With Dumbledore's help, Sirius finally stood up and slowly walked toward the door.
With the retrial over, everything that happened here spread through the Ministry of Magic like a raging wind.
So when Sirius walked out of the third Trial Room, the corridor was already packed with people, all of whom looked at him and offered their applause without holding back.
Sirius didn't even know how he made his way down the long corridor, or how he got into the elevator and crossed the thunderous applause of the main hall.
Maybe it was a few minutes, maybe it was a few hours; next thing he knew, he was already standing amidst the bustling crowd on a London street.
He opened his arms to the sky, standing there for a full ten minutes as passersby stared at him in bewilderment.
Dumbledore and Kael, standing behind him, didn't rush him either.
Kael was just thinking about whether to buy something in Diagon Alley later, but when he looked up he noticed Dumbledore giving him a strange look.
It was a look of apology tinged with pity, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Seeing Dumbledore's smiling face, Kael didn't think much of it, deciding it was just his eyes acting up after being in the dim Trial Room for too long.
After all, Dumbledore had done so much to help Sirius Black get acquitted—he had no reason to feel apologetic.
Kael glanced at Sirius again. He was still standing there in the same pose, as if, if nobody called him, he'd stay like that all day.
Right then, a man in a business suit apparently mistook his pose for some kind of performance art. He hurried past, then doubled back, placing a coin on the step in front of Sirius.
A few minutes later, an owl flew overhead.
Suddenly, Dumbledore had a copy of the Daily Prophet in his hand. He found a bench by the road, sat down like an old man on a stroll, and opened the paper to read.
The front page headline was bold and eye-catching.
"Sirius Black—Traitor or Tragic Hero!"
Below were two photos: one was his wanted poster, the other a shot from the Trial Room, with everyone applauding for him.
In the article, Sirius was described as a man who endured twelve years in the shadows, just to avenge a friend—a tragic character…
"When did they take those photos?" Kael said in surprise. "I remember there wasn't anyone with a camera in the Trial Room…"
"Clearly there was. We just didn't notice,"
Dumbledore chuckled, "These people have their ways. Someone once leaked a picture of me fighting as a kid, just to prove I'm a liar… If I could, I'd buy that picture back…"
"Let's not talk about that. Let's head to Diagon Alley. I'm craving one of those hazelnut peanut crunch ice creams."
Dumbledore got up and walked over.
Sirius also opened his eyes now, lowered his sore arms, took a few deep breaths of London exhaust, and turned to walk with them toward the Leaky Cauldron.
But after only a few steps, he backtracked, picked up the coin on the ground, and carefully wiped the dust from it.
"So this is a Muggle coin, isn't it?"
Kael nodded and leaned in to take a look.
"Heptagon… That's a fifty-pence coin. At Gringotts you can change it for about two Sickles."
"I'm going to keep it as a souvenir." Sirius smiled and pocketed the coin.
The three of them made their way to the Leaky Cauldron.
When Dumbledore, in front, pushed open the door, the noisy crowd inside fell silent at once.
Everyone's eyes locked on Sirius, following right behind Dumbledore.
No one was sure who started it, but soon there was another wave of applause. Some people got up and came over for a hug.
"Oh, Black…" Tom Senior walked over with a large mug of Butter Beer, "Forgive me for keeping your wanted poster up all this time—this one's on the house."
"Thanks, Tom." Sirius took the mug and downed it in one gulp.
He'd had plenty of Butter Beer before—not least because Lupin had brought him quite a bit in the last couple months—but none of it tasted as sweet as this one.
"That's really nice." He licked his lips. "Tom, I suspect you laced this with Joyful Potion…"
Tom Senior laughed, "Believe me, from now on every drink you have will turn into Joyful Potion."
Laughter echoed through the bar.
After that, he politely turned down more offers to drink, and slipped out through the rear entrance into Diagon Alley.
"How do you feel?" Kael asked.
"Couldn't be better," Sirius responded with a grin. "Tom says my drinks are on him for a whole month. I'm definitely coming back tomorrow to spend all day drinking here. Tom's face will be quite a sight then."
Kael just chuckled and said nothing.
Sirius was still a bit naive. He was the most talked-about person around, so every time he showed up at the Leaky Cauldron, he'd draw more and more people. Tom would be delighted, not worried.
Still, it was a win-win…
The three turned a corner and came onto Diagon Alley's main street.
Sirius was like a brand-new Hogwarts first year, wanting to go into almost every single shop. In no time, his arms were full of all sorts of things.
All gifts from shopkeepers—not a single Knut spent.
Thanks to him, Kael and Dumbledore also got free hazelnut peanut crunch ice cream.
First they stopped at Madam Malkin's, where Sirius got fitted for a brand new robe, then Olivander's to buy a wand for fifteen Galleons.
A new student's wand is seven Galleons; his cost more than double. Then again, maybe that's the real price, and the student special is basically at cost.
When they passed the Quidditch Boutique, Sirius wanted to buy Kael a Firebolt as a thank-you.
But Kael refused.
"Don't be polite! It's only a bit of money." Sirius slapped his chest. "I bought Harry one—they're cheap."
Kael still shook his head. "Really, I don't need it."
There was no Quidditch at Hogwarts this year anyway. What was he going to do with a Firebolt? And what if a newer model came out next year…
So, better wait until next year.
All afternoon they nearly visited every store—well, except one.
Flourish and Blotts.
The entrance seemed to have a Sirius Repelling Charm on it—he didn't even pause for a second, jogged right past it.
The shopkeeper, who'd been waiting at the door with a stack of books as a present, only caught a glimpse of Sirius's retreating back.
...