I always enjoyed "Snape's Worst Memory" because it showed how James, Sirius, Remus and Peter acted, really acted, not how people would like to remember how they acted. And I always like to see how people feel at moments like that- what do they think, what's going through their heads, any regrets, thoughts, feelings? So, here and now, I present to you: Snape's Worst Memory, with each character's point of view, beginning with the star himself, Severus Snape.
Snape's POV
He has always tormented me, and, I suspect, always will. That isn't to say I don't get my revenge sometimes, but it was always him who started things.
I had nothing on my mind but the upcoming Transfiguration exam when I heard his voice call out that horrible nickname for me across the yard. "All right, Snivellus?" He yelled, and instantly everyone's head turned. They knew, roughly, what was going to happen next and were eagerly waiting for it. I am not popular here, nor do I ever intend to be.
Of course, being in my fifth year here, I also knew, roughly, what was going to happen. First, he would take my wand. I always, always tried to prevent him, but since I carry it in my bag, it was much faster and easier for him to shout, "Expelliarmus!" then it was for me to grab it.
He didn't catch my wand, but let it fall into the grass some ten feet away, and that stupid Black laughed as I began to run, trying to get my wand. A futile attempt, it turned out, as then he shouted haughtily, "Impedimenta!" and I was knocked down, helpless for the time being as the spell took its toll and I was as if bound to the ground. I could, I found, lift my head, and I did so, glaring at him and Black with every ounce of hatred and fury I could. He gazed down at me with cold fury, while Black looked at me with malicious glee. I was vaguely aware that some other students had gathered around, but only slightly so. This was between him and I, and at the moment, I wasn't aware of anything else. Every sense, every cell in my mind was focused on trying to predict what he would do next and to try to prevent it.
That idiot boy Pettigrew was sniggering, but at a safe distance, lest I get my wand and go spell-crazy, aiming the Cruciatus curse at everyone in my mad, mad attempts to destroy Potter. What a git.
Lupin wasn't, I was not surprised to see, participating in the events. He was always the one caught in the middle. He didn't like me, but he didn't like to humiliate me either. Thus, he was doing what he always did- trying to pretend that this wasn't happening, and would mildly say to Black and Potter later, "That wasn't nice," which they would promptly ignore.
"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" Potter asked now, coming a bit closer with Black, both their wands up, just in case. Smart. They know as soon as I can get up, I'll go for my wand and try to hurt them. Badly.
"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment. There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word." Black said viciously, his face set in hateful glee as he watched my humiliation. Several people laughed at this remark; I told you I wasn't popular. I tried to get up, intending to kneel, but the spell still held- Potter was good at his work. I remained lying down, looking up at them both- like a servant, like an inferior. I had to say something, to show I wasn't beaten, wasn't going to take this- excuse the cliché- lying down.
"You- wait," I panted, the spell barely letting me do so, my mouth feeling as if it was glued shut, but I had to do something. "You- wait," I said again, and Black said coldly, "Wait for what, Snivelly, you to wipe your nose on us?"
Forgetting that there was a spell on me, forgetting that I was at Potter's complete mercy for the moment, I swore loudly, saying things my father said to my mother when I stumbled in on them fighting, mixing in hexes and curses, forgetting that my wand was lying ten feet away behind Potter and Black.
"Wash your mouth out- Scourgify!" Potter said, and instantly I was choking on soap bubbles, gagging on them- I couldn't breathe, I couldn't do anything, I was going to be more humiliated then ever-
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" A clear voice ran out from the lake as I frantically spat out more bubbles and tried to breathe. I struggled to turn my head over to the lake, but I didn't need to- I would recognize that voice anywhere.
Lily Evans. The prettiest girl in our school, never mind our year, with her dark red hair and emerald eyes. Black and Potter turned to her with identical guilty expressions; Potter's hand going to his stupid hair and messing it up so it'd look cool.
"All right, Evans?" Potter said, as if this was a chance meeting at the mall and not her interrupting his torture of me. His voice became deeper suddenly, and I could, from my excellent view of everyone's feet, tell that he was trying to make himself taller without anyone noticing. He spoke pleasantly, as if he had been interrupted doing something that hadn't really been much fun anyway.
"Leave him alone." She repeated, and my humiliation increased. I would have rather faced Potter armed with nothing and him with all the spells in the world then have Lily Evans, of all people, come to my defense and see me in this helpless state. "What's he done to you?" Her voice was no longer loud, but soft and icy with great hatred. In that, at least, I could identify.
"Well, it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean . . ." Potter said, saying this as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I tried to move my leg and found, with surprise, that I could. The spell had worn off. As the crowd- quite a crowd, I saw- laughed and Potter grinned as his witticism was so pleasing to the crowds, I began to inch away, praying that no one would notice as I tried to reclaim my wand.
"You think you're funny, but you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone." I heard Lily say, and I silently shouted, Hear hear! but didn't, because that would be stupid.
"I will if you go out with me, Evans!" Potter quickly said, and I silently shook my head. What idiot, I ask you, would ask a girl out after she calls him an arrogant, bullying toerag?
"Go on," He continued, "Go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again!" I prayed that no one would check up on "old Snivelly" at this point, but no- they were too wrapped up in the soap opera like battle between Potter and Lily.
"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid!" She shouted, fire in her bottle green eyes as I reached out and grabbed my wand. "Bad luck, Prongs." Black said, turning back to me- or where I had been. It took a moment for him to shout, "OY!" and alert Potter- and everyone else- to where I had gotten to, but it was a moment I used wisely.
We had been practicing nonverbal spells in class and I had devoted an entire sleepless night in the Slytherin common room summoning a book towards me silently. I was off-guard the next day and suffered a bit for it, but it was worth it. I now had a small advantage against Potter- he- stupidly, I might add- hadn't bothered to practice it at all, and now couldn't guard against my hex as I aimed my wand shakily and silently shouted Sectumsempra! It was a weak hex- I had invented it last week- but it still partially did its intention- Potter got a nasty cut across the cheek and blood spurted like mad from it. I had intended to try it again, but too late- with a flash of white light, I felt a hard, sharp pull on my ankle and I flew into the air, suspended only by an invisible rope on my foot. It seemed that Potter had mastered nonverbal spells- a mistake I wouldn't forget in a hurry.
But how had he known this spell? I invented it; I had invented many spells in my five years here. I wrote them all down in my Potions book, in the margins, too, and I hadn't stupidly put my name in the inside cover- no, some of those spells- Sectumsempra, for example- were dangerous. I had put my name as the Half-Blood Prince, a fitting title for me, I felt- and besides, I couldn't think of any other nickname that no one would guess. You'd have to look into my past and my blood to see what that nickname meant, and, I can assure you, no one would bother to do that.
My robe fell down to my face and revealed my skinny legs and underwear, to my undying humiliation. And under all of this- the fact that everyone was cheering, the fact that only two people weren't laughing and pointing- was that she was watching all of this. Watching my shame and would always look at me and know that, in a random duel, I would come out second best. It was almost as bad as the actually humiliation itself.
"Let him down!" Lily said, and, with a deep sigh of regret, Potter muttered the countercurse- I don't know how he knew, I had barely scratched the surface of it- and I tumbled down harshly, my back in a world of pain as I landed on it. I immediately got up; intending- I don't know what, maybe to hex James, or to run away- I'm still not sure. It doesn't matter, though, because as soon as I stood Black lazily pointed his wand at me and said, "Locomotor mortis!" and my legs and arms snapped together and to my sides, and I fell, unsupported, to the ground, unable to move anything but my eyes.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily bellowed, whipping out her own wand, and both Black and Potter eyed it warily. They knew Lily was no bluffer; she would hex them if she wanted to.
"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you too." Potter said, still looking at the wand but pointing his wand at her. "Take the curse off, then!" She said, fury etched in every line of her face.
James once again sighed deeply and, pointing to me, muttered the countercurse. I got up quickly, glaring at Potter as he did likewise to me. "There you go," He said, his eyes promising this wasn't over yet, "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus-"
"I don't need help from Mudbloods!" I spat out, humiliation and hatred urging me on. It was true, I disliked Mudbloods, and it was true that I harbored a certain prejudice of them, but I don't believe that if I hadn't been half-mad with rage and humiliation I would have called Lily Evans a Mudblood. But either way, it was out there, and I could do nothing but defend myself and my position.
For a moment, I feared that she would hex both me and Potter, but all she did was blink, and then say coolly, "Fine. I won't bother in the future, then. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus." Ah, how my heart shuddered and twisted in pain when she spoke those words. I know that she had every right to- I had just insulted her, and badly, too- but still- your heart doesn't listen to reason.
"Apologize to Evans!" James roared, and, to my guilty pleasure, Lily turned on him. "I don't want you to make him apologize! You're as bad as he is!"
"Me?" James yelped, his face like a puppy that's been kicked, "I'd NEVER call you a- you-know-what!"
"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can- I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK." Turning away angrily, she walked off, her fists trembling in rage.
"Evans!" Potter called after her, but she didn't respond. "HEY, EVANS!" He yelled again, but the only answer he got was a slammed-shut castle door. "What is it with her?" Potter asked after a few moments, and Black said, "Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate."
Potter looked furious now, although at himself, Black, Lily, or myself I wasn't sure. Either way, he turned back to me and with a wave of his wand and a malicious grin, I was once again hanging upside down midair, and this time with no Lily to save me.
"Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?" He asked the eager crowd, and as I shut my eyes, trying to block out everything, trying to make it not be happening, I knew I wouldn't forget this, and wouldn't forgive Potter as long as I lived.
Next up: James' point of view! See ya soon!
-Kathleen