Entry tags:

harry potter, twist of fate

FIC: HP - Twist Of Fate (1/?)
This is a case of Yay, my HP muse has returned and Damn, can't it have returned for some of my WIPs. Ah well, I bring new fic. This seems to be rolling along nicely so we'll see where it goes. *grins*

Title: Twist of Fate (1/?)
Rating: PG at the moment
Pairings: None yet but they're coming - probably some canon, some not, slash is likely in future chapters
Summary: What if instead of solidifying the enmity between the Maruaders and Snape, the incident in Sixth Year created something of an epiphany in James? What if he saw how dangerous their pranks were becoming, how Sirius had nearly killed Snape and how utterly unfair Dumbledore had been? What if he decided it was time things changed?
Disclaimer: Unfortunately Harry and his friends and teachers are not mine. I wish they were though.


Chapter 1

Severus crept along the rocky tunnel, scowling fiercely. Black had told him that if he really wanted to know what was going on with Lupin, he’d find it at the end of the tunnel. He’d been convinced that Lupin was a werewolf but now had some second thoughts about that. Gryffindors were predictable and one of the things you could rely on with them is that they wouldn’t deliberately put others at risk. It had something to do with nobility apparently.

So it therefore followed that if Lupin truly was a werewolf then Black wouldn’t send him down this tunnel. Severus’ scowl deepened. What else could be wrong with Lupin then? It had seemed the only logical answer for his regular disappearances. Each and every one occurred on the full moon.

He left that thought where it was as he came to a wooden door. He frowned as he examined the door. It was locked on the tunnel side. He paused as a noise came from the other side of the door and listened hard. He waited for several minutes but the noise was not repeated. It was only a matter of moments before the door was unlocked and he carefully opened it.

For a moment what was on the other side didn’t register then the werewolf snarled and leapt at him. He had only the barest moment to register teeth and fur and claws as he stumbled backwards, tripping over a rock. Just when it looked like the werewolf was going to hit him, a spell lanced past him and thumped into the werewolf’s chest, pushing him backwards.

“Moony! No!” came a voice from behind him that sounded incredibly like James Potter.

Before Severus could take in any more, he hit the ground, his head impacting with the rock wall. Just before blackness claimed him, he had the brief and very strange impression that a deer had just leapt over him.

He woke to find himself lying on a couch and a quick glance around told him he was in Professor Dumbledore’s office. He could hear the low murmur of voices coming from somewhere close by and he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, his head pounding dreadfully as he moved.

“Ah, good, Severus, you’re awake,” he heard Dumbledore say in a relieved voice. “I was beginning to get worried. Madam Pomfrey would have been most unimpressed if I’d had to bring you to her.”

Severus scrubbed at his face with one hand then the memories of what had happened cam thundering back. He looked up at the Headmaster, seeing a pale and determined James Potter and a sullen, sneering Sirius Black standing near the desk out of the corner of his eye.

“You’re letting a werewolf attend the school?” he spat out, feeling angry and betrayed.

Dumbledore’s face became stern. “Yes, I am, Mr Snape. Young Mr Lupin deserves an education as much as any other child.”

“But he’s a danger to us all,” Severus replied angrily. “Especially with friends like Black.”

Now the expression the Headmaster’s face could only be called cold. “Mr Black will be dealt with however do not forget that you are as much to blame as he is.”

Severus’ eyes widened in disbelief and he could feel the tentative trust he’d had in the Headmaster shatter into so many fragments. So there was no refuge for Slytherins with this man. Avery and Mulciber had been right... everything they’d said was right. Dumbledore was like every other Gryffindor; he protected his own even when they were in the wrong. He would always favour Gryffindors over Slytherins. He was not to be trusted.

The cold expression had not left Dumbledore’s face when he spoke, “I must have your silence on this matter, Mr Snape. I insist upon it. I will not have Mr Lupin disadvantaged because of old and thoughtless suspicions.”

Severus opened his mouth to protest but James Potter stepped forward before he could say anything.

“I saved your life,” Potter said defiantly. “You owe me... and Remus... that much.”

Outrage and utter fury flowed through Severus and for the first time he could understand how people could cast the Killing Curse. For the first time, he could understand the motivation behind wanting to use the Killing Curse. He wanted to yell at them, to snarl and rail at them but one look at Dumbledore’s face told him the story.

He would not be listened to. He could hold his silence by his own choice or Dumbledore would force an oath of some description on him. The Gryffindors must be protected at the expense of everything and everyone else.

It was like a revelation. It was like having the curtains pulled back so that he could see the shape of the world properly for the first time in his life. And it hurt. He would never be trusted, simply because he was a Slytherin. He would never be favoured, simply because he was a Slytherin. He would always be cast in the role of the villain, simply because he was a Slytherin. He would always be the butt of jokes and the culprits never punished, simply because he was a Slytherin and they were Gryffindors.

He hadn’t been sure that Avery and Mulciber were right. That what Lucius Malfoy and Rodolphus Lestrange had told him on the last couple of Hogsmeade weekends was right. But they were. This surely proved it.

“I won’t say anything,” he said with sullen anger. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Potter give a sigh of relief and Black smirk triumphantly. He rose to his feet sharply, ignoring the sickening pain in his head. He had potions that could deal with that but he had to get away from here before he lost control of his temper and hexed them all. “If I may leave, Professor? I would like to deal with this headache.”

Dumbledore gave him a long, assessing look and Severus let a little pain creep into his eyes. As he watched, the Headmaster nodded.

“Very well, Severus. Do go and see Madam Pomfrey if it worsens.”

Severus nodded curtly and stalked out of the room and down the stairs. As he passed the gargoyle, a sudden thought occurred to him. Was Dumbledore lying to them when he spoke of how evil Lord Voldemort was? He’d trusted the Headmaster in the past but now... well, now he’d been shown how foolish that trust was. If he couldn’t trust Dumbledore to be fair to him, how could he trust that Dumbledore was being fair to Lord Voldemort? The Headmaster had never offered solid proof that what he said was true after all.

As he stormed through the darkened corridors of Hogwarts, Severus made a decision. Lucius and Rodolphus had offered him an opportunity to meet Lord Voldemort if he wished. Well, now he did indeed wish that. If he couldn’t trust Dumbledore, he would have to make his own judgement on Lord Voldemort.

**********************************************************************

James ambled slowly along the shores of the lake, his head bowed, deep in thought. It had been three days since the full moon and he hadn’t been able to get the whole thing out of his mind. He wasn’t entirely sure what was making it stick there, whether it was Moony’s utter horror when he found out what had nearly happened the morning after, Padfoot’s unrelenting obstinacy in insisting the whole thing was a joke or the look on Snivellus’ face when he’d left Dumbledore’s office that night.

He sighed as he sat down on a large rock and stared out at the giant squid, who was slowly punting itself across the surface of the lake. He hated it when his brain made him think like this. He’d much rather just waltz through life as he had been, having fun and trying to get Lily Evans to like him. He rubbed his forehead and grimaced before deciding to break things down into smaller chunks. Maybe it’d be easier if he did it that way.

Moony. That was probably the best place to start. Moony felt angry, upset and betrayed by what Sirius had done. That was easy to work out because Remus had said it. He also hadn’t forgiven Sirius yet and James didn’t think that was going to happen quickly. It made their dorm a mildly uncomfortable place to be, especially since Peter had decided to side with Remus on this one. Sirius was doing some major pouting right now but James wasn’t going to get in the middle of this one. If he picked either side, the other would get angry at him. Moony and Padfoot could work this one out for themselves.

Which brought him to Padfoot. Sirius refused to accept that he’d done anything wrong. James knew he could be reckless and stupid and brash but even he’d acknowledged that sending Snivellus down the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack had been unacceptable. That’s why he’d gone after the Slytherin boy. He’d gotten there just in time to stop a disaster though herding Moony back into the shack on his own had been interesting. It was the first time he’d really had to make a move on the werewolf with his antlers. He’d threatened in the past but usually between he and Padfoot, they could distract Moony. It had been decidedly different on his own.

He suspected Sirius was just being stubborn, that if it had been anyone other than Snivellus, he’d have apologised already and admitted his mistake. Padfoot really disliked Snivellus, probably because between Snape and Regulus, the two boys reminded him of everything his mother wanted him to be and everything Sirius had no intention of being.

James sighed as his thoughts finally turned to the Slytherin. This was the part that he really didn’t want to think about but his mind kept coming back to again and again. Snivellus had looked… betrayed for a moment there in Dumbledore’s office. As though he’d expected the Headmaster to do something different. Surely he could see that Remus deserved to come to Hogwarts as much as anyone else? After all, it wasn’t Moony’s fault he’d been bitten by a werewolf. He’d been a kid, just an innocent victim.

A tiny part of his brain prodded at him and James frowned. Okay, it had maybe been a bit unfair for Dumbledore to suggest he would force Snivellus to take some kind of oath if he didn’t keep quiet on his own but surely the Headmaster wouldn’t actually have done that? James stared moodily at the giant squid as he recalled the Headmaster’s expression and then his eyes widened slightly. Actually, maybe he would have. Dumbledore had looked so damned implacable.

In fact, now that he really thought about it, the Headmaster tended to be pretty unfair to the Slytherins quite a bit. He’d never really acknowledged that before, so certain in his Gryffindor arrogance that that was just the right and just way of things. Gryffindors got the accolades, Slytherins got the brick bats. But was that really right? Sure, a lot of Slytherins came from families that supported this new group that had sprung up but did that mean they should be tarred with the same brush as their parents? That’d be like saying Sirius was evil just because his mother was a pureblood elitist bitch. Hadn’t they done just that to Snivellus with even less evidence than what Padfoot’s family provided?

His frown grew as he remembered what he’d seen in the Three Broomsticks on the last Hogsmeade weekend. Lucius Malfoy and Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange talking with Snivellus, Mulciber and Avery. His Dad had told him that while it couldn’t be proven, the Aurors suspected that Malfoy and the Lestranges were part of these Death Eaters. Had they been trying to recruit the three Slytherins? And what effect would the incident on the full moon have on Snivellus’ frame of mind? Had they just pushed the boy into the arms of the Death Eaters?

“I can smell smoke. You must be thinking.”

James gave a start and nearly fell of the rock he was sitting on. He turned and glared at Remus. “Geez, Moony. You scared the crap out of me.”

Remus gave a small grin and sat down on the ground next to James’ rock. He looked tired and drawn, more so than usual after the full moon.

“What are you thinking about?” Remus asked, drawing his legs up and wrapping his arms around them.

“Full moon,” James said reluctantly.

Remus’ expression dimmed at that. “Yeah, I can’t stop thinking about that either. I could have killed Severus, James. Or worse.”

James nodded. “Yeah, I know. But I’ve been thinking about more than that.”

He quickly laid out everything he’d been thinking about before his friend arrived then he ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up more than usual.

“I don’t like the idea of driving anyone towards You-Know-Who,” James said firmly. “Not even a bloody Slytherin.”

Remus had rested his chin on one knee during all of this and now he stared out at the lake with a frown on his face. “Dumbledore really said that?”

James nodded. “And I’m pretty sure he meant it. If Sniv... Snape hadn’t agreed to keep his mouth shut, he would have forced some kind of oath on him.”

Remus looked slightly distressed. “I really don’t like that.”

“Neither do I,” James said slowly. “But… I’m not really sure what to do.”

Remus gave him a shrewd look. “Yes, you are. I know that tone of voice. That’s the one that says you know what to do, you just don’t like it.”

James sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. “You know me too well,” he said wryly. “But yeah... I should speak to Snape. I just don’t want to.”

“He’s really not that bad,” Remus replied. “I mean, yes, he’s sarcastic and maybe a bit mean but he’s very intelligent.”

James gave Remus a jaundiced look. “You mean he’s actually decent when he’s tutoring you in Potions?”

Remus smiled wryly. “Well, I get my fair share of brainless idiot comments but he does know what he’s doing there. He’s got notes written all over his text book. From what I could see, most of them are improvements on the potions, easier ways of brewing them and stuff like that. I watched him brew one of those potions according to his instructions rather than the books and it was perfect. He’s only sixteen, James, and he can do stuff like that.”

James frowned and looked out over the lake again. “So You-Know-Who would consider him a huge asset, wouldn’t he?”

Remus hesitated then nodded. “Yes, I’d say so. But Prongs… if you’re going to do this, it can’t be solely because you want to keep Severus out of the hands of the Death Eaters. That’s... patronising and he’ll hate that. You’ll just make him run faster in the other direction if you try.”

“What are you saying?” James asked, though he was fairly sure he already knew the answer.

“You have to be genuine about this,” Remus said quietly.

“You mean be his friend,” James said with distaste.

Remus nodded. “He’s not stupid and if you do it for any other reason, he’ll see through it in a moment.” He paused. “Prongs? Is he really that bad?”

“He likes the Dark Arts,” James objected.

“So?” Remus challenged. “I’ve read about them. I wouldn’t try them but I’ve read about them.”

“Yeah but you’re... you,” James replied.

Remus laughed softly. “That’s not a very coherent argument, Prongs. Look at it this way. Wouldn’t your pranks be even better with a Slytherin mind behind them? Especially given his skills in Potions, Charms and Transfiguration.”

“That’s fighting dirty,” James grumbled since he knew from the way Snape had retaliated to their pranks that he’d be bloody amazing if his skills were combined with their pranking.

“Isn’t it possible that you’re just a little biased against Slytherins?” Remus offered a little tentatively but with a hint of iron in his voice.

“I’m a Gryffindor. Of course I am,” James said almost automatically even though he understood what Remus was saying. He sighed and grimaced. “When’s your next session with him?”

Remus looked surprised and pleased. “Tomorrow night... if he comes.”

“I might tag along if that’s alright with you,” James said thoughtfully. “Though Merlin only knows what I’m going to say to him.”

Remus nodded. “That’s fine and I’d suggest the truth.”

James grimaced then reached out and ruffled Remus’ hair. The other Gryffindor mock-scowled at him and knocked his had away.

“Stop that,” Remus said with exasperation.

James grinned and got to his feet. He held out a hand to Remus to help his friend up. “Come on. Let’s go find Padfoot and Wormtail. I think I should tell them about this and I’d like Padfoot to get all the yelling out of his system before tomorrow night.”

Remus rolled his eyes and snorted then the two boys headed back up to the castle.

*************************************************************************

James paced slowly back and forth across the front of the potions classroom. He could see Remus watching him with restrained amusement out of the corner of his eye but for once he refrained from saying anything. His talk with Sirius and Peter hadn’t gone overly well. Peter had been almost indifferent but Sirius’ objections had been loud, vociferous and, as James had come to realise fairly quickly, somewhat lacking in coherence. They argued for several hours before Sirius had finally backed down reluctantly. James didn’t think he’d actually convinced his friend that this was the right thing to do. It was more that with Remus so obviously in favour of it and Peter indifferent, Sirius didn’t have anyone to back him up.

He stopped pacing and turned around as the door opened and Snape walked in. The Slytherin boy had an even fiercer scowl on his face than normal and James saw anger flash across his face when he saw who else was in the room.

“You may rest assured that I do not intend to do anything to your... friend,” Snape said stiffly.

“That’s not why I’m here,” James said hurriedly. He still didn’t really know what to say but he’d eventually decided to wing it. It was a tactic that had generally worked for him in the past. “Look… close the door. I don’t want this to become general knowledge.”

Snape gave him a long suspicious look then closed the door. He didn’t move from where he was and James could see the other boy’s hand drifting towards where he obviously had his wand stashed away. He ignored that though and dived in to what he wanted to say.

“Look... I’m sorry,” he said awkwardly. “I didn’t know Dumbledore was going to do that. You know, threaten to force some kind of oath on you. I thought he’d... I don’t know... talk to you, convince you that keeping silent was the right thing to do. What he did was unfair.”

“How touching,” Snape said with a sneer. “However ‘unfair’ is a situation Slytherins are quite used to.”

James’ expression became grim. “Yeah, I’m kind of coming to realise that. It’s not right.”

Snape looked surprised for a moment then he snorted. “I’m surprised you care.”

James sighed and leaned against the front bench, running a hand through his hair. “Me too. Except... Sirius should never have done that to you or to Remus. Pranks are one thing but that... was deadly.”

James wasn’t surprised to see Snape eying him suspiciously but he didn’t say anything, simply waited to see what the other boy’s reaction would be.

“Well, as touching as this is, I do not intend to spend my entire evening here,” Snape said briskly. “So if you would be so kind as to leave? You generally distract Lupin, not help him.”

“Are you joining the Death Eaters?” James blurted out, catching Remus’ wince out of the corner of his eye. Yeah, okay, that probably hadn’t been the best way to handle that but then again, subtle had never been his strong point.

Snape’s face went blank at his question then he became openly wary. “I don’t know what you mean.”

James snorted. “I saw you meeting with Malfoy and the Lestrange brothers in Hogsmeade. They’re Death Eaters according to my Dad.”

Snape sneered. “Ah, I see. So this is some kind of... intervention, is it?”

“No!” James said sharply. “Well, yes… but no. Dammit, I don’t know what it is. I don’t like the idea that what happened on the full moon is going to drive you towards them but then again, I don’t know you at all. Maybe you believe all their garbage about pureblood supremacy.”

Snape gave him a withering look. “What makes you think I’m a pureblood? Lucius was speaking to me about sponsoring my application to enter the Potions Mastery program after I finished school.”

“Yeah, right,” James said sceptically. “I mean I’m sure he’s willing to do that, Merlin knows the Malfoys have the money, but you don’t seriously think that he’s going to do something like that without some kind of quid pro quo?” Then he frowned. “You’re not a pureblood?”

Snape rolled his eyes. “My father is a Muggle,” he said in a tone of voice that did not encourage any further questions. “And I am aware that Lucius is not doing this out of the goodness of his own heart.”

“He’s probably doing it on You-Know-Who’s orders,” James said bluntly, heeding the warning about Snape’s father. “They’ll blackmail you into joining.”

“Why do you care?” Snape said with a sneer.

“I don’t know, okay?” James burst out. “I don’t know. I just… do.”

“It’s the nature of Gryffindors to be idealistic,” Remus said quietly into the sudden silence. “And to try and right wrongs they know they’ve caused.”

James gave his friend a wry look. “You’re still on about that, are you?”

Remus raised an eyebrow. “You still haven’t found a way to refute my argument. Lily told me about what happened and frankly I believe her version of events more than I do yours or Sirius’. You started it.”

Both Gryffindor boys had seen Snape flinch a little at the mention of Lily’s name but they left that alone as well. They both knew that the little incident after their Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL exam had fractured the friendship between Snape and Lily, perhaps irreparably. Though Remus often wondered about that from certain things Lily had said to him. He suspected she regretted some of the things she’d said to Snape but didn’t quite know how to repair the breach between them.

James rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright! Okay, I concede the point.”

Remus looked a little smug and amused. “Thank you.”

James turned to Snape, who had been watching them like he was convinced they’d lost their sanity. “Look, I’m sorry. We’ve been arses for, as Remus has pointed out many times over the last twenty-four hours, no particularly good reason.” He held out one hand. “Truce?”

Snape stared down at the proffered hand as though it was a live snake then looked back up at James, suspicion the predominant emotion in his black eyes. James rolled his eyes and threw up both hands.

“Slytherins! You’re all so bloody suspicious. What happened to having a little trust?” he said with exasperation as Remus grinned.

“After everything you and your cronies have done, do you blame me?” Snape said, bitterness in his voice.

James sobered. “No, I guess I can’t but I’m not lying. I’m not entirely sure why I’m doing this, just that I know it’s the right thing to do.”

“And Black?” Snape asked, anger in his voice now.

“Sirius needs a bit of time,” James replied wryly. “But Remus and Peter happen to agree with me so he’s kind of out on a limb on his own.” He shrugged. “He’ll come round. He’s just... his mother’s a lunatic and it’s made him kind of biased.” He held out his hand again. “Truce?” he repeated.

Snape stared at James for a long time then glanced over at Remus for a moment before returning his gaze to James. For a moment he did nothing then he slowly reached out and shook James’ hand.



Chapter 2