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Bhí sé an chéad am a chuaigh Regulus i árasán na James agus Remus. Bhí gach chairde iad ann, Marlene, Lily, Peter, Mary, agus daoine eile.
Tháinig James chuig an doras, "Reggie! How are you? You found us alright?"
"Hi, yes. I, er, brought you this. Found it in a shop a few days ago." Thug sé scuabín cerimeach, le buachaill beag ar é. Bhí sé cosúil leis agus cheap Regulus go thaitneodh James leis.
"Ah, Reg, thank you, it's lovely! Here, come in, everyone's here already!"
Chuaigh Regulus isteach agus bhuail sé le gach daoine. D'fhoglaim sé go is Remus, Peter, agus Marlene Éireannach, Remus as an Iarmhí, Peter as an Dún, agus Marlene as Tír Eoghain. Tá Lily i scoil fhaisin, agus tá sí as Brighton, agus tá a cailín, Mary, as Cardiff. D'fhoglaim sé go is Peter Aontachtaí é, ach is Marlene Poblochtach í, bhí sé an-míchormpordoch nuair a d'fhiafraigh Marlene; "So, Regulus, what are your opinions on Northern Ireland? D'you think it should be part of the Republic?" ach d'idirghabh Remus; "Fuck's sake, Marls, give him a second before you scare him away, James would kill us if we sent his fella running." "Did someone mention me? Hello! Who's sending my 'fella' running?" tháinig James, go tobann, agus fáisc sé Regulus ón gcúl. "Nobody, don't worry, love." duirt sé.
D'imigh an oiche agus bhí Regulus craic a bheith aige. Bhí an ceol ag buiríl, bhí an deochanna ag rith, agus bhí James go hálainn. D'éirigh Regulus ó a chathair chun gloine a faigheann, agus chuala sé Marlene agus Remus ag caint.
"... is aisteoir saibhir é, tá sé is dócha an-móiréiseach."
"Ach, Marls, ná bí drochbhéasach, tá sé an chuma air go raibh sé deas."
"Tá sé ceart go leor, níl mé maslaithe." Duirt Regulus, ag sinéadh le gloine. "Aguamenti," dhírigh sé ag an gloine le a slaitín.
Stad Remus agus Marlene agus chas siad timpeall Regulus. "Céard a dúirt tu?" d'fhiafraigh Marlene.
"Er, dúirt mé go... bhí sé ceart go leor, an rud a dúirt tú, faoin bí mé móiréiseach. Is féidir liom a bheith, uaireanta, chun beith macánta faoi."
"... An bhfuil Gaeilge agat?" d'fhiafraigh Remus, bhí an chuma scanraithe air.
"... Sea, tá cúpla focail agam."
"Christ, a Brit speaking fucking Irish!" d'fhogáir Marlene.
"Great day for the parish, yeah?" Duirt Remus, agus thug sé uillinn do Marlene.
"Sea más ea, conas? Níor chas mé orm Sasanach le Gaeilge, riamh." Duirt Marlene.
"Bhuel, bhí mé i Conamara ag feadh... naoi míonna? Agus, chuaigh mé isteach sa bhaile ar mo laethanta saoire. Chuala mé an teanga ionas ceannaigh mé cúpla leabhair Gaeilge agus... sin é, is dócha."
Bhí meangadh mór ar Marlene, agus ghlaoigh sí "James!"
Tháinig James chun na duine eile, "Marls!"
"I like this one, can we keep him?" Duirt sí, dhírigh sí a méar ag Regulus.
"Definitely, as long as you haven't scared him off by now!" Rinne James meangadh mór gáire leis.
"She hasn't," duirt Regulus, "don't worry."
"Alright, anything else, or is that all?" Duirt James.
"That's all, maith an fear!" Duirt Marlene,
"That's... er, good man? Am I right?"
"Ah, proper Gaeilgeoir you are, mate." Duirt Remus.
"That means I'm right," ar seisean de chogar ar Regulus.
"That's great, love." Duirt sé.
Chuaigh James ar ais go na duine eile, agus bhí sé ag labhraíonn leo arís.
"So, James doesn't know that you speak Irish?" d'fhogáir Remus
"Speak Irish is a stretch, I'm not the best." d'fhreagair Regulus.
"If an Englishman can participate in a conversation as Gaeilge, he can speak Irish. Trust me, you're the best compared to others." Duirt Marlene.
"Can you speak any other languages?" d'fhreagair Remus.
"Er, French and German, a bit of Spanish and some Russian."
"Fuck's sake," Duirt Marlene, "Pete! C'mere." ghlaoigh sí.
Tháinig Peter chun iad, "Yeah?"
"Regulus, say something in German; Pete, translate?"
"Sprechen Sie Deutsch?"
"Er... für meinem O-Levels, ich bin nicht fliessend, aber ich verstehe ein bisschen. Warum?"
"Ah, also, verstehe Sie nicht, wenn ich sagt dass ich habe eine Vorliebe für Deutsch denn ich habe keine familiäre Bindungen, aber, ich mag Französich nicht so, denn meine inzestuös Familie plagen die Sprache. Deutschland ist sehr schön, und ich habe einen Wohnung in Dresden, und die Menschen will nicht mit Man reden, keine unnötig Smalltalk."
"Er... I understood Wohnung in Dresden... and, er, you said 'small talk?'"
"Peter, small talk was the only phrase in English, idiot."
"What does 'Wohnung' mean, then?" d'fhogáir Remus.
"It's, er, flat, right? Like an apartment?" d'fhreagair Peter.
Chlaon Regulus a cheann libh. Nuair a bhí sé ag labhraíonn Gearmáinis, bhí Remus agus Marlene ag stánadh, amhail is tá sé sárchumhacht.
"You have a flat in Germany?" d'fhéach Marlene ar Regulus,
"Er, yes." Duirt sé.
"Christ, now you know why people assume you're pretentious, you really are rich." Duirt Marlene.
"People; as in you." rinne Regulus ag gáire.
"Are you picking a fight with Marlene?" d'fhreagair Peter.
"Ah, no, don't worry, Peader, I like him, he can speak Irish, take that as a personal 'fuck you agus tiochfaidh ár lá." duirt Marlene.
"Fuck's sake, I told you not to call me that, anyway, I have nothing against Irish..." Duirt Peter.
"Here he goes." thosaigh sí.
"... I just think that it isn't a proper language for Northern Ireland. I mean, nobody speaks it, don't really understand the whole want for it in general. And everyone going on about 'tiochfaidh ár lá' are just glorifying violence and criminals."
"Violence and criminals? Sure, don't you start on that, you're a little RUC fanboy, for a pure-blood, you're awfully involved in muggle affairs."
"Fuck off, Marls." rinne Peter ag gáire.
"Ah, that's what we've been saying to your people since the 1200's. Say hi to Maggie for me, the next time you're kissing her arse."
"Don't you disrespect my lovely Mrs. Thatcher," dhún sé a shúile ar Marlene, "right, I'm off, there's a riveting conversation over there without any terrorist-lovers making fun of my ancestors."
"Ah, have fun, let James know that I'd be happy for Regulus to replace you in the group! Love you lots, Pete."
"And you too, Marls." Chuaigh Peter arís go na duine eile le a dheoch úr.
"So, you and Peter seem to get on well, even despite your beliefs." Duirt Regulus.
"Well, you'd be a madman to try and convert Marlene to unionism, no chance of her giving up on what she believes in, so Pete doesn't bother." Duirt Remus.
"Sin é, Remus, I'd kill a man before letting a Union Jack plague the area near my gaff, but to be fair, Pete's one of the good ones," Duirt Marlene, "and, really, you have to cop on at some point and start talking to people, even if you don't agree with them, otherwise you're just a close-minded eejit. Do you not, well, talk to people who think differently to you?"
"Oh, no, I do, just- well, all I was saying was that you seem very tolerant. It's a very admirable trait in people, in my opinion." Duirt Regulus, ag súimínteacht ar a dheoch.
"I'd say it's really the bare minimum, if everyone agreed, the world would be boring. No progress would be made; no change. Imagine if we all just accepted what was, we'd be living in caves, people need to think differently from each other to advance, right?" Duirt sí.
"Yes, yeah, exactly." Duirt sé.
"Reggieeeeeee, c'mere, love!" Ghlaoigh James, ón thaobh eile den séomra.
Chuaigh Regulus arís. "Hello, everything okay?"
"Oh, yes, much better now that you're here, I was just missing you, is all." Duirt James.
"Ah, well,"
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course, what?"
"How did you get Marlene to like you so quickly, it took me an hour, and even then, I'm brown, she's normally very wary around English people?"
"Ah, well..." ar seisean de chogar ar James, "Tá cúpla focail Gaeilge an-úsáideach, uaireanta. Chuaigh an teanga i bhfeidhm ar na hÉireannaigh, nuair a bí tú eachtrannach."
"Sorry, wh- what was that? Was that- do you speak Irish? I thought you spoke French? I'm so- what?"
"Vergiss es nicht, auch Deutsch."
"Wh- was that German? Oh my- What? Why would you not tell me that?"
"Er, everything okay, James? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Chuaigh Lily arís.
"My boyfriend is a fucking genius, I've fucking won."
Rinne Regulus meangadh mór gáire leis. Ó, an chaoí bhí sé i ngrá leis. Bhí James Potter foirfe, agus ní ligfeadh sé dó a fág, go deo.