4.
James lay awake thinking about the boy with bruises on his arm. Snape. Was he really being abused? If so, why was James so worried? He couldn’t care less about Snape, so why was he worried? Why did he want to make sure nobody would hurt him again? He didn’t know.
James tossed and turned in his bed, until a white pillow promptly hit his face. It had come from Peter, who woke up because of James. James threw it back, and quickly laid down, staring up at the ceiling. Suddenly, an image of Snape getting hit went through his head.
James tensed, and quickly shoved it into the back of his mind. He shut his eyes, though sleep didn’t come easy. He kept thinking about Snape, and how boney and bruised his arm was. Was the rest of his body like that too? Was his stomach as small as it was in their first year?
The questions kept James awake for an hour, before he finally surrendered, and grabbed his invisibility cloak from inside his drawer. He draped the cloak over his body, and walked out of the Gryffindor common room. He wandered through the halls, until he found the dungeons.
James pondered what the password might be, but then remembered; “Pure-blood!” James whispered. Two snakes, forming the arch of a doorway appeared. James snuck through, and found the Sleeping Quarters. Many probably would have found this insanely creepy, yet James just walked on.
He quietly, and gently opened the door. He saw a mop of black hair in the shine of moonlight. Snape. James walked to the bed, and stared. Snape kept twitching, and his face was scrunched in fear. Suddenly, Snape’s mouth opened, to what appeared to be a piercing scream.
But there was no sound, no sound at all. Snape looked around, and he reached out for his bedside drawer. James moved out of the way, and saw a shiny, metal knife appear from his drawer. Snape pulled his sleeve down, and raised the knife. James instinctively grabbed Snape’s wrist.
James pulled the cloak down, and Snape’s eyes widened. James quietly hushed, and put his hand on Snape’s mouth. “Shh!” James shushed, and pulled Snape under his cloak. “What—” Snape tried to say before James settled his back on the black haired boy’s mouth.
“Come, walk.” James whispered, and walked out of the common room, pulling Snape with him. James walked into an empty, dusty classroom. He pulled the cloak off, and the angry, frustrated face of Snape looked at him with piercing eyes. “Were you spying on me?!” Snape accused, James rolled his eyes, smirking.
”Of course not.” James assured, Snape didn’t believe him. “Then why were you staring at me, beside my bed!?” Snape spat, taking a full step back. “No reason,” James said, Snape scoffed, and put his head in his hand. “But, why was there a knife in your drawer?” James asked, he already knew the reason why, but he needed to be sure.
Snape tensed up, with a face of only guilt and shame was on his head. “Uh— Ah—” Snape spluttered, and he looked down at the ground, and there was no doubt there were tears in his eyes. James remembered when Sirius admitted to him hurting himself. And suddenly he felt the worry he had felt for Sirius, be the same for Snape.
He heard quiet sniffles, and even quieter sobs. He instinctively wrapped around Snape’s frail, shaking body, with weak protests being made by the crying boy. James just held on tighter, he didn’t know why, but he wanted to help the boy in his arms. “Shh, it’s okay.” James said.
”Let— let me go…” Snape whispered, though he was making no effort to pull away. James felt a weight being put on his shoulder, and he looked down. Snape had fallen asleep, his body shaking with quiet breaths.