The September sun rises over London, the street full of vehicles and pedestrians. Unbeknownst to everyone, a small figure in a jacket sits quietly on a bench by the platforms at King's Cross Station, eyes watching, searching her target.

Beneath the hood lies a fair young maiden with eyes as grey as the storm and hair as red as fire. On her neck is a blue and bronze scarf, and a lace that holds a pendant that spins with an hourglass in the center.

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed when she spotted her target accompanied by her parents. Her eyes are green as emeralds, and her hair is similar to the figure.

This is Lily Evans.

The figure watched Lily and her parents walk to Platforms 9 and 10. As Lily hugs them farewell, the figure takes action. With a flick of her wrist, she casts a spell on Lily, whispering to her a reconsideration.

"Think about Ravenclaw."

Lily paused for a moment when she heard those thoughts. As she pulls away from her parents, she waves at them before stepping into the barrier, thinking.

The spell worked. One down, and one more to go.

The figure had been waiting for like forever until her second target walked in, accompanied by his mother. His black hair reaches its length by his shoulders, and he has eyes similar to the figure.

This is Severus Snape.

When he and his mother reached the barrier, the figure silently cast the same spell on him, causing him to pause.

"Think about Ravenclaw."

His mother noticed this and looked at him with concern.

"Is something wrong, Severus?" Eileen asked. Severus looked at her and said, "It's nothing, Mother. I thought I was thinking things."

As both mother and son disappeared into the barrier, the figure smiled with satisfaction. She had successfully fulfilled her mission: altering her parents' ideals so they wouldn't be caught in the conflict between Gryffindor and Slytherin. If she didn't change it, she wouldn't exist.

"Good luck, Mom and Dad," Rose Prince whispered before disappearing into the crowd.

As Hogwarts Express soon departs from the station, Severus walks down the hall searching for an empty compartment. Then, out of the blue, he noticed Lily in one of them. He slid the door open to greet her.

"Hey, Lily." Lily smiled upon seeing her friend. "Hello, Severus," she replied as he entered the compartment.

"Are you excited?" Severus asked.

"More than I can say," Lily replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I can't believe we're finally going to Hogwarts!"

Severus nodded, his expression shifting to one of contemplation. "So, which house do you think you want to be in?"

Lily didn't hesitate. "Ravenclaw, I think. I've always loved learning and books. It just feels right."

A small grin crept across Severus's face. "I think the same thing," he admitted, a hint of relief in his tone. "I've always wanted to be somewhere I could learn without all the…" He trailed off, the words unspoken but pointing toward the expected rivalries.

Just then, they heard a loud scoff from outside their compartment. Curious, Lily and Severus turned to see a boy their age peering in through the glass door. James Potter, with his tousled black hair and confident smirk, stood there with his best friend, Sirius Black. They exchanged a few whispered words before James rolled his eyes and sauntered off, his posture radiating an air of superiority.

"What was that about?" Lily asked, her brow furrowed in confusion as she leaned closer to the door.

Severus's eyes narrowed, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. "Probably just the usual Gryffindor arrogance," he muttered, trying to sound indifferent. "They think they're better than everyone else."

"Do you think he'll try to make trouble for us?" Lily's voice was laced with concern.

"Maybe," Severus said, his mind racing. "But we won't let them. If we stick together, they can't touch us." His resolve firmed as he looked into her bright green eyes.

Lily nodded, reassured by his words. The momentary intrusion was forgotten as they returned to their earlier conversation, sharing hopes for the year ahead, discussing their favorite subjects, and even how they would spend time together studying in the library.

But deep down, both felt a shadow lingering in their thoughts.