London.
King’s Cross Station.
Tobias parked the car near the entrance, and the Snape family stepped out together.
Eileen immediately opened the boot and began unloading Severus’s luggage while reminding him of countless things he should pay attention to after arriving at Hogwarts.
Like mothers everywhere, she worried over every little detail.
To everyone else, Severus might already seem unusually mature for his age.
To Eileen…
He was still just her son.
Patiently, Severus listened to every piece of advice, responding calmly whenever she paused for breath.
Eventually, there was nothing left to delay.
Pushing his trolley, he walked toward the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten.
More precisely…
The barrier between Platforms Nine and Three-Quarters.
After one final farewell, he looked back once.
Eileen smiled through eyes filled with reluctant affection.
Tobias gave him a firm nod.
Without another word, Severus tightened his grip on the trolley and walked straight toward the solid brick barrier.
Instead of colliding with it, he passed cleanly through.
Darkness briefly enveloped his vision.
The rushing sound of wind echoed around him, as though he were speeding through a narrow tunnel.
A few seconds later, sunlight returned.
Before him stood the scarlet Hogwarts Express, its steam billowing high into the air with a shrill whistle.
Platform Nine and Three-Quarters bustled with life.
Young witches and wizards hurried about with overflowing trunks, owls hooted impatiently from their cages, and anxious parents gave endless last-minute instructions.
Rather than boarding immediately, Severus wheeled his luggage to a quieter spot nearby and waited.
It didn’t take long.
About ten minutes later, another familiar figure emerged through the barrier.
Lily looked around in astonishment, amazement still written across her face.
The moment she spotted Severus, her smile brightened.
She hurried over, pushing her trolley as fast as she could.
“I actually walked through the wall!” She was still unable to believe it.
“If you hadn’t told me beforehand, I’d never have guessed there was a platform hidden behind it.” “It’s protected by powerful concealment and protective enchantments.” Severus smiled faintly.
“You’ll learn about magic like this once you reach the higher years.” The two chatted as they boarded the train.
After stowing away their trunks, they found an empty compartment.
The moment the door closed, Severus opened Juliet’s cage.
The raven immediately hopped onto the table, stretching her wings after being confined for most of the day.
Lily watched curiously.
“I thought Hogwarts only allowed students to bring owls.” Severus looked at Juliet without the slightest change in expression.
“She has wings.” “She can fly.” “And she delivers letters.” “So, functionally…” “She’s an owl.” “…” Lily stared at him speechlessly before rolling her eyes.
“That’s the most ridiculous explanation I’ve ever heard.” Juliet, however, seemed quite pleased with the compliment.
She proudly lifted her head and strutted around the tabletop.
The sight was so amusing that Lily couldn’t help laughing as she reached over to gently stroke the raven’s glossy feathers.
After a while, her smile gradually softened.
“Do you think…” She looked out the window.
“…we’ll still be together every day after we get to Hogwarts?” “That depends on the Sorting Hat.” Severus answered honestly.
“But the chances of us being Sorted into the same house are very small.” At that moment, the compartment door slid open.
Two boys walked inside one after the other.
The instant Severus saw them, his eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
James Potter.
And Sirius Black.
The future founders of the Marauders.
Turning back to Lily, Severus continued speaking as though nothing had happened.
“With your personality, Gryffindor is the most likely choice.” “You have courage, kindness, and a tendency to throw yourself into things without hesitation.” “It suits you.” “As for me…” “Slytherin is the more probable destination.” “It offers the best environment for the kind of magic I want to study.” What he left unsaid was that Slytherin also possessed the richest tradition of studying the Dark Arts.
If that factor did not exist, Ravenclaw would have been his preferred choice.
The atmosphere inside Slytherin was becoming increasingly complicated.
Ten years had passed since Tom Riddle had disappeared after his failed attempt to seize power.
Now, however, Lord Voldemort had quietly returned and begun gathering followers once more.
Across Britain, the Death Eaters had already started making their presence known.
Their attacks were becoming more frequent.
Families were beginning to suffer.
Fear spread a little further with every passing month.
Although the large-scale massacres that would later terrify the entire Wizarding World had not yet begun, Severus knew they were only a matter of time.
Because so many Death Eaters came from old pure-blood Slytherin families, public opinion had also begun to shift.
Many witches and wizards no longer distinguished between Slytherin House and Voldemort’s followers.
To them, every Slytherin student was simply a future Death Eater waiting to reveal their true colors.
It was an unfair prejudice.
But it was becoming increasingly common.
As fate would have it…
The two boys who had just entered the compartment happened to share that exact belief.
For months, they had read every report in the Daily Prophet describing the crimes committed by the Death Eaters.
Each article had filled them with greater anger than the last.
So when they overheard Severus calmly stating that he expected to be Sorted into Slytherin…
The sense of justice burning in their young hearts immediately urged them to act.
No sooner had Severus finished speaking than James Potter let out a derisive snort.
Leaning back casually in his seat, he propped his feet on the compartment bench and glanced at Sirius Black across from him.
His voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it carried more than enough contempt for everyone in the compartment to hear.
“Who’d ever want to be in Slytherin?” He scoffed.
“If the Sorting Hat put me there, I’d leave Hogwarts before the feast was over.” “What about you?” Sirius grinned immediately, perfectly understanding what James was doing.
“I’d do the same.” The two boys laughed together, their mockery aimed squarely at Severus.
James himself couldn’t explain why.
The moment he’d seen the black-haired boy sitting across from the red-haired girl, an inexplicable feeling of dislike had risen inside him.
Most people would have questioned where that feeling came from.
James didn’t.
In his mind, if he disliked someone, there had to be a reason.
And if there was a reason…
It certainly wasn’t his fault.
Especially after overhearing Severus say he expected to be Sorted into Slytherin.
That settled it.
To James, Slytherin was nothing more than a breeding ground for Dark wizards.
With the Death Eaters becoming increasingly active across Britain, every report in the Daily Prophet only strengthened his belief.
As far as he was concerned, wanting to join Slytherin was no different from wanting to become one of them.
He had found the perfect justification for his instinctive hostility.
What he hadn’t expected…
Was that someone would answer before Severus did.
Lily turned sharply toward the two boys, emerald eyes blazing with anger.
“That’s incredibly rude.” She frowned.
“Didn’t your parents ever teach you basic manners?” James’s expression stiffened.
Being called out so directly left him momentarily speechless.
But the embarrassment quickly turned into anger.
He shot to his feet and waved his arms indignantly.
“Everyone in Slytherin is either a liar or a murderer!” “Hogwarts would be a much better place without them!” Lily looked at him as though he were being ridiculous.
“A coward who insults people he’s never even met…” She folded her arms.
“…has no right to call anyone else a hero.” James’s face immediately turned bright red.
Just as he was about to argue back, Lily grabbed Severus by the sleeve.
“Come on.” “I don’t want to stay in the same compartment as people like them.” Compared to Lily’s obvious anger, Severus remained perfectly calm from beginning to end.
Juliet quietly flew onto his shoulder, her black feathers gleaming in the afternoon sunlight.
At the same time, Severus’s hand slipped into his robes and drew his wand in one smooth motion.
The movement was so natural that neither James nor Sirius noticed it immediately.
Only when Sirius instinctively started to rise from his seat did he realize…
The tip of Severus’s wand was already pointed directly at him.
Sirius froze.
An inexplicable sense of danger washed over him.
Every instinct told him not to move.
Severus looked at Lily.
“Wait for me outside.” Although confused, Lily nodded and stepped into the corridor.
Only then did Severus return his attention to the two boys.
His voice remained calm and polite, completely at odds with the tense atmosphere.
“Believe it or not…” “I have no interest in making enemies.” “As long as you don’t provoke me, I won’t trouble either of you.” “I sincerely hope you remember that over the next seven years.” He paused briefly.
“But if you insist on targeting me…” “…then you should also understand that I won’t simply stand there and accept it.” “I will respond in kind.” His wrist flicked.
The wand shifted away from Sirius and settled on James.
Before either boy could react, a jet of light burst from the wand.
“Bat-Bogey Hex!” The spell shot straight toward James.