A loud whistle pierced the air.
"I have to go now," Snape said, bidding a hurried farewell to Eileen. He grabbed his trunk and climbed aboard the deep red Hogwarts Express.
He found an empty compartment near the back of the train, shoved his trunk into a corner, and then leaned out the window, waving to Eileen.
Eileen waved back. As the train picked up speed, she was left behind, her figure growing smaller and more distant in the steam engine's thick smoke.
It wasn't until the train rounded a bend that Snape pulled back inside and closed the window.
"Hey, Severus."
The compartment's sliding door opened, and Abbot stepped in, flopping down onto the seat opposite Snape.
"How was your summer?" Abbot asked casually. "I was bored to death! My dad insisted I read *Noble by Birth: A Wizard's Genealogy* and take notes."
"Exceedingly eventful," Snape replied briefly, a smirk playing on his lips.
"What do you mean?" Abbot looked up, intrigued. "You have to tell me!"
Snape cleared his throat slightly and, with a serious expression, told Abbot, "I went to fight You-Know-Who."
Abbot shivered, sitting up straight. He whispered in terror, "Don't say that name!"
"You're the one who asked me to," Snape said, leaning back comfortably in his seat. "Fear won't solve anything."
"What's gotten into you?" Abbot asked, half annoyed, half surprised. "You didn't actually do anything dangerous, did you?"
Snape calmly replied, "Of course not, I don't have that kind of power. But not saying his name won't make him show mercy, so why bother?"
"If I had that much courage, would I be sharing a dorm with you?" Abbot glared at Snape. "Let's play a game of Wizard Chess instead."
---
As they played Wizard Chess, the Hogwarts Express sped northward. They were flying past fields in the late summer, early autumn, and the scenery outside the window became increasingly desolate.
The sun climbed higher, and around one o'clock, a clattering noise echoed through the corridor. A plump, dimpled, smiling witch, pushing a trolley, arrived at their compartment door. She asked, "Anything off the trolley, dears?"
"My treat this time!" Snape exclaimed, standing up quickly. He pulled a heavy pouch from his pocket and set it on the table.
"Two of everything: Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Licorice Wands, Cauldron Cakes!"
Snape handed the witch a Galleon and received two Sickles in change, along with a mountain of various delicious treats.
After the witch slid the compartment door shut, Abbot looked at the bulging money bag, then at Snape, his face a strange mixture of expressions. He opened his mouth to say something.
"That's right, I robbed Gringotts this summer too," Snape cut him off, stopping his question before it was even asked.
Abbot rolled his eyes at Snape. "When did you get so utterly daft?"
"Ever since I noticed your peculiar feelings for Mary," Snape said, biting off the head of a Chocolate Frog and grinning at Abbot.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Abbot exclaimed, wide-eyed. "How can you slander me out of nowhere like that...?"
"Slander?" Snape said, twirling a lock of hair with his finger. "I saw you with my own eyes on the platform, doing just that—stroking your hair as you walked towards her. I even waved, and you didn't even acknowledge me."
Abbot's face turned crimson as he argued, "Can things between friends be considered 'peculiar'?"
Then followed a string of incomprehensible remarks, something about "good friends are like four-leaf clovers" and "life without friends is like losing sunshine," which sent Snape into fits of laughter, filling the compartment with a joyous atmosphere.
---
As the journey continued, the sky gradually darkened. Soon, the lights in the carriage corridor and on the luggage racks flickered on. Snape glanced out the window; he could already faintly make out Hogwarts nestled among the mountains and dense forests.
The train seemed to be slowing down.
"We should change, we're almost there."
He and Abbot took off their outer robes and changed into their black school robes. Snape's robe was just long enough to cover his shoes.
"The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be delivered to the school for you by the staff." The announcement echoed through the train.
Finally, the train pulled to a stop at Hogsmeade Station. They joined the stream of people in the corridor, jostling and pushing their way to the doors, then stepped down onto a dark, small platform.
"First Years, this way!"
Snape saw Hagrid's tall, broad figure. Hagrid was beckoning the first-year students to gather at one end of the platform. They would cross the lake in the traditional way.
At the other end of the platform, over a hundred carriages waited for the older students. This time, the carriages weren't empty in front. The Thestrals stood silently in the deepening night, their hollow white eyes gleaming as they watched the approaching crowd.
Even though Snape had mentally prepared himself, the sight of the Thestrals still surprised him a little. They were somewhat reptilian, with no flesh on their bodies, but from their shoulder blades protruded large, black, bat-like wings.
Snape and Abbot climbed into a carriage and closed the door. Immediately, the wheels beneath them began to rumble and bump. Hogwarts drew nearer and nearer.
A few moments later, the carriage rattled to a halt at the stone steps in front of the castle gates. They followed the crowd up the steps, through the Entrance Hall, and into the magnificent Great Hall, where the Start-of-Term Feast was held.
The ceiling of the Great Hall sparkled with stars. Candles floated in mid-air above the tables, casting a shimmering glow on the golden plates and goblets below.
By the Slytherin long table sat a gaunt ghost. He wore shackles, his robes stained with silver blood, his vacant eyes staring blankly ahead.
"Hello, Barrow. How did you get all that blood on you?" Snape asked, taking a seat opposite the Bloody Baron.
The Bloody Baron's gaze began to shift slowly, like a lens focusing on its target. He said to Snape in a hoarse, venomous voice, "Boy, that's none of your business!" With that, the Bloody Baron drifted away, vanishing into the darkness leading to the dungeons.
Snape watched his retreating figure thoughtfully, then turned his gaze to the Ravenclaw table. There, he didn't see the ghost of the Ravenclaw Tower. Thinking back, in the past five years, he had seen the Grey Lady only a handful of times. She seemed to rarely roam the castle.
Snape was so engrossed in recalling the tale of the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron's tumultuous love and hatred that he even missed the Sorting Ceremony. He only snapped back to attention when Dumbledore cleared his throat and began to speak.