severus were old pals.
"Now, Sev, I understand that you might not have been able to change your hair color as well as I could when you were a young chap, but there's no need to get all jealous of little old me. I would be more than happy to coach you in the finer points of sorcery if you ever wanted to learn about –"
"Anyways!" interjected Charity loudly before Severus, who was looking positively mutinous, could do anything else. "I'm hoping that I'll be in Ravenclaw like my mother, though I'm willing to bet that my dad would have been a Hufflepuff if he attended Hogwarts."
"I have family in all the houses except Slytherin," said Marlene. "Both of my brothers, Marius and Marvell, are in Ravenclaw. I'm not too picky about where I end up, so long as I get along with my housemates. What about you, Terry?"
Terry jumped at being put in the spotlight, but he still managed to stammer under everybody else's stares, "I'm like Charity – Hufflepuff for me since that's where both my parents went, but my grandparents want me to be a Gryffindor like they were. Alice?"
"Gryffindor," she said adamantly, but then she gave a thoughtful look. "Of course, my family's been in every house except Slytherin, so I'm not sure about that… But Lily is definitely going to be in Gryffindor. You should have seen her have a go at the Mulcibers in Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. If that's not a real Gryffindor, then I don't know what is."
Marlene chuckled as she said, "You've sure got nerve talking back at Lysandra Mulciber, Lily; Alice was telling us all about that skirmish in Diagon Alley last month. Who knows, maybe we'll share a dormitory. I wouldn't mind rooming with somebody who hates the Mulcibers as much as I do."
Gilderoy suddenly laughed, and Marlene fell silent. While there was no open sign of dislike on her face towards the obnoxious boy, her demeanor made it quite clear that she did not want to hear what he had to say, but Gilderoy paid her no heed as he started gushing, "I would have ripped those Mulcibers limb from limb. I mean, I get that they can be intimidating to people who can't stand their ground, but still, if I were there, I could have…"
This time, Lily joined the chorus of groans as the train raced across the countryside.
Note: I switched a couple names around. This is because I realized that with the way I was writing it before, Lily and James would already practically know everybody by the time they joined the Order, which I didn't want.
Another Note: I know that Gilderoy Lockhart was born in 1964, but I decided to take some liberty because I wanted to have some fun with the character.
So those were the first scenes I took directly from the book, but I needed it mostly because they're both pretty important scenes. I couldn't really change the setting or anything, but I still wanted to add my own little flair so that way it wouldn't be like you were simply reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows word for word again. Thoughts?
