Of Blood And Serpents
Part Two: Chapter Three
The Sorting Ceremony
It was the first day of school. the sorting day. Severus had spent the day going over his curriculum with a fine toothed comb for the last time while Lily spent the day with Hagrid helping make arrangements for the students. She didn't get to go with the other students from platform nine and three quarters and she couldn't help but wonder if she was missing out on anything. Soon her thoughts were focused on getting the thestrals ready to pull the carriages. Lily had seen the thestrals on the grounds before at a distance, up close the creatures were even more sinister looking although Hagrid assured her they were calm in nature.
"Most people canno' see thestrals, ." Hagrid told her as they worked in strapping in one of the Thestrals they were working on stamped its feet impatiently. Lillian buckled the opposite side, running her hands gently over the creatures exposed emaciated rib cage fascinated. "They say those that can have seen death. Tha's why they think there bad, like its their fault." Hagrid scoffed. "show me an animal tha won't go mean if you aint kind to it!" Lilly finished her strap and they moved on to the next thestral, Hagrid gently leading the creature into position where it stood patiently making an odd clicking noise in the back of its throat.
"But I haven't seen death Hagrid." She interjected thoughtfully.
"Migh' have been when you were jus' a wee baby, really." Hagrid answered, giving the thestral a pat before beginning to pull the straps. They finished strapping in the last thestral as night began to fall the carriages pulled away, to arrange themselves at the train platform while Lily and Hagrid took their own route.
"Excited for your first year eh?" Hagrid ribbed her gently as they walked.
"Nervous."
"Ain't nuthin to be nervous about, you'll fit righ' in. " Hagrid assured her his eyes twinkling. The shrill whistle of the train called them, announcing the arrival as they got to the station, Hagrid holding up his lantern as he did every year for the first years. Lily was overwhelmed by the amount of people coming of the train and shied closer to Hagrid side hoping he wouldn't notice.
"FIR'S YEARS OVER HERE!" Hagrid bellowed , and repeated. "FIR'S YEARS 'ERE!" A group formed and Lily felt her stomach knot and turn on itself as some of their eyes spied her curiously from the crowd. As Hagrid turned to lead the group he gave her a little wink and shooed her gently to follow with them. Lily feel back among them.
"You weren't on the train." One girl exclaimed as she fell back. "Do you live at the school?"
"Sometimes." Lily replied meekly, chewing her cheek and glancing at the girl speaking to her.
"Brilliant! is this your first year too?"
"Yes.." They got to the carriages and began taking seats, the other girl and her sitting together with a boy.
"I didn't see you on the train," one boy with reddish hair announced loudly. "What's your name?"
"Lillian."
"My names Charlie, Charlie Weasley, don'tcha got a last name?" he reached over to shake her hand animatedly.
"Lillian Snape I guess." He made a funny face at that but before he could ask the girl beside her piped up.
"I'm Nymphadora Tonks but I hate my first name so you can just call me Tonks." She said with an impish grin, that's when Lily noticed the girls hair change a funny color. She blinked in surprise unsure of what she was seeing in ill lit carriage.
"So how come you weren't on the train?" Charlie asked curious. Lily found she was quite disliking all of the attention gave a small sigh. Just as she was about to speak Tonks butted in.
"She lives at the school sometimes." She announced smiling.
"Really? at the school?"
"Yes, sometimes I stay with Hagrid, the half giant who works on the grounds." Both made small impressed noises.
"how come you don't stay with your parents?"
"I don't have any parents."
"Oh." There seemed to be for a little while blessed silence until Lily couldn't hold her curiosity any longer, turning to the girl beside her.
"Is your hair... changing color?" She asked squinting in the ill light as the carridge clunked over a few bumps. The girls smile lit up her face, her hair becoming brighter it seemed with it.
"I'm a Metamorphmagus. I can look however I want!" She announced proudly her hair becoming a vibrant neon orange.
"That's wicked! I've never heard of that." Charlie sated in awe looking Tonk's up and down. "Can you even be a .. a boy?" His eyes went round as dollars at Tonk's nod and mischievous grin.
"That's always fun." Tonks giggled with a wink.
The night was a beautiful clear night with energy in the air crackling with excitement and wonder as Lily was re-introduced to Hogwarts, not as the little girl of the woods but as a student, someone who belonged.
The starry sky vast with galaxies laid out on the inky black was above them and reflected off the lake where the carriages stopped abruptly the students dismounting to be led into row boats that sent small ripples through the mirror like reflection of the night sky. Lily closed her eyes enjoying the feeling of the cold fresh air caressing her cheeks and mussing her hair with the nip of winter.
Charlie, Tonks and Lily were silent in awe as they stared across the starry lake to see the castle, bright and grand beckoning them across the lake. It felt to them as if it were all over to fast, the moments slipping by like silk through their fingers. Soon they were being bustled into the castle through the great hall doors. Students crowded in four enormous long tables watched as the group of tight knit new students entered the grand hall. Lily stared above her, the ceiling was a charmed beautiful charmed version of the night sky. Lily's heart skipped turned her gaze ahead to see the sorting hat, the group of students she was in stopping some ways back where an older woman stepped forward.
"Tonight you will each be joining a house. There are four houses, Hufflepuff, Gryfindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin."The woman's voice was clear and crisp. Lily felt her hand sweating and wiped them nervously on her robes. Her eyes scanning the line of teachers at the great table at the end of the hall. She found his face there, pallid skin, dark hair hanging beside dark eyes. She took comfort in seeing him there and when his eyes met hers she smiled nervously at him giving a small shy wave. He made no move but he appeared to give a small amused smile, his dark eyes making her feel a little warmer. "When your name is called you will step up and the hat will sort you into one of the great houses. The house will become your home, your fellow students in each house your family for the rest of your time in the school year. Your triumphs will earn your house points, rule breaking will cost your house points." The woman stepped back, drawing a long rolled parchment from her robe sleeve as she began to read.
"Helena Conner." the hat paused a few seconds before shouting.
"-GRYFINDOR!"
"Nicolas Wood." And on it went with their being a small pause at the hat seemed to consider and whisper things to the student before shouting.
"-Hufflepuff!"
"Thomas Bell"
"-Gryfindor!"
"Nymphadora Tonks." Nymphadora made a face when her name was called her hair blackening as she stepped forward. The hat placed on her head her hair pinked at the tips slowly moving up.
"-HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat yelled decidedly and Tonk's grinned ear to ear her hair becoming totally bubblegum pink as she hopped and skipped to her table that was clapping raucously in delight.
"Leroy Jenkins!"
"-SLYTHERIN!"
"Charles Weasely." Charlie gave her a small smile nervous smile over his shoulder as he went to be placed. The hat barely touched his head before exclaiming.
"-GRYFINDOR !"
"Lillian Snape." an odd murmur went through the tables at that and she saw Severus scowl at the low murmurs as she stepped forward. Her heart felt heavy in her chest and her stomach knotted with what felt like stones. She warily approached the chair. The hat tickled slightly as it was placed on her head and she felt the hum of its voice tickling her ear.
"Hmm Lillian Snape was it? Not your real name.. no matter though. Hmm, good mind you would excel in Ravenclaw, you have a hungry mind, hungry for knowledge. Not attention like Gryffindor, no.. Strong pure Slytherin blood in you too, perhaps your family house?" Lily couldn't help but think of Severus suddenly and how happy he would be if she was in his house. "You want to make him proud eh? are you sure not Ravenclaw?" The hat seemed to reach a conclusion and Lily held her breath.
"SLYTHERIN!" Proudly she stood, a smile on her face as her house clapped and hollered. As she walked her eyes found Severus again and she found him with a smile (albeit a small one) his eyes glittering with what she hoped was pride as she went and found her seat among the others. As she sat an older student leaned over, to pat her on the back welcomingly.
"Are you related to Professor Snape?" They asked, curiously, several others bowing their heads in with eyes on her waiting.
"He's.. he's." She struggled for the words to explain, but his smile was there in her mind, his smile of pride and she raised her own head smiling too as she answered. "Yes, he's my father." She said watching Severus at the head of table speak to another professor as she answered.
"Ooh don't make her made, no doubt professor Snape would deduct point from us if we did!" One student exclaimed and several chuckled at that. Lily just kept her small nervous smile, averting her eyes shyly.
There were many other students sorted, but the rest of it passed like a blur to Lily who was becoming quite sleepy. Then suddenly an extravagant meal was laid before them and Lily found the energy to excitedly fill her plate to the brim trying to sample one of everything. She didn't quite manage everything that night and was far too full even for tempting desserts but she knew she had many delicious meals to look forward to from then on. Many people around her chatted amicably to each other but Lily was content to watch and listen rather than join in as other older students recounted their summers to their friends and told each other grandiose stories. After dinner they were shown to their chambers by the Slytherin prefect a tall coltish girl with mousy brown hair.
"First years chambers to the left." She said, pointing as they entered the chambers. The Slytherin common room was lit by a emerald light that shone through two grand windows framed with iron designed into the Slytherin symbol either side of a great fireplace that also heralded the Slytherin house above it in a beautiful embroidered tapestry. There was also the sound of water seeming to emanate from the walls, after a moment Lily realized that the green light coming through the glass was water from the lake. All in all it was quite a lot to take in, Lily felt so tired suddenly that she swayed where she stood and had a great big yawn that was echoed by some of her fellow first years.
"To the left little ones, your rooms are upstairs. right for females, left for males and boys are banned from the girls wing." She snapped abruptly as she watched some of the boys give little smirks. "Upto bed then if your tired, the place will still be here tomorrow." Lily had to agree, and she found herself walking up the stairs with heavy footfalls, some of the other first years following her step.
The beds in the room were luxurious four poster ebony with green sashes that could be pulled across for privacy. Lily was surprised when Bee suddenly raised her head from a bed and blinked her big amber eyes at her. She supposed that was her bed and made her way to it giving be a pet and a smile, gathering her in her arms to take a deep tired breath as she lay out on the bed.
"Is that a cat?" A small sharp voice suddenly asked, one of her fellow first years who sat in the bed across from her.
"She's a kneazel." Lily answered raising her head to look at the girl across from her.
"Oh," She answered. "My names Carmilla, and this is Katrina." She said lifting her own cat to show Lily." The cat seemed mildly annoyed ,flicking its great fluffy tail back and forth, its smushed face gave the cat an irritated sort of look and its big green eyes flickered to her in seeming annoyance.
"I'm Lillian, and this is Bee."
"Bee, thats a weird name." The girl snapped in a sort of huffy way as if it bothered her. Lily didn't know what to say so she chose to say nothing. Getting up Lily dragged her suitcase which had been nicely set for her at the end of the bed out and found her night clothes. The girl made an odd huffing noise behind her which Lily ignored. "Its Rude to ignore people." She snapped and Lily found herself flushing red, suddenly embarrassed an anxious although she didn't know.
"Oh, be careful didn't you hear, her daddy is a teacher here. You could get into trouble!" an amused voice piped up from two beds over and Lily found her face feeling hotter and hotter.
"Maybe that's why she doesn't have any manners." Carmilla snapped snidely, petting her giant ugly white cat and pretending Lily wasn't there at all. Lily not knowing what to say just walked away to put on her pajama's and when she came back the three girls that had been sorted with her to Slytherin were all gathered about one bed talking and laughing. Nervously Lily stood on the outskirts feeling an odd pang in her chest wondering if she could join. One of the girls looked over her shoulder suddenly and scowled at her before scooting in closer as another girl tittered. Her stomach knotted and feeling a little sick from eating too much Lily crawled into bed turning away from the sniggering laughs of the other girls.
Bee wriggled in closely to her for warmth as she sunk into sleep, the sound of water becoming a peaceful lullaby beneath the noises of girls tittering in the room.
'Welcome home Lillian Snape'. Was her last thought as she slipped away.