A/N: HALLE-FREAKIN-LUJAH! I finally managed to smash my way through the writer's block on this chapter, so I really hope it's good. I apologize for the fact that they seem to be getting shorter and shorter, but the next one is going to be super-long since I've been using all my Science time to write it in my head...

Anyway, enough of that. Enjoy, and please leave a review! I need all the help I can get...

Chapter Four: Nothing Is An Accident

You up for a Hogsmeade visit?

The note found Gilbert's hands under the desk, a scrap of parchment being pressed firmly into his palm. He quickly unfolded it, to be careful to hide it from McGonagall's sharp hawk's eyes, and shot his friend a questioning glance. Gil scribbled out a quick reply.

Why? Just feel like skiving off?

Arthur smirked slightly, nodding nonchalantly. Charms homework due today.

Aah.

So, you coming, or do I have to go on my own?

Of course I'll come! Gil scrawled hastily, offended that Arthur would even think for a moment about skipping class without him. Patrick invited too?

Nope, Arthur replied. You know how we Ravenclaws are... He'd throw a fit if he knew I was skipping.

True. Gil offered no protest.

Arthur couldn't resist a smirk. Meet up at the statue of the one-eyed witch. Bring your cloak.

Arthur stifled a hiss of pain. "Goddammit, Gil, you just stood on my fuckin' foot—!"

"Utmost apologies," Gilbert retorted, half ignoring his friend as they slithered down the earthen passageway. It smelled of the heavy, rain-soaked soil that kept them in its confines, the absolute darkness finally fading and lightening a bit as they finally came within sight of their final destination: Honeydukes' cellar. A tiny chink of light filtered between the cracks of the floor tiles above them like a cold sunbeam through the clouds. Gil started unfolding the invisibility cloak that was tucked into his bag as he shoved his way ahead of Arthur, draping it over one arm while he used the other to push at the block above their heads. It gave way with a reluctant grind of stone on stone, and Gil leapt up to hoist himself out of the hole.

"All clear," he breathed, holding out a hand for Arthur. The smaller boy rolled his eyes but took the hand without comment, allowing Gil to pull him up and throw the cloak over the both of them.

"We're getting too big for this," Arthur muttered, noting the way the invisibility cloak left their feet (Gil's more than his, but he wouldn't ever admit that) to fend for themselves in plain sight. Gilbert just nodded as they started up the stairs.

A few nerve-wracking moments later, the pair threw the cloak off of themselves like two people bursting from water, desperate for the mild late-September air.

"So, where to?" Gil asked offhandedly, shoving the cloak back into his bag and shooting Arthur a grin. Arthur smiled back, emerald eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"Why not the Three Broomsticks?" he suggested. "We can't get any firewhisky, but butterbeer's worth something..."

Gilbert's grin turned positively devious. "Awesome. It's alcohol, isn't it?" he smirked, before falling into step beside his friend as they headed for the pub. The streets were full of people, from young witches and wizards who looked no more than a year or two older than Gil and Arthur to ancient geezers so old they almost Dumbledore to shame. Almost.

Arthur caught sight of a young couple as they entered the Three Broomsticks, blushing lightly when he noticed the compromising position they were in. Get a room, he thought disgustedly. They were almost as bad as Francis, good God...

They sat down at the front bar, Gil ordering the drinks from a very pretty young woman no older than themselves. The girl shot him a cheeky wink, shaking her long brown curls as she turned around to grab two butterbeers, placing them in front of Arthur and Gil and then sauntering off to help another table.

After a moment of silence, something seemed to occur to Gilbert. "So, what's the scoop on you and Francis?"

Arthur nearly spit out his butterbeer. "Excuse me? There is no 'scoop'—"

"Come off it," Gil told him bluntly. "It's obvious you don't hate each other anymore, that's for sure."

"Well, I put up with him, if that's what you mean," Arthur spluttered, still fuming. "But for the love of Merlin, you make it sound like we're dating or something—"

"There are a few conspiracy theories floating around." Gil confirmed his friend's worst fears, smirking when Artie slammed his face into the bar.

"Bloody hell." Arthur's voice was a muffled groan. "Where's the nearest deadly cliff?"

Gilbert laughed, patting his friend's back. "I assure you, I'm not the one spreading conspiracy theories. It's mostly the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff girls right now, so it should be a while before any effects reach either of our houses."

"I'll kill them," came the defeated reply.

They spent the next few minutes or so in comfortable silence once Arthur sighed and sat up again, enjoying watching the people around them, and in Gilbert's case, flirting with the pretty waitress. When they finally left the pub at least half an hour had gone by, and they stopped outside to see where they were going next.

"I'm headed for Zonko's," Gil said resolutely, but all the same he waited for Arthur's reply.

Arthur hesitated a moment, then shrugged. "I've got some books I wanted to look at," he told Gilbert, who smirked.

"The heart of a true Ravenclaw," he mocked. "Skiving off class to come look at books."

Arthur punched his friend's shoulder. "Meet up here in an hour," he said, before starting down the street toward the bookstore.

It was a small, low building, and the cool September sunshine was streaming through the front window when Arthur stepped inside. He smiled, inhaling the scent of the paper and ink and leather that always lingered here. He loved it. The pretty lady behind the counter smiled, her long blond hair cascading over her shoulders. Arthur returned it warmly.

"Where to begin...?" Arthur murmured to himself, before heading to a random section and beginning his search.

"...What's this?"

Arthur sat in the Ravenclaw common room, and up until a second ago had been reading contentedly in front of the fireplace. But now his finger traced a tiny square hole in one of the book's old pages, directly in the middle as though it had been carved there, and it went at least seven pages deep, if not more. It outlined a single part of the text pages below it, and he glared at it for a moment. Word. What was that supposed to mean?

Curious, he turned the page to find that there another gap opened up in addition to the first one, this one a couple lines down. Of. Now he was really intrigued, and flipped the page again.

Snakes. Arthur's heart was suddenly pounding as he continued turning the pages, eventually to reveal a poem of sorts. The last part didn't rhyme, but it was clearly a riddle.

He scribbled it down on a spare sheet of parchment just to be sure he knew exactly what it was saying.

Word of snakes

Hidden in the lines

Speak to the tap

As one lives, the other dies

As if that wasn't confusing enough, the last line just puzzled him completely. It didn't fit in with the rest, and was all scribbled in the last hole, but between the lines of the actual text.

Nothing is an accident.

For some reason those four last words sent a chill down his spine, and he quickly turned away from that page just because it felt creepy, only to find another large hole carved in the next pages. But this one didn't outline words.

Inside the gap were the fragments of a ring.

He carefully brought them out, the four shards of emerald green glass crackling and sparkling in the light. Arthur had never seen anything like this before. Quickly he shut the book and lay the four pieces down on the front cover to look at them more closely.

There were cracks all through the ring, creating sparkling edges inside the glass but complicating any chance of repairs. Arthur was mildly surprised that it didn't simply crumble in his fingers as he carefully rearranged the shards, trying to figure out how they went together so he could use a quick Reparo and fix it. Sliding the pieces together gently, he carefully lined up the edges, and was just about to use the spell when something amazing happened.

A band of green light flowed around the shards of the ring, locking them together, and suddenly there were simply no cracks to repair. He almost jumped at how suddenly it flashed and then was gone, casting a quick glance around the common room in case anyone else had seen it, but no one had. That was odd... how could they not have? But then again, he wasn't going to challenge that, either. Actually, it was probably lucky that no one had noticed.

Slowly Arthur turned back to the ring, running a finger along its flawless surface with a newfound caution. It still seemed to glow slightly, beckoning him to put me on, put me on...

Quickly he shook his head and set the book and ring aside, pulling out his unfinished Care of Magical Creatures homework and beginning work on it, just to shove the ring to the back of his mind. But his effort was soon deterred by a certain redheaded best friend, who flopped onto the couch next to him and teasingly plopped his chin onto Arthur's shoulder to see what he was doing.

"Where were you this afternoon?" Patrick asked, poking his friend. "Skiving off again?"

Arthur sighed, deciding that it would be useless to lie anyway. "With Gil," he answered, and Patrick just gave him a resigned shake of the head.

"Honestly, mate, you can only skip class so many times before they find out – Wait, what's that?"

His gaze had drifted to a spot over Arthur's shoulder, and he quickly followed it to see that Patrick was staring at the ring, on its perch along with the book and parchment containing the poem.

Thinking fast, he grabbed the ring and poem and stuffed them into the pocket of his robes. "Nothing," Arthur said quickly. "Just an old book I bought in Hogsmeade."

Patrick looked skeptical but let it go. This time.

Arthur lay in bed that night, fingering the ring and rolling it between his hands. The other boys had been asleep for hours now, but he wasn't even drowsy. He rolled onto his side, wrestling a bit with the covers, and shut his eyes tightly with a determined sigh. Arthur knew he should get some sleep, because honestly, he wouldn't be able to function like normal human being tomorrow if he stayed up all night. Missing sleep was fine for two nights a week with Astronomy, but any more than that was annoyingly crippling.

But still, his mind refused to stop whirring, and all the questions about the jade ring that was now tightly clenched in his fist were still bouncing around like hyperactive children. Gah, he thought, twisting onto his stomach and stuffing his face down into the pillow.

It was only a few minutes later that Arthur growled in frustration and sat up to stare out the window, over the moonlit landscape of the Hogwarts grounds. He sighed, looking down at the ring in his palm. It still glowed softly. Inviting him. Try me on, try me on...

He slipped the ring onto his finger and settled down under the covers once more, feeling oddly comforted, but the next morning he woke in a cold sweat.

A/N: Lol, I just realized how much this seems like a triple crossover between Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Hetalia... Oh well!