Unforgivable

[James Potter]

Detention. It was an everyday fact of James Potter's life. He'd learnt to deal with it long ago, and even learned to thoroughly enjoy some of them. Professor Sprout's detnetions, for example, were more fun than punishment, because throwing plants with teeth at Sirius' head was always more fun than having to do lines. Professor Flitwick rarely ever gave them detention anymore, but when he did it usually didn't involve much effort. They had a bad habit of cracking the little man up so thoroughly that he couldn't stay upset with them for longer than a few minutes.

It was generally the same way with most of the other professors. But there was one...

James leaned around the corner and sniffed unpleasantly. She wasn't here yet...not in human form, anyway.

James hated detention with Professor McGonagall.

Sighing, he leaned against the door outside her classroom and popped a piece of gum into his mouth.

[Severus Snape]

Severus had actually been having a fairly decent day. He watched a couple of first-years nearly blow themselves up in their potions class while helping Professor Slughorn sort through some of his ingredients. It always paid off to help a professor like him because they never really noticed when a couple of things went missing, especially if they didn't know that they had them in the first place. He had already managed to pocket several bezoars, some lacewing flies, and even some jobberknoll feathers.With a grin he thought of the damage he could already do.

Snape was now headed up to the seventh floor to talk to Professor Flitwick about the last grade he had supposedly 'earned.' There was no possible way in whatever creations that existed that HE of all people could have gotten Dreadful. Even acceptable would have angered him and it was two grades higher.

"Potter won't know what hit him when I drip some Veritaserum...." Severus came to the halt as he rounded the corner of the corridor, thinking of exactly how long it would take him to brew the potion. His speech stopped immediately as he realized that James Potter was now standing before him

"What happened this time, Potter? Get caught trying to take a peek up Black's robes in class again?" the boy hissed at him as he walked by, wondering if Potter would retaliate since he was obviously waiting on Professor McGonagall.

[James Potter]

Merlin's bloody knickerweasels, it had to be Snape, didn't it?

James' fingers itched towards his wand. It would be all too easy to just pin the wanker to the wall and made daffodils grow out of his ears, but he'd made a promise to himself ever since Lily's outburst at the lake. Hexing without thinking was out, at least as far as he was able - and for the most part, he'd done all right. Lily still wasn't talking to him, granted, but she had looked at him without scowling the other day.

Progress.

And so, because he'd promised himself no more hexes without thinking, James thought. For a moment he thought about how much he'd like to permanently seal up the greasy git's mouth - that same mouth which just, a few weeks earlier, had called Lily that word. And then he thought about the look on Lily's face when she'd called him a bullying toerag, and the resulting guilt which had resulted in several weeks of painful self-examination (after some denial, of course). And instead of acting, he settled for a smug grin and let himself have satisfaction in the fact that Lily still couldn't look at him without scowling.

"Honestly, Snivellus, I know it's hard, having to keep it quiet and all - but you shouldn't take it out on me just because Malfoy won't let you look up his robes."

[Severus Snape]

With a slight smirk on his face, Snape looked around, hoping the annoying woman would show up quickly. If he could push Potter enough he would attack right as she got there and he would be in even more trouble. It would be perfect.

"...Malfoy won't let you look up his robes."

"You're one to talk about anyone doing something like that. The last I remembered, you and that precious clique of yours have a horrible time of keeping your wands in your pockets and your mouth shut," Severus hissed, his cold eyes turning even colder, making it appear as though what minuscule amount of a soul that remained in him had vacated. He could feel his wand burning against his arm as it slowly slide down his sleeve on its own, predicting its master's need.

"I distinctly remember a certain group of students constantly using a certain levitating spell on women AND men alike. If it were just once or twice for a laugh, then perhaps no one would think anything of it," Snape smirked, wondering if this would e enough to set Potter off. "Unfortunately for you, it happens all of the time. One, if not all four of you must get your jollies by looking at other men. I'll inform her that she's picked a bunch of fruits to hang around then, Shall I?"

Where the bloody hell is that woman? Sev's wand had already reached his hand, but it was luckily covered by his robes. No need for the git to know it was there. It was just to make sure he didn't push too far before she finally managed to get her old arse up here.

[James Potter]

"You're one to talk about anyone doing something like that. The last I remembered, you and that precious clique of yours have a horrible time of keeping your wands in your pockets and your mouth shut,"

James nodded graciously. "Congratulations, Snivellus, it appears you've mastered basic observation skills. E for Exceeds Expectations!"

James gave Snape a hearty thumbs up.

His wand remainded firmly where it was. He was here because of an unfortunate misunderstanding between himself and Mr. Filch - a thoroughly enjoyable misunderstanding, mind, but not one that he was willing to risk the Quidditch Cup, and by proxy, Minnie's wrath, over. The Ravenclaw match was coming up, and they'd been training for weeks.

Not to mention that Evans had only just started acknowledging that he existed again.

"I distinctly remember a certain group of students constantly using a certain levitating spell on women AND men alike. If it were just once or twice for a laugh, then perhaps no one would think anything of it,"

Having been part of a close-knit group of friends of the same gender for oh, going on seven years now, James saw the jibe coming before it did. Snivellus was going to have to do better than that.

"Unfortunately for you, it happens all of the time. One, if not all four of you must get your jollies by looking at other men. I'll inform her that she's picked a bunch of fruits to hang around then, Shall I?"

James' eyebrow quirked upwards at this. He hadn't been even remotely talking about a girl, unless you counted Professor McGonagall, and they didn't hang 'round her, really. Talked during her classes (which they aced), accidentally kicked her in the corridors when they thought she was Mrs. Norris, perhaps, and definitely sent her, once a week, flowing and extravagant love letters (and Sirius often proposed marriage) but it wasn't like she lounged around the common room with them after Quidditch. So that only left...

"You're telling on yourself, Snivellus," James said, his face brightening as he saw Professor McGonagall approaching. "Minnie, my love! Thought about leaving Sirius to run away with me yet?"

The older woman's lips were pressed in a thin line as she approached, her eyes taking in first James, and then Severus. "Restrain yourself, Mr. Potter. Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Snape?"

[Severus Snape]

Severus growled lightly as he realized that the professor had already appeared. He hadn't even managed to get James' wand visible, much less used on him. His eyes went even colder than usual and his hand could feel head emanating from his wand, which was obviously in-tune with his anger.

"Damn it," the pallid teen hissed beneath his breath as he heard Potter flirting with McGonagall. The teen turned to look at the Professor with almost hatred. She was a little earlier than he had expected, and he wouldn't get away with anything. "No Professor, I was just educating James here on a new potion that is being tested to help Werewolves during their transformations. That's all. Nothing serious."

Snape's eyes flashed to James with a cold stare that could chill the soul. It was his was of reminding him that he KNEW everything about that filthy friend of his, and could go public whenever he chose to. No matter, he still needed to take care his grade discrepancy with Flitwick. Maybe he would drop in on James' detention on the way back down.

"Actually, yes there is something. Have you seen Professor Flitwick?"

[James Potter]

"Aww, you're breaking my heart, Professor."

James gave Professor McGonagall one of the smiles he usually reserved for Lily - it usually smoothed over his detentions, at least a little, and had the added bonus of possibly hacking Snivellus off without actually doing anything.

He listened as Snape asked for Professor Flitwick, and suppressed the urge to tell him that there wasn't a charm for de-greasing hair, that he'd have to see old Sluggy for that - and restrained himself, as per his promise to Lily and Minnie's orders. Unfortunately, about that time, the lady herself deigned to walk past, and completely without meaning to, James made to wave to her and managed to trip over his own feet, knocking both himself and Lily into a heap, and bowling into Snape in the process.

"POTTER!" Lily raged, exasperated - her books had scattered everywhere, and James hurried to help her pick them up, his heart positively hammering into his throat. Yep, she was still a goddess. Even more so now, all rumpled and angry, puffing up like a spitting kitten. Last, but not least, James gathered her wand from the corner where it had gone flying and muttered Episkey with his own when he realized she had a small cut on her chin. It sealed up, and he gave her a sheepish smile.

"Detention, Mr. Potter," said Minnie, but she didn't sound cross. James got to his feet and offered a hand to Lily. "Mr. Snape, Professor Flitwick is taking lunch in the Greenhouses with Professor Sprout. You may find him there."

[Severus Snape]

With a glare Snape watched as Potter attempted to charm his way out of trouble, as usual. Luckily, his charm never worked on his own head of house, so Snape got to bask in the glory of James' current failure. It was great getting to watch the looks on McGonagall's face.

As if by fate, Lily happened to walk around the corner, silencing anything that James would have thrown at Severus. He glowered at the two of them and then saw something that couldn't have been worse. The idiotic Gryffindor had tripped over his own damned feet and fallen onto Lily. Not only that, but they were now hurtling down the corridor at him.

Without thinking Severus' wand was drawn and aiming at them. A simple cushioning charm should..... *Wham* He was now in the ball of disaster as it crashed and lucky for the others they didn't hit anything harder than the floor. Lily had a scratch on her face, but Snape caught the wrong end of a picture frame.

There was now a shallow scratch that ran down his entire left arm. It would be a simple fix but by God it stung. He couldn't take it anymore, and without thinking his wand was pointed at James and the spell passed his lips.

"Ornatus Mutare!"

A spark of yellow light exploded from the tip of his wand and hurtled at James. Immediately after a blast of near-watery liquid did the same. The liquid changed colors as it flew, finally settling on a nice bright pink. The liquid hurtled at James' head and missed, splashing onto the Professor. The spark crashed into a mirror hanging from the corridor wall and rebound, smacking Severus in the face.

In less than a split second, Sev had daffodils growing out of his ears and nose. To make it was Professor M was no longer wearing her robe, but a bright pink, nearly see-through négligée. It was as though the depths of hell were now rising into Hogwarts. Literal fire was brewing within the Professor, the evidence being beyond clear in her eyes.

Snape froze in place, quickly putting his wand away. His eyes scoured the surrounding area for a secret passage, a door, or even a tapestry to hide behind.