"Whoa, hold on, back up!" Remus exclaimed suddenly, his hands gesturing wildly, causing Lily to glance up from the book while the rest of the group turned their attention to him. "You're telling me Arthur—the Arthur Pendragon—had a twin sister named Artoria? And not only that, they're both Ignis Visionaries?"
"Well, it certainly seems that way," Sirius drawled, folding his arms as he leaned back into his chair with a smug grin. "Merlin's beard, I wonder what else the world's been keeping from us."
"This is impossible—no, this is madness!" Remus cried, throwing his hands up. "We've read about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Nowhere—nowhere—is there mention of him having a twin, let alone attending some magical school in a hidden world!"
He gestured wildly toward the book. "And Jeanne—Jeanne d'Arc? The Joan of Arc?" he repeated. "As in the patron saint of France? That Jeanne d'Arc?"
Severus, who had been quietly following along, nudged Lily with his elbow. "Is he always like this?" he asked dryly.
Lily giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Pretty much."
"Remus loses his marbles the same way Filch loses his dignity. Theatrically." Myrtle chimed in, smirking. "I swear you can almost see the steam coming out of his ears."
"Moony, you'd think by now you'd have gotten used to the fact that nothing is as it seems," James remarked. "We've probably only just scratched the surface of Avalon, let alone the journal itself."
"And this is what's got you all riled up?" Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Not the bit about Asriel and the Sword of Damocles? Not the fact that there's a cursed weapon out there fueled by vengeance?"
"Imagine that," Peter muttered through a mouthful of crisps. "A sword that grows stronger the more revenge you take. It's equal parts terrifying and wickedly cool."
"All of that aside…" Lily's expression softened as she traced her fingers over the worn leather cover of the journal. "Godric spiraling… it really hurts to read."
Her words cast a somber mood over the group.
"He's still reeling from Raine's departure," she continued. "I can't even begin to imagine what he's going through. All that pain, all that sorrow… I just wish I could reach through the pages and hold him."
"She's right," James murmured, clasping his hands together on the desk. "To love someone that deeply, only to lose them…" He exhaled, shaking his head. "I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."
He stole a glance at Severus, whose expression remained unreadable.
"I'm unsure of what you're trying to imply, Potter," Severus said coolly, his dark eyes narrowing. "But rest assured, you've got a long way to go before I'd share in your sentiment."
"Though you have to admit," Peter said with a smirk, reclining slightly in his chair, "the absolute thrashing he gave Cardin and the Midnighters in the arena was deeply satisfying. Bastards deserved every bit of it after what they did to that girl. And the whole Damocles getup? Bloody wicked."
Severus, who had remained silent for a moment, let his gaze drift over the four boys. "Funny you'd speak of retribution as though you're above it," he murmured.
"I'd keep my wits about the lot of you. If there truly exists a sword that demands the blood of those who have wronged its wielder, it's only a matter of time before someone turns it on you."
The four of them shot him hardened looks, though there was an unmistakable flicker of hesitation. He had a point, after all.
"Hey, that's not entirely fair," Peter piped up, shifting in his seat. "We've been… mischievous, sure, but we haven't done anything worth getting murdered over."
"Believe me, Pettigrew," Severus replied smoothly, taking a sip from his butterbeer, "people have been murdered for far less."
Remus, who had been quietly mulling things over, suddenly sat back down, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "The Mirror of Erised," he mused. "The mirror that shows your deepest desires—I read about it somewhere. If it was mentioned in the journal, and it exists here, wouldn't that mean it's an artifact from Avalon?"
"Possibly," Sirius admitted, running a hand through his hair. "But I wouldn't want to lay eyes on the thing. Look what it nearly did to Godric." His tone grew more serious. "I don't fancy wasting my life chasing something that isn't real."
"I think we're straying from the core of the story," James interjected, reaching for the jug of butterbeer and pouring himself a glass. "Asriel Valerion and his lot—wielding some mythical cursed blade, hell-bent on vengeance against the Clock Tower."
"And Godric made an excellent point," Remus added, reaching for the bag of crisps in Peter's lap. Peter tried to snatch it back, only to be held at bay by Remus' outstretched hand as he casually took a handful.
"The sword wouldn't have chosen Asriel if his vengeance wasn't justified. Which means something shady is going on within the Tower." He popped the crisps into his mouth before finally handing the bag back to Peter.
"Surely you jest, Lupin," Severus scoffed, setting down his butterbeer. "The Clock Tower is an institution. And like all institutions, it isn't immune to its own corruption. I've lost count of the number of scandals that have plagued the Ministry of Magic long before we ever set foot in Hogwarts. You'd be a fool to think this will be the last."
"So they set him up," Sirius said, his expression sharpening. "Pinned the whole thing on him and sent him off to die. Question is—was it deliberate, or was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time?"
"Doesn't change the fact that Asriel is after the blood of everyone in the Clock Tower," James pointed out, taking a sip of butterbeer. "And with the kind of power he and his little band of misfits have now, I wouldn't be surprised if he actually won."
"And if the Clock Tower really is as twisted as he claims," Sirius said, fingers drumming idly against the armrest, "I wouldn't stand in his way."
Remus shot him a pointed look. "Are you saying you'd side with him?"
"I'm saying I understand him," Sirius corrected. "If the Tower truly did frame him, if they ripped his life apart and erased everything he loved, can you honestly say you wouldn't do the same in his place?" His grey eyes darkened.
"If it were me, if someone took everything from me, I wouldn't rest until I burned their whole world to the ground." He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "So no, I wouldn't be against it."
James laced his fingers together on the table. "The problem is, we still don't know the full story. The Tower has their version, Asriel has his—somewhere in between is the truth. And right now? We're just a bunch of students reading through a secondhand account, trying to piece together something far bigger than us."
Lily's gaze flickered between them, her knuckles white against the leather-bound journal. "But… what if Asriel isn't wrong?" she asked quietly. "What if he really was innocent? If the Clock Tower did this to him, how many others have they done it to?" Her fingers traced the edges of the book. "How many more lives have they destroyed?"
A heavy silence settled over the group, thick and suffocating.
Severus was the first to break it, his words cold, clinical. "Then he has every right to take his revenge," he said simply. "And I wouldn't blame him in the slightest."
"And what he did to Cardin," Lily murmured. "To think he was once the leader of the Midnighters." She exhaled. "I shouldn't be the type to cheer on that kind of brutality, but after what they did to Shana…"
"You don't have to feel guilty, Lily," Myrtle said, her ghostly form flickering slightly as her eyes hardened behind her glasses. "Frankly? I think they deserved worse."
Severus scoffed, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Worse than getting your head lopped off?" He tilted his head in mock consideration. "Perhaps Asriel should have left a bit of skin attached—then at least Cardin could have come back as Nearly-Headless Cardin."
The boys snickered at the jibe, though Lily merely rolled her eyes. "Honestly, that's juvenile," she said, unimpressed.
"Though… doesn't anyone feel the slightest bit of sympathy for Bran?" Myrtle floated beside Lily; her translucent hands clasped in front of her.
"Everything he did—everything he's done—was part of his duty as an Adjudicator of the Clock Tower. Not that I agree with Obliviating Raine, of course, but he was more of a messenger, delivering the will of the organization he represents. It wasn't out of ill will or prejudice, and yet…"
She sighed. "Everyone's turned on him—Godric, Rowena, even Laxus. They've all made him the villain."
Severus scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "History has proven that 'just following orders' is hardly a viable defense, no matter the circumstances." He steepled his fingers, his expression unreadable.
"Yes, the law demanded Raine and Godric be separated. And yes, Bran was simply carrying out the will of the Tower. But conveniently ignoring the repercussions of his actions doesn't absolve him in the least."
Lily exhaled, her shoulders sagging slightly. "Doesn't make it any less tragic," she murmured. "Decisions made on behalf of the Tower shouldn't have to come with shouldering the entire blame on a personal level."
"That's how the world works, unfortunately," James said grimly. "That being said, I can't fully excuse Bran either. Becoming an Adjudicator was his choice. And with that choice comes a burden—one that he alone must carry, no matter what it costs him."
He glanced up, meeting their gazes one by one. "Look, I know some of you may think I'm being harsh, but a man needs to stay true to his principles, even when the world tries to drag him down a path others find despicable. If his duty ever goes against his beliefs, he always has the choice to turn in his badge."
"For that, I'm in agreement with you, Prongs," Remus admitted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I do wonder, though—if the tables were turned, if the Clock Tower had given him the same ultimatum but with Rowena instead… what would Bran have done?"
His lips pressed together in thought. "Would he have taken on the entire Tower for his sister? Or would he have followed orders, just as he did before?"
He sighed. "I suppose we'll find out… if it ever comes to that."
"Speaking of things we're all conveniently ignoring…" Sirius leaned forward, hands steepled on the table, his expression thoughtful. "Professor Ryan Ashford—Mister Nobody," he mused, drawing out the name. "Sounds suspiciously like he's from our world. And more to the point—our time." His lips curled into a smirk. "Not to mention, doesn't he sound a bit… American?"
Peter snorted. "He certainly does," he said. "Like he's walked straight out of one of those Hollywood gangster flicks. Guns and all."
"I must admit, I've never heard of a squib who hunts down wizards using Muggle weaponry," Severus added, folding his arms. "And guns, of all things. He mentioned coming from a different time—what if he meant further than our own?"
"That would mean he's from a future even beyond ours," James said, his eyes widening slightly. "Bloody hell, I wonder what we'd be like in his time."
"Probably six feet under," Severus quipped without missing a beat.
Everyone turned to him with narrowed gazes and flat expressions.
He rolled his eyes. "It was a joke. Do lighten up."
Lily sighed, unimpressed. "It was juvenile at first, but that's just mean, Severus. Even for you."
"The only person who gets to joke about death is me," Myrtle huffed, folding her ghostly arms. "And besides, isn't it a bit tactless to go around predicting people's untimely demise?"
"I wasn't predicting, I was—" Severus cut himself off with an irritated exhale. "Fine. I'll refrain from making such remarks in the future." He shot James a glare. "But don't expect an apology, Potter."
"I wouldn't dream of it," James replied smoothly, leaning back in his chair with an easy smirk. "Besides, I have a very good feeling you'd be underground long before I would."
"James!" Lily snapped, shooting him a glare. "Honestly!"
James merely shrugged, unfazed. "What? It's just a bit of friendly speculation."
Lily huffed, clearly unimpressed.
Remus glanced at the clock on the wall and cleared his throat. "Well, we've still got a bit of time before we call it a night," he said, adjusting his posture. "How about we dive back in?"
Severus exhaled sharply, as if physically pained to agree with him. "For once, I find myself in complete agreement." He turned to Lily expectantly. "Miss Evans, if you would."
The group exchanged nods, settling in once more.
Lily, shaking off the lingering irritation, allowed a small smile to play on her lips before lowering her gaze back to the journal, fingers carefully turning the page.