Prongs {Book One}

Chapter Twenty-Three - Mudblood

SEV.

I squinted at the exam paper, rereading question seventeen. I was sure there was something about Patronus theory which I'd missed out, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"All right, Snivellus?"

I flinched, but immediately snatched up my wand. Before I could point it at Potter, he'd yelled, "expelliarmus!" And my wand flew high into the air, landing behind me. I snarled. Black laughed loudly. I got up on my haunches and dived for my wand.

"Impedimenta!"

Thunk. I hit the ground hard and winced in pain.

A dozen or so students had gathered around to watch. A big 'show' like this hadn't happened in a long time. Potter and I had still shot spells at each other in the corridors, but it had been at least six months since he and Black had last ganged up on me together.

"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" Potter jeered. I was struggling to move from the jinx.

"I was watching him," Black replied, stepping closer and smiling, "his nose was touching the parchment. There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a single word."

Several people laughed, Pettigrew among them. Lupin was ignoring the whole scene, engrossed in his book.

I felt everything starting to bubble up. I wanted to get my wand and pump every jinx I could think of at Potter before he could get in half a spell.

"You - wait," I panted, fighting against the Impedimenta jinx, "you - wait!"

"Wait for what?" Black said, "what are you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?"

I swore loudly, hexes among the mix, but my wand was still feet away.

"Wash out your mouth," Potter snarled, "Scourgify!"

I started choking. Soap bubbles filled my mouth, trickling down my throat, spilling out my lips. It tasted disgusting. I gagged, retching the soap onto the floor.

"Leave him ALONE!"

-

JAMES.

I turned around.

"All right, Evans?" I said, trying to keep my tone cool. She wasn't supposed to be here. She wasn't supposed to see this. I swore in my head. I'd lost my cool.

"Leave him alone," she repeated. The way she looked at me was completely different from the tone of the previous night's conversation. It looked like she hated me. I felt my heart sag, but my composure remained. "What's he done to you?" She added.

It was all I could do to stop myself screaming everything I'd told her this morning, yelling the question, 'why him?' Over and over.

"Well," I said slowly, thinking over my words, "it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean."

Wrong move. Lily's eyes fired up.

"You think you're funny. You always have. But you're just an arrogant, bullying, toerag, Potter. Leave him alone."

"I will if you go out with me," I said desperately, "go on. Go out with me and I'll never lay another finger on old Snivelly again."

"It wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," she said coolly.

"Bad luck, Prongs," Sirius said quickly, and then he turned slightly, and yelled, "OI!"

As I spun around, a spell hit me so hard that I almost fell over, and I felt blood trickle down the side of my face. I lifted my left hand to my right cheek and it came away red. I saw Lily's eyes widen, but she didn't say anything.

Before Snape could do anything else, I flicked my wand at him and he was hanging upside down.

Lily's expression twitched for an instant, and I thought she was going to laugh.

"Let him down!" She said quickly, looking furious again.

"Certainly," I said, and flicked my wand so Snape crumpled to the floor. The people gathered around us laughed more.

"Petrificus totalus!" Sirius said as Snape tried to get up, and he fell on his back, rigid as a board.

There were two voices in my mind. One was furious, wanting to hex Snape with every spell I knew. The other voice was the sensible one. The one that knew this was the wrong thing to do. The one that knew I should let Lily make her own choices. The one that cared about her.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily shouted. Her wand was out and pointed at me.

"Ah, Evans," I said, looking at her wand, "don't make me hex you."

"Take the curse off him."

I sighed and muttered the counter curse.

Because I care about Lily's wishes, was what I tried to tell myself. But what I knew was, because I regretted this before I started and I know I'm a complete asshole.

"There you go," I said as Snape got to his feet, "you're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus-"

"I don't need help from filthy little mudbloods like her!"

Lily blinked. I felt rage boil up inside me.

"Fine," she said, "next time I won't bother. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus."

"Apologise to Evans!" I yelled, pointing my wand at him.

"I don't want you to make him apologise," she said, "I thought- nevermind. You're as bad as he is."

"What!?" I yelped, feeling as though she'd stabbed me, "I'd never call you a - you - know - what!"

"I thought you'd changed, but you haven't. Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing everyone that annoys you just because you can - I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head of yours. You make me sick."

She blinked rapidly, then turned and hurried away.

"Evans- hey, Lily!" But she was already far away. "What is it with her," I muttered.

If she thinks I'm as bad as him, she's wrong. But if she thinks I'm an asshole, then so be it.

"Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate."

"Right," I muttered, "right-" I flicked my wand and Snape flew up into the air, and even though all my common sense was telling me not to do it and my brain was screaming at me that this was exactly why Lily didn't like me, I said, "who wants to see me take Snivelly's pants off?"