Chapter Two: The Hogwarts Express

Disclaimer: JK Rowling invented and owns Harry Potter and his universe. I am merely mixing up the same 26 letters that she used to create something new.

"Well," Severus Snape continued, "This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!"

Lily nodded, mopping her eyes, but in spite of herself, she half smiled.

"You'd better be in Slytherin," said Severus, encouraged when Lily had brightened a little.

"Slytherin?"

One of the two boys sharing the train compartment, who had shown no interest at all in Lily until that point, looked over at the word. The boy was slight, he had black hair like Severus, but it was untidy and looked very much like it hadn't been given a second thought that morning, or even a first thought, honestly. He was sloppy, but with the indefinable air of being well-cared-for, possibly even adored, that Severus conspicuously lacked. He had round glasses perched on his nose and an arrogant smile dancing on his face. Even as a precocious eleven year old, Lily knew this boy was trouble.

"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave wouldn't you?" The boy with round glasses asked another one who was lounging on the seats opposite him.

He did not smile when he was addressed. He didn't look like he had smiled often, actually. His clothes were very untidy and his trainers may have been on the wrong feet, although Lily couldn't truly be sure. His hair was also black, but neat and combed across his forehead with precise care, probably by a nanny Lily suspected.

"My whole family's been in Slytherin," he said, looking down.

"Blimey," Glasses said, "and I thought you seemed all right!"

The one with neatly parted hair grinned spontaneously.

"Maybe I'll be the one to break the tradition. Where are you heading if you've got the choice?" Messy, as Lily had dubbed him according to his atrocious appearance, inquired.

Glasses lifted an invisible sword and thrust it into the air like a soldier.

"Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart! Like my dad."

Severus made a small, disparaging noise. Glasses looked over his shoulder.

"Got a problem with that, have you?"

"No." Severus said, although the sneer displayed obviously on his face said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny that brainy-"

"Where are you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" interceded Messy.

Glasses roared with laughter. Lily sat up straight, rather flushed and looked from Glasses to Messy in dislike.

"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."

"Oooo…"

Messy and Glasses imitated Lily's lofty voice as Glasses tried to trip Severus on the way out. He intelligently avoided the boy's outstretched leg.

"See ya, Snivellus!" a voice called, as the compartment door slid shut with a thud.

Lily stomped her feet loudly against the carpeted floor of the Hogwarts Express as she walked further back into the train. She knew Severus was following her, even without looking. She could hear his soft, careful steps, just after her loud angry ones. Eventually, Lily came to an empty compartment. It was towards the back of the train, but it was empty. Lily realized that she and Severus had left their suitcases in the compartment with Messy and Glasses, save for a small backpack of her lunch, some money, and a few textbooks. She was too embarrassed to go back for her belongings, so she just shut the door, after letting Severus walk in ahead of her.

"Severus, tell me some more about Hogwarts. I really can't wait to get there!"

So, Severus did. He told her about the noble house of Slytherin. He told her about the bewitched paintings that would talk to her. He painted her a picture of their friendship at Hogwarts with his words and for that Lily was grateful. It took her mind off of some of the more pressing matters, like school work and Petunia. A trolley of sweets came to the doors at about noon. Lily had never had wizards' sweets before and was very excited to try something new. She had had wizards' ice cream at Florian Fortescue's in Diagon Alley, but candy was another thing. Lily asked Severus what his favorites were. He recommended two of wizarding-kind's finest sweets, Pumpkin Pasties and Chocolate Frogs, which they purchased with the money Lily's father had exchanged in Diagon Alley the week before.

After they finished the snacks, Lily immersed herself in 'Transfiguration: A First Glimpse' and she and Severus fell into a comfortable silence. The train chugged along British country-side and past farmland and forest. Lily could have gotten her mind lost in the beautiful outside scenery if her emerald green eyes hadn't been glued so firmly to the pages of her text book.

"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." A voice echoed through the train, startling Lily. She put everything back into her backpack and turned to Severus.

"We're almost there, Sev! What do you think the castle will look like?" Lily said leaning forward, her hands supporting her weight on her knees.

"Like a castle, I guess." Sev replied as he stood up to straighter his robes and looked down his long, hooked nose at her. "You think the sorting will be easy?"

"How do you expect me to know? I haven't any books about Hogwarts. All I know is what you've told me and what I've read in the books I got in Diagon Alley."

Soon, the train lurched and stopped. Lily looked up and jumped towards the window with Severus close on her heels. They pressed up against the glass and tried, despite their efforts, to get a first glimpse of Hogwarts.

Lily and Severus darted out of the compartment, leaving the sliding, glass door wide open. They ran down the hallway, maneuvering around taller, older students who were reuniting after summers apart. They were laughing as they ran towards the exit and as soon as they were out of the magnificent, red Hogwarts Express, they looked around. There wasn't a castle in sight. It was getting dark, but Lily knew they were just standing on a tiny, dark platform.

Lily shivered next to Severus, who was shivering as well. It was brisk in the night air, especially if you happened to be nervous. Then, a lantern appeared above the students huddled on the tiny platform. It wasn't only a lantern, however. It was also a giant.

The giant was calling out above the heads of Severus and Lily, "Firs' Years this way! Firs' year over here! Follow me! Any more firs' years?"

Once the first years were all standing at the knees of this tall man, he introduced himself: "Hello, firs' years! I'm th' gamekeeper here at Hogwarts, but you all can call me Hagrid. 'vry one here does. Yer all gonna be takin' the boats to the castle, so let's not dawdle!"

They were walking down a steep and narrow path towards a lake and despite the giant's warnings to: 'Watch yer step, now!' the First Years were slipping and stumbling down the slippery, shore-line rocks.

"Now," the Hagrid called over his massive shoulder, "Yeh'll get yer first sight o' Hogwarts in just a sec. 's just 'round this bend here!"

There was a loud "Oooooh!"

The steep, narrow path had opened up onto the edge of an elegant black lake. The surface seemed as smooth as glass; dark, black glass that one could walk out upon it and not worry about sinking through. Lily bent down to see if the lake felt as smooth as it looked. The lake looked so glassy that Lily was almost surprised when her fingers plunged right through the surface and into the cold, dark water below it. She pulled her fingers out of the water and the movement created a ripple that upset the shiny surface for only a moment until the water settled once again.

On the other side of the lake there was a hill, tall enough to be a mountain, but the incline was so gradual that one could sit upon the hill and not have to worry about falling down it. Atop the mountain was the most spectacular sight of all, Hogwarts School of Witch-craft and Wizardry. The school looked more like a castle, in Lily's opinion. The windows glittered and sparkled with the reflection of the starry sky clearly displayed in the old glass. The innumerous towers and turrets that poked their pointed tips out of the roof each had several windows that spiraled down them.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called out over the awestruck eleven year olds.

Lily's gaze fell to where the giant's large finger was pointing. She saw a fleet of small, wooden boats. They were sitting just a little further up the shoreline and were just big enough to seat four small people, and no one else.

Lily grabbed Sev's hand and pulled him towards a near-by boat, where they sat next to each other in the front of the boat. Soon a thin boy with a pretty average appearance and later a tall, bony girl with thick, black braids joined them.

"Everyone in?" asked Hagrid, who took up an entire boat for only himself, "Right, then. FORWARD!"

The fleet of small, wooden boats immediately began forward at a steady, relaxed pace. They were moving around bends and ducking loose tree branches as Hagrid directed them. Eventually, the boats carried them smoothly through a curtain of soft ivy, and into a harbor that Lily assumed had to be somewhere beneath the castle.

There was only one way out of the small, narrow passage way. So, up the sloped, stone passage way they went. Hagrid let the way, with his bright lantern gleaming in the tunnel. The passage way led up to a patch of smooth, damp grass.

From there, all of the First Years, being led by Hagrid, travelled up a grand stone stair case and paused briefly in front of two immense, oak doors. Then the giant raised his fist and knocked three times, slowly. Lily was nervous and the suspense, not only of entering the castle, but being sorted loomed over her head.