"Yes, we saw it."
The one-eyed Aldo spoke.
"Looking up at the stars... it was beautiful. In Italy, we haven't seen the stars for years. Not because of the clouds, but because we haven't dared to look up."
His words instantly hushed the atmosphere around them.
The heavy suffering of the Apennine Mountains stood in stark contrast to the joy before them.
The smile vanished from Tonks's face. She looked at these silent, resolute werewolves from another country, her eyes full of sympathy and respect.
Just then, Valerius walked over gracefully, carrying a silver tray.
He offered Marco and his companions several glasses of amber-colored spirits.
Marco took a glass and gave the vampire who had once driven their tribe into a desperate plight a long look, then drained the spirits in one gulp.
He set down the empty glass and looked past everyone, straight at Douglas.
"Mr. Holmes," Marco said, his voice low and strong.
"We bring the respects of every tribe in the Apennine Mountains that answered your call. They said that when that gravestone went up, they knew the skies over Italy were about to change."
Once again, he pressed his right fist to his chest. This time, all the Italian werewolves behind him rose together and made exactly the same gesture.
"To the new moonlight!" Marco shouted.
"To the new moonlight!" Those few hoarse voices joined together, echoing beside the bonfire with a strength tempered in despair.
The shout, mingling admiration and hope, made even Tonks's heart tremble.
She was about to ask what the gravestone was about when Fred and George's laughter reached her again from over there.
Unable to resist her curiosity, she walked over. Lupin followed beside her, his expression still somewhat uneasy.
"You two," Tonks said, looking at them reproachfully, "you skipped