The Taming

James had fancied Lily Evans since the first moment he laid eyes on her. Her lovely smile, soft red hair, and breathtaking eyes had made the young heir speechless. He had spent all his years at Hogwarts chasing after her, but she refused every time. This was all due to a certain greasy dungeon bat. 

Lily didn’t like that James had 'bullied' Snape for getting close to his love, and Snape in turn defended Evans from James’s advances. The Slytherin was a nuisance, a big smudge in the plans that James skillfully created to get with Evans. 

That was until after O.W.L.s when Snape finally snapped and called Lily something unforgivable. Sure, James pushed him to his breaking point, but that’s not what was important. What was important was that he exposed the git for the terrible person he is and now he can freely pursue Evans. 

He had spent all of sixth year getting Evans to warm up to him. It had been working, Lily would start to sit with them during their meals, she’d go to his games and cheer for him, and she’d even hang out with him in the common room. However, she had still rejected him any time he asked her on a date. Now it was seventh year, their final year at Hogwarts, his final year to get her to say yes. 

It was their first week of school and Evans was already in the library studying. James couldn’t complain however, he loved a woman who was hard-working. He sat down next to her, giving her a brilliant smile. She smiled shyly in return, tucking a stray chunk of red hair behind her ear and returning to her book. 

“You know Evans I’ve been thinking… With us being Head Boy and Girl and all. I think Dumbledore is trying to tell us something,” He said, arm leaning on the wooden table to get a better look at her face. 

She looked up again from her book, eyebrows raised and fighting off a smile, “Oh yeah? And what’s that?” she asked. 

“That we’d make a perfect couple,” he said, trying to ignore the way his face heated up. 

Her smile dropped from her face, just like it had every time he mentioned it. “James–” 

“I know, I know, I’m a dunderhead. I’m sorry, I’ll drop it,” he said, he had been through this many times before. He knew what she was going to say to him. 

She gave him a look like one would give to a dog at a pound. “It’s not that I don’t want to date you, it's just…” That had piqued his interest. Lily wasn’t against dating him? 

“Just what?” James asked, attempting to push her to finish her sentence. 

She bit her bottom lip, “I’m not allowed to date anyone. My dad has this stupid rule that…” She stopped herself again. James had wanted to shake the witch, tell her to stop leaving her sentences halfway through saying them. 

“What’s the rule?” If James were being honest he’d do anything at this point even if her father had said that he needed to duel someone to the death for her hand. 

She sighed, closing her book and leaning in close. “Well, he came up with it right before my first year at Hogwarts. He was upset that I’d be away from them, scared that I’d be dating boys too early. So he told me that I’m not allowed to date until Severus does,” she said, in a near whisper. 

James’s eyes widened, “S-sniv?! Well, the two of you aren’t friends so that rule shouldn’t apply anymore right?” He asked hopefully. 

Lily winced at that and James wanted to kick himself. “Well… I haven’t told him that we’re not friends anymore…” She admitted. 

He thought back on the rule again before finding a major flaw in her father’s logic. “I don’t get it, if your dad had been so against you hanging around boys why did he not get after you for being friends with Snivellus? I mean the bloke was obviously madly in love with you.” He argued. 

Lily gave him a look of confusion, “Severus wasn’t in love with–” 

"Please! I mean anyone with eyes could see–” 

“James! Severus doesn’t like girls,” She said firmly. 

James felt himself freeze, he didn’t? Severus had liked…Merlin! So was all that jealousy and resentment towards the git for nothing? James had wasted so much time on a bloke that wasn’t even… That’s beside the point. James was not going to waste any more time thinking about that greaseball. 

“So you’re saying if Severus starts dating a bloke then we can date?” he asked, his voice saturated with hopefulness. He was sure he could find someone desperate enough, or perhaps some poor student whose pockets he could fill with galleons to pretend. 

Lily’s cheeks brightened, “In theory, yes.” 

James stood abruptly from his seat, causing a piercing screech as the legs of his chair scraped against the floor. Madam Pince shushed him, giving the Gryffindor a particularly nasty glare as he ran out of the library. James hadn’t cared however, he had finally found a way to get Lily to say yes. 

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James had busted into their dorm room, scaring the living daylights out of the three marauders. 

“Merlin James! What’s the matter?” Remus said, holding onto his bottle of ink that had nearly spilled. He was already doing his assignments like the horribly responsible student he was. 

“I found a way to get her to say yes!” He said. He had expected more lively reactions, instead the trio had given him varying looks of indifference before returning to their previous activities. 

Their lack of enthusiasm irritated James. “Guys! I’m being serious this time! She told me why she couldn’t go out with me. It’s not because she doesn’t find me fit, It’s because her father has some stupid rule!” He exclaimed. 

That had piqued both Wormtail and Padfoot’s interests. “What rule?” Sirius asked, he was sprawled out on his bed reading some muggle magazine like he usually did when they didn't have Quidditch practice. 

“She can only date once Snivellus does,” he said. 

There was a moment of total silence before Sirius started laughing hysterically, “Oh Prongs you’ll never be able to take her to Hogsmeade if that’s the rule!” 

“Yeah! No one in their right mind would touch Sniv!” Peter joined in, the two falling over themselves laughing. 

James scowled at them, “Well we can pay someone to do it. Go around and ask a couple of Slytherins, right?” He suggested. 

Sirius sobered, wiping a stray tear from his eye, “Who would accept the bribe? They all wipe their arses with gold,” he argued. 

“Yeah, Sniv’s the only broke Slytherin there is and I don’t think he’d date himself,” Peter added helpfully.  

James didn’t want to accept it but they were right. No Slytherin would date the git. Even if James had something else to bribe them with, there was still the glaring detail of Sniv being a half-blood. Those pure-blood supremacists would rather drop dead than be seen dating someone with tainted blood. 

No other house would want to date him. Hufflepuffs were afraid of him, Ravenclaws were too busy already studying for their N.E.W.T.s and Gryffindors would never date a Slytherin. 

That had left him with only three options, the three right in front of him. Remus would be the least likely to accept it, he had too high of morals to do something so deceitful. Peter, while not as bad of an option as Remus, was also not the best choice. While he loved his friend he was a coward, he’d fold and tell Snape immediately.  

All that was left was his brother in all but blood, “Sirius,” he said, catching the attention of his best mate. “I need you to do me a favour…” 

Sirius’s eyes widened as he realised what James was about to ask him. He had expected his best mate to absolutely freak out, to curse at him or throw something at his head. “Huh?!” Sirius asked, dumbfounded

 “Come on mate,” James pleaded,  “it won’t be for long! Just until graduation and then you can dump his sorry arse. Just... think of it like another prank!” He tried everything, hoping to get Sirius to agree. 

Sirius was quiet for a long moment, thinking over the words that James had said. “Alright..” He said softly, “I’ll do it.” James was a little shocked at how quickly his friend had agreed. 

Remus frowned at his friends, finally paying attention to them instead of his assignments. “I don’t think you should go through with it, if you do this will be your cruellest prank yet. Is Evans truly worth all of this?” he asked. 

Without second thought James replied, “Of course she is!” Offended that Remus would even question something like that. 

Sirius rolled out of his bed and snuck up behind Remus, putting his hands on the lycanthrope’s shoulders and shaking him slightly, “Come on Moony, stop being a stick in the mud! I mean, what’s the worst that can happen?” 

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It was the next day and the marauders decided that it would be best to approach the git during potions. He would be in the best mood during then and thus more likely to say yes. However, Snape’s ‘best mood’ had just meant slightly less shrewish than usual. 

Ever since he and Lily had a falling out Snape had started to do his potions by himself. Even with having one less person he still managed to finish quicker than everyone else. Some would say even faster than when he partnered with Lily. 

Sirius had partnered with James who was disappointed that Lily had decided to work with one of her friends instead of him. Out of the marauders they were the only two to be accepted into Slughorn’s N.E.W.T-level class. Slughorn had a rather low threshold to meet to be accepted into his class, Peter and Remus were just absolute pants at the subject. 

They sat right behind Snape who was already getting to work on making his potion. James cleared his throat, motioning for Sirius to go over and talk to him. 

The ex-heir took a deep breath before moving over to stand behind the greasy git. Being taller than Snape, Sirius could see right over his shoulder. He frowned as he watched him crush the Sopophorous bean with the flat side of his silver knife. From what he had remembered in their sixth year, the instructions for Draught of Living Death had you prepare it a different way. “The instructions say to cut it,” Sirius heard himself say out loud. 

Snape stiffened, his rhythmic movements stopping. It was as if he was so engrossed in creating the potion that he hadn’t realised Sirius was there until he spoke. He looked over his shoulder, giving the Gryffindor a cold glare.

Snape’s glares were usually very effective, scaring off anyone who dared to mess with him. Unfortunately, Sirius’s six years of exposure had rendered him immune to its effects. “Hey now, don’t give me that look Sniv. I just wanted to see how you were doing,” Sirius replied, giving him the charming smile he reserved for individuals he wanted to shag. 

He hoped that it would work on Snape but it didn’t. All he did was roll his eyes and turn back to his work surface, continuing with the rest of the steps in the potion. “Sod off Black,” He bit out and Sirius had to bite his tongue to not say anything unpleasant to the git. 

Sirius did the opposite of Snape’s wishes. He leaned onto Snape’s desk, effectively trapping the Slytherin. He could feel the curious glances of the rest of their classmates. They had most likely expected an altercation between the two. Sadly, they weren’t getting a show today, and if Sirius’s plan had worked, never again. “Merlin, no need to get so defensive! I’m just asking you a simple question.” 

Snape sighed, annoyed, “I’m covered in the cerebrospinal fluid of a lamb and the juice of a Sopophorous bean. I’m doing great, now leave me alone.” 

The Gryffindor scrunched his nose at that, “You know, you’re not going to catch the attention of blokes with a nasty attitude like that right?” 

“It seemed to have caught yours,” Severus mumbled under his breath as he chopped some Valerian root and dropped it into a water-filled beaker. 

Sirius heard, however, much to the annoyance of Snape. “Come with me to Hogsmeade then?” he asked, a devilish smirk on his face. 

He watched as Snape’s pale, slim hands stopped working on his potion for a moment. The git then scoffed and continued to pour the Sopophorous bean’s juice into the cauldron, before adding some reduced liquid from the Valerian root and stirring. “Real funny, you got me, now go back to your little friends and laugh about it,” he said. 

Sirius forced an affronted look onto his face, “I’m not joking.” he said. 

Snape scoffed again, that was starting to piss Sirius off. “Please, you’re telling me that your seven years of animosity have somehow vanished?” He added powdered root to the cauldron before stirring again. 

“Merlin, Sniv. I hadn’t expected you to be so dense. I’ve been pulling your pigtails! This entire time I’ve been secretly fancying you.” He lied. Sirius had wanted to gag as he forced himself to say that. Him? Fancying Sniv? 

The Slytherin didn’t acknowledge him, instead throwing a piece of Valerian root into the mixture. The solution turned a solid black, and Sirius saw a slight twitch in the corner of Snape’s mouth. It was the closest to smiling he had ever seen from the git. He had been so distracted by that, he hadn’t noticed that Snape had cleared his desk and bottled his potions. 

He turned to Sirius, his eyes colder than he had ever seen them before. So chilling that they had sent a shiver up his spine, “You don’t fancy me, you don’t even know me,” he bit out before walking over to Slughorn’s desk and placing his potion down. 

Slughorn let out a pleased hum, “It’s certainly the nearest in colour I’ve seen in all my years of teaching.” He reached over to grab a leaf from his bowl, placing it into the solution. The leaf immediately withered away, and a bright smile appeared on the Professor’s face, “My! This is the best execution I have ever seen of the draught. One drop of this would surely kill everyone in this classroom. Ten points for Slytherin! You are free to leave Mr. Snape.” 

To Sirius’s surprise, Snape didn’t seem affected by the high praise. He had seemed rather indifferent actually, as he bowed and quickly left the room. Sirius tried to bite back a growl. 

A throat being cleared brought Sirius back to reality, he turned to look at his best mate giving him an annoyed look. “Mind helping me here?” James asked.  

Sirius shot upright running over to help Prongs with the rest of the steps. “Sorry about that mate,” He mumbled as he grabbed the Sopophorous bean. 

“It’s fine Pads. I mean you are doing this for me, I suppose I shouldn’t complain about handling lamb brains. It’s certainly better than having to deal with Sniv.” He joked, elbowing Sirius in the side. 

Sirius felt himself grimace, “This is going to be a lot harder than we thought,” he mumbled. 

James frowned, “Yeah, I saw. It might’ve gone better if you didn’t use his nickname,” he suggested. 

He chose to not reply to that, instead using the flat side of his blade and copying what he saw Snape doing earlier. The Black heir scowled at the thought of the dungeon bat. He couldn’t believe that Snape hadn’t said yes. Sirius was the fittest bloke at Hogwarts! Every bird in school was vying for his attention and Snape had refused him. Snape, whose hair was practically dripping with grease, whose skin was nearly transparent, and whose clothes had been beyond repair, had said no to him!  

What he had said earlier made absolutely no sense. Didn’t know him? That wasn’t true! Sirius had known loads about the git! He was a future death eater, a blood supremacist, and a lover of the dark arts. He was a nasty, cruel, and slimy individual.

Sirius had known just enough to know that he had hated the git.