Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Harry Potter series.
Chapter 1: Before He Knew
Late at night, the hallways of Hogwarts were utterly abandoned, except for one lone figure standing near the Great Hall. He was tall, lanky, and had extremely greasy black hair. He was on night duty, roaming the area, checking to see if there were any students around.
Potter isn't out of bed tonight, he thought, Must be a miracle...
He decided to go outside, see if any students had made it out of the castle. It was nearly 3 in the morning, and he could use some fresh air.
Leaving the building, Professor Severus Snape headed down towards the Black Lake. The moonlight reflected off of its surface. Severus looked at his own reflection in the lake, pondering how different he looked since his education at Hogwarts. He remembered staring into the same lake during his third year, with Lily beside him. He sadly thought that, if James Potter hadn't gone and messed things up for him, Lily could be sitting beside him now. Damned James Potter...
Suddenly, Severus muttered, "Shit!" He had completely forgotten that he had left his painful memory of James Potter and his sorry group of friends humiliating him in the Pensieve.
Wait, Severus thought, doesn't Potter have an Occlumency lesson tonight? He wouldn't dare look into the Pensieve. Would he?
Snape walked quickly back inside the castle. He glided into the dark, dingy dungeons. He soon reached the door of his office. It was slightly ajar.
Going inside, he saw no sign of Potter in the room. He headed over to the Pensieve. He could see his memory playing itself on the cloudy surface. He dived headfirst into the Pensieve. For no reason, he held his breath and closed his eyes, as if he was going underwater. A few seconds later, his feet landed softly on the grass. Opening his eyes, his head title upward, he saw a younger version of himself up in the air. His younger self was upside down, his undergarments about to be exposed. The professor's signature sneer formed on his face, and he looked around to see if he was the only one looking at his memory. It took all the willpower he had to suppress a scream of rage when he saw who was in front of him. It was a boy of medium height, with jet black hair that never lay flat. He had black-rimmed glasses, and didn't seem to notice that Severus was near him.
Potter! Severus thought. That vile, idiotic, disrespectful child!
Anger rose up inside of him like the flame of a raging fire. He crept behind his enemy's son, and grasped the boy's thin arm...