✨️Wendy✨️

feel free to join my fanfiction processes https://archiveofourown.org/users/WendysJourney/works

[wendys-journey]

For those reading my Story on AO3

I know i haven't posted in months, it had been absolute hell with my mental, but I am doing better now. I have revised a lot of the story due to some inconsistency and even as I read it I would get a little confused and I wrote it! So! I will be posting the edited version very soon on the same story so nothing has to change.

I want to finish chapter 11 first so at least you guys get two new chapters at payment for my absence. It will be out soon! Like by this weekend (Hopefully on sooner).

I hope to see you soon!!

[wendys-journey]

Severus

Spinner’s End, Cokesworth, England.

Summer 1976, two weeks before sixth year,

“Wake up, come on Russ wake up!” His mother’s hushed, frantic voice broke through his dreamless sleep as she violently shook him awake. Groaning, he grasped her wrists tightly, “Mum?” Blinking sleep from his eyes he peered up at her. Her face was covered in dirt and sweat. Blood seeped down the side of her head from an unseen wound and her stitched dress was dirty and ripped to all hell.

“Mum!-” Severus started but his mother hushed him, putting a finger to her lips as she glanced back at the bedroom door, then turned back to him, her face deadly serious, “I need you to put what you need in your satchel and run, run as fast as you can. Go to Mongomery’s down the way, he will help you.” She said. There was a sudden bang from the living room making both of them jump.

“What-”

“There is no time Russ! Please, do as I say.” She said sternly then quickly and quietly left the room. For a second he just sat there trying to register what was going on, cause like, the fuck, but the bang and urgency in his mothers voice pushed him to act fast. Quickly Severus shrunk a few very important items, bagged them, pocketed his wand, grabbed goose, his cat, bagged her then headed for the door. As he reached for the handle his hand stilled. Bad idea dipshit, He thought and backed away from the door.

Turning Severus rushed over to the window, threw it open and climbed out. Humid air washed over him making sweat breast out over his skin as Severus’s feet hit the ground. Then he ran. He ran and ran and ran for what felt like forever up towards Mr Montgomery's house. The full moon illuminated his path as he made a beeline for the woods and his neighbor. Mr Montgomery. Charles Montgomery was a stout old man who had very little hair on his head and a large bushy white mustache who lived 3 miles from their house. He liked to wear blue a lot and was often seen out in his garden even during the winter. Mr Monty was also incredibly kind, any extra food was given away to those who needed it, including his own family. Get to Mongomery’s.

A sudden loud boom came from behind him, making him halt and turn to find his house being engulfed in flames. People with wands swarming the area shooting curses and blasts at his mother who was also trying to run in the opposite direction. She turned around shooting a blasting curse sending a few flying back. Her eyes flicked up and locked with his, she urged him to go, he didn’t want to. Then, a flash of green streaked across the lawn and hit his mother square in the chest.

“NO!!!!” Severus shouted as his mother fell to the groups. Just then one of the attackers turned to him. Panic raised in his chest and he sprinted away from the house deeper into the woods. There was a crack behind him followed by multiple running footsteps as the wizards assumed chase over him. Using his knowledge of the area he dipped and dodged branches and jumped over roots and logs trying to lose them.

One of the trees exploded by his side as one of the assailants flung a curse at him. Shit shit shit he thought trying to think of a solution. There was another blast beside him and he jumped out of the way only for the next one to hit him square in the back sending him falling forward. Pain radiated through his back and only got worse when he tried to move. Damnit not yet. He tried to pull himself up when footsteps surrounded him and a boot pressed firmly where the blast had hit him making him yelp. “Shut him up. We need to get out of here.” A deep rough voice spoke.

“On it.” another said. One of them yanked his head back as the other pressed a bottle firmly to his lips and dumped the contents in his mouth. He forced Severus’s mouth closed, making him drink it before releasing him. Severus coughed and choked as the potion immediately started taking effect. Heaviness filled his limbs and his head became all light as the weight on his back was lifted.

The world faded in and out as his body was lifted off the ground and thrown over someone's shoulders. Whoever these people were, they weren’t fucking around.

—

Trees swayed in the wind as the full moon lit with the forest around him. The smell of smoke and people shouting were gone. Now Severus was sitting by a small body of water, with a Stag next to him, bending so it, and the rat on the top of its head could drink. It was such a weirdly vivid scene for his usual dreams, and much weirder. It was so warm here. Though why the hell was he in the woods? Why was a rat on a Stags head? There was a distant howl and then Severus started barking. Was he a fucking dog? His head turned on its own towards the others before heading closer to them on all fours. Yep definitely a dog.

After that the dream just got weirder. At some point a wolf joined the mix and didn’t attack the deer or the rat. Instead he started to engage with them like they were his family. It was fucking wild. However, unlike all of his other dreams where he was this aware of what it was, Severus found that he wasn’t in control of this dream. He was forced to sit there and watch the animals roam around and play.

The animals played for a bit, then the body he was in went to the water to drink from it. Severus was able to get a better look at himself during that moment. He was in fact a large black dog with shaggy hair. When they finished drinking, they headed back over to the other animals. It was then he noticed that the sky was starting to get brighter and the wolf was becoming antsy. The dog rubbed against the wolf as if letting him know that it was okay, he could go and it would be okay. The deer and rat came over as well, each rubbing on or nudging the wolf before they all split ways. The dream became an odd blur again where the dog made his way through the woods back into a large city. It was still dark and there weren’t any people around.

All of a sudden the dog started to… grow? Or? Morph? There were tingles all over his body as the fur shed from him and his front legs became arms swinging at his side. This was the strangest feeling in the whole world. As the sun started to rise over the horizon the man came up to an apartment building heading towards the middle section where it was more discolored than the rest and entered it quietly. As he entered Severus felt himself being shoved out of this person's mind and forced back out into the street.

He didn’t stay there long though, one blink later he was looking through a different set of eyes, in an entirely different area that Severus knew almost way too well. They were at the Malfoy Manner. At Lucious’s desk no less, but Lucious was standing in front of him with a guilty looking face and his hands behind his back.

A cold energy rushed over his body as the man he was now spoke, “I gave you one simple task, one, and you failed it. I honestly would-” He stopped suddenly as the cold energy suddenly focused entirely on him. Freezing him in place, “Everyone out.” without a second thought the few people actually in the room left. “I don’t know how you slipped through mine, or the Malfoy's defenses, but I applaud you, truly I do, it's a feat no one person has accomplished yet. It's time for you to leave.” then it was like the man was shoving against him to force him out, both found that it was nearly impossible for Severus to leave the man's mind even though he wanted to desperately.

The man growled and turned to the side, getting out of the chair. As he stood up Severus’s eyes locked with terrifying red ones of a face he didn’t recognize but the rumors were enough. Finally whatever was holding him in place snapped and he was forced out of the man's head.

Severus shot up in bed panting heavily drenched in sweat and gripping the sheets like his life depended on it. Voldemort. He was in Voldemort's head. A man who was notorious for being completely shut off mentally from the rest of the world, and he was right there. It was so cold in his head, like a vast emptiness that was always consuming. When he was the dog man everything felt warmer and far more vibrant, he could feel everything they felt, with the dark lord this was a massive disconnect, he couldn't choose anything, just watch. Like a really bad movie you can't look away from.

His thoughts continued to race as his vision slowly came back to him and he started to get his bearings. First off, where the hell was he? Severus glanced around at the room and his brows furrowed. It was rather large and plain but nice. He was a queen sized with nice sheets and a thick blanket covering him. The room had three doors, one by a vanity, and the other two were on the right side diagonal to each other. Other than that the room itself was pretty bare. No decor, just a bed, a vanity and three doors.

Severus swung his legs off the side of the bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Ugh everything hurts. Then memories of last night started flooding in. The house, his mom. Quickly he felt his pockets and bed to no avail. And apparently his wand. Damnit… He needed to find a way out of here. Getting up he heads over to the first door, it was just a closet though. There was nothing in it. Just an empty space. Walking over to the other doors, he tried the door against the right wall first, but it was locked, that must be the way out of the room. The door after that was a bathroom. It was like a typical bathroom. Though this one had another door inside separating the loo from the actual tub. It wasn’t something he saw often.

Leaving the bathroom he looked around the room again. On the left side of his bed faced a small window, Severus headed over to it and pulled the curtains back. It was small and had no way to open it. The window faced an oddly familiar looking park where muggles walked by with their children, or pets. It was a little odd that this area felt so familiar even though he had never been anywhere except Cokesworth, Hogwarts, and the train station, but the feeling that he had been here recently wouldn’t shake.

“If you are looking to escape you will find it to be quite impossible through that window.” The sound of a woman's voice made Severus jump and he turned towards her. She was a rather beautiful woman by normal standards, maybe above normal, though he didn’t look at girls enough to know. She had long dark hair that was up in a tight bun matched with sharp steel coloured eyes and high cheekbones. Her lips were pulled in a permanent scowl and she presented herself with this ‘better than you’ stance. The dress she wore was long and made of a deep green fabric, perfectly fit and covered every inch of her body. She had a place in this world, “I was hoping you would wake up soon, you were sleeping so heavily.” she told him.

Severus turned to her fully, “Why am I here? What do you want?” he demanded.

The woman glared a bit but tried to smile past it as she walked closer to him, “Let’s mind our manners young man, I would have hoped for your mother to have prepared you better for this role.” she said.

He must have had a confused look on his face because the woman seemed a bit surprised, “She never told you? No? Oh my… I can’t believe it's me who must break the news.” She said, stopping in front of him.

“Stop being so cryptic damnit, why the hell am I here?” without warning the woman's hand connected with the side of his face and he gave her a surprised look.

“I told you to mind your manners,” Her words dripped with venom, “You’re here because I cashed in on an old debt your mother owed me. I do apologize for what it came down to. She was a good friend, but unfortunately she decided to fight a losing battle. So now, I have you.” She gave him this sickening satisfied smile that sent chills through him. It reminded him way too much of a certain Gryffindor

“Why me?” Severus asked, his voice coming out rougher than he meant, making him flinch. She didn’t hit him again.

The woman took his hand, hers was cold and disgustingly soft. He wanted to yank it away, “Because you are special, Severus. You give me peace of mind.” She let him go and stepped away, “Get cleaned up and change your clothes. Kreatcher!!” She shouted.

“Yes Mistress?” Severus jumped and stepped away when a house elf appeared at his side. Merlin’s fuck!! He hated house elves, not in a ‘they are lower then him’ kind of way, but in a ‘what the fuck dude stop fucking coming out of nowhere go away’ kind of way. They just scared him. “Bring Severus here some clothing” she ordered. The elf snapped and disappeared. The woman looked at him again, “Alright. Now go on. I will come and get you in one hour so you can meet your new master." Then she turned and left him, not allowing him to respond at all. Severus heard the door click and lock shut, once again leaving him alone in a foreign room facing an unknown journey. Why was it always him? Was he just born to suffer?

An uneasy feeling settled deep inside his stomach as he thought about what the woman said. She chose him. Out of everything his mother offered this woman chose him because she thought he was special. There was nothing special about him, his whole life was like one big joke created by a muggle and disowned pureblood. A bad joke. Unfortunately that didn’t seem to deter this crazy lady from attacking his home and forcing him into doing god knows what. This was only going to get worse.

It took Severus longer than expected to take a full shower. The water had felt incredible making him unwilling to get out and face this new life. Unfortunately that weird elf had popped into the bathroom, alerted Severus that he had 10 minutes to finish up and meet the missus by the stairs. So, with what little time he had Severus got out, dried off and got dressed.

As he pulled his shirt over his head his eyes caught sight of two different bottles and a plate of Toothflossing Stringmints. The order was clear, dental care was important. Looks were important. Got it. Severus grabbed each bottle, downed them, then ate the sweets. The combination was disgusting.

Looking at himself in the mirror he was almost surprised by how he looked. The clothes he now wore were far nicer than any other he had owned made from silk and cotton threaded together to make a nice dark green suit. His hair was light and flowing forcing him to pull it back in a half pony tail to keep it out of his eyes. As for his teeth they went from crooked and yellow to mostly white and perfectly straight. They felt weird in his mouth now. Severus didn’t enjoy the differences he saw, it was all to make these people look better, that was it.

Severus took a deep breath and headed out of the bathroom. He hesitated slightly at the doorway of the room. Could he really just walk out? Maybe that order had been a test? Damnit what the fuck was this place, she was already making him question himself. Taking a deep breath he thought it might be better to just wait by the stairs in case that thing was telling the truth.

Stepping out of the room Severus noticed just how closed off the hallways were. Wallpaper with intricate patterns lined the walls broken by scattered painted photos of the house’s family. They all looked practically the same, dark wavy hair, and cold grey eyes that made him uneasy. Near each portrait was a name, but before Severus could read any of them, someone cleared their throat.

Turning his head, he found that woman standing at the end of the hall with that tight cold smile, “I don’t appreciate tardiness. Lets not have any more punishments on your first day dear.” Her voice was sickly sweet and held no room for back talk. It was more than a little terrifying. Where was his wand when he needed it?

“Sorry…” He said walking over to her. The woman glared slightly but didn’t say anything as she turned, leading him further into the house. They were on the second floor of the building, rooms and photos lined the walls either dressers or shelves with scarce decoration. Everything was either black, dark green, or silver. Displays of things inside jars greeted him at the top of the stairs and that creepy house elf was there cleaning them. He growled and snapped at Severus as he walked past forcing him to move a little faster to keep up.

They walked past the stairs heading towards the other side of the upstairs, “Alright,” The woman stopped and faced him. Severus almost bumped her but managed to quickly step away to give her his attention. She gave him a disgusted look as she continued, “Before we continue let's set some ground rules, first, I am the head of this house, while you may take orders from my son everything is okayed by me. Understand?” She asked and he nodded. Control freak.

“Second, whatever he requests you do, no if, and’s, or buts. If you fight, expect punishment. You are also to complete requests from my younger son, however when you leave to attend school with them you focus on my oldest. He is a trouble maker. Finally, keep muggles out. Of. My. House. Every one I find is another day without eating. Any questions?” Severus clenched his teeth and shook his head. This couldn’t be legal. Could it?

The woman gave him a slight smile and patted his cheek, “Good boy. Come. It’s time to shine.” She said, They went a bit further down the hall before she came to a stop in front of a door. It was made of dark wood with a doorknob that was distinctly different from all the others. While the other doorknobs were silver, polished, and decorated with floral patterns, this one was not polished, not silver, and not decorated with floral patterns. It was brass, in the shape of a lion's head with its mouth closed and red stone eyes that glistened in the candle light. Tsking in annoyance the woman went to grab the knob, but it suddenly opened its mouth to roar and try to bite her.

The woman gasped and drew her hand back. Severus couldn’t stop the slight smirk that rose to his lips at the satisfaction of seeing her fail. The woman growled and banged on the door. He glanced up when she did and noticed letters printed on the front of the door. His blood ran cold as he read them, No. No no. No no no

“Sirius Black!! Open this door right now or so help me I will blast it down!!” Walburga screamed as the world spun around Severus. The universe had to be fucking with him. No. Merlin no, fucking god why, someone please kill me.

[blueberrycasanova]

i think dumbledore was growing weed in the forbidden forest the whole time and that’s why it was forbidden. that’s also why he acts the way he does.

[depsidase]

[robertreich]

This should not be controversial.

[gabiactually]

it’s not weird to find fanfiction from 2021, or 2017, or 2014 that you’ve never read and actually taking your time to read it.

it’s not weird to love it and comment and leave kudos because the author will probably still see it someday and it will make them happy.

it’s not weird to like said author’s work so much that you want to go look for other fics from them.

it’s not weird to go through the authors profile and look for other fics from the ships you like (or maybe some that you’ll give a chance because you liked the author) and maybe bookmark them for later.

it’s not weird to read these other fics and like them too and comment on them because you actually like them and you want to let the author know.

it’s not weird to read fanfiction from 5, or 8, or 10 years ago and actually enjoy and engage with it because it’s perfectly normal to relate to something that’s less than a decade old!

let’s stop treating fanfiction like they’re instagram posts that stop being interesting in 24 hours! fanfiction is NOT social media, fanfiction is art!!! and art doesn’t get old in one day, one year, or even a decade!

read fanfiction! write fanfiction! comment on fanfiction! let’s not let fanculture die people!!!!!

[wendys-journey]

I've been in December for three months.

[wendys-journey]

Love to Hate You

May 11th 1965

Sirius

Sirius sat on the lowest branch of the large oak tree that grew near his home reading a book and gazing over a field of flowers. It was his favorite spot in the whole world and provided a great hiding place. He would come here everyday and either stay in the tree reading or be out in the flowers looking for bugs and getting messy. Next year he would bring Reggie here but he was still too small. He would get hurt out here. He thought to himself with a small smile, they would have so much fun. 

Warm wind blew on his face as the flowers danced down below. Blues, pinks, purples, and yellows bouncing and swaying to the music of their nature. So free and content with their lives and those around them, so loved... How could they want anything else? He wished he knew what that felt like.

A sniffle from below cut through his thoughts and his gaze turned from his book to below him. There sat a kid about his age crying into the sleeves of their shirt, oh no… “Hey!” He called down to them

It was a girl, at least Sirius thought they were a girl, jumped and looked up at him. She had wide black eyes that were filled with tears and a slight pout from crying. Her hair was long and looked shiny, she had soft features though a rather prominent nose, and a small frame. She was wearing old oversized women's clothing that had been stitched to fit her, but it was a bit wonky because of her size.

Sirius carefully made his way down from the tree so he wouldn’t get hurt. His movements were slow so he wouldn’t frighten her anymore then he already had. “Are you okay? Why are you crying?” He asked quietly, like when he was comforting Reggie after one of mums fits. The little girl sniffed and wiped her cheeks again, “I can’t find my mama” She said with a thick midlands accent, but Sirius thought it was funny and a little cute. “My mum always says to stay where I am if I get lost and she will find me. Why don’t I wait with you? If we stay together we will be okay, Besides my home isn’t very far.” He smiled at her and sat by the tree. The girl gave him a wary look but nodded and sat beside him under the tree. 

They were both quiet for a moment before he remembered the handkerchief in his pocket, “Oh. Here.” He pulled it out and offered it to her. The girl shook her head “I don’t want to make it dirty.” She said, “Papa says people don’t like when I touch things and get them dirty.” Something bitter made its way to the back of his throat at her words, he didn’t like her papa. “I don’t care if it gets dirty. You don’t deserve to cry sad tears.” This time he put it in her hands and pushed it to her. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. The girl looked at the fabric, her thumb running over the embroidery of his initials in the corner before whispering softly, “Thank you..”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled, and finally the girl gave him the smallest smile back that made his heart race. After that Sirius talked to her about all kinds of things, his little brother, his mum, the house elf Kreetcher, which he had to explain to her, and how excited he was to go to Hogwarts when he was 11.  He wasn’t supposed to talk about it, but it felt like he could tell her anything. “My mama has told me about Hogwarts. She can only do it when Papa isn’t around cause we aren’t supposed to talk about it, but when she does she tells me that I will go there too one day and learn all kinds of amazing things” She told him. 

 Sirius sat up excitedly, his eyes alight with glee. “Really!? Maybe we will be in the same year! Or the same house! Mum thinks I’ll go into Slytherin but I don’t care where I go as long as we can be friends!” He turned to her fully and stuck out his hand. “Since we will both be there we can make sure to be friends. No matter what.” The girl looked at his hand but before she could take it a woman's voice rang out. “Oh my gods, there you are!!” The woman came between them and scooped the girl up into her arms, “My sweet Raven I was so worried!” She cried as she held her and checked her daughter over. Her name is Raven… pretty… 

Finally her gaze landed on him, and she paused. He waved a little at her. “Hi… I thought it would be safest if I stayed here too. Mum says it's what we should do.” He said suddenly rather shyly under her gaze. “Hello sweetie… Thank you for staying with him. Do you live close? You shouldn’t be out here alone, come on why don’t I take you home. I would like to thank your parents anyway for raising such a brave and smart boy.” She smiled softly and stood offering her hand. Him? Sirius looked at the girl, or… boy? Now he wasn’t entirely sure. They look like a girl but they were being called a boy? He's a very cute looking boy then. Sirius thought. He nodded and took her hand and led her up to his house. Normally he wouldn’t because he wasn’t allowed to bring muggles around but the gir- boy had said they were magic so he figured it would be alright. 

When they got to Grimwald Place Sirius tapped on the ground with his foot and the building moved, spreading and shaking to reveal another house. The hand in his tensed slightly but she still followed him up to the door. He went in “Mum!! There is a witch here to talk to you!” He called for her. Not much longer his mother came hurrying around the corner, “What! Sirius what have I told you-” She stopped with a gasp and dropped the book she was carrying. She stared at the woman behind him. Her face was full of shock and her eyes slowly started to well with tears, “Eileen…” She whispered. 

“Hello Walburga… I… I didn’t know-” With in a few steps Sirius’s mother enveloped the woman, Eileen, in a tight embrace. They must be old friends. As soon as the hug started it stopped and both women pulled away. “My husband is here, but you must write to me. Please. Use the code and tell me everything. Especially if he is the father. I will help you.” She said. Sirius’s brows furrowed. What is she talking about? 

Eileen nodded. “He is. I will explain everything in the letter and thank you. For not telling anyone you’ve seen me. Also… thank you for raising such a kind son. He was very kind to mine.” She told her. His mother smiled and nodded before kissing the woman's cheek and quickly sending her back out the door. He didn’t even get to say goodbye before they were gone. What was his real name?

August 28th 1975 

Severus 

Severus sat with his mother on a couch too nice for them in a home neither of them belonged in waiting on a woman they shouldn’t even be here to see. “Why are we here, mother? I don’t like when you won’t tell me things.” He asks her. Eileen Snape was a quiet woman with many secrets but she never hid things when it came to stuff that involved him. She was always upfront. Today however that did not seem to be the case.

The door of the parlor swung open to reveal an elegant and tall woman who walked gracefully even with her black cane. Behind her followed a house elf with a sour face holding some kind of paper on a silver tray. “Thank you for waiting. I had to go searching for this document.” The hostess sat across from them and rested her cane on the couch next to her. With a flick of her wrist the elf sets the tray down and leaves the room all together. “Now. Straight to business. The reason you are here.” She took the document from the tray and slid it over to them. When his mother made no move to take it, he did and read it over. 

His eyes scanned over the words but he had to go back and read more thoroughly. What? “What is this?” He looked at his mother, and she didn’t answer him, her gaze turned downward. He growled. “What the fuck is this, mother!” He stood up in disbelief throwing the paper away from him on the table like a disease. “You want me to get married?!” Nausaua wrecked through him, and he felt light headed as the world swam around him. This can’t be happening. “Severus please, this is what is best for you, you deserve the position it gives you.” His mother told him in her calm reassuring voice. It didn’t do either of those things for him. “This is insane! There is no way he agreed to this!” He argued, “He would never-”

“Sirius has already signed the paper’s Mr Snape. Or would you prefer to use Mr Prince until the name changes.” Mrs Black told him. Severus’s gaze snapped to hers, wide and in disbelief. Mrs Black features remained unchanged, keeping a collected look while he was on the verge of a tantrum. She wasn’t lying to him. Was she? He grabbed the document again and looked it over then he flipped the page and saw it. Attached behind the letter was the marriage certificate, and it was signed. Sirius Black. There. In thick spiraling font was his bullies name, waiting for his own to join it. She wasn’t lying. He fucking signed it…

Severus slowly sat back down staring at the paper for a long time. This didn’t make sense to him. It was clear to everyone he and Black hated each other and would rather cut off their own limbs rather than be in the same room together. Yet he had signed it willingly. When Severus finally looked at his mother again it was with betrayal, “Why…?” He asked her. His mother gazed back and reached up to cup his cheek. “You must understand son, it was the only way to get you away from him. Better you marry into your own and be protected than what he wanted. Please… sign it. Do this for me… escape him and find a better place for yourself.” she begged. He should have expected her to. Of all things though, to plead for him to become her in the false idea that he would be protected. Unfortunately Severus was terrible at denying his mother. He took a deep breath and brought the paper back over to him. “Okay…” He already regretted this. Walburga slid the inkwell and feather over to him, “I think this will be the start of something great for this family, Severus.” She gave him a clearly fake smile. He seriously doubted this would be good for anyone, still per her mothers request, he signed it. Severus Snape. This was going to be a nightmare. 

August 31th 1975 

Sirius

So things hadn’t exactly gone as he had planned, when he signed the marriage document it was under the agreement he could spend the rest of the summer with James. It had been a huge fight and the moment she presented the deal he was so desperate to get away that he agreed and signed the paper. That was over a month ago now and nothing had happened with it, he thought maybe she had forgotten or maybe he had imagined it. Of course he was wrong.

The news came this morning when he and James were rudely awakened by the incessant pecking on the window at 7:30 this morning. He had barely pulled himself out of bed and gotten the window open to accept the letter from the annoying owl. It was weirdly familiar but he hadn't been able to figure out why until he’d read the letter it had given him hours later. By then he had spent the whole day fucking off with James racing around on their brooms and swimming in the lake near his home. He loved being here. Here he felt at home. He felt loved. 

James had been sitting on the bed next to him when he opened it, saying it was stupid and he should just toss it. Maybe he was right. He would never know. The letter held what was probably his worst nightmare, Snape signed the marriage certificate. He agreed to this… why would he agree? What the hell am I going to do now? He thought. “What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost.” James asked from beside him. Sirius debated not telling him, he seriously considered just lying to him, and burning the letter in case he got curious, but they had made a promise. No secrets. 

With a deep breath Sirius handed him the letter and rested his head on the bed. He didn't want to look at it anymore. James read the letter for a long time, Sirius was pretty sure he was reading it over and over again too. “What the fuck?” He said his eyes flicking over to him again as Sirius turned his head to face him again, “I didn't think he would sign it!” He exclaimed

“Well he did!! Why did you sign it!?!” James cried back. 

“Mum said I could come if I did!!” 

“I would have kidnapped you!!” 

“I was desperate!!”

“Again, I would have kidnapped you! Now you are stuck married to probably the worst person alive besides you-know-who! This is so fucked Pads! We just made all those rank plans!” James complained. Sirius groaned and laid his head in his arms. He should have expected that from his best friend. He wasn’t sure how this would affect things. It would be insane to just stop, too many questions would be asked, but on the flip side if he laid his hands on Snape, his mother might actually kill him. 

Sirius sat up with a sigh and gazed at the floor, “I think we need to tread lightly, I don't know how public this will go, if it stays between the five of us plus our parents then maybe we don't have to change anything, but if either of them make it public we won't have a choice but to back off.” He told James. 

The sudden sound of a cat meowing made both of them jump and look at the mirror. An elegant Black cat rubbed against the window and meowed again. Sirius and James looked at each other before Sirius got up and opened the window. The cat jumped in and onto James’ desk before presenting its collar to Sirius. Tied to it was a rolled note in a small capsule. Carefully he took it out of the capsule and unrolled the scroll to read it. 

The writing was a familiar neat spidery scrawl that made up maybe one third of the page. Snivillous… he thought as he read it. 

Black Sirius Whatever

I will make this short. I don't wish to tell anyone about this. I told your mother I would like to wait a year before this goes public, and she agreed. Stick to the norm and keep your mouth shut or I will sew it closed myself. By hand. 

Die in a hole

Severus Snape.

P.S. I am keeping my last name bitch. 

Sirius couldn’t help but actually laugh at his husband's impeccably timed letter. He examined the tight, controlled way Snivillous wrote with great detail. Control freak. He thought and closed the window trapping the cat inside. “Kreetcher!” There was a loud crack and the house elf was in his room with his head bowed. “Bring cat food. I would like to feed this cat.” He said.

“Right away master Sirius.” He snapped and was gone again. Sirius came over to the bed again “The plans remained unchanged Prongsy. It looks like my new possession would like to keep things under wraps. In fact, why not make this his worst year yet? He needs to learn his new role, don't you think?” He smirked at his friend. James grinned at the promise of more extreme mischief and a chance to mess with Snape. “I was hoping you would say that.” He got up and went to grab his planning journal from the office downstairs leaving Sirius alone to mull over the contents of both letters today and what this meant for his future.

He was married to Snape. Snape had agreed to marry him even though they hate each other. Neither of them wanted people to know and the only ones he would be telling were his friends. Would Snape tell his friends? He doubted it. The only one who would know would be Regulus. He might tell Evans. It was doubtful though. Ugh this was fucking awful. 

September 1st

Sirius

The train felt livelier than usual with loud chatter and squeals of delight at seeing friends again. He was already in his compartment with his friends sitting by the window and watching out as it whizzed by the countryside. A sea of greens and browns and blues. It was moments like this that reminded him of the day many years ago when he met that boy who looked a lot like a girl. I would have preferred to marry him… He thought to himself. 

“Hey Pads are you alright? You seem quiet.” Remus put a hand on his shoulder bringing his attention away from the past and back to the train car. He turned his head to find his friends all looking at him Peter and Remus with concerned gazes and James with a knowing one. “You should tell them Pads. Before we get to the school.” James told him. The others looked at each other then Sirius again with more confusion then he thought possible. Sirius sighed and pulled out the letter. He didn’t feel like actually explaining anything. 

Remus read through the letter while Peter looked over his shoulder. “Wait what?” Peter takes the paper from Remus to read it more closely, “What the hell?! You got married to- mmhpf!!” James hand clamped down on Peter’s loud mouth and Sirius quickly hushed him and took the letter back. “We don’t want everyone knowing Wormtail so keep it down will you. I don’t want to talk about why or how right now but let's all understand very quickly nothing is changing. He and I both agree no one is to know. You three only know because we agreed on no secrets and I felt like I wouldn’t be able to do this alone.” He told them. 

Peter nodded slowly and James let him go. “So… what's the plan? Are you going to try for divorce?” Remus asked. While that sounded amazing Sirius knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Even if Severus agreed they would need a reason other than they didn’t like each other and would possibly kill each other if left alone too long. Married couples often tried to kill each other in the wizarding world. It was unsettlingly common, driven by the copious amount of arranged and unhappy marriages. “No. Unfortunately that is incredibly hard here in the wizarding world, if we wanted a divorce one of us would have to die.” Sirius explained. 

“It’s because most families are extremely traditional and love isn’t nearly as important as blood status.” James went on before Remus could ask. The train car fell quiet for a moment as the other two gryffindors processed this information. It was a lot to take in, he was sure. It was for him. “Isn’t Snape a half-blood?” Peter spoke up after a few minutes. Three sets of eyes fell onto him causing him to look around, confused, “What?” He squeaked. 

“What do you mean?” Sirius asked, leaning closer to his friend. 

“Well… I heard from a few Slytherins last year that Severus was just pretending to be a pureblood. That his father was actually a muggle. So… I just don’t get how blood purity ties into it.” He explained further. 

Peter was right. Sirius remembered this conversation from last year. They all thought it was pretty crazy that he hated muggles so much yet one of his parents was one. So if that were really the case… Why were they married? 

Not much was said about the subject after that. Instead they chose to speak on other things. James had plans to ask Lily out again this year and they had spent time figuring out how he could do that successfully this time. Sometime through the train ride Sirius excused himself to use the bathroom. Really he just wanted to stretch his legs before they got to the school. He didn’t want to be too stiff. 

Sirius walked down the narrow hallway towards the back, while he didn’t need to use the bathroom he could at least walk there and back. As he did, his mind wandered back to the conversation from earlier. If Severus wasn’t a pureblood what did he have that made his mother so insistent they get married? Enough that she did it without a ceremony or announcement. Just signed papers. Surely there was some explanation.

His thoughts were cut short when he got the the bathrooms and heard something smack against one of the doors. He jumped and looked at the red wood door confused. Leaning a little closer he listened for noises inside. 

“Come on Severus just a little~ I wanna fill you before we get to the school~” A deep voice spoke from behind the. Sirius recognized it as Mulciber immediately. This fucking slut. Sirius thought. He was about to leave when he heard Snape’s voice, “Get the hell off me Wulfric. I already told you to stop. This is your last- mmph!” His words were cut off rather suddenly. Then there was another clatter and a loud slap before the door opened. 

Snape stopped short with a soft gasp when he saw Sirius standing there. His shirt was a bit messed up and his face a little flushed. Sirius glanced behind him at an annoyed looking Mulciber then back down at his husband. He looks more like a girl… My wife suits him better. Plus he’ll hate it. Sirius thought as he stepped to the side to let Severus out of the bathroom. Neither said anything as he quickly took off back to his seat. 

Before Mulciber could leave the bathroom as well Sirius slammed his hand against the door frame, “what the hell Black-” He was cut off and shoved back into the bathroom. Sirius moved so he blocked the exit. “Ya know… I really really hate it when someone can’t take no for an answer. Maybe you need a refresher on why we listen to it the first time.” Then he closed and locked the door behind him. Trapping them both in the bathroom together. 

Mulciber never made it to that night's feast.

[wendys-journey]

My AO3

Hey guys! I have started posting the stories on AO3 so you can read more! I will still be posting little bits here but the full stories will be finished on AO3 thank you!

here's the link

https://archiveofourown.org/users/WendysJourney/works

[wendys-journey]

Never meant to come to this

This is a revised version of pt1 as well as pt2. enjoy!

His whole body ached. Not that good kind of ache that comes from a good full-body workout, no, this kind of ache comes after you have been slammed into one too many times on the quidditch field. That was how James felt sitting out in the courtyard with his friends trying to joke and possibly discuss pranks to pull this year, though mostly it was Sirius wanting to hex or jinx Snivillous. Not that he was opposed. 

However today they were by the fountain, leaving James completely exposed to the sun. It bore down, smiling ever so brightly, like it wasn’t making him feel like he was in the deepest pits of hell, and made him want to tuck away under the closest tree or sleep forever in a nice dark cool cave. It was hard to engage or get excited about his friend's ideas with the snake when he could only think of his discomfort. Not that he felt much excitement or urge to engage these days.

  His emotions recently felt like they were on low. Like a faint hum just under his skin. A soft warm feeling, a faint twinge, or the smallest bit of annoyance. Overall it was like someone turned him from a very expressive person with intense emotions to someone who was almost blank. It bothered him. Made him feel like he was fake. 

James gave up on looking for a spot they could go and turned to his friends seconds from combusting due to the ache “Hey, I need to go meet up with Lily I’ll see you guys at dinner.” The lie came almost too easily from his mouth for his liking. Sirius stopped talking and looked up at him.

“Alright mate. Use protection.” He joked with a mischievous wink and wicked grin. James forced a chuckle and an easy smile as he got up from his spot. “It’s not like that but alright” James replied. James was REALLY good at faking things. It came from years of hiding his actions from his parents and teachers, there was no reason they needed to know his business and what he was doing. He was lucky so many students lied when asked about the events of last year. No one wanted to be the next target. 

 Relief fell over his body as he stepped out of the sun. The hot pain faded and James felt his muscles start to relax. His steps were nearly silent as he passed multiple students. Many seemed almost shocked to see him alone. He was never alone, whether it be his friends or a girl he always had someone next to him. This was usually followed by chaos. Then again James hadn’t been much for the loud chaos he was used to recently. 

The boy stopped at the crossroad between upstairs to his dorms and down to the dungeons. He knew the dorms made more sense. Since the boys weren’t there he could suck down one of his blood bags and maybe practice his charms, but then he thought about how bright it would be right now and how much he didn’t want to subject himself to such an ache anymore. It had only just died down. So he went down towards the damp, cool, darkness he had come to enjoy so much. 

He was displeased by how good it felt to be down there, the cool air seeping into his bones bringing that sense of familiar comfort he used to only get from being out in the sun. The warmth on his face when he helped his mom in the gardens, when it was early in the morning and he could see its glory peaking over the horizon, or the way it washed over him when his mind felt dark, as if telling him it would all be alright. Merlin, he missed it.

He was lost in thought as he descended into the depths of Hogwarts, looking for an abandoned classroom to hide in when the soft voice of someone whispering to themself began to fill his ears. He paused, listening closely. He couldn’t make out what they were saying. It didn’t sound like English, more like Latin. Driven by curiosity he followed the sound. It took him maybe two doors away from the potions classroom where a door stood slightly jar. The whispering became louder louder as he came closer, and he could hear the familiar bubbling of a potion being brewed. He stopped in front of the door and peaked in. 

In the middle of the room standing over a neatly organized table was none other than James' favorite victim, Severus Snape. The slytherin looked incredibly focused on his work. Too focused to notice James standing just outside watching him with indecision. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to go in and mess with him or not. On one hand he wanted to feel that sense of victory and pride he got when he saw the boy's humiliation, on the other he didn’t want to deny Sirius front row seats.

James was almost thankful he could still feel the intense hatred he had for Snape. Truly though it was more than that. It was more raw. A feeling that was more than hate, disdain, or disgust, something he struggled to put into words. The thought of him almost made the lion insane at times. This feeling towards the Slytherin. He wished Snape would disappear so he could go on without this burning.

It was only fueled when he had begun to hang around many well known aspiring death eaters more often last year. Then when he called Lily that slur… it made James certain. He wanted him gone. The thought alone was enough to make anger boil deep in his stomach. Okay, maybe just a little prank. He thought as he pulled out his cloak and quickly put it on.  He felt the light material swish around his feet as he soundlessly snuck into the room. 

James moved so he was next to the table. He looked at the ingredients in front of him, calculating. While he wasn’t fantastic in potions he knew enough to cause a delayed but minor implosion. He picked his herb and waited for Snivellious to look at his book. Snape stirred his potion quietly watching it turn from green to purple. The look of absolute joy and pride filled his onyx eyes. James paused for a moment. He had never seen that look before on the raven haired boy. It made him pause long enough to notice a familiar rhythmic thrum.

 His eyes flicked down to Snape’s neck where he saw the skin jump from his heart beat. James could hear it over the bubbles in the cauldron, rushing through his veins faster due to his adrenaline rush from his creation making it twice as loud. He couldn’t take his eyes off it at first, he hadn’t realized just how hungry he was till it was right then. He shook his head remembering who he was looking at and shook his head a bit to clear it. 

He wasn’t sure when it was but at some point Snape had paused to look at his book. Carefully James reached out and dropped two cloves into the cauldron. Snape noticed nothing. He backed away a bit too swiftly but knocked over one of the extra cauldrons. He froze and his head snapped to look at Snape. 

He looked up with a slightly startled expression. Unbeknownst to him he was also staring directly into James' soul. The boy didn’t move one muscle, too afraid of the shorter male seeing him. He only became more tense when Snape came around his desk closer to him and the pot. 

He stopped in front of him and picked the cauldron up looking perplexed and slightly suspicious. “hm…”

A hissing noise came from the table catching the ravens attention as the potion began to bubble furiously. Snape hurried back to it quickly trying to calm his work. That was all it took for James to move, taking the opportunity to bolt. He got out the door when he heard Snape casting the protection charm as the potion exploded. 

James couldn’t stop the laugh from bubbling up as he ran off down the hall. For the first time in weeks he actually felt true, unfiltered elation, and it was glorious. 

—

By the time his friends had returned to the dorms James had changed, drank two pouches of blood and had drenched the room into a dark red hue. The curtains had been drawn moments after getting there, his skin feeling like it was melting off him. He had collapsed onto his bed unwilling to move for the longest time. Now thankfully he was better and reading his quidditch notes. Not that he was sure he could play. 

He looked up at the boys coming in, Peter pushing Sirius while the dog annimagus only laughed “It’s not funny Pads! Why would you say that!?” He cried, his face completely red. Sirius cackled in response “Oh lighten up Wormy! If I hadn’t you would still be getting nowhere with her! You should thank me!” He said loudly. Too loudly. They sound like daggers in James' head. “No!!” Peter shrieked. 

“Pads come on, clearly he didn’t like your joke.” Remus tried to mitigate the issue. Sirius only snorted in response, “Oh please. He just needs to tough-” 

“Sirius. That’s enough.” James cut his friend off. Sirius looked at him a bit shocked, “I don’t think Peter liked your joke.” He repeated Remus’s earlier statement. Sirius looked at him as if he had three heads, but he stopped, choosing to instead mumble an apology to Peter and storm from the room clearly peeved. 

Peter was looking at him slightly confused. He understood why of course, before James would have joined in with the taunting (much to Remus’s annoyance) but something about this time just set wrong with him. Peter usually didn’t get this upset. Which meant Sirius crossed a line. Plus he didn’t want to listen to the loud voices.

 His friend didn’t say anything at first, too stunned to speak, then “Why-”

“You looked more upset than usual. I figured it wasn’t the best idea to encourage him.” He says simply looking back at the book. It was silent for a moment. “Thanks…” Peter's voice came. Quiet but full of gratitude. James nodded in response. He finished reading his page before closing the book. He got up. “Why don’t we go to dinner? I’m starving.” He said. Both Remus and Peter nodded and they all left the dorm. 

They stopped in the common room seeing both Sirius and Lily sitting on the couch. Sirius had a guilty look on his face while Lily scolded him, most likely for his earlier actions. She was the first to see us, “Perfect timing.” She stands up and pulls Sirius with her over to Peter. “Now, is there something you want to say to Peter?” She asked in a very stern voice. Sirius bit it lip a bit looking unusually sheepish “I… I’m sorry mate… I never should have said that to her and I certainly shouldn’t have teased you about it after. It was terrible of me and I am sorry.” He said looking at his friend. 

Peter seemed to weigh his words for a moment before sighing “Alright. I can forgive you. But you have to apologize to her too.” He demanded crossing his arms. Sirius nodded “Fair. I will do that at dinner, yeah?” He promised. This seemed to satisfy Peter and Lily. “Great. Shall we go to dinner now?” James said. While he didn’t need it he could still eat, and thankfulling taste, human food. He didn’t like that it didn’t fill him but the satisfaction of the taste was enough for him to keep doing it. Tonight there will be pumpkin tart. His favorite. 

They must have caught on to his reasoning because Sirius smiled with a slight tease in his eyes. “What can’t wait to get your hands on the love of your life?” He teases. James rolled his eyes with a smile “Yeah yeah joke all you want. We all know you will devour the first thing you see at the table.” He shot back, making his friend laugh. They all head out together, James going ahead a bit with Lily latched onto his arm. 

They walked with their usual loud presence. It was a little overwhelming but he would take it. With Lily this close to him and his friends being themselves made him feel almost normal. Plus since he had eaten so recently the smells of the students around him were bearable. 

He was half listening to Lily ramble on and on about something in the DADA textbook that she felt was too misleading or something when Sirius practically jumped on him from behind “Look!! It's Snivillous’s friends,” he said excitedly, pointing out Evan Rosier and Stefen Wilkes. Both Slytherin. Bother death eaters. “Watch this.” He said 

He hurried a little closer till he was in range before casting, “Cauda porcus” . Pink light shot from his wand and struck Rosier’s back knocking him forward, and falling to the floor. He groaned on the floor as a pig's tail sprouted from his backside. Sirius laughed and made pig noises. Peter, clearly feeling better, joined in on the taunts. Lily looked annoyed and Remus only shook his head. 

James' barely noticed the mocking. He was too busy watching Snape. The boy must have been just ahead of them because he came storming from over from behind Wilkes fury blazing in his eyes. He wasted no time pulling out his wand “Depulso!” He cast and Sirius went flying back into Remus

They crashed to the ground in a heap of limps. Anger rose in James' throat but didn’t draw his wand. Lily was gripping his arm tightly watching the fight. So he stayed put.  

A growl rang from Sirius as he got up after roughly detangling himself from the wolf. James looked at his friend. Sirius’s eyes were wide with rage and his face turned an alarming shade of red. He looked ready to kill Snape.  Now what happened next James can not explain. Not one little bit. Just before the spell had fully left his friend's mouth James had torn himself from Lily and moved between Snape and Sirius and deflected the blow. 

Silence fell over the hallway, everyone now staring at the Potter heir like he had three heads. Maybe he did. He didn’t know anymore. He had no idea what he was doing, where he was, or how he got here. He might now even be him, because what the fuck was that. 

 He stared at his best friend who stared back in shock that quickly morphed into anger, “What the fuck prongs?!” Sirius said, his voice was full of what could only be described as betrayal. James felt his chest tighten in a slight pang of guilt. What had just happened to him? “No more,” His voice sounded strange. Like it wasn’t his. Rough, with an unusual command to it, “This is pointless. Let's just go to dinner.” Then, no longer wanting to see that betrayed expression,  he turned and started down the hall again. He tried to avoid the Slytherins vigilant gaze but it pierced right through him. He snuck a glance. 

Snape glared with burning hatred as James walked past him, his wand gripped tightly in his hand as if threatening him. The hate pierced so deep the chaser could feel it in his bones. He broke the eye-contact first, this time. Then, as if fate wanted to punish him, James caught the sweetest, most inviting, and mouth watering scent. He stopped abruptly and looked at the snake. Why does he smell like that? He thought. The revolting urge to take from this snake filled his mind making him want to vomit. No way could he want to drink from Snivillous.

James had been close to so many people in these last few weeks. While some were more tempting than others it was not like this. Snape’s scent was so strong and intense, it filled every sense in his body, infecting his cells, and making his teeth ache for just a small bite. It wasn’t like this earlier… His thoughts were drowned quickly when he felt something poke his chest. Looking down he found the tip of Severus's wand against his shirt. Shit.

He had unknowingly taken a step towards Snape during his struggle to keep his fangs retracted and his confusion. This was bad. He looked up from the wand against his chest at the boy he hated so much, who glared back at him with that same hatred. He pulled himself back, thankfully not needing to force the disgusted face he pulled as he walked. Because he was disgusted. With himself, and his revolting urge to go back for a taste. 

—

Severus had to be going crazy. Or something because everything that just happened made entirely no sense in any definition. Potter had… Severus shook his head. No. I won’t even think about it. He is not worth the space. He thought. He went on alert again as Potter's friends hurried to catch up to him. Though Lupin was having to drag the Black behind him. He looked like he was ready to kill. He’ll get sent to Azkaban one of these days. 

The boy shook his head and turned to his friend. Rosier looked ridiculous. Though he guessed that was the point of the spell. He had pinker skin with a pig's features. Mostly the face, ears, and tail. The boy gave a frustrated squeal “I am going to kill that prick!!” His words were clipped by a sudden oinking noise. 

“Come on. Let's get you to Madam Pomfrey first. Severus, you go ahead. I’ll be there after Pomfrey looks at him. save me some.” Wilkes said, pulling a disgruntled Rosier up and headed to the medical wing. Severus watched them leave for a moment before heading to the Great Hall. He was thankful for his ability to go unnoticed. Mostly. He still felt eyes on him as he made his way to his seat. 

Unfortunately despite his best efforts, eating wasn’t going to happen. His mind was racing too much. He just didn’t get it. Why would Potter step between him and Black like that? What was he trying to do?  He tried to push the thoughts out of his head when Wilkes came walking up 30 minutes later. He sat down and Severus pushed a play to him. “Thanks,” Wilkes said “Even will be fine. She says he will be back to normal in a week. She also plans to tell Dumbledore.” His voice was flat. Dumbledore was useless. He always played favorites with the Gryffindors, and it pissed Severus off. 

“Useless.” Was all he said in response. The boys ate quietly, which wasn’t good for Snape. He kept going back to those moments. He was becoming frustrated with his inability to let it go. “God damnitt” He groaned and got up. 

“Where are you going?” Wilkes called, but Severus was already half way to the table. He didn’t think about the eyes on him or hushed whispers as he made his way to Potter. He couldn’t, he was already too deep in his current thoughts to care. “Potter.” He spat the name tasting bitter on his tongue. 

The quidditch player looked up at Severus, his brows furrowing as he faced him. He looked almost pained by his presence. “What do you want, Snivillous.” Sirius sneered. Ignoring the former heir, Severus gestured to the doors “Hallway.” was all he said before he turned and walked away from them. He knew Potter would follow.

They stepped out into the hall and Sverus turned to him with a hard look. Why did you defend me from Black?” He demanded. He wasn’t going to let this go till he knew. 

Chapter 2

—

James was fucked. Honestly he didn’t expect Snape to confront him this soon, if at all. But by his stance and determined look in look he knew there was no getting out of this conversation. He needed to come up with something to say and soon. Snape was already becoming impatient. He dug through his brain looking for anything, ANYTHING that could be useful to him. Then an idea came to him. It was likely an incredibly stupid idea and he knew Snape would reject him but it was worth a shot. “Because now you owe me a favor.” He started crossing his arms and letting his usual smug smirk dance on his lips. It felt natural. Not forced like it had been since his change. Weird

Snape was in disbelief, “A favor? Are you serious?” 

“No, I'm James. Is your memory going?” 

The Slytherin's ears darkened to a deep pink with irritation and possible embarrassment. “Don’t play with me damnit! Why would I ever help you after all the shit you have done.” He spat his words dripping with venom

He had a good point. There was no reason for him to help James, but unfortunately and much to his annoyance he didn’t have any other options. He took a deep breath and forced the words out, “I can convince Lils to forgive you.” While it was the last thing he wanted to do, it was all he had. 

“Good luck once her mind is made up there is no changing it.” Snape scoffed

“Fine. Tell you what, if you help me with this not only will I attempt to get her to forgive you but whether I succeed or not I nor my friends will never mess with you again.” There was something about how he said it that seemed to make Snape truly pause and consider it. “How do I know you will keep your end of the deal?” 

James thought about it for a moment, “We could write a contract. I’ve seen my dad do it. I know how to write one.” He offered. The gears worked in Snape’s head as he mulled this over and James felt a sense of hope. “Fine. I’ll help you. I have demands though.” He finally relented. He was definitely going to regret this. 

A smile bloomed on James face, “Holy shit. Thank you. I actually mean that thank you. Uhm look we can’t discuss this any further here alright? Meet me… meet me on the seventh floor by the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and those trolls tomorrow at midnight. The rest of them should be asleep by then.” James said in a rush. He could not explain how hopeful this made him. He could be human again. He could almost hug the raven. Scratch that. No he couldn’t. James didn’t need his greasyness all over him. “I will see you there!” He hurried off eager to get started

Snape was already regretting helping him. By the end of this they were more likely to kill each other then actually complete whatever it was James wanted done. Well, Snape  might kill him before the end of this. He better pray he has the patience to deal with the lion.  

—

Severus had 0 patience for Potter’s nonsense. Really he shouldn’t have even  agreed to help him. This was a terrible idea he thought as he stood in front of the tapestry with his arms crossed. The hallway was dimly lit by a single window on the far left wall,  just before the stairs. It had a built-in reading nook he had seen many students use for studying. It wasn’t a bad spot, though he preferred the Library. It was far more quiet with a much larger window. 

 As always Potter was late. Typical. Of course he’d pull shit like this. He sighed and pushed himself off the wall. James Potter could never be on time could he? Snape had lost track of how many excuses the brat used long ago. Anything to do with the bumbling baboons was a lost cause. Maybe that’s why he considered leaving before he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He pulled out his wand and turned quickly ready to cast the paralyzing charm when Potter seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

 “Merlin’s beard Potter, do you always have to sneak up on people?” Severus hissed his heart pounding. He noticed a shift in Potter’s gaze but it was masked quickly. He put his wand away and scowled at the young gryffindor. Potter smirked back, “Oh come on Snivvy don’t look at me like that. I know you're happy to see me.” Potter said with a teasing tone. Severus, however, wasn't amused by his jokes nor was he happy to see him.  “Why did you bring me here? This is just as open as the other hall” The Slytherin asked, crossing his arms. He could have been in his dorm curled up with his potions book but nooo instead he was here, with Potter, in the middle of the night. 

“I know it sounds like the end of the world but put a little trust in me yeah?” He patted Severus' shoulder like they were all buddy, buddy, then turned towards the middle of the floor. The Slytherin dusted off his shoulder as if to remove his bullies previous touch, glaring at his back. It wasn’t missed when James wiped his hand a little on his pants while trying to visibly hide his disgust as he started to pace. 

Severus noticed how his walk was too graceful and swift for Potter’s usual strut but it wasn’t forced. He was walking like that naturally. This lit something in the young Slytherin's inquisitive brain, and it made him observe the pacing boy in front of him. Weird… He thought. 

Potter faltered for a second and looked at him confused. He looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t and started moving again. This only increased the boy's curiosity despite his better judgement. Potter paced three times back and forth very deliberately. On the third pass the large blank wall opposite to the tapestry, an elegant pattern began to form, before rising out to create a beautiful wooden door. It had an energy about it. One he couldn’t really explain. 

“What is this?” It didn’t come out demanding or rude. He was truly curious. 

“It’s called The Room of Requirements. Only shows itself to someone who needs it.” Potter informed him. He gave Severus a wicked grin before going in making the other hesitant. This felt like a trap. He had thought about telling the others he would be up here, but he didn’t need them relaying his business Lucius. It was bad enough he was under constant scrutiny from a certain Gryffindor, he didn’t need it from him either. 

Curiosity ended up winning over in the end and he followed the cocky bastard in. The room itself looked very similar to the office at the Malfoys but instead of it being all cold and empty with only bits of sleek decor. This one felt more… lived in. The desk was actually littered with papers and books lined the shelves of Mahogany. Many he knew. Some he was new to. In the middle of the room was a large ornate desk made of what looked to be oak. 

On it were papers and some decor. Paperweights, a drinking bird, a little name slate saying Mischief manager which only made him roll his eyes in its absurdity. There was a moving picture on the corner of the desk that caught Snape's attention with Potter and his friends when they were younger in what looked to be summer clothes. They were each wrapping an arm around a friend. Potter and Sirius were grinning the biggest like they had down something just before this, which knowing them they probably had, Pettigrew had a look of what Severus could only describe as unhinged jubilation, and Lupin, the only one he has any respect for, was trying to hide his guilt behind a very forced smile. 

These boys are never going to change. He thought as he looked back up at the one he hated most. Potter stood by the fire looking at a paper, reading it over. 

He was wrong before. One of them had changed. The boy in front of him had, Severus hadn’t noticed the change at first but now that he was really looking at him he saw it. The way his skin had gone from a tan to soft ivory, his extra muscle mass, the way he stood so stiff and straight and moved with an inhuman grace. The way he seemed to hold his breath when he got too close to someone. Severus hadn’t realized how much he noticed about the changes in his tormentor, and it unnerved him. 

Potter suddenly looked at him, breaking Severus' thought process. He didn’t say anything at first, only choosing to gaze upon him as he debated something in his head. It felt far too invasive. “What?” he finally said, trying to restrain his irritation. Severus had been staring. 

“Nothing.” he replied, choosing to instead turn back to the desk “Let’s just get this over with.” He sat in the chair closest to the chaser. Potter didn’t move at first then went behind the desk, sitting opposite him, then gave him the contract. Severus took the paper and began reading it over. It was pretty standard. No speaking about what they were doing, couldn’t say who we were with either when it was each other. Potter had even stated specific names including his own friends. He labeled the attempt to reunite him and Lily as friends would begin after their first meeting with the words ‘this one’ written in brackets.

 He honestly didn’t have much hope really, mostly he just wanted to apologize. He considered telling her about the letter but wasn’t sure if he was ready to bring it back out of his lockbox. Maybe if Potter succeeds he will be brave enough, though it is doubtful. 

He read a little further and his brows furrowed, “You really put how many times a week we need to meet?” He questioned. That felt a little excessive and overbearing. Potter nodded, looking serious. “I want to get this done as fast as we can. I don't think either one of us cares to be in each other's presence anymore then we need to. So three times a week for a minimum of 1 hour. We don’t have to meet here all the time but it should be the main place.” He finished. Severus nodded, agreeing. It made sense. He continued, mostly skimming out of urgency to leave, when he saw something about keeping fights non-physical.

He glanced up at the messy haired boy who had been watching him read quietly behind folded hands. Something about how he looked on him made goosebumps dance across Severus’s flesh. He felt like Potter was looking at him as if he were something to eat. It made him uneasy. He looked back at the paper refusing to be held any longer. 

The contract was pretty self explanatory and thought out after he finished it.  The Gryffindor wasn’t lying when he said he knew about contracts. “I have requests.” Severus said, setting the contract down so it faced Potter again.  “Fine. What are they?” He could tell that annoyed the animagus. He hadn’t expected anything else. 

“You can’t call me that wretched nickname, You can not join in on your friends stupid pranks against me, and We can’t work Thursdays. I am too busy those days ” He leaned back in his seat, folding his hands on top of his crossed legs. He watched with mild amusement as the Gryffindor went through a series of unpleasant emotions, before finally resting on a resigned frustration when he realized that he didn’t have negotiating power, “Done. Anything else, princess?” Princess was emphasized with a mocking tone. 

Anger bubbled in Severus' stomach but he held it back. He was not a fucking princess. Potter seemed a little too proud of himself by the insult. Bastard. Fine. Two can play this game “Yes actually, everyday you have to say one nice thing to or about me. It has to be done publicly. And it has to be truthful.” He told him a smirk sitting slightly forward in his chair. He watched the boy's face twist in disgust and tension line his posture, "Absolutely not. I would never-” Severus didn’t let him finish though. 

“If you want my help you will agree to my terms. All of them, or we are done here.” The threat hung thick in the air. He could sense the growing tension between them, both itching to hex the other without much of a true reason. Finally Potter’s fight deflated and he grabbed a quill to write down the new terms before letting Severus see it again. 

After rereading he gave a triumphant smirk. “Perfect.” He pulled out his own quill and signed below. He watched his perfectly drawn script glow before sealing itself onto the paper. Potter signed after with his unruly signature before folding it up and putting it away in a cabinet. Both boys felt a slight tingling sensation around their magic as the contract solidified. There was no going back now. 

—

James tucked the paper into a folder he had reasonably labeled ‘Snake’ when making it. He and his friends had used this room so often it had basically become his study while here. He had a few contracts all now finished in these cabinets but most was school work, legal documents if he had any, things for his fathers business, ideas of his own. 

He hadn’t been in here at all since school started again, now he was here with his worst enemy, who was unfortunately going to be learning a lot more about him then James was really comfortable with. He knew there wasn’t a cure for vampirism, but Snape was excellent at potions, almost as good as his father if not better he thought. He wouldn’t say it outloud. He could never put Snape over his family name. 

He turned back to the boy in question, observing him. He wasn’t going to last in this room much longer with him, his scent was too fucking strong. 

“So what is it?” Snape’s voice broke him from his thoughts, making him focus on the boy again. He lifted his head a little, finally gathering the courage. “I… I got bit by something.” he said

“Something?” the greasy one pushed. 

“A vampire.” he clarified, hoping his face seemed blank though he was fighting internally. 

The silence was deafening as Snape stared at him. His face remained neutral though his eyes held slight alarm and new unease. James regretted this. He regretted this so hard and wanted to take it all back. Maybe he could still make this out to be a prank. “You know there isn’t a cure for that… Right?” The smaller boy asked. He didn’t seem to be trying to mock James but wanting to actually make sure he knew this.

He wanted to be annoyed by the question, but it made him feel a bit warm in the chest, which made him uncomfortable, so he decided not to think too much on it. “Yes. I know.” He admitted “However you are really good at potions where I lack. I can help in any way to find one. I just… I can’t be like this forever.” He didn’t look at Snape as he said this. He wasn’t exactly excited about showing this kind of vulnerability. 

Snape seems to think about it a bit, “I don’t know if I can cure it. However, If anything I may be able to discover something to help the more negative side effects. At the very least get you back into the sun.” He said with a thoughtful gaze. He was already pulling out his old worn notebook James knew to be where he wrote down his theories and new spell ideas. He had found it one year and looked through it. Didn’t use or copy anything from it, just gave it to Lily to give to the boy. He thought it was rubbish. Till now that was. 

“I actually don’t mind the dungeons. They can be pretty quiet sometimes. Of course unless someone messes up one of their brews. Then it gets pretty loud.” He mentioned. Snape’s quill faltered slightly but ignored him as he continued to write. 

“How long ago were you infected?” He asked instead. James wouldn’t say it was an infection. Unfortunate, sure, but not an infection. “Three weeks.” three weeks and a day but he didn’t think that mattered. 

“How many days was it before you tasted fresh blood?” The snake moved on. He hadn't looked up from what he was writing. It looked like gibberish from here. “I haven’t. I.. I can’t.” He admitted. He didn’t want to. The idea made him squeamish. No matter how good the one in front of him smelled. 

“You’ll have to. That's why you see so many rogues. I assume you have the bags, yes? Well a lot think that alone will suffice and they'll never have to feed from a human. They are wrong. By the third month they are so starved they can’t ignore the urges. It has something to do with the curse that started it. It's said to be a punishment for people without brains.” Snape told him, never missing to take a jab at his intellect. 

“I mean I got away from the thing alive didn’t I? I feel that earns me some credit don’t you think, princess?” James shot back. He enjoyed watching Snape grimace at the newfound nickname and sneer, which did nothing of his features. “Stop calling me that.” 

“You told me not to call you Snivillous. You said nothing about Princess.” He retorted. 

“I also said no bullying.” Snape crossed his arms

“Oh please this is anything but. However I guess if it bothers you so much I could call you something else.” He gave in but only slightly. He already had an idea what to go with but he would wait for now. 

“Anyway. You need to feed from someone. We don’t need you murdering half the school out of idiotic dignity.” The Slytherin went back to his original task though the scowl on his face never left. James didn’t really have that option though. Even if he wanted to, all his friends were 100% no-goes and he didn’t think he could stomach hurting Lily. 

“I don’t really have anyone. Sirius and Remus hate Vampires and Peter, while okay with them,is frightened of them. I am not willing to just attack someone either.” He said looking at the boy.

 Snape looked back humming. “Well first you typically have to choose to give someone venom UNLESS you are rouge. Then it's out of your control. Like a defense mechanism. So it won’t matter who they won’t become like you. As for someone… I don’t know. For now keep using the packs. I will see what I can find.” 

James nodded at this. The talk of all this biting was starting to mess with him a little making his fangs ache. “We should call it a night. Your scent is stinking up the room” He said getting up. It came out a bit more cruel than he had intended. Snape only glared at him as he stood up. “You’re a dick Potter.” He promptly stormed out leaving James in the study alone. 

He could still smell him long after he was gone and James had left the ROR. Snape's scent haunted him, following him through the castle and to his room where he laid on his bed willing himself to sleep, hoping to escape, only for it to never come.

-------------------------------------

I hop everyone likes it! Tbh I am figuring this out as i go. so we will see where this take us.

[wendys-journey]

Hi. I do plan to write more but I would like those who have seen it to know that I have to revise the first as I didn't like how it was paced nor how I wrote James. Also you will see more of Severus next time.

I had honestly wrote this on a whim with no intention of posting it. But here I am lol.

I want to put it in both boys pov's but in the third person. Its something I am learning to do. This isn't my first attempt at a fanfiction but it is to one of this nature so please bare with me and I 100% accept any feedback back just please try to keep it respectful thank you!!

[wendys-journey]

Never meant to come to this.

James’s whole body ached and not that good kind of ache that comes from a good exercise, no, this kind of ache came after you have been slammed into one too many times on the quidditch field. That was how James felt as he stood out in the sun with his best friends in the school court yard. It bore down, smiling on him like it wasn’t making him feel like he was in the deepest pits of hell. He needed to find shade somewhere. 

  The summer had been good to him. Until about 3 weeks ago when James suffered a terrible attack and his whole world flipped upside down. Now he had a new found taste for the blood of his friends and family. He had managed to survive his parents' presence with blood packs from blood banks. He bought them under the table so no one would find out. 

At Hogwarts it was similar but much harder. There were four times as many people and he was never away from his friends. He didn't want to expose them to his condition. Especially not Remus. While he wasn't 100% sure what his opinion was on vampires, he was sure it wasn’t good. Sirius was very vocal about his disdain of them and Peter… Well Peter didn't really care as long as one didn't try to bite him. 

James gave up on looking for a spot and turned to his friends “Hey my head hurts. I think I’m going to go lay down.” He said. 

“Oh uhm, alright mate. We’ll come get you for dinner.” Sirius said, giving him a small smile. James only half returned it before walking away and heading inside. 

Now don’t get mad. He was going to go lay down, truly he was, but something had drawn him to the dungeons. It wasn’t normal for him to be down here so he wasn’t sure why. He just felt like it would be nicer down there. Maybe he could find a spot to sleep that was nice and cold. His skin still hurt from the sun. 

He used to like being warm. Hot even, now he just hated it. Usually it was because the sun was casting hellfire on him, but also because in general light was hot or burned. He couldn’t stand it, not anymore. He walked down the corridors looking at the art lining the wall. Mostly Slytherin house heads all looking at him with different levels of disdain or disgust. He didn’t linger at any of them and made his way deeper. 

As he descended into the depths of Hogwarts while looking for a secret spot to rest he heard the sound of someone cursing under their breath and bottles clinking together. The sound drew James closer to a door on his left where he found a certain raven haired boy brewing his latest creation. Normally James would go in there and mess with Snape just because it was funny and he could. This time however he didn’t do that. . Maybe it was the intense focus on his face as he added the next ingredient, stirring in a precise manner only natural to a true potioner. So different from how he usually looked. 

Snape was different this year too. James could see it. He held himself with a different kind of indifference. Like he was suddenly too good for everyone else. Though it would seem losing Lily allowed him to truly become himself. After last year he had begun to hang around Evan Rosier and Regulus Black more often. Aspiring Death Eaters the both of them. James was sure Snape would follow suit.  Still, as he watched Snape ,he couldn’t help but admire how he looked as he worked. So focused, so enthralled by his potions. He always had been, ever since James had his first potions class with him. 

The way his eyes lit up with wonder and pure joy. It had almost stopped him from messing with him. Almost. It had started as a harmless prank. Something James did often to feel something other than bored. It wasn’t even that bad. But when Snape saw who was responsible for his ruined potion he had looked at James with the darkest and most hateful glare. He still remembered how fast his heart had pounded and the heat that crept up the back of his neck. At first he thought maybe it was guilt or shame, but it wasn’t. As time went on and things got more intense with these “pranks” he found himself getting… excited by these looks. It was different from the other looks he was used to. Snape's hatred fueled him. 

Most always looked at him with this intense adoration. Like he could do no wrong, but he could. He did. Too often. Even Lily who should hate him too. Even after hurting her ex friend over and over again she only looked at him with indifference or sometimes annoyance. Only Snape had that hateful look. Only Snape could truly make James feel that kind of excitement. 

 His eyes flicked down to Snape’s neck where he saw the skin jump with his heart beat. James hadn’t intended for that, but he could hear it over the bubbles in the cauldron. It was so loud. Rushing through his veins faster due to his adrenaline rush from the potion. It made James salivate and his stomach twist. The blood packs were good, yes. They did the job enough to restrain him, but he couldn’t help that he craved it fresh. This caused his mind to wander to dark places. 

He wasn’t sure when it was but at some point during his gruesome imaginings Snape had stopped brewing and was bottling his potions. Once James caught on and Snape was cleaning up he knew it was time to go. He watched for a moment longer. The boy and his masterpiece. Then he left there quickly refusing a risk in his restraints that were already so close to breaking. It did not stop the dryness in his throat or the new ache in his canines.

—

A few hours later James was tucked away in his room alone drinking down his third blood bag. He would need more soon or he wouldn’t be able to control himself. He needed too many at a time to feel satisfied, and they weren’t lasting for him. He sighs running his hand through his hair just as Sirius, Remus and Peter come in. He quickly tosses the pouch into the bag on the floor and hides it under his bed. He was glad he had already been studying before eating so his books and papers were all out. He looked at his friends with a smile. No teeth of course, his fangs were still out. 

“Hey Prongsy, is your headache any better?” Sirius asked his best friend. He had been pretty worried when he just left like that. The truth was they all were. They could tell James wasn’t entirely okay . He was distant and looked really tired. It had only been two weeks since school started, but they could tell he was struggling. He was awake all night, usually not in the dorms then back in the early morning before the sun to catch maybe 30 minutes. He would fall asleep in almost every class or any spot. It wasn’t like him. Sirius had tried to ask further but James just dismissed it with a smile and “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. It’ll get better soon. ” Before disappearing to do whatever it was he did. He didn’t like it. 

“Yeah. I fell asleep. I figured I would study before dinner. Did I miss it?” James spoke, breaking Sirius’s train of thought. He shook his head “We came to get you.” He said. James nodded and closed the books on his bed. 

Sirius watched his friends' movements. They were so… perfectly measured. Not at all like his usually clumsy way of closing and tossing them to the side. Weird He thought. 

James paused for a moment and looked at his friend, “What?” He asked. 

“What?” Sirius retorted, confused. 

“Uhm.. Nothing, just thought I heard something.” He shook it off, got up and went over to them. When they didn’t move he gave them a confused look “Dinner?” 

That seemed to remind them what they were doing and the boys filed out of the dorms. They stopped in the common room for Lily who followed with little hesitation. She walked with James talking about something called a nargle. He had no idea what that was but he didn’t care enough to fully listen. Her voice felt overly shrill to his sensitive ears making it too hard to try. So he pretended. Something he had gotten really really good at. Pretending to invest himself in another person's stories or tales or information he didn’t really care about. That was at least until Sirius interrupted Lily by moving her out of the way. “Yo Prongs look! It's Sniv! Come on we have got to pull something on him! I have a great new hex I found.” He said with a child like glee. James looked over to where Sirius had pointed. Snape was indeed nearby with his death eater friends. He watched them for a moment as they walked towards the great hall chatting about the most recent homework. He didn’t really feel like messing with him tonight. Not after earlier. Sirius would never leave him alone if he missed a chance to try this spell. “Hit Rosier instead. I think it would be funnier.” He said. Sirius looked at him very confused by his answer but didn’t argue, too excited to try the spell. 

He hurried a little closer and James heard him whisper, “Cauda porcus” . Pink light shot from his wand and struck Rosier’s back. He was knocked forward by the jinx falling to the floor. He groaned and raised to his hands and knees. He now had the tail of a pig. 

James' friends howled with laughter and made pig noises. He winced at the volume but didn’t laugh along with them.. He was too busy watching Snape. Who noticed his friend's misfortune and looked upon the other boys with burning hatred. He pulled out a wand and threw the trip jinx. It was a petty revenge game for what was deserved. It was a direct hit causing Sirius to trip and fall back into Remus. 

They crashed to the ground in a heap of limps. James did snort a little at that. You should be angry. He shifted his stance, the thoughts making him feel weird. Why weren’t his feelings working for him. 

A growl rang from Sirius as he got up causing James to look at him. Sirius fired the stinging hex aiming at Snape this time, but even as he prepared it didn’t hit him. In a blink James was in front of Snape and blocked the spell. Anger burned in his auburn eyes. He didn’t know where it came from. Couldn't justify it either. James took control of his emotions, lowering it wand. Sirius wasn’t in the wrong. He hadn’t messed with Snape first, but James couldn’t shake the feeling and couldn’t put reason to his actions either.

 He stared at his best friend who stared back in shock, “What the hell James?!” Sirius said, his voice was full of what could only be described as betrayal. James felt his chest tighten. “No more. We’ve had our fun and I don’t want detention if we get caught fighting this early in the year. Let's just go to dinner.” He lied. He then, no longer wanting to see that expression, turned and walked down the hall. He tried not to look at the Slytherin watching him but it was hard not to look into those eyes. 

Snape glared as James walked past him, his wand gripped tightly in his hand. Hate but also confusion burning into his soul. James broke the eye-contact trying to go past him like it was nothing. Then James caught the sweetest most inviting and mouth watering scent. He stopped abruptly and looked at the snake.  They were right in front of each other, Snape’s scent wafting off of him like freshly baked cookies. He glared and James just stared. 

While James had been close to a few people who smelled tempting, this… this was beyond anything he had smelled before. It was so strong and intense, filling every sense he had infecting his cells, and making his teeth ache for just a small bite.

He felt his body take a small step towards Snape but watching the boy quickly step back was enough to break him from his trance and retreat. “Sorry.” Was all he said before quickly heading for the great hall. He didn’t even look back to make sure his friends were following. He couldn’t. He was afraid of what he might do. 

—

Severus didn’t know what just happened. Potter had… Why didn’t he attack me? Severus thought. Better yet why had he DEFENDED him? Severus looked at Potter's friends hurry after him, Lupin having to drag the mutt who looked like he wanted to murder Severus. The boy shook his head, getting rid of the weirdness there and turned to his friend. Evan gave a frustrated squeal “I am going to kill that prick!!” He oinked and huffed. 

“We should get you to Pomfrey first. Severus, you should go ahead. I’ll be there after Pomfrey looks at him. save me some.” Regulus said, pulling a disgruntled Evan to the medical wing. Severus watched them leave for a moment before heading to the Great Hall. 

However eating was the last thing on his mind as he sat down at his table. It was more occupied by Potter's odd behavior. The prick had the nerve to protect him after the stunt he pulled last year. He had lost Lily because of that. The thought still made him feel nauseous. He never should have called her that. He was so angry and overwhelmed. It doesn’t make it better. He just… He can only say he wasn’t thinking right. So why after all that was Potter acting like he suddenly had a conscious. That man was vile. He only wanted to manipulate Severus somehow. Ugh this is pissing me off. Severus stood from the table and walked around to the Gryffindor. He felt their eyes on him as he walked up to Potter, his hand shaking at his side. He clenched it tight as he approached. “Potter,” He said, his voice coming out more timid than he meant for it to. 

James looked up at Snape, his brows furrowing as he faced him. He looked slightly nervous as he seemed to search for what he wanted to say. “Spit it out, will you Snivillous.” Sirius snapped at him. It seemed to do the trick. “Come with me.” He turned and walked away from them. Just trusting he would follow. James looked at his friends “Stay here. I can handle this.” He reassures me as he gets up. He Follows after Snape hearing Peter call after him “Use Betty if you need to!” This made James smile a little. 

Sverus stood outside the door pacing a little as. He stopped when the doors opened and Potter stepped out. He had no idea where he was going with this. What would he even ask him? Just be straight forward Severus. You will never get what you want otherwise. Potter stopped a few feet from him and put his hands in his pockets. He didn’t have his typical arrogant smirk or stance. He held himself up straight. Unnaturally straight. His body was stiff and still he looked like a statue. Unmoving, unbreathing, nonexistent to this world. Severus felt like he could reach out and touch him only to feel cold stone. 

“Did you need something Snape? Or did you just want to stare at me alone?” He asked. They both seemed shocked by the subtle flirting from the young Gryffindor. He didn’t try to recover himself almost to mortified to speak, 

“Uhm.. I was just… Why did you defend me from Black?” He wanted to ask more but kept it simple. He was scared of the answers. 

James had zero answer to that question. His mind drew a complete blank as to what to say. He had to lie “I have a massive crush on you.” He blurted out 

“...”

“...” 

“What?”