Sirius muttered as he stepped back, and the handsome face on camera finally returned to a normal size, revealing Lupin and Dumbledore behind him.
Dumbledore wore Half-moon Spectacles and held a Sherbet Lemon, studying the construction of the Muggle camera with keen interest.
"What a marvelous invention, Douglas," he said cheerfully. "A pity it can't transmit Sherbet Lemons, or our meetings would be far more efficient."
Behind them, Dobby wore a tiny, crisply pressed suit.
He clenched his fists nervously, ready to cast the Network Connectivity Charm at any moment.
This was an auxiliary spell Douglas had developed specifically for this kind of cross-boundary communication.
Cairo's sunshine and informality contrasted sharply on the little screen with the somewhat serious atmosphere in the London sitting room.
"All right, gentlemen."
Douglas adjusted his posture and leaned back in his chair, formally opening the meeting.
"Welcome to the first intercontinental monthly work review for the Marauders and affiliated parties."
He paused, cleared his throat, and added with a theatrical rise and fall in his voice:
"This meeting will be chaired by Mr. Douglas Holmes, outstanding Hufflepuff graduate, distinguished Hogwarts professor, and honorary headmaster of Silvermane Academy."
Sirius rolled his eyes extravagantly on the other end.
"Let's start with you, Padfoot," Douglas said, ignoring his disdain and getting straight to the point. "How are operations at the Marauders Power Company?"
Sirius immediately cleared his throat, his irreverent expression instantly replaced by irrepressible pride.
"Operations? Nothing short of perfect!"
Like a child showing off a treasure, he unfurled a long roll of parchment before the camera with a rustle.
"The Ministry of Magic's orders haven't stopped! Everyone in the Auror Office now has a set of our Tactical Communication Earrings. Even that old fox Scrimgeour keeps talking about inspections, but his actions tell a different