I looked up at the train. It was huge! A red shining metal beast on wheels, waiting to carry me away to Hogwarts. I felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped slightly. It
was my mother.
"You ready, sweetheart?" she asked, crouching down to look me in the eye as she put her hands on my shoulders. I nodded slightly, eyes darting around looking for any sign of my father. I bit my lip.
"Mom?" I asked quietly, as a thought popped into my mind. My brows furrowed in worry.
"What is it, Sev?" she asked back, noting my expression. "Are you alright?"
"Mom… how do they punish you at Hogwarts… y'know… if you do something… b-bad?" I asked, looking down and wringing my hands together. "'Cause I'm… I'm bad a lot… and I don't want it to be like… like with--"
"Are we ready?" came the booming voice of my father. I jumped at the sound.
"I-I… think so, sir," I said, averting my eyes. My mother lifted my chin slowly.
"Severus… they don't do that." I looked at her, slightly doubting. "Trust me," she said, winking. I gave her a small sad smile.
"Alright," I said, looking down again as she patted my shoulder and rose to her full height, to be pulled against his father and look the part of the wife and happy mother.
"Do what?" my father asked, looking suspiciously from his wife to his son.
"Nothing, dear," my mother cut in, saving me from a long explanation of stutters and 'ums', "he just wondered if they turned you into something unnatural for things." She laughed, as though it was just amusing child naivety they had been discussing. My father laughed as well, as the train whistle blasted behind me. I walked toward the train.
"Wait a moment, boy," my father called. I stopped and turned around, suddenly very nervous. "A word?"
"Yes, sir?" I asked, not knowing what to expect here. My father crouched down like my mother had, but the look in his eyes told everything in me to run.
"Don't do anything stupid, boy," he hissed. "I have sources at that school… I will know if you disgrace me in anyway, and if you do… well, Christmas won't be the happiest season of all. Got it?" I gulped, nodding frantically as my father stood.
"Goodbye, baby," my mother said, reaching out to hug me, but she was pulled back. I slowly lowered my arms, which I had raised to receive the comforting touch.
"Don't coddle the boy, Eileen. He's weak as it is." I felt my eyes fill with tears and turned away, grabbing my trunk and pulling it on the train.
He swiped at his face with his sleeve as he walked down the long corridors of the train, looking for an empty compartment. Finally stumbling across one, he dragged his trunk through the doorway and slid the door closed. Looking around at the small room, he saw a compartment above his head, where he assumed he was to put his trunk. The trouble was, he could barely lift it.
Standing on the red seat, I lugged my trunk up onto seat next to me. Panting heavily for a few moments, I grasped both edges of the trunk and heaved it up above my head, shaking with the weight. I gave it a mighty shove, accomplishing my goal, but losing my balance in the process. I flailed my arms around frantically, trying to regain control over my standing abilities, but failing miserably, falling to the floor, and hitting my head against the seat. Mumbling angrily, I rubbed the back of my head as tears of pain sprang to my eyes.
The compartment door slid open, revealing a red head, trunk in tow.
"L-Lily?!" I gasped, as she gave me a hand and helped me to my feet. "But I thought… but you're…" I stammered. I hadn't seen her since I had gotten in trouble. Anything to keep her safe.
"I know! I didn't have the slightest idea until I got the letter, but then… well, here I am! A Muggle-born witch!" She laughed at the look on my face. "Well, what do you think?"
"I… Lily, this is amazing! I'm so happy you're coming to Hogwarts! Maybe we'll be in the same House!" My smile grew with each statement. A confused expression crossed her face.
"House?" she asked.
"Oh! It's… well, it's like… a category of people… you are sorted into a house based on your character traits… like bravery, cunning, intelligence, kindness…" I trailed off.
"Oh… alright!" she agreed, still a bit confused. "Want to sit together?" she asked. I nodded, and helped her with her trunk. It was much easier with two. We each sat down on opposite sides of the compartment. "So… how have you been?" she asked quietly. After she had found out about my father's temper, I knew she would be like this... very comforting and full of pity. I shrugged, looking down at my new trainers. Only the best, my father had said, for a Snape going to Hogwarts. Deep down, I was humiliated. The prettiest girl I had ever seen had seen me get in trouble and had to stand up for me… she knew that I was weak.
"Lily, I--" I began before I was interrupted by the compartment door sliding open quickly. I jumped slightly. Looking up, I saw that it was just Lucius. With him was a blonde girl that I had seen a few times named Narcissa, and another girl with dark hair in a neat ponytail wearing a pretty red dress.
"Sev," said Lucius, walking in and sitting next to me, "we are finally on our way!" I grinned in response, greeting the ladies with a shy wave. "You remember Narcissa, Sev?" said Lucius, with a nonchalant nod toward his betrothed. I thought it was absolutely barbaric to arrange marriages for children as young as five, but that was how the world I lived in worked, and it was one custom that wasn't going to go away any time soon. It was quite common among pureblood wizarding families. I nodded in acknowledgement to Narcissa, before realizing that the other girl was staring at me intently.
"Umm… hello," I said, feeling uneasy under her stare. Her eyes were an icy blue color, and seemed to search my soul. I didn't like it one bit.
"Oh, that's her sister Bellatrix," said Lucius in a bored tone, beckoning to Narcissa to come and sit beside him. She complied, head bowed, hands folded, as though she was already a pureblood wife. Bellatrix looked nearly heartbroken at being so easily dismissed, but as this was unnoticed by Lucius, she turned back to me, saying, "Very pleased to meet you, Severus, I've heard so much about you," and sitting beside Lily. "Who is this?" she inquired looking directly into Lily's eyes. I was astounded that anyone could do so without being mesmerized by the color of her eyes. They were a pure emerald green.
"I'm Lily," said the redhead with a huge smile, extending her hand. "Lily Evans." Bellatrix took the hand and shook it lightly before folding her hands in her lap as her sister had done.
"Evans?" said Lucius, leaning forward in interest. "I've never heard of any Evans… where are you from?" he asked.
"Oh, I live near Sev, here," she replied, gesturing toward me. "Spinner's End."
"Hmm…. I thought we knew all the purebloods in that area. Are you new there?"
"Oh, no," Lily laughed. No! I thought. No, Lily, don't! "I'm not a pureblood." A collective gasp echoed through the compartment. Lily laughed nervously. "What?" she said, "I-is that bad?" She looked to me for reassurance and I shook his head ever so slightly. My mother had always taught me to respect everyone, and that Muggles and half-bloods were just as good as a pureblood wizard, sometimes better. Of course I listened to her instead of my father. I liked it this way better. It meant I could be friends with Lily.
"Y-you're a mudblood?" said Lucius in awe, looking at me in disbelief as if to say 'you're friends with this?'
"A… a what?" said Lily, close to tears. I looked at her sympathetically. I was afraid to say anything because Lucius might tell Damarcus without thinking and then Damarcus would tell me father and...
"A mudblood, a dirty mudblood!" shrieked Bellatrix. "Filth! Scum of the earth!" I looked at Lily and saw that she had silent tears coursing down her cheeks as she listened to these assaults against her.
"Bella," whispered Narcissa without raising her eyes from the floor. "That's enough, it isn't proper for you to--"
"Not proper?!" screamed her sister. "Not proper for me to put into action that which we have been taught since birth? Not proper for me to teach this scum that she is below us?" She pulled her wand out rapidly, aiming it at Lily, who gasped and scrambled to draw her own, but I had already risen, wand out in a dueling position.
"Put it down, miss." I said, making sure to be polite.
"You dare to tell me--"
"Put it down, miss." I said more pointedly. Bellatrix lowered her wand and I moved to sit beside Lily, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she cried, her eyes now downcast.
"Sev, you… you…" I shook my head, wishing to discuss it later. The others rose and left the compartment, leaving me with Lily.