Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

I'd Leave, Wouldn't You?

I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?

That was what he'd told Sirius Black on the train about being sorted into Slytherin. Back then it had been a funny hypothetical: just a joke. James had always imagined that if the Sorting Hat cried that one foul word he'd go to the headmaster's office and demand a change. If that didn't work, he'd leave.

Would he? That was the question that kept rolling around James's head as the Sorting Hat was removed, and he was given an encouraging shove towards the Slytherin table. The students in green clapped politely for him. They didn't seem to be aware of the mistake. They didn't seem to know that he didn't belong . An older boy with a prefect's badge and long blond hair patted him on the shoulder as he sat down. The rest of his classmates turned their attention back to the feast. They couldn't see the lion inside of him. They didn't know.

How ironic that Sirius Black would go to Gryffindor while James Potter landed in Slytherin. If what Sirius had told him was true, it seemed that the fates were in a joking mood today. James had always thought—no, known—that he was going to be a Gryffindor like his father. In his most insecure moments he'd imagined that he might have to settle for Ravenclaw like his grandmother, but never had he imagined this.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted again.

James looked to see what poor soul had been chosen to share his fate. He let out a sigh when he realized it was the scrawny boy from the Hogwarts Express. The poor kid didn't look any happier to be in Slytherin than James did. He was staring at the Gryffindor table sadly while he moved to join his new housemates—strange, considering his comments on the train.

Throughout the rest of the evening, James was in a daze. He hardly ate, electing instead to push his food around aimlessly. He hardly spoke, only responding to questions directed his way with the minimum required word count. He hardly even registered where he was going as he followed the blond-haired boy from before down into the dungeons.

Even the common room looked uninviting in James's eyes. It resembled the formal receiving room in his parents' home: the one that James never ventured into, feeling it was for grown-ups. The black leather furniture sat austerely around a metal-grated fireplace, with tables sternly guarding the room at even intervals.

The rest of his classmates stayed behind to chat excitedly, but James didn't have any interest in getting to know them. After all, he may not be staying long anyway. He descended a staircase to the dormitories and located his belongings on one of the beds in the first year room. His stuff being there seemed to solidify the fact that James was a Slytherin now; he hadn't just wandered into the wrong place.

He changed and crawled into bed as quickly as he could. The door swung open as he was drawing the curtains around his bed, and James caught a quick glimpse of the boy who was sorted after him—Severus, he thought—looking as morose as ever. James paid him no mind. He had his own problems to worry about.

He had never slept worse in his life.

As if the fates hadn't taunted him enough, James's first class was with the Gryffindors. Potions didn't seem like it was going to be particularly interesting, and the fact that it required everyone to partner up wasn't helping matters. While many people had quickly joined up with someone they knew, the chair next to James sat conspicuously empty. Sirius had looked in his direction for a moment, and James had dared to hope that the boy might take pity on him. Ultimately the Gryffindor elected to sit with one of his housemates: a small, mousey looking boy. Severus had quickly sat with a red-headed girl that James vaguely remembered from the day before, and the two of them were chatting away happily behind him. James didn't know anyone else.

He was beginning to think that he was going to be the lone wolf of the class when a boy in shabby robes practically tripped into the chair next to him. He had messy brown hair and a wild green-eyed gaze that flicked around before settling on James. Up close, James could see a faint scar on his cheek. Most surprisingly, his robes were trimmed in red and there was a golden lion badge on his chest.

"Sorry, is this seat taken?" he asked breathlessly.

"Er—no," James replied.

"Oh good. I was worried I was late. I got caught up reading the textbook over breakfast, and when I looked up everyone was gone. I'm Remus, by the way." He extended a hand.

"James Potter."

"Nice to meet you, James." Remus shook firmly. "How do you like Hogwarts so far?"

"It's alright, I guess," James replied quietly.

Remus's initial rush from his hasty arrival seemed to have worn off, and he quieted down as well. "Just alright?"

"Yeah."

Remus narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why's that?"

"I wasn't exactly hoping to get sorted into Slytherin," James told him.

"Ah..." Remus said, scratching his head awkwardly.

Before he could reply beyond that, the Professor entered the room, filling the entirety of the door frame with his girth. He surprised them by assigning a simple potion for them to complete by the end of class.

James and Remus worked well together. James found that the Gryffindor was quite bookish, and the knowledge he'd obtained over breakfast turned out to be pretty useful. James was more than willing to listen to whatever he suggested, and their potion was one of the best in the class by the end of the period.

When they were leaving the classroom, James couldn't quite keep his fears to himself.

"So, are you going to partner with me again next time, or was that just because you didn't have a choice?"

"Huh?" Remus asked.

"I mean, you're in Gryffindor and I'm not." He couldn't even bring himself to say what house he was in.

"Okay. I'm still confused?" Remus sounded truly puzzled.

"People from our houses don't usually hang out," James said simply.

A scoff escaped from Remus's mouth. "Oh, I get it. Well, I think if you knew me you'd understand why I wouldn't hold something silly like that against you." He offered James a wide smile as they stepped into the Great Hall for lunch. "I'll be happy to hang out with you whenever you want."

Remus moved away to the Gryffindor table, leaving James to sit by himself away from the rest of his classmates. He morosely filled a plate with food, and was about to dig in when an owl swooped through the open window of the hall. From what James gathered, it was unusual for any post to arrive at lunch, so the owl drew more than a few looks as it landed directly in front of James and stuck out a leg.

He took the proffered letter and tried to smash down the emotion threatening to boil inside of him. His father's owl began to pick at his untouched food as James turned the envelope over in his hands. He didn't want to open it now. He was sure that it was full of disappointment at his sorting. Why else would it have arrived at such a strange time? He tucked it inside of his bag. Whatever his father wanted to tell him could wait for a few days. James didn't think he could face anymore disappointment for now.

"Hey James. How was your summer?" Remus slipped into the seat opposite James as the Hogwarts Express began leaving the station.

"It was good, thanks. You?"

"Not bad. I was itching to try out a lot of the spells I read about for next year. I wish they'd let us practice outside of school." Remus's brow furrowed in disappointment.

James chuckled at his friend. "I don't think the rest of us would be using magic to practice Charms."

"Okay, I see your point." Remus looked out the window as the train approached something closer to countryside. "Are you excited to be going back?"

James's smile faded. "I dunno."

"Oh come on, you've got to be excited about learning new spells. We'll get to do some really cool transfigurations this year." Remus had quickly picked up on the fact that, although James didn't share his general fondness for class, he enjoyed Transfiguration more than perhaps anything else at Hogwarts.

"Yeah, but..." James let his sentence trail off.

Remus looked at him expectantly.

"It's different for me. I don't belong in my house. No one there talks to me, and if they do it's just to insult me." James felt a tinge of the sadness he'd been suppressing all summer creeping into his gut.

"I see," Remus leaned back and considered his friend thoughtfully. "I know this probably isn't helpful, but I don't think things are as bad as you say."

"But—"

Remus held a hand to cut off his complaint. "I had trouble making friends at first too. It used to be that you were the only person I could talk to. Some of my housemates even gave me a hard time about that, but in the end things changed and I met people that are nice and like me."

"Well you didn't get sorted into a house known for treachery..." James mumbled.

"Not treachery, cunning" Remus corrected. "And despite what you may think, you've got plenty of that. I'd never seen someone show up Sirius at his own game before, and the fact that you got away with it was icing on the cake."

A smile spread across James's face as he recalled the incident his friend was referring to. Shortly before the end of the Spring term, James had gotten fed up with Sirius Black's barbs directed towards Remus, especially since they mostly revolved around him "fraternizing with the enemy." Knowing that Sirius had a reputation as a prankster, James had decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. He had managed to filch an essay that the Gryffindor had written during a detention detailing what a failure he would become if he continued upon his current life path. A quick charm to create a howler, and the result was Sirius receiving a letter that screamed out the exact reasons he would end up penniless and in Azkaban across the Great Hall one breakfast. To top it off, the howler had been in his own voice. After that, Sirius had seemed a bit more muted in his criticism.

"Even if I'm cunning, that doesn't mean I belong in Slytherin. Nobody in there likes me, especially—"

Again James was cut off, but this time it was by the door to the compartment sliding open and Lily Evans—one of Remus's aforementioned "nice people"—sticking her head in.

"Hey, Remus!" she said brightly, and turning to address both of them, "Have either of you seen Severus? I didn't see him on the platform and he's not in any of the compartments ahead of you."

Remus answered negatively and James shook his head. Lily blew out an exasperated sigh and resolved to keep looking before thanking them and shutting the door. As soon as she'd gone, James continued.

"Speaking of Severus, he likes me less than anyone. Every time he talks to me it's to tell me something I'm doing wrong or that I'm not a proper Slytherin," James didn't bother to hide the bitterness in his voice. More than once he'd thought about getting some Sirius-style revenge on the boy, but a hope that maybe his housemates would come to accept him if he kept his head down had stopped him.

"Do you know why he doesn't like you?" Remus asked quizzically.

"I don't know. I can't think of anything I've ever done to him. I mean, I did say something to him on the Hogwarts Express before the sorting, but do you really think he'd still be mad about that?" James frowned as he reflected on the incident. He'd been so much more childish back then. It had seemed like he could do anything.

"Maybe he can really hold a grudge," Remus offered.

Before James could respond there was a small commotion in the corridor. James slid the door to the compartment open and peeked outside. He found a red-faced Lily Evans being chastised by the Trolley Lady for blocking the aisle.

"Yes, right, sorry, I'm going now," the girl stammered before turning and fleeing down the corridor towards the back of the train. James stared after her confused.

"Well then, will you be having anything young man?" The Trolley Lady asked him.

"Er—I'm not hungry right now. Are you going to come by again later?"

"Just once more," she said.

James nodded to her and retreated back into the compartment. Remus gave him a questioning look, but James just shook his head in response.

"Well in any case, I think you should try to make some friends in your house," Remus told him. At James's exasperated sigh he added, "If you let your guard down and give them a chance, I think you might be surprised."

"Potter."

"Wha?" James snapped his gaze upward.

He had been working on the first Transfiguration assignment of the semester when someone had rudely interrupted him. Usually no one spoke to him at all within the dungeons, so the voice saying his name had been more than a little surprising.

Severus Snape took the seat across from James. His dark eyes seemed no less cold than usual, but his face was twisted into a sort of grimace rather than the scowl that James had become accustomed to seeing over the past year.

"I owe you an apology," Snape ground out.

"You do?" James blinked in surprise.

"Yes." The words seemed to take a great effort from Snape. "I haven't been welcoming to you."

James's eyes narrowed. "And why are you just now figuring this out?"

Annoyance flashed across the other boy's pale face. "Look, I had you figured wrong. I thought you hated being in Slytherin because you thought you were better than us. Someone let me in that you actually wanted to be friends with your housemates. Sorry for trying to take the initiative."

He got up to leave.

"Wait!" James said.

The boy looked at him coldly, but slowly returned to his seat. He motioned for James to speak.

"I did think I was better than you... at first," James told him. "But you guys have made it clear that I'm worth less than anyone else here, so that didn't last very long."

"Well you never made it a secret that you didn't want to be here, Potter. Excuse us for taking offense to the fact that you're ashamed of our house." Snape practically sneered at him.

James wanted nothing more than to trade barbs with the boy, but he remembered what Remus had told him, and decided to be honest.

"You know I didn't want to be here. I told you before the sorting that I wanted to be in Gryffindor."

Snape nodded. His eyes locked on James, as though challenging him to say something negative about Slytherins.

"When I got sorted into Slytherin I was disappointed. I even thought about leaving Hogwarts..." James's ears reddened at the memory. "The first week I was here, my father wrote to me. At first I thought he would be disappointed, but he wasn't. He told me that he didn't care where I was sorted, but he knew how I probably felt. He told me that no matter what I had to stand by my house. He said that Potters don't quit, and if I was going to be in Slytherin, then I had better be the best the house had to offer.

"It took me a while, but I finally came around to what he was telling me. I wanted to make friends, but by then it was too late. Everyone knew I didn't want to be here, and they took it as an insult. They made me into an outcast... I think they would have actually thrown me out if they could."

Snape nodded again but did not interrupt.

"I don't want to be the outcast, Severus. I want to be the best Slytherin has to offer, like my dad said. I don't know how to do that." James looked down at his book. There was a swell of emotion that was threatening to display itself on his face, but he fought it back.

There was a long silence, and then Snape spoke softly. "I think I understand, Potter."

"Really?" James looked up. The other boy's face wasn't exactly sympathetic, but it wasn't cold.

"Yes. I know what it's like to not be wanted." An emotion flicked across Snape's face but it was gone as quickly as it had come. "I think I can help you."

"Really?" James said again.

"I'm not the most popular person here, but people at least don't mind me being in Slytherin," Snape replied.

"Okay, what do I do?"

Snape sat up straight and smoothed out his wrinkled robes as though preparing to begin a lecture. "Well, you need to show the rest of us that you aren't ashamed of being in Slytherin. The best thing you could do would be to start getting house points. Maybe even show the Gryffindors up a little."

"I'm friends with a Gryffindor," James said. "And I think the rest of them might be a little wary of me after what I did to Sirius."

Snape looked confused for a moment before it clicked and his eyes widened. "That was you?"

"Yeah."

"I bet everyone else would enjoy hearing about that." He said thoughtfully. "You need to show them that you're a part of the house. Maybe you should try out for the Quidditch team. Even if you're not any good, people will see you trying."

As though a light bulb had been illuminated in James's head, a grin split his face. "Oh, I think they'll see more than me trying."

It turned out that leading the house team to a surprise Quidditch Cup victory, as well as being a major contributor to its House Cup win, was a good way to make friends quickly. Before the middle of his second year, James had increased the number of friends he had from two (Remus and, ironically, Severus Snape) to nearly ten times that number. The only downside was that the increase in adulation from his housemates had come with an equally large increase in negativity from those outside of Slytherin—especially the Gryffindors.

Although Remus only cared enough about Quidditch to offer a few joking comments here and there, others in his house (notably Sirius Black and his lackey Peter Pettigrew) had made it their personal mission to get under James's skin. Fortunately, it was easy to deal with the scorn of two rogue Gryffindors when he had no shortage of people willing to jump to his defense. James had discovered that one of the biggest benefits of being a Slytherin was that your friends always seemed to have the perfect comeback at the ready. Black and Pettigrew had found themselves at the wrong end of a well-placed zinger more often than not, and James thought that it had started to wear them down.

Now, more than a year after his first civil chat with the boy, James found himself seeking Severus's help once again. Unlike before, Remus was with him as well.

"No, no," Severus said impatiently. "You add the beetle wings after the clockwise turn. The wings are the catalyst here, remember? Clockwise before catalyst."

"Right!" James said. "Why doesn't Slughorn teach it like that?"

"Probably because he's too busy fawning over his prizes to pay attention to what they're actually doing," Severus sneered. James had quickly become accustomed to his friend's mean streak. He found that when it wasn't directed at him, it could be quite amusing.

"So then the drought should be a pale yellow, because of the reaction with the Mayweed?" Remus consulted the textbook and then looked to Severus, who nodded.

"Assuming you haven't botched it by now."

"Which I probably have," Remus said with a self-deprecating smile. "Thank you for the help, Severus."

The Slytherin merely grunted in response and began to gather his books up as their study-session ended. He seemed to be more dour than usual. A frown was fixed upon his face and his shoulders sagged as though under a heavy weight. Before James could ask him about it, however, Severus looked up and his mood brightened considerably.

"Hello Sev! Hey James, hey Remus." Lily Evans's voice was a notch too bright for the seriousness of the library, but she was a favorite of Madame Pince, so the woman let her slide with little more than a disapproving look.

James and Remus returned her greeting before the four of them set off towards the Great Hall for dinner. They sat at the end of the Ravenclaw table, as they always did when they ate together. They had figured out early on that neither the Slytherins or Gryffindors were very keen on members of the rival house invading their space. The other two houses didn't seem to mind their presence, as long as they didn't make any trouble. Unfortunately, it seemed the trouble had come looking for them.

"Oh, look who it is," Sirius Black's obnoxious tone cut through the pleasant conversation like the Sword of Gryffindor. "Peter, isn't that James Potter sitting over there? Merlin, I can't believe he's actually in the Great Hall eating like us mortals. James Potter, in the Great Hall!" Sirius adopted a breathless voice and slapped his friend excitedly.

It seemed that James's rise in popularity hadn't gone over well with Sirius, who had pieced together by now who the howler had come from in first year... as well as the tickling charm on his robes... and the permanent sticking charm on his chair that had kept him in the Potions classroom for quite some time.

"What do you want?" James asked, as though he really couldn't care less.

"Wow, he's actually speaking to me!" Sirius produced a quill and parchment. "How about an autograph, Mr. Potter?"

James had no intention of touching anything that Sirius had prior access to if he could help it. He'd learned that one the hard way last year. Before he could refuse himself, Severus cut into the conversation.

"It's good that you recognize your superiors, Black. If you're very nice I'm sure James will be happy to send an autograph back to your common room with Remus and Lily. Now, if you'll excuse us, the grown-ups are talking."

Sirius's face twisted in anger. "Oh, sorry Snivellus, I'd mistaken you for a dirty clothes heap. Ah, but I should have known from the smell that you were around. I guess I'll have to—"

Whatever Sirius had been going to say was cut short as his cloak suddenly sprouted soft white feathers all over. The hood swung up over his head and grew a red crest, while his shoes expanded and forked until they resembled talons. The net result was what appeared to be a large humanoid chicken standing in front of the Ravenclaw table. Laughter began to spread among those nearby.

Sirius tried to shout furiously, but when he opened his mouth all that escaped was a mighty "BA-CAW!" His hand flew over his mouth in horror, and the Gryffindor dashed from the Great Hall, Pettigrew hot on his heels.

James burst out laughing, and most of the rest of the students joined in. Even some of the Gryffindors seemed to be enjoying their housemate's embarrassment.

"James! I can't believe you did that!" Lily complained. "I mean, the transfiguration was impressive, but you can't just go turning people into chickens!"

He shrugged in response. "You can't deny he was asking for it."

"How did you change his voice like that?" Severus asked.

"Er—I didn't," James admitted. He looked over to Remus, who was holding back a smile.

"I came across that jinx this summer. I wasn't going to pass up a golden opportunity to use it," he said simply.

James, Remus, Severus, and Lily only became better friends throughout the next year. They seemed to enjoy the notion that they were defying the expectations of the school by forming friendships in their rival house. James especially was pleased to learn that even though he may not have been sorted where he originally wanted, he could still make friends with anyone in the school The four of them didn't have any real disagreements until the middle of their fourth year.

"I can't believe some of what passes for instruction in here," Snape said. He was thumbing through the pages for their Potions book and shaking his head at seemingly every paragraph.

"Maybe you should write your own then," James said lightheartedly.

The comment had been meant in jest, but Severus sighed in realization. He dipped a quill in ink and began furiously scribbling out passages of the book. James choked in surprised and glanced around to see if anyone was taking issue with his friend's work. He was just glad that Remus and Lily didn't come into the Slytherin common room. If either of them was there, they surely would have taken issue with Severus's disrespect for academic literature.

"So, Severus," James said, trying to draw his friend's attention away from defacing the library book.

"Hmm?"

"You and Lily are close, right?" James asked, unsure how to break the ice.

"Sure."

"Like, you're best friends." It wasn't a question really, more of a statement.

"You'll always be number one in my heart, James," Severus responded sarcastically.

"Right. Well, do you think you could do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Maybe you could set me up with Lily? I mean, nothing serious, but maybe you could convince her to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"

A pair of dark eyes suddenly shot upward from the pages of the book and snapped onto James's. There was a sort of coldness there that he hadn't seen since their first year.

"I won't be your matchmaker, Potter. Plus, I doubt Lily would say yes. Maybe you should aim a little lower, like Mandy over there." Severus jerked his head towards the aforementioned Slytherin witch.

James bristled at the slight. "Jeez, you don't have to get so angry. I was just asking. And what's wrong with Mandy?" He actually found their housemate cute if he was telling the truth.

"Nothing, but she's not Lily." Severus began scribbling on the pages even harder than before.

His friend's strange reaction was perplexing to James. Although they all knew that Severus could be ornery at times, he was usually more than willing to help out. James had expected a terse answer in the affirmative and then a comment about how he should focus on more important things. Instead, Severus had reacted like James had insulted him; he'd almost sounded jealous.

The realization hit James like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, memories began flying through his head, and he felt like a complete idiot for not seeing it sooner.

"Severus," he said softly, with a hint of a mischievous smile spreading on his face.

"Hmm?"

"Do you like Lily?" James intentionally made his tone sickly sweet, the better to frustrate his friend.

Severus froze suddenly, quill suspended over an instruction that had been on the brink of eradication. His face was tight with stress, and James knew that he had come to the heart of the issue. The only question was whether Severus would admit it.

"What does it matter to you?" Severus asked in a strained tone.

"Hey, I never would have asked you to set me up with her if I'd know you fancied her. Hell, I'll help you out if you want. You're a good guy, Severus, but let's be honest, you could probably use a little help with the ladies." James let the grin take over his face.

He couldn't believe his friend had been harboring a crush all these years, it was almost too funny. At the same time, his heart went out to Severus. Looking back, it was clear that Lily had no idea and probably hadn't even considered him in that way before. But James had started to receive more than a little attention from the witches in their year recently, and he was sure that with a little effort he could whip Severus into shape.

Severus straightened his back fully (a rare occurrence) and locked eyes with James once again.

"What do I need to do?"

It took some doing, but within a year James had managed to get Severus into what he called "fighting form." A new wardrobe (which had been a birthday gift from James), a new attitude, and a newly-found sense of confidence could do wonders, and a hairstyle that didn't seem to just dangle around his head was a bonus. Severus had actually had to turn down an offer to the Winter Formal that Dumbledore had decided to put on before he got around to asking Lily.

When he did ask, Lily had looked him up and down, and James could practically see her reevaluating him. Thankfully, Severus had had the sense to save his exuberant outburst at her response until he was safely back in the Slytherin common room with James. The two of them had shunned homework for the night to celebrate, and Severus had confided in James that he had once feared he'd never have a chance with Lily.

Now it was the night of the dance, and James was liking his friend's chances more and more by the minute. To the shock of everyone (except James, who had instructed him), Severus turned out to be a competent dancer. He and Lily whirled around looking lost in their own world while Remus and James sat and shared some butterbeer with their dates.

"Looks like Severus is all grown up," James said proudly.

Remus chuckled. "I'm sure you had no hand in that."

"What can I say? I'm a good teacher," James responded.

"You mean you can dance like that?" his date cut in.

"Of course, Mandy, let me show you." He led her out onto the floor and began dancing along with the other couples.

Since James had helped Severus get a date, he thought it only appropriate that he take his friend's advice as well. Mandy had turned out to be quite fun to spend an evening with, and James smiled as she spun around his arm.

When the song ended, Severus and Lily finally seemed to have grown tired and moved to join Remus and his date. James and Mandy followed, and the six of them chatted until a familiar voice smashed through their camaraderie.

"I'm surprised at you, Evans." Sirius Black, it seemed, didn't take days off when it came to picking fights with Slytherins. Mary Macdonald, his date, looked at the occupants of the table uncomfortably, but said nothing.

"Why is that?" Lily practically spat at him, rising to the bait.

"I didn't think you'd be one to go around with a dark wizard." He directed a pointed look at Severus.

"What?" James said coolly.

"You heard me. I saw your friend Snivellus here sneaking around with Avery and Mulciber last night. I think you can figure the rest out for yourselves." He left them abruptly.

James snapped his gaze to Severus, silently hoping his friend would tell him that it wasn't true. But the expression on his face was more damning than any confession would have been. James sank down in his seat while Remus tried to laugh Sirius's comments off. The others began chatting again quickly enough, but James sat there stewing in his thoughts.

Avery and Mulciber were practically confirmed Death Eaters according to the Hogwarts rumor mill. James himself had seen them performing questionable magic in plain sight. He didn't want to think about the kinds of things they got up to when there weren't so many discerning eyes around. If Severus was sneaking about with him, that meant he was probably thinking of joining up with You-Know-Who, and that was something James wouldn't stand for.

The rest of the night went by in a blur. James played the part of the charming and attentive date, and it seemed that he had been mostly successful in showing Mandy a good time. Severus and Lily were practically completing each other's sentences by the end of the night, and Remus seemed to be happy enough with his date, especially considering that the full moon was rapidly approaching. But every other minute James was glancing at the clock, counting down the seconds until he could speak with Severus alone. Finally, when they had bid their dates farewell and returned to their dormitory for the evening, James broke his silence.

"What the hell are you thinking?" he said, not bothering to hide his emotions from his friend.

"Excuse me?" Severus asked. He looked genuinely taken aback.

"Hanging around with Avery and Mulciber? What were you thinking?" James repeated.

"They're friends," Severus said. "They were showing me some magic that Hogwarts doesn't teach."

James sat there with his mouth agape. Even though he had been sure that it was true, to hear Severus play it off like nothing made his heart sink.

"There's a reason that kind of magic isn't taught, Severus," James said quietly.

"I know what I'm doing."

"No you don't!" James looked around even though the dormitory was deserted. He was struggling to keep the volume of his voice in check. "You have no idea what you're getting into. These people don't want to be your friends because they like you. They want to be your friend so that when they ask you to do something you'll do it. Are you really that stupid, Severus? Are you really so much of a coward that you can't refuse the first person that offers you power?"

Something dangerous flashed behind Severus's eyes, and with a flick of his wand James was suddenly suspended upside down in the air. Severus moved closer and addressed his friend, anger clearly evident on his face.

"Don't call me a coward." His voice was barely above a whisper, but there was danger behind it.

"I won't," James said firmly. "I won't speak to you again as long as you cohort with people like that."

Severus stared at him for a moment longer, then canceled the spell and stormed out of the room without a word.

The month since James and Severus had last spoken had been a tense one. The four friends that were ordinarily by each other's sides had been split in half. Severus and Lily were often seen meeting in the library or walking around the grounds with each other, while James had taken to eating with Remus at the Hufflepuff table so he didn't have to look at his housemate. Lily seemed to want to talk to them, but all she could offer when Severus was around was a sad smile and a shrug. James didn't blame her. He knew that she had chewed Snape out about who he was spending time with as well, but ultimately she wouldn't leave his side unless he did something truly unforgivable.

Consequently, James was more than a little distracted as he sat down in Professor Slughorn's office for his NEWT advisement meeting. The broad man spread his arms and smiled at James before offering him a seat on a plush chair and pouring him a generous amount of some sort of licorice-flavored drink.

"James, my boy. It's such a pleasure to advise a bright young man like yourself. I have to admit that I was worried your first year that you may not be a fit for my house, but you've proven me wrong." He twirled the ends of his mustache and then seated himself rather abruptly.

"Thank you, sir."

Slughorn nodded. "So, James, what is it you want to do with your life?"

"I've thought a bit about it, but I'm not entirely sure," James replied honestly. His parents' fortune had ensured that he would never need to work for money, but he had always fancied having a steady job, if only to have something to do.

"Ah, that's not unusual at your age. Why when I was in school I wanted to be Minister for Magic! Now look where I am! I may know the Minister, but I'm a far cry from that office!" Slughorn was his usual jovial self, which James wasn't particularly in the mood for.

"I see."

"Enough about me though. Tell me what your interests are." Slughorn peered across the desk expectantly.

"Well I love to fly," James said simply.

"Ah, and you're a sight to see when you do. I know a few people in the league that would love to take a look at you, but I'm afraid Hogwarts doesn't have much to offer in the way of flying lessons."

James nodded. "I've thought about trying to play in the league, but it doesn't seem right with everything that's going on in the world. I want to do something more important."

Slughorn brightened. "How about a career in politics? With your family name and a few words in the right place you could have a seat on the Wizengamot in five years. Perhaps you'd even be in the running for Minister someday." He seemed to be on the verge of salivating at the thought.

James shook his head. "I don't think that's for me." His father had always had a distaste for politicians, complaining that they tended to talk far more than they acted. "I want to do something more direct."

That brought a raised eyebrow from the potions master. "Direct in what way, might I ask?"

"I want to do something that helps stop You-Know-Who," James said. He thought about Severus and his new friends. "I want to do something that will make sure no one else gets hurt because of him."

A bit of color seemed to leave Slughorn's face, and his voice dropped an octave, but he didn't waver. "I see. Have you considered becoming an auror? It doesn't get anymore direct than that."

James nodded. It was something he had been thinking about more and more recently, and his head of house's suggestion had only served to cement his resolve. The two of them spoke for another half an hour, the mood much graver than it had been before. Slughorn informed James about what he would need to do in his last two and a half years and wished him luck.

When he departed the potions master's office he briefly considered heading back to the common room, but his grumbling stomach and a desire to avoid Severus sent him in the direction of the Great Hall instead. Unfortunately, it seemed that whatever he might desire, Severus's plans were different. As he rounded a turn James suddenly found himself face-to-face with three students. They wore dark cloaks with their hoods up, but it didn't do anything to hide their identities.

"Potter," Avery said. His voice was deep and threatening by nature, but James refused to be intimidated.

"Avery. Mulciber. Snape," he nodded to the first two but refused to look at the third.

"We need to speak with you," Avery said. Apparently he was the mouthpiece for the group.

"That's great. I'll be in the common room later. You can catch up with me then." James made to leave but Avery held up a hand to stop him.

James's muscles tensed and he prepared to draw his wand. He didn't think the three of them would try anything, but he wasn't going down without a fight if they did.

"We need to speak to you now, privately. Severus, if you would?"

Severus nodded at Avery's command (which sickened James slightly) and muttered a familiar counter-eavesdropping spell that he had come up with.

"Now then, Potter. We have an opportunity for you," Avery told him. "We've been told by... certain parties to keep an eye out for talented students like yourself. We'd like to offer you a chance to be a part of something big, a chance to reshape the world."

"Right," James said. "You'd like me to join up with You-Know-Who." They might be trying to sugarcoat it, but he wasn't going to.

Mulciber smiled in a predatory manner, and spoke for the first time. "We never said anything like that. But you're smart enough to understand what's happening in the world. With a pure blood heritage like yours, someone could go far in life."

James fought the urge to snarl as he leaned in close to the three. "Not, interested," he hissed before moving to go past them.

Avery moved to block his path, but James swished his wand and sent the boy stumbling out of his way. There was an angry grunt from behind and James whirled to find Mulciber staring him down with his wand extended. James raised his own, an incantation on his lips when—

"James, my boy! I'm afraid I may have forgotten to tell you something!" Professor Slughorn hurriedly shuffled up the corridor, ignoring the other three boys and coming to a stop beside James.

The trio of future Death Eaters turned to depart, but not before giving James a look that plainly said "this isn't over." James looked at Severus for the first time in a month as he made to leave. He bore holes in his former friend's eyes with his own, trying to communicate the extent of his distaste through an expression alone. Severus followed his two companions with little more than an indifferent glance at James. It seemed that whatever friendship had once existed there was gone.

"You were right," a familiar voice said.

James recognized the speaker, and so he continued to stare at his book deliberately. He would ignore him now as he had for the past nine months. Remarks would be ignored, letters shredded without reading. James had more important things in his life to worry about than what Severus Snape wanted with his time. There was a swirl of displaced air as the seat across the table from James was occupied, but still he didn't look up.

"I said you were right," Severus repeated. "I was an idiot." There was a momentary pause and then Severus spoke again, this time his voice was a whisper. "I was a coward."

That got James's attention. He slowly put down the book he was reading and moved his gaze upward. Severus was regarding him with an almost pleading expression on his face. It was the first good look at Severus that James had had in the better part of a year, and it was hard not to notice how bad he appeared. Severus had always been a bit scrawny, but it looked like he had lost even more weight over the summer. His hair was back to its old ways, and there were dark circles hanging under his eyes.

"What the hell happened to you?" James asked. He refrained from injecting the anger he still felt towards Severus into his voice but only just.

"I told Avery and Mulciber I didn't want anything to do with them. They haven't been taking it well."

"Did they attack you?" James asked. The protective instinct he'd developed for his friends over the years began rising to the surface.

"No, they're just trying to make my life a living hell." Severus rubbed his eyes, and the sleeve of his robe fell down to his elbow. Relief flooded over James when he saw that his friend's forearm was untainted by the dark lord's mark. "They threatened me, and more than a few times over the summer strange things happened outside the house. My father blamed it on me... wanted me out of the house."

"Why?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm done with those people, I thought you should know." Severus got up to leave.

"Wait!" James said. He had a brief flashback to a similar scenario in their first year. "What happened?"

Severus slowly sat back down. "I was with with Lily a few weeks ago," he began, "when Avery came by with Wilkes. Lily told them to get lost, but they wouldn't leave. They called her a stupid mudblood. After that she didn't want to stick around anyway."

James blew out a breath. He knew that Lily was sensitive about the prejudice people had against muggles. She had practically made it her mission to show up anyone that thought a muggleborn couldn't be a great witch. He could only imagine what her reaction to such a slur would have been.

"I take it that Lily wasn't happy?"

"No, she won't speak to me. I told the lot of them that I was done after that, but she still won't listen. I need your help, James. Please, you've got to talk to her."

James was torn. On the one hand he was still angry at his friend. On the other, he'd been hoping that this day would come for months. Ultimately, he knew that he had to forgive Severus. If he couldn't give someone a second chance than how was he any better than the Death Eaters?

"Okay," he said. "But that doesn't mean things are normal again. You've got a lot to make up for, Severus."

"I know, and I'm trying," he said. "I've already warned some of the younger students off of joining up with those guys, but I don't know what good it did."

James whistled, impressed by his friend's bravery. Perhaps Severus wouldn't have made a bad Gryffindor after all.

"That took some guts. Did anyone listen?"

"I don't know. One of them did talk to me after. He asked me if I could help him stand up to Avery."

"Really?" James was interested. "What did you tell him?"

Severus smiled slightly for the first time. "I told him to talk to you."

That sent a jolt through James. "Who was it?"

"Regulus Black."

James coughed in surprise. "Sirius's little brother?"

"Yes. But trust me, they're nothing alike."

"Oh I know, we're on the Quidditch team together. So you want me to talk to Regulus Black and Lily. Anything else you want me to do for you?" James let a tinge of sarcasm into his voice.

"Just think about forgiving me," Severus told him. With that he rose and headed off to their dormitory.

Regulus ended up approaching James after their next practice. They boy was rather wide-eyed when James told him about how he had denied Avery and Mulciber's offer, but nodded sagely when he said that everyone had a choice, regardless of what their family or friends may think. Regulus thanked James and left him alone, wondering what the younger student would end up doing.

Lily, on the other hand, turned out to be just as stubborn as Severus could be. She refused to talk about him on principal, and only listened to James when he pointed out how awful their friend looked. It took some doing, but eventually she consented to give him a second chance as well. Within a month, things were mostly back to the way they had been before, but there was an undeniable tension between the members of the group that wasn't relieved until one quiet winter evening.

Severus had asked his friends to meet him in the library, claiming that he had something vitally important to discuss with them. Knowing that his friend wasn't prone to exaggeration, James arrived ahead of the scheduled time, but still managed to be the last one there. When he had settled into a seat at the table with the others, Severus cleared his throat and began.

"You guys know that I've been working on a project for the past couple of months, but I have to confess something to you. I told you that I was doing research for a project with Professor Slughorn, but that's not exactly true. I was working with him, but this doesn't have anything to do with school." He directed his attention to Remus.

"I can't really take any credit for this since I didn't actually do very much, but the headmaster and Professor Slughorn thought that I should be the one to tell you."

"Tell us what?" James asked. "Did you discover some wondrous cure?"

Severus paused. "Not exactly. I won't bore you with the specifics of the potion, but are you familiar with aconite?"

Lily piped up. "Of course. It's a poison. It paralyzes you and makes it so you can't think in low doses. Anything larger than a small amount—"

"Is lethal," Severus finished with a nod. "Well, it turns out that with the right reagents and some tricky brewing, you can use aconite to attack something very specific, like, say, Lycanthropy. If brewed properly, the potion allows a werewolf to maintain his human mind during a transformation."

Remus grinned broadly. The boy had long since informed his friends about his condition, which they had of course already deduced. He had confided in them once that the worst part of the experience was losing his mind to the animal, and the fear that he might hurt someone without being able to stop himself. He likened it to being under the Imperius Curse. When he had made that analogy, James had fully understood the horror that his friend was forced to go through every full moon.

"Do they need someone to test that on?" Remus asked eagerly, but Severus shook his head.

"They're past that stage. Professor Dumbledore told me that the creator will be getting the Order of Merlin over the holidays, and then the potion will be public and anyone can brew it. It's rather complex though, so six months ago the headmaster asked me if I would help Professor Slughorn learn how to make it. That's what I've been doing for the past few months. We finally got the process down and completed a brew last night. We should be able to get it to you every month from here on out."

Remus didn't even bother to hide his emotion. He jumped out of his seat and practically tackled Severus in a hug. The boy looked utterly shocked at the affection and awkwardly patted Remus on the back in return, much to the amusement of the other two.

They mutually decided to move the celebration elsewhere. Remus practically skipped out of the library, with Lily close behind, but James lagged back to be alone with his friend.

"That was a great thing to do, Severus," he said.

A hint of a smile graced the other Slytherin's face. "Thanks, but like I said, I didn't really do much."

"You learned how to brew an extremely complex potion just because it would help a friend. I'd say you did enough. And—wait, when did you say Professor Dumbledore called you into his office?"

"Six months ago," Severus said sheepishly.

"As in, before the summer holiday?" James clarified.

"Yeah."

James's jaw dropped. "But we weren't even speaking then."

"I know."

Silence hung between them for a moment as James absorbed what his friend had just told him.

"You met up with Slughorn over the summer to brew?" he asked.

"Not really, we spent the first few months owling back and forth about setting things up. We didn't start brewing until the start of the term." Severus seemed uncomfortable with the attention he was receiving, but James wasn't finished.

"You know what, Severus? You're a pretty good friend." He smiled fully at his friend's shocked expression and then led him out of the library. As they were leaving, James spoke again in a hushed voice.

"So, you said that aconite could attack illnesses. Do you think there's any chance that—"

"I'm sorry, James, but no. I asked Professor Slughorn, but it just wouldn't work."

James nodded. He supposed that it would have been too much to ask for. He had spent countless hours in the library himself searching for anything that might help halt his parents' decline, but the only thing that healers could seem to agree upon was that Dragon Pox couldn't be cured. Since his parents' diagnosis this summer, he had already started to notice their health failing. The healers at St. Mungo's had given them an optimistic outlook of two years.

Severus patted his friend on the back awkwardly, and although the gesture wasn't comforting, the effort was. James willed a smile onto his face as the two of them caught up to Lily and Remus. They had just gotten good news, and James was going to be damned if anything brought him down tonight.

It was strange how quickly time seemed to move when you reflected back on things. Seven years ago, James had been shuffling into the Great Hall for the first time, staring with misplaced confidence at the hat that had flipped his world upside down. Now he was eating breakfast at Hogwarts for the last time. The train would be leaving in a few hours, and after that James might never return to the school.

He sat at the Slytherin table with Severus. The two of them had promised to meet up with their Gryffindor friends later, but they felt it appropriate that they join their housemates one last time. Mandy had discreetly slipped James a note with the address of her new flat and an invitation to come by for some drinks earlier that morning. Avery had shot him a dark look that James sincerely hoped would be the last he ever saw from the boy. Most of the rest of his house had simply congratulated him on his success in school and asked about his plans. Although his announcement that he planned to join the Auror's Office had gotten a few sideways glances, the majority of his house had offered nothing but compliments.

The carriage ride down to the train seemed shorter than it ever had before. James kept his eyes glued to the castle until it was obscured by the trees lining the path to the school. Even with a bad start, the time he had spent at Hogwarts had shaped him into the man he was, and James would go back and do it again if given the opportunity.

"Severus, it's great that you got the research position at St. Mungo's!" Remus offered brightly.

"Thanks," Severus said bashfully. He didn't often boast about his achievements, even when they were noteworthy. "I'm just lucky that Professor Slughorn was able to give me a recommendation."

"Being the best brewer in a decade isn't luck," Lily said, giving his hand a squeeze. He smiled back at her.

"Well neither is landing a job as an Unspeakable," James pointed out.

"It's not a job! It's a temporary position!" Lily said for the hundredth time since she'd told her friends the news.

"A temporary position that pretty much always become permanent," James added.

"Stop, you're going to jinx it!" Lily looked around frantically for a lifeline and found one in Remus.

"Are you still planning on leaving the country for a while?" she said.

He nodded. "I'm hoping that I'll find something there for a few years and then come back when I have too much experience to ignore."

Prejudice against werewolves was stronger in the United Kingdom than elsewhere in Europe. Consequently their friend had had more trouble finding employment than any of them, despite his stellar marks. James had offered him an extra bedroom at his parents' house for the summer, but Remus had graciously declined. According to him he was determined to forge his own path.

There was a comfortable silence between them as they all considered what their lives were going to be like from here on. James had chosen to remain in his parents' home for the time being. Although they were always in high spirits, their illness continued its steady assault on their health. James was determined to spend as much time with them as he could for the next year, or at least as much as they would let him. His father had already gotten onto him for neglecting himself. No doubt he would be delighted to find out about Mandy's note and encourage his son to "get the girl."

James smiled at the thought of his father's encouragement. The Potter patriarch had a way of telling James exactly what he needed to hear. Without the letter in his first year instructing James to be the best his house had to offer, James would have never become friends with Severus. He shuddered to think of where the two of them might be had they never helped and trusted in each other.

The train itself seemed completely different now than it had the first time James had boarded the Hogwarts Express. Before it had been a symbol of excitement and adventure. Now it was a vessel waiting to ferry him away from his childhood and into adult life. The seats were still as comfortable as ever though, and the four friends settled into a compartment near the back of the train as usual.

It seemed that Hogwarts had one last surprise for James before he left. Shortly before the train whistled its intent to depart, the door to their compartment slid open, and Sirius Black entered. He was confident in posture, but there wasn't his usual arrogant smirk present on his face. It had been the same for the past year, and James reflected that he couldn't actually recall Sirius doing anything to the four of them in that time.

"Hello," he said simply.

"Hi," James said, a bit of confusion in his tone.

Sirius sighed. "I heard you're applying for the Auror's Office." He looked at James.

James nodded.

"Well, me as well." There was an awkward silence as the two stared at each other. "I figured maybe we should clear the air."

"Okay."

"I want to say that everything that happened at school is water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned." Sirius began.

"Okay."

"I heard about what you guys said to Reg... I wanted to thank you for looking out for him." That was a surprise. James had been under the impression that Sirius didn't get along well with his brother. "I guess I was wrong about you." That statement was mostly directed at Severus, who nodded curtly.

"I'm happy with that," James said. He extended a hand which Sirius shook.

The Gryffindor left without stopping to make small talk, and Jame returned to his thoughts. He looked around the compartment and smiled as the train began to move. The first time he'd been on this train he had said he would leave if he got sorted into Slytherin. Now he was leaving, but seven years wiser than he'd been before. It was impossible for him to ignore the good that had come out of his surprise sorting.

I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?

Now that it was finally time for James to fulfill his own prophecy, he found that he didn't want to go.

(A/N): Well this turned out a bit longer than I expected. This was written for Elizabeth Blossom's AU Sorting Competition. My prompt was (obviously) James Potter in Slytherin.

I hope you enjoyed the story. Thanks for reading.