"Shut up, Snape!"
Sirius slapped the Daily Prophet onto the table and sprang up, standing in front of Snape.
The werewolf curled up in the front-page photo seemed startled by the sudden movement, its ears twitching uneasily.
"Oh, it's our dear Padfoot," Snape took a step closer, leaning in to whisper near Sirius's ear. "I wonder if you still have that little crystal vial I gave you before. I've always felt you might have a use for it."
"Get away from me," Sirius frowned, stepping back. "If you're looking for trouble, we're ready for it."
"No, no, not at all," Snape waved a dismissive hand, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles on his robes with the other. "I'm the Head Boy, you know, and keeping order is my duty."
"Then get out!" James finally exploded, his wand pointed directly at Snape.
"Look at you, still so hot-headed." Snape gently pushed aside the wand, his eyes fixed on James's lips to prevent a sudden attack. "I was merely on patrol and overheard your conversation."
At that moment, Snape spotted Lupin at one end of the carriage.
Lupin clearly saw Snape standing by the compartment door. He quickly rushed in, stepping between James and Snape. "Calm down, James," Lupin's voice was weary.
Snape's gaze fell back to the newspaper.
"Damocles has invented quite a thing, his Order of Merlin is certainly well-deserved, wouldn't you agree?"
He pointed a finger at the wizard in the newspaper photo, who was adorned with an exquisite medal and holding a smoking goblet.
"I imagine it could largely solve your friend's 'little furry problem'," Snape hinted, casting a meaningful glance at Lupin.
"What's it to you?" James snarled, trying to get around Lupin.
"Indeed, what is it to me?" Snape pretended to ponder for a moment. "Potter, given your performance in Potions, even the smallest furry problem will just continue to be a problem for you."
He deliberately turned as if to leave, then spun back as if remembering something.
"Oh, right, I'm off to meet the new Head Girl. We'll be having a grand chat about this year's work in the special compartment."
He paused, watching James's face flush crimson. "Ah, it's been nearly half an hour since I last saw Miss Evans..."
A streak of red light suddenly broke past Lupin's obstruction.
Snape instinctively ducked his head. The spell grazed his ear and exploded, leaving a small hole in the carriage ceiling.
"Detention, Potter," Snape lazily waved his wand. "Reparo!" The damaged carriage ceiling instantly mended itself.
He then turned to face the compartment. "Starting tomorrow, for a week, let me think... perhaps the Forbidden Forest?"
"No," he shook his head, "Mr. Filch's office would suit you better, I imagine he'd be delighted to have a helper. See you around, Potter. You'd best behave yourself, because I'll be following you like a 'stag,' watching to see if you dare step out of line."
"Get out!" Sirius shoved Snape out of the compartment and slammed the door shut.
In the last moment before the door closed, Snape saw James furiously throw his wand to the floor, while Lupin held his shoulder, speaking to him.
He turned and walked away, softly humming the tune of "Potter, that little idiot, he can't even cast a proper spell," as he returned to the Head Students' compartment.
Pushing open the sliding door, he found Lily already inside, holding a copy of the Daily Prophet.
"Everything go smoothly?" she looked up at Snape and asked.
"Very smoothly," Snape said, pointing to the newspaper in Lily's hand. "Oh, and an added bonus, there's a piece in there about Mr. Damocles inventing the Wolfsbane Potion."
"Hmm?" Lily looked at him.
"Oh, you know," Snape said, "we learned how to identify werewolf signs in third year. I used to do some foolish things, but now, I want to be a good person. As two of Professor Slughorn's best students, perhaps we can do something for a certain fellow student."
"We can wait for the new issue of Practical Potions Master; it'll have the complete recipe," Lily nodded gently. "There's nothing else to do until the train arrives, Severus, you can go back to your friends."
"Are you coming with me, Lily?" The words were out before Snape could regret them.
Lily stared at him for a few seconds before speaking. "No, I'm going to find Mary. Remember to help Hagrid organize the first-years when we arrive."
When he returned to Pandora's compartment, the food trolley had already passed by, and the table was piled high with various treats. His friends were busy exchanging Chocolate Frog cards.
"Give me one," Snape said, grabbing a Chocolate Frog from the table and slumping into the seat beside Pandora.
He tore open the wrapper, bit off the frog's head, and glanced at the card in his hand. "Here, Abbott, for you. Ptolemy, the astrologer. Isn't that the last one you needed?"
"Wow, Severus," Abbott exclaimed, taking the card joyfully. "What luck you have! Now I can go redeem my prize from Mr. Flume – a whole year's supply of new treats from Honeydukes and a free trip to France!"
"You're welcome," Snape mumbled, picking up a pumpkin pasty. "You're not short on Galleons anyway."
"It's not the same, is it?" Abbott chuckled, tucking the card into his robes. "I'm going to write to the Daily Prophet and tell them I've completed my collection. Some people even said Honeydukes hadn't made all the cards!"
The train continued its journey north, and the rain began to beat violently against the windows once more.
The sky grew darker and darker, and the lights in the compartment automatically flickered on. The outline of Hogwarts appeared in the distance.
Finally, the train slowly decelerated, and the sound of hurried footsteps and dragging luggage filled the corridor.
Snape stood up to straighten his robes; as Head Boy, he needed to help manage the disembarkation.
Opening the carriage door, thunder rumbled in the sky. In the pouring rain, he and Lily helped Hagrid calm the first-year students.
"Firs' years over here—"
Hagrid bellowed, but his voice was still swallowed by the drumming rain.
"Hagrid," Snape said, pulling on his cloak and walking over to Hagrid, pointing his wand at Hagrid's throat. "Sonorus!"
"Firs' years—" Hagrid's voice suddenly boomed, startling a few nearby first-years who nearly fell over. He quickly lowered his volume. "Oh, thank you, Severus."
After confirming all the first-years were present, Hagrid looked worriedly towards the Black Lake. "Oh, rotten weather. Could you two help me watch over a few of the boats?"
"Alright," seeing the torrential rain pouring down like buckets of cold water, Snape and Lily exchanged a glance and agreed to help Hagrid.
Lily pulled out her wand, lightly tapped their clothes, and said, "Impervius!"
"Brilliant!" Snape said, gesturing for the first-years to follow him towards the nearest boat.
The poor first-years were already dazed by the rain, some even swaying with their mouths agape in the downpour.
"If we don't drown," Snape shouted to Lily, "I'll see you at the feast!"
As the small boats sailed into the middle of the lake, the storm reached its peak. A bolt of lightning struck, illuminating the churning waves ahead. Before Snape could even warn them, a mountain-like wave crashed down on the boat.
The fierce wind tore at the surface of the Black Lake. Behind Snape, four first-years clung tightly to the boat's side, their faces etched with terror.
"Hold on!" he roared, his voice almost swallowed by the howling wind.
The boat lurched upward, almost vertical to the lake's surface, then crashed down again, spray drenching everyone.
A small wizard let out a shriek, his tiny body flung towards the edge of the boat.
"Help—" His cry was cut short as a massive wave swept him from the boat, disappearing into the dark lake water.
"Blast it all—" Snape cursed, quickly pointing his wand at his face. "Bubble-Head Charm!" He was quite skilled with this spell; it was a pity there was no Triwizard Tournament for him to show off.
A transparent bubble immediately encased his head. He took a deep breath and plunged into the tumultuous lake.
The icy water instantly swallowed him. Snape waved his wand: "Lumos!"
His wand tip glowed, but the light only illuminated a few feet in the murky water.
He struggled to dive deeper, hearing only his own ragged breathing and the gurgle of the water.
Suddenly, a blurred figure flashed across his peripheral vision.
Snape spun around, his wand pointed straight ahead.
In the faint light, he saw silvery-green scales shimmering in the darkness.
Merpeople, and not just one – at least five or six – holding spears, thrashing their thick, powerful silver tails in the water, swimming swiftly towards him.
Their skin was iron-grey, their dark green hair wild; their eyes were yellow, as were their jagged teeth; and they wore necklaces of pebbles strung on thick cords.
"Don't come closer!" Snape tried to shout, but his voice became a muffled gurgle in the bubble.
He tightened his grip on his wand, ready to cast a spell – but just then, the leading merperson, a male with a long green beard and a short necklace made of shark's teeth, suddenly changed direction and dived downwards.
Snape followed his gaze. In the deeper water, a small figure was slowly sinking.
The boy was no longer struggling, his limbs loosely spread, tiny bubbles continuously rising from his mouth.
The merpeople quickly surrounded the sinking boy, using their strong arms to support him and push him towards Snape.
Snape took the boy – whose face was pale and lips blue – immediately cast a Bubble-Head Charm on him, followed quickly by a Reviving Charm.
The boy coughed violently inside the bubble, expelling a stream of water, then began to breathe weakly.
Snape turned to the merpeople, holding his wand against his chest, making a gesture he'd learned from the complete Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: circling his right hand over his heart, then spreading it outwards – the merpeople's sign for "thank you."
The merperson leader tilted his head, revealing sharp teeth, then led his companions into the dark depths.
Snape held the boy with one arm and propelled himself with the other, struggling to swim to the surface.
"Splash!" As the two broke through the lake's surface, another lightning bolt illuminated the entire lake.
Snape gasped for air, looking around, and found the nearest small boat just a few yards away.
Lily stood at the bow, her wand held high, its light illuminating the surrounding water.
"Severus! Over here!" she shouted.
Snape struggled to swim towards the boat.
The other students in the boat haphazardly pulled them aboard.
"Is he alright?" Lily asked anxiously, immediately checking the boy's condition.
"Just swallowed some water," Snape gasped, dispelling the bubble from his head. "And the merpeople—they were a great help."
The boat fleet continued onward. Finally, the silhouette of Hogwarts Castle appeared ahead.
As they stumbled onto the lake shore, Hagrid's enormous figure burst out of the rain, water dripping from his beard, and his black, beetle-like eyes filled with worry.
"Thank Merlin you're all alright!" he said, patting Snape's back with his huge hand, nearly knocking him into the mud. "How's the little fellow?"
The young wizard had regained consciousness; though still trembling, his face looked much better.
"Alright, children, quickly, get inside and warm up!" Hagrid said, helping the remaining students ashore. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to begin."
Their footsteps splashed as they hurried up the stone steps.
"Oh, I can't imagine ferrying across the lake in this weather," Snape said, magically drying the first-years' robes. "Outdated traditions and peculiar stubbornness."
"Aha!" A large red balloon full of water fell from the ceiling and burst above the first-years' heads.
The young wizards were drenched again, stumbling and falling to the ground. People around them shrieked and pushed against each other.
Snape looked up and saw Peeves, the mischievous poltergeist, floating more than ten feet above them. He wore a bell-adorned hat, an orange-red bow tie, and held another water balloon.
"Peeves!" Snape shouted furiously, pulling out his wand. "Get down here!"
Peeves cackled, holding up another water balloon. "They're already wet anyway, aren't they? Hey, you little squirts! Take this!"
Snape immediately raised his wand, pointing it directly at Peeves. "Waddiwasi! Langlock!"
Whoosh! The burst balloon flew like a bullet from the ground, shooting up Peeves's nostril; then, his throat was sealed.
Peeves let out a squeak, did a somersault in the air, dropped the balloon, and flew away, flailing his arms.
Just then, Professor McGonagall hurried over, gave Peeves a look of disgust, and led the first-years through the Entrance Hall and into the Great Hall.
The Great Hall was as magnificent as ever, specially decorated for the start-of-term feast. Hundreds of candles floated in mid-air, illuminating the four crowded House tables.
Snape looked towards the staff table. Except for Professor McGonagall's and the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's seats, the other teachers were already seated.
Dumbledore sat in the central chair. When his gaze met Snape's, he gave a slight nod.