Hello, there! So, this is Day 1 of a 365-day challenge that I heard about through AngelHeartObsession. Probably not gonna be able to write one a day, but sometimes I might write more than one, so... it's gonna be pretty not-that-regular. But I hope you enjoy the first one!

They say the first impression sticks to a person's brain like glue and doesn't go away easily, not even if they want it to. It's impressive how much it can destroy of a relationship, or delay its happening, or even make it never happen at all. If only things had gone a bit differently…

Oh, but they didn't. Nope. He just had to almost start a discussion with your best mate concerning the house they wanted to go to. Well, that's quite a ridiculous reason to keep him in the dark part of your brain for years and years – although he did earn that place. Maybe if he hadn't made up Severus's nickname that day, you would've given him a second chance.

But even if you had, he would have deeply disappointed you. Because James Potter was a stupid child back then, and you and Sev were the only ones who could see beyond his charm; that blasted, horridly enchanting charm of his. His words insulting the Slytherin house echoed in your ears, but not because you were fond of that house's kids; because, well, your friend was in it, and the way Potter had said it, like he was all superior and knew it all… So, so arrogant and irritating.

And he was irritating. Always pranking around and not giving a damn about his education, or rules, for that matter. It wasn't because he was rich that he could get a free pass. You ached to make sure of that. You tried, but he made you far too angry for you to make an inspiring speech. And even if you did, he wouldn't listen; just laugh it off with Black and walk away. You pitied Remus so much.

You were nice to Remus, because when you had met him, he had been kind and polite to you. To both of you. He had left a good impression on you, which only made you wonder, for years, why in the world he chose his friends so poorly.

Maybe you would have considered that, maybe, Potter and Black weren't so bad… maybe. After all, someone saw something on them and put up with them, and that someone was a nice person. But no. They were too arrogant. They thought they ruled the world. They thought they could treat people like that.

And the years passed. The very first thought you'd had when you'd met Potter – that he was incredibly spoiled and mean – remained in your mind, stuck on you, only being confirmed over and over again. It happened so often that, when it stopped being confirmed, you didn't notice. For you, he would always be a prat.

But then he wasn't one anymore, and you didn't accept it. I mean, look at he made Severus say. Sure, he was going to say it anyway, but that didn't excuse Potter from bullying him and finally making it happen.

"Morning, Evans," he said as he sat down next to you for breakfast. Immediately, you tensed and kept looking at your food, "What do you want?"

He hesitated. "I only said good morning. Why do you always assume I want something?"

"Because you always have second intentions, Potter, and I'm just not in the mood."

You would never interpret that moment of silence as him being honestly offended. Never would you have noticed how his tone changed after that and got more silent and serious. "Has it crossed your mind that I might just wanna start a nice conversation?"

You snorted. "You aren't capable of that. At least not with decent people. Now," you turned to him, "why don't you go sit with your friends and have a conversation with them or whatever you guys do during breakfast? Just leave me alone."

And, as he left, you completely missed how hurt he was and returned to your food. If he hadn't been such an idiot when you'd met, would you have noticed his misery? Would you have noticed how lately he lost that spark on his eyes every time you turned him down instead of just laughing it off? Would you have noticed how he sounded more sincere when he asked you out?

If you had, it would have given both of you more time together. Maybe you would've started dating on sixth year, and let's face it, one more year with him would have made a difference. Because you spent so little time by his side… Dying at twenty-one is very sad, indeed. And you only had him for a bit more than a seventh of your life. Very, very sad.

Maybe if you'd been properly introduced, you wouldn't have been so stubborn to accept that he only needed to grow up a bit; who knows, maybe you would have helped him become a better person faster.

And that's just how much a bad introduction can screw up your life.