A Serpent Among the Eagles

Chapter Four - Train?

  Lily's birthday came, but she didn't expect anything. She got up and went about her daily routine, showering, brushing her hair... making her scar disappear. Afterwards, she went downstairs and was unsurprised to see her father sitting in his favorite chair, silently facing the empty fireplace. What did surprise her was what was sitting on the mantle above the fireplace... A beautiful short-eared owl turned her georgeous amber eyes to her and hooted at her.

  "Father..."

  "Good morning, Lily."

  "Good morning, Father... Where did the owl come from?"

  He laughed, a calm, deep laugh that he didn't often let slip. "Lily, what do you think my errands were in Diagon Alley? I have never before left you to do other things, have I?"

  She didn't take her eyes off the owl as she shook her head. However, when she spoke, she finally turned to her father. "But... It's been nearly a month... How...?"

  He simply shook his head and smiled.

  "Happy birthday, Lily." He held out his hand, and she took the slip of paper inside... and gasped.

  It was her ticket for the Hogwarts Express.

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  The next month went quickly. Lily was at Hogwarts with her father, but she knew that this time she wasn't staying, but returning. For a splendid few hours she could pretend that she was any other student, pretend that she wasn't the daughter of the most hated teacher at Hogwarts. Perhaps even make a few friends..

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  The two of them made it onto the platform easily, though Lily had been a little nervous, running straight into a metal barrier.

  She found that she was the first student here, which was good, since Lily wanted to meet a few people before they knew who her father was.

  Suddenly she heard a cold drawl behind them. "Why Severus, what are you doing here?"

  Severus turned to see who it was, as did Lily.

  A man with silvery-blonde hair stood there, behind a boy who looked remarkably like himself.

  "Lucius," said Lily's father with a bit of a smile. "I believe it would be obvious what I am doing here..." He motioned at Lily.

  "Severus, you never told me you had a daughter!" said Lucius with an air of surprise.

  He nodded as he introduced Lily to Mister Lucius Malfoy, an old school friend, then Mr. Malfoy introduced them to his son, Draco.

  "Lucius, not to be rude, but I must be going..."

  "Of course, in fact I should go as well, I must get to the Ministry..."

  With that, both men Disapparated.

  "Want to find a compartment together?"

  Lily thought that, quite frankly, she'd rather not share a comparment with him, a pureblood maniac, among other things... She definately didn't like him. But a friendship with him could be useful in the future, so she decided to use him to her advantage.

  "Sure," she said, shuddering inwardly at the thought of sitting next to him.

  They soon found a seat, as they were the first students to arrive. They talked, Lily hating him more and more by the minute. Before long, the were joined by two other boys called Crabbe and Goyle, and the topic turned to blood status. Draco was a purebood, no surprise there,  Crabbe was also a pureblood, and Goyle seemed to be a three-quater blood.

  "What about you, Lily?"

  "I - uh, need to use the restroom." She left quickly, bumping into someone yelling "Harry Potter's here! On the train!" She ignored him and went to the restroom.

  The truth was, Lily had no idea what her blood status was. She knew her father was a halfblood at the least, otherwise no Malfoy would have ever associated with him, but she had never known her mother, nor her mother's blood status. Severus never talked about her, so for all Lily knew, her mother could have been Muggle-born, or even a Muggle.... Not that she cared, but she knew that wouldn't help her in the long run.

  She left the restroom, and had made it back to the compartment... at the same time as Draco.

  "Potter's gonna pay for that. No one talks to me like that." Goyle was holding his hand as if he were in pain, and she could see a tiny bite mark on his finger.

  "What is it, Draco?"

  "The great Harry Potter isn't as great as everyone thinks," he said angrily. "No sense whatsoever, doesn't even care about blood status... He's sitting with a blood traitor Weasley!"

  Lily's mind whirled. If she could convince him... that would serve the dual purpose of meeting Harry Potter, and getting her away from Draco.

  "Draco... I have an idea... what if I tried to get into his circle? I doubt there'd be any news now, but perhaps, in later years, I could be a valuable asset to you..."

  She could see his mind spinning.

  "Alright," he said. "That's a good idea..."

  "Great! Look, around them I might say things about you and this group -" - she motioned at Crabbe and Goyle - "- that I don't mean." She was thinking swiftly, lying through her teeth. "But if I constantly tell him how, erm... highly I think of you, he might begin to suspect..."

  "Of course," he replied, grinning.

  She smiled and left, soon finding herself outside the compartment that Harry Potter sat in. She opened the door.

  "Mind if I join you?"

  The redhead boy looked up, but Lily kept her eyes on the one with the black hair and green eyes. Harry Potter.

  "Sure," he said, smiling.

  She sat next to him. "Finally away from that dunderhead."

  "Who?" asked the redhead with his mouth full of pumpkin pasty.

  She rolled her eyes. "Draco Malfoy."

  The boy spewed his pasty all over her.

  "Eww. Thanks, Weasley."

  She was cleaning herself by magic when Harry asked her how she knew Malfoy.

  "The son of an old school friend of my father's," she replied. "And we were the first on the train."

  "It's Ron," piped in the redhead.

  She nodded and turned back to Harry. It startled her how... familiar those green eyes looked. "I'm sorry, I don't think I've introduced myself. I'm Lily. I know who you are, of course."

  "Do you have a last name, Lily?"

  She turned away. "I do, but... you'll find out soon enough."

  Lily found soon that Harry was much like her, and hoped that they could be close friends.

  But when he meets Father...

  I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. She thought this as the train pulled into the station, as she followed the voice calling "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!", and as she rowed across the lake in a boat with Draco and his gang.