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Chapter Text

Chapter XX – Highway to Hell

The hot asphalt trembled beneath worn leather boots as Severus walked ahead of the Snape Gang, his expression grim. Beside him, Charity whistled softly, Aurora chewed gum like it was the last one on Earth, and behind them came Avery, Mulciber, Wilkes... and Regulus, arms crossed and sulking.

Are you gonna keep that funeral face all the way to London?" Mulciber asked, nudging Regulus with his elbow.

"I'm fine," the boy muttered, looking away.

"Oh, sure," Charity teased, laughing. "You've been 'fine' ever since you got a bad grade in Potions. Bet Snape had to stop you from setting your parchment on fire."

Regulus let out an annoyed sigh but didn’t reply. Pretending not to care was part of the act. The problem was, the gang no longer bought it. Deep down, they all knew he loved being the spoiled baby of the group.

The landscape around them was pure contrast: a gray urban twilight sky, dead streetlights, dry grass along the roadside, and, in the distance, the first buildings of Muggle London. And that’s where they were heading — no plans, no uniforms, no permission. Just the non-negotiable mission of seeing the AC/DC concert.

Aurora noticed them first.

"Oh, no." She stopped walking, frowning. "Is that...?"

Ahead, turning the corner from an alley, came James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew... and just behind them, Marlene McKinnon and Lily Evans. All laughing, chatting, heading in the same direction.

"What the hell," Severus growled.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sirius yelled when he spotted them.

"We could ask the same thing," Aurora replied with a mocking smile.

"Followers of the dark prince like guitars too?" Marlene sneered.

"Screw you, McKinnon," Avery snapped, already squaring up like it was a duel.

"Wait." James raised an eyebrow, looking at Severus. "Don’t tell me you lot snuck out of Hogwarts too... for the concert?"

An awkward silence hung for a few seconds. Then Wilkes shrugged.

"So what?"

"So..." James gave a short laugh. "We argued about all this for nothing?"

"I didn’t argue," Severus said in a low voice, staring at James with that blank, dangerous look only he could pull off. "I just hate seeing your face."

Sirius crossed his arms and then caught sight of his brother.

“You?” His tone turned sharp. “You hate this Muggle crap, Regulus. Gonna pretend you're into it now?”

Regulus clenched his jaw, but replied coldly:

"Since when is that your business?"

Sirius took a step forward, ready to stir up trouble, and Regulus moved too, tense. But before wands — or fists — could rise, a lean figure stepped between them.

Severus.

"Don’t even think about touching him," Snape whispered, eyes locked on Sirius like a blade about to strike. "I swear I’ll break you first."

James stepped forward instinctively, standing beside Sirius, fists clenched.

"What’re you gonna do, Snivellus? Curse us with your spit?"

The two groups stared each other down. The tension in the air was thick, electric. One wrong move, and it’d be war.

"Look, I hate to interrupt your homoerotic aggression," Aurora said, chewing her gum with bored disdain, "but Sevi, we’re gonna miss the concert."

Severus still hadn’t taken his eyes off James. They were just inches apart, and he could feel the other boy’s heat like a direct challenge to his sanity. He took a deep breath.

"The show starts at eight," he replied dryly.

Aurora pulled a face.

"Yeah, and the Muggles are already grabbing the good spots. I’m not watching from the sidewalk."

Severus glanced at James one last time — maybe a second too long — then reached out, grabbing Regulus by the sleeve of his coat.

"Not worth it," he said, already turning his back like nothing had ever happened.

The gang followed silently. Regulus cast one final look at Sirius, something close to... hurt in his eyes. But he walked away.

James stood there, watching Snape’s figure disappear around the curve of the road.

The AC/DC concert was insane.

Flashing lights, guitars roaring like electric dragons, and a crowd of Muggles vibrating with a chaotic energy no Sonorus spell could ever recreate. Aurora was jumping, Charity was screaming the lyrics without really knowing them, and even Mulciber wore a strange smile — like he was starting to understand why Muggles spent so much money on this kind of madness.

Everything was going relatively well until the announcer’s voice burst through the speakers in a fast, excited accent:

“The twenty prize shirts are being launched now! Whoever catches one gets to meet the band backstage!”

That was when Severus and Lily moved.

With a survival instinct only kids raised among Muggles could have, the two bolted away from the stage, cutting through the crowd like sharp knives. Charity barely had time to scream “Where are they going?!” and James looked around, confused, his shirt soaked with sweat and sticking to his chest.

“Are they running away?”

“Do they know something?!” Sirius asked, already halfway ready to sprint after them.

While the others were still trying to figure out what the hell was going on, Severus was already deep in the chaos — elbowing through the mob, dodging overhyped teenagers, and calculating with surgical precision the flight paths of the shirts soaring through the air. He jumped, grabbed one, then another, then three more in quick succession. A fourth landed straight in his hand. The seventh came as a gift from the gods, bouncing off a distracted guy’s head and flying right into Severus’s chest, which he caught like a seasoned Seeker snatching the Golden Snitch.

Lily, on the other hand, tried. She really did. But just as a shirt landed two meters from her, a pack of boys shoved past without even looking, making her stumble and almost fall. In the end, she came out of the frenzy empty-handed, hair disheveled and with the bitter expression of someone who hates to lose.

Minutes later, Severus returned to the group. Not a single scratch on him.

“Got seven,” he said, as casually as talking about the weather.

“WHAT do you mean seven?!” Aurora cried, eyes wide.

He simply opened his arms, showing off the pile of shirts like war trophies. One by one, he started handing them out to his friends. Avery, Mulciber, Charity, Wilkes, Aurora, and Regulus each got theirs. Severus held the last one for a second longer before keeping it for himself.

Lily approached, still out of breath, eyes locked on the shirt she knew should have been hers.

“You could’ve easily given me one,” she snapped.

Severus turned slowly, a faint, poisonous smile curling on his lips.

“Better luck next time, Evans,” he said with a slight, mocking tilt of his head.

And then he turned away, walking off with the gang like nothing had happened.

Lily stood there, stuck between her confused friends and the flashing stage lights, not quite sure what hurt more: the fury of losing, or the tiny flicker of pride at seeing Severus still knew how to play by Muggle rules better than anyone else.

The group returned to the meeting point in the parking lot after the backstage experience. They were still laughing, all talking at once, unable to hide their excitement.

"Angus Young’s hand is like… hot!" Wilkes exclaimed, eyes wide. "Like actually hot! I almost burned myself when I shook it!"

"Brian called me a ‘weird wizard kid’!" Charity said, trying to hold back her laughter with both hands over her mouth. "HE KNOWS. I’M SURE HE KNOWS!"

"No, no, nothing beats this," Aurora interrupted, spinning on her heels like a pure bolt of electricity. "I TOUCHED THE GUITAR. ANGUS’S BLOODY GUITAR!"

Severus stood slightly apart, arms crossed, wearing a small, discreet smile — clearly pleased for having made that moment possible for everyone, even if he’d never admit it out loud. But before he could come up with a snarky response, Aurora rushed toward him and, out of nowhere, held his face with both hands.

"Thanks, Sev," she said, eyes shining.

And before he could react, she hugged him — a long one, but only a few seconds.

Severus didn’t even have time to dodge. When she pulled away, his eyebrows were still raised, caught between surprise and... something oddly calm. Like he didn’t know what to do with that kind of gesture.

"Okay. I needed that," Aurora said, then turned around, hooking her arm through Charity’s and pulling her along with an easy laugh. "Let’s go. I’ve seen everything I needed today."

The two of them walked past the Marauders like they were invisible, laughing loud, like they owned the whole city. Their footsteps echoed between the cars, while the rest of the Snape Gang followed behind, talking excitedly — each telling their own version of how the drummer gave Mulciber a “friendly punch” on the shoulder.

On the opposite side, the Marauders were silent.

Sirius let out a low whistle, surprised.

"She… actually hugged him?"

"It was just a hug," Peter mumbled, uninterested.

"So what?" Marlene crossed her arms. "She’s free."

"She’s brave for not being afraid to get oil on her hands," James muttered.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Bit much," Remus commented.

James turned his face away.

The truth was, he could barely manage the discomfort in his chest. The way Snivellus had stood there, not complaining, like he was used to that kind of thing… and the way he looked at Aurora afterward, with that ‘I don’t care’ air — but his eyes were lit up, like the world finally made sense again after days. That stung. It annoyed him. Drove him mad.

"Alright," James said coldly. "Are we just gonna stand here drooling, or are we heading back before some Muggle asks why Sirius is still wearing leather boots in May?"

"It’s April," Remus corrected.

"Even worse."

Laughter and jokes still echoed in the air as the group rounded the bend in the road and came face-to-face with an old gas station by the roadside. The sign swayed slightly in the wind, creaking with a metallic, melancholic sound. The pumps were rusted, covered in dry leaves and dust. There was no sign of movement—it looked like no one had set foot there in years.

"Is this where cars eat?" Aurora asked, genuinely curious.

"Technically, yes," murmured Charity with a smile. "They drink gasoline. Like firewhisky for automobiles."

"Can we explore?" Wilkes asked, already walking ahead without waiting for an answer.

"It's just a gas station," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "There's one of these on every corner. Literally."

Severus stood beside her, hands in his pockets, bored.

"They're going in anyway," he commented. "We'll just watch to make sure no one blows up a fuel pump trying to cast a spell."

James let out a muffled chuckle.

"At least we have you to prevent a magical apocalypse, Snivellus."

Severus didn't respond. He merely cast a deadly sidelong glance.

The group entered gradually, their footsteps noisy on the cracked concrete floor. Inside the station's shop, the shelves were empty or held deteriorated packaging. Stale chip bags, expired sodas, an old display of torn magazines in the corner. Everything was a forgotten time capsule.

Aurora ran to the counter, touching the cash register.

"Does it still work?" she poked a few buttons, but the machine only hissed and clicked.

"I'm hungry," Peter murmured. "Is there any of that edible Muggle food?"

"These chips seem to have turned to dust," said Remus, poking one with the tip of his wand, even though he couldn't conjure anything.

Then Charity pointed to the glass wall behind the counter, with an expression no one expected in that lighthearted context:

"Guys... look at this."

Everyone turned.

Across the road—where there had only been weeds before—there was now a row of tall lampposts, all lit. Lights that hadn't been on before. And something else: in the background, a figure moved. Slowly. With a hunched body, as if dragging its legs. The face couldn't be seen, only the silhouette against the orange light.

"Is it a homeless person?" Sirius asked, frowning.

"Or a drunk Muggle?" Mulciber suggested, without much interest.

Lily froze.

"No... that thing doesn't move like a person."

Everyone fell silent.

Severus walked to the window, serious, observing. His eyes narrowed when the figure stopped and seemed... to turn its head. Even from a distance, it felt as if it was staring directly at the group in the station.

"I think we should get out of here," Severus spoke softly, calmly, but with firmness.

"Scared, Snivellus?" Sirius taunted.

Severus looked at him but didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed Regulus by the arm, who was watching everything with wide eyes.

"Let's get back to the road. Now."

"Why?" James asked, feeling a chill run up his spine.

Severus turned to him, and for the first time since the concert, he seemed genuinely concerned.

"Because this town wasn't here before."

Chapter Text

"Can’t you see it?" Severus murmured, eyes fixed on the gas station wall.
"This place... it wasn’t like this. The paint — it was light green. Now it’s dark. Matte. Like it aged twenty years in five minutes."

Mulciber, clearly uneasy, drew his wand with a theatrical flourish.

"Then let me fix it."

He pointed at the window.

"Lumos Maxima!"

Nothing.

"Lumos Maxima!" he repeated, voice rising in pitch, like volume would somehow make it work.

"What now," Severus snapped, voice tense. "Sectumsempra."

Wilkes pulled out his wand next. Then Aurora. Then Sirius, Remus... one by one, they all tried simple spells.
Nothing worked.
No sparks. No tremors. Just lifeless wood in their hands.

"What the hell is happening?!" James shouted, face pale. "Is this some kind of massive spell? A trap?"

Severus spun on his heels, heading toward the glass door.

"No. This is something else. Reality is... warped."

Outside, the figures had multiplied.

And they were getting closer.

Distorted silhouettes — humanoid, but wrong. Limbs too long, knees bending the wrong way, eyes glowing with a sickly red light. And they all walked with the same unnatural slowness… until one of them seemed to notice them.

Without waiting another second, Severus turned and grabbed Charity’s hand tightly, pulling Aurora with the other.

"We go. Now. Run and don’t look back."

"Sevs—" Aurora started, hesitant, but Severus was already shoving the door open with a harsh push.

Outside, the night felt heavier — darker than it should be.
The road was no longer a road — the asphalt stretched in endless curves, with no beginning or end. The streetlights had changed places. The horizon looked like it was folding in on itself, as if the world ended just a few meters away, swallowed by darkness.

James shouted:

"Lily! Grab Peter, now!"

"But where are we supposed to go?!" Lily screamed, clutching Peter’s arm — the boy pale as paper.

"Anywhere that’s not near those things!" Sirius yelled, dragging Remus by the shirt.

Aurora tripped as they ran, but Charity caught her. Severus glanced over his shoulder — the creatures were already crossing the lot. One of them moved differently: faster. Like a starving monster, growling as it came.

Regulus stood frozen, staring, unsure of what to do with the useless wand in his hand.

"Regulus!" Severus turned, instinct faster than thought. He let go of Charity for just a second and sprinted back, grabbing the boy by the wrist.
"Come on, you little idiot! Move!"

Regulus let out a choked sob and ran with him.

Far away, the sound of the world was changing.
It wasn’t wind anymore, or feet slapping pavement.
It was something else — like the city itself was breathing.
A low, guttural breath.
Alive.

And hungry.

Severus, Aurora, Charity, Regulus, Mulciber, Avery, and Wilkes were running with everything they had. The sound of footsteps echoed on the cracked ground, ragged breaths and screams blending with the roar of the monsters closing in behind them.

One of them — larger, faster, with twisted flesh like raw meat and hollow eyes — leapt into the middle of the group with a piercing screech.

It all happened fast.

Severus shoved Mulciber hard to the side, shouting:

"RUN! ALL OF YOU!"

The force of the push sent Mulciber tumbling across the ground. He scrambled back up, staggering. The group scattered in different directions, instinctively, without thinking, without looking back.

The monster lunged at Severus, claws outstretched. He ducked at the last second, grabbed a huge stone from the ground, and hurled it with fury. The rock slammed into the creature’s face with a sickening thud of crushed flesh.

It didn’t help much.
It only made it more interested.

The creature let out a hunting cry — a dry, vibrating sound that seemed to come from inside its bones — and charged again, straight for Severus.

He ran.

His lungs burned, his arms and legs screamed, but he didn’t feel any of it. There was only one truth in his mind: that thing was hunting. And it had chosen him.

Where the others had gone, he had no idea.
But it didn’t matter now.

There was only the run.
The ground blurring beneath his feet.
The ragged breath.
And the heavy footsteps of the creature right behind him.

James was running.

He had no idea how long it had been since they fled the gas station—minutes? Hours? Time felt unstable here, as if the very clock were stuck on the same second, ticking endlessly without moving forward. The last thing he saw was Lily pulling Marlene into a building—then everything became dust, shadows, and the sound of his own footsteps pounding across the cracked ground.

“Sirius!” he shouted. “Remus!”
No response.

He turned left, not knowing where he was going. The streets all looked the same—crooked, dead. The houses were like ruins frozen in time, with shattered windows and doors that led to nowhere.

That’s when he heard the scream.

A human scream.

Sharp. Piercing.

He froze. Eyes wide, his useless wand still in hand. He spun around and ran toward the sound. He slammed into a wall, then into a bent iron post. And then—

“Oof!”

He collided with someone. They both fell hard, bodies tumbling together.

Severus was the first to sit up, panting, his hand already moving to shove the other away—until he saw who it was.

“Potter?!” he snapped, surprised and furious. “What the hell—”

“Snape?” James was just as shocked, sitting on the ground, his glasses crooked on his face, chest rising and falling fast. “What are you doing out here alone?”

Severus stared at him for a second, then looked away.

“I lost my group.” He stood, brushing the dust off his clothes aggressively. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Did you hear that scream too?” James asked, getting to his feet. There was blood on his forehead—a small cut above his eyebrow. “I was with Sirius, Remus, and Peter, but we got separated when—”

A sound.
Dragging. Low. Like claws scraping against the ground.

Severus froze.

James heard it too.

They both turned slowly.

There, at the end of the street, a figure emerged.

Tall. Thin. Arms too long. Head tilted to the side, as if the neck were broken. No face. Just dark flesh and a wet, sucking noise from within.

Severus grabbed James’s arm before thinking twice.

“Run.”

James didn’t argue.

They ran together, darting down alleys, leaping over debris, the sound of the thing closing in behind them.

When they finally stopped—hidden in the basement of an abandoned house—they were gasping for air, drenched in sweat, their faces far too close in the dark.

Severus was still holding James’s wrist.

“You pulled me,” James said, surprised. “You could’ve left me.”

Severus looked away, slowly releasing his wrist.

“I’d do the same for anyone… who wasn’t completely useless.”

James gave a tired smile.

“Was that a compliment, Snape?”

Severus scoffed.

But didn’t answer.

And there, in the darkness, with their hearts pounding and fear thick as fog around them, something—tenuous and dangerous—began to shift between them.
Severus and James stepped out of the basement as soon as the noise outside stopped. The silence was thick, almost as suffocating as the fear hanging in the air. They needed to find their friends — and fast.

James grabbed Severus’s arm, stopping him.

“Are you insane? You want to go out there alone?”

In the dim light, Severus turned his face toward him. He could barely make out James’s features, but his voice was clear, taut with tension.

“I need to find my friends,” Severus said firmly, urgency vibrating in every word.

James narrowed his eyes.

“So do I. I’m not staying here doing nothing.”

Severus climbed the stairs first and, before opening the door, glanced over his shoulder.

“We can use this basement as a meeting point, in case anyone comes back.”

James nodded, a half-arrogant smirk on his face.

“My friends will be fine. They know how to handle themselves.”

Severus let out a heavy sigh, almost resigned.

“Mine are smart.”

James followed, still wary.

“And you don’t trust their ability to survive?”

Severus shoved the door open and stepped out.

“I do…” he said without looking back. “When they can use magic. Without it… they’re a bit vulnerable.”

And then he ran out, eyes sharp, scanning every shadow for any sign of his friends.
Severus heard a sharp scream echo through the night. His body froze for a second, but he immediately recognized the voice — it was Regulus.

Without thinking twice, he sprinted toward the sound.

Turning a corner near a large, abandoned barn, he saw the scene: a massive, grotesque humanoid creature with misshapen limbs and skin as dark as pitch loomed over Regulus. The boy was trying to fight back, but he was clearly outmatched.

Severus looked around in desperation. He spotted an axe leaning against the barn wall. He ran to it, grabbed it with both hands and, without hesitation, swung it hard at the creature’s head.

The monster howled, jerking violently and stumbling to the side.

Severus screamed, his voice ragged with rage and panic:

“Leave baby Black alone, you disgusting thing!”

Without wasting a second, he struck again — this time at the creature’s hind leg. It convulsed wildly and managed to strike Severus back, hurling him across the ground.

At that moment, James came running, breathless, having silently followed Severus. His eyes widened at the scene.

Without hesitation, he leapt toward a chain hanging from the barn ceiling, yanked it down, and swung it toward the creature’s neck, wrapping it around. The creature turned, trying to claw at him with its deformed hands, but James dodged just in time.

With effort, the two boys managed to bring the creature down and restrain it — at least for the moment.

Regulus lay on the ground, bleeding heavily. The wound on his shoulder was ugly — a deep, open laceration, the flesh raw and red.

“Shit…” Severus knelt beside him, fingers trembling. “He’s losing too much blood…”

Without thinking, he tore his own shirt and pressed it against Regulus’s shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding.

“We have to get him to the basement. Now!”

James helped lift Regulus carefully, each of them supporting one side.

Blood dripped through Severus’s fingers — hot and terrifying. But he kept his eyes forward. He couldn’t afford to falter.

“Hold on, Regulus,” he murmured, voice steady despite the fear.

And the three of them disappeared once more into the darkness, heading back to their makeshift shelter.
Severus worked quickly. He improvised a bandage using clean scraps of fabric and a few ingredients still left in his pocket — dried herbs he had found in the house’s kitchen. He pressed them gently against Regulus’s wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

When he finished the bandage, he looked the boy in the eyes.

“What happened to the others?”

Regulus took a deep breath, trying to steady the tremble in his voice.

“After that creature attacked us... we got separated. And more of them showed up. This town… it’s crawling with monsters, Severus.”

The silence that followed felt even heavier. Severus glanced down at the floor for a moment, thoughtful, then looked back at him with determination.

“I’m going after them. I’ll send everyone I find back here. This basement is going to be our safe point.”

Regulus nodded, though his eyes were glassy with unshed tears. He then looked discreetly at Potter, who stood by the stairs, watching everything with a more serious expression than usual.

Regulus swallowed hard. He didn’t want to cry. Not in front of James Potter.

He turned his face back to Severus and murmured softly:

“Don’t take too long.”

Severus only nodded. A firm, silent gesture.

Then he climbed the stairs, with James right behind him, both disappearing into the shadows as the muffled sounds of the night crept back in.
James braced the door with his shoulder, listening to the strange noises outside.

“Let’s search for the others together,” he suggested. “It’s safer. The town’s shrinking or—whatever the hell is happening.”

Severus rolled his eyes with disdain.

“Of course you want to be the hero again, Potter. But if we split up, we’ll cover more ground.”

James looked at him, clearly worried.

“Splitting up is never a good idea in places like this, Snape. Didn’t you see what those things did to Regulus?”

“It’s a brilliant idea,” Severus shot back, already moving away. “My friends are smart enough to hide.”

Without waiting for a reply, Severus took off in one direction, while James hesitated for a second before heading the other way.

The wind howled through the empty streets. The town’s silence was heavy, as if it were waiting. Severus made his way through alleys and narrow lanes until he found Wilkes’s blond head, crouched inside a playground — specifically, inside a cracked plastic slide.

“Wilkes!” he called out softly, approaching with care. “Are you okay?”

Wilkes crawled out slowly, his face dirty and tense.

“Severus! I thought you were one of those things…”

“Regulus is safe. He’s in the basement of a house, locked in. Go there. It’s the safest place so far — those creatures haven’t gotten in. The house is on Empedocles Street, number 13.” Severus paused for a second, frowning. That street name suddenly sounded strange. He hadn’t connected the dots before, but it rang a bell.

Wilkes hesitated.

“I’ll go with you. We can find the rest faster.”

Severus shook his head.

“Someone needs to take care of Baby Black. He’s in shock, and injured.”

Wilkes bit his lower lip, clearly torn.

“Okay… fine. But you have to bring Charity back. Regulus only listens to her.”

Severus let out a brief, tired but genuine laugh.

“That’s true. Spoiled little shit.”

In the distance, a metallic sound echoed — something being dragged across asphalt. A shrill screech that made both of them freeze.

Severus immediately turned to Wilkes.

“Go. Now. Run!”

Wilkes nodded and disappeared between the buildings, while Severus pulled a Muggle dagger from his coat and ran in the opposite direction, ready for whatever came next.
James ran through the deserted streets, his heart pounding in his chest. The town felt even quieter now, like it was holding its breath before swallowing whoever was left. That’s when he heard it — a muffled, weak groan coming from a partially collapsed building.

“Hello?” he shouted, approaching. “Is someone there?”

“Potter… here…” The voice was low and raspy. It was Charity.

James rushed over, crouching down among the rubble. Beneath a fallen metal beam and chunks of concrete were Charity and Aurora. Charity’s leg was trapped under a heavy block, and Aurora appeared unconscious, with a deep gash on her forehead.

“Shit…” James whispered, pulling out his wand. “Alohomora! Wingardium Leviosa! Reducto!”

Nothing. None of the spells worked.

He looked around, hearing the sounds draw closer — heavy, dragging footsteps, like something massive was approaching. The air vibrated with the high-pitched screech of grinding teeth.

With no time to think, James dropped to his knees and grabbed the stone block.

“I’m getting you out of here,” he promised through gritted teeth.

With a shout of effort, he used every bit of strength in his arms and back. The block shifted a few centimeters, then more. His muscles trembled, fingers bleeding from the strain, but he finally lifted the stone just enough for Charity to pull her leg free, groaning in pain.

“Can you walk?” he asked, panting.

Charity leaned on him, limping but determined. She stumbled over to Aurora and dropped to her knees beside her friend.

“She’s alive…” she said, voice trembling. “But she won’t wake up.”

James knelt too, wiping the blood from Aurora’s face with his hands. She was pale, breathing with difficulty.

“I’ll carry her. We have to go now. Those things are getting close.”

Charity nodded, even through the pain. James slipped his arms under Aurora’s body and lifted her carefully. Her weight was nothing compared to the fear pressing down on him.

“We’re going to the basement where Regulus is. Snape and I locked him in there — it’s the safest place we’ve found.”

Charity gave him a wary look, but she was too exhausted to argue. Limping, she followed him through the shadows, the three of them disappearing down the empty street — as, in the distance, a monstrous scream tore through the air.

Chapter Text

James carried Aurora in his arms, his face tense and his steps steady. Beside him, Charity limped along, trying to keep up as best she could. Her eyes scanned the houses with shattered windows, searching for any sign of danger.

They passed an old building with a graffiti-covered facade and a faded sign — on it, a grotesque clown grinned with teeth stained in dried blood. The image sent a chill down their spines, and the rotting stench that hung in the air made everything feel even more suffocating.

Then came the sound.

A faint, dragging scrape against the asphalt.

Charity turned suddenly, eyes straining to pierce the deepening darkness. But she could barely see anything — the only light came from the moon, now slowly being swallowed by heavy clouds. Within seconds, they were plunged into complete darkness.

A loud, distorted laugh echoed beside them — then on the other side — then behind. They were being surrounded.

James clutched Aurora tighter to his chest, his glasses fogged and useless. The silence that followed was worse than the laughter. A dense, strange silence, too heavy to be natural.

"I really don’t like this..." Charity muttered, out of breath.

Then, in the blink of an eye, something big leapt from the shadows and slammed into James with brutal force. He stumbled forward, screaming as sharp claws tore into his back. The heat of the pain flared instantly, burning.

Charity reacted on instinct — she grabbed the wooden stick she carried and struck the creature hard. It let out a fierce growl and leapt away, disappearing back into the shadows.

James nearly dropped Aurora. His back was on fire. Gasping, he clenched his teeth and tightened his hold around the unconscious girl.

"Potter, are you okay?!" Charity asked, her voice trembling but steady.

He nodded, though his face was twisted in pain.

"Lost my bloody glasses..." he muttered, blindly reaching into the air.

Charity dropped to her knees and ran her hands along the cold, filthy ground until she found the glasses. One side was shattered.

"Here!" she said, fitting what was left onto his face. "But one side’s broken."

"Great..." James huffed. "Now I’m only half blind."

A new growl came from the darkness. The creature was still there, circling again. Closer.

James adjusted Aurora in his arms and looked at Charity through the good lens.

"Now. We run. NOW!"

Charity tried to run, but her foot throbbed so badly she could barely stay upright. She let out a few tears of pain and frustration, but wiped them away with a trembling hand. Then she straightened up, swallowing the sobs.

“Potter... I can’t,” she whispered, voice cracking. “I’m sorry. Take Aurora. Save her.”

James looked at her — or tried to, since he could only see partially with the broken glasses. He nodded slowly.

“It’s okay,” he replied, no time for empty promises.

He spotted a convenience store ahead, the window shattered and shelves toppled. He gently laid Aurora down and ran to find an entrance.

At that moment, Charity heard heavy footsteps approaching. She tightened her grip on the stick she was using as a crutch, heart pounding.

But it was no use. The creature leapt over her — a blur of gray fur — heading straight for James.

“POTTER! BEHIND YOU!” she screamed.

James turned just in time to see the thing flying at him — long limbs, blood-red eyes, teeth far too sharp to be human. He threw himself to the side at the last second, his heart nearly stopping.

Desperate, Charity threw the stick to him, but James couldn’t catch it. The wood bounced on the ground.

He dove for it. Got it — at the exact moment the monster lunged.

James raised the stick and held it in front of his face, forcing the creature to bite down on the wood instead. He held it with everything he had, gritting his teeth, muscles burning from the strain.

The creature snarled, foaming, pushing with its full weight. James could feel the hot, rotten breath on his face, the monster’s red eyes just inches from his own.

Charity reappeared, limping, with a rusty metal bar in hand, ready to strike. But the creature whipped around and lashed its tail at her, slamming her into the wall with brutal force. She hit hard, letting out a choked cry as the air was knocked from her lungs.

James was running out of strength.

But before everything went black, a dull crack struck the creature’s skull — a grotesque crunch. The beast howled in pain, teeth flying sideways, and stumbled away.

James rolled to the side, gasping, heart racing. The creature groaned, dazed.

Severus ran down a dirt road, his hurried steps kicking up fine dust beneath his feet. To his right, a massive abandoned factory loomed, decaying, with shattered windows and walls eroded by time. He slowed down when he heard a human scream from inside the structure.

Without hesitation, he stepped inside, moving quietly.

The interior was steeped in gloom. The floor was a mix of broken glass, dried blood, and the remnants of shattered furniture. The air was fetid — putrid, almost solid. Severus slipped through the shadows and soon spotted, on the other side of the warehouse, a huge humanoid creature with long claws, violently scratching at a door.

Through a cracked, dirty window, he saw the silhouette of a girl trapped inside the room. It was too dark to tell who it was, but even so, his stomach turned at the panic written all over her posture.

Severus grabbed a rusty iron bar that had fallen near a pile of debris. He approached cautiously, trying to catch the creature by surprise — but before he could act, a brutal crash echoed. The door had been violently broken down, and the girl screamed.

Severus ran forward and struck the creature’s head with all his strength. The metallic sound of the impact was muffled by the guttural roar that followed. The monster staggered, disoriented.

“Run!” Severus shouted, finally recognizing Marlene.

She didn’t hesitate. She dropped the piece of wood she’d been holding and bolted.

A new roar shook the air. More sounds began to rise around them — cracks, heavy footsteps, feral breathing.

Severus could only think one thing: Shit. He’s calling others.

He picked up the pace and ran after Marlene, trying to ignore the pain that had begun to throb in the arm holding the iron bar.

They needed to get out — fast.

Sirius emerged from the shadows with a piece of pipe in his hands, his hair disheveled and streaked with soot. He reached out to James and helped him up, offering a tired smile.

“You look awful.”

James let out a breathless, relieved laugh. His gaze went straight to Aurora, who was now murmuring incoherent words, her forehead sweaty, eyes shut. Then to Charity, sitting on the floor, breathing heavily as she touched her swollen ankle.

“Where are the others?” James asked, urgency returning to his voice.

Sirius wiped the sweat from his face, his expression grim.

“Peter and Marlene... vanished. Remus and Lily were with me not long ago, but we had to split up after an attack. Those creatures...” — he swallowed hard — “they can pretend to be human. They fooled Remus and Lily. We almost all fell for it.”

He spoke fast, agitated. James cut in:

“Did you see where they went? Are they okay?”

Sirius hesitated, his eyes flicking away for a second.

“Remus is hurt, but he was conscious. Lily... Lily was fine last I saw her. But now? I don’t know, James.”

James ran a hand over his face, worry clear in his eyes.

“Help me get Sinistra and Burbage. There’s a safe house where Regulus is. Snape and I set it up as a meeting point.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow as he carefully picked Aurora up in his arms.

“Wait a second... you were with Snape? And what happened to Regulus?”

James helped Charity to her feet, supporting her by the shoulder.

“I’ll explain everything later, Padfoot. Right now we need to get out of here before those things come back. We still have to find the others.”

Sirius nodded, fingers tightening around the pipe.

“Then let’s go. Before it gets properly dark.”

And without looking back, the four of them limped forward, breathless and battered, heading toward the only hope they had left: the makeshift meeting point where, with luck, no one else had died yet.

Lily pressed the blood-soaked cloth against Remus’s wound, her fingers trembling, her heart still racing. The adrenaline hadn’t worn off yet. The thing that had nearly torn off her head… it had Marlene’s face. The laugh. The voice. That damn illusion.

Remus, slumped against the cold brick wall, whispered:

“I’m fine…”

She looked down at his abdomen, his shirt torn and sticky with blood.

“That’s exactly what Snape used to say when we were kids,” she murmured, almost without thinking. “Every time he showed up with a new bruise, he’d say it. ‘I’m fine, didn’t hurt.’ And I… I pretended to believe him.”

Her green eyes welled up. She looked away for a second, breathing deeply.

“When that thing almost killed me…” her voice trembled, “the first person who came to my mind was him. Snape.”

She swallowed back the tears, her throat tight.

“I don’t know why. It’s been two years since we last spoke. But in that moment, when I thought I was going to die… all I could think was: what if I die without ever speaking to him again?”

Remus watched her in silence, unsure of what to say. His gaze was gentle, respectful.

“We grew up together, he was part of everything. And even after everything that happened…” Lily bit her lip, trying to pull herself together. “I’m so angry. So angry. That he threw our friendship away like it meant nothing.”

She fell silent for a few seconds. Then she shook her head, standing up with her jaw clenched.

“Forget it. We need to find Marlene and the others.”

Remus nodded slowly, trying to push himself upright, and together they disappeared into the darkness — once again running not just for their lives, but for everything they had lost.

Chapter Text

Mulciber and Avery burst into the cinema, nearly tripping over the steps of the dark, dusty entrance. The sound of claws scraping the floor and bones cracking echoed right behind them.

“It’s coming! That thing’s fast!” Mulciber panted, leaning against the wall for a moment to catch his breath.

Avery, his eyes scanning the countless doors of the theater, spoke in a tense whisper:

“It’s a Wendigo... I read about those things. Doesn’t matter how fast you run— it’ll hear your heartbeat.”

Mulciber was breathing hard, sweat dripping down his face.

“I don’t give a shit what it’s called,” he growled. “It’ll rip our guts out either way if we don’t do something.”

They heard another crash — closer this time. The floor seemed to vibrate slightly.

Avery spotted a small door beside the ticket booth, half hidden. He pointed toward it:

“There. Maybe we can trap the damn thing in one of those rooms. No easy way out.”

Mulciber looked around, chest heaving.

“Fine. I’ll be the bait.”

Avery spun toward him, pure shock in his expression.

“Are you insane?”

Mulciber gave a crooked smile, eyes burning with adrenaline.

“After Severus, you’re the weakest one,” he said almost pityingly.

Avery’s eyes went wide, offended:

“After Severus, I’m the smartest, you idiot!”

Mulciber let out a short, nervous laugh.

“Aurora’s the smartest. But nice try.”

Another loud bang. The sound was now coming from the cinema entrance.

“This is not the time for a damn debate!” Avery hissed, grabbing Mulciber’s arm. “Listen: you run to that small room. When it chases you, dodge at the last second. Don’t go inside, got it? If you do, you’re done. I’ll slam the door shut with it inside.”

Mulciber took a deep breath and nodded. The adrenaline was coursing through his veins. He knew the odds were slim, but it was the only shot they had.

Avery locked eyes with him, deadly serious:

“If you mess up the timing, I won’t be able to save you.”

Mulciber exhaled, flashing a nervous grin:

“You’d better slam that door shut, genius.”

Avery nodded, positioning himself beside the door.

Then, with one last glance, Mulciber sprinted toward the center of the cinema — and the sound of a guttural, ice-cold roar filled the air.

The game of life and death had begun.

Mulciber ran toward the entrance, heart pounding in his chest. When he saw the thing — tall, skeletal, skin stretched tight over bones, hollow eyes, massive claws — a chill ran down his spine.

“Fucking disgusting…” he muttered, took a deep breath, and with a shout, hurled a rock straight at the creature’s face.

The sharp crack echoed through the cinema. The Wendigo let out a deafening roar, its jaw gaping wide to reveal dagger-like teeth.

Mulciber didn’t think twice — he spun on his heel and sprinted through the corridors. His entire body shook with adrenaline. He dodged pillars, ran like a madman, nearly stumbling at every sharp turn.

The sound of claws tearing through the floor behind him made him want to run even faster. The Wendigo was terrifyingly fast.

At last, Mulciber spotted the room with the door open. He almost smiled — but when he glanced to the side, Avery wasn’t there. Shit!, he thought.

There was no time. He sprinted harder. But a fatal mistake — a quick glance over his shoulder — and the Wendigo leapt, striking him brutally in the ribs.

The impact was so strong that Mulciber spun three times in midair before crashing hard against the wall. The world tilted. His vision blurred, the sounds around him became a muffled hum. He couldn’t feel his legs.

Suddenly, he heard a sharp crack and muffled shouting. He forced his head to turn slightly.

Avery, eyes wide and sweat pouring down his face, swung a broom handle, which snapped in half against the monster’s body.

But the Wendigo reacted in the blink of an eye, slamming Avery against the wall. It lifted him like a rag doll, claws tightening around his neck. Avery gasped, desperate for air.

In a final, desperate move, he pulled out his wand. No magic… then it’ll serve as a stake, he thought. And with all his strength, he drove the tip straight into the creature’s eye.

The Wendigo let out a bestial howl of pain and dropped Avery, stumbling backward as its eye grotesquely bulged outward, stuck to the wand.

Avery collapsed to the floor, gasping, chest heaving violently.

Mulciber, staggering and with his ribs on fire, hauled himself up using a metal cart. Without thinking, he shoved the cart hard against the Wendigo, which was still howling.

The impact pushed it straight into the room. Avery, regaining his strength, rushed over to help Mulciber — the two of them used every ounce of strength they had to shove the creature inside and, in a synchronized motion, slammed the door shut with a resounding bang.

Wasting no time, Mulciber toppled a heavy cabinet in front of the door, trapping the creature inside. From the other side, they could hear the frenzied roars and claws slamming against the wood.

Avery collapsed onto the floor, gasping. He glanced at his wand and grimaced at the gooey eye still stuck to it.

“Ugh… fucking disgusting.” he muttered, yanking the eye off and tossing it away.

Then he looked at Mulciber, who was hunched over slightly, clutching his ribs with a pained grimace.

“We need to get out of here… before that thing breaks the door,” he said between breaths.

Mulciber gave a crooked smile, even through the pain:

“You’re one lucky bastard, Avery.” he nodded toward the filthy wand. “But next time, you’re the bait, got it?”

Avery snorted, slowly pushing himself to his feet.

“Next time, we’re not running into a cinema with a Wendigo chasing us, you idiot.”

The two exchanged a weary look and hurried out of the building, knowing full well that the door wouldn’t hold much longer.

Severus and Marlene were running with all their strength. Three grotesque creatures were right behind them, their heavy footsteps accompanied by a wet, guttural sound that chilled the blood.

Without thinking, Severus grabbed Marlene’s hand and pulled her into a narrow alley between two old houses. They hid behind a rusted dumpster. The stench of rotten blood was so strong it nearly made them vomit.

The three creatures stopped at the mouth of the alley, sniffing the air with grotesque noises, their deformed noses twitching.

Severus and Marlene held their breath. The entire world seemed to have stopped.

Carefully, Marlene picked up a bottle from the ground and tossed it in the opposite direction. The glass shattered with a loud crash. The creatures jerked their heads around, listened... and ran toward the sound.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Only when the sound of claws faded into the distance did they breathe again.

But then a scream tore through the air.

“Charity!” Severus recognized the voice instantly.

He shot to his feet and sprinted toward the scream, Marlene close behind. They rounded the corner.

Charity lay on the ground, a pool of blood spreading beneath her.

Severus stopped, his chest tightening with fear.

“Charity... no...” He ran to her, dropping to his knees, his hands trembling. “You’ll be okay, tell me what happened...”

But when her eyes opened, they were red. Red as embers. Her teeth were now long and sharp. Her body began to twist, bones cracking, skin tearing — all accompanied by a grotesque laugh that froze Severus to the core.

Marlene screamed:

“Snape! Watch out!”

She yanked him back just as the creature — what had once been Charity — lashed out with a tail shaped like a harpoon. The tip grazed Severus’s arm, leaving a deep gash.

They bolted, breathless, the transformed creature chasing them, almost toying with their panic.

Severus ran with his teeth clenched, eyes burning with fury.

That was not Charity. But he knew. These monsters would pay for this.

Severus and Marlene were running through the filthy streets of the abandoned city, their footsteps echoing between the cracked buildings. Behind them, misshapen creatures charged in pursuit — their guttural howls slicing through the air like razors.

“Damn it, they’re getting closer!” Marlene shouted, her chest heaving.

Without hesitation, Severus grabbed her hand tightly.

“This way!” he pulled her decisively.

The two of them sprinted toward the entrance of an old hospital, the shattered glass doors groaning as they rushed through.

As soon as they entered the dusty lobby, Severus stopped for a moment, his eyes quickly scanning the rusted signs hanging from the ceiling.

“Snape, they’re coming! We can’t stop now!” Marlene said, glancing nervously toward the entrance.

Severus turned to her, his eyes gleaming with an idea.

“Trust me. I just need a specific place...” he pointed. “Laboratory. This way. Come on!”

Without further explanation, he grabbed her again, and they ran down the darkened corridors.

“Laboratory? For what? We don’t have magic, remember?” Marlene asked, trying to keep up.

“I don’t need magic to blow those things up,” Severus replied with a cold smile. “We’ll make a Molotov cocktail, use a gas canister, and turn that other building into a trap. Nothing will be left of them.”

Marlene’s eyes widened as they leapt over debris on the floor.

“You’re insane! How are we going to do that without getting ourselves killed too?”

Severus shot a quick glance behind them, hearing the creatures’ growing noise.

“I’ll explain the rest later. Now run!”

She nodded with a nervous half-smile. She was exhausted, but if there was anyone she’d trust in a situation like this, it was that damn greasy-haired genius.

The two of them turned a corner and forced open the laboratory door. Severus already had exactly what he needed in mind.
Severus shoved a heavy shelf against the laboratory door, trying to buy them some time. Meanwhile, Marlene was opening every drawer and cabinet, rummaging for alcohol or anything flammable. When she found it, she shouted:

“Severus, got it!”

He was already holding a bottle of acid and quickly began separating glass vials.

A violent crash shook the door. Marlene shot a worried glance toward the noise, but Severus stayed focused, mixing the liquids with precision.

Another bang, louder this time, reverberated through the room. The wooden door started to give under the impact.

“See if you can open that window,” Severus said, nodding toward it. “We need an escape route.”

“I’m not leaving you behind,” Marlene replied, looking at the window. “I’m no coward.”

“Gryffindors and their bloody hero complex...” Severus muttered, rolling his eyes.

A fresh blow made the room tremble.

“We don’t know if we’ll be able to get out anytime soon. This room has supplies — it might come in handy if we get trapped,” he added.

Marlene tried forcing the window, but it wouldn’t budge. Without hesitation, she grabbed a chair and hurled it at the glass. The crash blended with another muffled roar from outside.

“We can reach the next room along the wall ledge,” she said, peeking through the opening. “It’s narrow, but doable. If we hold on tight, we can make it.”

Severus nodded, bracing himself mentally. He took a deep breath.

“Right. But we need a source of fire for this to work.”

“Maybe in the kitchen. There should be lighters or matches,” Marlene suggested.

A deafening crash preceded a final, shuddering blow. The door was about to give in.

Severus grabbed the makeshift Molotovs and handed one to Marlene.

“You go first. I’ll catch up.”

Marlene didn’t hesitate. She slipped through the window with agility, as if she’d done this many times before. Severus took one last look at the trembling door, heard the wood splintering — and jumped.

The darkness of the night was almost complete, making it hard to move. He lost his balance for a moment, nearly falling, but clung tightly to the narrow ledge. Marlene, already in the next room, reached out her hand, ready to help him.

As soon as Severus managed to squeeze through the narrow window into the other room, a brutal crash sounded behind him. The laboratory door finally gave way, and the shelf he had pushed flew violently, slamming into the opposite wall with a metallic clang.

He and Marlene exchanged a glance — the kind that speaks louder than words. They ran.

They slid down the dark corridor, trying to spot any sign, any clue that might lead them to the kitchen. The floor creaked beneath their feet, and the air smelled of mold and old blood.

That’s when Severus suddenly stopped. To his right, at the end of the corridor, a grotesque creature was moving — massive claws, shaggy fur, walking upright like a man, but with the snout and eyes of an animal. A chill ran down Severus’s spine.

“Is that a... capelobo?” he whispered, barely finding his voice.

Marlene saw it too. Without thinking, she grabbed his hand and pulled him in the opposite direction, where a rusted metal sign read: Cafeteria.

They slipped inside, and Severus closed the door as quietly as possible, easing it shut with great care. His heart was pounding like an alarm inside his chest.

“I have an idea,” Severus said, still breathless, “but you probably won’t like it.”

Marlene, sweaty and gasping for air, wiped her face and replied through gritted teeth:

“Just say it.”

Severus pointed to a window at the far end of the cafeteria, through which they could see another building across the street — lower, but still solid.

“If we can lure as many of those creatures as possible into that building...” he began.

“You want to blow it up. I can already tell.” Marlene finished his sentence, eyes wide with shock.

Severus nodded, a dark gleam in his eyes.

“Yes. Take out as many of them as we can. If those things can pretend to be people we know—our friends are in danger.”

Marlene took a deep breath, leaning against one of the overturned tables.

“Okay… and how exactly do you plan to lure them all over there? Put up a ‘Free Entry’ sign?”

Severus gave a faint smile — the closest thing to humor he could manage under such pressure.

“Those things call others. I’ll make one of them attract as many of those bastards as possible here.”

Marlene looked at him seriously.

Severus looked at Marlene and, without saying a word, stepped into the cafeteria kitchen. He rummaged through shelves, cabinets, and drawers as if he knew exactly what he was looking for.

“What are you looking for?” Marlene asked, following him.

“Anything that can boost the explosion,” he replied curtly, eyes now on a small gas canister — too small to do much. Then he opened a cabinet and spotted five bags of flour stacked neatly. He grabbed them all at once.

Marlene, searching for something to light the Molotov cocktails, found an old, battered, yellowed lighter.

“Found a lighter!” she called out to him but stopped short when she saw him with the flour bags. “What are you going to do with flour?”

Severus turned, meeting her gaze with that cold gleam in his eyes.

“Flour is flammable. Suspended in the air, it can cause a violent explosion.”

Marlene stared at him for a second, both alarmed and impressed.

“You really are an evil genius.”

He didn’t smile — just began explaining the plan:

“You need to go out that window and get to the other building. Set up the trap there. I’ll lure the creatures.”

He handed her the Molotov cocktails one by one.

“You’ll puncture the flour bags, place the gas canister in the middle, pour alcohol all over it, and spread some flour into the air. Then make a trail with the alcohol and light it with the cocktail. Throw it at the trail and… run. Run like your life depends on it. Because it does.”

Marlene looked at him, worried.

“I don’t know how to do this, Snape…”

“Yes, you do. It’s not hard. It’s easier than it sounds,” he interrupted, already moving toward the window. He packed the flour into a box and carefully tossed it outside. Then he picked up the gas canister and threw it into some bushes.

“Set it up on the ground floor — no need to climb anything. Just follow the order and don’t hesitate.”

He showed her the can of alcohol.

“Make the trail. Light it. Run.”

“And what happens to you if I can’t do it?”

He looked at her for a second. His voice was calm, but his eyes were full of dark certainty.

“The same thing that will happen to you… if you don’t escape in time.”

Before Marlene could answer, the cafeteria door was smashed open. A sharp crash echoed through the empty hall, followed by the sound of claws scraping against the floor. The creatures had entered.

“Go, McKinnon! Now!” Severus shouted, grabbing a cleaver from the counter. Marlene didn’t hesitate. She climbed through the window and disappeared on the other side, moving too fast to think.

Severus stepped out into the hall. Two creatures were already there. He remembered what had happened last time — when he’d hit one with a wooden stick and it let out a strange sound, summoning the others. That was exactly what he needed.

Severus gripped the cleaver tightly.

“Come on,” he whispered.

Severus hurled the cleaver with all his strength. The blade spun through the air and buried itself in the shoulder of the monster chasing him. He didn’t stay to watch the result. He had to run. He had to make those damn creatures call as many of their "friends" as possible. Marlene needed time to set up the trap — and this had to work.

He climbed a narrow staircase, stumbling on the steps. He tried to control his breathing, getting shorter, rougher. Not now, he thought. This is not the time for an asthma attack.

He glanced back. Four monsters were right behind him, bloodshot eyes gleaming, claws scraping the walls as they climbed.

Reaching the next floor, Severus spotted an old fire-fighting station. He smashed the glass with his fist, yanked out the coiled ropes, hands trembling with urgency. He darted into the next room — a ruined office space.

One of the monsters, smaller than the others, entered first. Perfect.

Severus slammed the door shut with a loud bang. Quickly, he fashioned a loop with the rope and threw it around the creature’s neck. It thrashed violently, trying to lash out with its spiked tail. Severus dove to the side and, in the same motion, slashed with an improvised knife. He severed half of the tail.

The creature let out a piercing roar that shook the room. It smashed against the walls, trying to break free.

Outside, the door was already giving way under the blows of the other monsters.

Without wasting a second, Severus tied the other end of the rope to the leg of a heavy iron desk. The creature thrashed wildly. He then tossed the remaining rope out the open window and jumped after it.

But the descent didn’t go as planned. One of the larger monsters reached the window and, with a brutal swipe, severed the rope.

Severus fell — luckily, less than a meter from the ground. He landed on his side, coughing hard, air scraping his throat raw. He forced himself up, lungs burning.

Pushing his body forward, he climbed through the window of a nearby room. It must’ve been a pharmacy.

Staggering, he desperately searched for an inhaler. He rifled through drawers, overturned cabinets. Nothing. No damn inhaler.

His vision started to blur, chest tightening.

I can’t pass out. Not now.

He decided to run. He stumbled out of the room. Along the way, he bumped into a chair, which fell with a loud clatter.

Behind him, the sound that froze his blood: claws scraping the floor, guttural breathing. They were coming.

Without looking back, Severus ran. He ran with everything he had left. He knew he couldn’t stop. He had to reach the trap. Or it would be the end.

Mulciber and Avery were trying to slip out through the back door of the cinema, gasping for breath. Mulciber’s ribs still ached with every movement, and Avery’s arms felt heavy from so much exertion.

When they peeked through the crack in the door, both of them froze.

Several humanoid creatures were scattered across the street. They moved slowly, almost sleepwalking, but in numbers large enough to make them dangerous. Their eyes were a milky white, faces disfigured, some bodies showing deformities like exposed bones and long-clawed hands.

Avery yanked Mulciber back by the collar, and the two of them retreated slowly, slipping back inside the cinema in silence. Without exchanging a word, they entered the first accessible screening room and carefully shut the door behind them.

It was a dark space, full of broken chairs, the floor covered in dust and bits of upholstery. The air inside smelled of mold and rust.

Mulciber leaned against the wall and wiped the sweat from his face.

“Shit, shit… this is all because of that damned gas station!” he growled, clenching his fists.

Avery, who had already heard the same complaint about ten times, rolled his eyes.

“For Salazar’s sake, Mulciber, shut up. We get it — it was the gas station’s fault, the wind’s fault, fate’s fault, whatever you want. Just be quiet or those things will hear us.”

Before Mulciber could snap back, a muffled noise from the back of the room caught their attention. They spun around, wands drawn by reflex — though useless against what was out there.

From a dark corner, crawling on his belly like a rat, came Peter Pettigrew.

“What the fuck... Pettigrew?!” Mulciber shouted, furious. “What the hell are you doing here, you little worm?”

Peter slowly stood up, patting the dust off his clothes, trembling slightly. His eyes were pure panic.

“I-I… I got lost… was trying to find a way out...”

Mulciber advanced on him, pointing a finger in his face.

“You kidding me? There’s a Wendigo back there and a horde of freaks out front, and you think this is a fucking field trip?”

Avery, still catching his breath, noticed a dark stain on the front of Peter’s shirt.

“That’s blood?” he asked coldly, staring Peter down. “Have you seen Snape? Charity? Anyone from our group?”

Peter looked nervously from one to the other, swallowing hard.

“N-no… I haven’t seen anyone. I... I was with Marlene. A monster attacked us... and I got separated from her, I swear!”

Avery narrowed his eyes.

“Then whose blood is that?” he asked, his tone making Peter pale.

Peter hesitated. He looked down, rubbing at the stain nervously.

“I... I fell in a puddle of blood, okay?! It’s not mine! I don’t know whose it is!”

Avery grimaced in disgust.

“Fantastic. Now you’re covered in blood and stinking the place up — as if things weren’t bad enough already.”

Mulciber snorted, crossing his arms.

“This coward’s gonna get us killed. It’s always the same with him.”

Peter shook his head frantically, sweating.

“P-please... don’t leave me here alone...”

Avery let out a long sigh and exchanged a look with Mulciber.

“For now, you stay. But stay quiet. If you make a sound, we’ll tie you to a chair and use you as bait ourselves. Got it?”

Peter nodded quickly, trembling.

Mulciber growled under his breath:

“Good. Now let’s figure out how to get the hell out of this fucking cinema without becoming dinner.”

They fell silent, listening to the dragging footsteps of the creatures outside and the muffled pounding of the Wendigo trapped in a distant room.

The tension in the air was palpable.

Marlene followed the plan exactly as Severus had instructed, though her hands trembled and her heart pounded in her chest.

She scattered the bags of flour across the floor, puncturing each one with the tip of a knife so the powder would drift into the air. The small gas canister sat right at the center of the trap, surrounded by a white cloud that hovered like a silent threat.

She poured alcohol over everything, carefully creating a trail that led to the door.

But when she looked down and saw the Molotov cocktails still in her hands, she froze.

“Shit... what did he say I was supposed to do with these again?”

Her eyes darted frantically across the floor. Then she spotted an old box full of rusty nails. Severus’s voice echoed in her mind: Anything that increases the destructive force...

“Of course... shrapnel.”

Moving fast, she dumped the nails into one of the flour bags, turning it into something even deadlier. Time was running out. Outside, the sound of claws, dry moans, and creaking wood told her the creatures were already inside the hospital.

She finished laying the alcohol trail. Glancing toward the side of the building, she spotted Severus slipping out through a door. Moments later, the creatures began swarming after him like a ravenous pack.

Marlene grabbed the lighter, her hands shaking so badly she could barely spin the wheel.

First try — nothing.

Second — a spark, but the wind blew it out.

Third — failed again.

On the verge of tears, chest tightening, she tried one more time. The flame finally caught. She could barely breathe.

With a quick motion, she lit the cloth of one of the Molotovs. It ignited instantly.

“Come on, come on, come on...” she whispered hoarsely, throwing the cocktail onto the alcohol trail just as Severus sprinted past.

The fire raced along the floor like an orange serpent.

Marlene bolted in the opposite direction, not daring to look back.

And then came the explosion.

The air shattered with a deafening roar, as if the entire world had collapsed. Heat swept through the corridor. A dense white cloud of dust and destruction mushroomed into the sky. Everything shook. Everything seemed to freeze in place.

---

Elsewhere in the city, inside the darkened cinema where they were hiding, Mulciber and Avery felt the floor tremble beneath their feet.

“What the fuck was that?” Avery shot to his feet, eyes wide.

Peter, pale as a sheet, curled up under a theater seat, small and trembling like a rat.

Mulciber and Avery rushed outside. In the distance, they saw spirals of smoke rising, thick and high.

“That was Severus. Has to be,” Mulciber said, a gleam in his eye.

Without wasting another second, they took off running toward the flash, adrenaline surging through their veins.

Chapter Text

James and Sirius managed to reach the house without further trouble, running through the silent, empty streets. Aurora woke up along the way, pale, her face sweaty and eyes half-closed.

—Merlin…—she groaned, bringing a hand to her mouth. —I’m going to… throw up…

Sirius widened his eyes and held Aurora more tightly.

—Fuck, Sinistra, hang in there! Not on my jacket, for fuck’s sake!— he said, half desperate but trying to keep his tone light despite the tension.

Aurora muttered a weak apology, her head falling against Sirius’s shoulder, and he quickened his pace.

When they reached the house, the door burst open — Wilkes was there, alert expression and wand in hand. Upon seeing the group, he rushed to help.

—What happened?— he asked, carefully taking Aurora from Sirius’s arms.

—We were chased by monsters and a flower shop collapsed on top of us,— Charity explained, visibly limping.

Wilkes carried Aurora inside quickly. On the couch, he laid her down gently and wiped her bloody forehead with a damp cloth.

Regulus was sitting in an armchair, visibly paler than before. When he saw Charity limping and Aurora hurt, his gaze darkened even more with worry. Charity walked up to him and touched his hot forehead with the palm of her hand. His shoulder was still wrapped in makeshift bandages, the dried blood staining the fabric, although the bleeding had stopped.

James stood still for a moment, scanning the room.

—Wilkes, have you seen any of my friends? Lily? Remus? Marlene? Any of them?

Wilkes, focused on Aurora, looked up quickly at James.

—No. I only saw Snape a while ago. No one else.

James ran his hands through his hair, messing it up even more, and let out a tense sigh.

—Shit. I’m going after the others.— His voice was thick with worry.

Sirius, who had been silently watching Regulus with a serious expression, stood up.

—I’m going too. It’s better not to walk around alone.

Wilkes glanced briefly at the injured girls and Regulus, then sighed.

—I’ll stay. They need someone here. They’re too hurt.

James nodded sharply. He picked up his wand — even though it wasn’t working — and cast a determined glance at Sirius.

—Let’s go.

James and Sirius left the house in silence, walking down the narrow, foggy street toward the last place Sirius had seen Lily and Remus. The gray morning light barely cut through the thick mist that cloaked the crumbling buildings.

Before they even reached their destination, the two stopped at the sight of a figure ahead.

It was a woman — stunning, with striking East Asian features, porcelain-like skin, and long black hair cascading freely over her shoulders. She wore an elegant, ancient kimono that moved with the breeze as if it were alive. She stood still, looking lost… or frightened.

James stepped forward slowly, cautiously.

—Hey… are you okay?— he asked gently, raising one hand in a peaceful gesture.

The woman stepped back.

—No need to be afraid,—he continued, his voice low. —I won’t hurt you.

Sirius, standing just behind him, narrowed his eyes. The ground around them was covered in thin, shimmering threads. Webs. A lot of webs. And cocoons — huge ones — clung to the nearby walls.

He moved closer to James and muttered:

—Something’s really wrong here, James.

Then the woman smiled. A wide, unsettling smile — far too unnatural to be human. Her eyes gleamed with something strange, something inhuman, and she muttered something in a language neither of them understood.

James shivered.

Only then did he notice the nearly invisible spider threads stuck to his clothes, wrapping around his arm as if they moved on their own.

In the blink of an eye, the woman attacked.

Sirius reacted fast and tried to hit her with a piece of wood, but she struck him with brutal force, throwing him hard against a wall. James shouted his friend’s name and tried fired a spell but nothing happened — but the creature had already leapt to the ceiling, several legs unfolding from beneath the kimono like a giant, camouflaged spider.

—Shit… Sirius, get up! We’ve got to run!

Sirius, gasping, clutched his stomach where fresh blood was pouring out. He nodded, eyes tight with pain, and stood up with effort.

They took off down the street, running as fast as they could. Behind them, the metallic clatter of the creature’s limbs hitting the walls echoed like a nightmare.

But suddenly, she stopped. The creature turned sharply in another direction, startled, and vanished, sprinting at inhuman speed down an alleyway.

A screech — high-pitched and chilling — rang out from somewhere farther away. Something even she seemed to fear.

Sirius stumbled and fell again, scraping his arms on the uneven asphalt. James dropped to his knees, pulling him up by the shoulders.

—Come on, Sirius, get up, come on, move…

As he helped him, James caught something out of the corner of his eye: a dim light flickered for a second in the window of a nearby house. A sliver of movement between the curtains. Someone was watching.

But as soon as James turned his face in that direction, the curtain snapped shut.

—Someone saw us,–James said, still breathless. –There was a light in the window.

Sirius, panting, muttered:

—What the hell is someone doing living in this nightmare?

But before they could decide anything, a thunderous explosion tore through the air, coming from another part of the city. An orange flash lit up the buildings and made the ground shake.

James turned, eyes wide.

—That… that was magic. Has to be.

Sirius straightened up despite the pain.

—Let’s go. Could be Remus. Or Lily.

James nodded.

—We’ll come back to that house later. If someone’s in there, they’re terrified. They’re not opening the door now.

Without wasting time, the two of them ran toward the source of the explosion, the shadows of dawn stretching behind them while the distorted city remained silent — watching.

James and Sirius were running down the narrow street when, turning a corner, they saw two familiar figures ahead: Avery and Mulciber, also running toward the distant flash of light.

James shouted:

— Mulciber! Avery!

The two stopped abruptly, turning around. Mulciber frowned with disgust when he recognized the voice.

— Oh, great. Instead of finding my friends, I run into two idiots.

Sirius skidded to a halt and crossed his arms, panting, his face red with irritation.

— Who's the idiot, you son of a bitch? he snapped.

— Sirius, James muttered, trying to ease the tension.

But Avery, always the more level-headed of the two, raised his hands.

— This isn’t the time for that, he said firmly. Have you seen Severus? Or Regulus? Or any of the girls?

James nodded, breathing hard.

— The girls and Regulus plus Wilkes are safe. They’re in a basement of a house further south. We’re gathering everyone there.
And Snape… well, he went after you two. Have you seen Peter, Remus, or Lily?

Mulciber let out a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes.

— Pettigrew’s hiding like a rat in the cinema. Alone.

Sirius scoffed, clearly displeased.

— Great. Just what we needed.

James turned to him with a serious, urgent look.

— Sirius, go get Peter. Please.
He’s probably too scared to come out on his own.

Sirius hesitated, making a face of pure protest.

— But James…

— Please, Padfoot.

Sirius stared at the ground for a second, then sighed as if carrying the weight of the world.

— Fine. But when this is over, I’m punching him for being such a coward.

Mulciber and Avery exchanged a brief glance. Avery, frowning, pointed with his chin:

— The cinema’s that way.

James nodded gratefully and turned to the other two.

— Let’s go.

Without another word, Avery took off toward the explosion’s flash, convinced that kind of destruction could only have come from Severus.
Mulciber followed with a tense, anxious expression.

James ran close behind, leaping over rubble and dodging debris.

Marlene slowly came to, her head pounding. There was a high-pitched ringing in her ears, as if she’d dived headfirst into absolute silence and now sound was slowly returning. Her whole body ached — she must’ve blacked out when she fell. She tried to move, but an invisible weight seemed to pin her to the ground.

That’s when she heard it.

Shuffling footsteps.

And a wet, irregular sound, like flesh being dragged over concrete. Slowly, she turned her head and froze.

A humanoid creature was coming toward her — burned, twisted, its skin raw and still smoldering in places, releasing a thick, foul smoke. Its eyes — or what was left of them — glowed with an animalistic hunger. It was only a few meters away. Marlene tried to get up, to crawl backwards, but she couldn’t. She was too weak.

The creature lunged at her.

She let out a sharp scream, squeezing her eyes shut.

THUD.

A horrible growl echoed through the air.

Marlene’s eyes flew open in shock. The creature was thrashing violently. A metal pipe had pierced its neck. Smoke rose in thicker clouds as its hands slapped the ground in spasms.

Behind it, breathing hard and eyes blazing with adrenaline, stood James, gripping the pipe tightly.

The creature gave one last convulsion and went still.

— Bastard... — James muttered, letting go of the iron rod.

Marlene was still shaking when she felt hands gently holding her.

— Are you okay? — James asked, eyes scanning the area for any movement.

She nodded slowly, trying to lean on him to get up. Her legs felt like rubber.

— I... I thought I was going to die, she whispered, swallowing her tears.

Before James could answer, Avery and Mulciber rushed over, both with tense, sweaty faces.

— Did you see Snape?! — Avery asked bluntly.

Marlene pointed, unable to speak at first, in the direction where she had last seen Severus.

— He went that way... — she finally managed to say, her voice hoarse.

James gave her arm a gentle squeeze and asked:

— Can you stand?

She nodded, taking a deep breath.

James gave the fallen creature one last glance, then looked at his friends.

— We’re finding Snape. Now.

They took off, running in the direction Marlene had indicated, the smoke from the explosion still hanging heavy in the air — a reminder that this was far from over.

Severus was collapsed on the ground, coughing violently. His chest was heaving, his vision already blurry and darkening as he tried, in vain, to draw in air. No matter how hard he fought, the air simply wouldn’t come. In desperation, he barely heard Avery’s distant shout.

He tried to scream too, but only a dry sob escaped. He was slipping into unconsciousness.

Mulciber was the first to reach him. He dropped to his knees beside Severus, wearing the most serious expression anyone had ever seen on him.

— Severus! What the fuck is going on? Talk to me! — He shook Severus’s shoulder lightly.

Avery arrived moments later, panting.

— He’s having an attack from that Muggle disease.

Without wasting a second, he pulled a worn, scratched inhaler from the inner pocket of his jacket — one he’d carried since fourth year “just in case,” as he always said.

— Here, Severus. Take it. Quick. — Avery shoved the device into Severus’s trembling hand.

Mulciber helped, guiding their friend’s hand up to his mouth.

— He’s the one who has to press it, Bruce. Come on, Severus, for fuck’s sake, press it already!

Severus gathered what little strength he had left and pressed the inhaler with a muffled click. He inhaled. Then again. Slowly, air began to fill his lungs, though unevenly. He coughed a few more times but was breathing now.

Wobbling, he got to his feet with difficulty, his face pale and slick with sweat.

— Thanks... Avery, he murmured, still catching his breath.

At that moment, a low growl echoed down the corridor. The three of them immediately snapped to attention.

Still breathless, Severus was the first to move toward the sound, leaning against the wall. He stopped as he spotted a smaller creature crouched in the dark, its eyes glowing.

— What the hell... — he muttered.

Avery approached carefully.

— You feeling better, Severus?

Mulciber showed up right behind him, grabbed a stick from the ground, and started poking the creature cautiously.

— What happened here? What the hell is that?

Severus shrugged, still watching the thing.

— I don’t know. Do you recognize it?

Avery shook his head.

— Never seen anything like it.

— This place is too fucking weird, Mulciber muttered.

Severus nodded slowly.

— I saw a capelobo in the hospital, he said, his voice more steady now.

Mulciber blinked, confused.

— What the fuck is a capelobo?

Severus let out an impatient sigh.

— A creature from Brazilian folklore. Body of a werewolf, head of an anteater, legs of a goat. But officially, Muggles think it’s just a myth. These things stay in northern Brazil. They don’t move around — let alone leave the country.

Before he could say more, James arrived in a rush, having heard part of the conversation.

— What about it? — he asked, out of breath.

Severus looked at him with genuine disbelief, as if James’s stupidity was almost more dangerous than the creatures around them.

— Potter, — he said with disdain, — just like some animals, magical creatures don’t move around randomly. They follow instincts, territories. There are natural and magical laws for that. So tell me... — he took a step toward James, eyes blazing — what the hell is a capelobo doing here, so far from its country, in the middle of rural England?

Silence.

Mulciber and Avery exchanged a glance, for the first time with a flicker of genuine unease.

Severus looked at the fallen creature once more and muttered:

— Something is forcing these things here. Or opening doors that were never meant to be opened.

James swallowed hard.

The inside of the ice cream shop was dark and cold, thick with the stench of rot and despair. Lily dozed against the counter, eyes half-closed from exhaustion. The last few hours had been hell — creatures stampeding in a single direction, screams and inhuman sounds echoing through the streets. She and Remus had hidden there when the town began to collapse.

Remus was breathing heavily, sitting beside her with a cloth pressed to the wound on his stomach. It wasn’t deep, but it burned like hell.

A sound like an explosion shook the floor beneath them. Lily jolted awake, eyes wide. Fire. Thick smoke rising from the other side of the city.

She crawled to the shattered display window and peeked out: a column of flames rose on the horizon, lighting up the rooftops.

— Remus, she called, moving back to him. — Something exploded. On the other side of town. I’m almost certain it was Severus.

— Shit... — Remus muttered, struggling to sit up. — You really think it was him?

— We have to go there. I’m almost sure. Maybe everyone’s heading in that direction.

She slung his arm over her shoulders and helped him walk. They made their way through narrow alleys, dodging debris and suspicious shadows. The sky was beginning to brighten when a shout stopped them cold:

— You two! Turn around slowly!

They froze.

Turned cautiously.

A middle-aged man with a grimy face and unshaven beard pointed a gun directly at Lily’s chest. Behind him, four other men were closing in with ropes and improvised weapons — hammers, axes, clubs.

— We don’t want any trouble, Lily said, trying to stay calm. — We just want to go home.

The man didn’t lower the gun.

— Who blew those things up? They’ll come back. They hold grudges. And they’ll kill everyone because of you.

Remus tightened his grip on Lily’s arm, tense.

— We didn’t do anything, he said. — We’re just trying to survive.

— On your knees. Now, the man growled, as the others readied the ropes.

Lily and Remus exchanged a look. Almost simultaneously, they drew their wands.

— Stupefy! they shouted together.

Nothing happened.

Their wands remained pointed, but inert — as useless as twigs.

The man laughed, dry and mean.

— You’re both insane. Drop that now or I’ll blow your damn heads off.

Lily let her wand fall. The fear was real, razor-sharp. Remus, trembling, knelt beside her.

— We didn’t do anything... Lily whispered, her voice breaking. — Please... we just want to go home...

One of the men tied their hands roughly, his callused fingers digging into their wrists. Another blindfolded them. Everything went dark.

Just before she was taken, Lily made a single gesture — subtle, almost invisible.

She slipped the silver ring from her finger and let it fall to the ground, right where the morning light touched the cracked asphalt.

Marlene appeared in the hallway, panting, her hair disheveled and a fresh cut on her arm. As soon as she saw Severus, she went straight to him.

— Are you okay? — she asked seriously.

Severus gave her a brief nod — a discreet yes.

Marlene took a deep breath.

— One of those monsters almost killed me just now. If it weren’t for Potter, I’d be dead.

Severus sighed, his voice dry:

— Good thing Potter saved you, then.

Avery and Mulciber exchanged a faint smile. They were used to Severus — cold, even in the most absurd situations.

Wasting no time, Severus said:

— We should go after Aurora and Charity.

But before he could take a step, James intervened:

— I’ve already found them. They’re safe, with Regulus.

Severus let out a sigh of relief, though his expression remained closed. As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the building’s shattered windows, the creature lying on the floor began to hiss. Everyone watched, stunned, as it crumbled into ash before their eyes.

— What the hell was that... — Mulciber muttered.

Severus sighed loudly.

— I don’t know. But the sun seems to be one of our allies. — He paused, then added firmly: — I need to find a pharmacy. Regulus’s shoulder is torn up — there must be something out there we can use.

James stepped closer, his face tense.

— Sinistra’s got a head wound too. And Burbage twisted her ankle — she can barely walk.

— Understood. I’ll try to find something for all of them, — Severus replied, already mapping out the route in his mind.

At that moment, Marlene asked, her voice heavy with concern:

— What about Lily? Is she okay?

James shook his head.

— I haven’t found her yet. Not her, not Remus.

Severus swallowed hard, his chest tightening. A cold wave ran down his spine. Lily...

But he said nothing. He knew Lily was strong, clever. If anyone had a chance out there, it was her. Even so, the knot in his throat lingered.

That’s when Peter and Sirius showed up — sweaty and filthy. Peter was still breathing hard.

Marlene saw him and, without hesitation, landed a solid punch to his nose.

— OW! — Peter recoiled, clutching his face. Blood trickled from his nose.

Everyone stood in shocked silence for a second — everyone except Mulciber, who burst out laughing.

— Finally someone did that, he said, thoroughly amused.

James frowned.

— What the hell, Marlene?! Why’d you do that?

Marlene, her eyes burning, pointed at Peter:

— That cowardly son of a bitch practically threw me at the monster to save himself! Ran off like a rat. If Snape hadn’t shown up at that bloody factory, I’d be dead right now.

Peter, red with shame and holding his bleeding nose, stammered:

— I-it was an accident! I f-fell and accidentally pushed her out of the hiding spot! I swear!

Marlene rolled her eyes.

— Pathetic.

Without another word, she turned away.

— I’m going to look for Lily.

James nodded.

— Me too.

Sirius looked at the sunlight streaming into the room.

— At least it’s light now. It’ll be easier to find Remus and Lily.

A brief silence settled over them. Each of them felt, in different ways, that the morning brought a sliver of hope — but also new uncertainties.

Severus pressed his lips together. I hope you’re safe, Lily.

Severus shot a quick glance at Marlene and James before turning back to his own friends.

—We need to find a pharmacy. Regulus needs medicine — that shoulder of his is shredded — and so do the girls. There has to be something out there.

Avery crossed his arms.
—I’m coming with you. And maybe we’ll find a way to get the hell out of this place. This shithole has already overstayed its welcome.

But Severus, who in truth was already planning to look for Lily, shook his head.

—No. You and Mulciber should go to where the girls are. Wilkes is alone with them, and the Black baby is probably on the verge of killing himself. They’ll need you more than I do.

He took a deep breath and cast a grim look at the floor.

—Besides… I tried to find that gas station again several times last night. It’s just gone. Which leads me to one theory: either that station is a portal that only appears for a few hours at night, or this town is bigger — and more twisted — than it seems. He looked up, his eyes cold. —We’re exhausted. Our friends need medicine. And since this town is clearly Muggle, you pure-bloods are completely useless for this kind of search. You’ll only get in the way.

Silence fell. Severus’s logic was cruel, but spot-on.

James ran a hand down his tired face.

—He’s right,– he sighed. —We should split up. I’ll go with him to look for a pharmacy… and also search for Lily and Remus. Sirius and Marlene can take the other side of town and do the same. Marlene’s Muggle-born — she knows about Muggle meds, which helps a lot.

Severus rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.

—Potter, you can go with McKinnon and Black. Because you'd only slow me down — and it’s my friends who need the medicine, not yours.

James stared at him, jaw clenched.

—Trust me, walking around with you isn’t exactly pleasant for me either, Snape, he said, crossing his arms. –But it’s necessary. Like you said, this town is warped. And we don’t know anything about it. So the smartest move is to go in pairs. Or would you rather go alone, get torn apart, and be useless to everyone?

Severus looked at him in silence, his gaze sharp. Deep down, he knew James had a point.

Finally, he let out a resigned sigh.

—Very well, Potter. Don’t make me regret this decision.

James just nodded, a spark of irritation still in his eyes.

Sirius clapped Marlene on the shoulder.

—Come on, McKinnon. We’ll handle the other side.

She nodded quickly, still tense.

As the group prepared to head out, the air was thick with tension.
Each of them knew the next leg of the journey would be anything but easy.

Chapter Text

—Before we split up, there's something. When Sirius and I were running from one of those creatures... we saw a house. It looked abandoned, but… for a second, I swear I saw a light on. And someone hurriedly closed the curtain.

A suspicious silence followed.

—Someone living here?—Marlene asked, her voice hoarse.

Severus narrowed his eyes, alert.

—It’d be good if someone went there. If there are people living in this town, we need to know.

Marlene pointed to the building next to the hospital.

—In the next block, there’s a lab. That’s where you made the Molotov cocktails, remember?

Severus nodded, already opening his mouth to speak.

—Yeah. And there was also a pharmacy. Most of the medicine was expired, but—

A sharp crack cut him off. The ground trembled.

Everyone turned toward the hospital.

The structure groaned loudly — the crooked sound of metal giving way, glass shattering, concrete cracking. The building began to collapse.

—RUN!

They scattered quickly, stumbling over debris, as the hospital came down with a roar.

James grabbed Marlene on instinct and threw her to the ground, shielding her with his body. Shards sliced through the air, stones flew like bullets. When silence finally fell, dust rose like fog, covering everything.

Everyone coughed, trying to see each other through the haze. Severus wiped his face with a dirty sleeve, glancing around until he confirmed everyone was alive. He let out a hard sigh.

He thought of the lab. The pharmacy. Of what he had done in that damn hospital.

It wasn’t worth it... he thought bitterly.

Shoddy construction, he muttered internally, jaw clenched. That explosion hadn’t even been in the hospital — and still the building couldn’t take it.

He looked at the others.

—Mulciber, Avery... you'd better head to the meeting point now,— he said flatly.

James nodded and looked at Peter.

—Go with them.

Peter nodded, still shaking. Mulciber grabbed the boy by the shoulder, and the three vanished into the alleys.

Severus, exhausted and furious, turned and began walking down the opposite street, toward what looked like a commercial area. Heavy steps, ragged breathing.

James watched him go. Gave one last wave to Sirius and Marlene, then he ran to catch up, hurried footsteps echoing on the empty sidewalks. He grabbed Severus’s arm, yanking him around with force.

— What the hell is your problem, Snape? We just got out of a collapsing hospital — do you really think it’s a good idea to turn your back and walk off like you’re alone in this fucked-up world?

Severus stared at him coldly. Dust clung to his eyelashes, and his hair was streaked with soot.

— You know how to handle yourself. You told me that. And no, Potter, I’m not your father or your—

— It’s not about that! — James shouted. — You don’t get it, do you? No one here knows what the hell is going on. We’re trapped. There are monsters. Time’s distorted. And you… you can’t just walk away like that. I—

He stopped.

Severus didn't look at him. He kept walking.

James caught up to him in two long strides, his voice deeper now.

—I know exactly where you’re going.

Silence. A distant sound of something breaking, a metallic echo from somewhere else.

James reached out and touched Severus’s shoulder, making him stop.

—You’re going after Lily.

Severus stared at James for a moment, noticing the broken, crooked glasses on his face and the dirt smeared across his skin.

—I’m going after medicine,— he said at last. —If I find Evans, that'll be a bonus.

Severus and James walked through the streets under the pale light of day. The thick fog gave the scene a ghostly atmosphere, making the morning feel little different from the night. The sun barely managed to pierce through that gray curtain. The houses had old architecture—some looked like they had been patched up over time, others were slowly collapsing, forgotten. Trash and dry leaves were scattered across the asphalt, piling up on the sidewalks as if no one had passed by in months.

The silence between them was thick. The only thing they seemed to agree on.

James walked behind Severus, observing the strange world around them. When he saw an iron tower rising between the crumbling buildings, he frowned and asked:

—What’s that?

Severus followed his gaze, saw the structure, and replied disinterestedly:

—A phone tower.

James kept staring, curious.

—What’s it for?

Severus stopped for a second, rubbing his face with both hands, frustrated. They had been walking for hours, the city felt like an endless maze, and to top it off, Potter wouldn’t stop asking stupid questions.

—It’s for transmitting signals from one phone to another,— he answered irritably.
—That’s how Muggles communicate over distance.

James frowned, absorbing the information.

—But how does the signal work?

Severus turned to him slowly, shooting him a poisoned glare.

—You’re too stupid to understand.

James stared back, offended.

—Or maybe you just don’t know and like to act like a know-it-all.

Severus pressed his lips together and started walking again without saying another word. His head throbbed, his arm pulsed with pain, and the exhaustion made each step heavier. He had no patience for Potter’s wounded pride. Not now.

James lagged behind for a few seconds, pride stung. Then caught up again, still unsure whether he wanted to keep arguing or just walk in silence—like they had been doing from the beginning.

James followed him, stumbling over the debris. The cracked glass on the right lens blurred his vision, and he kept wiping his face with a dirty sleeve. Despite the situation, his eyes scanned the city around them, curious. The old houses, with structures that looked like they’d been pulled from a medieval village, gave the place the air of a bad dream. Streetlights flickered, and James thought about asking Snape what they were for. But he didn’t want to give him the pleasure of laughing at his ignorance.

They passed a toppled bus when Severus stopped next to a huge, rusted vehicle.

—This doesn’t make sense,—Severus muttered, frowning.

—What is it? —James asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

—That,—Snape said without even looking at him, —is a war tank.

James clicked his tongue and ran a hand along the rough metal body.

—Looks like just another Muggle car.

Severus rolled his eyes with barely concealed exhaustion.

—That ‘car’ is a weapon, Potter. A vehicle used in battles. It fires projectiles, breaks through barriers. It’s a killing machine.

He glanced at James’s back, noticing a tear in the fabric and an irregular bloodstain, like a wild cat had clawed at him in fury.

James was squinting, trying to read the sign of a shop in the distance. All he could see were blurry shapes.

Severus followed his gaze and added:

—It’s not that one. But that one is.

He pointed a bit further ahead — a crooked sign that read
— Pharmacy. They ran to it. The door was locked.

Severus tried the handle, then shoved his shoulder against the wood. Nothing. He swore under his breath.

—Bloody lack of magic...

James huffed and, impatient, kicked the door hard. The old wood groaned and swung open with a loud crack.

Severus turned, annoyed:

—You nearly hit me, idiot!

James gave him a mocking smile.

—Aw, such a shame I missed.

—Go to hell, Potter.

Without another word, Severus stepped inside, grabbed a basket off the floor and started gathering what he could find. He checked expiration dates with obsessive care, frowning with every disappointment.

James, disoriented by his poor vision, just squinted and accidentally knocked into the shelves.

—Look at this,— Severus murmured, already stuffing an old bag with gauze and painkillers. —None of this makes sense. This one expired sixty years ago... and this one was made three months ago. How is that possible?

James picked up a torn magazine from the floor.

—Same here. This one’s from now — like, two months ago. But this one talks about the start of World War II. It’s dated 1939.

Severus reached out and snatched the newspaper from James’s hand.

—Wow, gentle as a troll,— James grumbled, in a bad mood. He turned around and accidentally bumped into a pile of bottles that crashed to the floor.

—Can you stop throwing yourself into the shelves? Severus growled.

—It’s not like I want to fall into this crap, genius, James snapped. —My glasses are useless!

Severus let out a loud, impatient sigh and grabbed him by the arm.

—Come with me.

They walked to a side door. The display window on the other side showed a collection of glasses — most broken or crooked. Severus smashed the glass with his elbow, grabbed a few, and started testing them on James. One, two, three — none worked.

Until one finally fit. James blinked, seeing clearly for the first time in hours. He frowned, confused.

—Damn... he murmured, then looked back at Severus. His eyes landed on Severus’s arm, where a patch of blood had spread across the sleeve. —How did you get hurt?

—None of your business, Severus answered flatly.

—Why do you never just tell me what the hell your problem is?

Severus didn’t answer. He went back to the backpack, resuming the search. James pressed on:

—So how did you and Marlene blow up that building? Seriously, Snape. We haven’t been able to cast a single spell. Not even a light charm works. So how the hell did you cause that explosion?

This time, Severus stopped.

Severus gave James a bored look, as if the mere question had insulted his intelligence.

— I'd rather teach idiotic children than have to explain how we blew up those monsters.

James stopped, his lips tightening in frustration. That arrogance — that constant air of superiority — made his blood boil. He clenched his fists but chose to swallow his pride. For now.

He followed Severus back into the pharmacy. Now, with the makeshift glasses working, he could read the labels on the bottles and boxes more clearly. He stopped in front of a dust-stained package and read aloud:

— Amoxicillin. What’s this for?

Severus didn’t even glance in his direction.

— Antibiotic. Kills bacteria. Infections.

James raised an eyebrow.

— Like... dragon fever?

— No, Potter. Bacteria. Microscopic organisms. Things Muggles study.

Severus glanced around again, as if something bothered him more than James's presence. The pharmacy was packed with items — medicine, hygiene products, expired food, scattered papers. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. And yet, nothing had been taken. No sign of looting. None of the typical chaos of a city in collapse.

— If there are people living here... — he muttered more to himself — then why is everything so old and abandoned? Why hasn't anything been looted? You’d think they’d take what they needed to survive.

James stayed silent for a few seconds, scanning the shelves.

— Maybe no one’s alive here, Snape. Maybe this is all just some illusion.

Severus shook his head.

— That wouldn’t explain the recent dates. Or the electricity still working on some poles. Or the new magazines mixed with newspapers from 1939.

James frowned.

— And the tank? The overturned bus? The buildings across the street still intact?

— Like someone took pieces from different decades and stitched them together — Severus concluded in a low voice. — Like this city is some kind of... collage.

James looked at him, more serious now.

— Do you think this place is real?

Severus didn’t answer right away. His eyes were fixed on a leak in the ceiling, dripping in a steady rhythm like a broken clock.

— I don’t know — he said at last. — But this city was built with intention. And I doubt it was a good one.

James swallowed hard.

— Do you think Lily’s okay?

Severus packed a few more bottles into his backpack before replying, dryly:

— Of course. Lily is strong and smart. She’ll be fine.

James let out a loud sigh, running his hands through his messy hair, exhausted. He picked up a white tube with the label completely worn off.

— What’s this for?

Severus glanced at it quickly.

And turned his face away at once.

— That’s not necessary. It’s useless, he said curtly, moving away like the tube had burned him.

James raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

— Okay, but what is it? What’s it for?

— I told you. Nothing important. Useless, Severus muttered, heading straight to the other side of the pharmacy.

James followed, a grin tugging at his lips. He loved seeing Snape flustered — it was rare. And felt like a small victory.

— If it’s useless, then why is it in a pharmacy?

Severus stopped abruptly. He set the basket down on the counter too hard, making a sharp noise. Took a deep breath, jaw clenched.

— You’re just getting in the way, he growled. I could do this a lot better on my own.

James raised his hands, theatrical.

— It’s just curiosity, Snape. You should try being less of an asshole sometimes.

Severus narrowed his eyes. And then he snapped:

— I’d rather have McKinnon here. At least she’s useful. Unlike you. A useless pureblood idiot who’s good for fucking nothing.

The words sliced through the air like a knife.

James froze. The grin vanished from his face. For a moment, he said nothing.

Then he stepped forward.

— You know what? — his voice was low, intense. Go fuck yourself... You’ve been like this since first year. A piece of shit who thinks he’s some kind of genius.

Severus stared at him, silent.

They stood there, frozen, surrounded by broken bottles and ancient dust, with tension thick in the air between them.

They heard voices in the distance. Men talking.

James rose slightly, curious. Maybe this was finally a chance for help. People. Maybe they knew where they were, maybe they could guide them — or at least offer a safe place.

But before he could take another step, Severus grabbed him by the collar and yanked him harshly to the ground, both of them hitting the dusty floor. Severus’s body was tense like a pulled wire, his eyes fixed through the crack in the window. He made a sharp gesture with his fingers, signaling James to stay quiet.

James still didn’t understand the urgency until he heard one of the voices outside say in a thick accent:

— This side of town’s dangerous. Best not get distracted.

Severus hissed through clenched teeth, clearly annoyed at Potter’s slowness:

— They’re armed. And we’re defenseless. No magic. — He glanced sideways, his eyes razor-sharp. — Better to observe before announcing our presence. And by the way... they’re clearly searching for something. Or someone.

James held his breath and nodded. He swallowed hard and peeked through a crack in the broken window. He saw four men. They carried Muggle weapons — the kind he only vaguely recognized from pictures — and wore outdated clothes, as if they’d walked straight out of a 1940s film. The whole thing was absurd — and dangerous. And if Snape said it was better not to be seen, he believed him.

He turned his face toward Severus, who was watching the men in silence, his expression hardened. In another time, James might’ve cracked a stupid joke. But now, in the dark, with dead light filtering through the gaps, he just watched Snape’s profile. His hair was clean — since when did he know how to wash his hair? — his lashes were long, almost delicate. There was something fragile hidden behind that mask of venom.

James whispered:

— But... why would these guys be after us? We didn’t even do anything.

Severus looked at him, his face shadowed, almost angry.

— Maybe the problem is that we exist, Potter. — His voice came out low, bitter. — Some people just can’t stand the fact that you’re alive. And they decide to make your life a living hell.

James stayed silent.
Not because he had nothing to say —
but because something in that answer hurt more than it should have.

James swallowed hard.
Snape’s words still hung in his head, thick as smoke: “Some people can’t stand the fact that you exist.”
He thought about fifth year.
The shame.
The hatred.
The look in Severus’s eyes—wounded and full of contempt—the same look now before him, alert to the movement outside like a cornered animal.

The silence grew thick for a moment. Severus looked away, scanning the possible exits. He was just about to move when a sharp crack split the air.

BANG!

Severus flinched and pressed abruptly against James, who instinctively placed a protective hand on his waist. James's eyes widened.

— What the hell was that?!

— Gunshot, Severus replied flatly. His voice was steady, but tight.

When he realized their position, he pulled away quickly, face as unreadable as ever—or trying to be. James noticed, and a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

They made their way to a back window. Severus tried to open it quietly, but it resisted. He pushed harder. The window creaked open—with a sound far too loud.

Both froze.

For one long second, neither of them breathed.

Then Severus jumped out quickly. James followed without thinking.

They ducked around an alley and crouched behind a pile of bricks. Peeking discreetly, they saw one of the men holding a white rabbit, fluffy, blood dripping from what remained of its head.

Another was stepping into the optician’s shop on the corner.

Severus grabbed James by the shirt and pulled him along, both moving as silently as possible, keeping to the shadows.

Once they were at a safe distance, James spoke up:

— Maybe… maybe we should introduce ourselves to them, James said, voice lower now, almost uncertain. What if… what if they’re actually trying to help?

Severus stopped walking. He turned slowly, fixing James with a look like he’d just suggested jumping off a cliff.

— Of course, Potter. Brilliant idea. We absolutely should introduce ourselves to a bunch of armed barbarians who are clearly hunting us, who shot an innocent animal for fun, in this twisted world full of monsters. — He gestured vaguely at their surroundings. — Why didn’t I think of that sooner?

James clenched his jaw.

He hated that tone.

That damned Snape sarcasm.

All he wanted was to look for a silver lining, some kind of hope — but no, Snape had to make him feel like a bloody idiot.

— Fine, he said through his teeth. Let’s follow them then. Find out where they live, who they are, and what they want. Or are you going to say that’s stupid too?

Severus gripped the strap of his bag tightly, looking away for a second. The image of his injured friends — Aurora, Regulus, and Charity — weighed heavy on him like a stone. Following those men might be a real lead. But his friends were out there, suffering now.

James saw the hesitation. And didn’t miss his chance to prod.

— I can go alone, if you want. After all… you’re too weak, right?

Silence.

Severus turned his head slowly. His dark eyes sparked with fury.

— Weak? Me? — he said, voice low and venomous. Says the guy who needs three mangy dogs to take me on. Tell me, Potter — when did you finally learn to do anything by yourself? Must’ve been a hell of a party when you realized you could brush your teeth without help.

James stepped forward, eyes narrowed, fists clenched.

Severus didn’t flinch.

He just lifted his chin in challenge.

— Is that what you think of me, Snape? — James growled, stepping closer. — That I’m useless? That I can’t do a bloody thing on my own?

Severus stared at him, eyes sparking with even more hatred than before.

— When you’re not surrounded by your little friends, Potter, that’s exactly what you look like. You’re like your eyes — useless without your glasses.

— Oh yeah? — James grabbed Severus’s arm tightly. — Did you forget I fucking saved your life?

Severus looked at him with a cold venom sharp enough to cut.

— When? Because I don’t remember a damn thing.

James gripped his arm harder, as if that would force Snape to remember.

— If it hadn’t been for me, you’d have been a werewolf’s fucking snack. You think Lupin would’ve stopped just because you were a schoolmate?

Severus’s expression twisted into a mixture of rage and disgust. He yanked his arm back violently.

— Oh, right. That. — His voice dripped with sarcasm. — The day Black tried to kill me, and you got to play the hero. Let me tell you something, Potter: you didn’t save me. You saved your fucking friends.

James’s eyes widened.

— What?

— You heard me. — Severus stepped closer now, voice low and cutting. — What do you think would’ve happened to Lupin if I’d been murdered that night? Hm? You think Dumbledore could’ve covered up a fucking corpse? Black would’ve gone straight to Azkaban, and Lupin would’ve been hunted like a monster. You didn’t save me because you cared. You saved them. You’re a hero to them — not to me.

Silence.

Thick, suffocating silence.

James blinked, as if the words had been punches.

Severus was still trembling with fury, his face red, chest heaving.

The wound was there — open. Old. Throbbing. And James had touched it without realizing.

But now it had been touched. It was bleeding.

And they both knew it.

— I need to get the medicine to my friends, — he said coldly. — If you want to go after those guys, fine, Potter. Go ahead. Throw yourself into the arms of armed barbarians. But I can’t. I have injured people waiting for me.

James stood frozen, still dizzy from the venomous words he’d just heard. The anger was giving way to a confusing ache in his chest.

— That day... — he murmured. — Believe whatever you want, Snape, but I really did want to save you.

Severus paused for a moment, his back still turned to James. His shoulder rose subtly, as if he were about to respond — but instead, he rolled his eyes and scoffed.

— Doesn’t matter. — His tone was bitter, exhausted. — No point arguing with someone who’s got half a functioning brain cell.

He walked toward the exit of the alley, fingers still clutching the bag of medicine tightly.

James stood there, watching Severus’s back as he walked away, swallowing both his pride and the pain at once.

James glanced one last time down the street where the men had disappeared. Then, he turned to Severus and followed him, his steps hesitant.

Looking down at his own hand, he noticed the blood. The memory came rushing back — he had grabbed Severus’s injured arm in the heat of their argument.

—Shit... he muttered.

He ran a few steps to catch up, his heart still heavy, his pride broken. When he got close, he spoke, his voice quieter than usual:

—Snape... are you okay?

Severus slowly turned his face, his black eyes sharp as blades of ice.

—None of your business, Potter.

James felt a tightness in his chest. Frustrated, hurt, and still holding back his anger, he replied:

—I didn’t mean to hurt you. It was an accident.

Severus laughed — a short, humorless sound, heavy with irony.

—Of course it was. Because the Gryffindor hero would never hurt anyone... Unless, of course, it’s a Slytherin. Then it’s practically a civic duty, right? Right, Potter?

James looked away, feeling more struck by the contempt than by the words themselves. He took a deep breath and tried once again:

—Let me see your arm.

—Take care of yourself. Severus didn’t look at him this time. He kept walking, ignoring him, his silhouette marked by exhaustion and wounded pride.

James stood still for a moment, fighting the urge to scream — nothing had gone as he planned. Then he clenched his fists, swallowed the pain in his chest, and started walking again, following Snape in silence, even if Snape pretended not to care.

Because deep down, James knew it did matter. Maybe even too much.

Marlene and Sirius hurried along, glancing from side to side, alert to any sign of movement. The silent city made their footsteps echo louder than usual.

Sirius stopped in front of a house with double doors, the wood rotted and the windowpanes cracked.

—This is the house where James saw someone, he said, already heading toward the entrance.

—And I think no one’s been here for ages, Marlene replied, crossing her arms. —Look at all this dust. Even the spiders have moved out.

Sirius pushed the door carefully; the hinge creaked loudly. The room was empty, silent, dead. He sighed.

—James seemed sure he saw someone.

Marlene raised an eyebrow.

—You saw it too?

Sirius hesitated for a moment before answering:

—No… but I trust him.

She rolled her eyes, already losing patience.

—Great. So we’re going to keep wandering through ruins based on your boyfriend’s vision.

—He’s not my boyfriend, Sirius replied without looking at her.

Marlene ignored him.

—We better find Lily. Before one of these ‘ghosts’ decides to become real.

Sirius closed the door slowly and followed her out, the air around them growing heavier with every step, as if the city was waiting for something to happen.

Marlene stopped in front of the supermarket, her eyes scanning the dusty facade and the faded letters on the sign. She walked up to the main door and pulled hard—nothing. A huge rusty padlock blocked the entrance.

She let out an exasperated sigh, kicking a small stone angrily.

—What now?— Sirius asked, rubbing the back of his neck and approaching with lazy steps.

—I’m trying to get into this damn supermarket!— she snapped, staring at the padlock like she could blow it up with sheer willpower. —I’m hungry, Sirius. Really hungry. We’ve been walking for hours, and I can’t stand seeing empty buildings and broken windows anymore.

Sirius raised his hands in surrender.

—Calm down, Marlene. I’m hungry too, but yelling at a padlock won’t help.

She huffed and turned her back, crossing her arms. Her stomach growled loudly, and Sirius gave her a knowing look.

—Maybe there’s an entrance around the back.

—And maybe there’s a monster living back there too, she shot back, cynical.

Sirius shrugged, already moving around the side of the building.

—Between starving and dying with style by breaking into a supermarket, I prefer the second option.

Marlene hesitated, rolled her eyes, and followed him.

—If there’s a monster back there, I’ll throw you to it.

—Fair enough. But at least we try to grab a cookie first.

Aurora was examining the empty shelves of an old rusted bookcase, her fingers sliding over the thick layer of dust covering everything. The house was a mausoleum of abandoned memories, steeped in the ochre scent of mold and decay. Charity was sleeping upstairs, feverish, her arm bandaged in a makeshift wrap. Regulus remained still, his pale face like a ghost, as if every second of silence was being stolen from his life.

Avery was rummaging through the kitchen cabinets, frustrated by the lack of anything useful—just a bottle of expired alcohol and a torn package of gauze. That’s when Aurora called:

— Avery, come see this.

He climbed up to the hallway on the second floor, where Aurora was pointing to a narrow hole in the wall—probably made by force or time. Inside, fitted with unnerving precision, was a triangular stone with inscriptions that didn’t match the rest of the house. It glowed faintly at Aurora’s touch.

— Looks like a rune… but it’s not. She frowned. —It’s written in hieroglyphs. That doesn’t make any sense. Egyptian, in an abandoned house? And with this shape?

Avery eyed the rune with skepticism.

— Maybe it’s just decoration. I can yank it out.

Aurora immediately grabbed his arm.
— No. That rune might be protecting the house.

— How, Aurora? Avery crossed his arms. —There’s no magic in this cursed city. This place is a rotting graveyard where nothing works.

Aurora looked at him seriously.

— There’s no our magic. But there are magical beings. You said it yourself—Severus saw a capelobo in a hospital. If magical creatures still exist, then maybe some magical objects still function too… even if only in unstable ways.

They stared at each other for a moment, the echo of that idea settling with a silent unease. Avery took a step back, reluctant, casting one last look at the triangular rune, which now seemed more alive, as if awakened by attention.

—Fine. But if this house collapses because of it, I’m blaming you.

Aurora descended the stairs first, and that’s when they heard the muffled voices of Mulciber and Wilkes coming from outside.

— This city’s a dump, Mulciber was saying, voice low and frustrated. —No food, no people, just dust and rotten air. And that fog? Feels like in some places it… hides things. Like we’re not supposed to see them.

— I noticed that too, said Wilkes. —And the cold? There are parts of this place freezing over. For no reason. And still no monsters. Not even a shadow.

Aurora and Avery froze halfway down the stairs, exchanging a tense glance. The house, despite its abandoned state, still had running water. Strange objects decorated shelves and corners—clearly Muggle-made, but some gave off a chill, as if waiting for something.

The entire city felt suspended between two worlds: one where magic no longer applied, and another where something else—older, wronger—was filling the void it had left

Chapter Text

Lily could barely breathe.

She was blindfolded and her wrists were tied, her body pressed against something damp and cold. The floor felt like stone or concrete. The air smelled of mold, rust, and old blood.

Next to her, Remus was breathing heavily. She could hear the low, muffled groans — the wound in his abdomen must have been hurting badly.

Footsteps echoed through the place, approaching.

Heavy.

Remus tried to stand, stumbling, and placed himself between her and the sound. Lily shivered. The cold, the fear, the pounding headache. She wished she could see something.

A voice rang out, deep and rough, like a boulder dragged across the ground:

— Who are you two? — the man asked. — And what are you doing here? How did you get into the city?

Lily tried to answer, her voice trembling but clear:

— We stopped at a gas station... then the city changed. Everything got... different. A monster attacked us, and... and we ran. I swear, we don’t know how we ended up here!

Silence.

She felt the man watching her, even though she couldn’t see him.

Then he spoke again, his voice lower now, almost ominous:

— It’s been thirty years... thirty years since someone new showed up here.
— The old ones call this city Infinium. A place outside the world. It has no beginning and no end.

His voice seemed soaked in some strange kind of exhaustion. Or madness.

— There’s no way out. The more time passes, the more monsters appear... each one more deformed than the last. It makes me wonder...

He stepped closer.

— ... what exactly are you?

Suddenly, he grabbed Lily by the hair, yanking her head back. His breath, foul and hot, hit her face. Lily gasped, curling up, tears slipping beneath the blindfold. Her head throbbed with pain.

— It was an accident! I swear! — she whimpered. — We didn’t know! We just want to get out of here...

— Are you deaf? There is no way out, — he growled.

Remus moved with desperation, pulling at his chains, gasping:

— Who are you?! — he shouted, his voice shaking with anguish. — Let her go!

The man suddenly released her, and she collapsed sideways, panting.

Footsteps retreated.

— In due time... you’ll know, — he said, before disappearing back into the shadows.

The silence left behind was even heavier than his presence.

Lily tried to take a deep breath, to control the panic. She felt Remus’s hand brush against hers.

— It’ll pass... we’ll get out of here, — he whispered, weak but determined.

Lily only squeezed his hand in response, saying nothing.

Avery stood up from the torn sofa in the living room, rubbing his hands together and staring out the foggy window.

— We've waited long enough, — he said, irritated. — Severus is taking too long on this stupid expedition after Evans and the medicine. And we're stuck here starving in this hellhole — we should be out there figuring out how to get the hell out of this disgusting place.

Mulciber let out a dry chuckle, then burst into loud laughter.

— You guys still think there’s food left in this shithole of a city? Besides, Severus said he didn’t even find the gas station. If he’s right, we’re trapped here with monsters. This city’s dead.

Wilkes sighed, resting his head against the wall.

— Unfortunately, Bruce has a point. And even if there were some animal around, Aurora and Severus would have a fit. “Oh no, killing animals is wrong...” — he mocked. — Bunch of idiotic vegetarian talk.

Aurora slowly lifted her gaze, staring at the three of them like she was losing her patience for the hundredth time.

— Not wanting to participate in the slaughter of innocent animals isn’t nonsense, — she shot back. — It’s having a shred of morality. But I don’t expect that from any of you.

A tense silence followed.

Then Aurora sighed.

— Anyway, I want to look for a library. There are no books in this house, nothing to write with. We need to understand where we are.

Peter, who had been curled up in a corner of the room like pretending he didn’t exist would make him invisible, blurted out without thinking:

— YOU WANNA STUDY NOW?

Everyone turned to look at him. The silence was heavy. Even the dust seemed to freeze midair for a second.

Avery grimaced. Charity scoffed. Wilkes looked at Peter like he was a cockroach.

His presence was uncomfortable. No one wanted him around because of what he had done to Severus. But for some reason, they had to tolerate him.

Mulciber laughed and said, like it was nothing:

— Even if this rat is a useless bastard... he’s right. Aurora, studying now makes no sense.

Aurora turned to him, her eyes glinting with irritation, but her voice was firm and controlled:

— That’s exactly why we need to find a way out of here. None of this makes sense. And my gut tells me the answer is in the hieroglyphs I found upstairs.

She crossed her arms, defiant.

Charity and Avery nodded in agreement. Mulciber rolled his eyes like he was hearing just another conspiracy theory.

Then Regulus, who had been quiet the whole time, sitting on a ripped armchair with his fingers laced in his lap, spoke in a low tone:

— She’s right.

Everyone fell silent again.

Regulus looked up, his gaze serious.

— If there’s any chance of understanding what’s happening... it’s by deciphering those inscriptions.

Aurora couldn’t stop looking around. The entire house seemed to breathe with time — silent, oppressive, full of details that didn’t belong. It was large, two stories with a basement she hadn’t fully explored yet.

She climbed back up to the second floor, drawn once again to the rune carved into the wall of one of the bedrooms. She stared at it, brows furrowed.

Egyptian hieroglyphs.

She crouched down to get a better look. It didn’t make sense. Runes belonged to a Norse system. What the hell was this blend of magical cultures supposed to mean? A mistake? A warning? Some kind of magic she didn’t recognize?

Uneasy, she headed back downstairs. She found Charity and Regulus in the living room. Charity was now sitting on the floor with a sulky expression, her wrist bruised. Aurora sighed at the sight of her friend in that state.

— What did you do now? — she asked, dryly.

— I just... — Charity pointed to a broken, rusted object in the corner of the room, clearly Muggle in origin. — I thought maybe I could figure out how it worked if I stuck my hand inside... and then...

— You got stuck. Brilliant, — Aurora cut in. — Honestly, your obsession with Muggle junk is going to get you killed one day.

Regulus glanced at Charity’s wrist, unsure whether to offer help or pretend he hadn’t seen anything.

Aurora walked away with a huff and stepped into the only bathroom in the house. The light was dim, and the place was filthy — so filthy a house-elf would probably off itself just from looking at it.

She opened one of the cabinets hoping to find something useful, but all she saw were empty bottles, dried-up soap bars, moldy scraps of toilet paper, and a metal object that looked half-melted.

She slammed the cabinet shut.

— If Severus were here... — she muttered, irritated. — He’d know. Even if he didn’t, he’d guess something smart. Half of these things... he’d recognize them just by the smell.

She leaned against the wall and fell silent for a moment. The house seemed to be watching them. Or laughing at them.

Something was wrong here.

Very wrong.

Sirius and Marlene jumped through the broken supermarket window, landing on a floor littered with shards, crumbs, and dust.

The smell inside was unbearable — something between rotting meat and ancient mold. The lights wouldn’t turn on. Everything was bathed in a greenish-gray gloom, and the air felt heavy, frozen in time.

The shelves were overturned, open packages and boxes scattered across the floor. They moved cautiously, wands at the ready. But aside from the mess, nothing seemed alive. No sounds, no shifting shadows. Not even that eerie feeling of being watched.

Absolute silence. As if even sound was too afraid to linger here.

Marlene began rummaging through shelf after shelf. Almost everything had expired decades ago. Some packets of biscuits had crumbled into dust. Her stomach growled loudly, breaking the silence. She groaned, frustrated.

— There’s more dust than food in here...

Then, between dented cans covered in dust, she found one with a legible label.

— Sirius, — she called, turning the can in her hands. — Look at this.

He came over and took it from her. It was rusted around the edges, but the date was clear:

04/1998.

They exchanged a look.

— But... — Marlene glanced around, confused. — We’re in 1976.

— A can from the future, — Sirius said, raising an eyebrow. — I bet you a kiss it’s alien food.

Marlene scoffed.

— Or someone with a very stupid Time-Turner.

— Or we’re in the future — Sirius said, laughing.

She ignored him and said practically:

— It’s not expired. We’d better grab a bag and collect as much edible food as we can.

Sirius nodded, but first pried the can open with some effort. A hiss escaped, followed by a salty smell.

— Magical sausages from the future, — he said, grabbing one with his dirty fingers. — Healthy. Nutritious.

Marlene grimaced and spat out the chewed piece of future-sausage.

— This is disgusting, — she grumbled, wiping her tongue with her sleeve.

They kept rummaging through the supermarket in silence. The heavy gloom crept between the shelves, and the air felt colder now. Suddenly, Sirius vanished from sight.

— Sirius? — Marlene called, frowning. — Sirius, this isn't funny!

No answer.

— Sirius, I swear to Merlin, if this is another one of your stupid jokes...

That’s when a scream echoed from the back of the aisle. Marlene’s heart leapt, and she ran toward the sound.

— SIRIUS!

As she turned the corner, Sirius jumped out from behind a stack of boxes, waving a nail gun and yelling like a maniac. Then he burst into laughter.

— ARE YOU INSANE?! — she shouted, her face red with rage.

Sirius kept laughing, holding the nail gun like a trophy.

— Relax! Just trying to lighten the mood. Muggles are amazing! Look at this thing! — He pointed the tool at his own hand like he was showing off a toy.

CLACK.

A nail shot out, embedding itself straight into his palm with a sickening thunk.

Sirius froze. For a second, it didn’t even register.

Then the pain hit.

— OH, SHIT!

— YOU IDIOT! — Marlene rushed over and grabbed his injured hand, examining the rusty nail stuck in the flesh. — You are completely insane! Look at this!

She looked around, rummaging through shelves, open drawers, and cardboard boxes.

— Where the hell is a first-aid kit?! Sirius, we’re already trapped in a cursed city, without magic, surrounded by monsters, and this is the moment you decide to put on a show with a nail gun?!

— I... just wanted... to distract us... a little... — Sirius muttered, pale and sweating.

— Distract? With self-harm?

Marlene smacked the back of his head.

— Don’t make me drag your unconscious body back to that filthy house, you bloody idiot.

Sirius stifled a laugh, even through the pain, trying to hide his embarrassment with a half-smile.

— It’ll all work out, he said, with way too much conviction.

— And how the hell do you know that?

— I don’t, he replied, looking at her. — But I’ve got a feeling. Like... someone’s still pulling the strings behind all of this.

Marlene sighed and looked back at his hand, then toward the far end of the market.

The fog outside was thickening. Slowly, it began creeping in through the cracked front door.

She picked up the bag with the few edible cans and packages and said, quietly:

— I hope Lily’s okay.

Sirius stared at the mist slithering in like pale fingers across the dirty floor and, for the first time in a long while, felt a chill that wasn’t just the cold.

Marlene and Sirius hurried through the foggy streets, their rushed footsteps echoing through the cold puddles on the cracked ground.

— I’m sure it’s this way, — Sirius said, glancing around like he recognized something — which was unlikely, considering everything in that city looked exactly the same.

— Maybe James and Snivellus already found Remus and Lily, — he added, sounding far too optimistic and far too certain.

That’s when a thunderous roar tore through the air — so loud and so close that Marlene froze, her blood running cold for a split second.

She whipped her head toward the sound, lips pressing into a thin line.

— That had to be a tiger, — she whispered, barely breathing.

Sirius’s eyes went wide as he looked at her.

— A tiger? Like... an actual tiger?

— Sirius! — Marlene spun on him, eyes blazing with fear and fury. — This is not the time for your bloody curiosity!

— If that thing catches us, there’ll be nothing left. Nothing! Do you understand that?

Sirius swallowed hard and nodded, eyes still wide, though the glint of adrenaline hadn’t left them.

— Ok. Ok. But at least now we know we’re not alone.

— Yes, — Marlene growled, grabbing his arm. — And that’s exactly why we need to run.

They took off down the street, the fog closing in behind them like a thick veil, while the roars echoed through the shattered walls of the city.

Marlene and Sirius burst through the door of the house, lungs burning and faces sweaty despite the cold. Marlene banged on the door — three, four times — almost like it was an emergency. Because it was.

The door opened immediately — Aurora stood on the other side, her face tight with anticipation. For a second, her eyes lit up, expecting to see Severus — but dimmed the moment she realized it wasn’t him.

Marlene hurried inside, breathless.

— Close that door, — she said over her shoulder.

Sirius shut it quickly, locking the handle with an unusually serious expression. He went straight to the window, trying to see anything through the thick fog outside.

Charity, sitting in a corner with a pale face and holding her wrist, looked up as the two entered.

— Where’s Severus? — she asked bluntly, trying not to show how much pain she was in.

Marlene shot her a quick look, still catching her breath.

— We didn’t see him, — she said, frustration leaking into her voice. — Not since we split up… nothing.

She looked around, scanning the tense faces in the room. Then, with her voice tight with worry, she asked:

— Has anyone seen Lily? Anything at all?

Aurora slowly shook her head.

— No. — And she sat back down next to Regulus, whose arm looked swollen, red, and painful. She examined the injury carefully, in silence.

The air in the room grew heavier.

Sirius was still at the window, his eyes locked on the fog outside, as if he could see something beyond it.

— I swear there was something out there, — he murmured. — Big. Alive.

James followed Severus in silence, a bitter feeling churning in his chest. Snape’s words still echoed — sharp, painful. Did he really see him that way? Like some kind of monster, an arrogant, cruel Gryffindor?

A distant roar cut through the air.

James stopped.

He turned, eyes scanning the thick fog that swallowed everything just a few meters away. Nothing there. No shape, no shadow. Just the cold mist crawling along the street like living smoke.

It was freezing. Much more than before. Something was wrong. He felt it in his gut — a sick, twisting unease. None of this was right — this strange world, this even stranger company, this silence full of barbs.

But now that he was here... he’d see it through.

He took off his glasses and wiped them with the edge of his shirt. When he put them back on, he saw Severus up ahead, looking around with growing irritation.

— This bloody fog is getting worse, — Snape muttered angrily.

— Yeah, I noticed, — James replied.

Severus turned, eyes rolling in exasperation, shoulders tense.

— Then hurry up, Potter. You keep stopping and slowing me down.

James huffed, irritation bubbling in his chest. Snape had that infuriating talent — provoking with just one line.

— Then yeah, let’s keep moving — he shot back. — Because I just heard a roar.

Severus frowned, confused.

— What roar? I didn’t hear a damn thing.

But before he could finish the sentence, the sound came again. Louder. Closer.

A roar tore through the silence — deep, animalistic, and guttural, making their blood run cold for a moment.

James gave a sarcastic smile.

— Guess I might be blind… but you’re deaf.

Severus looked away, teeth clenched, and began walking faster.

James followed, still annoyed. He was hungry, exhausted, sore, and his only company seemed determined to make everything worse.

He sighed, trying one more time to keep the peace.

— Look, we should at least try to get along. Just for now. I’m trying—

— For Merlin’s sake, — Severus growled, turning with blazing eyes. — Could you shut the bloody hell up?! All you do is talk shit, Potter! Shit after shit!

— Fuck you, damn! — James shouted, his voice tearing through the heavy air like thunder. — Since the start of this whole fucking mess, I’m the only one trying to make this shit work! For everyone’s sake! So we can get the hell back to our world! — He was breathing hard, fists clenched, eyes burning with fury. — But you? All you ever do is screw me over and piss me off!

Severus glared at him, jaw tight.

— Make what work, Potter? — he spat, venom in his voice. — All you do is get in the way! Following me around like an idiot, asking stupid questions! You're just a fucking nuisance!

The fog around them thickened like a living wall, swallowing buildings, streets, everything. James wiped his glasses in frustration, nearly blind.

— I’m trying to help! — he growled. — I know you hate me. Fine. Hate me. But how about being a little less of an asshole for once in your goddamn life?!

Severus froze for a moment. His eyes were dark pits of hurt and bitterness, and when he spoke, his voice was cold and sharp as a blade.

— On that point, you’re right, Potter. I fucking hate you.

James held his breath, but Severus went on.

— And I can’t fucking wait for this year at Hogwarts to end, so I never have to look at your filthy fucking face ever again.

The words hit James like a punch. He looked away, swallowing hard, trying to ignore the cold rising in his gut and squeezing his chest.

The fog now felt almost solid, swallowing even the sky’s light. And even surrounded by monsters and danger, nothing felt as brutal as that.

James turned his face away, frustrated. Every attempt at conversation with Snape seemed doomed to end in an argument. The silence between them lasted only a few seconds before it was shattered by a distant roar—deep, unsettling, echoing through the fog-covered streets.

James turned, tense, staring in the direction of the sound. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, irritated:

— What the hell is that thing?

Severus, equally alert, glanced away from the swirling darkness and shot James a glare, visibly annoyed:

— I have no idea. Maybe a large feline.

James crossed his arms, his voice dripping with smugness:

— Aren’t you supposed to be some kind of fucking genius? Expert in Muggle life?

Severus rolled his eyes, exhausted by the sarcasm.

— I’m not a zoologist. But you should know that, considering you hang around with a fucking zoo.

James pressed his lips together, breathing deeply. Between the fear of the unknown and the rising tension with Snape, he felt ready to snap again. And in the distance, as a constant reminder that time was against them, another roar rose through the mist.

The fog swallowed the streets in silence, but the tension between James and Severus was louder than any roar echoing through the darkness.

The silence that followed was heavier than the freezing air around them. The world held its breath, as if even the fog was waiting for the next blow to fall.

James, fists clenched and eyes burning with rage, shot a look full of pure hatred at Severus:

— Leave my friends alone! And even if they were scum, they’d still be better than hanging around with a bunch of blood-purist bastards!

Severus, already at the end of his rope, rolled his eyes hard.

— For Merlin’s sake, Potter! Are you going to keep hammering on that same bloody point for the rest of your life, you idiot?

James shrugged, his voice cold in contrast to the fury on his face.

— Just stating the truth. Your little “friends” are nothing but racist pieces of shit.

Severus turned to him in anger.

— My friends are idiots, not racists! In case you don’t know shit, I’m a half-blood! Why the hell would a blood purist hang around with me, huh? Mulciber saved the lives of two Muggle-borns, if you even remember, you dumbass!

James narrowed his eyes, his voice sharp and dry, ignoring the danger around them.

— And right after that, he insulted them. Just like you did. You're a fucking purist too, Snape. You called your so-called best friend you-know-what.

A tense silence fell for a moment. Severus, his face twisted with pain and fury, exploded:

— NO! — he shouted. — You, of all people, don’t get to throw that shit in my face! I regretted that word the second it left my mouth! I already asked for forgiveness! I begged for forgiveness!

His breathing was heavy, uneven, and his eyes were raw with pain.

— If Lily doesn’t want to forgive me… fine. That’s her right. But you, Potter… — he pointed at him in anger — you’re a goddamn hypocrite! You know the context of what happened, and you don’t get to pretend you’re some fucking saint now… you piece of shit!

James stood still for a moment, staring at Severus with a knot in his throat.
The anger he had just felt was dissolving into something heavier, more bitter: regret.
He realized, once again, that he had crossed a line.
And that, once again, Snape hated him for it.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this, he thought. None of this was supposed to be like this. Everything’s going wrong.

Severus was already walking away without another word, his face closed off, his gaze hard as stone.
Each of his steps echoed in the damp silence of the street, muffled by the thick fog that seemed to grow with the distance between them.

— Snape... — James called out, his voice lower now, stripped of the earlier arrogance. — We could… I don’t know… try to get along until we’re back home? At least until we get out of this haunted city.

Severus paused for a second, but didn’t look back.
He took a deep breath, shoulders tense, his breathing still marked by the weight of their fight.

— We’re close to the shelter, he said firmly, as if ignoring the question altogether. — Regulus and the girls need me.

And with that, he kept walking.

As they turned the corner, James and Severus froze.

Just a few meters ahead, a massive white tiger was walking slowly down the deserted street, as if patrolling its territory. Both of them held their breath at the same time, and James took an almost imperceptible step back.

— That’s a tiger, right? — James whispered, eyes locked on the animal.

Severus didn’t answer immediately. He just reached out and grabbed James’s coat, yanking him back behind the corner, out of the creature’s line of sight.

— Shit... — Severus muttered, breathless, trying to keep his voice down. — We’re screwed. What kind of bloody city is this? Aren’t tigers supposed to be in fucking Asia?

James was still peeking around the corner nervously, trying to see if the tiger had followed them. Severus turned to him with a sharp expression.

— Go on then, talk to it, he said with cutting sarcasm. — Go ahead, Potter, communicate with the damn thing.

James’s eyes widened.

— I don’t speak animal, Snape! — he replied, outraged.

— Aren’t you a fucking Animagus? — Severus shot back, raising his voice slightly despite the situation. — Christ, go chat with it and convince it not to have us for lunch!

— I turn into a stag, not a tiger! And even if I did, I still couldn’t talk to it, you lunatic!

Severus let out an exasperated sigh, throwing his hands up.

— You’re fucking useless, Potter. Absolutely fucking useless.

James closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath so he wouldn’t explode again.

— If I could talk to the tiger, Snape, I’d ask it to eat you first. You’re insufferable.

Severus just shot him a withering look.

— Wouldn’t be the first time your little gang tried to kill me. So yeah, that tracks.

Silence fell again, tense and heavy, broken only by the muffled sound of the tiger’s footsteps somewhere farther ahead in the fog.

The two exchanged a weary glance, hearts still pounding, and without another word, began moving again—slowly—searching for an alternate route.

The tension between them was as thick as the fog around them.

James stared at Severus, a lump in his throat. Snape’s words—always sharp as blades—hurt more than he cared to admit. He tried to stay calm, even though everything inside him was boiling.

— Sirius never meant to kill you, James said, his voice heavy. — None of us did. It was never supposed to go that far.

Severus rolled his eyes, his expression shut tight like a door locked for years.

— Doesn’t matter, he said flatly. — Intent doesn’t change the outcome.

Without waiting, Severus turned his face away and pointed toward a nearby street, where an old, rusted sign hung crookedly, indicating the way to an abandoned zoo. He seemed to bury any emotion that might have come from that conversation.

— We need to find a way around that fucking tiger, he said, making it clear he had no intention of continuing the discussion.

James ran a hand through his already messy hair, exasperated.

— That street’s a dead end, he warned. — It won’t lead anywhere.

Severus took a deep breath, already irritated.

— I know that, for fuck’s sake. I’m not an idiot.

James looked at him in disbelief.

— See? It’s always like this! Can’t you answer anything without being a complete asshole?

Severus turned abruptly, his expression already at the edge.

— Stop whining, Potter. You’re just pissed I don’t follow you around like some puppy begging for your approval like your little personal zoo. A bunch of useless fucking losers who are good for nothing.

James couldn’t take it anymore. He lunged at Snape, shoving him hard, his face twisted in anger.

— SHUT THE FUCK UP, SNAPE! STOP TALKING SHIT ABOUT MY FRIENDS!

Severus glared at him with pure contempt.

— I’m not some trained dog to feed your desperate need for attention, Potter. That’s your little gang’s job. Don’t forget to toss them a biscuit for their hard work. Gotta admit, you trained them well.

James clenched his fists, breathing heavily. The silence that followed was so thick even the city’s background noise seemed to vanish. Rage, pain, and years of unresolved rivalry burned between them like embers ready to spark into wildfire.

Suddenly, the tiger emerged from the corner, stepping out of the thick fog like a living shadow. James froze in place, heart pounding. Seeing that massive animal approaching with slow, heavy steps, he could only think one thing: we're fucked.

Beside him, Severus said nothing—he just looked at the entrance of a nearby house and began stepping back slowly, never taking his eyes off the tiger. James followed in silence, both of them trying not to make any sudden movements.

For some reason, the tiger didn’t seem interested in attacking—at least not yet. It watched them with golden, patient eyes, as if waiting for them to make the first mistake.

Severus reached the door and grabbed the handle, trying to turn it as quietly as possible. But it wouldn’t budge—completely rusted.

— Open the damn door, James whispered, tense, glancing back at the tiger.

— It’s not for lack of trying, Severus muttered back, his fingers white with strain. — The damn thing won’t turn.

James let out a frustrated sigh and muttered:

— You’re so weak, and shoved Snape aside to try himself. But the door resisted him too. The wood creaked, but held firm.

They looked at each other, tense. The tiger was still there, watching.

James turned, bracing himself to kick the door down.

— Don’t even think about it, you idiot, Severus hissed, grabbing his arm. — You’ll make noise and get its attention for real.

They froze. James, body tensed, ready to act. Severus, eyes locked on the tiger, searching for an opening. The animal took another step forward.

Time seemed frozen—and the slightest sound could be the spark that set everything off.

James shot a quick glance at the window beside the rusted door and whispered:

— Let’s try the window.

Severus nodded, still breathing heavily.
— You go first, he said, jerking his chin toward it.

James looked at him, hesitant.
— You go.

Without wasting time arguing, Severus moved slowly toward the window. Luckily for them, it was slightly open. He pushed it carefully, trying not to make a sound—but the creak was loud and drawn out, echoing down the silent street.

The tiger, hearing the noise, perked up and took a few steps toward the house.

Without hesitation, Severus slipped into the dark room. James followed right after—but as he climbed through the window, he tripped, falling straight on top of Severus.

They hit the floor with a muffled thud on the dusty wooden boards of the old room. The air caught in James's chest—not from the fall, but from the shock. They were tangled together, closer than they'd ever been. James could feel the heat of Snape's body through their clothes, the faint scent of cheap cologne mixed with sweat.

Instinctively, he lowered his head, far too close to Severus’s neck. For a second, he just breathed, the world muted by the pounding in his ears.

— Get off me, Potter! — Severus growled, shoving him hard, eyes blazing with indignation and discomfort.

James stumbled to the side, still trying to catch his breath—and his thoughts. But there was no time. Another roar shook the structure. The tiger shoved its head and front paws through the window, forcing its way inside.

Without hesitation, Severus grabbed James by the collar and dragged him upstairs. Their footsteps echoed loudly on the rotting wood, the sound of the beast’s heavy breathing closing in behind them.

At the first door in the hallway, Severus turned the knob, and they both threw themselves into the room. They pressed their backs against the door, using the weight of their bodies to keep it shut—panting, sweaty, hearts pounding.

The room was dark, thick with the smell of mold and abandonment, but for now, it was shelter. Outside the door, the tiger prowled, its claws scraping the wood in warning.

James kept his eyes on the floor, trying to ignore the sensation still burning under his skin.

And Severus… Severus kept his face expressionless, but his uneven breathing betrayed that something about it all had unsettled him.

Severus, still breathless from the sprint and the lingering tension, slowly stepped away from the door without exchanging another word with James. The room was plunged in darkness, an almost complete blackness—perhaps intensified by the thick fog outside that smothered the streets and blocked any trace of natural light from reaching the windows.

With careful steps, he felt along the wall beside the door in search of a light switch. His fingers finally brushed against the small plastic piece, and when he flipped it, a dim, yellowish light filled the space with a muted, almost ghostly glow.

Now revealed, the room was larger than he’d expected. In the center stood an old double bed with a dusty, partially torn quilt, as though no one had slept there in years. Against the opposite wall, a sagging bookshelf—worn down by time and the weight of its contents—stood silently. The titles on the spines were nearly unreadable, the covers torn and mold-ridden, but despite that, there was a strange sense of warmth in that decaying space.

Severus moved to the middle of the room in silence, his eyes scanning every corner—not just for safety, but out of instinctive caution. His body still hummed with adrenaline, but his mind was already searching for escape routes, a window, anything.

He didn’t look at James, who still stood near the door, quiet. The silence between them was no longer just tension—it was thick with things left unsaid, with an uneasy closeness, and with words spoken at the wrong times.

Outside, the tiger seemed to have given up—for now.

The silence in the room was thick, almost as suffocating as the dust hanging in the air. James shoved an old wardrobe against the door with effort—not that he thought it would stop a tiger, but it was better than nothing. The deep groan of the wood echoed through the space, then faded. When his eyes briefly met Severus's, neither of them said a word. It was a look weighted with unresolved issues, with recent arguments, with tension—and something else they were both trying to ignore.

James was the first to look away, jaw clenched, his heart still beating far too fast in his chest. He silently wondered what the hell had gone through his mind when he buried his face in Snape’s neck during that moment of sheer panic. The memory embarrassed him more than he wanted to admit—and made him nervous thinking Snape might’ve noticed.

Severus, for his part, quietly wiped his nose with the back of his hand. The fine dust in the room tickled his throat, but he didn’t pay it much mind. In silence, he started scanning the space more attentively until his eyes landed on a painting hanging on the far wall. It was a still portrait—which in itself was odd—of a girl with her back turned, standing before four closed doors.

With curiosity piqued, Severus stepped closer, frowning. He didn’t recall ever seeing that painting in any wizarding or Muggle art book or collection. It was unusual. Static. The kind of thing that seemed like it wanted to say something.

James, still cautious and trying to avoid friction, slowly approached too, his eyes fixed on the painting. For a moment, he forgot his recent embarrassment. The silence between them was broken by a murmured, almost absentminded comment:

— She doesn’t move...

Severus turned his head toward him, raising a sarcastic eyebrow in his usual manner:

— Brilliant observation, Potter.

James huffed but didn’t reply. They both turned back to stare at the painting, more intrigued than either of them would care to admit.

James reached out and lightly touched the painting, curious—perhaps more than was good for him. In the very next instant, the frame came loose from the wall with a sharp thud and crashed to the floor, kicking up a cloud of dust. Both of them flinched, their bodies still tense from the recent chase.

But what caught their attention immediately was what the painting had been hiding: embedded in the wall, in a small recess, was a gleaming medallion.

It was star-shaped, its contours precise and mesmerizing. It looked like it was made of polished crystal, emanating a soft, yellowish glow—almost alive. At the center, fine inscriptions were etched in a language James had never seen before.

He held it in his hand, amazed—until Severus, without asking, snatched it from his fingers with practiced ease. James took a step forward, annoyed.

— Bloody hell, Snape! Ever heard of manners?

Severus, unfazed by the complaint, examined the medallion closely, turning it under the room’s dim light, his eyes locked on the inscriptions.

— It's Phoenician, — he murmured.

— What? — James asked, still irritated.

Snape gave him a sideways glance, the kind reserved for people who made him repeat the obvious.

— The script. It's Phoenician, Potter. A language that's been dead for centuries... long before Latin. Probably an ancient artifact... magical. Or cursed.

James took a deep breath, trying to swallow his irritation, and looked at the medallion in Snape’s hands.

— So what do we do with it?

Severus held the medallion up to the yellowish light of the room, his eyes narrowed, carefully studying each line of the inscription. In a low, almost solemn voice, he read slowly:

— 𐤀𐤅𐤓 𐤉𐤊𐤋 𐤋𐤇𐤃𐤊 𐤅𐤀𐤁𐤋 𐤄𐤕𐤐 𐤋𐤀 𐤕𐤌𐤉𐤀.

James, watching from a short distance, frowned and stepped closer.

— What, you speak that now? — he asked, trying to hide his curiosity behind sarcasm.

Severus let out a long sigh, as if he'd lost all patience for obvious questions.

— I know a little, Potter. Hogwarts has a ridiculously extensive library. Maybe you should try stepping into it sometime... instead of spending your days harassing other students like a bored dog.

James clenched his jaw, annoyed at the condescending tone, but chose not to bite back. Instead, he asked tensely:

— Fine, but... what does it mean?

Snape looked at the fallen painting on the floor, his eyes fixed on the image of the girl standing before the closed doors.

— "The light may guide you, but the answer you shall not find."

James stared at him, confused.

— What the hell does that even mean?

— No idea, — Severus replied flatly, tucking the medallion into the inner pocket of his coat. — But someone went to a lot of trouble to hide it. And riddles like this aren’t usually left lying around for fun.

They exchanged one last tense glance before heading to the window. Severus opened it carefully. The street was blanketed in fog, but empty. No sign of the tiger.

He began climbing down slowly, bracing himself on the windowsill, and James followed, heart still pounding—not just from the danger, but from the strange sensation the medallion, and being so close to Snape, had left behind.

When their feet touched the ground, they moved in silence, steps firm on the damp pavement, as the grim city swallowed them once again.

They arrived at the house still tense — not just from the earlier argument, but from the discovery of the medallion. Severus stepped in first, his eyes scanning the place with a silent hope of seeing Lily.

But she wasn’t there.

What he saw instead was chaos.

Shouting. Arguments. People injured.

Across the room, Sirius was already yelling at Avery:

— This is all because of that damn dark magic you lot use! That’s why we’re trapped in this hell!

Wilkes stepped in front of Avery, glaring at Sirius:

— Only if we were dumb as you to get ourselves stuck too, you literate idiot!

The chaos escalated. Everyone was shouting at once, accusing each other. Aurora, trying to make herself heard, called out loudly:

— Severus! There’s something in this house that looks like a rune with Egyptian markings!

But no one could hear anyone. It was pure chaos.

Already irritated, Severus took a deep breath and shouted:

— EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!

Silence fell like a hammer.

— One at a time, for fuck’s sake.

He crossed the room and approached Regulus, who was sitting down, pale and sweating, his shoulder clearly injured.

— How are you feeling?

Regulus looked at him, tense with pain.

— It just... hurts a bit.

Severus gave him a skeptical look.

— If my shoulder were shredded like that, I’d be making everyone’s life a living hell by now.

He pulled two pills from his pocket — a strong painkiller and an antibiotic — and handed them to Regulus.

— Swallow these.

Regulus frowned.

— What the hell is this?

Severus rolled his eyes, impatient.

— Medicine.

The rest of the group watched silently. No one was used to seeing Severus like this — calm, direct... helpful?

Regulus was still eyeing the pills suspiciously.

— These don’t look very trustworthy...

Severus leaned in slightly.

— Are you in pain?

Regulus nodded, swallowing hard.

— Then take them. It'll be gone in a few minutes.

Charity, lying on the couch, huffed impatiently.

— For Merlin’s sake, just take the damn things before I shove them down your throat.

Regulus didn’t argue further. He swallowed the pills at once.

Severus looked over at Charity and said:

— I thought you only hurt your foot.

Marlene, standing near the fireplace, looked at him warily:

— What kind of medicine was that?

Severus replied without looking up:

— One was an antibiotic... the other, morphine.

Marlene’s eyes widened.

— Morphine, Snape?!

James, who was talking to Sirius in the corner of the room, said,
—There are armed Muggles. Snape and I saw them near the city center…

—You sure there are still people alive in this shitty city? — Mulciber interrupted from the hallway.

Severus sat beside Charity, examining the swelling on her foot. He spoke in a low but firm voice:
—There are. And they’re looking for someone. Most likely us.

He looked at the others.
—Which makes me think they may have already captured Evans.

Marlene, who had been taking deep breaths since they came downstairs, replied:
—Lily wouldn’t get caught that easily.

Severus glanced sideways at her.
—If Evans were free, she probably would’ve gone to the site of the explosion… like everyone else.

James, visibly exhausted, said:
—That’s why we should’ve gone after those guys.

Severus examined Charity’s wrist as he spoke:
—It wouldn’t have helped. We don’t know how many they are, or who they are.

—At least we’d know where they’re staying, for fuck’s sake! — James shot back, already irritated.

Severus rolled his eyes, tired of the drama:
—I already have an idea of how to find them. And figure out if they’re holding Evans or not.

James eyed him, suspicious.
—Is your plan to blow them up?

Severus raised an eyebrow:
—My plan is something else. But yours… is better.

James snapped:
—It wasn’t a plan! It was just a question, dammit!

Sirius, restless, crossed his arms as he paced back and forth, visibly worried.

—Okay, but… what about Remus? — he asked, stopping and looking directly at Severus. —If those guys got Lily… Remus might be with them too. What’s your plan, Snape?

Severus, sitting on the edge of a makeshift chair, rolled his eyes, exhausted by it all.

—Merlin, you’re all so slow. It’s simple, Black — he said, annoyed, as if explaining to a five-year-old. —We set fire to another part of the city, far from here… and wait for the Muggles to show up. Simple.

Peter frowned, confused.

—Fire? What for?

Severus yawned, disinterested, and continued:

—Because if they’re patrolling or looking for someone, they’ll show up. Once they do, we just follow them.

Then he pulled a small transparent vial from his backpack and held it up for everyone to see. A thick, slightly greenish liquid swirled inside.

—Phase two of the plan — he said in a tone that bordered on theatrical — is to drug all of them. Mix this into their water or food. And done.

Avery exploded:

—Are you insane?! That’s way too dangerous!

Severus shrugged, sarcastically:

—Sure, sure… I know Potter’s plan is better — except Evans might get caught in the crossfire.

James stared at him, incredulous.

—It wasn’t a plan, for fuck’s sake! It was just a question!

As soon as Severus finished talking about the plan, Aurora spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention:

—The rune… I need to show you something.

They all went upstairs to the bedroom, and as soon as they entered, Severus approached the wall. Looking more closely, he confirmed there were Egyptian characters, but what truly caught his attention was a central symbol — one that clearly represented water.

He frowned, muttering to himself:

—This isn’t just a rune...

Without hesitation, he pulled the object from the wall. Aurora’s eyes widened in shock, nearly panicking:

—Hey! I didn’t even let Avery touch that thing, and you just rip it out?!

Severus, now holding the rune — clearly another medallion — gave a tired half-smile.

—My bad.

Examining the hexagon-shaped medallion, he realized that unlike the first one, he couldn’t understand what was written on it. Before he could say anything, both medallions — the Phoenician and the Egyptian — began to emit a sudden, dim glow, heating rapidly in his hands.

—Shit! — Severus cursed, dropping both at once.

But the medallions didn’t hit the floor. As if guided by magic, they floated back to the wall where the second had been, fitting perfectly into place — and then, they etched something into it.

A map.

Thirteen parts.
Two were already completed.

James stepped closer, eyeing the inscriptions beneath the map. The Phoenician and Egyptian phrases were now overlaid. He commented, thoughtfully:

—Looks like we’re gonna have to decode this...

Severus, studying the lines and symbols with narrowed eyes, muttered:

—We’re going to need a library.

Chapter Text

Charity looked at Severus and said, worried:

— Maybe it’d be better if we rested a bit. We haven’t had any break since yesterday.

Severus met her gaze seriously.

— We’d better go after those guys now. If they really kidnapped Evans, she could be in danger.

Charity looked at him, her eyes full of concern.

— But Severus, you’re all exhausted. Like this, you won’t be able to help anyone.

Severus’s expression darkened for a moment.

— Those men might be hurting Evans right now. But don’t worry, it’ll be quick and easy... I’ve already got everything planned.

Mulciber watched him, thoughtful.

— Maybe they only took her as a precaution. There are monsters at night and dangerous animals during the day.

Marlene rolled her eyes, annoyed.

— Men are dangerous. Especially to women.

Wilkes looked at her, offended.

— Not every man is dangerous. And those guys have no reason to hurt her.

Severus slowly turned his face toward him, his eyes cold and dark.

— Men don’t need a reason to hurt someone. They just need the opportunity.

And, staring directly at Wilkes, he added in a grave tone:

— Trust me… I know what I’m talking about.

Aurora, despite not liking Evans, was worried about her. With a hesitant voice, she asked:

— And what if you can’t manage to drug them?

Severus looked at her with somber confidence.

— I will. It’s not the first time I’ve poisoned someone.

— Still, it’s risky — Aurora insisted. — What if one of them doesn’t take it? Wouldn’t it be better if we could release a sleeping agent into the air?

Severus looked at her for a second, surprised, then gave a crooked smile.

— You’re a genius… That’s actually a great idea. But unfortunately, even if we managed to use a gas, we’d end up falling asleep too. And if we couldn’t stop the spread... they’d end up dying from lack of oxygen. And so would we.
Charity’s wrist was aching and her heel was swollen. Severus examined her quickly and decided she should take a bit of morphine too.

— Alright, you're going to take two pills — he said, opening the pack.

Charity perked up, sitting upright like a child about to get candy.

— I'm finally going to try Muggle medicine! — she said, excited.

Severus simply handed her the pills with a tired sigh, as if he already knew what was coming. Just like with Regulus, it didn’t take long for the effect to kick in. Soon, Charity was smiling stupidly, her eyes slightly glazed over, swinging her feet like she was at an amusement park.

Severus looked at the rest of the group and said dryly:

— Done. Now we just need to decide where to set the fire.

Marlene raised her hand, practical:

— The supermarket’s a good spot. It’s probably where the Muggles will check first.

James nodded.

— I agree. It’s a good idea.

Aurora spoke up, determined, saying she wanted to find a library in the city to try to decipher what was written in the hieroglyphs.

— That’s a good idea — Severus agreed. — One group will go after the library, the other will light the fire to see if those people show up.

James, who was nearby, quickly cut in:

— I think we should split into pairs.

Severus looked at Aurora, hesitant.

— It’s dangerous for you to go. Better to stay here in the house, where it’s safe.

Aurora rolled her eyes, impatient:

— I’m going. I’m not a child. I can take care of myself.

— I know that — Severus replied, in a slightly softer tone. — But you don’t have your magic, remember? And this city is a nightmare. Besides, Charity and Regulus are staying. Someone has to keep an eye on them.

Across the room, Charity and Regulus were smiling up at the ceiling, completely high. The morphine dose had been way too strong.

— Wilkes can stay with them — Aurora countered.

Peter, who had been sitting quietly in a corner, raised his hand:

— I can look after them.

Severus and Aurora exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes at the same time, completely ignoring Peter.

— I was the babysitter last time — Wilkes muttered, annoyed.

Severus nodded, resigned:

— Fine. Wilkes goes with Aurora. And keep an eye out for any more medallions.

— And who are you going with? — James asked.

— With Mulciber — Severus replied bluntly.

— No. — James interrupted him. — I should go with you. Mulciber can go with Marlene. That way Peter goes with Sirius.

Severus made a face of disgust.

— No. I’m going with Mulciber. You can go with your little zoo.

James huffed and rolled his eyes.

— Marlene doesn’t want to go with Peter.

— That’s true — Marlene confirmed, pulling a face.

Severus let out a deep sigh, already irritated:

— Then she can go with you, Potter.

James crossed his arms:

— You’re not getting it. Someone has to go with Peter. He can’t go alone.

— The rat can go with the dog — Severus replied impatiently.

Sirius, already in a bad mood, turned around:

— Who’s the dog?

Severus rolled his eyes:

— You, Black. You literally turn into a dog. Why all the drama?

— Because I fought with Peter. I don’t want to go with him — James said, irritated.

— And what do I care?! — Severus exclaimed, losing his patience.

Sirius looked at James, noticing how tense his friend was, and sighed.

— James can’t go with Marlene. He promised his mum he’d only walk alone with his future wife.

James took a breath of relief and went along with it:

— That’s right! You have to come with me, Snape. You’re the only one left.

James and Sirius had stepped away from the group, speaking in low voices. James glanced at his friend’s bandaged hand and asked:

— What happened to your hand?

Sirius gave a crooked smile.

— I cut myself on a Muggle machine. Thought it didn’t work.

James just gave him a resigned look, as if he no longer had the energy to be surprised.

— What the hell is wrong with this place?

Sirius ran a hand down his face and sighed.

— I don’t know. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Remus disappeared.

James looked away, watching the cloudy sky through the window.

— Maybe Remus and Lily already got out of here.

Sirius glanced sideways at him.

— I don’t know… maybe.

Avery ran past them, worried about Charity, who was in the middle of the room waving her arms and saying in a trembling voice:

— I can fly, just like Sevs.

Severus quickly approached, gently took her hand, and answered seriously:

— You’re right, Charity. But for now, it’s better to stay here with Regulus.

Regulus, slumped on the couch with his eyes half-closed, muttered in a sleepy voice:

— The world is a cruel place… for fairies…

Severus rolled his eyes with a long sigh, already beginning to regret giving them morphine.

— That was a mistake — he murmured.

Aurora, who was watching the two of them in a sort of fascinated daze, went back to talking about the medallions:

— If these medallions really form a map to get us out of here… that means someone created this place.

Severus nodded, pulling a lighter from his pocket.

Wilkes was at the window, trying to see anything beyond the thick fog.

— Can’t see a thing… — he said, frustrated.

James, still leaning against the wall, complained:

— I’m starving.

Sirius snapped his fingers, excited:

— Marlene and I found some canned food. But it’s from the future.

James made a face.

— I found newspapers and magazines. All with different dates. Different decades. Snape also found meds with mismatched expiration dates.

Silence fell for a second.

— This place is wrong. Broken — Severus added. — Like a…

Aurora looked at him, curious.

— Like a what, Severus?

Severus stepped forward again, lighter still flickering in his hand.

— Nothing… Never mind. I’ll tell you when I’m sure.

Avery was grumbling near the stairs, arms crossed and sulking:
— I hate being the babysitter.

Severus, already coming down the steps, replied impatiently:
— You’re the only one left. Wilkes did it last time, Mulciber can barely take care of himself, and I’m the only one who knows how to make fire without magic. So, congratulations, Avery — you’ve earned the privilege of looking after the sick.

Avery huffed, even more irritated. Severus crossed his arms and added with a cynical smile:
— But look on the bright side. These creatures don’t seem interested in the house. The medallions probably keep the monsters out. So... you might be the only one who survives if they show up and kill the rest of us.

Avery’s eyes widened as he looked at Aurora, clearly worried. She just shrugged, trying to hide a smirk.

Severus stepped forward:
— We need to agree on some kind of code. At night, those creatures can take on the appearance of our friends… — he ran a hand through his hair — …and pretend to be us.

Aurora let out a deep sigh, like someone bearing the weight of being surrounded by utter incompetence.
— Great. So now, in addition to running from monsters, we need to pass an oral exam every time someone shows up in the dark. — He rubbed his face. — This is going to be a delightful trip.

Marlene raised her voice from the back:
— So what’s the code gonna be?

Severus looked at James, who still seemed to be thinking, and muttered:
— If you’re about to suggest something stupid like “red and gold,” don’t even open your mouth.

James gave a half-smile.
— What if it’s “I hate Snape”? Bet no fake could say it with that much conviction.

— Funny — Severus replied dryly. — I was thinking “I love Potter.” No creature would get past that line without laughing its ass off.

Aurora rolled her eyes:
— For Merlin’s sake, just pick something decent already.

James looked around and announced:
— Alright, everyone picks a code. Mine’s going to be—

— Twenty-four. — Severus cut in, flatly.

James frowned, suspicious:
— And why twenty-four, Snape?

Severus raised an eyebrow and replied casually:
— In the Brazilian numbers game, twenty-four is the number for a stag.

Mulciber and Avery burst out laughing. Aurora brought a hand to her mouth, trying to hide a smile, while Marlene just broke into loud laughter.

James narrowed his eyes at Severus:
— A little too interested in my code, aren’t you, Snape?

— No — Severus replied with disdain. — But considering your Animagus form is a stag, it fits perfectly.

He then turned to Sirius:
— The dog will be… dog. The rat, well, rat. — he added, shooting a look of contempt at Peter.

Before he could go on, James interrupted:
— And you’ll be the greasy bat.

Severus stared at him, ironic, and gave a brief, mocking smile:
— Perfect. Bats are nocturnal, silent, highly intelligent creatures. Suits me just fine. I’ll just skip the greasy part.

Aurora, slightly uncomfortable with the tension, cut in:
— Severus... maybe you could be a raven. I think it suits you better.

Severus looked at her, and for the first time that day, his expression softened. A faint, crooked smile appeared:
— Let’s save that code for Regulus. He loves those creatures.

Mulciber walked up to Severus and asked, curious:
— And what’s my code, Snape?

Severus looked him up and down, dead serious, and replied:
— You’ll be “cat.”

Mulciber beamed, grinning from ear to ear, clearly pleased with the nickname.

Marlene crossed her arms and rolled her eyes:
— Great. I wanted to be “cat,” but I guess that’s taken now, huh?

Severus shrugged, unfazed:
— You can be “lioness.” Fits your temper better anyway.

Aurora laughed and pointed to herself:
— What about me?

— Autumn. — Severus said without hesitation.

From where he stood, James was watching the exchange of nicknames with narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw. He felt like kicking something.
— You know what, none of this even matters anymore. — he muttered.

Aurora ignored him and turned to Wilkes and Avery:
— You two can be “positive” and “negative.”

Severus stifled a laugh with his hand, pretending to cough.

Then he looked at Charity, who was still smiling to herself, staring at the ceiling, completely oblivious thanks to the strong dose of morphine.
— Her code’s going to be “sun.”

Aurora nodded, smiling.

Severus looked out the window for the tenth time, took a deep breath, and said, resigned:

— It’s best to wait for the fog to clear. If the Muggles can’t see the smoke or the fire, it’ll be useless.

He rubbed his arm, clearly bothered by the persistent pain.

Marlene, sitting on the floor, asked quietly:

— How long do you think we’ve been here?

Sirius replied with a sigh:

— Well… we left the concert around three-thirty. Took us maybe twenty minutes to find that cursed gas station. Then we spent the whole night trying to survive those monsters. Now it’s probably… I don’t know, around two in the afternoon?

James shook his head, thoughtful.

— I think it’s been about eight hours.

Severus rolled his eyes.

— We’ve been in this place for ten hours, ten minutes, and thirty-five seconds.

James looked at him, incredulous.

— Great. At least you know how to count.

Severus gave him a bored look.

— Don’t worry. One day, you’ll learn too.

James glared at Severus, eyes narrowed in anger.

— You think you're so smart, huh? Even though you're a complete idiot.

Severus met his gaze with mockery.

— If knowing basic math makes me smart, then yes, I am, Potter.

The tension in the room immediately returned. Everyone glanced at each other in silence, as if a fight might break out at any moment.

James took a deep breath, trying to hold himself back.

— Not worth arguing with an egocentric asshole.

Severus raised an eyebrow, his voice dripping with sarcasm:

— Did you learn that from your experience in front of a mirror, Potter? No, wait… you probably needed help facing your own reflection.

James took a step forward, his voice sharp:

— At least I’m not afraid of my reflection.

Severus held his gaze, a cold smile curling on his lips.

— I’m sure you’re not. It must be the only time of day you feel important... seeing someone who, like you, doesn’t care about their own mental capacity.

Marlene, with a sly smile at the brewing drama, commented:

— I was just thinking… Professor McGonagall must’ve noticed we’re missing by now. Maybe they’re already looking for us.

Aurora’s eyes widened, tense:

— My mom’s going to kill me.

Wilkes scoffed:

— That’s only because you don’t know what my dad’s gonna do to me...

The tension spread through the room like a heavy fog. Everyone fell silent for a few seconds, as if they’d all suddenly realized that, even if they managed to get out of there, they’d still have to face the real world — and the adults in it.

Mulciber broke the silence, looking at Severus with an uncertain expression.

— Look on the bright side, Snape. You’re the only one here who won’t have any trouble when we get home.

Before anyone could react, Avery elbowed him discreetly, hissing:

— Stop talking crap, dammit.

Mulciber turned to Severus, uncomfortable, and tried to fix it:

— That’s not what I meant...

Severus cut him off, his voice low but steady:

— It’s okay, Bruce. I don’t mind.

James was in shock. He didn’t know Severus was an orphan. As far as he knew, the other boy still had a family. Lily always said Severus’s father was an unpleasant man, and that his mother was extremely submissive to her husband.

Until then, that hadn’t seemed like a real problem — his own mother was also submissive to his father — but now, it felt different. More serious. Sadder.

James cast a discreet glance at Severus, unsure if he should say something.

Everyone turned to the window and saw that, at last, the sun had appeared, casting light over the city.

Severus looked at Aurora, more serious now, and said quietly,
— Be careful.

Aurora met his gaze for a moment and gave him a gentle smile.
— I will.