Gerald stood at the door for a few seconds, then raised his hand and knocked.
The door was ajar. The instant his knuckles touched the wood, it swung inward a few inches, and the voices inside abruptly fell silent.
"Green, you're here." Lupin rose from the sofa with a gentle smile.
Standing in the doorway, Gerald's gaze naturally shifted to the other person in the room.
He soon noticed that Lupin's home had acquired quite a bit of furniture, too: a desk, a dining table, a three-seater sofa, and a brand-new bed.
"Professor, I didn't know you had a guest."
"Oh, so this is Gerard Green, the one who got me out of Azkaban and broke all four limbs of that filthy rat Peter." Black also rose from the sofa and took two steps toward the door.
Gerald had seen Sirius Black before-or, to be precise, he had seen him in the films in his previous life.
But the Black before him looked very different from his on-screen counterpart.
Ten years in prison had left indelible marks on his face, but his exuberant spirit and natural confidence softened them considerably.
His face was thinner than it had been in the films, with sharply protruding cheekbones. His hair was indeed long, but instead of hanging loose as it had on-screen, it was tied back with a hairband.
He wore a dark gray wool coat that looked well made. It gave him the air not of someone freshly released from Azkaban, but of an aristocrat who had just returned from a long journey.
"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Sirius Black." He walked up to Gerald, broke into a grin, and held out his hand.
"Hello." Gerald reached out and shook it.
"I owe you my thanks, too. Without you, that filthy