The Hogwarts Express (Part 1)

By Hogwarts tradition, every student, whether Muggle-born or pure-blood, had to take the train to school. Wizards who lived in the wizarding world would Apparate directly onto the platform, while only those living in the Muggle world had to go through the trouble of passing through King's Cross Station to reach it.

The older students went to the carriages of their respective houses, while only the first-years sat together regardless of house. As Pomona passed the Slytherin carriage, she saw Bellatrix Black again. Though it had already been half a month since their last meeting, Pomona still lowered her head as she passed by her, using the steam from the train to conceal herself as she pushed her trolley toward the first-year carriage.

The shopping list Hogwarts had sent specified that students were to bring a pet. So when Pomona entered the carriage, cats of all colors and breeds weaved between people's feet, and quite a few students with cat allergies kept sneezing. The first few compartments were already crammed with students who seemed to know one another, tossing things back and forth and fooling around. She had no choice but to squeeze through the crowd until she found an empty compartment near the rear of the train. Once the door closed, she finally got a moment of peace.

"Severus, come quickly, there's still an empty seat here!" Her peace did not last long before she heard someone calling out. She followed the voice and, to her surprise, saw Lily Evans, whom she had met in Diagon Alley last time. A few seconds after Lily called out, Snape appeared—the gloomy boy whose hair always looked greasy. When his blank black eyes swept over Pomona, she felt as though she were about to suffocate. But he clearly did not recognize her and slowly asked, "Is anyone sitting here?"

"N-No." Pomona stammered. Then she remembered that she had used magic before leaving that morning. Other than her hair, no one could tell that she had Veela blood. Her wand seemed to have a personality of its own. No matter how hard she tried to conceal her hair and make it look less flowing, she could not do it. After all, its core was Veela hair.

"Go in, Lily," Snape said. After they had both taken their seats, Snape shut the compartment door. Anyone else looking for a seat took one look inside and turned away. At last, it was completely quiet.

"Hello, I'm Lily Evans. You are...?" Lily, seated opposite her, was the first to offer her hand.

"Pomona Martin." She reached out and shook Lily's hand.

"Pomona?" Lily cried out.

"Yes, what's wrong?" Pomona deliberately played dumb, because Snape's expression had turned even darker the instant he heard that name.

"Nothing." Lily stuck out her tongue. "It's just that you have the same name as a friend I know."

Pomona did not think someone she had met only once could be called a friend. She secretly glanced at Snape again. He clearly had no intention of introducing himself or shaking hands. Even the sunlight seemed to dim when it passed by him.

"His name is Severus Snape."

"Hello," Pomona greeted in a voice barely louder than a mosquito's. Snape merely crossed his arms and watched her with guarded eyes.

"That's just how he is. He doesn't like talking, so don't mind him." Lily happily smiled until her eyes curved into crescents. "Why are you alone?"

"My relative is in the carriage up front. He's in his fifth year."

"Oh, which house is he in?"

"Hufflepuff."

A look of dismay flashed across Lily's face.

Pomona looked at Snape. He wore a mocking smile, and it was obvious that he, too, was prejudiced against Hufflepuff—and that he had instilled that prejudice in Lily.

"The food at the welcoming feast is traditional Hufflepuff fare. You'll be in for a surprise then."

"Really surprising. Is that what you're looking forward to at Hogwarts?"

The moment Snape opened his mouth, he made everyone feel miserable. What was wrong with liking food?

"You can't live without food. Even Dementors need to eat."

"Dementors?" Lily had heard another new term.

"A terrifying magical creature. They suck away all your happiness and hope. That is their food."

"How could such terrifying creatures exist? Why not destroy them?"

"Everything exists for a reason. Hogwarts is the safest place. As long as you stay in the school, they won't dare attack anyone."

"You seem to enjoy frightening people." Snape wore a smug expression that said, I've seen through you completely. "You feel safe because other people are more afraid than you, don't you?"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak," Pomona said irritably. In all her life, she had never met anyone so unpleasant. He was like a Dementor, without the slightest warmth.

"I bet I'll be the worst student in the class," Lily said anxiously. "There are so many things you mentioned that I don't know."

"You won't be, Lily. Many students come from Muggle families. As long as you work hard, you can learn even faster than those from pure-blood families." Pomona comforted her, while Snape remained silent as though he had not noticed his companion's worries at all.

As they talked, the train began to move. With the engine rumbling loudly, it left London and sped through fields dotted with cattle and sheep. The lively, noisy carriages gradually fell quiet as well.

Faced with two people of completely different personalities, Pomona felt at a loss and did not know what to talk about. Yet Lily Evans and Severus Snape seemed to be of one mind as they took out their textbooks and began reading quietly.

Yes, Pomona had encountered the legendary good students who previewed their textbooks. She herself had never even considered bringing a book to pass the time on the Express. It seemed that aside from sleeping, she had nothing else to do.

The train had departed at eleven o'clock. At around half past twelve, a loud clattering came from the corridor. An old, frail-looking woman with a head full of silver hair and a cigarette in her mouth pushed open the compartment door and called loudly, "Anything from the trolley, dears?"

"No, thank you," Snape said expressionlessly. He was closest to the door.

"Are you sure? It's still seven hours until we reach the school."

"My mother said not to buy anything sold by suspicious-looking people." Snape's tone became even more vicious.

Lily clearly wanted to say something and fidgeted anxiously in her seat. Pomona understood how she felt, because she could hear Lily's stomach growling.

"No, thank you. We brought our own food." Pomona took out a picnic basket. Before the old woman could say anything, Snape slammed the door shut with a bang.

Then, as though nothing had happened, he lowered his head and continued reading. Pomona and Lily looked at each other at the same time. Just then, Lily's stomach growled again.

"I'm so sorry. We left in such a rush this morning that I didn't eat anything."

"Don't worry, I made plenty of food. There's enough for all of us." As she spoke, she opened the magical picnic basket and placed roast chicken, sandwiches, tiramisu, orange juice, and salad on the empty seat beside them.

"Wow, how can this basket hold so much?" Lily stared at the feast laid out on the seat in amazement.

"That's magic. Amazing, right?" Pomona said proudly. Then she turned to Snape. "Would you like to join us? I made enough for four."

Snape turned around and continued reading with his back to them.

"Severus!" Lily got angry, but Snape remained unmoved.

Weirdo.

Pomona had no idea why he disliked accepting other people's kindness so much, but she could not be bothered to care. Compared to him, she liked Lily Evans much more. She truly was a good girl.