Upon returning home with their new wands, Snape found his temples throbbing as he stared at the bright red banner hanging above the dining table.
"Heartfelt Congratulations, Severus and Lily, Elected Head Students," read the banner in flamboyant golden script, with tiny, shimmering stars twinkling around each letter.
With a flick of Eileen's wand, the stars on the banner burst, transforming into countless small fireworks that rained down on Snape and Lily.
"For Merlin's sake," Snape exclaimed, brushing the glitter from his shoulders, "this is far too much!"
"This is a grand celebration!" Eileen declared, directing a silver teapot to pour him a steaming cup of tea. "Tomorrow, I plan to invite the neighbours over."
After dozens of Snape's protests, Eileen reluctantly agreed to take down the banner before the neighbours arrived. However, she still insisted he wear his badge as a condition.
Throughout August, Snape was caught in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.
He felt that the summer holiday was slipping away too quickly, and in a way, he dreaded returning to Hogwarts. This reunion meant the countdown to farewell had begun.
Though he might remain at the school in another capacity – perhaps as a professor – the end of his student days still left a bittersweet taste.
On the first of September, a week-long downpour continued to drum against the windows, casting a gloomy, end-of-holiday pall over the house.
Snape quietly took his seat at the table. The sound of the rain outside, mingled with the sizzle of Eileen's frying pan, created a strange sense of peace.
He wished this moment could last just a little longer.
"Aren't you going to Apparate directly to the Hogwarts gates?" Eileen suddenly asked towards the end of their brunch. "That way you could stay home a bit longer."
"It's our last year," Snape said, putting down his pumpkin juice and pausing. "There's no need to save a bit of time now. We'll just Apparate near King's Cross Station."
"This time next year, who knows where we'll be," Lily murmured, a clear sadness in her voice. "If only we could go back to when we were eleven, if I hadn't boarded that train then..."
Back then, Mr. and Mrs. Evans and Petunia had seen her off at King's Cross.
For a moment, all three fell silent.
Lily's words sent Snape's thoughts back to that distant time: Lily's eyes sparkling when she first saw the Hogwarts Express, Petunia's sharp taunts on the platform. Even though he was an entirely different person then, those memories remained vividly preserved in his mind.
The good thing, he thought, was that these memories didn't need to be seen by a certain scar-headed boy.
"Come along," Eileen finally broke the silence, waving her wand as the plates marched in formation towards the sink. "It's about time we left."
In the blink of an eye, they passed through a solid metal wall and found themselves on Platform 9¾.
Looking up, a gleaming scarlet steam engine stood on the tracks, puffing smoke.
The platform was more crowded than Snape remembered it ever being, bustling with students and the witches and wizards who had come to see their children off. Cats mewled in their owners' arms, owls flapped in their cages, and a few toads croaked.
Snape's gaze drifted to the other end of the platform – Sirius was leaning nonchalantly against a carriage, his long black hair billowing in the white steam. Beside him was James, constantly trying to tame his messy hair, along with James's parents.
To his own surprise, in such a setting, seeing his sworn enemies now, a fleeting sense of familiarity welled up within him.
Of course, Snape didn't believe that James, upon seeing Lily standing beside him, would feel any pleasure, unless he harboured some peculiar inclination.
Stepping onto the train, Snape instinctively headed towards the last carriage.
Before he even reached the door, he heard Abbott's exaggerated voice from inside.
"You really passed twelve O.W.L.s, Barty! You simply must help me with my N.E.W.T.s this year!"
Pushing open the sliding door, Snape saw Pandora sitting by the window. Sunlight, filtering through the clouds and glass, cast a mead-like glow on her newly trimmed golden hair.
Over the summer, Pandora's golden hair seemed softer than usual. The carrot earrings she usually wore had been replaced by a pair of pure silver Diricawl-shaped earrings, glinting in the sunlight.
"Severus." Pandora turned her head, a faint smile playing on her lips, her light eyes brightening slightly as she saw him.
She raised a hand, gesturing for Snape to sit down.
Snape noticed that Pandora was wearing the opal bracelet he had given her last year on her right wrist. At the time, he had spent a whole month poring over ancient texts in the library to find the old technique for combining opal with protective charms.
When he gave it to her, the bracelet had been rather rough, but now the carved patterns on it were exquisitely smooth, with no trace of roughness remaining.
Just as Snape was about to naturally sit beside her, the compartment door opened again.
"Severus," Lily stood in the doorway, her shining Head Girl badge pinned to her chest, her red hair falling lightly over her shoulders. "I think you've forgotten you're Head Boy."
Snape's heart gave a sudden thump, and his knee knocked against the small table. As he fumbled to stand up, he heard Pandora let out a soft chuckle.
"We should be in the Head Students and Prefects' compartment," Lily continued, her gaze lingering on Pandora for half a second. "The prefects will be coming there shortly, waiting for instructions from the Head Students."
"Oh, I've never been a prefect," Snape said dryly, feeling his ears grow warm. "I mean, of course, we'll go now."
"Right, well then—" he said, casting a nervous, darting glance around the compartment. Barty was observing the scene with keen interest, and Abbott was desperately trying to suppress his laughter. "Alright, then I—I suppose I won't be staying there the whole journey. We'll see you later."
"Wait," Pandora suddenly stood up, pulling a handkerchief embroidered with strange runes from her pocket. "Severus, you've got something on your nose."
"What?" Snape asked, bewildered, instinctively touching his nose.
Before he could react, Pandora leaned closer and gently wiped the tip of his nose.
"Oh, right," Snape said, feeling the temperature in the compartment rise by at least ten degrees. "Thank you, Pandora. See you later."
After hastily escaping the compartment, he could still hear Abbott erupting into laughter inside.
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