Title : The Little Rubber Duckie

Pairing : Severus Snape/James Potter

Rating : PG-13

Summery : Severus and James have a love/hate relasonship, found by a little rubber duckie. They hate each other because they have nothing in common, but they have more in common then they thought.

Author's Notes : Done for another contest at BeastofFire on Deviantart. The contest was "Learn to love from the one you hate". I'm very proud of this.

Disclaimer : I am making no money out of this. Characters/setting belong to Jo Rowling. Words belong to me.

Severus crossed his arms over his chest and just stared at it. How long had it been since he had a bath with a rubber ducky? A good six years. Yet here one was, sitting on the edge of the tub in the prefects bathroom, staring at him. Severus stared back. Maybe he expected it to look away, or to say something. But the Little Rubber Duckie just sat on the edge of the tub, smiling like a children's toy.

Severus Snape, 7th Year Slytherin Prefect, would not be seen taking a bath with a Rubber Duckie. What if someone came in and found him? Perhaps they would be too shocked to find Snape actually in a bath and would not notice the rubber duckie. The Slytherin slowly reached out and gave the Rubber Duckie a firm squeeze. The Duck Quaked loudly and spit out a fair amount of soapy water at Severus.

"After the run in with Potter I had today, I wanted a bit of peace. But even inanimate objects seem to want to take everything out on me." Severus glared at the inanimate object in question as he spoke. He conveintly left out the part where he squeezed the duck, therefore forcing it to quack and spit. "You know, James Potter is such a git. It is an insult to Rubber Duckies everywhere to use him and them in the same damn sentence." Severus squeezed the Duck again, this time it only quacked and did not spit. Maybe it appriciated Severus's form of an apology.

"James Potter is such an arse," Severus told the duck, "he doesn't give two shits about anyone else but his own aroggant self! I don't think I will ever forget that bastard and his bastard ways. To think He's marring that mudblood, Evans, too! People like Potter do not deserve the right to breed, he doesn't even deserve to be engaged! He doesn't even deserve a GIRLFRIEND!" Severus slammed his hand into the water, creating a splash. He looked at a duck with a raised brow, "I'm Severus Snape, and I am talking to a rubber duck. I'm going bonkers." Severus nodded in agreement with himself.

The duck just stared back at him. "Okay, maybe I just need to vent..yes..thats it.." He squeezed the duck and it quacked in approval. "Righto then. But there is so much to vent about. Why me? Why my life over anyone else's?" Severus sighed, leaning back into the warm water. "I don't think I've ever even smiled!" The duck quacked again. "Okay, maybe I did smile when I pushed Pettigrew out of a tree and he broke an ankle. I didn't even get a detention, because he couldn't prove it was me." The corner of Severus's lips twitched. "I suppose I have a lot going for me.." The Duck Quacked. "I mean, I'm prefect. But so is Potter. I have a fair amount of NEWTS to do whatever the hell I please. But so does Potter. I have intellect. But so does-" The Duck Quacked, and Severus nodded. "You're right Mr. Duck, Potter has a brain the size of a pea, which he doesn't use anyway."

The Duck quacked yet again. "Okay, so maybe he did save my life, but I don't owe him anything. He's a fucking jerkweed!" The duck quacked twice this time. "Quack Quack Mr. Duckie." Severus said to it, before putting it back onto the edge of the bath. "I better get going, or the rest of my house will worry where I dashed off to. Nosey prats that they are, they have managed to keep me out of Potter's grasp every so often."

Severus stepped out of the bath, water making a small puddle at his feet. He put on his bathrobe and turned back to the duck. "You know, maybe Potter isn't so bad. But he isn't so good either. We have nothing in common, which is probably why he hates me after all. Its a Love Hate Relasonship, and a Rubber Duckie just wouldn't understand, Goodnight Mr. Duck." And with those words spoken, Severus headed back to the common room.

-1 hour later-

"Oh Wow, A Rubber Duckie. I wounder who left this here." James Potter, 7th Year Gryffindor, Said as he stepped into the bath. James picked up the duck as he settled down, and gave it a squeeze. The Duck quacked and spit soapy water at James. "I quacking, spitting, Rubber duckie. I wounder who's you could be.." James sat up, looking at the Rubber duckie with its Rubber Duckie grin.

"Not Lily's, she burned all hers. Hm..Maybe its those two Ravenclaws? Nah, too sohpisticated. Hufflepuffs maybe- but they would be too shy to leave it here." James chucked. "Maybe its Snape's! Oh I hope it is, I would have something on him!" James gave the duck a squeeze and it quacked, not spitting the water.

"You know," James told the duck, "I had a run in with Snape today. Greasy Bastard that he is, he is such an arse. He doesn't give two shits about anyone else but his own greasy self! People like Snape can't even get a girlfriend. I really scored with Lily.." James paused to smile sheepishly before continueing, "I mean, me and Lily plan to have a family one day..Snape doesnt' deserve to breed." James stared at the duck, and it stared back.

"Okay, I'm 17 years old and talking to a Rubber Duck. I'm going nutso." The duck quacked at James' statment. "Quack Quack back to you, Mr. Duckie."
James chuckled.

"You know, I have a lot more than that Slytherin Scum. I've got Lil's, I'm a prefect, I got a good amount of NEWTS, I have much more intellect then Snape does.." James stopped and stared at the duck. It had a look of amusement painted on its little yellow face. "You know, I saved Snape's life, and he never said thank you! Bastard owesme big time!" James huffed at the little rubber duckie.

"Okay, so mabey Snape isn't that bad. I mean- I never really took the chance to get to know him. I can't possibly love him, because I hate him. But in a way I could love him." James skrewed up his face in confusion, before plastering that sheepish grin right back on, "You know, Me and Snape have -nothing- in common." James sighed."Its a Love/Hate thing, something that a Rubber Duckie would not understand."