Trouble on the Train
Chapter One
Angelina Lestrange looked out the window at the crowded platform full of parents waving tearful good-byes to their children. Her older brother, Rodolphus, had been responsible for seeing that she made the train, but as soon as they had passed through the barrier, he had taken off to go swap Chocolate Frog cards with his friends. Wouldn’t he be surprised when he found his prized card, Alberic Grunnion, missing?
Angelina smirked to herself and pulled the card Rodolphus had spent the summer goggling at out of her pocket. She didn’t collect cards herself, and she wondered over the appeal as she stared down at the blank frame. She briefly thought about shredding the thing, but changed her mind, as it would be more practical to sell it. However, the card’s fate was deferred for a later time, as at that moment the compartment door slid open and distracted Angelina. Slipping the card back into her pocket, Angelina lifted her gaze to the scrawny boy who had just entered.
His sand-blond hair was slightly disheveled, as if a departing parent had recently ruffled it affectionately. He bore other signs of having just received a loving good-bye, among which the most obvious was a slight smudge on his cheek where his mother must have kissed him, leaving a trace of pink lipstick on his freckled face. Without greeting her, he slipped into the seat kitty-corner to Angelina and proceeded to stare at his feet.
The silence continued as the train departed the station. Even when the landscape had changed into rolling hills and farmland neither had said a word; in fact, the sandy-haired boy had not even looked up from his shoes. The only part of him Angelina could see was a mop of shaggy blond hair, clean black robes of medium quality, and the hand“his right“that was resting on his knee. She stared at the hand as if it would some how tell her about her mysterious companion, but all it showed was a long scar that vanished under his sleeve. Angelina briefly wondered how he had acquired such a nasty scar, but soon dismissed it as the result of playing outside.
Angelina tried not to fidget, but could not help nervously fingering her wand. She wanted to say something to the boy but could not quite think of what. “Are you a Mudblood?” just didn’t sound like the right thing to say, yet how else was she suppose to find out if he was one? And if she did not find out, how was she supposed to know if she should talk to him or not? And if she didn’t talk to him, how was she to find out if she should talk to him?
Oh, she simply loathed meeting new people! Angelina never knew quite what to say. She willed her mind to think of something witty with which to break the oppressive silence but the more she thought, the harder it became to think of anything, and the longer the silence stretched, the greater the imperative to say something brilliant when she did speak became.
Finally, after much internal debate, she spoke.
“Lestrange.”
The word came out a little strangled, but the boy obviously still heard her as he glanced up fearfully.
“Pardon?” he half-whispered in a shaky voice.
“Angelina Lestrange,” Angelina stated, her voice stronger this time, more confident. She could feel the bounds of shyness loosening, freeing her tongue.
The boy across the compartment, however, still looked utterly consumed by fear. He stared blankly back at Angelina as if he expected the words to be curses instead of her name.
“Angelina Lestrange,” she repeated again, then added, “Traditionally, you now offer your name.”
She felt a surge of doubt. Maybe she had done something wrong. Maybe that was why he was looking at her so oddly.
“Oh,” the boy gasped, blushing, his sandy hair falling into his face as he glanced downward. “Remus. Remus Lupin.”
At those simple words, Angelina felt a surge of hope. Lupin. How many letters bearing that surname had she removed from incoming owls?
“Is your father Romulus?” she questioned breathlessly. Oh it would be too easy if he turned out to be a Pureblood.
“No,” the boy, Remus, said slowly, looking at her questioningly.
Angelina could feel her heart dropping.
“He’s my uncle,” he finished, and Angelina’s heart leaped again. “Why?” Remus asked suspiciously, looking frightened again as if she was about to discover his deepest secret.
He sure was a fearful flobberworm.
“He and my mother worked together,” Angelina explained and the boy’s fear once again melted from his face. In fact he even smiled. Taking heart, Angelina continued boldly, “They were sort of friends. Maybe we can be too? I’m Lena, by the way. No one but my father calls me Angelina.”
“Yeah,” Remus said excitedly. “Uh, I don’t have a nickname.”
“That’s fine,” Angelina said laughing. Then an awful thought struck her. What if his parents weren’t Purebloods after all? What if one was a Muggle?
“Uh, what are your parent’s jobs?” Angelina asked politely, trying to sound friendly rather than accusing.
“Oh, they both work for the Ministry. Nothing interesting. Not like Uncle Romulus. Does your mum invent charms too?” Remus asked excitedly.
Angelina felt her last bit of uneasiness slip away. His parents were wizards.
“She was interested in experimental magic,” Angelina replied vaguely.
“So, has your mum invented anything interesting? Uncle Romulus invented a special cheering charm. Some say it’s better than any drug! The Ministry even had to restrict its uses. Can you believe that?”
“Hum,” Angelina murmured. She had, of course, read about the Loopy Lupin Charm, though she hardly thought it complex magic. Wanting to change the subject, Angelina intended to ask if Remus had read a book Angelina had found particularly interesting involving the composition of spells, but the compartment door flew open with a bang before she had the chance.
“I don’t care what you say,” a girl with blood red hair ranted as she practically charged into the compartment, “it still doesn’t . . .”
She trailed off as she noticed Angelina and Remus.
“Oh, sorry. We didn't know anyone was in here," she said in explanation. “You don’t mind, do you?”
Remus Lupin was once again overcome with shyness, and seemed to be sinking back into his corner, so Angelina decided it was going to be up to her to respond.
“Sure,” she assented, a little grudgingly but there wasn’t really another option, as the girl already seemed to have decided it was all right to come in and was moving to the seat next to Angelina.
“I’m Lily Evans,” the red haired girl introduced herself as she sat down. “This is Severus ” he used to be my best friend.”
Lily’s words drew attention to the boy standing slouched in the doorway. He didn’t make any sign of acknowledgement as he slid the door shut behind him and slinked, shoulders stooped, into the compartment. He skulked over to the remaining seat by the window directly in front of Angelina, much like a nocturnal animal that had been forced to come out and face the light of day. His pasty skin certainly looked like it could do with a bit of sun.
Lily, on the other hand, was nicely tanned with a few freckles sprinkled over the bridge of her nose. Her eyes sparkled charmingly as she looked enquiringly at Angelina and Remus. Angelina remembered the words she had earlier spoken to Remus, “Traditionally, you now offer your name.” But this girl seemed much too polite to say such a thing, and merely smiled to encourage them to talk.
“I’m Angelina Lestrange, and this is Remus Lupin.”
“Lupin!” The girl cried excitedly. “Are you related to Romulus Lupin of the Looney Lupin Charm? I’ve read all about him in Charming Charmers.”
With that, the two launched into a long discussion about Romulus Lupin, leaving Angelina and Severus sitting awkwardly in silence. Once again Angelina felt her throat closing and her tongue growing awkward in her mouth.
Angelina's piercing gaze traveled over her new companion. She tried to catch his eyes, to see what he was thinking, but he kept them oddly averted. All she was left with to judge him by was his general appearance, which was not favorable. She saw a dark-eyed, brooding face framed by black hair that was too thin to be grown as long as it was without looking ratty. Despite his decidedly unattractive face, there was a certain air about him like that of the stately impersonal air of a royal child ” he was obviously very taken with himself. Angelina would have been tempted to jinx that self-satisfied expression off his face if it weren’t for the capable way his hand seemed to hold his wand. She’d have to watch this one, she decided; his spindly frame was deceiving. She would bet he knew some curses just as nasty as his unkempt hair.
On the other side of the compartment an equally thorough inspection of Angelina was taking place through half-lidded eyes. She was definitely one of those rich Purebloods; her robes practically screamed custom-made. Behind that doll’s face lurked a piranha, and at the slightest hint of Muggle blood, her teeth would shred him to pieces. It was hard to believe the tiny little girl across from him was really capable of anything more serious than a Bat-Bogey Hex. She reminded him of a porcelain doll he’d once seen in a toy store: her curly black hair falling in ringlets around a porcelain white face, her bright red glazed lips in sharp contrast. It was only the cold grey eyes that levelly appraised him, taking in his ragged robes, which hinted at the truth of his mother’s warnings.
Most likely she was no stranger to the Dark Arts; Pureblood families made sure that their children were well acquainted with such things long before their time at Hogwarts. It was fed to them with their mothers’ milk. The children of Purebloods grew up with a wand practically attached to their hand. Of course, some families abided by the rules against underage magic, but the older families thought themselves above such plebian restraints. By the time the Purebloods entered Hogwarts, their magical knowledge was way above that of most of the Muggle-borns, causing unfair advantages, according to some. Currently, the Wizengamot was in the middle of a trial to decide if regulations needed to be tightened. But in the mean time, Severus wasn’t going to fall prey to the Purebloods. He’d studied long and hard and could take whatever any of them threw at him; just let them try. Still, he thought, it wouldn’t hurt to try to be on their side; if he played his cards right, they might not ever know about his father.
"Snape," the boy said finally.
"Lestrange."
There was a strained silence between the two of them as Lily and Remus happily chattered on about the miracles of Florean Fortescue’s ice cream; again Angelina tried to catch Severus’ eyes. Again they shifted away. He was good. Angelina could not remember her father mentioning the surname “Snape” as an acceptable wizarding name. The boy’s robes were certainly second-hand, but that really didn’t signify anything. Many Pureblood wizards lived in genteel poverty because they were too proud to degrade themselves by working. As for his surname, Angelina hadn’t been paying much attention to her father. She now wished she had.
He and Lily Evans seemed to be friends, which hinted at both being from Wizarding families as few Mudbloods already had magic friend before Hogwarts. They might have met on the train, she supposed although, that seemed doubtful judging by the girl’s earlier statement that he was her former best friend. It was hardly likely they had become best friends and then estranged all in the course of an hour.
“So what house do you want to be in?” Angelina finally voiced. If the boy didn’t say Slytherin, she could always shun him for the rest of the ride.
“Slytherin,” the boy responded without raising his eyes from the floor.
“Oh, so you have family that was in Slytherin?” she asked, oh-so-causally.
“Yeah,” the boy replied.
"Me too,” Angelina gushed in relief. Visibly relaxing, Angelina smiled at the boy.
“You want to be in Slytherin?” Lily asked, emerging from her conversation with Remus to glance curiously as Angelina.
“Yes, of course,” Angelina said dismissively. “You don’t?”
“Uh,” Lily said looking confused, “I’m not sure. What about you Remus? Do you want to be in Slytherin?”
The boy’s face looked cloudy again. “I’ll probably be sorted there,” he grumbled glumly.
“Well, I definitely want to be,” Severus asserted.
“We know that,” Lily bit out. Her anger over whatever Severus had done was still apparent.
The whole compartment fell into a tense silence. Angelina and Lupin exchanged nervous glances while Lily glared daggers at Severus. The greasy-haired boy averted his gaze to stare down at Angelina’s feet, where a small grey kitten was emerging from under the seat.
“What's your kitten’s name?" Severus asked to break the silence, pointing at the cat that was now rubbing itself affectionately against the girl’s leg.
"Chloe, but she's not a kitten. I've had her as long as I can remember."
"Oh, how old are you?"
"I'm eleven. My birthday's March 22nd."
“I was also born in March!” Remus exclaimed excitedly.
"Mine’s January 9th. I'll be turning twelve," Severus boasted.
"My brother's in fifth year," Angelina said smugly.
"Slytherin?" Lily asked.
“What else? Everyone in my family who’s gone to Hogwarts has always been in Slytherin. Hasn’t yours?”
“No,” Lily admitted quietly. “I’m a Muggle-born.”
“Oh,” Angelina responded taken aback. “What about you?” she questioned, turning her gaze to Severus.
“My mum was Slytherin, but my father didn’t go to Hogwarts.”
“Oh, yes. My oldest brother, Rabastan, he goes to Durmstrang. Mother wanted to send me to Beauxbatons but…” here Angelina trailed off. "Well, I moved back to England to live with my father.”
“Where did you live before?” Remus asked, interested.
“My mother and I lived in Paris."
"Why?" Severus asked, curious.
"France is nicer than England," Angelina said haughtily.
"Why's it nicer?" Lily questioned, nettled. She had noted the way Angelina’s eyes had become dismissive when she had mentioned she was a Muggle-born. She had a feeling Severus had not been all together truthful when he’d said it did not matter if you were Muggle-born.
"It's much prettier and not nearly as dreary" Angelina retaliated, as if this was something Lily was personally responsible for.
"How do you know, if you live in France?" Lily fired back, not liking the tiny black-hair girl at all.
"I visit my father and brothers on holidays”they live here. Now I’m living with them. Where are you from Remus?" Angelina asked, trying to dismiss the subject.
Lily ignored her and asked, "Won't your mum get lonely in boring old Paris all by herself?"
"No, she's dead," Angelina coldly revealed.
The three other occupants of the compartment looked distinctly uncomfortable, but the awkward moment was cut short when the door slid open. Angelina’s cat jumped up and slipped out of the compartment without a backward glance just as a young witch wearing too much makeup peeked into the compartment.
"Snacks?"
Remus had reached into his robes and pulled out a sandwich. He had handed one half to Lily.
Angelina rose to leave. Noticing that Severus remained in his seat, she whispered conspiratorially, “Come on. I’ll nick us something.”
The sallow faced boy grinned in reply, and rose to follow her out to the cart. Unfortunately, as they neared the food, Severus bumped into someone exiting one of the other compartments.
"Sorry!" the two boys echoed.
However, as they stood, they looked at each other and recognition dawned.
“You!” Snape cried.
“James Potter at your service,” the boy said, giving a comical bow and winking at Angelina. “I’m a brave and gallant Gryffindor-to-be. Rescuing fair maidens such as yourself from the likes of old Snivellus here. Why don’t you come with me and leave Snivellus behind? The git wants to be in Slytherin.”
“Better than Gryffindor, where dwells the dead of head. Only an imbecile follows his heart instead of his brain,” Angelina fired back.
But before James Potter could defend his intelligence and intended house, another boy stepped out from the compartment behind him.
“I found the trick galleon, James! It’ll turn into a frog in her hand. Won’t that give . . .” the boy trailed off as he turned around from shutting the sliding door and saw Angelina.
Upon the appearance of this boy, Angelina had stepped out from behind Severus, her wand pointed at the new arrival.
"How's my little Angel doing?” the boy asked her, smiling casually as he too pulled out his wand. “It's been so long I thought I’d scared you away."
"You, Black? Scare me? You look like a puppy, and puppies just yap."
Severus smiled. It was true; the boy in front of them was tall with huge feet that he probably tripped on, just like a gangly puppy. The whole image was made almost uncanny by the shaggy black hair that fell messily into his eyes.
“Well, we’ll see if my yaps can produce a bite. I’ve been practicing for this all summer. I wanted it to be perfect for you,” the boy purred.
For a second the two just stood staring at each other. Black ended the checkmate by firing first. With a look of glee, Angelina retaliated.
For the moment, Severus and James were ignored as spells were fired rapidly through the air. The corridor became so thick with a cloudy grey fog that all Severus could make out was the occasional flash of blue and white light. Then the corridor finally cleared of smoke several minutes later and the other two other children were revealed. Severus expected there to be a few deformities, the most common side effects of amateur dueling, but what he got was considerably more impressive. Both of their appearances had changed, but not with the normal bout of polka dots or wobbling limbs; instead they had used Transfiguration to change one another. It was only partial Transfiguration, but that was impressive enough. Angelina was now sporting a pair of angel wings and halo, while Black appeared with a wagging tail and an engorged tongue lolling out of his mouth.
Angelina inspected herself with a look of feigned disappoint. “You’ve been practicing that all summer? It’s hardly inventive; you’ve been using that pun so long now it’s getting quite old. But I suppose the technique is better. I believe the halo is passable this time; what do you think Severus? I can’t see it.”
“Well, it would be adequate for a Mudblood.”
The boy flushed, and opened his mouth to retaliate, but whatever clever remark he had on his tongue was never discovered, as all he let out were two fierce barks.
Angelina smirked. “That was the brilliance of my trick. I actually made good use of my summer. Don’t know what you were doing.”
And with that, since the food cart had long since gone, Angelina turned sharply on her heel and headed back to her compartment, Severus following behind and trying not to grin