Chapter 6
Sirius and Remus ran down the stairs, ring in hand, at the commotion they had heard. Their jaws dropped at the site of a frozen Severus and Harry, with his wand aimed at the man. He stood, not changing his position, the only indication that he hadn’t been hexed was the slight tremble in his fingers as he tightly clutched his wand.
“Harry?” Remus asked, his voice careful but firm.
The boy spun around, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and guilt. “I-I stole his wand, and then he found me somehow... and I immobilized him,” Harry stammered, the words tumbling out in a frantic rush.
An uncomfortable silence settled in the room as the three men tried to process the scene. Harry broke it, his anxiety spilling over. “Let’s just do the ritual, quickly! I just need to light the candles, and once we’re done, I’ll free him. Hurry! Sirius, did you find the ring?”
The mention of his name seemed to snap Sirius back. His face darkened, and his voice carried an edge Harry had never heard before. “Free him. Now.”
Harry flinched at the command, his fingers twitching against his wand. “But—”
“Now!” Sirius barked, stepping closer.
Remus raised a hand, trying to mediate, though his tone left no room for argument. “Harry, this isn’t negotiable. Release him, and then we’ll decide what happens next.”
Reluctantly, Harry muttered the counter-curse. Severus stumbled forward but quickly straightened himself, his dark eyes blazing with fury.
“Potter!” he barked, venom dripping from every syllable. “You arrogant, insolent boy! How dare you steal my wand and then have the audacity to hex me? I should—”
“Enough,” Sirius interrupted, stepping between Severus and Harry. His protective stance made his intent clear. “He’s just a child, Snape.”
“A child?” Severus hissed, his voice low and dangerous. “Your precious godson has crossed a line, Black. And you’re enabling him.”
Harry, who had been shrinking back, suddenly found his voice. “I just wanted—”
“You just what?” Severus snapped, cutting him off. “Thought you were entitled to take whatever you wanted for your self-righteous crusade? You’re just like your father.”
Sirius bristled. “Don’t you dare bring James into this!”
The room was thick with tension, Sirius and Severus glaring at each other as if they might duel any second.
Remus cleared his throat, his calm voice cutting through the silence. “Look, we all know Harry messed up. He shouldn’t have stolen your wand and he definitely shouldn’t have hexed you. But he’s promised to let this rest once we complete the ritual.”
“And what ritual is this?” Severus shot back, his tone icy.
“It’s the Ritual of Past Mysteries.” Harry finally spoke up. “I want to know the truth about the day you found out about Remus.”
Severus’s expression darkened further, “What truth?” he asked, his voice dangerously low.
“No one remembers the attack. No one remembers Sirius inviting you. There has to be more to the story.” exclaimed Harry.
“You believe I’ve fabricated the whole incident.” Severus verified.
“No-” Remus began but Harry cut him off with a resounding “Yes, I do. If you haven’t done anything wrong, you shouldn’t have a problem with this ritual.” Harry’s fear tamed as he met his professor’s gaze head on, challenging him.
“I am not obligated to prove anything to anyone in this room.” Severus held his hand out, silently demanding his wand back.
“We’ve tried to talk him out of this many times. Let’s just show him there is nothing more than what meets the eye.” Sirius requested.
For a moment, it seemed as though Severus might explode again, but he took a slow, measured breath and said, “Fine. But let me make one thing clear. If Potter tries anything like that again, there will be consequences.”
“Understood,” Remus said firmly, shooting Harry a warning look. “Harry, do you have everything ready for the ritual?”
Harry nodded nervously, his eyes flicking toward Severus before focusing on the objects he had laid out. “Yes, I just need to light the candles.”
“Good,” Remus said. “Sirius, you have the ring?”
Sirius nodded, holding up the ancient Black family heirloom. “Let’s get this over with.”