The sadness of reunion quickly faded away, and the booth at the Three Broomsticks was filled with joy. Mr. Black—who preferred to be called Sirius—was indeed a captivating person, but he soon asked a rather awkward question:
# Sirius: "Harry, which of these lovely young ladies is your girlfriend?"
Sirius's gaze flitted between Hermione and Orli. Hermione's face turned a deep shade of red, while Orli burst into laughter.
# Harry: "Neither of them. The four of us are just good friends, like you and Dad were back in the day."
Harry's face was even redder than Hermione's. He had learned who the creators of the Marauder's Map were and understood the legacy of the Marauders.
# Sirius: "Oh~ alright."
Sirius exaggeratedly patted Harry's shoulder,
# Sirius: "Don't waste time; good girls don't wait around. Your dad set his sights on your mom early on, even when she had that annoying Snivellus hanging around..."
Orli's smile vanished instantly. Suddenly, Sirius didn't seem quite as likable to her.
## Orli: "Mr. Black, what's that long thing? You've been carrying it since earlier."
Orli didn't want to hear any more about Snape from him.
# Sirius: "Oh, look at my brain."
Sirius placed the parcel wrapped in brown paper on the table, and everyone immediately recognized it as a broomstick.
# Sirius: "I heard from Dumbledore that you joined the team as a Seeker! Flying just as well as your dad did, so I picked out a Christmas gift for you..."
Sirius rubbed his hands together expectantly, pushing the item towards Harry.
Harry nervously tore open the wrapping of the gift, holding his breath.
# Ron: "It's a Firebolt!"
Ron exclaimed, his voice hoarse with excitement.
# Ron: "That must have cost a fortune!"
# Sirius: "No, no, no. I'm just the last of the Blacks... so it's nothing. ...Harry, do you like it?"
Sirius asked.
# Harry: "I really—absolutely love it."
Harry picked it up, his eyes tracing the golden serial number at the top of the broomstick down to the perfectly smooth, streamlined end, clearly enamored.
# Ron: "Hey, Harry—"
Ron laughed,
# Ron: "Malfoy! When he sees you riding this broomstick, he'll be sick with envy! It's an international-level broomstick, really!"
Hermione smiled at them, but she suddenly realized a problem and looked around.
# Hermione: "Why isn't Professor Lupin here today? I mean, weren't you and he good friends back in the day?"
Sirius paused, seemingly calculating the time, then smiled knowingly:
# Sirius: "He must be feeling unwell. It's an old problem, happens once a month. But he's a professor now? No one told me that. I'll definitely catch up with him for a drink next time he's better."
Hermione exchanged a suspicious glance with Orli. Orli, of course, was well aware of Lupin's "old problem," but it seemed Hermione was thinking along strange lines—for a girl, an issue that occurs once a month... shouldn't be affecting a middle-aged male professor.
# Harry: "Speaking of which,"
Harry said somewhat awkwardly,
# Harry: "Maybe the four of us could come up with a name like 'Marauders'? How about 'Night Rangers'? What do you think?"
He looked at his three friends expectantly, but only Ron nodded excitedly, while Hermione and Orli both looked disdainful.
Ron proudly repeated the nickname he had come up with for the four of them using a word game, and Hermione painfully covered her forehead, as Sirius from then on kept calling her Miss Tangerine.
### Notes:
- Sirius refers to Snape as "Snivellus," a derogatory nickname used during their school days.
- The Firebolt is a top-of-the-line broomstick in the wizarding world, signifying Sirius's generosity and wealth.
- Lupin's "old problem" is a reference to his condition as a werewolf, which Hermione seems to misunderstand initially.
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