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Seeing that Nick and Sirius seemed to have accepted my answers — and even looked excited at the idea of having a good fight — I shook my head with an ironic smile.
'And then they say young people are the reckless and hot-blooded ones,' I thought, amused, but at the same time pleased by their support.
Then, realizing they apparently had no intention of asking me anything else, I understood that our conversation had come to an end.
And honestly, that was a relief. I didn't want to keep talking about these heavy subjects anymore... at least not today.
With a casual gesture of my hand, I canceled the privacy barrier that isolated us, allowing us to hear all the sounds of the room again.
Immediately, the music, laughter and conversations that had been muffled before came flooding back into our ears, bringing us right back into the festive atmosphere of the Room of Requirement.
"Well, gentlemen," I began, catching both of their attentions, "I don't know about you, but I'm tired of serious conversations. Now I'm going to enjoy this party a bit more before it gets too late."
"Oh, have fun then," Nick waved lazily at me. He showed no sign of getting up.
In fact, he even snuggled deeper into the couch, looking perfectly satisfied and comfortable.
I let out an amused snort at that, before turning my gaze toward Sirius.
"Well, I think I'll grab some more snacks to eat," he announced, his eyes fully locked onto the food table.
"I've been dying to eat Hogwarts food again. And to my happiness, it seems the house-elves really outdid themselves this time," the Animagus even licked his lips.
Seeing his hungry expression, I raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure you're not Ron's spiritual twin brother?"
Unfortunately, I didn't get a reply. Sirius was already on his feet, marching straight toward the large table full of snacks and drinks.
'Heh... he acts like he hasn't eaten a decent meal in the last ten years,' I joked mentally.
Then I shook my head before standing up from my armchair as well.
Scanning the room, I took in the groups scattered across it. The adults all seemed completely absorbed in their conversations — some gossiping animatedly, others debating the problems of the wizarding and muggle worlds, a few discussing magic and its many branches, while many were simply chatting idly.
My gaze then focused on the younger group — the Golden Trio, Luna and Fleur — gathered around a table playing… UNO?
'Of all the games I asked the Room of Requirement to create, they chose the one most likely to cause discord and fights?' I thought, lips twitching in amusement.
Watching them for a moment, I saw how much fun they were having — completely happy and carefree.
But the next second I saw Fleur play a +4 card on Harry… who, instead of drawing four cards or stacking another +4 for the next player, played a blue reverse.
And the worst: Fleur was actually the one who drew the four cards!
While Harry and Ron celebrated smugly, Fleur pressed her lips together in frustration.
I felt pain just watching it. I felt as though my entire past life was being disrespected right in front of me.
'Okay, I understand that UNO rules are decided by the people playing, but there are limits to everything!'
I resisted the urge to facepalm, settling only for a disappointed sigh.
'Looks like these young amateurs need to learn how this game is actually played.'
With that thought, a serious expression formed on my face.
And with a clear goal in mind, I started walking determinedly toward their table, ready to put an end to the crime unfolding there.
But then, at this moment, Cele — who had been sitting at a table with Gabriele — immediately stood up as soon as she saw me approaching the tables.
She began walking toward me, with an innocent yet slightly worried look on her face.
Noticing that my sister was coming to me, I stopped.
'Hmph, you all have a few more seconds to continue committing this horrendous crime,' I cast one last judgmental stare at the quintet of heretics.
Then, ignoring them, I turned fully to Cele and waited for her.
When she reached my side, she didn't say anything. She simply grabbed the hem of my shirt with both hands, holding it tightly as if she didn't want to let me go.
"Huh?" I tilted my head, confused.
She stared directly at me, her eyes so much like mine — full of curiosity, care… and worry.
Feeling those unsettling emotions coming from her, I immediately became alarmed.
Quickly crouching in front of her, I gently held her tiny hand, "What is it, princess? Are you okay?" I asked, tense.
But instead of answering my question, she asked hers.
"Is everything okay now, brother?" Cele whispered, not taking her eyes off me.
Hearing that, I froze, somewhat stunned.
Of all the things I imagined Cele might say, that question was definitely not one of them.
Then, looking at my sister again, I considered asking her why she had asked that.
But as soon as I studied her small face — full of worry, yet with a sharpness that didn't match her age — I understood.
Cele hadn't asked that out of nowhere.
She had sensed the heavy, tense atmosphere of tonight. And even without knowing exactly what the problem was, she knew I was involved.
For that reason, she waited until I was alone — and in a lighter moment — to ask me this question.
'I underestimated how observant and perceptive Cele is,' I thought, smiling wryly.
Then, with a softer smile and an affectionate look, I ruffled her hair. "Everything is fine, princess," I answered.
"Are you sure?" she insisted.
"Of course! When has your big brother ever lied to you?"
She brought a finger to her chin, thoughtful, "Well, there was that time at Grandma's house… that one at the playground… also that time at Uncle Ed's costume party… Oh! And you lied to me that time on Easter, and—"
"Okay, enough," I cut her off before my reputation as the perfect brother suffered further damage.
Holding her cheeks, I playfully squished her still-slightly-chubby face, "Has anyone ever told you that you have a very good memory?"
"Yes, everyone," she lifted her chin proudly, not even trying to remove my hands.
Seeing such an adorably smug expression, I laughed.
And in that moment, I noticed she looked even more proud — while I could feel her satisfaction and happiness.
'This girl…' I thought fondly.
Giving her head one last pat, I stood up.
"All right, now go back and play with Gabi. I bet she's missing her little artist partner," I said, gesturing toward the small Veela at the nearby table.
Turning around, Cele saw that her friend was watching us curiously while holding her box of crayons.
"Uhum," Cele waved toward Gabi.
Then she looked back at me, "But what about you, Ethan? What are ou going to do?"
"What am I going to do? Well… your brother is going over there to teach a few beginners how a true professional plays UNO," I answered, casting a disdainful glance at the strange group of teenagers.
Following my gaze, Cele saw the disaster happening at that table.
"Tsk, they're beyond saving," she muttered, looking at them with the same expression I was making.
Hearing that, I almost laughed.
'She really is my sister...' I thought, proudly.
After that, Cele and I split up. She returned to the 'artist kids' table, and meanwhile I continued walking toward my friends.
When they saw me approaching, they paused their game for a moment.
"Where were you, Ethan?" Fleur asked, curious. "We were waiting for you to play, but you disappeared."
"Yes! You left suddenly and didn't come back. Because of that, you missed several of the games we played," Hermione added.
"Heh. If you played the other games the same way you're playing this UNO, then it truly was a tragedy I wasn't here to stop you," I said dryly.
"Hey! What's wrong with the way we're playing?" Ron protested, confused and offended.
"Ron… in some very, very distant universe, you all would've been chased and beaten throughout Europe for playing UNO the way you just did," I replied mercilessly.
Pulling out a chair, I sat between Luna and Fleur.
"Now hand me that deck. I'm going to teach you all how this is really played."
Before they could react, I grabbed all the cards — the ones in their hands and the ones scattered on the table.
Expressionless, with a perfect and solid poker face, I began shuffling the UNO deck.
My hands moved with mastery and skill, and the cards seemed to dance.
Seeing this scene, Fleur, Luna and the Golden Trio stared in awe. But more than that… they grew tense.
In that moment, they realized.
They were now dealing with a professional... And things were about to get serious.
End.
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