James grinned wider, his eyes gleaming with mischief as he looked between Sirius and Regulus. The dogs sat patiently at his feet, their eyes trained on him, awaiting his next command. Luna remained as calm as ever beside James, her loyalty unwavering, but the two Belgian Malinois, Liesel and Zora, were buzzing with energy, ready for more action.

Sirius, still recovering from the playful assault by Liesel, sat up on the floor, panting. "James, I swear if you—"

But Sirius didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence before James pointed at him again, this time with an unmistakable gleam of playful wickedness in his eyes.

"Such!" James barked the command in German, and immediately Liesel and Zora sprang to life.

Liesel charged straight toward Sirius again, while Zora zipped over to Regulus, both dogs enthusiastic about their 'search' mission. This time, the dogs were even more animated, sniffing, nudging, and pawing at the brothers with more exaggerated energy, as if sensing that this was all part of the game.

Sirius let out a mock scream of terror, scrambling backward across the floor, but Liesel was relentless. She pushed her nose into his side, nudging him playfully but firmly. "Not again!" Sirius gasped between laughter and failed attempts to shove her away. "James, call her off before she decides I've got something she wants!"

Regulus was in no better shape. Zora had him pinned up against the counter again, her nose practically buried in his shirt. "What are you looking for, girl? I swear I didn't steal any treats!" he laughed, his face red from the effort of trying to fend her off while laughing uncontrollably.

James was practically doubled over, tears of laughter streaming down his face. "You two are too much! You look like you're being taken down by a pair of trained assassins."

Just as the chaos was reaching its peak, Orion and Walburga entered the kitchen, having been drawn by the noise. Walburga raised an eyebrow, taking in the scene before her: Sirius on the floor, desperately trying to push away a dog, Regulus cornered by another, and James laughing so hard he could barely stand upright.

Orion crossed his arms, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I take it this is how you start your mornings now, James?"

James finally managed to catch his breath, standing up straighter but still grinning. "Oh, you know, just giving Sirius and Regulus a bit of a... search, to make sure they aren't hiding anything. Standard procedure, really."

Walburga's lips twitched as if suppressing a smile. "It looks like your dogs are quite thorough."

"They are!" James agreed, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "They're doing their jobs. Can't have anyone sneaking around without getting checked out first."

Sirius, still writhing on the floor under Liesel's persistent nose, shot a desperate look at his mother. "Mum! Help! I'm being attacked by a monster!"

Walburga raised an eyebrow, her sharp eyes gleaming with amusement. "A monster, is it? From what I can see, it's just a very well-trained dog doing her duty."

Regulus managed to peel Zora away from his chest long enough to chime in, "Yeah, Mum, the 'monster' has an excellent sense of smell, apparently."

Orion chuckled, shaking his head. "You two deserve it. I can't imagine what you've done to warrant James sending the dogs after you."

"Not a thing!" Sirius protested, still laughing despite his predicament.

"Oh, don't worry," James chimed in, his grin widening as he looked at Sirius. "I've got something even better planned for you." He turned to the dogs and gave another command in German, this time pointing at Sirius and Regulus.

"Such nochmal!" James said, meaning 'search again,' but this time, he did it with such an exaggerated flourish that the dogs seemed to pick up on the playful energy. Liesel and Zora went after Sirius and Regulus with renewed enthusiasm, as if playing their own game of hide and seek.

Sirius let out a groan. "Not again!" he howled, flailing as Liesel began her 'search' anew, pushing her nose into his armpits and along his sides as if she was trying to sniff out hidden treasure. "I swear, James, one of these days, you're going to regret this!"

James couldn't help but burst out laughing again, clutching his stomach as he watched his friends struggle to deal with the determined dogs. "Oh, I doubt it!"

Walburga, seeing her sons being playfully assaulted by the dogs, finally allowed herself to laugh. "Boys, this is what you get for stirring up trouble. James's dogs are just doing what they were trained to do."

Regulus, between fits of laughter and trying to fend off Zora, managed to look up at his mother. "Mum, you're supposed to be on our side!"

Orion smirked, stepping closer to James and watching the scene unfold. "I don't know, Regulus. It looks like James is the one with the upper hand here."

Walburga chuckled, walking over to Sirius and kneeling beside him as Liesel continued her thorough sniffing. "Perhaps you should think twice before getting on James's bad side in the future, Sirius."

Sirius groaned dramatically. "I didn't even do anything this time!"

Finally, after a few more moments of chaos, James decided to give his friends a break. "Abbruch!" he commanded, the German word for 'stop,' and instantly, Liesel and Zora backed off, returning to James's side with wagging tails and eager eyes, awaiting further orders.

Sirius sat up, panting, his hair mussed and his clothes disheveled. "You're a menace, Potter," he said between breaths, though the smile on his face betrayed his enjoyment.

Regulus, still leaning against the counter for support, shook his head with a grin. "You're lucky we like you."

James grinned back at them, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Well, that was fun. I should send them after you two more often."

Walburga stood up, smoothing her robes as she looked between her sons and James. "It seems like you've all had enough excitement for one morning."

"Enough excitement?" James echoed with a laugh. "Oh, I'm just getting started."

Orion patted James on the shoulder, nodding approvingly. "I have to admit, those dogs of yours are impressive. You've trained them well."

James grinned. "They're the best. But don't worry—Luna here is much gentler," he added, gesturing to the golden retriever sitting calmly at his feet, her biothane harness gleaming in the morning light.

Sirius groaned, rubbing his side where Liesel had been nudging him. "Gentle sounds like a nice change of pace right about now."

"Well, maybe if you behave yourself," James teased, "you'll get to see Luna's gentler side. But I can't make any promises for Liesel and Zora."

Regulus shot a glance at Sirius, then back at James, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "We'll behave. For now."

James chuckled, knowing full well that this little truce wouldn't last long. But that was what made mornings like these so much fun—the unpredictable, playful chaos that seemed to follow them wherever they went.

As the laughter died down, they all gathered around the kitchen table, the dogs finally settling down at James's feet. But the shared amusement lingered in the air, the bonds between them all strengthened by yet another round of playful antics.