Trouble in the Staff Room
Chapter 12: Memories

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked Snape, after he had come out with the outrageous comment about catching the wind.

"Nothing really. Resolving my problem, well it would be a lot easier to catch the wind."

"Donovan."

"Yes."

Silence once more filled the room.

"What happened?" Hermione asked looking at the numerous cuts on Snape's face.

"Oh, I fell down the stairs." Hermione looked at him. "Stupid I know."

"You can't keep telling lies you know. There has to be some stage when you have to tell the truth, and well no one is going to believe you."

"That is more than true." Snape's expressing glazed over and he stared out to the stars. "No one would ever believe it."

"What?"

"Oh nothing."

"Come on really happened?"

"Filch beat me up." Hermione looked horrified.

"Why?!"

"Because" he shrugged.

"You don't know?"

"No."

More silence followed.

* * *

Professor Dumbledore woke up suddenly. He had, had a nightmare. One that he couldn't explain nor had any wish to explain.

* * *

Remus Lupin sat in his room. He thought about Snape, and how he had changed from when he had first met him on the train coming to Hogwarts.

~FLASHBACK~

"Hi. Any of these seats taken?" A tall black haired lad, his hair stuck out everywhere and was a complete mess.

"No, feel free to take them." The other boy answer, he to had black hair.

"Great! Come on guys." Three other lads and a girl walked into the compartment.

They sat in silence; not one of them spoke.

"We're at such close quarters I feel compelled to introduce myself." The lad that had spoken at first said, breaking the silence. He had a posh accent. Obviously a well to do child. "I'm James Thomas Potter." He held out his hand.

"Hi, Severus Snape." Snape answered shaking his hand.

"Remus Lupin." A second, smaller boy with blonde hair, he too had a Welsh accent, but not as strong as Snape's.

"Bore da."

"Ble rydych chi'n byw?"

"Rydw I'n dod o Caerfyriddin. Maen nhw'n byw yn Abertawe. Chwi?"

"Caerdydd."

"Okay guys, cut with the Welsh now!" a third black haired boy said. The others laughed. "Sirius Black, comedian and practical joker at your service." He bowed and they laughed again.

A small rat faced boy, hidden slightly in the corner.

"PPeter Pettigrew." He stammered.

"Lily Evans." The only female of the group spoke up. She was beautiful; her green eyes shone like emeralds. Snape could not take his eyes of them.

The journey rattled on and the got talking about Hogwarts and their families, the latter subject Snape was very reluctant to disclose, and they didn't pressure him into it. By half time, they had grown weary and begun to get fed up.

Snape was sitting in a corner of the carriage, with a sketchbook in his hand, scribbling away. James and Sirius were playing cards, Lily was reading, Remus was trading Chocolate Frog Cards with Peter.

"What are you drawing?" James asked eventually. Snape turned the notebook around to show them. It was a drawing of the four of them, doing what they had been doing.

"Say, that's brilliant!" They all got up to admire the picture.

"Can you do anymore creative things?" Lily asked sweetly.

"Well, I can play the guitar, and sing."

"Neat. I play trumpet." James added.

"I play guitar as well.." Sirius said, "Badly of course."

"I play piano." Remus added his little bit to the conversation.

"I" but Peter never finished his sentence. He was left standing ignored in the corner.

"I can sing." Lily said in a shy voice.

"Hey, maybe we could put a band together? At Hogwarts, you know." Sirius suggested.

"Yes, old boy, but remember we may all be in different houses."

"I got to go to the toilet." Snape muttered putting down his sketchpad.

"Sev, we're getting near the school, can't you wait it out?" Remus asked.

"No, I'm bursting." Snape opened the compartment door and slipped out.

"Hey, how about we play a 'Welcome to the Gang' trick on him?" Sirius suggested as soon as Snape was well away from the compartment.

"Yeah!" They all agreed, except.

"No." Remus said.

"Why not?" Lily asked.

"Itwell it wouldn't be right." They all threw their books at him.

"Don't be a wet blanket!"

They set about setting up what they considered a funny trick. But secretly they all knew that it was not going to be funny.

Snape came back a couple of minutes after they had set the trick up. Luckily the toilets were at the back end of the train and they were up near the front.

"Back." He said slipping back in. He saw them all sitting looking at him, with smiles on their faces. "What?" he said smiling also.

"Severus, you're flying low there mate." James nodded in his direction.

"Oops." Snape went red and fumbled for the fly on his jeans. He sat down, realising that it was stuck and not going to give. He picked up his notebook. Someone had drawn moustaches all over his people.

He felt the anger rise within him. He took his drawing seriously. Everyone, except for Remus and Lily burst into floods of laughter.

Then they noticed the hurt look on his face.

"We're"

"Shut the fuck up!" Snape shouted at them. They fell silent. "You may think that a joke like this is funny, but it's not." He put the notebook in his trunk, and sat back against the seat. Not bothering that everyone sitting opposite him could see down his open fly.

The rest of the journey went by without anyone speaking, or anyone doing anything.

From that day forward, Snape was one of James Potter's enemies.

~PRESENT DAY~

"If Sirius hadn't played that joke on Snape, we would have all been friends." Lupin shrugged, undressed and got into bed.