"Remus... did Hagrid bite you before you left for the holidays or what?" Sirius laughed cheerfully, passing his hand over the top of his own head and immediately resting it on my nose.
"Oh, please don't! I definitely wouldn't have survived an attack from our gamekeeper," I snorted mockingly, finally fully realizing the changes in my own height. The guys had also grown over the past time, and the fact that I still towered over my entire company... pleased me.
"It would be nice to grow to my usual height in a couple of years..." I smiled mentally, knowing perfectly well that girls like tall guys. Which I simply can't help but think about lately...
After all, adolescence is characterized not only by rapid growth and the appearance of all sorts of pimples, which have bypassed me so far. My little brother below the belt has also been making himself known on a regular basis lately. And only mental magic allows me not to pay too much attention to such inconveniences... Which, I think, is also not a panacea.
"Just don't tell me that your training is to thank for this too?" Black narrowed his eyes in displeasure, bringing me back to the real world. Thoughts about the changes happening to my body had distracted me from the conversation with my friend for a couple of moments.
"I won't," I shook my head. "In the end, it's really unlikely to be connected in any way. Quite the opposite—an overly developed muscular frame can slow down my growth."
"Really? Then why do you keep training?" Potter chimed into the conversation, poking me in the shoulder without malice.
"Well, how should I put it... Even though the last full moon was unpleasant as usual, by lunchtime the next day I was calmly working in my father's potions laboratory," I purred contentedly, making the guys widen their eyes in surprise, but with understanding.
"So that's it... Well, then everything really becomes clear," James nodded easily, stopping looking at my shoulders and arms with slight envy... Because of the heat, I had long since taken off my robe, and my shirt didn't exactly hide my figure. Which, come to think of it, I had really worked on quite well.
"It's just that I don't feel drawn to flexing my muscles like a seasoned bodybuilder... On the contrary, it calms me—this invisible power in my body and the readiness to break into a run right now. To run a short marathon at near-sprint speed—what could be better and more pleasant?" I asked myself, involuntarily making a couple of grasping movements with my hands—trying to feel the power in my arms. And I felt it, damn it!
"By the way, how are things with you guys? You complained so much in your letters about cruel training, but it doesn't really show that you've gotten any stronger," I smiled provocatively, teasing the guys and steering the conversation in the direction that interested me.
"Pfft!" Sirius reacted immediately. "Unlike you, we weren't pumping our biceps, we were practicing combat and defensive spells!"
"Exactly," Potter agreed with our friend. "You should be more careful with your words, Moony... This year we will definitely beat you dry."
"You sound like a real Slytherin," I snorted, noticing out of the corner of my eye how Peter paled slightly. He was afraid of being the first to test the guys' new tricks on himself. "However, I won't argue... Only practice will show which of us has become stronger this summer."
"You haven't been sitting idle either?" Sirius clarified half-affirmatively. "Though why am I asking, it's obvious you haven't... But how is your progress?" Black's eyes flashed greedily.
"Well, I had no one to practice dueling with. So I mostly practiced the spells I already knew, tried to invent some new combinations from them, and honed my healing spells," I answered, deciding to hide my increased skills in empowering spells from the guys for now. It will be a little surprise for them.
"That kind of trifle definitely doesn't match up to my training," Black raised his chin haughtily. "But you had the right idea with the healing spells. We'll have to swallow fewer potions this year."
"Speaking of potions, are we buying the medical kit now or will we order it later at Hogwarts?" Potter asked, pointing his gaze at the Slug & Jiggers Apothecary, which was located almost in the very center of Diagon Alley.
"Let's do it later. My father promised to show me the recipe for the Blood-Replenishing Potion one of these days, so we can still save a little money here," I suggested to Potter, realizing that in any case I would have to put the more or less successful fruits of my training somewhere.
"Mmm, isn't that a sixth-year potion? Are you sure you can handle it?" Peter turned to me, somewhat doubting the possible quality of my potions.
"Definitely not on the first try," I shrugged. "But don't forget, my father is a Potions apprentice, so I've brushed up my knowledge in this subject quite well this summer."
"Decided to follow in Mr. Lupin's footsteps?" Potter asked with curiosity.
"Not sure yet... But I'll try to make some part of our medical kit myself," I smiled vaguely, not wanting to share my own life plans just yet.
"Hah, then I'm sitting with you in Potions this year!" Sirius reacted quickly, sensing an opportunity to slack off a bit in Slughorn's classes.
"No problem, but then you owe me new books on Legilimency and Occlumency," I nodded quickly, at the same time reminding Black of his promise from last year. He had promised to bring me quite a few interesting books for our fourth year.
"Hey, I actually wanted to sit with Moony too!" James flared up, immediately starting a small argument with Sirius... to the sounds of which we began our walk along Diagon Alley.
Conversations gave way to conversations, I interrogated the guys about interesting spells they had managed to learn over the summer, Sirius and James enthusiastically argued about a new broomstick model, and Peter periodically reminded us that we hadn't just come out for a walk, we still had to somehow deal with our shopping list.
In general, it was fun, interesting, and in a sense even useful... The stories of the two pureblood friends gave me a few ideas on how I could diversify my own training. And we had already started drawing up a "study plan" for the next year.
After all, none of us was going to stop training in our personal dueling club. And in general, the guys couldn't wait to "beat each other's faces in" as soon as possible. Even Peter, despite some constraint and apprehension, was looking forward to our return to the Room of Requirement... Black even had the idea to hold a small tournament right now. But...
"Yeah, let's hold a tournament right now, and then we'll be running headlong to St. Mungo's and writing explanatory notes about where and who cursed us like that," Potter tried to reason with our friend.
"Chickened out?" Black flared up haughtily, but received a heavy cuff on the back of the head from me, quickly reducing the concentration of arrogance in his voice. "Alright, alright, I already realized myself that it's a so-so idea."
"That's exactly it. At Hogwarts, we don't have to worry too much about wounds, they'll put anyone back on their feet in the hospital wing... But during the summer holidays, we are responsible for our own health, no one is going to drag us to St. Mungo's for nothing," I still considered it necessary to read a small lecture, reminding the guys that it's really better for us not to make trouble outside of Hogwarts unnecessarily.
"Yeah... so, let's go get school robes?" Sirius changed the subject.
"Let's go. I need to seriously stock up on new clothes this year. No charms will help last year's uniform fit me normally anymore," I nodded with a smile, immediately flinching at the sharp noise, the sound of explosions, and the panicked screams of people.
"It's in Knockturn! My mother took me there recently!" Black reacted first, while I had already started surrounding our company with protective spells just in case.
"The Dark Mark!" Peter sobbed fearfully, noticing an illusion of a green skull with a snake crawling out of its empty eye socket rising into the sky.
"Shit! Everyone into the shop!" I ordered the guys, almost forcefully pushing them into the Flourish and Blotts bookshop. We were just passing by it when explosions were heard from the direction of Knockturn Alley.
"Another Death Eater terrorist attack?" James hissed excitedly, flying into the bookstore and immediately moving further inside.
"Striking fear into people... Or they couldn't share something with the scum from Knockturn," I answered calmly, watching several more wizards run into the bookstore after us. Some of whom immediately started casting protective spells on the display windows.
"One piece of scum is trying to kill another... And yet my older cousin is absolutely delighted with this... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Sirius grimaced in displeasure, remembering Voldemort's new nickname...
Because of the Taboo curse that had spread over all the British Isles, pronouncing that bastard's name is now highly undesirable. The arrogant devil senses exactly where his name is spoken, periodically attacking or sending raids of his followers against careless wizards...
"Intimidating people until they wet their pants... And quite successfully, damn him to hell!" I swore mentally, feeling the noise and din gradually increasing on the street...
"Oh, it seems the Aurors have arrived," Potter heard the corresponding shouts. "Everything will start dying down now."
"I wouldn't be so sure. If it's not some riffraff from Knockturn having a dispute, but someone from the Dark Lord's inner circle... Things could get hot," Sirius whispered tensely, squeezing his wand tightly in his hands.
"You said your cousin is a fan of the Dark Lord... Is she in the inner circle?" I clarified with my friend, knowing perfectly well that in the future Bellatrix Lestrange, who hadn't changed her last name yet, would be almost Voldemort's main supporter.
"...Recently," Black admitted reluctantly. "And the worst part is, my family completely supports her in this. They hope that I will follow in her footsteps too..."
"Madness... Though, from your family, forgive me Sirius, one shouldn't have expected anything else," Potter was somewhat stunned by such news.
"I know!" Black clicked his tongue angrily. "But I can't do anything either..."
"And you don't need to do anything. When you become the Head of the House, then you'll change your family's politics," I tried to calm my friend down, knowing perfectly well that such a future is very unlikely... But anything can happen in life.
So far, Sirius hadn't quarreled with his family enough to cut all ties with his relatives. And, to be honest, I don't wish such a fate upon Sirius... But I won't stop him from "leaving the House" if anything happens either. It's anyway better than one day seeing Sirius in the ranks of the Death Eaters, whose defeat in my eyes is already predetermined.
"A policy of terror and widespread intimidation is unlikely to lead to anything good... Not to mention the ideas of going to war against the Muggle world," I grimaced mentally, noting that it was gradually becoming quieter and calmer on the street.
It seemed a serious clash between the Death Eaters and the Aurors hadn't taken place after all...