"James Potter, don't do dangerous things with that trunk!" a stern female voice rang out.
Severus saw a kind-faced middle-aged woman walk up to him, offering an apologetic smile: "I'm so sorry, my son is really too naughty." Although her words were scolding her son, it wasn't hard to hear the doting tone in her voice.
"Severus, what happened?" Thomas had just entered and saw the scene, standing behind Severus.
"Nothing," Severus shook his head indifferently.
"James, apologize now," a middle-aged man was gently pushing a little boy over.
The boy seemed very reluctant, muttering, "Hey, Dad, I didn't know he'd suddenly appear there!"
Ignoring the man's somewhat bulging belly, the father and son looked very similar, especially their messy short hair.
"Is it strange for someone to come in through the platform entrance?" Thomas put a hand on Severus's shoulder, glancing at the unwilling James, who was pulling a red suitcase.
Thomas had seen this type of trunk in Diagon Alley; it was this year's latest model, and in addition to being dustproof, waterproof, and expandable, it also had a Summoning Charm magic circle, making it very expensive.
Euphemia Potter tugged on James's ear: "Did you hear that, James? Apologize now!"
"Mom, it hurts!" James exaggeratedly frowned, but his eyes sparkled with mischief. He knew his mother didn't really intend to pull hard.
"Thomas, let's go," Severus watched as the boy named James not only showed no remorse but also secretly made a face at him.
"This annoying fellow," Severus suppressed his displeasure. From the first moment he saw that boy, he found him very disagreeable and didn't want to get further entangled with this family.
Seeing Severus's somewhat impatient expression, Thomas nodded, and the two continued towards the carriage, leaving the Potter family behind.
"Mom, they're gone, you can let go of me now."
"James, you were so rude just now!"
"Alright, alright, dear, don't delay James's departure time..."
Although there weren't many people on the train yet, and there were empty carriages everywhere, Thomas and Severus tacitly pulled their trunks all the way to the last section of the train, and quickly found an empty compartment at the very end to sit in.
The two of them, with a mutual understanding, pulled out the books they hadn't finished reading from their respective pockets.
Thomas had drawn spatial magic circles on their trouser pockets, which he had learned from Salazar's 'Introduction to Runes.' The intricate patterns shimmered faintly in the dim light, allowing the seemingly small pockets to easily hold several thick books.
Before long, a loud whistle sounded, signaling that the train was about to depart.
The compartment was quiet, with only the sound of turning pages.
After the train had already started, two knocks suddenly came from outside the door.
"Come in," Thomas looked towards the door, which was gently pulled open.
Outside the door stood a slightly nervous round-faced boy. His soft brown curly hair clung to his slightly sweaty face, and his honey-colored big eyes revealed a hint of shyness and unease. The few small freckles on his face, far from detracting from his cuteness, added a touch of childlike innocence and friendliness.
Thomas felt as if the boy was a character who had stepped out of a warm pastoral painting, full of natural charm, easily inspiring goodwill.
"Hello, I... I..." The boy tried to speak several times but struggled to form a complete sentence, nervously clutching a very retro-style large travel bag in his hand.
Thomas noticed the gray wizard's robe he was wearing; although the fabric seemed high-quality, the style was very old-fashioned and clearly ill-fitting, with the hem dragging on the ground and showing much wear.
"You haven't found an empty compartment, have you? This compartment only has me and Severus, come in quickly."
"Mm-hmm!" The boy heard Thomas's friendly words and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He sat opposite Thomas and Severus: "Thank you! My name is Nils Green, and I'm a First-year Student at Hogwarts."
"My name is Thomas Snape, you can call me Thomas. This is my brother, and we are also First-year Students."
Hearing his name, Severus looked up from 'Advanced potion-Making': "I'm Severus."
Just as Thomas felt his demeanor was comfortable, Nils knocked on this compartment door because there was a power within the compartment that was very attractive to him—a 'good person' he could identify without needing to interact. After entering, he had already discovered this energy existed in Thomas, and the seemingly cold Severus was actually very friendly. The Wizarding World wasn't as terrifying as his family had said: "That's great, I really hope we can be sorted into the same House! I heard Hogwarts has four Houses, which one do you want to go to?"
"We..." Thomas had just opened his mouth when, accompanied by a harsh metallic scraping sound, the compartment door was roughly pulled open.
How rude! Severus, who had once again immersed himself in his book, was startled by the sudden noise and cast an annoyed glance towards the door.
Upon seeing who it was, his brows furrowed into a frown, a truly unwelcome guest had arrived.
Standing at the door was none other than the boy they had briefly encountered outside the station—James Potter.
James evidently recognized Thomas and Severus as well, and an annoyed expression appeared on his face.
He leaned slightly back and complained to a boy who was closely following him: "How unlucky. If the other compartments weren't full, I wouldn't want to sit here."
The boy behind him had glossy black curly hair, a distinctly chiseled face, a high nose bridge, and deep gray eyes that sparkled with a hint of cunning.
His demeanor was arrogant, his posture tall and agile, and his every movement wonderfully blended elegance with a free-spirited air, exuding an unspoken handsomeness and nobility.
Sirius impatiently pushed James Potter aside and entered the compartment first: "Alright, James! Get in already! If it weren't for you trying to flirt with girls, would we really not be able to find an empty compartment?! I certainly don't want to sit with those lunatics..."
Thomas ignored the two, having already picked up the book he had just put down and started reading again.
Severus glared at the two uninvited guests. Although he was filled with displeasure, he did not speak to stop them. After all, the Hogwarts Express wasn't his property, and the compartment was large, designed to accommodate at least eight students. He had no reason to prevent new students from entering a compartment that still had empty seats.
James remained in place, a smile on his face that Severus would often later call idiotic: "Sirius! I've never seen such a cute girl! I think I'm in love with her! I'm going to date her!"
Sirius rolled his eyes and plopped down in the empty seat next to Nils.
With a flick of his wand, the Levitation Charm magic circle on his trunk was activated, and the two large trunks wobbled as they flew onto the luggage rack above.
He glanced at Nils, who flinched like a small animal beside him, then turned his gaze to Thomas and Severus sitting opposite.
He knew all the pure-blood family heirs in the Wizarding World, and it was clear that this pair were twins from the Muggle World.
His gaze lingered on the strangely shaped snake-like bracelet on Thomas's hand. Suddenly, a chill ran through him; the snake's head on the bracelet actually moved, flicking its tongue at him!
Sirius's eyes were filled with disgust. These brothers must be evil Slytherin recruits... half-bloods? They wouldn't have a good end if they went to Slytherin... James had just walked in, and he looked at Nils's travel bag on the chair with disdain: "Why are you still using this kind of travel bag? It's so old-fashioned."
Nils's face flushed crimson, unsure of what to say.
Seeing this, Thomas put down his book and rolled his eyes at James: "This is a custom vintage model made of Horned Dragon hide, what does a little brat know!"
That seemingly cheap and old travel bag was actually made from the extremely precious Horned Dragon hide in the Wizarding World, making it quite valuable.
Horned Dragons are fierce magical creatures with exceptionally tough skin and unique physiological structures.
Their hides possess extremely high defensive capabilities, making them difficult to penetrate even with the most powerful spells.
If someone were to acquire such material, they would surely use it to craft defensive gear, not a travel bag.
James looked at Sirius in confusion. This time, Sirius carefully examined the travel bag and nodded: "He's right, it's Horned Dragon hide." His impression of Nils also changed; this First-year Student looked like a Hufflepuff coward, could he be a wolf in sheep's clothing?
Nils, facing Sirius's scrutinizing gaze, silently stood up.
Thomas understood and helped him put the bag on the luggage rack.
Nils gratefully nodded to Thomas, and this time he sat in the seat next to Thomas.
James took the opportunity to sit next to Sirius, propping his feet up and unashamedly changed the subject: "Were you just talking about sorting? Which House do you all want to go to? Gryffindor is the best House! I'm definitely going to be a Gryffindor!"
Although Nils didn't want to answer, after being stared at by James for a while, he gave in and whispered, "I want to go to Hufflepuff." Sirius raised an eyebrow, looking unconvinced.
"What about you two?" James looked at Thomas and Severus, who completely ignored him, determined to force a response from them.
Sirius let out a scoff: "James, why even ask? These two must be Slytherins." He gestured for James to look at the snake-shaped bracelet on Thomas's hand. Aegis, who had been ordered not to move, irritably flicked the tip of its tail slightly.
"Slytherins are all evil wizards!" James shouted, but then added: "You two really do suit Slytherin."
Severus couldn't take it anymore: "Are all Gryffindors good people? If you mean brainless Trolls are good people, then I agree with you."
Severus very much wanted to enter Slytherin House, not only because it was Eileen's House, but also because he greatly admired Salazar Slytherin. The knowledge recorded in 'Introduction to potions' was far more profound than all the potion books he had bought in Diagon Alley.
"Who are you calling a Troll?!" James stood up angrily... Just then, the compartment door was knocked on again.
The atmosphere instantly froze... "Come in," Thomas sighed, annoyed, wanting to change compartments.