1. Snape's worst memory

'All right, Snivellus?' said James loudly.

Snape reacted so fast it was as though he had been expecting an attack: dropping his bag, he plunged his hand inside his robes and his wand was halfway into the air when James shouted, 'Expelliarmus!'

Snape's wand flew twelve feet into the air and fell with a little thud in the grass behind him. Sirius let out a bark of laughter.

'Impedimenta!' he said, pointing his wand at Snape, who was knocked off his feet halfway through a dive towards his own fallen wand.

Students all around had turned to watch. Some of them had got to their feet and were edging nearer. Some looked apprehensive, others entertained.

Snape lay panting on the ground. James and Sirius advanced on him, wands raised, James glancing over his shoulder at the girls at the water's edge as he went. Wormtail was on his feet now, watching hungrily, edging around Lupin to get a clearer view.

'How'd the exam go, Snivelly?' said James.

'I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment,' said Sirius viciously. 'There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word.'

Several people watching laughed; Snape was clearly unpopular. Wormtail sniggered shrilly. Snape was trying to get up, but the jinx was still operating on him; he was struggling, as though bound by invisible ropes.

'You--wait,' he panted, staring up at James with an expression of purest loathing, 'you-- wait!'

'Wait for what?' said Sirius coolly. 'What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?'

Snape let out a stream of mixed swear words and hexes, but with his wand ten feet away nothing happened.

'Wash out your mouth,' said James coldly. 'Scourgify!'

Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him--'

'Leave him ALONE!'

James and Sirius looked around. James's free hand immediately jumped to his hair.

It was one of the girls from the lake edge. She had thick, dark red hair that fell to her shoulders and startlingly green almond-shaped eyes.

'All right, Evans?' said James and the tone of his voice was suddenly pleasant, deeper, more mature.

'Leave him alone,' Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. 'What's he done to you?'

'Well,' said James, appearing to deliberate the point, 'it's more the fact that he exists if you know what I mean ...'

Many of the surrounding students laughed, Sirius and Wormtail included, but Lupin, still apparently intent on his book, didn't, and nor did Lily.

'You think you're funny,' she said coldly. 'But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone.'

'I will if you go out with me, Evans,' said James quickly. 'Go on ... go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again.'

Behind him, the Impediment Jinx was wearing off. Snape was beginning to inch towards his fallen wand, spitting out soapsuds as he crawled.

'I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid,' said Lily.

'Bad luck, Prongs,' said Sirius briskly, and turned back to Snape. 'OI!'

But too late; Snape had directed his wand straight at James; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James's face, spattering his robes with blood. James whirled about: a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside-down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants.

Many people in the small crowd cheered; Sirius, James and Wormtail roared with laughter.

Lily, whose furious expression had twitched for an instant as though she was going to smile, said, 'Let him down!'

Certainly,' said James and he jerked his wand upwards; Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius said, 'Petrificus Totalus!' and Snape keeled over again, rigid as a board.

'LEAVE HIM ALONE!' Lily shouted. She had her wand out now. James and Sirius eyed it warily.

'Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you,' said James earnestly.

'Take the curse off him, then!' said lily.

James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered the counter-curse.

'There you go,' he said, as Snape struggled to his feet. 'You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus-- '

'I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!' said Severus angrily.

Lily blinked.

'Fine,' she said coolly. 'I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus.'

.....

I'm sorry."

"I'm not interested."

"I'm sorry!"

"Save your breath"

It was nighttime. Lily, who was wearing a dressing gown, stood with her arms folded in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.

"I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here."

"I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just-"

"Slipped out?" There was no pity in Lily's voice. "It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends you see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be! You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?"

He opened his mouth but closed it without speaking.

"I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine."

"No listen, I didn't mean-"

"to call me Mudblood? But you call every one of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?"

He looked down at the floor, he couldn't bring himself to open his mouth. She couldn't know the truth, that killed him so much.

She turned around and looked the fat lady in the face, about to say the password and go back into her precious Gryffindor room while leaving him alone in the dark desolate staircase.

" Don't act like it was all my fault" said Severus angrily.

Lily stopped and turned around to face Severus.

" I'm not the one who called his best friend, mud blood. If I remember I was the one who came to help you" said lily.

" Did you think I didn't see you smile at me while I was hanging upside down half naked? Did you help me? What a joke, you were not helping me, you were flirting with that piece of the shit potter. If you truly did want to help me, you would have cancelled the spell yourself since you have a goddamn wand in your hand. " shouted Severus furiously.

Lily froze, seeing Severus's wild expression.

" You know what, we're done. I will go back to my creepy dungeons and my pathetic life while you go inside and continue to live in a fantasy where the light shines out of dumbledore's arse" said Severus and left from there with his cloak billowing behind him.

Lily watched as Severus walked in the dimly lit hallways and disappeared around a corner.

......

" Potter and his friends are crossing the line, Albus. Their pranks are getting more dangerous by every day. They publicly humiliated Severus today. I'm going to ban them from playing Quidditch and going to honey dukes for their last two years. You have to stop backing them up and get them in line to act as adults " said Minerva McGonagall angrily while looking straight into the eyes of the most powerful man in Britain without any fear.

"Now Minerva, no need to get angry. There's nothing to worry about. They are just children, they don't mean to harm anyone. It was meant to be taken as a joke, I don't think they deserve such punishment. If it pleases you, I will talk with them and reprimand them about their behaviour " said Albus dumbledore calmly with a smile

Minerva McGonagall knew that the headmaster is not going to reprimand them, more like praise them for their foolish behaviour.

" If so, I will take my leave albus." Said McGonagall and excused herself from the office.

Albus Dumbledoreore stood up from his chair and walked towards the window in his office, and watched as the water of the great lake gliilluminate the light from the moon.

He was brought back from his musings by the chirps of his immortal companion.

" I know, what the boys did was wrong my friend. But, the order needs young people like James and his friends to win the war against Voldemort," said Albus to his fiery companion who just snorted in disapproval.

" It's for the greater good, my friend," said Albus with conviction looking at the Phoenix sitting on a perch.

The Phoenix shook its head weakly and closed its eyes to sleep and forget about these petty human conflicts.

Albus watched as his companion went into slumber and looked at the peaceful great lake from the window.

" For the Greater Good" muttered albus under his breath.