The switch
The Marauders had expected to come back to the same street they had left that morning. Instead, it was like walking into an entirely different world.
“What the hell happened?” Sirius blurted, staring at the transformation.
James, equally stunned, turned in a slow circle, taking in the decorations that hadn’t been there just hours ago. The balconies were draped with red and gold fabric, paper lanterns swayed gently in the evening breeze, and intricate banners lined the walls. The street was buzzing with energy—children dashed between stalls, neighbors strung up lights, and an almost festive atmosphere filled the air.
“Was there some kind of street festival we missed?” Remus asked, bewildered.
“Looks like a bloody parade’s about to start,” Peter muttered.
Then the greetings began.
“Ramadan Kareem, ya Severus!”
“Ramadan Kareem, Hassoona!”
“Ramadan Kareem!”
The Marauders barely had time to register the words before something even more shocking happened—Severus smiled.
A proper, genuine smile. Not smug, not sarcastic, not amused at someone else’s expense. Just… real.
They stared at him like he had grown a second head.
Then, before they could recover, Hassoona jumped excitedly. “Severus! I’m fasting all day this year, like a big boy!”
Severus crouched slightly, resting a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Are you?”
Hassoona nodded so hard his curls bounced. “Mama says I can do it this year!”
Severus’s smile widened slightly. “I’m proud of you.”
The Marauders might as well have been hit with a Confundus Charm.
Sirius, too thrown off to even mask his confusion, looked at James, then Remus, then Peter, and finally blurted, “What is going on?”
Severus, still watching Hassoona with an amused expression, finally turned back to them. “It’s Ramadan.”
Blank stares.
Severus exhaled through his nose, as though this was the most predictable thing in the world. “The holy month of fasting for Muslims.”
That didn’t clear anything up for them.
Seeing their vacant expressions, Severus sighed and crossed his arms. “Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for a month. No food, no water—nothing.”
James’s eyes widened. “Nothing?”
Severus nodded. “Nothing.”
Sirius ran a hand through his hair, still looking completely lost. “But why?”
Severus shrugged. “It’s a religious practice. A time for self-discipline, reflection, and community. At sunset, they break their fast with a meal called iftar, then eat again before dawn, called suhoor.”
The Marauders were still struggling to keep up.
Peter frowned. “Wait… so everyone in this street is fasting?”
“Almost everyone,” Severus confirmed. “Elderly people, kids, and even teenagers fast unless they’re really sick. The only ones who don’t are those who physically can’t, like people with chronic illnesses, pregnant women, and travelers.”
Remus, ever the quick thinker, tilted his head. “That’s why they put up the decorations all of a sudden? Because Ramadan started?”
Severus nodded. “Yes, it starts tomorrow.”
James glanced at the glowing lanterns hanging from the balconies. “So it’s kind of like Christmas?”
Severus gave him a flat look. “Not really, but if it helps you understand—sure.”
Peter was still stuck on the fasting part. “But no water? In this heat?”
Severus lifted a brow. “Yes.”
Peter looked horrified. “How do they not die?”
“They’re used to it,” Severus said simply. “And it’s not as impossible as you think.”
Sirius folded his arms. “And you? Are you fasting?”
Severus shook his head. “No.”
“Then how do you know so much about it?” James asked.
Severus’s gaze flickered toward the bustling street, where families were setting up for the evening meal. He hesitated for half a second before replying, “Because I grew up around Muslims. When you live in the same space as people who fast, you notice.”
That made sense, though it still didn’t explain why Severus seemed so at ease in all of this. The way the people in the street greeted him, the way Hassoona looked up to him, the way he slipped into the rhythm of things like he had always been a part of it.
Sirius glanced at the sky, the sun still visible but beginning its slow descent. “So when do they eat?”
Severus checked his watch. “Sunset.”
James frowned. “And we’re just supposed to—what? Not eat or drink in public until then?”
Severus gave him a pointed look. “You can, but it’s considerate not to.”
Sirius’s eyes widened. “For a whole month?”
“Yes, Black,” Severus said dryly. “For a whole month.”
The Marauders were officially gobsmacked.
James looked back at the street, watching as more lanterns were lit, casting a golden glow over the buildings. “Huh.”
Peter shook his head in disbelief. “I’d never make it.”
“You wouldn’t,” Severus agreed, pushing open the door to the apartment. “Now, come inside before you embarrass yourselves further.”
The Marauders followed, still trying to wrap their heads around the idea that, for the next month, the entire world outside their door would be running on a completely different rhythm.
And, somehow, Severus Snape understood it better than any of them ever could.