I know that I wouldn't have become who I am today if it hadn't been for
James Potter and Sirius Black. That may have sounded like a grateful
statement. Are you thinking that the two of them are saintly? That the were
at some point my guides? Well you can wipe that thought out of your head
immediately because I will not give either of them an ounce of praise. They
deserve none and that is what they shall get.
It started the day Sirius told me one of their secrets. Sure I wondered why he was telling me. But idiotic curiosity got in my way.
"Snape. Come here a minute."
It was directly after potions class and I was walking as quickly as I could back to the common room. It was Sirius. One of the people I had been trying to avoid. I tried to just keep walking. I even quickened my pace. He still caught me. He put a hand on my shoulder and applied a little force and I whipped around, clutching my wand in my pocket. I guess he noticed because he said:
"You can let that alone. I'm not here to hex you." I was not about to believe him and still had my hand tightly around the wand in my pocket. I glared into his eyes. I glared with every part of my being, but nothing seemed to get through to the dolt. "I have something to tell you."
"And I would care because?" I sneered at him and turned to continue on my way. As I was walking he shouted:
"Because you will finally know why we disappear to all of the time." I stopped and turned on my heal and looked him over for a full minute. I didn't see any of the usual signs of laughter on his face.
"I'm listening, but make it quick." I snapped at him. He nodded without refusal. Something else that was odd. He never took orders from me. I was pleased at his compliance. My first mistake.
"Well," he lowered his voice to a whisper. "All you have to do is go out during next full moon and prod the third knot from the bottom of the Womping Willow with a long stick. Go down the passage." He stepped back with a smile small in comparison with his usual grin.
"But what good will that do?" I asked him. I'm sure the look on my face pleased him. It was not often that they would be able to confuse me and now I surely was just that and it was showing. If Sirius even noticed he didn't let me know, he just turned around and started to walk away.
"Do it and you'll see," he called over his shoulder. I didn't notice it then, but he was strutting. Now that I look back I should have heard the smirk in his voice, but I didn't. I just watched him go down the long hall until I couldn't hear his footsteps any longer.
After that I remember my fervor to get to the library. I needed to know when the next full moon was. I pulled down the first astronomy book I came upon. "Loony for Moons," was the title. A little to cheerful for my tastes, but all I need was the information. I checked the index, it was written in pink. The hue only helped to speed up my search. I wanted to be done looking at the putrid shade as soon as possible.
I found the page and turned to it. A large chart of every full moon from 1922 to 2022 covered the page. I wondered how it fit on the page, but supposed that it wasn't important. I pressed my finger along the edge and scrolled down to the year and month. I slide over to the date. Only a few days away. I slammed the book closed and strode back to the dusty corner where I had found it. Some how my eyes caught sight of a sign above the shelf. It said, "Books for the feminine learner," in curly writing. I shuddered and shoved the book back in it's place. As I was turning to hurry away I heard giggles from beside me. I shot my darkest glare in the direction it had come from and discovered to giggling Hufflepuff first years.
"Is that Snivillus?" The shortest and by far ugliest of the two asked. The other nodded and they giggled again. Snivillus. The name I so despised. And still do. As I walked away I was reminded of every time the Marauders had pulled some thing on me. I couldn't remember a time when they hadn't been bullying me.
Suddenly I could think more clearly. Should I really follow what that idiot, Sirius, told me to do? Nothing good would come of it. But then again I had always wanted to find out what the hell they did when they disappeared all of the time. I had ideas. A pretty sure understanding of what could have been going on, but I needed proof.
What good would proof do? I could finally get them expelled. All four of the useless imbeciles. Peter, the stupid tag along. Never did an ounce of thinking for himself. Then there was Remus. He was just to good to be in there group. There was definitely something about him that wasn't quite right. Then Sirius, the beautiful, not in my opinion, but in the opinion of every air-headed girl in school. Not to mention he was a disgrace to his family. And lastly James. He was the worst. The most arrogant, the most annoying and yet everyone loved him. I shudder to think. I couldn't decide if the possible humiliation of following Sirius' directions was worth the trouble.
It started the day Sirius told me one of their secrets. Sure I wondered why he was telling me. But idiotic curiosity got in my way.
"Snape. Come here a minute."
It was directly after potions class and I was walking as quickly as I could back to the common room. It was Sirius. One of the people I had been trying to avoid. I tried to just keep walking. I even quickened my pace. He still caught me. He put a hand on my shoulder and applied a little force and I whipped around, clutching my wand in my pocket. I guess he noticed because he said:
"You can let that alone. I'm not here to hex you." I was not about to believe him and still had my hand tightly around the wand in my pocket. I glared into his eyes. I glared with every part of my being, but nothing seemed to get through to the dolt. "I have something to tell you."
"And I would care because?" I sneered at him and turned to continue on my way. As I was walking he shouted:
"Because you will finally know why we disappear to all of the time." I stopped and turned on my heal and looked him over for a full minute. I didn't see any of the usual signs of laughter on his face.
"I'm listening, but make it quick." I snapped at him. He nodded without refusal. Something else that was odd. He never took orders from me. I was pleased at his compliance. My first mistake.
"Well," he lowered his voice to a whisper. "All you have to do is go out during next full moon and prod the third knot from the bottom of the Womping Willow with a long stick. Go down the passage." He stepped back with a smile small in comparison with his usual grin.
"But what good will that do?" I asked him. I'm sure the look on my face pleased him. It was not often that they would be able to confuse me and now I surely was just that and it was showing. If Sirius even noticed he didn't let me know, he just turned around and started to walk away.
"Do it and you'll see," he called over his shoulder. I didn't notice it then, but he was strutting. Now that I look back I should have heard the smirk in his voice, but I didn't. I just watched him go down the long hall until I couldn't hear his footsteps any longer.
After that I remember my fervor to get to the library. I needed to know when the next full moon was. I pulled down the first astronomy book I came upon. "Loony for Moons," was the title. A little to cheerful for my tastes, but all I need was the information. I checked the index, it was written in pink. The hue only helped to speed up my search. I wanted to be done looking at the putrid shade as soon as possible.
I found the page and turned to it. A large chart of every full moon from 1922 to 2022 covered the page. I wondered how it fit on the page, but supposed that it wasn't important. I pressed my finger along the edge and scrolled down to the year and month. I slide over to the date. Only a few days away. I slammed the book closed and strode back to the dusty corner where I had found it. Some how my eyes caught sight of a sign above the shelf. It said, "Books for the feminine learner," in curly writing. I shuddered and shoved the book back in it's place. As I was turning to hurry away I heard giggles from beside me. I shot my darkest glare in the direction it had come from and discovered to giggling Hufflepuff first years.
"Is that Snivillus?" The shortest and by far ugliest of the two asked. The other nodded and they giggled again. Snivillus. The name I so despised. And still do. As I walked away I was reminded of every time the Marauders had pulled some thing on me. I couldn't remember a time when they hadn't been bullying me.
Suddenly I could think more clearly. Should I really follow what that idiot, Sirius, told me to do? Nothing good would come of it. But then again I had always wanted to find out what the hell they did when they disappeared all of the time. I had ideas. A pretty sure understanding of what could have been going on, but I needed proof.
What good would proof do? I could finally get them expelled. All four of the useless imbeciles. Peter, the stupid tag along. Never did an ounce of thinking for himself. Then there was Remus. He was just to good to be in there group. There was definitely something about him that wasn't quite right. Then Sirius, the beautiful, not in my opinion, but in the opinion of every air-headed girl in school. Not to mention he was a disgrace to his family. And lastly James. He was the worst. The most arrogant, the most annoying and yet everyone loved him. I shudder to think. I couldn't decide if the possible humiliation of following Sirius' directions was worth the trouble.