After All This Time?

King Cross Station ( Or not )

   The.
   Day.
   Has.
   Come.
   Severus Snape is finally going to Hogwarts, he will leave Spinner's End and won't be back until next year.
   What an impression he is going to make, though.
   He was wearing his father's sweatshirt that reached his knees, and his usual baggy, faded jeans.
   His mother was carrying his trunk, and Severus was clutching his school robes.
   Funnily enough, his father wasn't home.
  With her usual sour look on her face, Mrs Snape left the house, Severus closely behind.
   They got a taxi that took them to King Cross Station.
   'King Cross Station?' Muttered Severus, rechecking his ticket. 'Platform Nine And Three Quarters?!'
   When they got there, Mrs Snape paid the driver, Severus dumped his trunk on to a trolley and his mother wheeled it for him.
   They stopped, facing Platform Nine, and Platform Ten.
   Mrs Snape pursed her lips, looking like she swallowed something nasty.
   'Right.' And Mrs Snape walked straight through the barrier between the two platforms. She and the trolley disappeared out of sight.
   Severus blinked once, then twice.
   Clutching his robes tighter, he followed his mother's steps. He was going to smash right into the ticket box, he closed his eyes, ready for the crash...
   But it didn't come. Severus opened his eyes.
   A scarlet steam train was waiting next to a platform packed with wizards. A sign said : Hogwarts Express, 11 oclock.
    Severus found his mother easily enough, amd stood beside her, slightly hunched.
   He scanned the platform, and, after a few moments, he saw the person he was looking for.
   Without realising, Snape started staring at the family of four, who were a short distance away.
   Petunia and Lily stood a little apart from their parents. Severus noticed that Lily had a pleading look on her face.
   Severus stepped closer to listen to their conversation.
   '... I'm sorry, Tuney, I'm sorry! Listen-' she grabbed her sister's hand and held tight to it, but Petunia tried to pull away. 'Maybe once I'm there- no, listen, Tuney! Maybe once I'm there, I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!'
   'I don't - want - to - go!' Said Petunia, dragging her hand back out of her sister's grasp. 'You think I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a- a-'
   Her eyes scanned the platform, she looked at the mewling cats and the owls fluttering and hooting, at the students, some already in their school robes, loading trunks onto the scarlet train.
   '- you think I want to be a - a freak?'
   Severus clenched his fist. But Lily's eyes filled with tears, and let Petunia tug her hand away.
   'I'm not a freak. That's a horrible thing to say.'
   Petunia smiled. 'That's where you're going.' She persisted. 'A school for freaks. You and that Snape boy... Weirdos, that's what you two are. It's good you're going to be seperated from normal people. It's for our safety.'
   Lily glanced towards her parents, who were looking around the platform with awe and enjoyment, drinking in the scene.
'You didn't think it was such a freak's school when you wrote to the headmaster and begged him to take you.' Said Lily in a low voice.
Petunia turned scarlet.
'Beg? I didn't beg!'
'I saw his reply. It was very kind.'
'You shouldn't have read-' whispered Petunia. 'That was my private- how could you-?'
Lily turned and spotted Snape. She gave him a worried look that Petunia unfortunately saw.
'That boy found it! You and that boy have been sneaking in my room!'
'No, not sneaking.' Lily was now on the defensive. 'Severus saw the envelope, and he couldn't believe a muggle could have contacted Hogwarts, that's all! He says there must be wizards working undercover in the postal service who take care of-'
'Apparently wizards poke their noses in everywhere!' Said Petunia, now as pale as paper. 'Freak!' She spat at her sister, and she flounced off to where her parents stood.
Although Snape hated Petunia, he can't help but pity her. It must be hard to have a sister like Lily, who seemed to be perfect at everything.
He wanted to get on the train to change into his robes.
'Mum, I think I should go.'
Mrs Snape handed him his trunk. As he was getting on the train, he heard his mother shout.
'Good luck!' She waved, and Severus waved back.
A few minutes later, finally gotten rid off his dreadful muggle clothes, Severus hurried along the corridor of the Hogwarts Express, which was already moving.
At last he stopped outside a compartment in which a group of rowdy boys were talking. Hunched in a corner seat beside the window was Lily, her face pressed against the window.
Snape slid open the compartement door and sat down opposite Lily. She glanced at him then looked back out of the window. He realised that she had been crying.
Severus put his hand on her shoulder but she swatted it off her.
'I don't want to talk to you.' She said.
Severus was taken aback. 'Why not?'
'Tuney h- hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore.'
'So what?'
She gave him a look of disgust.
'So she's my sister!'
'She's only a-' he was about to say "muggle" but caught himself quickly. Lily was too busy wiping her eyes trying hard not to be noticed thet she did not hear him.
'But we're going!' He said excitedly. 'This is it, we're off to Hogwarts!'
   She nodded, her face still blotched with tears. But in spite of herself, she smiled.
  'You better be in Slytherin.' Said Severus, encouraged that she brightened up a little.
   'Who wants to be in Slytherin?'
   One of the boys sharing the compartment, who had shown no interest at all in Lily and Snape, looked round at the word.
   He was black-haired, and wearing glasses, plus an easy arrogant smile on his face.
   He had an indefinable air of having been well cared for, even adored, and Severus hated him for that.
  'I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?' He continued, now adressing the other boy lounging on the seats opposite him.
   But the latter didn't smile.
   'My whole family have been in Slytherin.' He said.
   This boy was handsome, and he seemed to know it.
   'Blimey.' Said the boy with glasses. 'And I thought you seemed alright.'
   The other boy grinned. 'Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?'
  He lifted an invisible sword.
'"Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!" Like my dad.'
Snape snorted. What an idiot.
The boy turned on him. 'Got a problem with that?'
'No.' Answered Snape, smirking. 'If you'd rather be brawny than brainy-'
'Where are you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?' Interjected the handsome kid.
His friend roared with laughter. Lily sat up, rather flushed and looked at the two boys with immense dislike.
'Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment.
'Oooooooo...' The boys imitated her lofty voice, and the one wearing glasses tried to trip Severus as he passed.
'See ya, Snivellus!' A voice called as Lily slammed the compartment door.
(The previous scene was described in Harry Potter and the deathly hallows.)
They found another compartment soon enough, and sat down opposite each other once more.
'What a bunch of idiots.' Said Lily shaking her head. 'They acted like five year olds.'
'That's the Gryffindors, I guess. I bet you anything that's where they're going. Always bragging about how brave they are.' Scowled Severus.
'Come on Sev. They can't all be like that. I heard the Headmaster himself was a Gryffindor.' Said Lily.
'Yeah. I just can't wait to get there.' Sighed Severus.
'Me too.'
'Anything from the trolley, my dears! Pumpkin Pasties, Chocolate frogs?'
An old woman wheeling a trolley full of sweets and goods, stopped at their compartment.
Severus shook his head sadly. He was really hungry, but he didn't have any money to spend.
'Yes please.' Said Lily. 'My parents gave me what's left from my shopping in Diagon Alley.' She told Severus.
Lily came back with a chocolate frog for each of them, and a box of Every Flavor Beans for them to share.
They both enjoyed the rest of their time in Hogwarts Express, and the two rowdy boys slowly left Severus' mind.
It was almost dark, but Severus could see the Hogwarts castle.
   It was magnificent.                                                                                                                                                              Perched atop a high mountain, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.                                    A few minutes later, the train stopped, and Lily looked at Severus nervously. They left their compartment and, after stepping on several feet of other students and being stepped on too, they finally got out from the train and onto the station.                                                                                       'Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!'                                                                                                                                   Severus gaped at the sight of a giant of a man over a sea of students. his face was almost completely hidden by a long mane of hair and a wild tangled beard. But, apart from that, he was smiling and looked friendly.                                                                                                                                                'Firs'-years! Follow me!'                                                                                                                                                       Severus spotted the two boys from the train following the half-giant closely, so, pushing through the crowd holding Lily's hand tightly, he decided to do the same.                                                         They followed him down a steep, narrow path.it was really dark and Severus could hardly see where he was going.                                                                                                                                                                 'Yeh'll be gettin' a better view o' Hogwarts in a sec' The man commented. 'I'm Hagrid, by the way, keeper of the keys at Hogwarts.'                                                                                                                              There was a loud 'Oooooh' from the students, including Lily.                                                                           They stopped infront of a fleet of little boats sitting in a lake by the shore.                                               'Four to a boat!' Called Hagrid.                                                                                                                                       Lily and Severus, to their utmost dislike, were followed into their boat by the two boys from earlier.                                                                                                                                                                                           'Its not like we wanted to.' Said the one with the glasses, noticing the look of disgust on Lily's face. 'Everywhere else is full, isn't it, Sirius?'                                                                                                    'Yeah, had no choice.' Said Sirius, smirking.                                                                                                             'Whatever.' Said Severus.                                                                                                                                                   'We weren't talking to you, Snivellus.' laughed Sirius. 'Hey James! look, we're almost there!'            Severus didn't even realise that they were gliding across the lake. Merlin, how he hated the two of them. They had reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out on rocks and pebbles. James pushed Severus as he got out of the boat, and he almost lost his footing. But Lily shoved James seconds after, and he tumbled out of the boat. Severus laughed, and high fived Lily, who giggled. As for Sirius, he looked at Lily with a raised eyebrow, impressed. Lily shot him a death stare, so he helped James and they both walked away, whispering.                    Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last on to a smooth grass, right in the shadow of the castle.                                                                                                    They walked up a flight of steps and the first years crowdedaround a huge, oak door.                        Severus held his breath as Hagrid raised his huge fist and knocked three times on the castle door.                                                                                                                                                                                              The door swung open and a tall black-haired witch in emerald green robes appeared. She was wearing spectacles on her stern face.                                                                                                                              'Firs' years, Professor McGonagall.' grunted Hagrid.                                                                                               'Thank you. I will  take them from here.'                                                                                                                      'See you at the feast.' Hagrid waved and left the students with Professor McGonagall.                        They entered the Entrance Hall. It was really big, the stone walls were lit with flaming torches. The ceiling was so high it looked endless, and a marble staircase faced them.                                             A hundred voices echoed in the hallway, the rest of the school must have arrived already.                Severus was shivering from excitement. He was waiting for this day since he was eight, and here he was, literally at Hogwarts, with Lily at his side, exactly how he pictured it.                                    They followed Professor McGonagall into a small empty empty chamber off the hall. The first years looked at each other, puzzled.