House: Slytherin

Category: Short

Prompt: [Weather] Windy

Word Count: 591

oO0Oo

James had just landed, his knees buckling a little at the impact, when he heard someone say his name.

"Potter."

Looking around, he just barely made out the form of Severus Snape standing before him in the shadows. "What do you want, Snivellus?" he said, fingering his wand and holding his broom tight with his other hand. Night was falling, and they stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Take care of Lily," the Slytherin said, his voice tight and controlled.

James paused. "Is this some trick?"

"No, it's not." In the light of the setting sun, James could see his eyes were glinting with emotion. Strangely enough, he seemed sincere. "Potter, you're an arrogant toerag who doesn't deserve her, but keep her safe."

"Why?"

"Because she deserves as much," Snape answered.

"But why are you asking me. You hate me, Snape. And it's not like you're her friend anymore."

Snape took a step closer, prompting James to draw his wand; however, the Slytherin didn't attack. Instead, Severus only looked at him, and James thought he saw infinite sadness in those bleak black eyes. "The wind rises," Snape said simply. "We must try to live."

"Umm.. what do you mean?" James said, giving him a strange look.

"The winds of change are blowing, Potter, and I've chosen my side. Or, more accurately, I had it chosen for me the moment Dumbledore put that damned hat on my head." Severus scowled. "Just keep Lily safe."

James took a closer look at the Slytherin standing before him, and in a sudden flash of clarity, he thought he finally understood. In his own roundabout way, was Severus Snape apologizing for what he had done? By begging him to keep Lily safe, was he admitting that he could no longer do so himself?

"You know, you can always join us," James said. He hated Snape, but now, he also felt a deep, grudging respect for the Slytherin.

Snape gave a sardonic smile. "You know what I've done, Potter. I dreamt of glory, so I flew too close to the sun. Now, my wings are melting and the wind is whistling in my ears as I plummet to the ground, but it is far too late to save me."

Unsure how to respond to Snape's speech, James began to lower his wand, torn between patting the Slytherin on the back and leaving him in silence… then Snape bent his head and whispered, "Forgive me, Lily. I will do what it takes to survive." Before James had time to process what was happening, Snape struck. He cast curse after vicious curse, but after taking two to the midriff — one of them felt like a bone-breaking curse, and James hadn't recognized that other flash of magenta light — James jumped onto his broom and soared off into the night sky. The wind whipped around him, plucking at his robes and trying to pull him back down to the ground where Snape remained, firing curses into the darkness.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, James hung doggedly onto his broom, refusing to pass out. As the metallic tang of blood filled his mouth, Snape's words echoed in his ears. The wind is rising. The war is beginning. He would do what it took to survive.

James grimaced. We will all do what it takes, he thought. Whether we like it or not, we're all part of the brewing war. The wind is rising.

We must try to live.