Wizarding World One Shots (Discontinued)

James Potter x Severus Snape

James didn’t think he was a bad person. He couldn’t help that everything about the devious, conniving git rubbed him up the wrong way. Severus bloody Snape, even now he was skulking in the corner of the Restricted Section of Hogwart’s Library. As NEWT students approaching their exams, they’d both been given passes by their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher to view some of the books in the Restricted Section.

Lucky him, just had to decide to visit at the same time as Snivellus. And of course he couldn’t back out once the git had seen him come in. So here he was, legs folded up on the desk as he thumbed through the book he’d found on dark curses, not taking in a word, not daring to take his eyes off the slytherin in the far corner of the room.

Severus could feel James eyes staring at him from across the room as he read book and tried not to make eye contact with the Gryffindor even though he was finding it hard to do. With James sitting there it was making it hard for him to read his dark arts book which he found very frustrating since he had been wanting to get into the restricted section since he had herd about it in his first year.

“…Could you please stop staring” he murmured under his breath as he tried not to make eye contact James and just keep reading his book, even though he must have ready the same line over and over at least 30 times while he had been sitting there letting the large book slowly crush his thin legs as James had take up residency on the table.

James quirked a brow at the oddly civil request. “Oh, I could,” he said loftily, “but I won’t. I can’t trust you not to hex me when I let my guard down.” He surveyed the slytherin critically, dark, glossy hair hanging around his face in curtains where he stood, head hanging over his book. Why was he so fixated on the dark arts anyway? That unexplainable obsession the boy seemed to have was what James disliked most about him. It was unnatural for someone to be so obsessed with dark spells designed to hurt people.

Thankfully Evans had stopped hanging around with him after that incident after their OWLs two years ago, that put her out of danger of Snape’s dark, polluted interests but still there was something not right about him.

“S’pose this is your dream isn’t it Snivellus?” James sneered, snapping his own book shut and sitting up straight, feet on the ground. “Up here with all these dark books and only me to stop you. Rumour has it you used dark arts your own father.”

Severus glanced up from his book as James’s words and wondered if he should actually say anything back to him or if ignoring him would be the better option. But in the end decided to take the low road and talk back.

“Yes I do like to read these kinds of book, I like to broaden my knowledge of spells…unlike so wizards” he said looking at James before going back to reading his book with a small smile on his face as he tucked a stand of his hair behind his ear, getting it out of the way so that he could read better.

“Also if you believe rumours like that then you are a fool” he said not bothering to look up at James this time.

James leapt to his feet. He didn’t consider himself a cruel person. He never got any kind of satisfaction in hurting or tormenting anyone. But Snape, he was malicious, conniving, dark, he wanted the rest of the world to see that. And when the bastard had thoroughly rebuked any effort he’d made to apologise for his behaviour over the last few years, back when he’d saved the git from being eaten or worse by Moony (thanks to Sirius’ spectacularly stupid plan) his desire to expose his dark was only heightened.

In a rational world, maybe he was pushing Snape on purpose, maybe he wanted to see just how far he could go before the stoic, miserable looking boy showed some fire. But he was anything but rational. It was one of his faults. Another was how he delighted in seeing the slytherin’s perfect composure crack at his words. He could make Snape lose it, make him show his true colours. That was satisfying in a dark, foreboding way he didn’t want to think on. He pushed it to the back of his mind as he stalked towards the slighter boy.