"Watch the movement of your wrist, imagine you're caressing a jellyfish's tentacles... Of course, I don't recommend you actually do it..."
"Beep-----"
The kettle in the kitchen let out a sharp whistle, and Sirius waved his magic wand to move the kettle off the fire, then continued his teaching.
"Erecto Bulbus, when saying this spell, drag out 'Erecto' a bit, and stress the syllables that follow. The most important thing is to keep your breathing steady, because your tension can make the bubbles as fragile as soap bubbles."
Sirius recited the spell, and immediately a spherical bubble appeared on his head, making it seem like his head had grown several sizes bigger.
Harry stifled his laughter and followed along, "Erecto Bulbus!"
A wobbly transparent bubble appeared over his head and popped with a "snap" in just a few seconds.
He felt a bit disheartened, but Sirius clapped his hands joyfully, "Wonderful, Harry! I didn't expect you to succeed on your first try!"
Harry immediately grinned, then earnestly analyzed, "I think my hand gesture was a bit off just now, a little too stiff..."
The two practiced all morning until the bubble finally resembled a glass ball, and Sirius gestured for Harry to stop.
"No rush, there's over a month left! You'll definitely master this spell before the tournament starts."
Sirius patted Harry on the shoulder and smiled, "How about it? Take a break and go out for a couple of drinks?"
Of course, Harry wouldn't refuse.
"Moonface, I'm taking Harry to the Three Broomsticks, want to come along?" Sirius called loudly next door as they headed out.
Soon after, the window upstairs opened and Lupin stuck his head out and waved, "You guys go ahead, I have some work to finish!"
The two of them crunched through the village on the snow, and Sirius grumbled to Harry:
"That guy doesn't even take a break for Christmas. Vid never made him work overtime on holidays! He's piled up a ton of work for himself, not having any leisure time at home, hasn't been out drinking with me in a long time."
...
The wooden door of the Three Broomsticks blew open with a gust of wind, bringing in a flurry of snow.
Madam Rosmerta was adding a few logs to the fireplace and turned her head at the sound.
Seeing Sirius, she raised her eyebrows at first, but then smiled when she noticed it was only Harry with him.
"Look who's here? The famous Harry Potter, one of Hogwarts' three champions!"
Madam Rosmerta's gaze circled around Harry and she smiled, "What? Cedric Diggory and Vid Gray didn't sneak out of the castle with you?"
Harry panicked, quickly looked around, and only relaxed when he saw there were just two tipsy patrons in the bar.
Sirius laughed heartily and slung his arm around Harry's shoulder, "Give him a break, Rosmerta! The kid barely gets a chance to breathe!"
"What would you like to drink?" Madam Rosmerta asked with a smile.
"Two Butterbeers with honey." Sirius pulled out a barstool, casually placed a few Silver Sickles on the counter, and said, "Oh, and a chocolate cauldron cake for our champion here."
Soon, Rosmerta brought over the beer and cake, along with a cup of cream ice cream.
"This is on the house, Harry," Madam Rosmerta winked, "You were so impressive when you defeated that Durmstrang champion! Everyone in the bar was cheering for you!"
"Th-thank you," Harry said, blushing.
After Madam Rosmerta left, Sirius took a sip from his glass and laughed, "I heard you ditched Michael and danced with the prettiest girl at Hogwarts?"
Harry nearly spat out his drink, looking up in shock at Sirius, "What did you say?"
"...Seems not," Sirius clicked his tongue in disappointment, "Hermione, Padma, so many good girls, and you couldn't catch a single one?"
As he spoke, a familiar feeling dawned on him.
Hmm... The old folks on the walls of old Black manor used to pressure him about marriage in the same way?
At that moment, he finally understood a bit of how they felt, but had no intention of burying himself in the grave of marriage.
Harry, his face red, said, "Padma broke up with Michael long ago... And I'm just friends with them, she agreed to be my dance partner because she couldn't bear to see me embarrassed... Should we talk about the Bubble Head Charm instead?"
Sirius burst into laughter.
The snow outside fell harder, and while Harry was still eating cake, Sirius ordered another round of Flaming Whiskey and the bar door opened once again.
"I've already started selling off family property. By next week, I'll be able to pay back some more, though the remaining thirty percent might take me two more months..."
Ludo Bagman's voice, like a honey-glazed whiskey barrel in the sunshine, was recognizable to Harry even through a door.
He turned his head in surprise and, through a gap in a Christmas tree, saw Bagman and Barty Senior enter one after the other.
"A hot gin and tonic!" Bagman ordered first, "With honey and lemon, Barty, what will you have?"
"Soda water."
Barty Senior sat down with a cold, stern expression, as if he didn't really want to speak to Bagman, yet had no choice but to sit with him.
"I must thank you, old friend, I knew you'd still give me a chance!" Bagman said warmly, seemingly unaffected by the other's coldness, "I swear I'll pay you back, I just need a little time..."
"Strange..." Harry mumbled under his breath.
"What's strange?" Sirius asked.
"Vid saw them arguing before..."
Harry cast a silent spell around them and briefly relayed what he had learned from Vid, saying:
"Crouch just let Bagman go? I thought he wasn't the type to show favoritism!"
Sirius snorted, "Nowadays Crouch doesn't have the power to send people to Azkaban! And Fudge... In his eyes, power and reputation are more important than anything."
He took a large swig of his drink, squinting over at the two, "The most important thing for the British Ministry of Magic now is the Magic School Tournament. If news broke now that a judge had organized gambling, what a scandal it would be? No matter what, Fudge will help Bagman cover it up, Crouch insisting won't make a difference!"
Harry put down his fork, feeling a wave of nausea.
"But surely it's not just Professor Trelawney who's affected, is it? Doesn't the Ministry care at all?"
"That's right," Sirius scoffed, "Don't have too high expectations for those folks, Harry, or you'll get seriously burned someday."
After a brief pause, he urged, "Finish up and head back to school quickly, or if a reporter catches you sneaking out of Hogwarts, you'll be in trouble!"
Actually, Sirius knew there weren't any wandering reporters in the village at the moment, but Harry didn't know this. Remembering the nonsense Rita Skeeter once printed gave him some anxiety.
Even though those words hadn't appeared in the newspapers, they hung over him like a sword and always made Harry feel tense and apprehensive.
After hastily finishing his meal, Sirius escorted Harry back home, watching him leave through the Disappearing Cabinet, then turned back toward the vicinity of the Three Broomsticks Inn.
He hid in the alleyway, watching as Bagman and Barty Senior exited the bar, talking quietly as they discussed various matters related to the second task.
Sirius squinted, feeling that familiar and sharp focus settle back into his gray eyes.
Moments later, a black dog concealed in the shadows silently followed the two of them, its large body skillfully hidden from view.
Shortly after, the pair in front split up.
The black dog pondered for a moment, letting go of Bagman, whom Harry considered a "criminal," and silently trailing the "righteous and unwavering" Barty Crouch Senior instead.