Changes and Secrets

Chapter 4

"Snivellus hasn't changed a bit has he?" said Sirius with disdain after Dumbledore and Snape had left. Harry sniggered, but wondered where the nickname came from. James and Remus groaned at the thought of Snape.

 "To think that I felt bad for making up that name for him. But how pathetic of him to take out his hatred against me on my son who never did a thing to him," said James, disgustedly.

"Dad, what exactly was the deal between you and Snape? I mean, everything I do or say seems to remind him of something he hated about you," asked Harry.

"You've heard of love at first sight, but for your father and Snape, it was hate at first sight. And I hated him just as much," said Sirius.

"I heard him saying he wanted to be sorted into Slytherin. I was only a kid, so I couldn't help but be stereotypical that Slytherin's the evil house. I said I'd leave if I was sorted into Slytherin and he made fun of me for wanting to be sorted into Gryffindor. That's how I came up with Snivellus," said James, with a hint of regret.

Harry chuckled. He remembered being stereotypical himself, and pleading with the sorting hat to sort him anywhere else but Slytherin.

"So that's it?" asked Harry.

"I also despised him for being fascinated with the Dark arts and being friends with Slytherins that I knew would become Death Eaters, especially Lucius Malfoy. I knew Lucius Malfoy for the prat and pureblood supremacist that he was, having encountered him several times at social events before I attended Hogwarts. I was kind of a prat myself though," said James.

James, Sirius and Remus began telling Harry a summarized version of how James and Sirius used to bully Snape and hex students for fun. Harry was at first overwhelmed by his father being a bully, but he relaxed when they said James and Sirius cleaned up their acts by their 7th year and when he saw that they seemed remorseful about their actions.

"So, you stopped bullying Snape in your 7th year?" Harry asked hopefully.

"I did, but he wouldn't let it go. He never lost an opportunity to curse me in our seventh year. And I couldn't take it lying down that I'd hex him back in retaliation which resulted in us having a back and forth feud in our seventh year," said James.

"He nearly killed your father once with that dark art spell of his. Sectumsempra, I think," said Sirius, hotly.

"What?" asked Harry, shocked.

"Luckily the teachers got to him in time to heal him. It's quite ungrateful of him since your father saved his life once," said Remus.

"I've heard about that. But how did that happen?" Harry asked curiously.

"I'm afraid that's my fault," said Sirius ruefully as he told Harry how he tried to play a nasty prank on Snape by sending him down the Shrieking Shack during Lupin's transformation and how James risked his life to pull Snape out of harm's way.

"And Snape's not at all grateful?" asked Harry, disbelievingly.

"He tells himself I did it to save my friends and my own skin. I partly did it for Remus, but I would never have sat back and let him die. As much as I hated him, I never wanted him dead," said James.

"Ok, enough about Snape. Let's show Harry his room," said Remus.

Harry was brought into a room with marble flooring and Gryffindor themed walls. The room was filled with Gryffindor and Quiditch themed decorations. The bedspread was scarlet red and gold with a large golden snitch on the bedspread and pillows. Harry marveled at the room once James, Sirius and Remus cleaned the room up a bit, using cleaning jinxes.