Chapter 180: 3-2

"Gather 'round, gather 'round! It's a duel between a first-year and a seventh-year!" "It's Evans's sister! Evans's sister is dueling!" "Her second is Potter! Potter's brother!" "Come on, this is gonna be good! Gather 'round!!"

""......""

Harry. Maria. Calling out to our other half in our minds, we stared at each other with the exact same deadpan expression.

How did it come to this?

—It all started during flying class.

---

"Up!" a young voice yelled at a broomstick. It was the boy in front of me. "Please, my sweet little broom, be a good broom and listen to me," a coaxing voice pleaded. It was the girl next to me. Having already gotten our brooms into our hands right away, Harry and I waited for the next instruction, feeling quite like a pair of old men surrounded by the chatter of children.

"Doesn't look like anyone's got a Remembrall." "And it doesn't seem like McGonagall is watching from the window, either."

...And, to add to it, there was a Slytherin boy with an obnoxious look on his face, practically itching to cause trouble. I patted Harry on the shoulder. His tone was casual, but he looked thoroughly fed up with the high-pitched noise. I also took the opportunity to pat his head, which was at the perfect height. So fluffy. Is Dad's hair like this too? It must be. Maybe I'll ask to touch it a little bit later.

"Maria..." "Oh?"

The boy in front of me, who had been squawking just a moment ago, was now glaring at me. The Slytherin boy. His broom, by the way, was still rolling around on the ground.

"It's the first day, so it's nothing to be ashamed of if you don't get it right away. Come on, hurry up and pick it up." "S-Shut up! Don't tell me what to do, you lovesick Gryffindor!" "Lovesick...?"

His childish insult was surprisingly shocking, and I accidentally stumbled. Naturally, the one who safely caught me by the waist was my dear brother.

"I just gave him some advice and he hated me for it... I really don't understand kids." "You and I are both kids right now, too. And that was the face of a boy with a crush." "No way." "How many years do you think I've been your brother? Let me tell you, there have been guys like that since primary school. And after that, too, of course." "...No way."

Harry's ruthless whispering made me feel even more drained. No matter how many times I rewind to being a kid, I still don't understand them.

"Potter, Evans, if you have time to chat, hurry up and proceed."

Snapped to attention by the crisp reprimand from a slightly younger Madam Hooch than the one we knew, I looked around. While most were still fumbling on the ground, a few talented ones had already started hovering unsteadily in the air.

"Let's go, Harry."

We mounted our brooms and kicked off the ground. They were outdated models compared to our time, but we flew without difficulty. Obedient. Harry, as a matter of course, pulled up alongside me.

"I knew it, Maria, you're actually pretty good at flying." "Well, you and I are both James Potter's kids, after all." "From what I hear, Mum isn't very good on a broom, though." "Sirius told you that, didn't he?" "Bingo."

Shoulders brushing, we chuckled together. It was a peaceful time. The darkness, prejudice, and selfish praise that would follow Harry and me for as long as we lived didn't exist here and now. In this world, we were free.

"Whoops." "Ugh."

...We were so free that we apparently neglected to watch our backs.

"Having a date with Potter even up here, Evans? You're both exactly like your older siblings!"

It was that Slytherin boy from earlier. True to the snake. Persistent.

"Look, sorry if I gave you the wrong idea, but I really didn't mean to make fun of you. And hey, you're flying now, aren't you? Congratulations, Slytherin." "Shut up, shut up! Making a fool out of me... I'll never forgive you! I'm going to get in your way until the very end!" "......Harry, exactly how is this...?" "To me, it couldn't be more obvious. It's enough to make you cry."

We flew on, dodging the boy as he repeatedly charged between Harry and me with dangerous maneuvering. I secretly gripped my wand inside my sleeve. Because at this rate—

"Gah!? W-Wha—Uwaaaaaah!!"

See?

"Levicorpus."

I hoisted the falling boy upside down by his ankle and lowered him to the ground. Levicorpus was supposed to be a popular jinx in this era. For Maria Evans, who has Lily Evans as an older sister, it wouldn't be strange for her to know it, even as a first-year... right? Probably. Surely. Maybe.

"Are you hurt?"

After following him down to the ground, I peered into the dazed boy's face, and his tear-filled gray eyes slowly looked up at me. ...Ah. ...Thinking things like 'He looks familiar' or 'He's kind of cute' is probably a sign that I'm too far gone. ...Thank goodness this kid's hair isn't platinum blonde.

"If you've learned your lesson, stop flying so recklessly. Next time, you'll break that wrist. And then some useless fraud of a teacher might just remove all your bones." "......" "Your answer?"

I cupped the boy's cheeks, feeling much like I did when dealing with Lily Luna sulking after being scolded by her mother.

"A-n-s-w-e-r." "......Y-" "Y...?" "You just wait, you iiiiidddiooottt!!"

The boy swatted my hands away with all his might and bolted at a speed that would surprise a Niffler. Or Malfoy chucked into the Forbidden Forest.

"What was that about? Looking at my face like I'm some kind of monster. How rude." "...Draco is really going to struggle," Harry muttered earnestly.

Now, here was the problem. Having completely strayed from Madam Hooch's designated flight path, we were at a loss. We could even hear the bell ringing to end class in the distance, which made us feel even more depressed. I mean, point deductions were a certainty. If the siblings managed to lose points for Gryffindor straight out of the gate, what kind of faces would our parents make? ...Surprisingly, I was more afraid of Dad lecturing us methodically and endlessly.

"Shall we give up and head back, Harry? ...Harry?"

Looking back, Harry was staring blankly up at a distant tree. —Someone was strung up in the tree.

"—Snape."

One of his legs seemed to be tied to a branch, and his hair, hanging upside down due to gravity, fully revealed his expression of agony.

"Why... This is terrible, we have to help him!" "Who would do this?" "—N-Not necessary, stay out of this!"

As we rushed over, Snape snarled like a wounded animal. However, a Potter is not deterred by such things.

"Finite."

I untied the hemp rope connecting Snape's ankle to the branch. He must have been tied up quite brutally and carelessly. Blood was seeping from his bony ankle. Looking closely, burn marks and cuts were visible on the backs of his hands and elsewhere, suggesting that Snape had been subjected to long-term abuse by someone.

"This is Incarcerous. It's not even the Levicorpus you created—who on earth did this?" "Shut up, none of your business, just leave!"

Even though the blood that had pooled in his head rushing rapidly back through his body must have made him feel sick, Snape kept barking, causing Harry to snap back in irritation.

"If we had abandoned you, you would have died. Who else besides us would even pass by a place like this—" "Hey, look at that. The ones we caught are the rumored runts."

Several male voices. Emerging from the forest with vulgar smirks, all of them were wearing green robes. —Why were Slytherin students doing this to Snape, a fellow Slytherin?

"As expected of Gryffindors, so kind-hearted and brave even when they're this tiny! By the way, did you know? That guy is your older brother and sister's natural enemy." ""......""

I stood up alongside Harry, keeping Snape behind us. I didn't know the circumstances. I didn't need to. We shouldn't get involved in another house's disputes, and we had no obligation to. However—if that person was Severus Snape. That alone was reason enough for us to raise our wands.

"Even if this is an internal dispute, surely there's a limit to—" "Hold on, hold on, if you're going to talk, could you let Mr. Potter do it? —Unlike him, I don't make a habit of conversing with Mudbloods." "──!"

I felt him move behind me. I instinctively grabbed his arm. Looking down at me, looking into Maria's eyes, Snape made a sharp hitching sound in his throat.

"'Lily, Lily, forgive me, Lily! Oh, my beloved Lily! I am your servant, I will kneel and lick your shoes, your wand, whatever you desire!' —You disgrace to Slytherin." "......"

Whether intentional or not—I could roughly grasp the current situation of how Snape was seemingly being treated as an outcast within his house. Thinking about it, it was a logical conclusion. The characteristics of those sorted into Slytherin House were favoritism towards their own and exclusion of outsiders. And the target of what the majority pure-blood Slytherin students called 'their own'—were only fellow pure-blood wizards and witches. So, could Snape, a half-blood with no backing, ever truly be considered one of 'their own'? The answer was rolling right in front of my eyes.

"Pathetic."

I took a step toward the boy I had lightly tripped with a non-verbal spell.

"How does it feel? Being bested by a Mudblood?" "You..." "If you've learned your lesson, stay away from him from now on—which, well, is probably asking the impossible."

These were boys who were long past the mischievous age where falling off a broom was the worst they could do. Changing their rigid values now—would be about as impossible as transforming the Dursleys into magic-lovers. You'd have to be a surprisingly honest contrarian, like a certain spoiled rich boy, to manage that.

"—Fine." "Huh?"

The boy, who had fallen on his backside on the ground, stood up, trembling with anger.

"You want us to keep our hands off Snape, right? Fine, we'll do that, if you accept a certain condition." "...What condition?" "The condition is—"

And that brings us to the beginning.

It's beyond pathetic. A seventh-year, a fully grown adult, challenging a first-year—and a girl, no less!—to a duel. The location was the courtyard. As the gallery of spectators continued to gather, I rested my head against Harry and hung it in dismay. Meanwhile, my opponent was licking his lips, planning to utterly torment the helpless child Maria. Again, pathetic.

"—What is the meaning of this!? Maria, what on earth is going on?" "Ah, Mu—Sister." "Harry, too...! You two, come here and explain yourselves this instant!"

A smirking Slytherin student blocked Lily, who was marching toward us looking like she was on the verge of losing her mind.

"Now, now. Prefect or not, this is an official duel between a wizard and a pseudo-witch... oops, excuse me, a little witch. I'd have to ask outsiders not to interfere." "I am not an outsider! I am their... sister!" "Yes, quite so. Just a sister. Not a parent." "——!"

Stopped in her tracks, Lily pressed her cherry-red lips together in frustration. She looked as though she would scream the moment she opened her mouth.

"...For a start, the duel itself is absurd. It's blatantly unfair. Do you even know what year they are in? They're first-years! Ganging up on them like this, aren't you ashamed as grown men?" "Nope? The little lady over there accepted. If anything, it's the very definition of that 'fair play' you lot are always barking about." "I—I—I can't believe this! This is fair!? Pointing a wand at such a small child? It's because you people are like this that—!" "Lily."

The one who calmed the infuriated Lily with a quiet voice was, surprisingly, James, who had hurried after her. It was unexpected. ...No, maybe it wasn't. Our Dad is just that kind of person.

"Maria, is what he's saying true? You weren't threatened; you thought about it and decided this yourself?" "Yeah." "I see. In that case—"

James took Lily's hand and stepped back, flanked by his best friends. His demeanor, brooking no argument from anyone, radiated a natural charisma.

"Wait, what are you doing, James?" "Let's just watch over them, Lily. We only need to step in if it gets truly dangerous. It's precisely because it's you and me that we have to respect her decision." "How can you be so laid back...!" "I'm saying overprotection isn't good." "You—you don't know the scars that child has—!"

I shifted my gaze from our parents to Harry. Harry was already looking at me.

"Let's end this in a flash." "Naturally."

I put some distance between myself and the older boy, raised my wand in front of me, and then lowered it. I waited for my opponent to follow suit. After that came the respectful bow. From somewhere in the completely hushed crowd, I heard a voice whisper, "As expected of Evans's sister. She already knows dueling etiquette as a first-year?" We turned our backs to each other, five steps. Turn around, three seconds. The spell, of course, was—

"Expelliarmus!"

Almost disappointingly easily, the boy's wand flew out of his hand. Whoaaa! Cheers of delight erupted from the group in red robes. There were yellow and blue robes mixed in among them, too. I turned around and flashed a smug grin at my second, Harry.

"How was that? I'm almost as good as you, aren't I?"

Harry burst into a chuckle.

"If Ron heard that, he'd tell you he absolutely couldn't understand the joke." "Draco would get a kick out of it, though."

Laughing lightly, I walked over to return the wand to the boy, who had fallen on his backside from the recoil. I took a knee and glared at him with all the intimidation I could muster.

"As promised, this puts an end to your bullying of hi—"

A reflex. My body remembered.

"Sectumsempra—!" "──"

CLANG—!! An invisible shield repelled the flashing blades. The sparks from the friction burned brightly in the eyes of everyone watching.

How dare they—in front of Harry, of all people—!!

"—Maria."

Before I could turn to Harry's hollow voice, my vision was filled by a shirt and vest. Large arms and hands wrapped around my back. ...Someone who smelled nostalgic, even though I shouldn't know it.

"You're not hurt, are you?"

It was Dad. Mum was standing in front of Harry.

"...A second is ultimately just a formality, but a bystander who isn't even a second launching a sneak attack is a completely different story, wouldn't you say?"

Lily completely shielded Harry, and James handed me over to Professor Lupin before drawing his wand. Sirius lined up next to him like a knight.

"Care to duel me next, Avery?" "Or me, if you prefer."

The invincible, fearless soul twins looked down at the boy with chilling coldness. Ah, they are furious—as I thought, our dads are terrifying.

"W-What just..." "What is the meaning of this uproar! Disperse at once—and the ringleaders will step forward and confess!"

Rushing down the corridor with a demonic expression on her face was Professor McGonagall. Uh oh, this is bad! The crowd scattered like baby spiders. Blending in with them, we were led away from the scene by Lily, Professor Lupin, and Pettigrew.

"Lily, Da—James and Sirius are still..." "It's fine. Leave them be. Those two will manage to talk their way out of it with the Professor. They've been doing it for seven years."

She spat the words out. Her profile was beautiful but pained—the two dads weren't the only ones angry. And surely, the reason Mum is angry is...

"This should be far enough."

At Professor Lupin's voice, the group stopped. I looked at Harry. Still holding onto Lily, Harry's face was pitifully pale.

"Harry." "Maria."

We leaned our shoulders together. Giving each other a little bump.

"She really was a bit younger, wasn't she?" "Huh...?" "McGonagall." "......"

Caught off guard exactly as I intended, Harry then broke into a crumpled, troubled smile.

"Maria, you're really..." "Shall I guess your next word? —The best, right?" "Of course!"

I caught my brother as he threw himself at me in a hug. Content to be his hugging pillow, I patted his small back. Watching us, Lily's eyes welled with tears while simultaneously, quite skillfully, she raised an angry eyebrow.

"You two, honestly... Do you have any idea what you've done—really—ugh, enough! Stop giving your mother such a hard time!"

It was a tantrum just like Harry's. Then, Lily continued, "No, that's not it. I don't mean that," and gathered both me and Harry into her arms.

"You can give me a hard time. You can cause trouble—just take care of yourselves." "Mum..."

She smelled like flowers. She squeezed us with a softness that was somehow slightly embarrassing. Exchanging a glance with Harry, we hugged our mother back.

""We're sorry, Mum."" "...I won't scold good children who can properly apologize any further."

A smile returned to Lily's face. Released from the angry mother, we breathed a sigh of relief, only to be beckoned over by Professor Lupin as if he wanted to share a secret.

"The one who cast Protego just now was you, Maria, wasn't it? Was it perhaps a non-verbal spell?" "Ah..." "A thoroughbred is a thoroughbred, no matter where they go, I suppose."

Professor Lupin smiled, looking very happy—and, surely, just a little bit conflicted.

"Prongs was itching with excitement, so you two had better be prepared. That's what it means to be loved by him." "......"

I looked at Harry. Harry looked at me. At the same time, we recalled our father's sloppily relaxed, doting face from this morning. —I suppose we'll just have to accept it.