Written for the QLFC. The topic was „Write a letter". As I'm the second beater, my letter was supposed to be written to a rival or enemy. I chose James Potter and Severus Snape.
Prompts:
2. (word) drag
5. (quote) "I always find it more difficult to say the things I mean than the things I don't" – W. Somerset Maughan
15. (word) willing
GO PUDDLES!
Enjoy reading! :D
I'm doing this for you, Lily
Dear Sniv—Severus,
Don't say anything, okay? I know that slimy, greasy head of yours must think 'What in Merlin's soppy underwear is wrong with that awesomely handsome man?' and I must say, I don't even know, either.
For my defence, it wasn't my idea. Lily bullied me into this. I would never do anything like that by choice. I know how you feel about me and you know how I feel about you. I've never particularly liked you and I probably never will. Although, I have to say, Lily is of a different opinion as she thinks that I should lower my, and I quote, 'overly huge and overly sexy ego' and just get a move on as I seem to be the only mature one between the two of us, but you know what? I know where she's coming from and I understand it, really, I do, but that doesn't mean that I have to agree with it.
So, why am I writing this letter, you ask yourself – just as I ask myself? I shall give you the answer.
It was kind of a shock, really. I was just going about my day, having a nice men talk with good old Sirius when my dear and amazingly scary wife – if you're reading this now, because you decided to check up on whether I actually wrote this letter or not, darling, I love you! You are the most beautiful and endearing human being I've ever met – marched into the sitting room and literally dragged me out of there, causing me to bump my shin against the low coffee table which hurt like hell – no offense, Lily Flower, you are a very gentle woman and I love you.
Once we were in the kitchen, I had to endure a thirty minute long speech, listing all the reasons why I should get on neutral terms with you and why I should also try to convince Sirius of that matter. She said Remus would be the only reasonable one, so he wouldn't need to be convinced since he has already worked with you as his colleague, which by the way is the reason, why my respect for him quadruplicated instantly.
Anyway, we had this talk – or rather, I listened, nodding dutifully and she talked – and I agreed to at least write you a letter. First, she wanted me to talk to you in person, but seriously? No. Sorry, but just no. I love her very much, but that I just can't do. That doesn't have to do anything with my ego or pride, it just won't ever happen, no matter whether you died doing what you did or not.
Which brings me to the very reason why I actually agreed to write this letter in the first place.
Lily and I saw what you've done these past couple of years and we saw how you've treated my son. And I have to say I hate you even more for it. You do know that Harry is not anything like me, don't you? He may look like me, he may smile and laugh like me, he may even sound like me, but he is under no circumstances nothing, and I repeat nothing, like me. He is his own person with his own individual personality and he is way better than I could ever have been, had I survived that night in 1981. And you know that.
You've hated me since the moment you've first seen me and vice versa for that matter. You've had to deal with me – yes, you've read that correctly – for about five to six years before I managed to stop hexing you by sight. Lily might have a hand in this one, but she's always been the voice of reason.
And now I ask you one important thing and if you don't know the answer to that question, I sincerely advice you to think about it and think about it very, very carefully. Has Harry ever given you any reason for you to believe that he might be anything like me at that time? Has he ever done something that might have caused you to possibly think that he might be as – and yes, you'll read that one correctly as well – arrogant as I've been during our years at Hogwarts?
I know that you've compared him to me all the time. I know that he tried to make my actions somewhat justifiable and I love him even more for that. I'm not proud of my action during those couple of years, but I can't undo them. Harry on the other hand has never done anything that might cause you to condemn him to a life of living through hell. Whenever you've met him, might it be in the corridors or classroom, you've made it your passion to humiliate and insult him, no matter the cost.
Do you think that makes you a better person than me? Or him? Well, if you've thought so, you've been wrong.
Harry has had an awful childhood while in the care of one Petunia Dursley. And I know that you've known that as well. And yet, you didn't let one single opportunity to insult him in that matter pass; just to hurt him because he is my son!
You've been friends with Lily and I always find it more difficult to say the things I mean than the things I don't, directly at least, especially if it means that I may have to spend the next few days trying to build up my self-esteem again, but I've never liked it that you've managed to sneak your way into her life and yet managed to treat her like a pile of dung.
She has done so much for you, thinking of excuses for your unmistakable Death Eater behaviour over and over again, always trying to get you back on the light track. She has told you so much about her family, seeing that you've been – and once again, I don't like what I'm going to say now – her first and for a long time only friend and yet you haven't thought it important enough to bother when her son had been brought to said part of her family and thus condemning him to a life as a bad treated house elf?
But, nevertheless, you did help him and I am willing to accept the way you've treated him back then. As I've already said, I can't change my past behaviour and neither can you, so you might even regret it. I don't know if you do, as I can't – and even if I could will never – look inside your greasy head, but I sincerely hope you do.
Harry is a good boy and he doesn't deserve to be treated like that by anyone.
And yet, even though you've treated him like, well, me, you've been a huge help for him in the end and I am thankful for that. Lily and I have watched Harry go through hell and we've never managed to help him, even though we've desperately tried to, seeing as we are all dead.
You may not have told him that it has been you all along, but I think I understand your reasoning behind it and for once – and I pray to Merlin, hopefully for the last time – in my life, I agree with you. Through your actions, even though you might not have noticed – or you did plan it all along, after all, who knows what's going on in a sneaky Slytherin's brain – you've saved my son's life and I can't thank you enough for it.
Yeah, so, I don't really know what there is to say anymore. I've done what Lily asked of me and although I might not be apologizing or something like that to you – and never will be, that I promise you, because you're just a greasy old git who abused my son throughout his whole childhood which was bad enough without you making it even worse – it did do me good to get it all off my chest.
I know, I will never tell you all of this in person – well, probably would with the insults and the stinking truth going on here – but I figure, it's best to stick to a piece of yellow-ish parchment that can't punch back and possibly break my nose – I haven't forgiven you for that one time in fourth year, just so you know!
So… yeah…
I'd write 'Sincerely, yours' if it was only the slightest bit true, but…
I hope, I never have to see you again, slimy git!
The one and only
James Charlus Potter
Proud father of one Harry James Potter, best son one could possibly wish for.
I hope you liked it! I know I certainly had a lot of fun writing this! Please leave a review ^.^
Word count: 1469