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Unposted scene: During a Leglimency session Snape sees his worst memory inside Sirius' head.

This shows my theory that memories, whether watched in a pensieve or read through Leglimency can never be taken as absolute truth. They are the production of our minds, and therefore subjective. We also tend to add stuff that we assume but did not actually have seen or heard.

It really was an experiment, but definitely too long and unrelated to the story in general tomake it into my story ''The Heart's Desire''.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Parts of dialogue are taken from "Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix".

~*~

The sun was streaming into the high windows of the room, and Snape immediately recognized the room and the situation. He saw himself packing his bag further to the left of the room, as Black picked up his own things and strolled towards Potter with a broad smile on his face. Potter looked exactly like he remembered, with the messy black hair and the stupid glasses, and the air of arrogance around him. But to his surprise he felt a strange, mild fondness towards the idiot. Snape rolled his eyes. Must be Black's feelings.

Lupin joined them, and Snape felt a bit concerned to see him looking so pale. Black grinned at him, and quietly, teasingly asked, ''Did you like question ten, Moony?''

Lupin rolled his eyes. ''Loved it.'' But he grinned back, his face becoming more lively.

''Thought you would. Let's go down to the lake, you look like you could use a bit of sunshine!''

They were strolling down to the lake, talking about the exam paper and which questions had been the most difficult. It was all so sodding cozy. Pettigrew was worried that he would flunk, and Potter clapped him on the back.

''Stop worrying, Wormtail. After all that nights we spend swotting with you, I'm sure you made it.'' The he looked at Black over the smaller boys shoulder, rolling his eyes, and Black laughed.

He was feeling relaxed, and that seemed wrong seeing that he knew what would happen soon enough. He had no desire to join Black in reminiscing about the way he had been treated that day, and still he couldn't turn his back on the memory to delve deeper into the mind of the arrogant git. It was like watching a train wreck. And he also felt like there was something wrong. The foursome was sitting down at the shore, close to a beech tree, stretching out in the sun, and it looked similar to what he remembered, and still different. Something was off. For a moment Snape wondered if Black's memories had been damaged in Azkaban. He remembered this very afternoon vividly, and he was sure it had been different. Their whole attitude had been different.

But then Potter pulled out the snitch, and Snape rolled his eyes in disgust. There he was going again, showing-off like the idiot he was. Potter started to play with the snitch, which was zooming around, and the Gryffindor Chaser struggled to grab it before it sped off. Pettigrew clapped and Black and Lupin exchanged a glance, shaking their heads. A group of girls further down the shore was giggling and casting looks in the direction of the boys, and Snape felt himself sneer. But Potter and Black seemed to take no notice, arrogantly ignoring them. Potter kept casually glancing around though, as if he was looking for someone.

''Want me to test you on Transfiguration?'' Black asked Lupin with a nod at the book the werewolf was holding.

''Yeah.'' The other boy sighed and held out the tattered tome. ''Start with the Cross-Species Transfiguration.''

Black took the book, but just when he had found the right page, he got hit in the head by Potter's snitch. Potter caught it before it could zoom off again.

''Put that away, will you,'' Black said with a hint of exasperation, ''Lily is not here to watch you, and when Morgan finds out you've nicked it, there will be hell to pay.''

''What?'' Potter was blushing rather prominently. ''I didn't-''

''Course you didn't, Prongs,'' Black said amused. Turning back to the book in his lap, he began to ask Lupin questions for the OWL paper.

''Look, who's there,'' Potter said suddenly, and his voice held a strange note. His eyes had focused on a younger version of Snape himself, who was just stowing his OWL paper in his bag, a little further away, leaving the shadows and starting to walk across the grass. Potter looked towards the opposite side of the lawn, seeing Lily with another girl she used to hang out with, coming down from the castle.

Potter stood up and started towards them. Lupin looked at Black, and Black sighed, letting the book drop, he jumped up and followed his friend.

''All right, Snivellus?'' James called loudly towards his younger self, walking in front of him, ''Where are your little friends?''

He saw himself dropping his back, and pulling his wand out, but it got hooked in his robes, and before he could get it up, Potter had already disarmed him. His younger self seethed, glaring at them, with his useless wand hand still up in the air, and Black gave a short laugh. Snape turned towards him, his eyes hateful and made a move as if he wanted to throw himself at him.

Black pointed his own wand with a cool gaze, saying ''Impedimenta!''

Snape fell to the ground, half way in his dive. There was a strangely conflicting feeling of rage and satisfaction in him, and he knew the latter came from the very mind he was occupying right now. He gritted his teeth. A few of the other students around the grass were looking up to see what the commotion was. Potter and Black stepped forward, looking at his younger self, panting on the floor.

''How did the exam go, Snivellus?'' Potter asked conversationally.

''He was scribbling away with his nose touching the parchment. Bet he left grease marks all over it.''

Pettigrew, who had come up behind them now, laughed.

Snape was struggling on the ground. ''You just wait...'' he panted, ''I'll get you for this!''

''Wait for what?'' Sirius asked cool and quietly, ''for you to run and get someone to wipe your nose?''

''Sectum-sempra! You disgusting half-breed-loving poofter! Wait till I tell everyone what you're up to with your little werewolf pet-''

A fierce rage flamed up in Potter's eyes. ''Wash out your mouth!'' he said with cold fury. ''Scourgify!''

He directed his wand at Snape's mouth and soap bubbles spilled from his mouth while he coughed.

''Leave him ALONE!''

Black and Potter looked around, and saw Lily Evans come storming towards them.

''What's up, Evans?'' Potter asked, with a forced smile.

''Leave him alone!'' Lily repeated, looking at Potter with open dislike. Snape felt his heart warm a little. ''What has he done to you?''

Potter frowned at her, his lips pressed together. Black looked at him sharply, but he didn't notice. ''Well, actually, it is the fact that he exists. That's more than enough,'' he finally said.

The girl that had come down with Lily laughed, and Lily turned towards her, glaring at her. A few other students in the vicinity sniggered, giving Snape the desire to hex them all into next week.

''You think you're funny,'' Lily said coldly, ''But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter! Leave him alone!''

Potter stared at her, and it was clearly visible that there was a deep conflict inside him.''Well, because you are asking so nicely,'' he said with a sigh, but Lily just kept glaring at him.

Potter waved his wand and the spell was lifted. Lily turned away, but Potter called her back.

''Hey, Evans! Will you go out with me?''

Lily turned back on him, hissing ''I wouldn't go out with you if I had to choose between you and the giant squid!''

Black rolled his eyes at his friend. ''That might not have been the best moment, mate...'' He turned back to the younger Snape, his eyes widening, when he saw the wand directed at Potter.

''Oi!''

''Sectumsempra!'' Snape hissed, and a bloody gash appeared on Potter's cheek, splattering his left side with blood.

Furiously Potter whirled around and cried ''Levicorpus!'' and then Snape was hanging upside down with his skinny legs and greying underpants in full view. Around them people laughed and sniggered.

''Let him down!'' It was Lily again, coming tor his defence.

Potter pursed his lips at her. Then he flicked his wand and his younger self fell to the ground. He was immediately on his feet, wand in mid curse, but Black, who stood a little to the side from Potter and Evans now, put him into a full body bind.

''LEAVE HIM ALONE!'' Lily shouted, turning on Black now, her own wand out.

''We would, but he keeps trying to curse us,'' Black said with a grimace.

Lily stepped further towards Black with her wand raised.

''Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you,'' Potter said ruefully, looking uncomfortable.

''Take the curse off him then!''

Potter gave a deep sigh, glanced at Black who shrugged and then muttered the counter-curse.

''There you go, '' Potter said with a glare at Snape, ''You're lucky Evans was here.''

''I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!'' his younger self growled.

Lily blinked. She looked shocked. And behind that shock there was hurt, deep, quickly covered hurt. ''Fine,'' she said coolly. ''I won't bother in the future.'' She swallowed, and turned away. ''And I-I'd wash my pants if I were you!'' she spat over her shoulder, ''Snivellus!''

''Apologise to her!'' Potter roared, shooting daggers at the young Snape, his wand pointed threateningly at him.

''I don't want YOU to make him apologise! You're as bad as him!''

''What!?'' Potter's face went pale, staring at her. ''I would NEVER say something like this to you!!''

But Lily kept just shouting at him, about Snitches and broomsticks and hexing people. ''You all make me sick!'' she cried finally and ran off.

''Evans!!'' Potter shouted after her. ''Wait, Evans!'' But she didn't. ''That- that was-''

''Let her cool off a bit,'' Black said patting his shoulder.

A spell suddenly shot at them, and Black dived, but it signed his hair. And then he was hanging in the air again. Potter's face was a mask of rage.

''Who wants to see me taking Snivellus pants off?'' he yelled angrily.

Snape felt sick. And he didn't know if it was him or Black or both of them. The young Black in the memory laid a hand on Potter's arm, and when his friend looked around he shook his head.

''Let's just go back,'' he said.

~*~