Severus and James, very awkwardly and tiredly, dug a hole laboriously with their hands, and buried their wand in the dirt. Both their minds at a breaking point, and feeling so vulnerable, they publicado themselves and walked inside.
“Severus…”
“Uhm… Lily?”
James was a bit shocked when Lily caught up to him outside. She looked very angry. “I can’t believe you. Why can’t tu just leave it alone?”
“Leave… what?” James thought about how he had punched… himself…
“Just leave me and everyone I amor alone. I told tu I’m done with you. You’re too much trouble.”
James thought a long time. “…alright. I’m done.”
“Good.” With that she turned away and left him. James, suddenly feeling upset (he felt like he’d just gotten dumped, even if he wasn’t the one to actually get dumped, it still hurt.), walked down the steps into the Slytherin common room, beginning to wonder about what Hagrid had said. He tried to picture Lily and Snivellus, sitting in Hagrid’s hut and being happy.
“Bogies.” James said, and the Gaunt Man flipped open. He sat on the couch, trying to rest.
He must have slept for a long time, because two girls shook him awake.
“Come on, Snape, we want to sit too.”
James grumbled and got off the couch, which the two girls hogged immediately. Snickering, he decided he’d go to the dormitory and just go to sleep.
Then he thought about something.
They had forgotten to ask Dumbledore.
James looked at the clock. It was already nine! Why had he slept so long? Curfew had passed… and he didn’t have his invisibility capa to sneak out…
There was a loud knock on the door. “Open up!”
Rosier stood, snickering, and opened. Hagrid was standing there, once más with Snape-looking-James in one of his hands. Hagrid looked around a moment, saw James-looking-Snape, and boomed, “Snape! Get over here!”
James gulped, and did so. Hagrid released Snape finally, and then closed the door. “Am I in trouble?” James asked at once.
“Yep. He ratted tu out.” He pointed to Snape, who looked very pale. The boys exchanged nasty glares. “He was sneaking around to find you. Something about going to Dumbledore… why couldn’t tu have gone during the day?”
“I slept too late.” James replied.
“I felt too sick.” Snape continued.
“Excuses! What’s so darned important tu have to sneak around past curfew to ask?”
Both boys thought a moment, but couldn’t think of anything good enough. “If we told you,” James dicho at last, “you wouldn’t believe us.”
Hagrid sighed. “You’re talking to a half giant. Come on, tell me.” When both boys hesitated, “You don’t have to think too hard about the truth.”
James sighed. “We… we switched bodies… but tu wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Hagrid’s eyes widened and the tan gamekeeper grew pale all at once. “You’d be surprised. Come to my hut.”
Filled with surprise, Snape and James did as they were told.
After shutting the door, and nervously petting Fang, Hagrid sat down and ordered the boys to do the same. Fidgeting harshly, his eyes going back and forth, it was a long time before Hagrid spoke. “You’re under a curse. Both of you. It’s nothing you’ve done and nothing tu could have done to stop it.”
Snape thought for a while. “That’s inane. A curse can be blocked, and a person must be present for it to happen to them.”
“That’s not true.”
“But we learned about it in…”
“But it’s not true.” And Snape shut up. Hagrid paused, making sure the boy had nothing más to say, before continuing, “No one knows about this but those who come from the linage of the hero, Hans, which I happen to be a part of.
“It happened a lot like tu two. Two men had woken up to find they had switched bodies. They had journeyed all around for the cure, and had eventually found Death’s cave. Death had placed the curse over them, and after placing their bottles of life into two separate jars, as Death had mixed them together, the curse was lifted. Death was full of wrath, and as soon as they stepped out the cave, Hans’s brother had died. Hans was able to escape, and the story lives on through his children.”
Snape and James stared at Hagrid a moment. “You’re saying Death is a person.”
“Exactly.”
“And we have to find the cave?”
“It’s right above giant territory, as I’ve been told.”
“…Hagrid, that’s dangerous.”
James scoffed. “I don’t want to live like this forever!”
“I’d rather be in someone else’s body then die trying to get my own back!” Snape declared.
“But it’s más than that.” Hagrid continued. Both boys looked up. Hagrid has lost the glint in his eyes. “If tu continue like this, one of tu will have to die.”
There was a long, tense silence.
“…why?” James asked finally, his face flushed and voice soft.
“It’s part of the curse. And when that person dies… the other not only can’t get their body back, they have to suffer, too. The dead soul will try to survive, latching onto the living soul, and parasite. The living, full soul will go insane, because the parasite will take over the way they think. It won’t be the original boy anymore. It’ll turn into a devilish creature, only causing the harm to its host.”
Snape and James tried to imagine that, and the más they thought about it, the más they felt like puking again.
“How do we know which one will die?”
“You’ll know. Death gives out warnings.” Hagrid nodded. “You have to go alone. Death is the Greatest Potions Master, and he does not accept wands.”
“So we can’t bring them?”
“Not into his cave tu can’t. On your journey it’ll be fine. And tu can’t apparate there, either. It’s impossible to find through apparition.”
“So we have to walk.”
“I’ll give tu a thestral. They are the only animal that can find Death’s cave. tu can take turns riding it.”
Snape and James thought it over for a long time. “Then we’ll go. Tonight.”
“Exactly what I was thinking.”
And both boys looked at each other, only finding fear in the other.
“Severus…”
“Uhm… Lily?”
James was a bit shocked when Lily caught up to him outside. She looked very angry. “I can’t believe you. Why can’t tu just leave it alone?”
“Leave… what?” James thought about how he had punched… himself…
“Just leave me and everyone I amor alone. I told tu I’m done with you. You’re too much trouble.”
James thought a long time. “…alright. I’m done.”
“Good.” With that she turned away and left him. James, suddenly feeling upset (he felt like he’d just gotten dumped, even if he wasn’t the one to actually get dumped, it still hurt.), walked down the steps into the Slytherin common room, beginning to wonder about what Hagrid had said. He tried to picture Lily and Snivellus, sitting in Hagrid’s hut and being happy.
“Bogies.” James said, and the Gaunt Man flipped open. He sat on the couch, trying to rest.
He must have slept for a long time, because two girls shook him awake.
“Come on, Snape, we want to sit too.”
James grumbled and got off the couch, which the two girls hogged immediately. Snickering, he decided he’d go to the dormitory and just go to sleep.
Then he thought about something.
They had forgotten to ask Dumbledore.
James looked at the clock. It was already nine! Why had he slept so long? Curfew had passed… and he didn’t have his invisibility capa to sneak out…
There was a loud knock on the door. “Open up!”
Rosier stood, snickering, and opened. Hagrid was standing there, once más with Snape-looking-James in one of his hands. Hagrid looked around a moment, saw James-looking-Snape, and boomed, “Snape! Get over here!”
James gulped, and did so. Hagrid released Snape finally, and then closed the door. “Am I in trouble?” James asked at once.
“Yep. He ratted tu out.” He pointed to Snape, who looked very pale. The boys exchanged nasty glares. “He was sneaking around to find you. Something about going to Dumbledore… why couldn’t tu have gone during the day?”
“I slept too late.” James replied.
“I felt too sick.” Snape continued.
“Excuses! What’s so darned important tu have to sneak around past curfew to ask?”
Both boys thought a moment, but couldn’t think of anything good enough. “If we told you,” James dicho at last, “you wouldn’t believe us.”
Hagrid sighed. “You’re talking to a half giant. Come on, tell me.” When both boys hesitated, “You don’t have to think too hard about the truth.”
James sighed. “We… we switched bodies… but tu wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Hagrid’s eyes widened and the tan gamekeeper grew pale all at once. “You’d be surprised. Come to my hut.”
Filled with surprise, Snape and James did as they were told.
After shutting the door, and nervously petting Fang, Hagrid sat down and ordered the boys to do the same. Fidgeting harshly, his eyes going back and forth, it was a long time before Hagrid spoke. “You’re under a curse. Both of you. It’s nothing you’ve done and nothing tu could have done to stop it.”
Snape thought for a while. “That’s inane. A curse can be blocked, and a person must be present for it to happen to them.”
“That’s not true.”
“But we learned about it in…”
“But it’s not true.” And Snape shut up. Hagrid paused, making sure the boy had nothing más to say, before continuing, “No one knows about this but those who come from the linage of the hero, Hans, which I happen to be a part of.
“It happened a lot like tu two. Two men had woken up to find they had switched bodies. They had journeyed all around for the cure, and had eventually found Death’s cave. Death had placed the curse over them, and after placing their bottles of life into two separate jars, as Death had mixed them together, the curse was lifted. Death was full of wrath, and as soon as they stepped out the cave, Hans’s brother had died. Hans was able to escape, and the story lives on through his children.”
Snape and James stared at Hagrid a moment. “You’re saying Death is a person.”
“Exactly.”
“And we have to find the cave?”
“It’s right above giant territory, as I’ve been told.”
“…Hagrid, that’s dangerous.”
James scoffed. “I don’t want to live like this forever!”
“I’d rather be in someone else’s body then die trying to get my own back!” Snape declared.
“But it’s más than that.” Hagrid continued. Both boys looked up. Hagrid has lost the glint in his eyes. “If tu continue like this, one of tu will have to die.”
There was a long, tense silence.
“…why?” James asked finally, his face flushed and voice soft.
“It’s part of the curse. And when that person dies… the other not only can’t get their body back, they have to suffer, too. The dead soul will try to survive, latching onto the living soul, and parasite. The living, full soul will go insane, because the parasite will take over the way they think. It won’t be the original boy anymore. It’ll turn into a devilish creature, only causing the harm to its host.”
Snape and James tried to imagine that, and the más they thought about it, the más they felt like puking again.
“How do we know which one will die?”
“You’ll know. Death gives out warnings.” Hagrid nodded. “You have to go alone. Death is the Greatest Potions Master, and he does not accept wands.”
“So we can’t bring them?”
“Not into his cave tu can’t. On your journey it’ll be fine. And tu can’t apparate there, either. It’s impossible to find through apparition.”
“So we have to walk.”
“I’ll give tu a thestral. They are the only animal that can find Death’s cave. tu can take turns riding it.”
Snape and James thought it over for a long time. “Then we’ll go. Tonight.”
“Exactly what I was thinking.”
And both boys looked at each other, only finding fear in the other.
