Title: James Potter and the Radiance of Darkness

Author: dem bones

Genres: Romance/Friendship

Pairings: James/Snape, Lily/Snape

Summary: After being threatened by the werewolf in his sixth year at Hogwarts, Snape finds the friendship of James Potter. What happens when Lily starts to fancy Snape?

Warnings: Love Triangle, may contain HET and SLASH.

A/N: Written for the twelve chapter story challenge by GinnyLunaBFFs.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter 1.

He remembered the menacing snarl of the werewolf, the drool that caked around it's lips.

Snape wasn't quick to trust his own judgement. The voice in his head was telling him to run but the werewolf gazed at him desperate with hunger. It was futile, he would never get away.

It seemed like a convenient revenge for the four of them.

Fear raked his veins. He remembered feeling his legs give out from beneath him as he slowly slid to the ground, his heart beating in terror.

The werewolf drew closer, he ignored it's eyes which shimmered with pain then there was white.

He remembered bracing himself for pain and his inevitable death then a voice telling him to leave. In that brief moment, Snape had forgotten who the voice belonged to. A small part of him knew it was Potter but nothing of their past seemed to matter as if it were veiled in a thick layer of fog.

As Snape mused about his thoughts, Albus Dumbledore appeared into the hospital wing taking a seat beside his bed.

"Sir, did you know Lupin was a werewolf?" Snape uttered in an outburst of horror.

"I was aware. It was one of the reasons why the whomping willow was grown to guard a secret entrance to the Shrieking Shack."

"How can you allow that creature to attend Hogwarts?"

"Remus Lupin, is a student at this school and deserves the respect of his peers."

"What about me? I could have died." Snape raged.

"All of them express remorse."

"Lupin and Black were in cohorts trying to kill me and Potter only jumped in at the last minute to avoid his two goons from getting expelling"

"Both have been punished for their injustice and have express the utmost remorse for your predicament but I assure you Mr Snape if you say anything about Mr Lupin's situation your word will be discredited by the Wizengamot."

"Is that a threat, Dumbledore?"

"No, that Mr Snape is a promise." Dumbledore said with a smile. "Mr Potter has saved your life, I suggest that you thank him and put your animosity aside."

Snape turned away with repressed anger before Dumbledore turned towards Madam Pomfrey.

"How long will Mr Snape be in the hospital wing?"

"He should be free to go the next morning. The boy is just a little stunned that's all."

"Alright." Dumbledore said before leaving Snape's company.

HP

Later in the evening, Snape heard a crash from nearby.

He looked up and couldn't see anyone.

Suddenly part of an abdomen became unconceiled as someone began to remove an invisibility cloak.

"Potter!"

"Hi to you too, Snape. So how've you been doing?"

"Quite well without your presence there to taint it."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't forgive you. I'll never forgive you."

"I know but it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter. DOESN'T MATTER. I almost died Potter and the lot of you only get a slap on the wrist. You all should be expelled."

"You're right." James said with a pensive smile looking down at his shoes. "I don't think it's right at all. We all should have been punished for this unjustice. What can I ever do to earn your forgiveness?"

Snape flushed. "You're acting strange. Just leave me alone."

James chuckled.

"Sorry about that. Guess I'll see you later, Snape." James said as he left the room.

"Thanks." Snape uttered quietly.

The words which would have seen mindless from anyone else seemed to hold significance to James. It wasn't a thank you showing appreciation for Potter rescuing him, and it wasn't a thank you for him dropping by the hospital wing to visit him. As far as Snape knew he could have been dropping by the hospital wing because the headmaster had told him.

Only James knew that the thank you had been directed at him because for that brief second they had connected over the unfairness of their animosity of each other.

HP

On his way back to the common room, James ran into an enraged Lily.

"What did you do?"

"Padfoot took a prank, a little too far."

"How can you be so non-chalant about it?" Lily asked.

James was speechless. She'd never know how guilty he had truly felt because he was unable to utter it.

Lily scoffed.

"You're nothing more than a bully."

After Snape had left the hospital wing the next morning, James took a seat next to him in Double Potions. It used to be a common thing for Lily to sit next to Snape during potions class before Rosier eased his way into that position.

At one point when he and Lily had been talking it had been impossible to get her to have a descent conversation about Snape. When she did talk to him it was always about his obsession with the dark arts.

"He's a terrible person." She said. "Have you seen the people he's acquainted with."

Overtime James had learned that people who used the dark arts weren't necessarily bad people. He was raised in a pureblood family where the line of Potters had remained untarnished due to their beliefs in blood purity.

The Dark arts, was magic used among pureblood families to prevent their line from being tainted. Over a period of years, the Ministry had got hold of the magic and had banned it because they felt it had threatened the entire muggle population.

His cousin had written to him upon attended Durmstrang about the dark magic that he'd learned. The Ministry had a habit on using it as means of torture in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The aurors were often hired from prisoners who were sent to Azkaban and thus their hearts were always tainted with ill intent so the magic would addle their brains and make them insane.

At one point, he and his friends had visited the Hog's head to talk with Aberforth. He would often tell them how Dumbledore did alot more forbidden things with light magic then most wizards would do with dark magic so it seemed kind of ridiculous for Lily to say that about Snape.

Sure Snape was a bully but it didn't make him any worse than James himself.

"Any reason as to why you're sitting by me, Potter?"

"I wanted to know if you had any plans for the summer."

Snape regarded him suspiciously. "And if I don't?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to go to the beach with us during the summer, we're going swimming and we'd love for you to come. You see I've always been under the impression that your parents aren't that pleasant to you."

Snape narrowed his eyes.

"It just seems to me that it would be kind of bored staying with people who don't care for you all that much."

"Thanks for being so understanding, Potter but no thanks." Snape sneered.

"Aw, there's no need to be so sour about it."

"What do you want, Potter?"

"Come with us, please."

"Not interested."

"You don't fancy going for a swim?"

"Mr Potter is there a problem?" Professor Slughorn asked putting the boys into the spotlight.

"Sir, I asked Snape for some help with my potion but alas he doesn't seem that interested." James explained.

"Do you have trouble with potions, Mr Potter? I see you didn't raise your hand to address your concerns so I could only assume you were asking Mr Snape for help to tutor you on potions."

"Yes, Sir."

"Mr Snape you must reconsider. Surely you have nothing to do for the summer, I'm sure Mr Potter wouldn't mind holding a tutoring session at his home." Slughorn pleaded. "Mr Potter's potential simply cannot go to waste."

"Old fart." Snape muttered.

"Now you have to come to my house over the summer to tutor me." James grinned.

HP