unspeakable | jegulus

the art of deception

chapter title: you can't always get what you want by the rolling stones

Studying for his N.E.W.Ts was at the bottom of his list of priorities, but it still had to be done. He remembered how excited he had been when he found out he was Quidditch Captain at the beginning of term. Now, that title felt more like a burden than a blessing. He was busy all the time. He never had a spare moment, even for sleep. Six hours a night was the most he could get these days. Up before dawn to make it to the pitch, then planning for their next game with Marlene, who hated his guts, and the rest of the team, who looked at him like he was a beast of some kind hauled in from a sewer.

He was walking back from the pitch to hopefully get some kind of breakfast when Snape intercepted him.

"Potter."

"Hey, how you been?" He grabbed a scone off of the Slytherin table, mechanically eating it in a few bites. He didn't even know what flavour it had been. Eyes watched them in every direction.

"You said you wanted to do something to make amends for our past... difficulties." Snape tilted his head back, shaking his straight, black hair away from his face.

"Right, I did say that." He was kicking himself for his spur of altruism. Now he had to add something else to his endless-seeming to do list. "Have you come up with something?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I have." He smiled his slithery, snaky smile. "I'd like you to apologize in front of everyone. You can apologize here and now, if you'd like. I want the whole school to see it."

"Is that all?" He was already so used to throwing himself in front of the social equivalent of a moving train that, at this point, the request felt like hardly anything at all. "You don't want anything else?"

"Just a public apology, then I'll forgive you."

"Alright."

James climbed on the bench at the Slytherin table, banging two cups together.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" He swallowed a smile. "May I have your attention please!"

"Mr. Potter, get down this instant!"

"Just a second, Minnie, I have something to say."

"Mr. Potter, this is uncalled for-"

"Me and my mates have been bullying Severus Snape since first year, and I feel really bad about it, so I wanted to apologize. I'm very sorry, Snape. I should've been nicer to you, you're alright." He looked at him, all of the eyes in the great hall were fixed on the two of them. Snape smiled, self-satisfied.

"I forgive you, Potter."

"Cheers." He climbed off the bench. He heard scattered laughter, the vestiges of his popularity had left him with the same confident cockiness he'd always had. "Can't believe that's all you wanted."

"What did you expect?"

"Thought you'd want to dunk me in the lake, or do something real awful."

"If the offer is still on the table..."

"You've already forgiven me, can't go back now." He looked at McGonagall. Her lips were pressed into a tight line, and she had a worried set to her eyebrows. "I'll see you around." He ate a scrap of toast off of the table and got up again. Conversation resumed around him, and he got a couple laughs and stares when he walked past. Not the worst morning.