We Wait for the Day
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all Harry Potter characters, and abuses them much more than I ever could.
A/N: This is merely written as a missing scene, as nothing is ever explained about James' sudden 180 degree turn to maturity before his seventh year.
"What have you done, Sirius?" James asked, his fingers clenched tightly within the folds of his best friend's robes. Panic, fear, and anger vied for his attention as he waited for the other boy's answer.
"It's just a prank," was the answer, but Sirius swallowed heavily at the unexpected flare of anger that burst into James' eyes. "I just told him how to get through the Whomping Willow, is all."
"A prank? A prank? Fooling with his books and school things are pranks, Sirius. Fooling with his life is not a prank!"
Sirius had never seen James so angry before, and he was sure that replying with, 'but it's just Snivellus' would not be a good idea right now. As it was, he didn't even see James release his robes with one hand, and draw back for the punch.
As he lay on the ground, jaw throbbing and tiny stars sparkling at the edge of his vision, he felt the ground vibrate as James ran off towards the dangerous tree.
Severus was sweating. He had pressed the knot on the willow to stop it from flailing angrily about, but as of yet hadn't gone any further. Why was he even here? Listening to anything that Sirius Black said was most likely bound to get him into trouble, but it galled him to think that if he backed away from this, that bastard would have one more reason to chant, 'Snivellus is a coward!' in front of his cronies.
Breathing deeply, he wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers and knelt, slowly crawling through the opening in the tree and down the dirty path. Eventually it grew wide and tall enough for him to stand up and he was able to walk normally.
The oppressive silence soon was broken by occasional snarls and scratching noises; when he reached a solid wooden door, his hand hovered nervously over the knob before he gathered himself up and pulled it open.
Had he been in a more philosophical state of mind – and perhaps not a teenager – he would later claim that his life flashed before his eyes, as something large, angry, and with very sharp claws leapt at the door before a hand that was not his own slammed it shut once more. A familiar body leaned against it.
"Potter," he spat out angrily, "I suppose you and Black thought that getting me killed would be a great joke?"
James was ashen-faced until those words, and then blood rushed up as anger filled his body. "You ungrateful—" his words were choked off in anger, and he could say nothing, so he grabbed Severus by the arm and practically dragged him from the tunnel.
Once they were clear of the Whomping Willow's range, James allowed his rage to bubble up, releasing his hold on Severus by tossing him unceremoniously to the ground. "I just saved your life and you have the nerve to accuse me of trying to kill you," his voice was low and filled with disgust and anger.
"It's because of your friend that you needed to save my life in the first place," Severus hissed back, climbing to his feet and attempting to nonchalantly brush dirt from his robes. It wasn't working too well as his hands shook with rage, fear, and disgust. He couldn't tell right now which emotion was strongest, though disgust was close to leading the pack.
He owed Potter now. No matter what the reason or justification was for the other boy's actions, he was right: He had saved Severus' life. His stomach roiled with the thought of this debt. A wizard debt was not like that of a Muggle's; there would be no breaking it, no escaping it. Until he had done something for Potter that equaled the saving of his own life, he would not be free.
"You won't speak of this to anyone," James said, and Severus realized, with a jolt, that the famed James Potter was practically begging him. That it was a request, not a demand, no matter how it had been phrased and uttered. "They'll kick him out if anyone finds out. And it's not his fault."
Slowly Severus put two and one together and got four. When Sirius had taunted him into going to the willow, Peter had been simpering behind him, and James had been in detention, but Remus had been nowhere.
"Lupin," was all Severus said, his lips curling into a sneer that he would grow to perfect with age.
"No one," James begged once more. He would be sure to take this out of Sirius' hide later, his having to beg Snivellus not to reveal one of his closest friend's secret, but the most important thing right now was that it remained a secret. Nothing else mattered.
Not his pride.
Nothing.
Severus was torn. He would have loved nothing more than to run and tell the world. It would have been righteous punishment. But while Remus had never stopped – or been able to stop – the other two, he wasn't a bad person. And to have him ostracized from the school and society at such an age wasn't something he really wanted on his conscience.
"Leave me alone. From now until the rest of school, I never want to see you or your friends anywhere near me," was his only reply before he turned his back on James Potter, for what he hoped was the last time.
James nearly collapsed in relief onto the muddy ground. Tonight had been a wake-up call, a slap to the face that had him grounded in reality. It was because of things like this that Lily Evans and Severus Snape looked at him and Sirius like they were nothing more than pieces of dirt beneath their shoes.
It was just sad that it had nearly taken the death of a classmate and the exposure of a dark secret to cause him to mature.
Life was funny like that.
-END-