A/N - Written for the Quidditch League Round Six - Write a letter to someone you don't know very well, and using the prompts Old and Willing. I know that a lot of the time the capitalisations are a bit weird, but that was actually intentional as the italics are one sentence and normal is anther and they both interrupt each other. Hopefully it'll make more sense when you read it.

Dearest Snivellus,

James sat giggling to himself as he read the only two words on the otherwise blank piece of parchment. He traced spirals in the top right corner, joining together several drops of ink in his doodling, still chuckling slightly.

He drew a neat line through the words and began again.

Dear Snivelly,

recieved similar treatment. As did:

Snivellus Greasy,

and:

Slytherus Snape,

He scribbled out all of his false starts, pressing so hard that the parchment tore in places, and simply wrote:

Snape,

He sat back, smirking slightly – pleased with himself – as he read the opening to his letter.

It was probably time for a break, but he was willing – prepared even – to power through.

I know that I've treated you horribly over the years, which – you must admit – you had coming.

He glanced around the Gryffindor Common Room, spotting Lily reading quietly in an armchair near the fireplace. He looked back at what he'd wrote. With an expression usually reserved for an incredibly bad taste in your mouth, he scribbled out the second half of the sentence.

I'm not particularly sorry.

Another glance at Lily had him scribbling out the not, and – after a quick read-through of the sentence – he decided that he didn't like the way it sounded and crossed out the particularly as well.

Maybe if you weren't such a greasy git

He scribbled that out before he'd even had the chance to finish writing the sentence. He might as well save the ink.

Sirius

was similarly edited out. It was probably best to not go there.

Perhaps if you had been a better person,

after much deliberation he reluctantly changed the you to I.

then I could have seen past your vast differences

he changed your to our

and perhaps gotten to know you better

he imagined Lily would like that

then maybe, possibly, perhaps, though it's unlikely, we could have become friends.

He scribbled out though it's unlikely. After re-reading the sentence, he also crossed out possibly, perhaps. So far none of this letter was particularly truthful, but he no longer cared about that.

The blame lies entirely with you

damn it

with both of us,

he corrected

and I feel that if you had tried harder with your personal hygiene

he violently scribbled out the second half of the sentence

and I feel that if you had tried harder to be a decent human being

received the same treatment

and I feel that if you had tried harder to be the exact opposite of yourself

he threw his quill onto the table in frustration, uncaring that the move bent he feather and splattered ink across the clean surface of the wood.

After repeatedly banging his head on the table for two minutes straight – and remaining completely oblivious to the annoyed stares he was receiving from a large portion of his house mates – James picked up the now slightly damaged quill and crossed out his latest addition, replacing it with:

but I feel that re-hashing past differences will only help to bring about old feelings of anger and dislike.

He sat back, inordinately pleased with the last sentence. Yes, it was complete bullshit, but it was good bullshit.

And that won't benefit us at all in the future.

That sounded like something Lily would appreciate. He began a new paragraph.

I hope that we can put aside our differences

he had to admit, he was getting incredibly good at this

and move on from this point in our lives,

nodding to himself as he wrote, he began to put quill to parchment faster as his confidence increased

if not for ourselves then for

here he paused. It was so difficult to describe Lily. Words just did not do her justice. Especially not words that would be read by none other than Snivellus. He just didn't see why she would even want to be in the same room as him, let alone actually befriend the freak.

a girl very close to our hearts.

And now for the ending.

Your superior in every way

just seemed a bit much, and was quickly removed.

Your better

had similar connotations

The ideal man in which you should aspire to be

was also removed quite quickly. He didn't want Snape to be anything like him, but at least he knew not to go to Sirius when he needed help in such important matters.

He couldn't find Peter.

Remus' suggestion of just writing his name would have to do. It lacked any dramatic flair, but he was running on very limited resources.

He read through the letter once more; not quite happy with what he saw, but willing to admit that it wouldn't be getting better any time soon.

Sirius didn't even finish the first sentence before calling it crap, screwing the already battered parchment up into a ball, and throwing it at his head.

He still couldn't find Peter.

Remus gave him a slightly concerned look, but deemed it acceptable.

Snape,

I know that I've treated you horribly over the years. I'm sorry. Perhaps if I had been a better person, then I could have seen past our vast differences and perhaps gotten to know you better, then maybe we could have been friends. The blame lies with both of us, but I feel that re-hashing past differences will only help to bring about old feelings of anger and dislike. And that won't benefit us at all in the future.

I hope that we can put aside our differences, and move on from this point in our lives, if not for ourselves then for a girl very close to our hearts.

Potter.