Prologue: I Can Love
'All right, Snivillus?' said James Potter loudly.
His hand was inside his robes and his wand was half-way into the air when James Potter shouted 'Expelliarmus!'
Severus's wand flew 12 feet into the air and fell with a little thud on the grass behind him. Sirius Black let out a bark of laughter.
'Impedimenta!' he said, pointing his wand at Severus, who was knocked off his feet half -way through a dive for his own fallen wand.
Students all round had turned to watch. Some of them had got to their feet and were edging nearer. Some looked apprehensive, some entertained.
James Potter and Sirius Black advanced on him, wands raised, Potter glancing over his shoulder at the girls at the water's edge as he went. Pettigrew was on his feet now watching hungrily, edging around Lupin for a clearer view.
'How'd the exam go, Snivelly?' said Potter.
'I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment', Sirius Black said viciously, 'There'll be grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word.'
Several people watching laughed. Pettigrew sniggered shrilly. Severus tried to get up, but the jinx was still operating on him; he struggled, as though bound by invisible ropes.
'You-wait,' he panted, staring up at Potter with an expression of purest loathing, 'you- wait!'
'Wait for what?' said Sirius Black coolly. 'What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?'
Severus let out a stream of mixed swear words and hexes, but with his wand ten feet away nothing happened.
'Wash out your mouth,' said James Potter coldly. 'Scourgify!'
Pink soap bubbles streamed from Severus' mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him-
'Leave him ALONE!'
Potter and Black looked round. James Potter's free hand immediately jumped to his hair.
It was one of the girls from the lake edge. Thick, dark red hair fell to her shoulders, and startlingly green almond-shaped eyes.
All right, Evans?' said Potter, and the tone of his voice was suddenly pleasant, deeper more mature.
'Leave him alone,' Lily repeated. She was looking at Potter with every sign of great dislike. 'What's he done to you?'
'Well,' said Potter, appearing to deliberate the point, 'It's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean...'
Many of the surrounding students laughed, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew included, but Lupin, still apparently intent on his book, didn't, and nor did Lily.
'You think you're funny,' she said coldly, 'But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone.'
'I will if you go out with me Evans,' said James Potter quickly. 'Go on...go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again,'
'I wouldn't go out with you if it was the choice between you and the Giant Squid,' said Lily.
'Bad Luck, Prongs,' said Sirius briskly, and turned back to Severus. 'OI!'
But too late, Severus had directed his wand straight at Potter; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James Potter's face, spattering his robes with blood. Potter whirled about; a second flash of light later, Severus was hanging upside-down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants.
Many people in the small crowd cheered; Black, Potter and Pettigrew roared with laughter.
Lily's furious expression twitched for an instant, as though she was going to smile, 'Let him down!'
'Certainly,' said Potter and he jerked his wand upwards; Severus fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius Black said, 'Petrificus Totalus!' and Severus keeled over again as rigid as a board.
'LEAVE HIM ALONE!' Lily shouted. She had her own wand out now. Potter and Black eyed it warily.
'Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you,' said Potter earnestly.
'Take the curse off him then!'
James Potter sighed deeply, then turned to Severus and muttered the counter-curse.
'There you go,' he said as Severus struggled to his feet. 'You're lucky Evans was here, Snivillus –'
'I don't need help from…from…from anyone!' He turned and marched away angrily.
"Severus!" Lily called after him. She shot Potter an angry glare and ran after Snape.
October 30, 1981
All my life there has been hatred. Starting with my father then it continued to the rest of the world. Hatred is awful to live with because it eats at you from the inside out and makes everything beautiful ugly. You because tangled in it until you almost suffocate. But in my darkness I found a light. From then on I have fought to reach it and escape the hatred. For so long it was out of my reach, an inch from my outstretched fingers. I finally reached it. It has changed me forever.
I smiled softly as despite the war raging outside of my happy circle. I gazed at my beautiful red-haired wife and my dark haired son in her arms. She whispered a lullaby in his ear. His emerald eyes so much like his mother's slowly closed. She had insisted on the name Harry so Harry it was.
She looked up at me and smiled. "What could you be daydreaming about Severus?"
A/N: I am not sure if I have Snape's worst memory completely correct but in bold is what I changed. I have nothing against James. I love him with all my heart and I love the original story but this one is all mine. :)
Chapter Song: She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5 (because he always loved her but she always belonged to someone else.)
Quote in the chapter title: The Half blood Prince, Chapter 23, Paragraph 141