1He wanted a drink so badly. He needed a drink. He ordered one and it sat in front of him; a temptation of death.
The three broomsticks was remarkable empty for a Saturday night, but Severus wore a hooded disguise anyways. Old habits could be hard to break.
Severus just stared at his drink. He was on the verge of giving in when the most unexpected person came in. The man sat a few seats away from Severus and ordered a strong drink.
James Potter was the last man that Severus wanted to talk to, but he found the situation he was in quite agreeable. Severus had never been around James in a casual setting, and never without James aware of his presence. This gave him a chance to observe his enemy.
James was sitting slumped at the bar. The old barkeeper was talking to him, but James was not an engaging conversationalist that night, and after a while, the man left.
James was deep in thought. He had removed his glasses and was rubbing his eyes wearily. James wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, but he continued to take sips of his drink. If Severus didn't know James better, he would have felt sorry for him, that is if Severus could be bothered feeling sorry for others. Point being, James was obviously distressed.
James had been through two pints when a woman came up and sat down beside him, between James and Severus. James didn't even give her a sideways glance, but that didn't daunt her.
"James," she greeted. "I thought that was you. How have you been?"
James glanced up at her, and Severus was surprised to see a downtrodden look in his eyes. "What are you doing?"
James was very blunt in his observation of her flirtatious manner, and Severus was surprised. He would have expected James to welcome it, but maybe this just wasn't the night.
"Well, you looked a little upset," the woman continued. "I've been keeping up with your career, you know, Quidditch. I always knew you'd be famous."
She gave an annoying laugh of glee. James didn't respond.
"Of course with all of the problems now..." she gave a false sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry."
James truly doubted it.
The woman put a hand on James' arm and began moving in closer.
"I know it must be tough for you," she whispered seductively. "You need to talk."
"I don't need to talk," he emphasized as he swiftly and intentionally knocked her hand off of his arm.
"You need someone who understands you," she told him dissolutely, stroking his large hand.
Severus got the distinct feeling that the woman was no longer talking about Quidditch.
James' eyes narrowed, "What are you saying?"
But the woman just shrugged, a nasty smile lingering on her red lips.
"Where's your wife?"
"Lily," he placed extreme emphasis on her name, "is none of your business, and neither am I."
"Touchy, touchy," she responded loftily. "There wouldn't be a problem going on between you two?"
"I'm just here to have a drink," he told her, looking down and not meeting her eyes. "I don't really feel like talking."
There was a moment of contemplative silence. James glanced up, daring her with his eyes to continue the conversation.
"We don't have to talk," she whispered heavily into his ear, but Severus still heard. "We could go back to my place. Lily would never have to know."
James seemed even more desperate, "Please go."
The begging in his voice surprised Severus. But the woman seemed to take the not too subtle hint. She stood and walked around James, placing her hands on his shoulders.
"If you change your mind, I'll be here," she teased into his ear.
Then she ran her fingers through his hair as she walked away.
When James picked up his drink, Severus saw that his hands were shaking.
Sirius held Peter back as he watched James tell his pursuer off. Sirius whispered for Peter to go tell Lily that James was okay and then meet him back at the Three Broomsticks with Remus for damage control.
Sirius quietly made his way towards James and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. Severus saw and continued to observe.
James looked at Sirius with an expression Severus had never seen him wear before: weakness.
"I saw," Sirius greeted.
"What's up?" Sirius asked, but James understood that this was more than just a casual question.
"Every time I see her!" James struggled to find the words. "I don't want to cheat on Lily, and I won't, but she's just so tempting!"
Sirius nodded.
"She knows how to dig her claws into me," James breathed deeply. "Whenever I'm the weakest, that's when she appears. One of these days, I'm afraid she'll get me."
"She's evil, man," Sirius agreed.
James was visibly shaking, "I seriously have to think about Snape every time I see her, and she's not half as appealing to me as Lily is. I don't know why she gets to me like this."
Severus cringed. Was he really James' method of repulsion?
"Stop drinking," Sirius softly instructed. "You've had enough."
"It didn't used to take this much booze to chill me out," James reminisced.
"Okay, pal," Sirius dropped his voice. "Don't you dare rat me out, because I'm doing this for you. Remus told me, we all know. Lily doesn't hate you and she's not sick, James."
"Yeah, she does, and yeah, she is," James irrationally argued.
"And emotional," Sirius added. "Prongs, you're supposed to be smart! She's not sick, she's pregnant."
James looked more scared than Sirius or Severus had ever seen him.
"She's not," he shook his head. "We didn't mean to...I mean, she can't be."
He brought his voice down to barely a whisper.
"We've taken precautions!"
"Well, buddy," Sirius slapped his back, "your planning didn't work."
James stared unbelievingly.
"So don't be getting into any trouble with Miss Freaky over there," Sirius warned.
James did the most unexpected thing in Severus' opinion; he reached over and hugged Sirius tightly.
Sirius didn't seem too surprised, "You're going to be a dad!"
And that was when Severus' heart fell.
"I really am excited," he told Sirius quietly, "but my world has just been spinning lately, man."
"That's probably the beer," Sirius checked his friend's running tab. "Five drinks?"
James shrugged.
"Well," Sirius smiled, "This is as lucid as you've ever been after this much alcohol."
James stared evilly at Sirius, "Don't start with me. You know I'm fine."
"You are amazingly resilient," Sirius agreed, "but that doesn't mean that Lily won't smell it on you, so we better get you cleaned up. You two need to talk."
"I don't think she wants to talk to me right now," James confessed and proceeded to tell Sirius all about his confrontation with Lily.
Severus left the bar that night feeling better than he had in weeks, and never having touched a drink. Knowing Lily had stuck up for him gave him a renewed faith in the world. And to Severus, James Potter was officially scum.
But the revelations of the night were bittersweet. Potter had fathered Lily's child. And despite his attitude towards himself, Potter hadn't taken the opportunity to cheat on Lily. Severus couldn't accuse him of anything, and it infuriated him to no end.
But Severus wasn't worried. He now held all of the cards. He would be working with Potter's wife and teaching his little sister. Excellent.
