Chapter Text
It was an autumn morning.
The tall windows of Hogwarts were dappled with the raindrops that lashed the wide lawns around the castle. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with its wide stone corridors, could be quite frighteningly dark on days like this.
James sighed for what felt like the thousandth time since the Potions class had started. The lack of interest in Professor Slughorn's explanations made the boy observe, as if it were the most interesting thing in the world, the small greenish caterpillar that at all costs was dragging itself across the table, desperately trying to avoid the sad fate of becoming an ingredient in an experimental potion.
Potions lessons were exceptionally tedious. It did not matter what day it was, Slughorn would walk into the room with his eccentric smile and barely begin listing the day's activities and that was it. It felt like an infallible sleep aid. Maybe it was because James did not see any point in learning it. What could mixing disgusting ingredients in a pot do for a wizard? Now, any effect produced by a potion could be easily remedied by a spell. A simple flick of the wrist and the right magic word and here it is. Only mediocre wizards would be interested in such a lowly study. Well, sure, Lily had a certain enthusiasm for the subject, but there is always an exception to every rule. Most of the connoisseurs of that area were weirdos with no vocation for anything more interesting. Infuriatingly conceited people who tended to always believe they were better than everyone else. People who had the audacity to lift their stupidly big nose and roll their stupidly dark eyes at any mention of anyone other than their little clique of idiotic Slytherins.
The wizard's amber eyes rose slowly, gliding across the room until they landed on the first laboratory bench; more specifically on the owner of an oily head who was bend over his small cauldron.
Severus Snape.
The Slytherin boy appeared to be concentrating as he dropped a vial of dragon scales into the boiling cauldron. His deep black hair, which normally would have been down, covering most of his face, was now in a ponytail that allowed the entire length of pale neck to show. His nimble, slender fingers occasionally flipped through the pages of the time-worn potions book.
“Look at him. Pathetic as ever. ” His thoughts were interrupted by Sirius Black's voice.
The former member of the Black family who sat next to him also had his eyes fixed on Snape, his brows drawn together in a crease at the sight. Just as the Slytherin leaned in to whisper something in Lily's ear, who laughed at whatever the teenager's comment was, tucking a strand of her wavy hair behind her ear. The two sat in pairs, something that usually happened in shared classes between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Sirius snorted. “Does he still think he has some sort of chance with Evans? This gets to be sad. ”
A sneer formed on the teenager's face as he spoke. James could see the gleam of hatred deep in his best friend's eyes. It was strange; Sirius did not deal with Severus' existence in a healthy way. Of course, the boy hated anyone who was a Slytherin, but there was always something else when it came to the slight boy. Well, it is not like James can judge anyway. In fact, he more than anyone could understand how the presence or mention of Severus could be unnerving. Sirius, however, was capable of being spurred on to the most creative ramblings about the little oily serpent.
Snape and Evans? This was absurd. Even Snape must have had the slightest bit of sense and understood how wrong that sounded. Even if he tried, Lily would definitely kiss a troll before dating the snivellus one. She probably only hung out with the Slytherin out of pity. Imagine, the two of them holding hands, Lily putting her hands in Snape's hair as he offered her a bright smile, so rare he never intended for anyone he didn't love. A smile so rare that was never destined to James. Just thinking about it made James' jaw clench in anger. How dare that greasy bat approach someone as pure as his Lily? No, he should keep his distance from Lily. He must keep his distance from anyone.
“I think we should help our little friend. You know, just putting that big nose of his where it belongs.“ Sirius reached into his pocket as he spoke, pulling out a colorful plastic wrapper and placing it on the table. Inside the package was a sphere the size of a grape. It glowed and moved restlessly. “I bought this on my last trip to Hogsmeade.”
James took the toy in his hand. “It serves to cause small explosions. I think it reacts with air or something. A few minutes after being removed from the plastic, it puts on a show on its own." Sirius' hands moved in a metaphorical burst.
James smirked. ” Yeah, I think it's been a while since we played with our greasy colleague, isn't it? “ In addition, he looked back at the front bench.
Lily was writing something down on a piece of parchment and Severus was stirring his potion. The small vial containing mandrake root in his hand slipped, rolling under the table. With a sigh, Snape bent down to retrieve it. Taking the chance, James got up and walked towards the Slytherin’s bench.
The small explosive sphere was placed between the cauldron and the support base, a few seconds before the black haired boy adjusted himself in his seat. James was ready to go back to his place when he froze. Snape was looking at him, his eyes met with black orbs. His dark eyes narrowed as his hand closed around the small vial he had just picked up from the floor, his lips pursing in an expression of distaste.
“Potter, what are you doing here?”
Oh right, that look. The judgment that overflowed from those ink-dark pupils. James hadn't even said anything yet and he'd already been worthy of an attitude of rejection as strong as that. How hard was it to make the least amount of effort to be kind? Putting his shoulders back, James smirked.
“There's no need to be irritated snivellus, my presence here has nothing to do with you. “ Straightening his spine, James offered his brightest smile. “I just came to wish Miss Evans a good morning.”
The red-haired girl blushed, turning her eyes to the bespectacled wizard. “Why, Potter, spare me your gallantry.” Despite being shy, the girl seemed moved by the comment. That was good. His efforts in winning over the girl were finally paying off.
Lily was a sweet girl. She had a habit of always seeing the good in people and maybe that's why she had, even after many attempts, started to convince herself that Potter wasn't as bad as he had proven so far.
“There is no gallantry in my comment. I'm just wishing you had a nice day. And perhaps being bold enough to invite you to watch our Quidditch practice later that afternoon. ”
Lily blushed a little redder and opened her mouth to respond. As he kept his eyes on the redhead, James could see the pale boy out of the corner of his eye. He didn't look surprised, but he was obviously trying to ignore James' flirting. Something about his nonchalant demeanor caused a twinge in his chest. Wasn't seeing him going out with Lily something that bothered Snape that much? More than that, had anyone other than Lily ever asked him out for anything? Why, What a silly question, of course not. Who would volunteer to spend time with the Slytherin? Nobody in their right mind. Blinking, James realized that he wasn't paying attention to Lily's answer anymore. Oh well, it was certainly more of a dubious negative. Anyway.
“So, I'll be heading back to my seat. See you later Evans. “
“See you James.” Lily responded with something that looked like a smile.
Snape rolled his eyes again, dipping his quill in ink to make some notes in his advanced potions book, seeming not to notice James' presence there anymore. For some reason that irritated the Gryffindor.
“See you later too, snivellus.” James grunted, being rewarded with a slightly raised eyebrow by the Slytherin, who didn't bother to look up from his notes.
He started to make his way back. Her heart was strangely racing. Stupid snake. Why did that stupid child have to be so difficult? Just being near the Slytherin made James act on instinct.
'It's okay', James thought, taking a deep breath and trying to control his heart that for some alien reason was beating fast in his chest.
A few seconds later an explosion is heard. The entire room searches for the source of the noise. James didn't need to look back to know what had happened, instead he glared at his best friend. Sirius was looking back at the bespectacled wizard, a sadistic smile on his lips. The prank was complete.
The explosion at the base of the pot caused the small cauldron used for the task to be knocked over on the table. Lily, who was at the opposite end of the counter, backed away without too much trouble. Severus got up quickly, taking as much distance as the bench behind his knee would allow, but it wasn't enough: the liquid that ran down the table and overflowed the edges dripped generously on the boy's pants. with the shock of having been hit Snape fell to the floor.
Severus' scream filled the room above the murmurs, as he desperately rubbed his own legs, trying to remove the excess substance from his clothes. Slughorn, who was on the other side of the room hurriedly knelt beside the student and, waving his wand, made the hot liquid disappear, leaving only a few reddish stains where the legs were hit. With a sigh, the Slytherin looked down at his knees.
The clothing was ruined, completely melted from mid-thigh down.
“By Salazar, are you all right, Mr. Snape? Asked Slughorn, looking genuinely concerned. Severus had his hands clasped on his knees, his eyes red and downcast, obviously holding back his tears.
“Perhaps it would be better to take him to the infirmary. Could anyone help us please? “ With that, Lily hurried closer to the Slytherin, pulling him up by the arm. Then they hurriedly dragged the boy out of the room.
❤
A short time later Slughorn returned to the classroom and, after cleaning the messed up bench with another move of his wand, asked the students to return to their normal activities with something like a smile.
With the end of their class came lunchtime, but neither Severus nor Lily's shadow could be seen. 'Perhaps they were both still in the infirmary' thought James. However, was it possible that the burn had hurt his legs that badly?
The afternoon had already started, another joint class between Gryffindor and Slytherin. There were still some comments being made about that morning's incident and the notorious disappearance of the two students. Despite Professor Minerva's efforts to draw the attention of the other students, it was almost inevitable to be distracted by what had happened that morning. Well at least unavoidable for James. But he couldn't help but think about it. Was Severus really hurt so bad that he had to be admitted to the infirmary? Damn, the prank was just to scare him a little bit, not taking him out to the infirmary for the rest of the day. Suddenly the classroom door opened, followed by three timid knocks on its wood. It was Lily, poking her head and half her body into the room, apparently holding something that still in the hallway.
“Professor McGonagall, I'm sorry I'm late. We had a problem along the way. “
Professor Minerva looked at the girl in the doorway with her brows drawn together in an expression that was halfway between concern and understanding. “I see Miss Evans. Please come in and be seated. “
With a nod, Lily entered the room, pulling a very fearful Severus Snape by the arm.
James nearly spit his heart out at the sight.
Snape was wearing a Hogwarts girls' uniform skirt.
Everyone looked up with wide eyes, some students already chuckling softly. The boy looked embarrassed. He held the hem of the cloak, visibly trying to hide his legs and not without reason: the skirt reached just below the middle of his thigh, the grayish fabric contrasting the pallor of his skin. Despite the boy's short stature, his thinness and the complete absence of hair gave his legs a slender look. Not in a squalid way, but almost delicate.
The Slytherin student walked quickly to his place, having the eyes of everyone in the room on him. Some indiscreet whispers were already being spread around the environment.
“Well now all of you, pay attention in class.” Professor McGonagall summoned the students' concentration, proceeding normally with some explanation about squirrels overturning into piles of books. But James couldn't hear anything beyond a buzzing sound inside his head. He swallowed hard, eyes still on Snape.why was he wearing a skirt in the first place? James knew the boy was poor, but to the point where he didn't even have a spare pair of pants?
Sitting in his chair, the Slytherin still had red cheeks as he kept his legs together and tensed, almost as if he wanted to make his profile so small as to disappear. Oh, That class was going to be longer than it should have been.
❤
Classes and the school day continued as usual. I mean, as much as possible. With each change of classes, everyone who passed Snape in the corridors would look at his legs only to then whisper comments about it in each other's ears, which made James feel his blood boil with hatred for some reason. Finally, the last defense against the dark arts class had arrived and only fifty minutes separated everyone in that castle from a well-deserved rest, And James was especially in need of a break.
Try as he might he couldn't take his eyes off the Slytherin all afternoon. He was paying attention in class and his pupil automatically fixed on the black haired boy. Rather, the black haired boy's legs. Snape constantly held the hem of the cloak in his hands that were on top of his thighs, thus covering his entire body like a blanket. However, sometimes it was necessary to hold the parchment with one hand while writing something down with the other, leaving your legs free and, as he was sitting down, the skirt that didn't cover as much as he obviously wanted to, lifted even more leaving his thigh now almost completely exposed.
God, since when was the female uniform so damn short?!!
That was weird. James had never minded or even noticed the female uniform before. Not when it was on any other student. Not when it wasn't on Snape.
Maybe it's the size. Lily must have been wearing a size much smaller than was ideal for Severus' body. Or maybe the elastic of the skirt slid down the boy's hips to fit his tiny waist, leaving even more of the soft skin to show. But that didn't make sense; Severus was quite short, no more than three inches taller than Lily and almost a head shorter than James himself was. Seriously, the boy was so small compared to the Gryffindor that he could have lifted him with one single arm if he tried. Pale and small, almost like a bush mouse. Yes, a little mouse, so easy to squish between the palms of your hands, so cute to hold.
All right, that was extremely weird. James shook his head violently, returning his gaze to the open book on the table. His thoughts were going to places far beyond what was considered normal. But even as he tried his best in terms of concentration, the words in the book made less and less sense.
❤
James was staring through his glasses at a fixed point on the bedroom wall. Lying upside down in his bed, he left nearly half of his torso hanging over the edge of his canopy bed, weariness covering his face. He was lost in thought when Sirius suddenly entered the room, heading towards his trunk to get his Quidditch uniform.
“Now its official, Peter is completely out of mind at this point.”
“Hum...“ James nodded, obviously uninterested.
“Can you believe he actually thinks Pumpkin Juice is better than Butterscotch Beer? “
"Wow... "
“I mean, not that it's bad, but compared to Butterscotch Beer pumpkin juice tastes like earwax. “
“Surely…”
"..." Sirius turned suddenly, glaring at his best friend. “Okay, what's going on? “
"What do you mean?” James glared at him, only to look away right away. “There’s nothing going on.”
"Really? Because you are behaving like someone who witnessed Filch taking a shower and has just developed life trauma." Sirius' gray eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms to glare at his friend. “Seriously now, tell me. “
The wizard thought for a few seconds. Maybe it was better to tell his best friend what was going on.
"Right; it's just... well..." the amber-eyed wizard straightened up, swinging his legs over the edge of the mattress. “...all right. Look, you're the one who asked, so you're forbidden to judge me, okay? “
“Wow, is it really that serious? “ The taller young boy sat on the edge of his own bed. “Hurry up; you're making me even more curious.”
James sighed, pincer fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Well, you know in Potions class today, when we pulled that prank on Snape? “ James thought it was better to start that way.
“oh, I can't believe it, are you feeling guilty for hurting snivellus feelings? “
"It's not that. When he left the room and came right back with...with that skirt... I mean, you know? ”
Sirius raised an eyebrow.
“James, man, what are you talking about anyway?” now that was getting embarrassing.
"It's just…" James looked away, feeling his face burn. “…I think I'm feeling something that I shouldn't be feeling when I see Snape because of that skirt.”
Sirius didn't even blink, stunned.
“On account of a skirt? Are you serious mate? This is Scotland, you should be used to guys wearing skirts by now*.”
“It's not about boys wearing a kilt; it's about Severus wearing a skirt... I mean, it's not like that's a common thing. I'm just shocked. You can't blame me for being caught off guard. “James got up. He was clearly on the defensive and Sirius couldn't help but find that funny.
“Well, remember when Lockhart lost a bet last year and had to wear a skirt during the entire Hogsmeade visit? Yeah, I don't remember having left you shaken like that. ”
"Well, it wasn't Severus using them in that situation obviously" James said through clenched teeth.
“What’s so special about it??”
"WHAT'S SO SPECIAL?!" Now James was pacing across the room as he mumbled. “Seriously, you saw his legs, because there wasn't a single student at Hogwarts who didn't develop a detailed opinion of the sight. Besides, what was the need to be wearing skirts? A simple lab accident and he's walking out there like that. Come on, there was no one male to borrow a pair of pants??”
“Wow, okay, hold on mate.” Sirius said, raising his hands defensively. “I'm sorry, I promise not to question your...peculiar tastes anymore.”
"Look. I just...” James sighed, rubbing his eyes under his glasses. "I don't know. This is all very strange. ”
“If you say so, partner.” Sirius chuckled, but soon turned serious again.
“But I guess I have to admit, seeing Severus in a skirt today was something, well..." The gray-eyed boy paused for a moment, his eyes the same sharp glint that James had witnessed earlier, "...annoying.
For some reason Sirius' comment made him feel a prick of unease in his chest. Brow slightly furrowed, James closed the subject. Spinning on his heels, the teen opened his trunk to pull out a pair of kneepads; perhaps starting Quidditch practice earlier would help clear up his head a bit.
❤
Mornings were usually frustrating for the amber-eyed wizard, but that day had already become tiring in the early hours. Adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose, James sat down next to Peter at the large breakfast table in the main hall. The pitchers of assorted juices, plates of toast, smoked sausages, and slices of pie did little to promote the boy's appetite. Despondent, he poured some milk into his bowl.
As Sirius made some comment about their next match against Hufflepuff to Remus, the doors to the main hall opened. Everyone looked at Snape and Lily who entered talking quietly until finally be separated on their way to their respective tables. The little snake was already in the long pants typical of the male school uniform. As she sat down at the Slytherin table, Regulus Black offered a warm smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I thought he didn't have another pair of pants.” Sirius was staring hard at the black haired boy across the room.
“Those look new. I think it must have been a present,” Remus thought aloud, reaching for the pitcher of orange juice in the center of the table.
“Oh right, I forgot that Snivellus and my little brother were close friends. It was probably him.” Black commented bitterly. Remus looked back down at his plate as James still watched Snape fill his cup of tea.
“Honestly, it would be interesting if he kept wearing the skirt for a while longer. “ James and Sirius glared at the werewolf, who was slathering jam on a waffle.
"What? No one can say he looked bad wearing it.” Remus shrugged, biting into his breakfast.
James groaned, turning his frown to the long-forgotten bowl of cereal in the table.
❤