Chapter 4:
Lions, eagles and badgers are warm-blooded animals; snakes alone are cold-blooded. But they are not the one-dimensional symbol of evil people often make them out to be. The ouroboros is the emblem of alchemy; the caduceus with two snakes and wings represents Hermes from Greek myth and stands for commerce, while the single-snake rod belongs to Asclepius, the healing god, and represents medicine. There are even Slytherin graduates working at St Mungo's.
Even if their manners are rude and their tempers poor, many Slytherins do achieve excellent results. A snake's shedding is seen as restoration and rebirth, and in some respects the snake is a fine mascot.
Pomona had a strong instinct that the sour, snide boy was very likely to be sorted into Slytherin, while the red-haired girl who accompanied him would go to Gryffindor. The red-haired girl was Muggle-born; today was her first time in Diagon Alley, and her Muggle parents were with her, treating everything about the wizarding world as if it were a tourist attraction.
Brashness is a hallmark of Gryffindor. Among the little group only the boy's mother carried any real responsibility — a pale, tired-looking witch who seemed worn by life. Earlier Pomona had met a Black who wanted Gryffindor at Madam Malkin's; now she found herself facing a Slytherin who could befriend a Gryffindor, and that "Mrs Snape" was dressed almost like a Muggle. In Grindelwald's day he argued wizards should rule Muggles; this witch seemed eager to forget she was a witch at all. Aside from being odd, Pomona could find no other word for the people she'd met today.
"Why are you following us?" Severus Snape hissed like a snake, trying to intimidate the two unworldly little badgers.
"Buying wands!" Pomona said firmly. "Everyone knows Ollivanders makes the best."
When Pomona saw Lily Evans's shopping cart piled high she knew their next stop must be Ollivanders. It wasn't an iron rule — people simply believed that a wand chosen when one was happy suited best — and shopping usually put people in good spirits. Although Lily's parents were not magical, they had dressed the part, and three adult "wizards" as escorts discouraged any unwelcome opportunists.
"Aren't you buying your school books this year, Pomona?" Lily asked warmly.
If you carried a lot of money, the sensible thing was to keep a low profile unless you were exceptionally capable; otherwise don't advertise your wealth — or bring along a bodyguard, ideally a half-giant, so no one on the street would dare trouble you.
Lily Evans was like fire; she wore her Hogwarts robes with innocence and goodness written all over her. People like her were easy prey for deception — luckily she had a good protector, so she remained blissfully unaware of danger.
Pomona felt almost as fortunate: she had Peter as a guardian and Mrs Sprout to care for her. The only difference was that she didn't have a complete family like Lily.
"I haven't decided where I'll go to school yet," Pomona answered honestly. "Maybe I won't study in Britain."
Lily looked astonished. "There are other schools besides Hogwarts?"
"Yes. There are many, but three are most famous in Europe. My father is French; perhaps I'll end up at Beauxbatons."
"Then you can get your wand in France," Lily said.
Pomona found Snape's behaviour hard to put into words; he seemed to dislike anyone interfering between him and Lily.
"You mentioned three schools. Besides Beauxbatons, which is the other?" Lily asked, curiosity plain on her face.
"There's Durmstrang — they only admit pure-blood students and tolerate the study of the Dark Arts. Grindelwald was a graduate of Durmstrang." Pomona left unsaid the thought that, among the three, Hogwarts had produced the least internationally celebrated graduates. Durmstrang sat in the far north of Scandinavia and most of the year was bitterly cold, forging hard characters; Beauxbatons, tucked in the Pyrenees, boasted breathtaking castles and lawns and was founded with funds from the alchemist Nicolas Flamel in legend. By contrast, Hogwarts relied on the fame of its three founders and on Dumbledore, the wizard who later defeated Grindelwald. Talent had dwindled across the magical world, which was why the arrival of that powerful Dark Lord drove the British aristocracy wild, dreaming of a new rise of the isles.
"Who is Grindelwald?" Lily asked, wide-eyed. Pomona glanced at Snape; he knitted his brow, clearly not telling her about the darker corners of the wizarding world.
A half-blood and a Muggle-born would have a harder time than Pomona in a school where Death Eaters lurked.
Every Hufflepuff must remember to do what is right simply because it is right; choice matters more than brute effort.
Pomona believed Lily had the right to choose. Being ordinary might be mediocre, but it could still lead to happiness and longevity. Snape's failure to warn Lily about the wizarding world's dangers and letting her blunder into a life she did not understand was irresponsible, even selfish. His odd temper suggested he had few friends; if Lily left, he would be alone at Hogwarts, isolated wherever he went. Making an ordinary girl bend herself to fit into a strange new world was unfair and could cost her her life — especially now, when Death Eaters were everywhere in the castle.
"He's a dark wizard," Pomona said. "He ruled the wizarding world for twenty years and was active across the globe. He hated Muggles and believed all Muggles should be destroyed."
Lily was clearly stunned by what she heard.
"Why would he think that? I mean, why?" she asked.
"Because he believed that if magic became visible again, witches and wizards would be persecuted by Muggles. We would be hunted by the Church in the way witches were in the Middle Ages. You and I would be the sort of witches they came to burn."
Lily covered her mouth in shock.
"Enough!" Snape snapped, stepping in front of Lily to shield her.
Pomona turned to Lily's parents. "You should know this. The wizarding world is novel and exciting, but Lily is not here to play. She will study, live and perhaps marry here; your lives will overlap less and less. The help you can offer will be limited. There are deep, old grudges between Muggles and wizards that cannot be healed by goodwill alone. Many witches were bound to stakes by folks like you — some were innocent and never used Dark Magic. Aside from Lily, do you have other children?"
"We have one," Mrs Evans said after a long pause. "She's Lily's sister."
"Then why isn't she here today?"
Mrs Evans fell silent.
"Parents often leave before their children. In the end a sister is what remains; if even she won't stand by Lily, who will?"
By then Pomona could see the sign of Ollivanders' wand shop ahead. She waved to the odd little group and tugged Peter toward the shabby little shop.
"You know," Peter said with a grin, "each house has its own ghost. Guess who Hufflepuff's ghost is?"
"The Fat Friar," Pomona replied, exasperated. "Mrs Sprout says he's the only one who ever saw the potential in Peeves. What potential could that rotten thing possibly have?"
"Oh, you'll have to ask him yourself when you get into Hogwarts." Peter ruffled Pomona's hair. "I'm looking forward to your arrival, junior."