This is my first song fic so be nice and R&R. I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters and I do not own the song by Gary Allan "Man To Man"

You're throwin' around a lot of serious accusations
Ain't too hard to tell what you're insinuatin'

In all of Severus Snape's seven years at Hogwarts this moment was what he desired for most. James Potter. Alone. Wand less. Defenseless.

The two of them were in the Shrieking Shack. Well after hours on a moon-less night. Potter wasn't expecting an attack from what he expected to be Lily Evans. Instead he found that he had been tricked. Now he was caught in a body bind and at the mercy of the one man who hated him most.


You think I'm the one who stole her away
And if not for me she'd still be yours today

Snape wanted Potter to be able to talk. He wanted to hear him and his pitiful attempts to escape what Snape had in store for him. He wanted Potter to beg for mercy. So he replaced the body bind with tight ropes that erupted from his wand before lifting the bind.

As soon as Potter was free of the bind, he called out, though he could not see his captor at the moment, he knew who it was.

"Snape! This is not a fair fight! Give me my wand back and then try to kill me!" James Potter's voice had no trace of fear in it. Just anger at being tricked.

We're both men here so why play games
Why don't we call a spade a spade

"What makes you think that I'd play by the rules Potter? You never did," Snape said stepping into Potter's view.

"I'd never kill a wand-less man," James said sincerely.

"I'm not going to kill you yet," Snape drawled. James raised his eyebrows.

"Oh ok then," he said before shifting his weight around like he was getting comfortable.


Man to man
Tell me the truth, tell me

Snape pointed his wand in James's face, enjoying his vulnerably. He had desired to do this for a long time. To see what it looked like from the victor's eyes.

"Is this about all those years of teasing or is this about Lily," James said, unfazed by Snape's wand. Snape's eyes bulged but he didn't say anything, yet.

"I can understand why you hate me," James continued. "Ever since Hogwarts Express in our first year I've been rude to you. I know you want to kill me, but death for seven years of rudeness is kind of juvenile."

"That one incident in our fifth year was a considerably more than rude, Potter," Snape said slowly.

"I'd apologize if I thought you'd believe in its sincerity," James said briefly.


Were you ever there when she needed you

"Your right in you assumptions. I would not believe you meant it."

"But what happened that day isn't entirely what this is about is it?"

Silence, then, "No. That's not what this is about."

"It's about Lily then," James said slowly.

Man to man

Look me in the eye, tell me

"Sectumsempra," Snape cried suddenly. The curse hit James on the shoulder and the side of his face. It hurt terribly but it could have been worse.

"I'd take that as a 'yes' then," James said through gritted teeth.

"If it weren't for you, she'd still talk to me," Snape said.

If you really loved her
Why'd you make her cry

"Who's the one who called her a –"

"DON'T SAY THAT WORD!" Snape screamed.


Man to man
Who cheated who

"That was just the beginning, Snape," James said. "You've denied ever even talking to her to your Death Eater buddies right in front of her face! How did you honestly think she was going to take that?"

Snape glowered at James. Daring him to continue.

"I did that to get back at her for going out with you," he said in almost a whisper.


You're the one to blame
Tell me it ain't true

"Well that was really pointless, because the only reason she went out with me in the first place was to get back at you," James said matter'o'factly.

Snape gave him a look of disgust and disbelief. "You would let her use you for a childish revenge, when you wanted so much more?"


Man to man
Man to man

"That's what love is, Snivellus."

Well you think all your anger is

Justified

Snape actually allowed his confusion to show on his face.

"You were just so desperate that you'd take what ever you could get," he accused.

"Yes and no. I loved her then, I still do. If just pretend dating was all I could get, I normally wouldn't take it. It wouldn't be worth the heartbreak. But love is giving yourself to others so I let her use me. It satisfied my want to hold her though, I don't deny that."


Me, I think, it's just your wounded pride
What did you really think she was gonna do

Snape growled and his wand hand shook with fury.

"She should have been mine," he said. "She's not pretending with you anymore."


She's a real woman, not a doormat for you

"It hurt her to hurt you, Snape. If you had seen her eyes…." James's drifted off lost in thought. Then he looked at Snape right in face.

"She needed you, one day. She needed her best friend."


You want her back, but it's too late
Why don't we just cut to the chase

"But that was the day you denied her. I almost wanted you two to become friends again. I just want her to be happy."

Man to man
Tell me the truth, tell me

"I offered her comfort that day, and she told me she wanted to stop pretending and that she wanted to make it real."


Were you ever there when she needed you
Man to man

"ENOUGH!" roared Snape. The wand was still pointed at James but no more curses flew from it. He just stood their quaking and, unseen by James in the dark, tears streamed down his face.


Look me in the eye, tell me
If you really loved her

"I'm just telling it like it is, Snape," James said, his voice rising. "But one thing is for sure. You hurt her, and I will never forgive you for that."

Why'd you make her cry

That was it. Snape was going to curse Potter into oblivion. But before he could do anything, James's hands became hooves and his torso became the light brown body of a stag. The joint in his arms and legs now working the opposite way, James was able to stick his legs out through the ropes.

Man to man
Who cheated who

Before Snape could react to the transformation, James grabbed his wand in his mouth and ran out the secret passage under the Walloping Willow.


You're the one to blame
Tell me it ain't true

Snap watched him go, fuming. The worse part was that he was right. For once in his life, James Potter was right. It was his fault the Lily was no longer his friend. But he wouldn't take all the blame. James had been trying to lure her away from him since their third year.


Man to man

Lily was in the common room when James finally made it up there. She looked at his cut face and shoulders with deep concern.

"James, what happened to you?"

At first James wanted to tell her who was responsible. What had happened that night. But in his mind's eye he could see the look on her face when he told her.


Man to man

"Peeves was playing around with armor during my patrol, don't worry, I'll have Madam Pomfrey put something on it after breakfast," he said as they left the common room and headed down to the Great Hall.


Man to man...