Lily Evans' First Day
It was Lily’s first time walking through a wall. She did it with six people watching her. A sharp-looking woman, a dark-haired man, and a boy who looked like he had had all of the color leached out of him all looked directly at her as she proceeded through solid brick and disappeared. None of them were surprised. More surprised was the family standing next to them, a professor-type with a friendly smile, a sulking, thin girl, and an auburn haired woman who clasped her hands to her mouth and said “oh!” when Lily passed through the wall.
Two families. Two worlds. Normally, the Snape family would not have stood and watched a Muggleborn girl take her first pass to Platform 9 3/4, but as it happened, she was there when they walked up. An unfortunate coincidence… they looked coldly at her in silence.
As the last of her red hair flicked through the invisible door, the sharp woman put her hand on her son’s back. It was not a friendly gesture, or a particularly warm one. But it prevented her from having to say anything to him. Wordless, he pushed a trolley bearing a worn suitcase through the wall.
On the other side, Lily was waiting for him.
“Sev! It’s so big. Where is this space? How does something this big fit here without anyone noticing? Are those owls— real owls? I’ve never seen one before!”
He smiled at her, his first smile since waking up this morning. It looked a bit unnatural, like he had only tried once or twice before.
“I’m so glad we did this together,” she said, taking his hand. He stared at their linked hands for a moment before looking back up at her.
“Yeah. We coordinated it pretty well, didn’t we? I almost thought my parents would leave when they saw you, but they didn’t. I don’t think they like people like you much.”
“Well, that’s all right. We’re still friends.”
Other students were clustered around the busy platform with their families, saying hurried goodbyes and giving hugs while the scarlet steam engine produced puffy clouds of smoke behind them.
“Let’s get seats on the train,” he said. They wove through the throng of robed people, trunks, and all sorts of animals and hopped up onto the train stairs.
Most of the compartments were filling up, but the sixteenth one on the left (Lily was trying to count, although she might have gotten off at nine or so when a firework exploded down the train) was completely empty. She hauled her trunk in, a nice new one that her proud parents had bought her, and tried to hoist it over the seat. Unsurprisingly, she wasn’t strong enough. With a bit of an “umph!” Severus pushed his up over, and reached for hers.
“Your trunk is heavy. What’s in here?”
“Just clothes and books and stuff.” The boy tried again, but the trunk barely got three inches off the ground. They stared at it for a moment until the door slammed open behind them.
“Need some help?” asked a tall, black-haired boy standing in the doorway. His hair was messy, Lily thought, and no sooner had she wondered why when he ran his fingers through it, rumpling it up even more. His glasses glinted almost as much as his bold smile.
“We’re fine,” said Severus, a little sharply.
“Sev, no we’re not. Could you get the trunk for us?”
“Sure thing,” said the boy, winking at her as he lifted up her trunk and placed it above the seat. “I’m James Potter. Who are you?”
“Lily Evans,” she said cautiously. Could she already be making new friends?
“Lily. That’s pretty,” he remarked. “And you?”
“Severus Snape,” said the boy behind her, looking a little aggravated for some reason, “and sorry, but there’s no room left in this compartment.”
“What do you call this?” asked the tall boy, James, gesturing to the empty bench. “You have a ghost friend or something, Severus?” He seemed a bit cocky, thought Lily.
Sev looked even more prickly than before. “We’re fine. On our own.”
“On your own? So you can snog Lily? Not without me!” Severus reddened slightly.
“I said, get out.”
“What do you think?” said James, turning that smile on Lily. “You want me to stay?”
“I’m sorry, but Sev’s right. We have a lot of things to talk about, and I think you’d find more interesting conversation somewhere else.” She found herself feeling somewhat relieved when James walked out, looking disappointed. He was charming, but he seemed like he could be a bit of a git.
“So,” she said, getting settled on a bench, a book open in her lap, “Do you think they’ll all be like that?”
“We’re not like that,” said Sev sourly. “He’s a jerk.”
“Well…” said Lily.
“He is and you know it.” They lapsed into silence