Sirius faced with the prospect of his imminent demise, showed no trace of fear. Instead, a slight grin played upon his lips, his voice raspy but defiant.
"You're making a fool of yourself again, Severus. You haven't made any progress in all these years."
In the three years Harry had been at school, he had mostly seen Snape with two expressions: a pale yellow color on ordinary days and a pale blue color when facing him. But tonight, after Sirius spoke, Harry witnessed a rare abnormal flush on Snape's face, a sign that his sanity was on the verge of collapse.
Harry felt a desperate need to prevent Snape from killing Black, not before the truth had a chance to surface.
Lupin believed in Black, and Dumbledore and Professor Watson had put their faith in Lupin. If Lupin's trust in Black was misplaced, it would mean that Dumbledore and Watson had been deceived as well.
"Professor Snape—listen, I mean, Professor Lupin was just talking about last Halloween. It wouldn't hurt to hear the rest of what they have to say, would it?" Hermione's voice, usually so confident, now trembled with uncertainty as she cast a worried glance at Lupin's prone form.
"Miss Granger, now is not the time to prove that your brain is superior to others. You are on the verge of expulsion from school!" Snape's shout cut through the air, his wand still trained on Black's forehead. But as he turned his head, his expression was so terrifying that Harry felt a chill run down his spine, too frightened to interject. Hermione, however, pressed on, her lips quivering.
"If—if it's true—"
"Shut up, you foolish girl!" Snape exploded, his sanity seeming to slip away. "Don't discuss things you don't understand!"
"Severus—" Lupin's voice was soft, filled with a sorrow that seemed to weigh heavily upon him. "You understand the truth, Severus. You just don't want to face it."
"You shut up, werewolf!" Snape's wand sparked dangerously, and Sirius, sensing the imminent threat, tried to evade, but Snape's grip on his collar was unyielding.
"Regardless of whether it's true or not, Black, you deserve death!" Snape bellowed, his voice echoing with a finality that seemed to seal Sirius's fate.
Hearing this, Sirius, who had a defiant expression just moments ago, suddenly froze. Then, his face darkened, and he turned his head to look at Harry. The guilty expression made Harry unable to doubt the truth of what Lupin had just said.
Ron's head was shaking almost imperceptibly, his muttering barely audible over the rising tension in the room. The revelation about Scabbers, a pet he had cherished for years, now accused of being a murderer, had clearly shaken him to his core. His eyes, usually so full of vitality, were clouded with a turmoil of disbelief and betrayal.
"Regardless of the truth, Severus—"
Hagrid, whose towering presence was often a source of comfort, was the first to regain composure. His usually jovial face was set in a stern frown as he addressed Snape, "This should be left for Professor Dumbledore to judge, Severus. Given the current situation, I think it's reasonable to let Black live a little longer—"
Snape, however, seemed like a statue carved from ice, his gaze locked onto Black with an intensity that could shatter glass. His eyes, dark pools of loathing, reflected years of enmity and unspoken history.
"You want me dead, I don't mind, Snivellus—"
Sirius, taking a deep breath, managed to peel his gaze away from Harry, whose features were a haunting echo of James. His voice, though calm, carried an undercurrent of urgency, "But that rat, Peter, he shouldn't have gotten far. If we don't catch him tonight, he'll escape!"
A muscle in Snape's cheek gave a hard twitch, yet his grip on Sirius's collar remained as unyielding as iron chains.
"Severus—"
Lupin, who was half-kneeling on the ground, looked as though he had been drained of all energy. His voice, however, was unwavering as he said, "You may not believe us, but you should believe Bryan, right?"
'Bryan?'
A flicker of uncertainty crossed Snape's features. Bryan wasn't mentioned in what Lupin had just said. What did this have to do with him?
"–You came out too early earlier, and I hadn't finished telling the rest," Lupin's eyes, filled with a desperate sincerity, met Snape's. "In fact, before Christmas, Bryan caught Sirius. He examined Sirius's memories and confirmed that it was indeed Peter who killed James and Lily. To avoid alerting Peter, who was lurking in the shadows, he decided not to make a big deal out of it. You should have seen a black cat named Tom around Bryan, that's Sirius–"
In the dimly lit room, Harry's mouth opened slightly, his expression a mirror of bewilderment that matched Hermione's. Even Ron, who had always been Scabbers's staunchest defender, was rendered speechless, his body rigid as if struck by a Petrificus Totalus spell.
"This is a lie," Snape's gaze dropped, becoming distant and unfocused, a clear sign of him employing Occlumency to shield his thoughts. "You know that Dumbledore and Bryan have left the school. You're trying to help this criminal escape, aren't you? I can see through your intentions, Lupin."
"If you can truly see through, Severus."
Lupin didn't avoid Snape's gaze, saying firmly, "Then you should know that every word I've said is true."
...............
Bryan stood with his arms crossed on high ground, his silhouette etched against the darkening sky. The wild wind tousled his hair, a few strands of gray hair fell in front of his eyes, but they couldn't hide the deep gaze he cast upon Professor Snape. The intensity of his stare seemed to pierce through the gathering dusk, reaching out to the man who stood a short distance away.
Bryan knew the immense pain this man was facing in his heart. Severus Snape, this man lived for hatred and protection, but now, half of the reasons that kept him going were crumbling, which was extremely cruel for him. The revelation that had unfolded before Snape's eyes was not just a simple truth—it was a mirror reflecting the agony of years spent in the shadows, fueled by a vendetta that had given him purpose.
Previously, Bryan had already encountered the possibilities of Snape knowing the truth, but he still let Professor Snape witness everything personally. It was something he had to face, and it was fair for him.
He looked up at the night sky, the moon, hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, emitted a hazy blood-red light. Bryan frowned, the moon was almost full. The crimson hue that bathed the lunar surface was an ominous sign, a prelude to the transformation that threatened to unleash the beast within.
Peter, lurking in a tree hollow two hundred feet away, trembled when he learned that Bryan had known Sirius was innocent. He couldn't wait any longer, the situation had completely gone beyond his control, and now he had to escape. His heart pounded against his chest, a frantic rhythm that echoed the fear coursing through his veins.
Just as he was about to stick his head out of the tree hollow, a sudden gust of wind blew, followed by rustling sounds. Peter quickly hid his head again, not exposing himself to the moonlight.
Tonight, Harry, Ron, and Hermione appeared in the Forbidden Forest. Who reminded them? The question gnawed at Peter's mind, a puzzle that added to the chaos of the night.
Remus Lupin also followed, holding the Marauders Map in his hand. This was so strange, Peter didn't remember them making two copies back then.
And there was Severus Snape. It seemed like they had all agreed to meet in the Forbidden Forest. These things completely exceeded his plan, and now they all knew the truth from back then. The truth that had been buried under layers of deceit and misunderstanding was now laid bare for all to see.
Two beams of light, even darker than the darkness, shot out from the completely submerged tree hollow. It was now impossible for him to return to the Weasley boy. Now, he could only wait and see how effective his preparations would be.
Snape pointed his wand at Sirius's forehead, but his trembling wrist showed his inner struggle. The wand, an extension of his will, quivered as if it were a living thing, reflecting the turmoil that raged within Snape's soul.
Time seemed to stand still. After Lupin revealed Bryan's name, he didn't say anything else. The trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione seemed to have become mere spectators, unable to intervene. They watched, their young faces etched with concern and confusion, as the drama unfolded before them.
Sirius and Snape's gazes met under the night sky. There was less hatred in their eyes, but the looks exchanged between the two middle-aged men over thirty were filled with confusion. The animosity that had once defined their relationship was giving way to a dawning realization that the world was not as black and white as they had believed.
'What is truth and what is lie?' At this moment, they were all pondering this question.
"It's time to end this, Severus–" Lupin said, "Let's go back to the castle together and bring Dumbledore and Bryan back. We need to clarify everything."
'Time to end it?' Harry felt a sense of melancholy. He opened his mouth to ask what would happen to Peter, but in the end, he didn't say anything. The words died on his lips, a silent testament to the complexity of the emotions that swirled within him.
"You take Draco, Hagrid–" Snape's voice sounded hoarse, as if he had been running a high fever for a week. His face returned to its usual waxen color, but from the gaze he fixed on Sirius, it was clear that the intent to kill in his heart had not completely dissipated, he was just trying to restrain it. The effort to maintain control was etched in the lines of his face, a mask that barely concealed the storm within.
Hagrid glanced at Harry and let out a heavy sigh. He walked towards Lupin and easily broke the ropes that bound Lupin's hands and feet. This also meant that he already believed Sirius was innocent, but he still said to Sirius with a fierce tone, "You still have a lot to explain, boy!"
After saying this, Hagrid bent down and easily lifted the unconscious Draco with his large hands. At this moment, something fell out of Draco's pocket and slowly floated down, attracting everyone's attention. It was the Marauder's Map! The parchment that had guided so many adventures now lay on the forest floor, a silent witness to the night's revelations.
Lupin, who was nearby, was stunned. He stared at the map on the ground for a few seconds, then put his hand into his robe pocket and took out another map. The impossibility of the situation was written all over his face, a mixture of confusion and disbelief.
"How is this possible–" Sirius also noticed this unusual occurrence. He instinctively asked, but what happened next interrupted his words.
In a moment of sheer bewilderment, Lupin's map suddenly flew out from his grasp by an unseen force, levitating before him as if caught in an invisible updraft. Simultaneously, its twin on the ground began to mimic its movements, and both maps commenced a rapid rotation around an unseen axis, akin to two celestial supernovas spiraling towards an inevitable collision.
The velocity of their rotation escalated exponentially, transforming the scene into a dizzying vortex of parchment and ink. Within mere seconds, the spectacle had morphed into a whirlpool, a maelstrom of magical energy that seemed to defy the very laws of physics.
Then, as if the heavens themselves had split open, a burst of golden-red light exploded forth, its brilliance rivaling that of the sun and casting an ethereal glow over the Forbidden Forest. The eruption was accompanied by a violent wind, the product of the unleashed magical phenomenon.
Lupin and Sirius, who had been perilously close to the epicenter, were sent hurtling through the air like ragdolls caught in a hurricane. Hagrid, his eyes shielded by a burly arm, was forced to retreat, his massive frame stumbling back several paces. Snape, with quick reflexes, conjured a protective barrier with a flick of his wand, sparing himself from the magical onslaught.
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