"We've got to buckle down now!" James brandished his wand with fierce determination. "If we mastered Animagus in three years, sorting out Snivellus should be child's play, right?"
"You've got Snivellus in your sights? He was the target? Blimey, that's terrifying!" Padfoot sidestepped dramatically, feigning horror. "Keep your distance from me!"
"Padfoot!" James roared with laughter, tackling Hagrid's burly frame in a playful scuffle.
Hagrid rumbled a deep chuckle. "Save the horsing around for after class, eh? Term's just starting—don't go overboard!"
...
The memory faded, and Vizette pieced it together, his mind racing. Snape wasn't just a potions prodigy; he was a duelist's nightmare, versed in dark arts that could curdle blood. "This is what a true all-rounder looks like," he thought. "All those curses I picked up before Hogwarts... I might outpace most seventh-years already, but I've got miles to go. Time to grind harder."
He delved into another fragment from Hagrid's recollections. A battered young Snape, clothes torn and face ashen, slumped in Hagrid's arms. Blood seeped from gashes across his chest, his breaths shallow and ragged.
...
Vizette slipped into the memory. Hogwarts loomed under a starless night sky, the Whomping Willow a sapling in the nearby field—far slimmer than the monstrous tree it would become. A bloated full moon hung low, casting silvery light over the grounds.
Young Snape wasn't alone. James flanked Hagrid, keeping pace despite the strain etched on his face. Dark stains marred his robes, betraying wounds of his own.
James's voice was tight, edged with regret. "Have to say it, Hagrid—you really overdid it this time."
Snape shoved himself upright, wincing, his eyes locking on James with venom. He couldn't fully stand, slumping against Hagrid. "I... don't need... your pity! I'd rather... have died back there!"
"You weren't dying on my watch," James shot back, his tone unyielding. "That's non-negotiable."
Snape let out a bitter, hacking laugh that dissolved into coughs, clutching his ribs. "Heh... cough... You'd just... fear expulsion..."
"Say what you like," James snapped, arms folded, anger flaring. "Maybe I shouldn't have bothered saving you!"
Hagrid halted abruptly, his voice laced with shock. "Professor Dumbledore? What're you doin' out here...?"
The surprise rippled through them all. Snape craned his neck, straining to verify. James dropped his hand, glancing nervously at the Willow before ruffling his already wild hair, words failing him.
Vizette barely recognized this Dumbledore—younger, yes, but his face shadowed by exhaustion and grief. Crimson patches soaked his emerald robes, stark against the moonlight.
"St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries has been hit hard—they're shorthanded. I'm sending Madam Pomfrey to assist." His gaze fell on Snape, then flicked to the moon and James's awkward stance. His expression hardened.
With a flick of his wand, a soft green glow enveloped Snape, weaving diagnostic threads. "Thank Merlin... superficial wounds, all of them."
He pocketed his wand, voice low. "Who did this?"
James clenched his jaw. "Me. It was me."
"Not just him," Snape interjected, a twisted satisfaction in his pain-laced words. "Black too... and the other three. You know who."
Dumbledore's lips thinned. "James, look at me."
James met his eyes for a heartbeat before dropping his gaze, scuffing the grass in defeat.
A heavy sigh escaped Dumbledore, deepening the lines of sorrow. "What now?"
"Expel them!" Snape rasped, triumphant despite the agony.
Dumbledore regarded him steadily. "I'll lay out the full truth of tonight's events—including everything—for the entire school to hear. James stays, for saving you. Sirius goes, as the instigator. An announcement to every house. Fair?"
Hagrid shifted uneasily. "Professor..."
"No!" James and Snape chorused, voices overlapping in rare accord.
Madam Pomfrey bustled up, suitcase in hand. "Albus, we're ready to go."
"Right away, Poppy." Dumbledore turned back, eyes piercing. "Option two: Tonight stays buried. James and the others get a month's detention. Hogwarts' peace comes first, Severus. Your thoughts?"
Snape sagged into Hagrid's hold, sarcasm masking a flicker of letdown. "Heh, like I have a say?"
Dumbledore nodded gravely. "Then it's settled. No one breathes a word of this. Poppy, tend to Severus—then we're off."
Moments later, Pomfrey left a vial of healing potion and vanished into the night with Dumbledore.
Snape wrenched free of Hagrid, whirling on James with a glare that could shatter stone. "Think you're a hero, do you?"
He bolted toward the castle without another word.
Hagrid scratched his beard, frowning. "James, full moon tonight... Sirius didn't...?"
"Drop it," James cut in sharply. "Dumbledore said keep it quiet."
His eyes drifted to the castle gates, a wry smile tugging at his lips. There stood Snape, vanishing through the doors—flanked by Lily, her red hair catching the moonlight.
Only after they were gone did James exhale. "Hagrid, I've got to sort the others..."
"Beatin' the Willow again?" Hagrid rumbled.
"They need me there." James nodded firmly. "And swear— not a soul hears about tonight."
"You have my word!" Hagrid clapped his shoulder, though worry lingered in his eyes. "But your cuts..."
"Fine. Let's move."
…
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