Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 13 Back to School
A loud whistle rang out.

"I have to go up."

Snape hurriedly said goodbye to Erin, pulled his suitcase, and climbed onto the crimson Hogwarts Express.

He found an empty compartment near the back of the car, stuffed the suitcase into the corner, and then leaned out of the window to wave to Eileen.

Eileen was waving at him too.

As the train accelerated, she was left behind, her figure growing smaller and smaller in the thick smoke of the steam locomotive.

Snape didn't turn around and close the window until the train had rounded the bend.

"Hi, Severus."

The sliding door to the private room opened, and Abbott walked in, plopping down in the seat opposite Snape.

"How was your summer vacation?" Abbot asked casually. "I was so bored. My dad insisted that I read 'Born Noble: The Wizarding Genealogy' and take notes."

“Too much,” Snape replied curtly, grinning.

"What do you mean?" Abbott looked up with great interest. "Tell me about it."

Snape coughed lightly, his face serious, and said to Abbott, "I'll go fight Voldemort—"

"—Don't say that name!" Abbott shuddered, sat up abruptly, and whispered in alarm to stop Snape from speaking.

“You’re the one who told me to say this,” Snape said, leaning back comfortably in his chair. “Fear won’t solve anything.”

"What's wrong with you?" Abbott asked, half annoyed and half surprised. "You didn't actually do something dangerous, did you?"

Snape calmly replied, "No way, I don't have that ability. But not calling him by his name won't make him go easy on me, so why bother?"

“If I had that kind of courage, would I be sharing a dorm room with you?” Abbott glared at Snape. “Let’s play a game of wizard chess instead.”

While they played wizard chess, the Hogwarts Express traveled north.

They were speeding along the fields in late summer and early autumn, and the scenery outside the window was becoming increasingly desolate.

As the sun rose higher, around one o'clock, a rattling, clattering sound came from the corridor.

A smiling, dimpled, plump witch pushed a food cart to the door of their cubicle and asked:
"Honey, do you want to buy something nice to eat?"

"I'll do it this time!"

Snape jumped up, pulled a bag from his pocket, and slammed it down on the table.

"Two of everything: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frog, Pumpkin Pie, Licorice Wand, Crucible Cake!"

Snape handed the witch a Galleon and took the two Sickles as change, along with a whole bunch of delicious food.

After the witch closed the sliding door to the cubicle, Abbott looked at the bulging money bag with a strange expression, then at Snape.

He opened his mouth and made a small sound, as if he wanted to say something.

“That’s right, I even went to rob Gringotts during the summer vacation.” Snape preemptively cut off his question.

Abbott rolled his eyes at Snape: "When did you start acting so unreliable?"

“Ever since I discovered your special feelings for Mary,” Snape said, biting off the Chocolate Frog’s head and grinning at Albert.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Abbot said, his eyes wide. "How can you slander someone like this out of thin air..."

“What innocence?” Snape ran his fingers through his hair. “I just saw you walking toward her like this on the platform, and I greeted you, but you ignored me.”

Aibo blushed and argued, "Can things between friends be considered special?"

Then came a string of incomprehensible phrases, such as "good friends are like four-leaf clovers" and "life without friends is like life without sunshine," which made Snape chuckle and filled the cubicle with a cheerful atmosphere.

As the journey continued, darkness gradually fell. Behind us, the lights in the aisle and on the luggage racks came on.

Snape glanced out the window; he could already vaguely make out Hogwarts among the mountains and dense forests. The train seemed to slow down.

"We should change our clothes, we're almost there."

He and Abbott took off their outer garments and put on long black robes. His robes were just long enough to cover his shoes.

"The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train, and staff will take it to the school for you." The announcement echoed throughout the train.

Finally, the train stopped at Hogsmeade Station.

They pushed and shoved their way to the train door, following the flow of people in the aisle, and got off onto a dark and small platform.

"First-year students, follow me!"

Snape saw Hagrid's tall and broad figure.

Hagrid was beckoning the first-year students to come over from one end of the platform. They would be crossing the lake in the traditional way.

On the path at the other end of the platform, more than a hundred horse-drawn carriages were waiting for the older students.

This time, the area in front of the carriage was no longer empty.

The Thestral stood silently in the deepening darkness, its empty white eyes gleaming as it watched the approaching crowd.

Although Snape had prepared himself, Thestrals' appearance still surprised him.

They resemble reptiles, with no flesh on their bodies, but in the raised area between their shoulder bones grows a pair of large, black bat wings.

Snape and Abbott climbed into a carriage and closed the door.

Then, the wheels beneath him began to spin, bumping and jolting.

Hogwarts is getting closer.

A moment later, the carriage came to a stop, swaying and rattling, at the foot of the stone steps in front of the castle gate.

They followed the crowd up the stone steps, through the foyer, and into the magnificent auditorium. The opening banquet was to be held there.

The ceiling of the auditorium was adorned with twinkling stars.

Candles floated above the dining table, illuminating the golden plates and wine glasses on it, making them sparkle.

At the Slytherin table sat a gaunt ghost.

He wore shackles, his robe stained with silver blood, and his blank eyes stared empty ahead.

"Hello, Barrow. How did you get covered in blood?"

Snape sat down opposite Barrow the Blood Man.

Blood Man Barrow's gaze began to move slowly, like a focusing lens gradually aiming at its target.

He said to Snape in a hoarse voice, "Kid, this is none of your business!"

Having said that, the blood-man Barrow floated away and disappeared into the darkness leading to the basement.

Snape watched him leave thoughtfully, then turned his gaze to Ravenclaw's long table.

There, he did not see the ghost of the Ravenclaw Tower.

Looking back, he could count on one hand the number of times he had seen Lady Grey in the past five years. She seemed to rarely move around the castle.

Snape was so preoccupied with reminiscing about the love-hate relationship between Lady Grey and Barrow that he even missed the Sorting Ceremony.

He didn't come to his senses until Dumbledore cleared his throat and began to speak.

(End of this chapter)