Flying over Great Britain

Sirius hadn't felt this level of joy in a long time; the last time was when he and Harry reunited at Hogwarts.

He secured a crucial mission for himself, and this time, he vowed to—

“Emily, you know I promised Harry I wouldn’t go to a pub until he gets back.”

"Yes, but he's worried about my safety and won't let me go out after dark, including to bars."

"Yes, not even on birthdays."

"Of course I'm safe with you. What I'm worried about is the criminal who hasn't been caught yet—well, darling, have fun with Winston. Maybe we can have a four-person date when Harry comes back."

It's Queenie's voice.

Sirius's eyes lit up, and he leaped out of the bushes.

Over the course of a few days, the black dog had become a regular here. Queenie was used to its sudden attacks. She let out a short, cheerful laugh and, while chatting with Emily, took a piece of beef jerky from her bag and tossed it to the dog—it was very clever and could open the packaging itself.

Queenie hung up the phone and rubbed its head. "Good morning, Big Foot. Is it good? I changed the brand of beef jerky today."

"Woof woof—"

"I'm glad you like it." Queenie walked toward the school bus stop, and Sirius followed, his obedient demeanor completely at odds with his imposing appearance.

When they arrived at the bus stop, the black dog, as always, attracted the attention of the other students, but being the proud Blake, he wouldn't let just anyone touch him. The black dog dodged and weaved around Queenie, displaying an agility disproportionate to his size.

The school bus arrived, and Queenie tossed it another piece of beef jerky. "Such big feet, see you tomorrow?" Sigh, if only Harry could see her tomorrow too, but he's still adrift on the ocean.

"Woof woof—"

Sirius finished his breakfast and ran after the school bus as it drove out of his sight. He tried his best not to be seen by her outside the apartment, and Queenie had seen his human form before... Merlin's beard, why wasn't he a natural-born Disguise Magus?

Queenie's classrooms were mostly on the ground floor, which made it easy for Sirius to catch her scent and voice.

While Queenie was in class, the black dog would lie in the bushes outside the window and listen to the Muggle lessons with her. He hated chemistry, it sounded similar to Potions. The good thing was that Queenie was just like him; when the teacher called on her to answer a question, her halting intonation made it hard for him not to think of Harry in Potions class—look, the three of them really are family!

Sirius usually eats lunch at a restaurant near the school. He went to that Chinese fried rice place, and it was delicious.

After lunch break, the black dog continued its morning activities, moving around the school with Queenie as its center.

When Queenie's classes ended for the day, the black dog chased after the school bus back to Queenie's apartment, watched her go upstairs, and then huddled in the bushes to keep watch.

This was a hundred times better than the days he spent hiding in Hogsmeade, Sirius thought. At least he didn't have to eat those disgusting rats anymore. Hmm, the black dog licked his teeth; he wanted fried rice again tomorrow.

A little past midnight, the lights in Queenie's apartment finally went out. It was her birthday, and some friends must have sent her birthday wishes right at the last minute. Sirius yawned, lowered his head, and closed his eyes. His last thought before falling asleep was that if that guy named Zach tried to steal his godson away again tomorrow, he would teach him a lesson he would never forget. He was good at that.

The night was as dark as ink, and at two in the morning, the residential area was so quiet that it felt as if one were standing on the still waters of the Thames.

In the stillness of the night, a faint whooshing sound came from the air. The black dog's ears twitched sensitively, and it immediately raised its head to look at the misty sky. Something was flying over.

"Hiss—it's so cold."

Someone arrived, but Sirius didn't see them; clearly, it wasn't an ordinary person.

The black dog straightened up from the bushes and stared at a spot a foot away, its eyes gleaming with a cold, fierce light. It could smell the approaching person, and although the other person hadn't shown themselves, it knew they were there.

"Who? Who's there!"

The newcomer's voice was slightly tense, revealing a wary tone.

The black dog stepped out of the bushes, and even a fool could sense its hostility and warning.

"Bigfoot? Sirius!"

The black dog paused, then saw the newcomer's appearance appear in the air.

Oh, it's his godson.

"That's awesome! You flew all the way from Hogwarts on a broomstick? From the Scottish Highlands to London?" Sirius transformed back into human form and sat down on the steps next to Harry.

"Uh, you've asked Sirius several times already." Harry's cool body temperature gradually warmed up, clearly Sirius's warming spell was much more effective than his and Hermione's.

"Merlin's beard! Jaime and I have never played with this before! What's the speed of a Firebolt again?"

"One hundred and fifty miles per hour."

Sirius whistled loudly, and the lights at the apartment building entrance turned on. "You flew for almost four hours? Fantastic! You're sure to make the Irish national team!"

"Uh, thanks." Harry couldn't think of any other way. His magic wasn't enough to Apparate over such a long distance, and using the fireplace in the professor's office wasn't feasible either. The broom was his best option. He just needed to wait until curfew, put on his Invisibility Cloak, run to the Astronomy Tower, and then mount his Firebolt. But to be honest, such a long, uninterrupted flight was extremely welcome, especially since that cute little golden thing wasn't ahead of him.

But he had to come.

"Sirius, thank you for protecting Queenie during this time. I would love to chat with you a little longer, but I have to hurry. I have to go back around three o'clock."

He's coming to see Queenie.

Ha used the spare key to open the door and tiptoed into Queenie's bedroom.

His girl was fast asleep, and Harry sat cross-legged by the bed, watching her quietly for a while.

The anxiety that had gripped me since learning of the Death Eaters' escape finally subsided. Sirius's assurances weren't enough, the daily texts to let me know she was safe weren't enough, and her radiant smile in the photos wasn't enough. Only the warmth of Queenie could do it.

Harry reached out and gently touched Queenie's forehead. His body temperature had become as warm as hers under Sirius's spell. Then, unable to resist, he leaned down and touched Queenie's cheek with his lips. The kiss was as light as a strand of hair brushing against her cheek. Queenie, still asleep, unconsciously wiped her face, startling Harry so much that he froze instantly, unable to move.

"Phew—" Queenie didn't wake up, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He took out his phone and started typing a text message. Time was running out, and he had to hurry. He also wanted to stay a little longer, but he needed to allow enough time for breakfast. The exertion of the night would definitely make him eat more, at least more than Ron.

At seven o'clock in the morning, Queenie was woken up by her alarm clock. She was stunned for a moment before reaching for her phone and found that Harry had sent her a message at 2:43 a.m.

"Honey, we've just arrived at the port. Your gift should already be at your apartment door—I specifically asked it to be delivered before you wake up, so as not to disturb you."

—Happy birthday, Queenie!

—And, I love you.

"Oh my God!" Queenie was instantly wide awake. She jumped out of bed barefoot, ran to the entrance, opened the door, and sure enough, there was a well-wrapped gift bag on the door.

Queenie ran back to bed, sat cross-legged, and excitedly unwrapped her gifts.

A bottle of pink, potent medicine called "Ten-Second Boil Eliminator"—the name was so plain, Queenie guessed it was another new gadget Harry had gotten his hands on, something as magical as something from One Thousand and One Nights; a silver necklace, a pair of emerald earrings, and an intricately crafted ring. Hmm, Harry seemed intent on dressing her up as some kind of medieval noblewoman.

Queenie quickly unwrapped all the gifts, and at the very bottom of the package was a picture of Harry, taken by Hermione with the camera she had borrowed from Colin—a non-magical version.

In the photo, Harry is wearing her favorite sailor uniform and has a shy smile.

Queenie's heart was struck by that smile.

She winked happily. Well, that counts as part of what she asked for, doesn't it?