Chapter Text
Cokeworth
Mid June
Summer in Cokeworth is quiet. Petunia has a new boyfriend who she spends most of her days with. Whenever she is home, though, Petunia locks herself in her room and listens to loud music. She is also a miserable hag if she and Lily ever cross paths. And yet, those horrible interactions still leave Lily feeling better than seeing her dad slump his feet around the house.
Doctor Jacob Evans has never been so busy at work. He also hardly ever spends time at home during the day. He’s off to work early in the morning and comes back after dinner time. If he is ever home, he looks mostly lost. But he tries, for Lily’s sake if nothing else. Dad spends Sunday morning with Lily, watching old cartoons neither of them pays attention to anymore. Lily makes them pancakes the way her mum taught her and Dad asks about Hogwarts.
He doesn’t retain a lot. Lily tells him about her lessons and the protection elixir she is researching. Dad only remembers she’s got top marks on her Potions and Charms exams. Lily talks about Mary’s relationship with Austin and how much Marlene is practising Quidditch. Dad mixes them up. Lily says she hasn’t seen Sev in a while.
Dad blinks. “Oh, yes. How is Severus doing?”
Not well. Lily and Sev had a row, again. He wanted to come over and get something of Mum’s to try an old ritual with. Lily forbade it. Severus yelled that he was done trying to help her. Lily told him she never asked for his help in the first place.
It was a horrible afternoon. Ever since Lily has stayed away from Spinner’s End. She only saw Sev again once in June, when she went to the market to get ice cream. Severus was there in a ridiculous bright purple jacket and much-too-short trousers. He ignored Lily when she waved at him.
What a tosser.
“I don’t know how he’s doing.” Lily shakes her head. “But that is not what matters today. I need a ride to the station in a few. My mates are arriving today.”
Dad frowns in confusion but then he nods. “Right. The footballer and the one with the boyfriend.”
“Quidditch– Oh, it doesn’t matter. Yes. Marlene McKinnon and Mary Macdonald. You talked to their parents to set it up. Well, Mary’s mum phoned and we wrote that letter for the McKinnons.”
That seems to do the trick. Dad nods enthusiastically. “Of course, darling. I’ll get ready and we’ll fetch your mates. It’ll be grand to have the house full of laughter again. Your mum would love it.”
Lily smiles sadly but nods and pushes the sadness aside. Yes, Mum would love to have Mary and Marlene over. It’s a shame they couldn’t make it happen before. But it is happening now. The girls have been planning this for weeks, even before classes were done. Mary’s parents were easy enough to convince. As the oldest sister of three, Mary is the responsible one. That doesn’t bode well for the other Macdonald girls. In any case, it only took two phone calls and Mrs Macdonald was happy to allow her daughter to spend a week outside of busy London and away from Mary’s older cousins, who keep taking her to meet their male friends.
Marlene’s parents were a different case entirely. As purebloods who live in a mostly isolated village, they were understandably afraid of sending their only daughter into the muggle world without any adult wizard supervision. That worry didn’t last long, though. Dad wrote them a lengthy letter explaining how safe Cokeworth is and that the girls are in no danger whatsoever.
At the same time, Marlene told her parents they were acting as one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. They gave permission for her to come right away.
And now they are both coming here! Mary’s train should be arriving in less than an hour and Marlene’s mum is apparating her in. Lily has the entire week planned out. She wants to show them her nursery school and the local market and the cafe Mum took Lily and Petunia to wherever they went shopping for clothes. There isn’t much more to do in Cokeworth but there are the small woods behind the town that the girls might want to explore.
In any case, Lily is just happy her mates are coming to visit. She cleans up the table and gets everything ready to go. Dad drives her and finally gets who is who right. They arrive at the station five minutes before the train from London. Mary jumps onto the platform in a multicoloured dress, her hair in half a hundred braids.
“Lily!” she yelps and hugs her.
“Oh, wow!” Lily blinks at her. “You look fantastic!”
“Cheers, love!” Mary grins. “I like your overalls!”
Lily flushes. It’s an old thing she put on without thinking. But it’s not something she would bring to Hogwarts, just something to wear at home. She didn’t expect Mary to show up looking like a model. But then again, Lily has no idea how people dress in London.
Mary introduces herself to Dad and thanks him for his hospitality. Just as Lily joins them, she hears a loud crack and Marlene walks out of the blue with a woman in her late forties behind her. Mrs Elda McKinnon has short brown hair and the strong nose her daughter shares. But where Marlene’s eyes are brown, her mum’s are blue. They both look around the station curiously and they smile when Marlene waves at her mates.
“Wotcher!” Marlene greets. She wears a frumpy t-shirt and boy’s jeans.
She must notice the difference in attire because her eyes go wide when she sees Mary. For a whole minute, as Mary describes the last two weeks at home, Marlene can’t seem to stop staring at her. Lily adds a shopping trip to their schedule. They’ll get Marlene something just as pretty.
After Dad assures Mrs McKinnon of the safety of provincial Cokeworth, she leaves with another loud crack. The drive home is a massive moment in Marlene’s immersion in muggle culture. She seems to get over Mary’s outfit and focus on the car. Dad spends the entire trip home explaining to her how motors work and that, yes, most muggle families have a ‘four-people train’ as she puts it.
They arrive home to find a note from Petunia saying she went out with her boyfriend.
“Too bad,” Mary says sarcastically. “I was so looking forward to meeting her.”
“Come on,” Marlene says, pulling Lily by the arm. “I want to see your bedroom and the still photos!”
Right. Lily told her about how muggle pictures don’t move. The three girls climb upstairs and Lily unleashes them on her bedroom. Mary goes straight to her wardrobe while Marlene dashes to the photos glued to the wall on top of Lily’s desk.
Marlene smiles at pictures of Lily as a toddler and one of her and Petunia playing at the swings. But she sticks her tongue out when she sees a picture of Lily and Sev.
“Do you think he can use this to spy on you?” Marlene asks.
Lily frowns. It feels weird to consider it and she pushes the idea out of her mind. “You can’t do that with muggle pictures. Besides, he would never.”
Marlene shrugs. “I don’t know about that.” She leans forward, leaning her hand on some papers on top of the desk. “Oh, sorry,” she says as she looks down to put the paper away. Instead, Marlene frowns. “Wait, I know that handwriting… Is that a letter from Remus? Oh my Merlin! It is!”
That piques Mary’s attention immediately. She drops a plaid skirt on top of the bed and smirks. “Lilypad, have you been exchanging love letters with Mr Lupin?”
“What?! No!” Lily feels her face heating up. “We’ve been discussing the electives, is all. He wanted to know which ones I’m taking this year.”
Marlene and Mary exchange a sly smile. Mary, especially, is enjoying this. “Because he loves you.”
“No! Because we sometimes study together!” Lily feels her heartbeat race. “Remus and I are just friends. Besides, he’s a bit dry and he curses too much. I don’t fancy him or anything.”
“No one said you fancied him,” Marlene smirks. “Until now.”
“Come on,” Mary pleads. “Just imagine it, yes? He’s the only lad you actually want to hang out with. He’s sort of funny and he also likes to read. Plus, the scars and his sickness! He’s so mysterious.”
Lily shakes her head. “You’re just saying that because you don’t want me spending time with Sev, and Sev hates Remus. He hates all of Potter’s mates but Remus in particular.”
“That’d be a plus, yes,” Mary murmurs, though not very softly.
That angers Lily. “Remus is just a mate and we’re just discussing electives. I don’t fancy him at all.”
And she doesn’t. Sure, Remus is the nicest of the Gryffindor lads. He’s quiet and respectful and quite funny. Next to his mates, he’s the only reasonable one. He’s also not stubborn like Sev and he’s much more patient as well. Lily likes spending time with him and talking about books.
But Lily does not fancy him. No matter how many times Marlene and Mary exchange knowing looks and giggle, she doesn’t.
Even if, just now, thinking about Remus makes Lily’s head feel a bit lighter.
↞↠↞↠↞↠
12 Grimmauld Place, London
Early July
Regulus Black isn’t a fan of the summer. He’s never been, even as a baby. It feels like everything is dull and muggy. The days are endless and the nights are uncomfortable. He feels like he’s sweating all the time. Even when Kreacher places a cooling charm in his room in secret – Mother would not approve of climate-control charms lest they damage the ancient artefacts – Regulus still feels clammy.
There’s a loud bang outside of Regulus’ chamber and he sighs. Sirius has been causing trouble again. He’s been impossible lately. Regulus thought it was bad when his brother came home last summer wanting to visit Potter and talking about his mudblood friend from Wales.
How innocent he was. Sirius has since doubled down on his nonsense. He now wears muggle shirts and trousers, instead of the traditional robes. Mother, who was rightly upset by it, threatened to burn them off of him. Sirius responded by not wearing anything for an entire day, not even pants, before Father determined he can wear his degrading rags if they don’t have guests at home.
But that’s not all. Sirius has also started to complain about the way Kreacher makes the tea. He wants it done the Indian way, as they do at the Potters’. Kreacher was so offended, he cried until Regulus reassured him he liked the way the house-elf made the tea.
All in all, Sirius has been a nightmare to deal with. He now hates Regulus just because Regulus likes being a Slytherin. But what is there not to like? Mother and Father are proud of him. Uncle Cygnus sent him a snake pin and Aunt Druella packaged him his favourite treats. Even Cousin Bella sent him a letter, and she never talks to Regulus if she can avoid it. Cousin Bella doesn’t like children.
Most of all, Regulus quite likes the people that are in Slytherin House right now. Cousin Cissy is there and she’s just brilliant. She introduced Regulus to all of her peers and instructed him about who he should talk to. There is also Barty, who is so funny and so, so sharp. He never mentions that his marks are higher than Regulus’ but always distracts Regulus whenever his brother gets him down.
Being a Slytherin is everything his parents promised Regulus it would be.
“Kreacher, come here,” Regulus says from his desk.
He’s been working on his summer homework. He wants to improve his marks so Mother and Father can talk about it at social events. Any day now his Black prodigy will show. Regulus just has to be patient, Cissy says. He’ll be just as talented as Sirius, who is at the very top of his year.
The house-elf materialises with a crack. “Yes, Master?”
“What is going on with my brother?”
“Master Sirius was caught snooping in your illustrious father’s office. He’s been disciplined accordingly by your noble mother.” Kreacher smiles. “Would you like a refreshment, Master?”
Regulus suddenly feels cold inside. “Is he… hurt? Is Sirius hurt?”
“Your most noble mother chose once again not to aim her disciplinary spells at his person,” Kreacher says in a reproachable tone. “Most kindly of her. How about that refreshment, Master Regulus?”
“No, thank you.” Regulus swallows down another question. “You’re dismissed.”
Kreacher bows and disappears. Regulus stares at his empty room for a moment, trying to get his bearings. He still feels cold inside but it’s slowly going away. Good. They have a dinner with the Burkes to attend and Regulus is supposed to look presentable. It should be a boring affair but the Burke house-elf makes the most delicious apple crumble. He’s looking forward to that.
Regulus does his best to appear a perfect son of House Black. He always has. Regulus knows he isn’t the heir and that he doesn’t draw attention to himself like Sirius naturally does.
He’s aware of their differences and he hated them when he was younger. Regulus wanted to be just like his big brother. He doesn’t anymore. He wants nothing to do with Sirius and his pranks. Regulus doesn’t want to be someone that befriends the likes of gobby, arrogant James Potter.
“What a handsome young lordling,” the mirror coos when Regulus finishes getting ready.
Mother echoes the sentiment when Regulus presents himself for dinner. She doesn’t say the same for Sirius, even though he looks even better than Regulus, especially now that he’s gotten much taller.
Once the family is all there, Father apparates them to the Burke’s estate. The moment they crack into existence, Regulus feels wobbly. Sirius doesn’t even wince.
He looks at the grand, old house in front of them and snorts. “They ought to consider upgrading,” he says. “I hear the Shrieking Shack is empty this time of year.”
“Watch your manners,” Mother chastises but hides a sneer. She has always found Sirius’ japes funny.
Father rings the bell and they are welcomed in by a house-elf. Regulus smiles at her but the poor creature looks down. They can be rather shy, though it differs from house-elf to house-elf. Regulus loves noticing these little details. He hopes to be a magizoologist one day, like Newt Scamander.
He doesn’t smile at the Burkes, though. This isn’t just a social meeting. Thanks to Sirius’ strawberry prank, the Burkes are crossed. The engagement fell through and this is the time to salvage it.
Regulus secretly hopes they don’t manage that. Adelaide Burke is in his year at Hogwarts and she has a weird little laugh. He doesn’t want a sister-in-laugh with a weird little laugh. Elaine Greengrass would be preferable. Or her prettier mate, Bridget Morcott, who sometimes sings in the common room. But Morcott has a muggle for a grandfather, so she’s out of the question.
Along with Adelaide stand her older brother, Herbert, as well as her mother and father. Mrs Burke is stocky and wears a beautiful dress-robe. Mr Burke has the biggest moustache Regulus has ever seen. Their house is styled in the old way, full of tapestry and family portraits. Some young Burke sighs when Sirius passes by her picture but he doesn’t seem to notice.
They say their hellos and sit at the table, each family on a different side. The famous apple crumble is already set on the table but they eat the meal first. It’s rather bland. Mr Burke talks to Father about everyone’s new favourite subject, this politician who is gathering followers left and right. Lord Voldemort. He sounds French, though Regulus is pretty sure he’s a British wizard.
He doesn’t know much. Nobody talks to him about politics, only Barty. Barty Crouch Senior works in the Ministry, so Barty knows a lot about it. He says this Lord Voldemort is a genius and has the right ideas about their society. He reckons they should try to join his ranks as soon as they leave Hogwarts.
Regulus remembers meeting Lord Voldemort in last year’s Winter Solstice. His mere presence made Regulus feel small and afraid. But Father says that’s because the man is the greatest wizard of their time. He must be even greater than Dumbledore because the old wizard doesn’t make Regulus uncomfortable like that. He’s mostly just odd, like Uncle Alphard.
Regulus is so lost in thought, he doesn’t realise Adelaide is looking straight at him.
Sirius snorts. “She asked what your favourite subject is, little brother. We’re playing seven questions.”
It’s an old game, one that young wizards and witches use at parties to learn about each other quickly. The trick is asking the right questions and avoiding giving out clear answers. Sirius taught him how.
“I’m only starting my second year so I’m not sure yet,” Regulus answers masterfully. He looks at Hebert. “What is your favourite potion?”
Hebert shrugs. “The love potion. But I’ll only tell you why when you're older.” He smirks at Sirius. “What are your true colours? Oh, excuse me. I meant, favourite colour. Red or gold, I imagine.”
Regulus holds his breath. Hebert might be smiling amicably but he doesn’t fool anyone. Nobody has ever mentioned the sorting to them, not directly. Sure, Regulus has heard people lament about it to his parents but never accuse Sirius of something bad because of it.
“Black, of course,” Sirius says with a wink. He eyes Adelaide and smiles dangerously. “Adelaide, what is your favourite fruit? The one you just gag for?”
Regulus closes his eyes. Of course Sirius would mention the prank. Of course he would retaliate with an even greater offence, the most explosive way possible. Of course he would ruin everything.
Adelaide grows bright red. “Oh, you’re horrible. Horrible! I hate you and I hope you choke and die!”
She stands up, tears in her eyes. Her parents try to call her back but Adelaide storms off, bawling her eyes out. Herbert glares at Sirius, who just drinks his pumpkin juice with a bored expression.
Mrs Burke closes her open mouth and turns to Mother, mortified. “Walburga–”
But Mother raises a disapproving eyebrow that shuts her up. “In my time, finer manners were expected of young ladies. I see there is nothing here for us to seek. Come on, boys.”
They leave without ever touching the apple crumble. Regulus is rather disappointed. Although, when he stumbles as they apparate inside the house, Regulus is happy he doesn’t have much in his stomach.
“Well, that was a disaster,” Sirius says cheerfully. “I’ll be in my room reflecting on the events of–”
He doesn’t get to finish the sentence. Mother takes out her wand and places a lacero curse on the wall next to Sirius’ face. He grows immediately pale and shuts his mouth. Regulus feels cold again, especially when Father leaves for his office, shaking his head but saying nothing.
“Your behaviour is appalling,” Mother says calmly. “It shall not be tolerated.”
She raises her wand again and Regulus wants nothing more than to close his eyes. He should go to his bedroom and pretend he doesn’t hear anything. He should lock the door, lock his heart. Instead, he does something unimaginably reckless. He takes a step forward, toward Mother.
“Hebert provoked Sirius, Mother. He implied Sirius isn’t loyal to our family. Whatever Sirius said to upset Adelaide, it was to preserve the family’s honour.”
Mother looks at Regulus then and he doesn’t recognise her. She was never loving, not like Barty describes his mother to be. But Mother has never looked at Regulus as if he’s nothing. Not until now.
She does not lower her wand. In fact, she points it at him. “How dare you open your–?”
Sirius scoffs. It’s a small thing but it freezes the moment.
Not satisfied, he smirks. “Sweet, naive Reggie. I wasn’t defending the family’s honour. I don’t believe it has any. In fact, I can’t wait until I’m the head of the family, so I can fill this house with muggleborns and blood traitors.”
Mother forgets about Regulus entirely. In fact, she must forget about everything. She must forget they are her sons and that she loves them. Because she uses lacero again but this time she aims directly at Sirius. A red gush opens on his thigh and Sirius groans, falling to his knee. She raises her wand again.
Regulus isn’t sure what happens next. Kreacher shows up at his side and holds his hand. The next thing Regulus knows, he’s in his chamber, alone. He’s also crying.
The next morning, Sirius isn’t in the house anymore. When Regulus gathers the courage to inquire about his whereabouts, Father lets him know Sirius went to the Potters’ via Floo Network.
Without saying goodbye.
↞↠↞↠↞↠
Potter’s Residence
Late August
Peter narrows his eyes. He’s alone in the woods, the deep part that is too far away from the village for anyone to hear him if he calls for help. If he keeps walking, the old graveyard and the abandoned shack should be right ahead.
He really needs to stop putting himself in these types of situations.
“Lads?” Peter calls, though not very loudly. James says the woods are safe but they are infested with magical beasts. And even some regular ones that Peter doesn’t want to encounter. “Are you there?!”
“Here,” Remus says, appearing out of nowhere next to Peter.
He almost yelps but manages to keep it down. Remus must notice it but doesn’t say anything. Peter knows he’s sweaty and squirmish; he probably looks pathetic. He would normally appreciate being found by Remus in this state, who was also often very pale and sickly-looking.
But not this summer, though. Remus arrived at the Potters’ three days ago, looking tanned and energetic. Peter almost didn’t recognise him. Apparently, Remus spent the better part of the holidays working as a delivery boy. Apparently, muggles have to walk to and back to the market, and there’s a bunch of old people in Remus’ home village who find that bothersome. So, they pay kids like Remus to do their grocery shopping for them.
All the exercise and time spent outside got Remus a nice bronze shade all over. But he’s mostly focused on how it helped with his transformations. Remus thinks he recovered faster, so he intends to do it again next summer.
“Come on,” Remus says. “They are right ahead.”
They keep going. James and Sirius must be at the abandoned shack by now, being both faster and more athletic than Peter and Remus. They were uncertain about the idea of exploring the old graveyard at all but now that they are there, neither is too phased by the creepy surroundings.
Peter, on the other hand, is rethinking his love for scary stories. He likes them when he’s not in the middle of one. When there’s a safe distance. Unlike right now, when they approach a literal graveyard.
“There they are,” Remus says and picks up his pace.
He walks around the headstones as if they are nothing and quickly gets to where James and Sirius are discussing something, wands in hand. Peter follows him and gets there when James sighs heavily.
“Of course it’s warded!” He rolls his eyes and takes off his glasses to wipe the sweat off of them. They’ve been hiking for the better part of the day. “The old hag put on defences before she left.”
That’s the story Mrs Potter told them. There was once an old hag that lived by the village’s old graveyard. She feasted on the sorrow of the departed’s families but she also protected their loved one's resting place. For centuries, the village people let her be and she never bothered anyone. Until one day, a fearful wizard decided they wanted the hag no more.
He led a vicious attack. They burned her home, they poisoned her woods. But the hag endured. It was only when they buried their dead in a different place, thus depriving her of sustenance, that the hag finally left. And with her, so went her protection. The woods took over the graveyard and the dead were truly gone because now they were also forgotten.
It was more of a sad story than a scary story. Remus ate it up but Peter thought it was a bit boring. It’d be better if the hag had exerted some sort of vengeance against the villagers. He told Iris as much. They’ve been exchanging letters all summer long, though Peter only told James that.
“Is she your girlfriend?” James asked.
“I think so,” Peter answered.
“Neat.”
Peter considered telling Remus and Sirius but never found the right time. It definitely isn’t now, when they are about to enter an abandoned hag shack.
Sirius points his wand at the locked door. “ Alohomora. ”
Nothing happens. James snorts. “I told you it was warded.”
Remus frowns. “If magic doesn’t work, can’t we try picking the lock?”
“Oh, I know!” Sirius produces a pen knife out of his pocket and slides it between the door and the doorframe. There’s a distinguishably unlocking sound and he pushes the door open. “Et voilà!”
“Blimey! Is that a magic knife?” James asks.
“Yup. Nicked from my father’s office. It’s supposed to cut through any knot and lock. Brilliant, innit?” Sirius says and looks at Remus, expectantly.
Remus sighs. “As if you needed any bloody incentive to go where you’re not supposed to be.”
Sirius blinks and laughs. He’s been doing strange things like that ever since Peter arrived. Sirius had already been at the Potters’ for a handful of days. During the entire time, he’s been erratic. Sometimes he’s loud, sometimes he’s quiet. He’s also been spending a lot of time with Mrs Potter, whom he now calls ‘Euphemia’. James says he isn’t jealous but Peter would be in his place.
“Come on, lads!” James pushes the door wide open. “First one to find something of the hag’s wins!”
He runs inside and Sirius dashes after him. Remus shakes his head but also goes in at a reasonable pace. Peter hesitates for a moment but then realises he’s alone again. He follows his mates inside.
Disappointingly, the shack is just a house. Most of it has been covered by weeds and vines or is in the process to be. The floor creaks when they step on it and there are holes in the ceiling. After minutes of searching through the vines, they find nothing of the old hag’s.
James shakes his head and pulls an old chair out. He makes the vines around it reform its missing leg and sits on the chair. “What a colossal waste of time, hm?”
“I really thought we’d at least see something gross.” Sirius leans on the window frame. “Not even an odd fantastic beast. Just Peter’s ugly arse.”
“It wasn’t my fault that my shorts got stuck on that tree!” Peter shoots back. Stupid muggle clothes. They’ve all been wearing them. James and Sirius love it and Remus is used to it. Peter hates them. He decides to change the subject though, as he’s in the minority. “We’re all taking that class, right? Magical creatures? They say it’s the easiest one.”
“Muggle Studies is the easiest one,” Sirius says. “But that’s not why I’m taking it. My mother will drop dead when she finds out.”
No one comments on how much the prospect seems to delight Sirius. Instead, Peter shakes his head. “Still, we’re all taking Creatures, yeah?” he insists.
James and Sirius nod, but Remus shakes his head no. Everyone stares at him, so he shrugs. “Magical creatures can recognise each other. Can’t risk exposure.”
“That’s why Blippi said you were polite for your kind.” James winks. “I thought she meant Welsh.”
Remus throws a stick at him.
“Wait, if not Creatures, which classes are you taking, Moony?” Sirius asks.
“Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and…” Remus hesitates, but probably realises he won’t get away from answering that. He mumbles, “fucking Divination.”
All three lads cheer. They’ve been trying to convince Remus to take Divination with them since they learned the third year meant they’d have electives to choose from. Remus kept saying it’s hogwash but it’s not. Prophecies and the sight are very real things.
“So, James and I are taking Muggle Studies, Divination and Care of Magical Creatures together,” Sirius enumerates. “Pete is doing just Divination and Creatures. Moony… Oh, no, Moony. You only have Divination with us! You’ll be gone for half of the week!”
“It’s literally just two classes.” Remus rolls his eyes.
“That’s two too many! This shall not stand. I’ll–”
They don’t learn what Sirius shall do because suddenly a vine wraps around his mouth. James jumps to his feet and Peter screams. Remus moves just as a vine was about to wrap around his ankle. Suddenly, the entire shack is moving and the weeds don’t seem as boring as before.
Sirius struggles against the vine but the more he moves, the tighter it gets around his body.
“D-devil’s Snare!” Peter recognises it from first-year herbology. “Bloody devil’s snare!”
James and Remus act immediately.
“ Lumos Solem !” Remus commands, making searing light spill from his wand.
“ Confringo !” James orders, pointing his wand at the ceiling. It explodes away, letting the natural sunlight fill the shack.
Peter isn’t sure which one works best but both let in light, which is the one thing that kills Devil’s Snare. The end result is that Sirius is freed and unharmed. He picks up a crusty piece of vine off his shoulder.
“Does this count as something of the hag’s?” Sirius asks with a grin. “Because if so, I win.”