The Better Man Won
"Hey! Get off of me, what you think you're doing?" yelled James Potter to the person pushing him into the unused charms classroom.
The door slammed shut and the person that assaulted him into the room turned around.
"SNAPE?!" shouted James in shock. He was expecting it to be a crazed fan girl trying to get him alone or Sirius playing a joke on him. "Why did you push me in here? I haven't done anything to you! Well this year anyway"
"You disgusting, lying piece of filth. You've done something to Lily and I want to know what, she hates you. It just doesn't make sense that she's your………girlfriend" Severus Snape spat out the word like it was poison.
"She never hated me, she told me. She hated the way I used to act but I've changed for her and she's noticed. Besides why do you care? You made it perfectly clear to everyone what you thought of her in fifth year" said James
"You're not good enough for her; you never will be no matter how much you say you've changed" snarled Snape angrily.
"And who do you think is good for her? You?" laughed James.
"No" Snape said in a small defeated voice, "I will never be good enough for her, I realised years ago, and I know I ruined every chance at ever being her friend again when I said what I did. But you! Of all the people she could be with she chose you! The Lily I know would never be with you by choice so WHAT DID YOU DO?" he was shouting now, filled with hate and anger at the boy in front of him.
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" James shouted though his voice was filled with amazement. "She actually likes me. After years of pining after her she finally likes me back, why can't you just accept that?"
James stormed over to the door and yanked it open.
"Just please, please make sure she's happy" Snape pleaded. James stopped in his tracks. Snape sounded so genuine and caring that for the first time since they met he saw why Lily never wanted to give up on him, until that day.
"Please give her everything she's ever wanted, just make her happy. Do whatever it takes to make her happy. I know she doesn't want me in her life anymore, so I'm going to stay away, but if you hurt her I won't think twice about killing you" With that James went to leave and go back to the common room.
"Wait" Snape called him and jogged to where he stood in the corridor. "Here, these are for Lily" and he handed James two tickets, "they're Beatles tickets. That's her favourite band, I was going to give her them for her birthday, they took me forever to find but she would prefer to be there with you."
"You're alright Snivellus" James smiled "this doesn't change anything though. I still hate you"
"I hate you too" and with that they walked away. James to the Gryffindor common room where Lily was waiting for him and Snape the dungeons where he moped, begrudgingly coming to the conclusion that when it came to himself and James Potter, the better man had won.