Chapter 2 – Onset of the Feud
The train finally stopped at Hogsmeade station several hours later. Everyone on the train disembarked and the older years quickly moved away to find a seat on the various carriages that were waiting for them. The first years, however, moved away from them, following a giant of a man beckoning them over.
"First years, first years this way!" shouted Hagrid.
"He's huge!" whispered Lily in awe. She was not the only one who reacted as others too were whispering about Hagrid's height. The man was probably ten feet tall but that was quickly forgotten when they were lead down a path towards a lake.
"No more than four on a boat!"
The boat moved forward slowly once they were all seated and a minute later, gasps could be heard. James smiled widely as he saw Hogwarts. He had seen the castle before, but that was from Hogsmeade when he and his parents had come shopping. But never had he seen it from this angle. It was breathtaking. Lily was also mesmerised. The castle looked so – magical – with its high towers and bright lights. Her heart picked up pace and suddenly she couldn't wait to get inside. When they reached the dock, they quickly followed Hagrid who led them inside when they were greeted by Professor McGonagall. Once they were all assembled, she began.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said McGonagall. "I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress of the school. In a few minutes, you shall pass through these doors and be sorted into your Houses. There are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. While you're here, remember that your House will be like your family. Each House shall have their own common rooms where you can interact, and dormitories for your living quarters. Good performance and behaviour will lead to points being awarded and any rule breaking will lead to loss of points. The House Cup at the end of the year will be awarded to the House that has the most points. It's quite an honour and I hope each of you will strive to uphold the values of our school."
Professor McGonagall observed the batch of first-year students. There were about three hundred students in the batch, a standard size for Hogwarts. She kept looking for any student who might cause trouble but for now, they all seemed to be well-behaved. "Follow me."
James was chatting with Sirius excitedly as they looked around the Great Hall. Lily felt goosebumps on her arms at the sheer amount of magic in the Hall. The first years were made to assemble between two long tables. Professor McGonagall picked up a sheet of parchment and said, "When I call your name, you shall come forth, I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head, and you shall be sorted into your Houses."
"Black, Narcissa."
A girl with light blond hair and brown eyes calmly walked forward and sat down on the stool. Lily watched curiously and after several seconds, much to her surprise, the brim of the hat opened wide and announced loudly, "Slytherin!"
The table to the corner, near the wall, exploded in cheers as the girl confidently walked towards her new House. Her tie automatically changed from black to green and silver, and the Slytherin crest appeared on her robes.
"Black, Sirius."
Sirius was shaking slightly as he sat down on the stool. James looked at him worriedly as the hat was placed on his head. For several seconds, there was silence until finally, the hat shouted –
"Gryffindor!"
Silence. Absolute silence, before James started clapping and the Gryffindor table took over, cheering loudly for their new Housemate. Lily wondered what was so special about this boy that everyone reacted like that. Nearly everyone in the hall looked surprised.
"Bones, Edger."
"Hufflepuff!"
It continued, and several other students later, McGonagall announced, "Evans, Lily."
James took a good look at the girl and recognised her from the train. Suddenly he felt like ice water was poured down his front as his stomach twisted. He swallowed as he wondered why he was feeling uncomfortable. The girl – Lily – had lush dark-red hair that nearly reached her waist. She had delicate features, high cheekbones, and even from the distance, James could make out – the most vivid emerald green eyes he had ever seen.
His palms were sweaty and he fidgeted. What was wrong with him?
Lily swallowed as she slowly climbed up to the podium and sat down on the stool. The Sorting Hat was immediately lowered on her head, and suddenly, she couldn't see as it came below her eyes. She heard a voice close to her ear.
"Hmm . . . difficult, very difficult. You have intelligence, oh my, you certainly do. Your loyalty to your family and friends is also a defining trait. You also have a thirst to prove yourself, to make your parents proud of you. While any of the four Houses will work wonders for you, I feel your biggest strength is your heart and your underlying bravery. Rowena or Salazar would have loved to have you, but you would do better in GRYFFINDOR!"
The cheers from the students in red and gold rang out as they clapped and cheered for her. While Lily was relieved, she was also a touch sad as she looked at her best friend who had an expressionless look on his face as she sat down at the Gryffindor table.
"Rosier, Evan."
"Slytherin!"
"Fawley, Alice."
"Gryffindor!"
"Dearborn, Caradoc."
"Ravenclaw!"
"Macdonald, Mary."
"Gryffindor!"
"McKinnon, Marlene."
"Gryffindor!"
The girl with dirty blond hair happily sat down next to Lily.
"Potter, James."
James took a deep breath as he walked up the stool with his back straight. He sat down and the hat was lowered on his head.
"Ah, another Potter. Let's see, shall we? Hmm … you don't lack intelligence, but you don't study only for knowledge. You're very ambitious and you do possess a cunning nature, so Slytherin would do. I can sense potential for immense loyalty; Helga would kill to have you. But I doubt anything can overpower your determination and pure will. Good luck, young Potter. Your ancestor will no doubt be proud of you. Keep Godric's legacy alive in GRYFFINDOR!"
Thunderous applause greeted him as James happily walked towards the Gryffindor table. He sat down next to Sirius who grinned at him. The sorting continued for several more minutes.
"Snape, Severus."
Snape walked up the podium and just a couple of seconds after the hat was placed upon his head, the Sorting Hat cried out, "Slytherin!"
The newly sorted Severus Snape shot another look at Lily who was sitting opposite to James Potter as he walked over to the Slytherin table. A third-year student by the name of Lucius Malfoy patted him on the back as the rest of his Housemates cheered.
Once the sorting was finished, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore stood up. "Let the feast begin," he announced.
James was happily talking to his new friends as he enjoyed the delicious food prepared by the Hogwarts house-elves when he felt someone ruffle his hair. Curious hazel eyes turned behind him, only to spot an amused look on the face of an older student.
"Nice to see you made it to Gryffindor, Jamie," said Frank Longbottom, grinning at the younger boy. "For a moment there, I was worried."
James' face coloured in embarrassment as everyone around him laughed at the nickname. "Frank, you promised not to call me that in public!" he whispered accusingly.
Thirteen-year-old Frank laughed as he ruffled James' hair again. "Sorry, kiddo, but you'll always be little Jamie to me. Let me know if you need any help, alright? Got to go."
Sirius smirked at James' beet red face. "Be glad that I never called you that in public," he whispered.
"Trust me, I'm grateful."
"Jamie," added Sirius playfully, only to get smacked on the shoulder as he and the people around them laughed.
Lily was having the time of her life. She was talking to several of her new classmates when suddenly, the food on their plates vanished, only to be replaced by desserts. Her jaw dropped in shock at seeing so many different varieties of ice cream and sweets. Twenty minutes later, Professor Dumbledore stood up as the food once again vanished, leaving the golden cutlery clean.
"A very good evening to you all," said Dumbledore, beaming at them. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. As always I have a few start-of-term announcements. The first years are to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds. Duelling in the corridors is also restricted and a few of our older students should know that by now as well. There are several banned items, which you can read at your leisure, the list which has been affixed, I'm told, to our caretaker Mr Filch's office door."
He surveyed everyone under his half-moon spectacles as he finally said, "That's all for tonight. Off you trot!"
James and Sirius were still talking quietly as they followed the Gryffindor prefect when they were rudely interrupted by –
"Well, well," said Bellatrix snidely. "If it isn't the traitor of the family."
James and Sirius stiffened as everyone else in the group looked at the newcomer curiously. Lily watched as the beautiful – and frankly scary – older girl approach the two boys she had shared her compartment with.
"Bella," said James cordially as he stepped in front of Sirius slightly. "What can we do for you?"
"I assume you're the one to poison his mind, James?" sneered Bellatrix. Her attention shifted to the Black heir. "You'll be lucky not to be disowned tonight."
Sirius remained calm as he observed his cousin coldly. "I don't need luck, Bella. Father already knows about this and I assure you, he has no intention of disowning me just because I was sorted into a different House."
"Really, Bella, one would think you're overreacting," said James, smirking. "Always jumping to the worst conclusions, aren't you? Where's the family loyalty?"
"Miss Black, please report to your dormitory," said the prefect sharply. "Don't create a scene in front of the other first-year students. You, Mr Black and Mr Potter can discuss your family matters in private."
Bellatrix sniffed at the prefect, glared at her two younger cousins and stormed away. Sirius let out a shaky breath he didn't know he was holding.
"I really, really, don't like her," murmured James.
Sirius snorted. "At least you only had to see her a few times a year," he whispered as they moved towards Gryffindor Tower. "Me? I had to see her four times a week. Trust me, it was torture."
After they reached Gryffindor Tower, they were swiftly assigned different rooms. Since there were about forty odd boys and forty odd girls in the year, they couldn't all be put in a single room. James and Sirius found themselves rooming with two other boys called Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Lily found herself rooming with Marlene McKinnon, Alice Fawley and Mary Macdonald.
After changing, too full and tired, all the first years went to bed early. They were finally at Hogwarts.
The first week of Hogwarts passed by quietly, with all of them adjusting to their new routine. Lily, having read all her school books before coming to Hogwarts, had quickly been noticed by many of her teachers, especially Professors Flitwick and Slughorn. Even though they were in different Houses, Lily and Snape made it a point to talk to each other whenever they could. She found herself thriving in her new classes and she also liked her new friends. Two of her friends were purebloods while Mary was half-blood. The four roommates had become quick friends and Lily was happy to have been accepted by her schoolmates.
In the boys' dormitory, Peter and Remus were both shy and not as outgoing as James and Sirius. Both of them had stuck to each other during the first week of school while the other two spoke to nearly everyone in Gryffindor Tower. However, on the first weekend after school started, Sirius decided that they needed to get to know their roommates.
"Okay," said Sirius, plopping himself on Remus' bed. "What's up with you, Remus? Don't you like us or something?"
Remus Lupin was startled when he saw the young Black sitting on his bed, looking at him expectantly. He felt someone else sitting down and saw James also looking curious.
"We tried to talk to you all week but you avoided us," observed James. "Did we do something wrong, mate?"
"N-No," stammered Remus, flushing.
"Oi! Peter! Come over here!" yelled Sirius. The short, pudgy boy slowly moved closer and looked at them somewhat fearfully.
"We're not going to eat you," said James, looking bewildered. "You don't have to be scared of us, you know."
"So, what's your story, Remus?" said Sirius, putting his hand under his chin, his piercing grey eyes fixed on the other boy.
"There's nothing to say, really," said Remus slowly. Mentally, he was panicking. What made them ask such questions? Did they already know that he was a werewolf? But how could they have known?
James and Sirius looked at each other and frowned. Remus took a deep breath. "Well, there's nothing much to tell," he said quietly. "My father works in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry of Magic. We live in South Wales and I've been home-schooled until now."
Sirius waved his hand dismissively. "Jamie and I have been home-schooled too, so we know how it is," he said, avoiding his friend's punch at the nickname. "It's nice to finally be around kids our own age now, huh? What about you, Peter?"
Peter squeaked – like a mouse, thought James – and revealed that he had gone to a magical primary school in Cornwall before receiving his Hogwarts letter. Ten minutes later, Remus finally relaxed as he realised that the other two boys had not discovered his secret. He would have to keep it that way. After all, he couldn't throw away Professor Dumbledore's generosity like that.
"You know, I'm bored," said Sirius, one hour later.
James laughed. "You always say that, Sirius," he muttered, punching his friend's arm. "What do you want to do?"
"I wish I could get back at Bella for informing Mother – in delicious detail – about me being a disgrace to the Black family."
James grimaced. On the second day of school, Sirius had received the mother of all howlers from Walburga Black. No one in the school could actually hear anything properly for several hours after that. In fact, he had heard that Dumbledore's aged eardrums had actually burst and Madam Pomfrey had to heal him. Walburga's screeching was insane, calling Sirius a disappointment and a disgrace on the House of Black.
To think people would call their own child a traitor all because of a House at school was shocking! Now what to do about little Bella?
A slow smirk formed on James' face.
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"Please, please, pretty please?" begged James.
"No."
"But I haven't done anything the past week. You said it yourself! A good prank never harms anybody."
"But this is a single person who is being pranked," said Dorea sharply. "And that's why I won't help you. It's not random and it's not just for a good laugh. It's revenge."
James sighed as he closed his eyes. There was a communications mirror plopped on his lap. He had just called home after his talk with Sirius. He wanted to prank Bellatrix but his mother was not cooperating.
"She's your cousin, James, remember that," said Charlus sternly.
"Dad, I really don't think Sirius deserved what he got," explained James hotly. "He was so embarrassed that day. How would you feel if your mother shouted at you like that on your second day of school? I just want to make him feel better and get back at her for being such a tattletale. Really, it was none of her business."
"No, James, sorry," said Dorea firmly.
James huffed as he deactivated the mirror, feeling frustrated. He needed a specific potion for the prank but he didn't have the ingredients for it. He was hoping that his parents would help him but even his mother wouldn't understand.
What to do?
As he pondered the idea, his eyes lit up. The potions cupboard for students contained those ingredients – no one would notice if he took some. And he had a perfect way to get to the dungeons undetected. Tapping his wand and muttering the password to his trunk, he removed the Peverell Invisibility Cloak. Once he was invisible, he slowly crept down the stairs and out of the tower. Three hours later, his cauldron was cleaned, and he held a phial which contained a bright orange liquid. Now, all he had to do was wait for the right moment. Thankfully, he knew enough magic for this to work. While witches and wizards in the magical world did not learn wanded subjects until the age of eleven, his parents hadn't bothered with the rule. That was the reason he had never gone to magical primary school, and was home-schooled instead, with a few paid tutors. Therefore, along with learning how to read and write English, basic Mathematics, Magical History, and Magical Theory, he had also learnt quite a few spells using one of the spare wands at the manor. That would now come in handy.
"Dinner is going to be so much fun tonight," said James, grinning excitedly.
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"Why are you so happy?" asked Sirius curiously.
"No reason," said James innocently.
Remus and Peter did not press the matter and the conversation switched to other topics. James waited for the perfect moment. He held the phial in his hand, under the table, and wand in the other. He ensured that no one was paying any attention to him. When he saw Bellatrix's goblet unattended, he flicked his wand and muttered lightly under his breath. The orange liquid vanished and mixed with the pumpkin juice of Bellatrix's glass. Smiling in satisfaction, quite elated at having performed the switching spell perfectly even though he didn't have direct sight, he flicked his wand back to his holster and happily chatted with his friends.
Unfortunately, James was not quite as good at switching spells as he thought. It had worked, but not perfectly.
There was a clatter as a plate dropped to the ground at the Slytherin table. James turned, trying his best to hide his elation, but much to his horror, Bellatrix was fine. Instead, a first-year student, something Snape, was drinking from his glass.
Why is Snape affected by the potion? I switched it to Bella's drink, right?
Lily Evans's eyes were wide as saucers as she watched her best friend bark like a dog and howl like a wolf. He began dancing around the place, clapping merrily until finally, about ten seconds later, he sang in a tune, "I am a tattletale, woof, woof! Spank me like a naughty dog, woof, woof! Throw me a juicy bone, woof, woof! I am a tattletale, woof, woof!"
James buried his face in his hands. This was a complete disaster. After several seconds, Snape finally regained control as he realised what had happened. His face burned in embarrassment. His face, ears and neck were flushed red as someone snorted. That began a chain reaction and pretty soon, everyone in the hall was laughing. Not able to hide his shock and anger, Snape walked out of the Great Hall. Lily too abandoned her food to comfort her friend. James never saw the filthy look being directed at him by Snape when he left.
James' ears were pink as he quietly ate his food, not having taken part in the laughter of his schoolmates. He kept his head down, not wanting to be caught in Professor McGonagall's proverbial 'ward line' as people put it.
This was not supposed to happen. His prank had targeted the wrong person.
"Bugger," he muttered to himself.
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Snape stormed out of the Great Hall amidst laughter. He couldn't control himself. Just before he left, he saw the expression on the face of James Potter and he could just smell something wrong. That horrible, pampered prince was no doubt the cause of all this. Not able to control his volatile emotions, he swiftly walked away. Just as he was about to head downstairs to the dungeons, someone stopped him.
"Severus! Wait!"
He turned around, only to see his best friend running to catch up to him. Snape's face heated up even more. Why did he have to make such a big fool of himself in front of Lily?
"Are you okay?" asked Lily in concern. "What happened?"
"Potter happened, that's what!" snarled Snape, finally losing his cool.
"James?" asked Lily in surprise. "What does James have anything to do with this?"
Snape's eyes widened. James? Since when did she start calling him James? A horrible sensation welled up in his gut. Had she already befriended that boy? Was she going to stop being his friend and go over to James Potter?
"James?" repeated Snape, his face furious. "So you're friends with the git, is it?"
Lily frowned at him. "No, Severus, he and I are not friends," she explained. "On the second night in Gryffindor Tower, the prefects had all the first years come down to the common room for a chat so that we could introduce ourselves. You know, get to know our Housemates. What did James do?"
"It's his fault that I embarrassed myself like this!"
Lily looked bewildered. "Why would you blame him? He was on the opposite side of the Hall when – ahem – it happened."
"I saw the expression on his face. I know he did it just to embarrass me."
"Why would he do that?"
Snape's expression fell as he turned around. "I can't believe you're defending some stranger over me. I thought we were friends? Best friends?"
"We are, Sev," said Lily patiently. "Don't worry. Things will blow over very soon."
Snape's expression calmed as Lily hugged him, but he knew in his gut that James Potter was behind it. He would trust his instincts. There was something about Potter that he didn't like. He had disliked Potter from their very first meeting. If it was someone else, oh well. If it was Potter . . . he would find out the truth eventually.
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James stripped down to his underpants and slipped into bed. He was unusually quiet and his roommates noticed that. This was not the first time James had pranked someone. He and his mother had prank wars all the time at home, and Charlus Potter always got himself involved somehow. Frank Longbottom, who James had grown up with, was also a target whenever the two spent time together, but that was rare and infrequent.
Suddenly, James felt so lonely. Unfortunately, this was not something he was unfamiliar with. With both his parents having busy careers – he still did not know where his mother worked – he was usually left home alone with a nanny or the house-elves. They would come home every day for lunch, of course, and they would spend the evening together, but James still spent a lot of time alone at the manor. For years, he had pined for a sibling, but his parents never had any more children. The loneliness came back again in full force now. He had done something he knew was wrong and he had no one he could confide in. His parents would be very disappointed in him, he knew it.
He honestly hadn't meant to prank that Snape boy.
His bed curtains opened slightly and James felt a weight on his bed. He looked sideways, only to spot Sirius with a serious expression on his face.
James chuckled mentally at the pun and decided to give it a try.
"Hey, Sirius, why are you so serious?"
A small smile broke out on the Black heir's face as he laughed, punching his friend playfully. He sobered up immediately and asked, "Why did you do that?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Why did you prank that Snape kid?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," lied James.
Sirius simply stared at him, making James squirm. "Jamie, I know that it was you," he said in a low voice.
"How did you know?" whispered James harshly.
Sirius grinned. "You just admitted it to me! That's how I know!"
James groaned as he pulled the soft blanket over his head. It was pulled back and the other boy asked, "Why did you do it?"
"It wasn't meant for him! It was supposed to be a prank on Bella!"
Sirius snorted and his grey eyes softened. "I really appreciate it, James, I do, but you didn't have to do that. I would have extracted my revenge on her later."
James huffed. "It's not revenge, you know," he said in an annoyed voice. "It's justice for what she did to you. And I have no idea why the potion ended up in Snape's drink. Maybe my switching spell was wrong."
"You can perform a switching spell?" asked Sirius in surprise. That was advanced Transfiguration, not known to any first-year student.
"Yeah, why?"
"Mate, you have got to teach me!"
An hour later, James was still awake. He pondered on what had happened during dinner and finally shrugged it off. It was just a joke. No one was hurt and it was chalked off as a prank. He would forget about it and so would everyone else. After all, it wasn't as if anyone other than Sirius had suspected him.
Little did James know that his little accident would be the beginning of one of the biggest feuds Hogwarts had seen in recent times.
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"Remus? Are you okay?"
The eleven-year-old boy nearly tripped on his shoes when he heard the voice. He turned around, only to spot one of his classmates looking at him in concern.
"I'm fine – ahem –"
"Lily," said the girl softly. "Lily Evans."
"Right," said Remus. He really looked very tired and haggard and many had wondered if he was sick.
"Do you want me to accompany you to the hospital wing?" asked Lily again.
"No thanks. I'll manage on my own. Thanks for your concern."
Lily watched him go, frowning. Remus looked very sick. Maybe she should tell Professor McGonagall? Just then, James and Sirius walked out of the Charms classroom, laughing about something. Lily was annoyed. Their roommate was sick and these two couldn't even be bothered?
"Excuse me, but do you know what's wrong with Remus?" asked Lily immediately, halting their laughter.
James looked at her and the butterflies in his stomach were back in full force. Only now did he finally take a good look at her, and he had to admit that she was very cute. He had never met anyone with that shade of green eyes. They were mesmerising and the way she tilted her head when she was concerned . . .
He spoke without thinking.
"Why, do you have a crush on him?"
Lily's face reddened in embarrassment as Sirius laughed. James kicked himself for his stupidity. What made him say something that ridiculous? She was obviously concerned. So was he!
"If you must know, Potter, I was simply worried about our classmate," she said coldly. Looks like Severus was right about Potter. "I never expected you to ignore him when he is unwell. I thought he was your friend."
"I – well –"
Lily rolled her eyes as she marched off in the opposite direction. Sirius was frowning at her. "Who is she to judge us like that?" he asked angrily. "We've been taking care of Remus every night for the past two days."
James wasn't listening. His face was flushed and he wondered once again what was wrong with him. Taking a deep breath, the two friends walked towards the Defence classroom for their next lesson.
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The first term passed by quickly. However, for James Potter and Sirius Black, they were curious about one Remus Lupin. Since the time they were at Hogwarts, the boy would disappear for a few days once a month because he was 'unwell' and come back more haggard than before. That was the topic of conversation on the last day of school before the winter holidays.
"Which illness could he possibly have?" asked James.
"I don't know," replied Sirius. "He's fine for like three weeks a month. Then on the fourth, he gets all emotional and sick and – hey, Jamie, do you think Remus might be a girl?"
James looked confused for a few moments, blinking owlishly until he realised what his friend was talking about. Chuckles turned into full-blown belly laughs as both friends rolled on the floor, trying to control their tears.
"Sirius, I can't believe you just said that," said James, gasping for breath. "Remus isn't – you know –"
"On his period?" grinned Sirius. "We'll never know until we ask him."
"Sirius, he's a boy! It's just not possible!"
Just when they were talking, they felt someone fire a spell at them. The banishing charm caught them unawares as they were blasted back to the wall. They blinked groggily, only to spot –
"Potter," spat Snape. "I've been waiting to talk to you."
Sirius narrowed his eyes. "What do you want, Snape?" he shouted angrily. "Why did you attack us?"
Snape ignored him. "It's your fault, Potter, I know it! You're the one who spiked my pumpkin juice. Don't deny it!"
James simply gaped at the boy. It had been three months since that incident and he had honestly forgotten all about it. Then the anger came. His wand sailed out of his holster as he stood up.
"Don't accuse me without evidence, Snape," spat back James, wondering how the other boy had figured it out. But the prank hadn't actually been meant for the first-year Slytherin, so he asked, "Why should I target you? I barely know you!"
"You're just jealous!" replied Snape hotly.
James and Sirius looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Jealous?" said James, looking at Snape as though he were insane. "Why the hell would I be jealous of you?"
Because Lily is my best friend and I know you like her too, thought Snape furiously. "Stay away from us, Potter, if you know what's good for you. Take that big head of yours and shove it up your stinky Gryffindor arse."
James' face burned in anger as he raised his wand, intending to blast Snape to smithereens. "Why you little –"
Before the fighting could get any worse, however, Professor Slughorn appeared. "What's going on here?" he asked sternly. "Not fighting I hope, boys?"
"No, Professor," said Sirius through gritted teeth. "We were just wishing Snivellus here happy holidays."
"We also hope that he washes his greasy hair," said James sardonically as the two of them walked away. "Haven't you heard of shampoo?"
Snape too walked away, muttering to himself. He had wanted to get his revenge on Potter but had failed. It was not only about the prank anymore. It was more personal.
This was about Lily.
Snape had observed James Potter over the past three months and he did not like the conclusion he had arrived at. Potter's face would become flushed whenever he spoke to Lily. He would get a gleam in his eye and would stare at her constantly and would look flustered. Snape identified those emotions as the same ones he had felt when he had first met Lily. He had decided that Potter had feelings for Lily and was hence a rival for her affections and friendship.
And Snape could not let that happen. He couldn't lose Lily. She was his best friend! The only silver lining in all this was that Potter would constantly make a fool of himself whenever Lily was around, which would infuriate her.
For now, he decided to forget about Potter. He and Lily were already planning on studying magic together during the summer holidays next year. Just because they couldn't do magic didn't mean they couldn't study the theory or prepare potions. Maybe they could even make the potion better than the author! With him and Lily working together, nothing was impossible!
Besides, anything was better than staying under the same roof as Tobias Snape.
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AN: I am doing my utmost best to be fair to both James and Snape. While there is no denying that I loathe Snape, I am trying to be as impartial as possible, drawing my conclusions from canon. From the books, we have seen incidents only from Snape's angle – but there are two sides to every story.
James Potter is a character that is hated as much as Dolores Umbridge. Am I exaggerating? I don't think so, at least not from what I've seen and read. We judge him due to one incident when he was fifteen, and we ignore the rest of his personality and actions. It is disgusting and unfair. What James did in Book 5 was cruel, but was Snape never to blame at all? Even JKR admitted that he was an all-grey character, and that was after Lily's death. What I'm trying to show are situations from both perspectives. I hope you can see that in future chapters. My goal is to explore their characters, but unfortunately, I don't have much to draw from the books.
I hope you've enjoyed it. Please do let me know what you think by leaving a review. I would love to read your opinions as well.