"Harry, did you show Sirius that thing yet?" Hermione asked.
"What thing?" Sirius asked with keen interest. His arm was still wrapped around Harry as if there were some kind of permanent sticking charm keeping it there.
Harry let out a delighted shout, eagerly pulled out his wand, and cried, "Expecto Patronum!"
A silvery stag burst from his wand tip, landed gracefully on the floor, and began pacing around the table. Even more remarkably, the stag lingered beside Sirius for quite some time, nuzzling against him.
Orli glanced around, grateful that the Great Hall was nearly empty by now—no one was left to stare at their little gathering.
"Oh..." Sirius's voice suddenly caught in his throat. "James."
He pulled Harry into a fierce embrace, then awkwardly lifted his hand to run it through his hair. Orli suspected he was secretly wiping away tears.
"Orli, what about your Patronus?" Hermione suddenly called out.
The question seemed to come out of nowhere, but Orli quickly grasped Hermione's intention.
"Expecto Patronum!" Orli summoned her cheetah. It affectionately brushed against her arm, leaped gracefully through the air a few times, then vanished.
"There—convinced now? Orli and Harry really aren't involved," Hermione announced to everyone.
"Of course not—Rita Skeeter just loves stirring up trouble!" Mrs. Weasley immediately chimed in.
"Well..." Sirius's expression held a trace of disappointment. "I suppose I can finally be certain you two have absolutely no romantic spark. Hermione seems to have found herself a boyfriend too? That Bulgarian Quidditch star isn't half bad—"
Ron's fork scraped against his plate with an ear-splitting screech.
"—Such a shame, Harry. I hope you find yourself a girlfriend soon."
Ginny's face suddenly turned as red as a tomato.
"And Orli—" Sirius continued, "if it's not Harry, then your taste is really rather—"
He trailed off with a meaningful look, while Orli stared intently at her pumpkin juice, pretending she hadn't heard a word.
"Mum, why don't we go for a stroll? The weather's gorgeous, and I can show you the Beauxbatons carriage and the Durmstrang ship," Fred said brightly.
"Yeah, Mum, and it'll help Harry relax a bit," George added.
"It's wonderful to be back," Bill said, surveying the Great Hall with nostalgic eyes. "I haven't seen this place in five years. Is that mad knight's portrait still around? Sir Cadogan?"
"Oh, he's still there," Harry replied immediately.
"What about the Fat Lady?" Bill asked.
"She was already here when I was at school," Mrs. Weasley said. "One night I got back to the dormitory at four in the morning and she gave me the most dreadful telling-off—"
"What were you doing outside the dormitory at four in the morning?" Bill stared at his mother in astonishment.
Mrs. Weasley laughed, her eyes twinkling. "I was taking a walk with your father. He got caught by the caretaker back then, Apollyon Pringle—your dad still bears the scars."
"Oh, Mum, four in the morning—were you really just walking?" Fred said with exaggerated innocence.
"Let's work out exactly what year Bill was born—" George joined in with a wicked grin.
Before Mrs. Weasley could brain the twins with her plate, Bill quickly took her arm.
"How about giving us a tour, Harry?" Bill suggested.
"Absolutely," Harry said, springing to his feet immediately.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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