"Pay attention to the twist of your wrist, imagine yourself stroking the tentacles of a jellyfish… of course, I don't actually recommend you try that…"
"Beeeeep——"
The kettle in the kitchen let out a sharp whistle. Sirius gave his wand a flick, moving the kettle off the fire, then continued his lesson.
"Erecto Bulbus (Bubble-Head Charm). When you say the incantation, drag out the 'Erecto' a little, and stress the syllables that follow. Most importantly, keep your breathing steady—your nervousness will make the bubble as fragile as a soap bubble."
Sirius recited the spell, and a spherical bubble instantly appeared around his head, making it look several times bigger in a flash.
Harry stifled a laugh and followed along: "Erecto Bulbus!"
A lopsided, transparent bubble formed around his head. It barely lasted a few seconds before popping with a "snap."
His heart sank, but Sirius clapped happily: "Brilliant, Harry! I didn't think you'd manage it on your first try!"
Harry immediately broke into a smile, then took the initiative to analyze: "I think my hand movement was a bit off—too stiff…"
The two practiced all morning, until Harry's bubble finally looked like a proper glass sphere. Sirius signaled him to stop.
"Don't worry, there's still more than a month! You'll have this spell mastered before the competition begins."
Sirius patted Harry's shoulder, grinning: "Well then, how about a break? Let's head out for a drink."
Naturally, Harry wouldn't refuse.
"Moony, I'm taking Harry to the Three Broomsticks—you coming along?" Sirius shouted toward the room next door as they left.
A moment later, a window upstairs creaked open, and Lupin poked his head out, waving: "You two go ahead, I still have some work to finish up!"
As they crunched through the snowy village streets, Sirius muttered to Harry:
"That guy doesn't even take a break at Christmas. It's not like Wade is making him work overtime on holidays—he piles on all that work himself. He doesn't relax even while staying at home . It's been ages since he's gone drinking with me."
…
The wooden door of the Three Broomsticks was blown open in the cold wind, letting in a swirl of snowflakes.
Madam Rosmerta was tossing a few logs into the fireplace, and she turned at the sound.
She saw Sirius, frowned at first, then, noticing that only Harry was with him, her expression softened into a smile.
"Look who it is—the famous Harry Potter, one of Hogwarts' three champions!"
Her eyes flicked around Harry's side, and she teased: "What's this? Cedric Diggory and Wade Grey didn't sneak out of the castle with you?"
Harry panicked for a moment and glanced around. Seeing only two drunken patrons in the tavern, he relaxed.
Sirius laughed heartily and slung an arm around Harry's shoulders: "Go easy on him, Rosmerta! It's rare enough for the kid to get a breath of fresh air!"
"What will you have to drink?" Madam Rosmerta asked with a smile.
"Two butterbeers, with honey," Sirius said, pulling up a tall stool and tossing a few silver Sickles onto the counter. "And by the way, bring my little champion here a slice of chocolate cauldron cake."
Before long, Madam Rosmerta brought over the beer and cake, along with a glass of cream ice cream on the side.
"This one's on the house, Harry." She winked at him. "The way you defeated that Durmstrang champion was absolutely dashing! Everyone in the bar cheered for you at the time!"
"Th-thank you," Harry said, blushing.
After she left, Sirius raised his glass, took a sip, and chuckled: "I heard you stole Michael's date and danced with the prettiest girl at Hogwarts?"
Harry nearly spat out his drink. He looked up in horror at Sirius. "You—what did you say?"
"…Guess not then." Sirius clicked his tongue regretfully. "Hermione, Padma—so many fine young ladies, and you didn't manage to catch even one?"
As he spoke, something about it felt oddly familiar.
Hmm… those old portraits hanging in the Black family home used to pester me the same way, urging me to get married, didn't they?
At this moment, he finally understood a little of what the old geezers felt—but he had no intention of burying himself in the grave of marriage.
Harry, with his face burning red, stammered: "Padma and Michael broke up ages ago… And I'm just friends with them! She only agreed to be my partner because she didn't want to see me embarrassed… Can we go back to talking about the Bubble-Head Charm?"
Sirius burst out laughing.
Outside, the snow was falling thicker and thicker. Sirius ordered another glass of Firewhisky, while Harry was still working on his cake, when the tavern door opened again.
"I've already started selling off some family property. By next week I'll be able to pay back part of it. As for the remaining thirty percent… I might need a couple of months to scrape that together…"
Ludo Bagman's voice, warm and booming like a cask of mead left in the sun, was unmistakable to Harry even through the door.
Startled, he turned his head, and through a gap in a Christmas tree, he saw Bagman and Barty Crouch Sr. walk in one after the other.
"A hot gin for me!" Bagman ordered right away. "Add honey and lemon. What about you, Barty?"
"Soda water."
Crouch Sr. sat down with a stony face, every line of his face etched in cold hardness. It was clear he had no desire to speak to Bagman, though he was forced to sit beside him.
"I really must thank you, old friend—I knew you'd give me another chance!" Bagman said enthusiastically, oblivious to the man's icy rejection. "I swear, I'll pay it back. I just need a little more time…"
"Strange…" Harry muttered under his breath.
"What is it?" Sirius asked.
"Wade saw those two quarreling before…"
Harry silently cast a discreet charm around them, then briefly recounted what he had heard from Wade. He finished with:
"Crouch just let Bagman off like that? I thought he wasn't the type to play favorites!"
Sirius gave a short laugh. "These days, Crouch doesn't have the authority to throw anyone into Azkaban! And Fudge… in his eyes, power and reputation matter more than anything else."
He took a large gulp of his drink, narrowed his eyes at the pair across the room, and said:
"The Inter-School Magic Tournament is the Ministry of Magic's biggest priority right now. If news got out that one of the judges used to run gambling schemes—what a scandal that would be! No matter what, Fudge will cover it up for Bagman. Whatever Crouch insists on, it won't matter."
Harry set down his fork, feeling nauseous.
"But surely Professor Trelawney isn't the only victim, right? Doesn't the Ministry care at all?"
"Exactly." Sirius sneered. "Don't place too much hope in those people, Harry, or you'll pay for it dearly someday."
After a pause, he urged, "All right, finish your food quickly and head back to school. If a reporter happens to catch you sneaking out of Hogwarts, you'll be in real trouble!"
In truth, Sirius knew there weren't any journalists lurking in the village just now. But Harry didn't know that. The thought of Rita Skeeter's wild fabrications in print made his heart race.
Even though, for some reason, those words had never appeared in the newspaper, they hung over him like a sword suspended above his head—always leaving him nervous and uneasy.
Harry hurried through the rest of his meal. Sirius escorted him all the way home and watched until Harry vanished through the Vanishing Cabinet, before turning back toward the Three Broomsticks.
From the shadows of an alley, he watched as Bagman and Barty Crouch Sr. stepped out of the tavern together, speaking in low voices as they walked, discussing details of the second task.
Sirius narrowed his eyes—the sharp, familiar look of a hunter locking onto his prey returned to his grey gaze.
Moments later, a black dog slipped into the shadows, following the two men noiselessly. Despite its large frame, it moved with practiced stealth and remained unseen.
Before long, the two men parted ways.
The black dog hesitated, then chose not to follow Bagman—the one Harry thought of as the "criminal"—but instead crept silently after the supposedly upright Barty Crouch Sr.
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- 200+ Chapters
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