The Party at the Three Broomsticks

Sirius' explanation did little to lighten the mood, as the Honeydukes owner continued to stare at him in horror.

Anyone who saw the fugitive who had murdered a dozen Muggles on the wanted poster would be horrified, even if the fugitive claimed to be off the hook.

It was only after Dumbledore and Ron went over and explained the situation that the incident was avoided.

It was only a minor incident, but it threw cold water on Harry and the others, who were excited to go to Hogsmeade to celebrate.

Therefore, after buying a bunch of strange sweets, Ivan and the others did not stay long. Instead, they headed to the Three Broomsticks to find a remote place to party.

"How could the owner do this? We bought so many things there and he's trying to get rid of us!" Harry complained as they left Honeydukes.

'That's normal, Harry! It always takes them a while to come to terms with my new status!' Sirius was quite open-minded; he was used to it.

Even at Hogwarts, the situation was similar. Other than some Gryffindor students who did not care who he was, the lesser wizards of the other Houses avoided him.

In fact, Sirius was worried that the owners of the Three Broomsticks would kick them out as well, which would prevent the celebration from taking place.

Fortunately, the situation was not as bad as it seemed, as the owner, Madam Rosmerta, was very understanding and well-informed.

"Mr. Black, congratulations on your new life!" Madam Rosmerta said with a smile as she poured him a glass of butterbeer.

"This cup is on me for free…"

"Thank you… ma'am!" Sirius was so flattered that he accepted the cup and gulped it down.

'It's been a while since I've had this, but the taste hasn't changed at all!' Sirius exclaimed happily, swinging the empty glass on the table and wiping the wine off his lips with his sleeve.

'By the way, we're looking for somewhere to celebrate, so we won't be interrupting your business, will we?' Sirius glanced around the pub, which was quite busy, with most of the round tables full except for a few empty ones.

However, his arrival caused the atmosphere to cool down, and everyone turned to stare at Sirius with suspicion and alarm.

"For a fee, I have no reason to turn away my guests!" Madam Rosmerta said with a smile, putting away her empty glass.

"That's true!" Sirius said, raising his voice and looking around at the rest of the bar.

"How about this? To celebrate my successful exoneration, I'll be buying all of the three brooms tonight!"

Sirius grabbed a handful of Galleons from his robes and scattered them on the counter as a deposit.

These Galleons were part of his allowance when he bought the Firebolt, which he kept in the pocket of his wizard robes.

He was searched by the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic when they tied him up, but they did not dare to take the money, so they kept it.

Sirius's boldness shocked all the wizards in the pub, and there was a great deal of applause and cheering… and the atmosphere in the pub became very lively.

"Three more bottles, boss…no, ten bottles of butterbeer!"

"Hahaha… Mr Black is so generous! Boss, give me thirty bottles of rum and I'll die here today!"

"Davis would be furious if he knew that tonight's drinks were free, but he was unlucky enough not to show up today…"

…

It was acceptable for most drunkards to share a pub with a murderer if they could drink for free.

Furthermore, Sirius seemed to have cleared his name, so there was nothing to fear.

Ivan didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the sudden change in attitude of the pub's patrons.

Because for Sirius, who is not short of money, it might be more important to celebrate uninterrupted than a few hundred Galleons…

As the drunkards raised their glasses in welcome, Ivan and the others found an empty seat and piled the snacks on the table.

Sirius took a bottle of mead and currant rum from another table and offered to pour everyone a glass.

Harry and Ron were delighted, as they had always wanted to have a taste of real wine, but never got the chance.

Sirius, however, paused after waving his drink over their glasses and glanced at Dumbledore, then tapped his head as if he had just remembered something.

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot, you're not old enough to drink!"

Sirius shook his head regretfully, then turned to Madam Rosmerta and shouted.

"Boss, a couple of violets and cherry syrup sodas, no ice!"

"Now, that's what you should be drinking!" Sirius said in all seriousness once the drinks were served.

Harry and Ron looked disappointed, but did not have the courage to break the rules in front of Professor Dumbledore.

In the end, it was only Sirius and Dumbledore who drank, while Ivan and the others drank.

They ate their snacks and drank their drinks, celebrating Sirius's return to justice.

At first, they were restrained by Dumbledore's presence, but it soon became apparent that the professor was quite capable of playing the game, and would occasionally joke around with them.

Even when Sirius slipped a little mead into Harry's drink to give them a taste, Dumbledore turned a blind eye.

While chatting, Ivan kept an eye on Dumbledore's every move, noting that the professor used his left hand to complete the task, while keeping his right hand hidden in his sleeve.

This made Ivan even more curious. If Fawkes the phoenix hadn't been so affectionately perched on Dumbledore's shoulder, he would have suspected that Dumbledore was an impersonator.

Or was it because of some reason that she could not use her other hand?