A heavy stillness settled over the square as James, Lily, and Severus stood back to back facing the armed Ashwinders surrounding them, the snowfall drifting steadily between both sides while cold air curled from their lips with every measured breath. Across from them, the gang tightened their grips around their wands, rough leather gloves creaking softly while James' own fingers flexed inside his gloves, wand held firm as tension coiled through every muscle in his body. The bitter winter chill bit sharply against their cheeks, yet none of them seemed to feel it anymore.
For one suspended moment, nobody moved. Then the masked leader snarled viciously beneath his bandana.
"Wipe the floor with these cunts!"
Bedlam exploded across the square instantly.
Spellfire erupted in violent flashes of sapphire, crimson, gold, and violet as curses tore through the freezing air, cracking loudly against stone and storefronts while James, Lily, and Severus broke formation in opposite directions to avoid the first volley. Wands whipped through the air in sharp arcs while cobblestones shattered beneath stray blasts, snow hissing into steam where magic struck the ground.
Severus moved first.
Two Ashwinders rushed him together, firing wildly in quick succession, but Severus' wandwork remained unnervingly precise as he deflected both spells almost lazily with smooth flicks of dark polished wood. Their casting was dreadful, sloppy and poorly disciplined, the sort of reckless spellwork that screamed self-taught arrogance rather than formal magical training. Even as Third Years, Severus could tell immediately that Hogwarts students possessed infinitely better foundations in Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts than these idiots.
One of the Ashwinders lunged forward again. "Confringo!"
Severus swayed sideways just enough for the spell to scream harmlessly past his shoulder before snapping his wand upward. "Depulso!"
The red bolt slammed into the man's chest hard enough to lift him bodily from the ground before his wand spun uselessly across the square into the snow.
Elsewhere, James had already engaged the two circling behind them, his movements sharp and instinctive as spells streaked toward him from both directions. He ducked beneath one curse while deflecting another cleanly aside, his wandwork tight and disciplined despite the chaos around him.
"Flipendo!"
The blasting jinx caught one Ashwinder square in the ribs and hurled him violently into a stack of wooden crates which exploded apart beneath the impact.
James barely had time to breathe before another curse came screaming toward him. "Protego!"
Yellow light flared instantly before him as the curse splashed harmlessly against the shield charm, shards of magical energy scattering across the snowfall.
Meanwhile Lily stood facing the masked ringleader alone. Her wand remained steady despite the adrenaline surging through her veins.
"Acendo!" she cried.
A brilliant wave of blue magic burst toward the man, illuminating the snowfall around them, but the leader dispersed it with a sharp flick of his wand before laughing harshly beneath his mask. "You'll 'ave ter do a whole lot better than that, poppet!"
Lily's eyes narrowed immediately. "Accio!"
One of the nearby wooden stools beside a market stand snapped violently toward her hand before she spun sharply on her heel and hurled it directly at him. The Ashwinder cursed loudly while throwing up a shield charm, the stool exploding apart against the barrier in a spray of splintered wood.
But Lily had already cast again. "Stupefy!"
The blue bolt struck him square in the chest the instant the shield dropped, blasting him bodily backward across the cobblestones before he slammed hard onto his back with a pained grunt.
Lily allowed herself the smallest triumphant smirk. "How's that?"
The man scrambled upright almost immediately, fury twisting beneath his mask as he pointed his wand toward her again.
"Right," he snarled viciously, "forget stringin' ya up." His visible eye gleamed with ugly malice. "I'm gonna finish you nice an' slow instead."
****
Severus moved between the two Ashwinders with unnerving precision, his robes snapping behind him as spellfire lit the square in violent bursts of color. Curses streaked toward him from opposite directions in flashes of blue and crimson, yet his wandwork remained frighteningly controlled as he alternated between defense and attack with seamless efficiency, dispersing incoming spells one moment before retaliating the next with sharp, punishing accuracy.
Severus could see it in every rushed incantation and wild flick of their wrists. Whatever experience they possessed came from street fights and intimidation, not proper dueling, and despite being outnumbered, Severus quickly realized he held the advantage.
One of them fired another curse wildly toward him.
"Confringo!" Severus' own curse came first.
A blazing sphere of fire roared across the square and slammed directly into the man's chest, igniting his coat instantly as the Ashwinder screamed in panic, stumbling backward while desperately batting at the spreading flames. The second man attempted to capitalize immediately, already midway through another spell as Severus turned smoothly toward him.
"Depulso."
The blasting charm struck him square in the face with a violent crack, sending him hurtling backward across the cobblestones before he crashed hard against the frozen ground with a howl of pain. Severus pivoted back toward the first man just as the flames were finally extinguished.
The Ashwinder barely had time to lift his wand.
"Ascendo!" A surge of force erupted upward beneath the man and launched him screaming several feet into the air, limbs flailing helplessly as snow spiraled around him.
Severus' smirk widened coldly. "Descendo."
The counterforce slammed the Ashwinder straight back into the cobblestones with brutal force hard enough to crack stone beneath him. The square fell briefly still around Severus as both men groaned brokenly upon the ground. With all the casual arrogance in the world, Severus ran his fingers back through his dark hair before smoothing it away from his face, a deeply satisfied smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"And that," he said smoothly while lowering his wand, "is what I have recently learned to be called the Hufflepuff Special."
****
James ducked beneath a streak of violet spellfire before twisting sharply to the side, another curse tearing past his shoulder close enough that he felt its heat against the edge of his scarf while snow burst upward from the cobblestones where it struck. His wand moved almost instinctively now, carving smooth arcs through the freezing air as he dispersed incoming spells one after another before retaliating in kind, flashes of red, blue, and gold illuminating the square while the two Ashwinders struggled to overwhelm him through sheer aggression alone.
His expression remained hard and intensely focused, because despite the chaos erupting around him, despite curses flying from every direction, this was far from unfamiliar territory.
From the moment James had been old enough to properly wield a wand, his father, had insisted upon private dueling lessons despite being perhaps the least violent man James had ever known. His father was an entrepreneur first and foremost, a businessman with clever ideas and ink-stained ledgers rather than a warrior or hardened duelist.
Though, he openly considered himself a pacifist at heart, even Fleamont understood that a man carried the responsibility to defend both himself and the people he loved whenever the moment demanded it. At the time, James had thought the old belief outdated and terribly dramatic, but standing now in the middle of a snow-covered square while curses exploded around him, he found himself deeply grateful for every lesson drilled into him over the years.
One of the Ashwinders rushed him aggressively through the snowfall, wand raised.
"Bombarda!" James' curse struck the man square in the chest before detonating in a violent burst of red light and force that blasted him backward hard enough to slam against the stone wall bordering the square with a painful crack before collapsing into the snow.
The second attacker immediately fired back, but James reacted instantly, snapping his wand upward.
"Protego!" Yellow light flared before him as the incoming curse shattered harmlessly against the shield charm, and before the Ashwinder could recover, James spun smoothly off the defensive. "Stupefy!"
The red bolt struck the man directly across the face and hurled him sprawling backward across the frozen cobblestones.
Unfortunately, the first man had already staggered back to his feet and resumed firing curses wildly in James' direction, forcing him onto the defensive once more as spellfire streaked through the square. James deflected one curse, ducked beneath another, and continued backing away beneath the relentless barrage until suddenly his shoulder brushed lightly against someone else's.
Severus.
The boy stood beside him with wand raised while he deflected incoming spellfire with almost insulting ease, the pale winter light and drifting snow making his expression appear colder and sharper than ever.
"Not bad, Potter," Severus remarked smoothly while batting another curse aside with a flick of his wand. "It would seem you are not entirely composed of arrogant posturing after all, unlike the rest of your intellectually bankrupt friends."
James snorted despite himself while lifting his wand again.
"Funny," he replied, "I was just thinking the same thing about you."
"Depulso!"
The blasting charm erupted from James' wand and slammed another Ashwinder violently across the square.
Beside him, Severus scoffed softly.
"You would think," he drawled while retaliating with another sharp curse of his own, "that after years of our little altercations, you might finally have realized I am not someone to be trifled with."
James smirked despite the fight raging around them. "Please," he shot back. "If we'd realized that sooner, Sirius would've had far less entertainment over the years."
To James' surprise, Severus actually chuckled quietly beneath his breath.
"A deeply horrifying thought," he admitted dryly. "Though regrettably accurate."
Another curse screamed toward them through the snowfall. This time, both boys raised their wands simultaneously.
****
Lily gritted her teeth as another curse slammed against her shield charm, sparks erupting violently across the snow-covered square while the Ashwinder leader continued advancing with growing aggression. His wand whipped through the air relentlessly, firing curse after curse in rapid succession until Lily found herself steadily driven backward across the cobblestones, forced almost entirely onto the defensive beneath the sheer pressure of his assault. Every impact rattled through her arms while the bitter winter air burned in her lungs with each sharp breath she took.
Her eyes flicked instinctively toward James and Severus, only to find both boys deeply engaged in battles of their own several yards away, spellfire flashing wildly around them.
The masked man noticed immediately.
"Oi," he snarled through the bandana covering his face. "Eyes over 'ere, poppet." His visible eye gleamed cruelly beneath the brim of his bowler hat while he stalked closer through the drifting snow. "Ain't nobody comin' ter save ya."
Lily barely managed to disperse another incoming curse before stumbling backward again, her boots skidding slightly against the frost-covered stones as the Ashwinder pressed harder, clearly sensing the advantage.
He knew he was cornering her.
"Expelliarmus!"
The disarming charm struck Lily square across the wrist before she could properly react, pain jolting through her arm as her wand tore free from her grip and clattered loudly across the cobblestones several feet away. Her eyes widened instantly, but the Ashwinder gave her no time whatsoever to recover.
"Depulso!"
The blasting charm hit her directly in the chest. All the air vanished violently from Lily's lungs as the force hurled her backward into the stone wall bordering the square hard enough to crack painfully against her spine before she collapsed onto the frozen ground. Her satchel burst open from the impact, parchment and loose belongings scattering across the snow while the old journal slid free beside her.
"Lily!"
James and Severus shouted her name at the exact same moment, panic flashing openly across both their faces despite still being locked in combat.
Lily struggled to lift her head as the Ashwinder leader approached through the snowfall, his wand raised steadily toward her while an all-too-familiar sickly green glow pooled ominously at its tip.
Fear clenched violently in her chest.
"Nighty-night, poppet," the man sneered. "Been fun."
James spun immediately toward her, horror flooding his expression as he raised his wand, but the movement came a fraction too late. One of the Ashwinders battling him seized the opening instantly, his own wand already glowing as Severus' expression twisted sharply with alarm.
Then a sound cracked across the square, though unlike the thunderous roar of the weapon from before, this one was tighter and sharper, less an explosion and more like compressed air violently bursting through a narrow chamber. Something slammed directly into the Ashwinder leader's face with horrifying force, the impact twisting his features sideways as his jaw cracked audibly and several teeth burst from beneath his bandana in a spray of blood and saliva. His body lifted clean off the ground before crashing face-first against the frozen cobblestones while his wand spun uselessly from his grip and clattered across the street.
Every eye snapped toward the source of the attack.
Several yards away, standing calmly amidst the drifting snowfall beneath the pale winter light, was an older girl with thick auburn hair spilling over the collar of a dark winter coat worn atop her Gryffindor uniform. A maroon-and-gold scarf curled neatly around her neck while black leather gloves concealed her hands, and her hazel eyes remained hard and cold as they swept across the surviving Ashwinders.
Lily recognized her immediately.
Lara Ashford.
The weapon resting in Lara's hands looked unlike anything James, Severus, or even the Ashwinders had ever seen before, though Lily instantly recognized the general shape from television broadcasts and news reports covering armed conflicts beyond the wizarding world. It resembled some sort of shortened rifle, carbon black in color with raven motifs engraved along the frame while a large revolving cylinder rested near its center, elongated and bulky as though the ammunition it carried was far larger than ordinary rounds.
Lara moved with unnerving tactical precision, every motion smooth and practiced as she raised the weapon toward the nearest Ashwinder and pulled the trigger once more. The same violent burst cracked through the square before a solid round slammed directly into the man's chest with enough force to completely knock the air from his lungs and hurl him backward onto the snow-covered cobblestones where he collapsed wheezing and clutching desperately at his ribs.
The second Ashwinder panicked immediately and attempted to raise his wand, but Lara fired again before he could finish the spell. The impact smashed directly into his face, pulverizing his nose into a mangled ruin while the sheer force of the blow hurled him sideways onto the frozen ground unconscious.
Groans echoed weakly through the square while Lara lowered the weapon and began walking calmly toward the others through the drifting snow, her boots crunching softly across bloodstained stone. A crooked smirk tugged faintly at her lips as she surveyed the ruined square and the men sprawled broken across it.
Nearby, the Ashwinder leader slowly pushed himself back upright, pulling off his bandana as blood poured thickly from his mouth in a grotesque mixture of crimson and saliva before he spat violently onto the cobblestones. Four more broken teeth clattered wetly across the frozen street beside him.
"Well now," Lara drawled while resting the strange rifle loosely against her shoulder, "ain't this somethin'."
Her gaze drifted lazily toward the bodies bleeding into the snow before returning to the surviving gangsters.
"My old man always said Hogsmeade was the safest damned place this side o' Hogwarts," she continued while tilting her head slightly. "Guess the rats just keep crawlin' back no matter how many times folks stomp 'em."
A pulse of blue light suddenly flickered through her hand as the weapon dissolved instantly into a large black raven which let out a harsh skwaak before hopping neatly onto her shoulder. The remaining Ashwinders, including the leader stood frozen now, staring wide-eyed between the girl and the bodies sprawled across the square.
****
Lara shifted her gaze toward James and Severus before sharply tilting her head in Lily's direction. For a brief moment, both boys merely stared at her in stunned silence, adrenaline and disbelief still clinging heavily to them. Lara's expression hardened almost immediately and she jerked her head again more forcefully this time, irritation flashing openly across her features until realization finally struck both of them at once.
"O-oh, right!" James muttered quickly before both boys hurried toward Lily and dropped beside her against the wall while snow continued drifting steadily around them.
"Lily, are you alright?" James asked, his gloved hand settling gently against her shoulder while concern flooded openly across his face.
"I-I'm fine," Lily managed shakily while trying to steady her breathing. "Just knocked the wind out of me."
Severus exhaled softly in relief, though his attention inevitably drifted back toward Lara who was already moving once more across the square with unnerving calm. The surviving Ashwinders still had their wands trained firmly on her, yet even from where he knelt, Severus could plainly see the fear spreading through them now.
Their hands trembled visibly, wand tips wavering while their eyes remained locked upon two of their comrades bleeding into the snow nearby. Whatever confidence they had entered the square with had evaporated completely, because they had expected frightened schoolchildren and perhaps a rough scuffle at worst, not two dead companions lying at their feet.
"So that's Lara Ashford?" Severus asked quietly without taking his eyes off her.
Lily nodded once.
A faint, nervous smirk tugged at Severus' lips.
"Merlin's beard," he murmured. "If I did not know any better, I would say she truly is related to Professor Ashford."
Across the square, the Ashwinder leader finally seemed to recover enough of himself to speak, though the words emerged fractured and trembling beneath the bandana wrapped around his face.
"M-me teeth…" the Ashwinder leader spluttered while staggering unsteadily back onto his feet, blood pouring freely from his ruined mouth as he cupped his jaw in trembling disbelief. When he spat again, more broken teeth clattered wetly across the cobblestones at his boots, and the sight seemed to push him from fear straight into blind hysteria.
"Me pearly bloody whites…" he whimpered before his expression twisted viciously as he pulled the bandana off. "You filthy little wench!" he snarled. "You absolute codswallopin', rotten, dirty wench!"
Half stumbling and half lunging, he scrambled toward his fallen wand and snatched it from the ground with his remaining good hand before immediately whipping around and levelling it toward Lara with desperate fury burning in his eyes.
"I dunno what the hell ya just did," he screamed hoarsely through bloodied teeth, "but I'm gonna make yer pay fer it!
Lara simply stared at him with an expression so painfully unimpressed that even the raven perched upon her shoulder mirrored it with a half-lidded stare of its own.
"Yeah," Lara drawled after a long pause. "That's about what I figured." She shifted her weight casually onto one leg while snow gathered along the shoulders of her coat. "Buncha knuckleheads playin' gangster right up until things suddenly get real, then y'all start pissin' yourselves raw the second consequences show up."
Her gaze narrowed sharply upon them. "Back home, we got ourselves a sayin'. Live by the gun, die by the gun."
She reached up afterward and scratched lightly at the back of her head as though the entire ordeal had become more inconvenient than frightening.
"Now, I made a promise ter old man Dumbledore and my Tiddy that I wouldn't go startin' trouble no more after what happened back at Hogwarts," she said before her expression darkened noticeably. "But we ain't in Hogwarts right now, are we?"
The Ashwinders visibly paled and Lara noticed their fear immediately.
"Sure, you maybe strachin' yer brains over what just happened, I ain't at liberty of explainin' myself to a bunch of varmin. Now, here's the deal, and trust me, sugar, it's the only one y'all are gonna get."
She jerked a thumb lazily over her shoulder toward the road leading out of the square.
"You take them sorry sacks o' shit ya call friends and skedaddle right on back where ya came from." Her gaze sharpened dangerously. "And I do mean where ya actually came from." She pointed a gloved finger toward them one by one. "Piss off someplace real far from Hogsmeade where decent folk don't gotta smell your stink ever again, and maybe y'all can go terrorise some other poor town stupid enough ter tolerate ya."
The Ashwinders remained frozen.
Lara's expression darkened further.
"Or," Lara continued softly, "y'all can go ahead and try me, and I'll switch ter somethin' with a whole lot more bang." A cold smirk tugged faintly at her lips while the raven perched upon her shoulder leaned forward with a low, rasping croak. "And when I'm done, the undertaker's gonna be diggin' five fresh holes over in the Hogsmeade cemetery by mornin'."
Her hazel eyes narrowed dangerously beneath the falling snow.
"And after the kinda shit y'all been pullin' on decent folk around here?" She tilted her head slightly while eyeing them with open disdain. "I sincerely doubt anybody's gonna waste perfectly good galleons on tombstones."
One of the remaining Ashwinders edged nervously closer toward their leader, his boots slipping slightly against the bloodstained snow while his trembling wand remained barely raised.
"Boss," he muttered anxiously, "we oughta leg it." His eyes flicked toward Lara before immediately darting away again. "I dunno about you, but I really ain't likin' the way she's lookin' at us." His grip tightened shakily around his wand. "She ain't like the others."
"Pack it in!" the leader snarled immediately, causing the man to visibly flinch. Blood dribbled freely from the gaps in his shattered teeth while rage and humiliation twisted his expression into something feral. "Students ain't got the stones ter use Unforgivables. They ain't got the know-how neither, and they sure as hell ain't gonna risk havin' their pasty little arses carted off ter Azkaban."
He bared what remained of his broken teeth toward Lara.
"You standin' there runnin' yer mouth about killin' us?" he spat. "Just words. Just threats." He pointed his wand at her aggressively. "I know little girls like you. You ain't got what it takes."
Lara's expression hardened instantly.
"And you," the leader snarled while suddenly jerking his wand away from her and toward Lily instead, "just got this little poppet here killed."
Lily's eyes widened the moment his gaze locked onto hers.
Sickly green light immediately began gathering at the tip of his wand.
"Avada—"
James and Severus reacted instantly, both boys snapping their wands upward, but Lara moved before either of them could cast.
She whistled sharply.
The sound sliced cleanly through the square as she stretched her right hand outward, and immediately the raven perched upon her shoulder let out a piercing caw before erupting into a brilliant flash of blue light. The bird dissolved mid-flight and streaked directly into Lara's open palm where the glow twisted violently upon itself before reforming into something far larger and infinitely more terrifying than before, a massive carbon-black firearm engraved with curling raven motifs along its frame, thick and brutal-looking in her grip.
The moment Lara pulled the trigger, the weapon detonated with a blast powerful enough to shake nearby windows.
The recoil slammed through her arm while the slide snapped backward violently and a massive brass shell casing etched in glowing sapphire runes spun smoking through the freezing air. James, Lily, and Severus recoiled instinctively from the deafening crack of the weapon, all three immediately clamping their hands over their ears while shock and pain twisted across their faces because the sound had not merely echoed through the square, it had physically struck them. The blast hammered through their chests like a sledgehammer against bone, rattling their ribs while the freezing air itself seemed to tremble from the force of it.
The Ashwinder leader's hand exploded apart instantly.
Bone fragments, shredded flesh, and splintered pieces of wand erupted outward in a horrifying spray while the man let out a tortured scream that tore raggedly through the square. Blood poured from the ruined stump that remained of his wrist as he clutched desperately at it with his remaining hand, stumbling backward in blind panic.
Lara lowered the barrel slightly.
Then fired again.
The second blast obliterated the man's kneecap completely.
Bone and flesh burst outward across the snow while his leg practically severed itself beneath the impact, remaining attached only by ragged strands of torn flesh and muscle before he collapsed screaming onto the frozen cobblestones. He rolled helplessly through the bloodstained snow, shrieking in absolute agony, the sound so horrifyingly raw and inhuman that Lily instinctively covered her mouth while James felt his stomach twist violently beneath the sheer brutality of it.
The remaining two Ashwinders stood utterly petrified.
Their wands slipped free from numb fingers and clattered uselessly onto the ground while both men stared in mute horror at their screaming leader writhing through the snow. One of them had visibly pissed himself, the stain spreading darkly across his trousers while his entire body shook uncontrollably.
Lara simply stood there watching them with cold, utterly unforgiving eyes.
"Take that small-pricked little bastard ya call a boss," she said flatly, smoke curling from the barrel of the weapon resting in her grip, "pack up yer shit, and skip town." Her gaze narrowed dangerously. "Tell your friends. Tell every wannabe gangster from here ter Knockturn Alley that if I ever lay eyes on your sort again, if I so much as catch a whiff o' your stink anywhere near Hogsmeade…"
She bared her teeth.
"…I'm gonna mulch Hagrid's garden with what's left of ya."
The raven motifs along the weapon gleamed faintly beneath the falling snow.
"Now git."
The remaining Ashwinders did not need to be told twice.
The moment Lara finished speaking, both men scrambled frantically toward their leader, nearly slipping in the bloodstained snow as they hauled him upright between them. The wounded gangster screamed in agony the instant they touched what remained of his ruined leg, blood pouring heavily from the mangled stump beneath him and staining the snow crimson as he writhed helplessly in their grasp.
Then, with a violent rush of wind and force, all three bodies twisted suddenly into a spiraling blur before collapsing inward upon themselves like smoke caught in a storm. The square cracked with displaced air as the swirl vanished completely, leaving behind nothing but bloody snow and the lingering smell of burnt powder in their wake.
Several steps away, Lara glanced over her shoulder toward the other two unconscious Ashwinders sprawled across the cobblestones just in time to watch their bodies distort into similar spiraling gusts before disappearing as well, no doubt dragged away by whatever escape spell or portkey their gang employed.
Lara exhaled sharply through her nose and shook her head.
"With all that effort," she muttered, "you'd think they'd put them talents toward honest work instead o' bein' dumbasses."
A flash of sapphire light suddenly pulsed through the square as the massive firearm resting in her grip dissolved into glowing blue particles before reforming back into the enormous raven. The bird flapped its wings heavily once or twice before settling comfortably upon Lara's shoulder, its dark eyes scanning the ruined square with eerie intelligence.
Only then did Lara finally make her way toward James, Lily, and Severus.
"You three alright?" she asked while her gaze swept carefully across all of them.
The moment she got close enough, however, her expression softened slightly. All three of them still looked utterly stunned. James' breathing remained uneven while Lily's lips trembled faintly beneath the color drained from her face, and even Severus, who usually carried himself with such composure, was rigid and pale with beads of sweat visible across his forehead despite the freezing cold.
Lara sighed quietly.
"Sorry 'bout the whole…" She gestured vaguely toward the bloodstained square behind her. "…y'know." Her eyes flicked briefly toward the corpses before returning to them. "But don't go feelin' too twisted up over it," she continued more gently. "Those peckerwoods had it comin'."
It took several long moments before the three of them finally managed to pull themselves out of their stunned silence. Lily was the first to recover enough composure to steady her breathing and brush loose strands of hair from her face while James and Severus slowly lowered their wands and slipped them back into their robes with movements that were noticeably stiffer than before.
"Yes," Lily said after drawing another breath, pushing herself back onto her feet while brushing snow from the front of her robes, "a little bruised perhaps, but we're alright."
James nodded quickly beside her. "Thank you," he said earnestly. "Merlin knows what would've happened if you'd arrived even a second later."
"Though if we are being entirely fair," Severus interjected while smoothing his dark hair back into place with forced composure, "we did in fact have the situation under control."
Lara stared at him with such obvious disbelief that even the enormous raven perched upon her shoulder somehow seemed to mirror the exact same unimpressed expression.
"Sugar," Lara drawled, "y'all had about as much control as a rodeo clown trapped inside a bull pen."
James immediately chuckled despite himself while Severus' face tightened in irritation.
Lara casually tilted her head toward the giant raven resting upon her shoulder who clearly recognized her. "By the by, this here's Allen," she said to both James and Severus. "Don't mind him none. Fella's got himself a real nasty allergy ter bullshit."
The bird gave a low croak that sounded suspiciously approving.
"Regardless," Lily said quickly before Severus could retaliate, "thank you." She gave Lara a small polite bow. "That's twice now you've saved me from a rather dreadful situation."
"Don't mind it none," Lara replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Been hearin' fer weeks now that a handful o' troublemakers've been givin' the folks o' Hogsmeade hell." She shrugged lightly. "And with Hogwarts sittin' this deep out in the boonies, there ain't exactly Aurors lurkin' round every corner ter deal with a few wannabe gangsters. Figured the professors probably had bigger fish ter fry too."
James hesitated briefly before speaking again. "You don't think the townsfolk are going to report what happened here to Professor Dumbledore, do you?"
Lara barked out a soft laugh. "Shoot, this town's tighter lipped than Dodge when it comes ter folks helpin' 'em out," she replied with an easy grin. "There's an understandin' between Hogwarts folk and the people here. We take care o' the trash, they don't go runnin' their mouths so long as we don't bring too much heat down on the town."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted downward toward the large leatherbound book half-buried in the snow nearby. All three students visibly stiffened the moment they realized what she was looking at, and Lily instinctively moved to retrieve it, only for Lara to bend first and haul the heavy tome upright in her arms.
"Ho now," Lara grunted slightly beneath its weight. "Sweet niblets, this thing weighs a damn ton." She adjusted the book against her hip before glancing between the three of them with growing amusement. "What in the Sam Hill were y'all doin' out here anyhow? Freezin' yer asses off fer a Goddamned study group?" She shook her head slowly. "You Brits sure are nuts."
Her casual amusement faded almost immediately afterward as her eyes settled properly upon the cover itself, first upon the Hogwarts crest pressed into the aged leather, then the subtle differences worked into its design, and finally the faded golden lettering emblazoned beneath it.
The Marauders.
Lara's brows slowly furrowed as she opened the book and began scanning through its pages, and with every passing second her expression shifted further from confusion into widening disbelief while her eyes moved across the names of the four Founders, the sketches, the handwritten notes, and the detailed depictions of a world far beyond anything any ordinary Hogwarts history text should have contained.
Eventually she lifted her gaze back toward Lily, James, and Severus, all three of whom now stood there wearing deeply uncomfortable smiles.
"Well," Lily admitted awkwardly with a nervous chuckle, "I suppose it was only a matter of time."
"Speak for yourself, Evans," Severus muttered while rubbing slowly at his temple, the exhaustion in his words matched only by the deep resignation on his face. "At this rate, our little motley collection of lunatics keeps expanding every other week." He exhaled sharply through his nose before shooting an unimpressed glance toward James, Lily, and now Lara alike. "Honestly, why in the bloody hell am I not remotely surprised anymore?"
****
"So lemme get this straight," Lara said while holding up a pinch of fries between her fingers, the ends dripping lazily with ketchup before she pointed them directly at James. "You found this thing," she continued, gesturing toward the enormous tome resting in the center of the square table, "while sneakin' around the Restricted Section, and honestly, sugar, I ain't even gonna start on how downright stupid lucky y'all were not gettin' caught by Madam Pince." She shook her head slowly. "Or that floatin' jackass Peeves."
Lara paused there, her hazel eyes sweeping slowly across everyone seated around the table.
James and Lily sat beside one another wearing matching nervous smiles while Remus and Sirius looked equally bewildered despite already knowing the story themselves. Narcissa maintained her usual composed posture, though even she still seemed faintly incredulous whenever the topic resurfaced, whereas Severus looked moments away from suffering a proper aneurysm from having to explain the entire ordeal yet again. Beside him, Peter appeared entirely unconcerned with the existential implications of magical journals and alternate worlds as he continued enthusiastically demolishing a towering plate of fish and chips.
The table itself was crowded with platters of roasted meats, fries, crisps, buttered rolls, and skewers fresh from the kitchen while several frothing mugs of butterbeer sat between them, foam spilling lazily over the rims. Around them, The Three Broomsticks bustled with its usual warmth and life as students, townsfolk, and passing travelers filled the tavern in lively conversation beneath the soft amber glow of enchanted candles suspended from iron chandeliers high overhead.
The tavern's interior stretched spaciously across two levels of polished wooden floors and dark timber supports, the scent of roasted food and spiced ale weaving comfortably through the air alongside the low murmur of conversation. Behind the bar, Madam Rosmerta stood chatting animatedly with several patrons about the upcoming Quidditch match between the Bigonville Bombers and the Heidelberg Harriers while the gilded sign bearing the name The Three Broomsticks hung proudly from the upper platform overhead.
Framed photographs decorated the walls alongside ancient ornaments, trinkets, and strange collectables gathered across centuries of the tavern's existence, and near the large stone hearth beside their table hung an old portrait of a stern-looking wizard whose name most patrons had long since forgotten.
"And somehow," Lara continued while popping the fries into her mouth before pointing vaguely at the book again, "this ain't some cursed spell book or creepy haunted flamdoodle, but an honest ter God lost journal written by the actual Four Founders themselves."
She chewed thoughtfully for another second before swallowing. "And inside it's this whole other magical world called Avalon, crawlin' with elves, orcs, and all kinds o' crazy shit straight outta fantasy stories, except somehow mixed with weird tech, guns, powers, secret organizations, monsters, politics, and people from different time periods?"
Lara's brows lifted slowly while she leaned back against her chair, one arm draped casually over the backrest while the other rested near her untouched butterbeer. "Honestly," she drawled, "y'all either think I'm dumber than a sack o' bricks or crazier than a coyote trapped in a burlap sack." She then folded her arms tightly across her chest before gesturing toward the massive tome resting between them. "I mean, heavens ter Betsy, you seriously expect me ter believe all this batshit insanity's real?"
Peter immediately looked up from his plate of fish and chips, blinking through a mouthful of food.
"Who's Betsy?" he asked earnestly.
Nobody answered him.
James sighed heavily before gesturing vaguely toward the rest of the table. "Listen, I know it sounds completely barmy," he admitted. "Believe me, everyone sitting here thought I'd finally lost my mind when I first brought it up."
"I still maintain that every single person at this table is several Chocolate Frogs short of a proper collection," Remus interjected dryly while taking a sip of butterbeer. "But by all means, do continue."
James shot him an annoyed glare before continuing.
"The point is, we genuinely don't know whether the book's legitimate or not. Blimey, we don't even know if it truly came from the Founders themselves or if it's just the work of some absurdly talented lunatic with far too much free time." He jabbed a finger toward the journal. "But you saw it yourself, didn't you? Every story, every sketch, every detail inside that thing feels…" He hesitated briefly. "Real. More real than it should."
"For the love of Merlin," Severus muttered while pinching the bridge of his nose before slowly folding his hands together upon the table. "None of us are claiming with absolute certainty that the contents are factual." His dark eyes shifted toward Lara. "For all we know, this may very well be the single most deranged book club in Hogwarts history."
He paused briefly before continuing in his usual elegant cadence. "That being said, there is no denying that the journal itself is ancient. The parchment, the binding, the ink degradation, all of it predates modern magical restoration techniques. It is not something one simply fabricates with a flick of a wand."
Lara's expression shifted slightly, though skepticism still lingered plainly across her face.
"Furthermore," Severus continued, "the journal has referenced several things directly connected to our own world, some of which I have personally verified. The Mirror of Erised, for example, which I recently confirmed does in fact exist." He gestured faintly with one hand. "It also references the Peverell name repeatedly, which bears direct correlation to the three Peverell brothers from wizarding history."
His expression dimmed thoughtfully. "The deeper we delve into the journal, the more the line separating fiction from reality becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish."
"I do so hate admitting when Snape makes a valid point," Narcissa sighed, "but this time I find myself in agreement with him." She gestured lightly toward the book. "And besides, even if this all turns out to be complete and utter hogwash, I must confess it has been rather entertaining."
Peter nodded vigorously in agreement despite still having his cheeks stuffed with food, earning a grimace from Severus.
"Good Lord, Pettigrew," Severus muttered with visible disgust. "Would it kill you to chew before participating in civil conversation?"
"Waste of time, mate," Sirius said with a crooked smirk while leaning back lazily in his chair. "You'd have better luck convincing a niffler not to nick shiny things."
Peter scowled at him from across the table before swallowing the mouthful of food he had been working through.
"Lara," Lily spoke softly, drawing everyone's attention toward her. "I'm not asking you to believe us." She gestured lightly around the table toward the rest of them. "Any of us. Not even necessarily what's written inside that book." Her fingers rested gently atop the journal's worn leather cover. "But we're far too deep into this now to simply walk away from it." A faint smile tugged at her lips. "Truthfully, I don't think any of us want to."
The others exchanged quiet glances amongst themselves.
"Whether it's real, complete nonsense, or the biggest waste of time in Hogwarts history," Lily continued, "we want to see how it ends."
James smiled softly in agreement while Remus gave a small shrug, Sirius leaned back with his usual easy grin, and even Narcissa and Severus looked quietly resigned to the madness of it all by now. Across the tavern, Allen let out a low caw from where he perched atop one of the heavy wooden supports overhead.
Lara remained silent for a moment. Arms folded while she studied every face around the table with a completely unreadable expression.
Then she sighed.
"Well," she drawled at last, "alright then." She reached for another handful of fries. "Guess y'all can count me on that wagon."
Sirius blinked. "Wait, that's it?" he asked with an incredulous laugh. "No mocking? No complaints? No telling us we're all mental?"
"Aw, sugar, you know me," Lara replied with a grin while dipping another fry into ketchup. "I'm all fer Hogwarts spirit and all that nonsense, but let's be honest here, this place is duller than church on a Sunday afternoon." She glanced vaguely around the tavern. "Honestly feels like a goshdarned funeral most days."
James immediately stifled a laugh while Sirius and Remus openly snorted into their drinks. Severus merely rolled his eyes in profound annoyance.
"I honestly don't give a hoot from a barn owl whether that there book's full o' horseshit or not," Lara continued casually while popping the fry into her mouth. "But from everythin' y'all've told me so far?" She slapped excess salt from her hands. "Sounds like one helluva ride, so count me in."
"And we're happy to have you," Lily replied warmly.
"Before we go diving back into ancient journals and magical worlds beyond our own," Remus interjected while leaning forward slightly, "perhaps we ought to address the far more immediate issue first."
Everyone looked toward him.
"Bloody hell, don't give me that look," he muttered defensively. "I'm talking about what happened out there." His voice lowered slightly while he glanced around the tavern. "The Ashwinders."
"Aw, don't you fret your pretty little head none, Lupy," Lara replied with a smirk. "Them varmints ain't gonna be botherin' anybody round Hogsmeade fer quite some time."
"L-L-Lupy?" Remus spluttered immediately, nearly recoiling in his chair while color rushed violently into his face.
Sirius burst out laughing almost instantly, doubling over against the table while James followed right behind him, clutching at his stomach as he struggled to breathe through the laughter. Even Peter nearly choked on his piece of fish, coughing violently into his sleeve while trying and failing to contain his own amusement.
"Oh, that's bloody brilliant!" Sirius wheezed between laughs. "That's it now. You're Lupy forever."
"I hate every single one of you," Remus groaned while dragging both hands down his face as the others continued laughing at his expense.
"Anyways," Lara continued. "Reckon they'll crawl back home, cry a little, lick their wounds, maybe rethink some life choices." Her eyes narrowed slightly afterward. "And if they're too stupid ter learn their lesson and come lookin' fer round two…" She shrugged lightly. "Well, let's just say me and Allen ain't exactly the forgivin' type."
Severus' eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Are you implying this is something you've done before?" he asked carefully.
Lara's gaze levelled upon him while her smile sharpened into something far more dangerous.
"Would ya believe me if I said yes?" she asked before folding her arms loosely across her chest. "Back home, us Ashfords got ourselves one simple rule. We don't back down from nothin' or no one. You mess with the bull, you get the horns." Her expression dimmed slightly beneath the humor. "Pop-pop never let a slight go unanswered, and he sure as hell never let bad folk walk away after hurtin' good people."
She tapped her fingers lightly against her sleeve. "Didn't matter whether they were muggles, wizardin' folk, rich, poor, or powerful. If somebody deserved punishin', we handled it."
A faint smirk tugged back onto her lips. "Shoot, to say them suits from MACUSA ain't exactly fond o' my family'd be one helluva understatement."
Her gaze drifted lazily between Sirius and Narcissa afterward.
"Though I reckon you two know a fair bit about families like that yourselves, dontcha?" she said casually. "Difference is, far as I can tell, Blacks, Malfoys, Lestranges, they ain't too picky about whether somebody deserves it or not." Her grin widened slightly. "Bruised egos still get soothed one way or another."
The laughter gradually faded, though the warmth around the table cooled noticeably the moment Lara's final remark truly settled over everyone present. Sirius' grin slowly disappeared while Narcissa's own expression darkened faintly, her gaze lowering toward the table rather than meeting anyone else's eyes.
Around them, the others gradually fell quiet as well, because the silence hanging between them carried far more weight than any spoken response possibly could have. Even James and Remus exchanged brief glances before wisely deciding against commenting further on the matter.
Lara, meanwhile, appeared entirely unbothered by the sudden tension as she reached casually for her butterbeer and took another drink before shrugging lightly. "Welp," she drawled, "ain't my side o' the farm to be botherin' with."
"So, let me get this straight. I know you Yanks are quick on the trigger, figuratively and literally," Sirius said, his gaze drifting upward toward the raven perched upon the beam overhead. "But..." He gestured vaguely toward Allen. "Does everyone in your family have..."
The unfinished question was accompanied by another vague motion of his hand toward the bird, who responded with a distinctly unimpressed caw that did little to help clarify matters.
"What, that ol' thing?" Lara glanced up at the raven, who tilted his head as though deeply offended by the description. "Not really. Only on my pop's side. They're more the bows-and-crossbows type given where they're from. Me?" A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. "I just like somethin' a little louder."
That answer earned a series of confused looks from around the table, particularly from James, Remus, and Peter, whose expressions suggested they had somehow become even less certain than before. Lara seemed to notice immediately, one eyebrow arching upward as she looked between them.
"Anyways, I ain't supposed to be blabbin' family secrets to strangers," she continued, helping herself to another chip. "Just know I'd take Allen over my wand any day of the week, mostly 'cause it bamboozles the heck outta the Ministry."
Her grin widened considerably.
"Got a straight rule for Unforgivables, ain't got nothin' on a Deagle or a Draven." She paused for a moment before snorting to herself. "Hah. Draven."
The reaction around the table was immediate and uniform. James looked confused. Peter looked confused. Remus looked confused. Lily looked confused. Even Sirius appeared uncertain whether he had missed part of the conversation somewhere along the way.
Severus, meanwhile, simply rolled his eyes.
Lara then gestured vaguely toward the massive tome resting in the centre of the table. "So, we doin' this or what?"
Lily immediately perked up at the reminder and gently pushed the journal across the table toward Narcissa. "Oh, right," she said quickly. "Would you mind?"
Narcissa blinked once in surprise as every eye around the table shifted toward her expectantly. James looked eager already, Peter sat practically vibrating with anticipation despite still chewing, while even Severus, despite the perpetual irritation etched into his features, seemed quietly invested in where the story would lead next.
A soft sigh escaped Narcissa as she pulled the heavy journal closer toward herself.
"Very well," she said. "One more time."
Carefully, she opened the aged tome and flipped through its worn pages until she found the exact passage where they had previously stopped. The scent of old parchment and fading ink drifted faintly into the warm tavern air while everyone around the table instinctively leaned slightly closer, their earlier tension already beginning to dissolve beneath the familiar pull of the story waiting for them once more.
Narcissa cleared her throat softly before beginning to read aloud, and little by little the noise of The Three Broomsticks seemed to fade into the background as they once again found themselves drawn back into the mythical world of Avalon.