Chapter 216: Hog's Head Pub
Chapter 216: Hog's Head Pub
As November set in, the weather turned frigid, and the mountains surrounding Hogwarts Castle were already blanketed in snow.
In the morning, a frost covered the windows. Yawning, Albert rolled over and curled up in his bed, reluctant to get up. Suddenly, a desperate scream and a string of curses rang out from the dormitory. "Damn, why isn't it raining today?"
"George, shut up," Lee Jordan said, pulling the covers over his head. "Stop shouting early in the morning, you're annoying everyone."
"It's so cold. Close the window," mumbled Albert from under his covers.
"Are we going into the forest today?" Fred poked his head out of his own covers, glancing at the closed window as he asked, "Can we find leaping toadstools in this weather?"
"Hard to say," Albert proposed. "We should go to Hogsmeade. Remember the Hog's Head pub I mentioned before? It's supposedly a black market trading spot, and today is one of the days when Hogwarts students visit Hogsmeade. Even if someone accidentally wanders in, it won't seem too unusual."
Albert looked mature enough that pretending to be a third-year student wouldn't be a problem. After all, those who didn't know him wouldn't realize he was actually a second-year.
"Black market? I've never been to a black market before. What's it like?" Lee Jordan immediately agreed with Albert's suggestion. Even though they couldn't go to the Forbidden Forest to look for leaping toadstools, the idea of exploring the black market in Hogsmeade sounded intriguing.
"I don't know, but don't get your hopes up," Albert explained. "I heard about this place from Hagrid."
"Let's go to Hogsmeade!"
After a brief discussion, the group decided to head to Hogsmeade.
During breakfast, everyone chatted excitedly about Hogsmeade, especially the lower-year students who listened eagerly as their seniors talked about the only wizarding village in all of Britain and the interesting and novel things Hogsmeade had to offer.
After breakfast, the four friends played a couple of rounds of wizard chess and then, after some digestion, made their way to Hogsmeade through the secret passage. The journey was time-consuming, and by the time they emerged from the passage, they were shivering from the cold.
"Let's warm up with a hot butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks first," Albert suggested, receiving unanimous agreement from the others.
Madame Rosmerta eyed the four young customers in surprise, then turned to glance at the mechanical clock beside her. "You're here earlier than the other students," she remarked, puzzled.
Albert placed his hands around the mug of butterbeer to warm them and smiled at the pub owner. "It's our little secret," he said.
"Oh, alright, a secret it is," Madame Rosmerta muttered to herself. "I suppose I should get ready. It's going to get busy soon."
"When do you think the first batch of students will arrive?" Fred asked as he sat by the fireplace, warming himself.
"Definitely not as early as us," Lee Jordan said, taking a small sip of his butterbeer and comfortably narrowing his eyes. "It would be nice if we could bring some back to enjoy later."
"That's a good idea," Albert said, turning to Madame Rosmerta. "I'd like to buy a small keg of butterbeer, if possible."
"That's out of the question," Madame Rosmerta promptly refused. "I don't want any Hogwarts head of house writing to me, complaining that their students are getting drunk at school."
"Can you even get drunk on this stuff?" Albert mumbled.
"Such a shame."
"I know where we can get a large amount of butterbeer," Albert said mysteriously after the pub owner had moved away from the counter.
"Hog's Head?" Fred immediately guessed Albert's intention.
Albert nodded, confirming Fred's guess.
After finishing their butterbeers and warming themselves by the fire, the group got up to leave the Three Broomsticks and began searching for the Hog's Head pub in Hogsmeade. It was likely to be a secluded pub or inn, located off the main path, and it probably didn't look like much, with a sign depicting a hog's head.
Hogsmeade was just a small village, not home to many witches and wizards. The group managed to find the Hog's Head before the Hogwarts students arrived.
"Is this it?" George asked, pointing at the shabby wooden sign with a painted hog's head. They hadn't spent much time searching—just a quick walk around Hogsmeade, turning off the main avenue by the post office, and there they found the infamous Hog's Head.
Albert pretended to be just passing by, glanced inside, and casually walked in. The pub was small, dark, and extremely dirty, with a strong smell of mutton that reminded him a little of the black market he had imagined.
Most importantly, there were no other customers, which was why Albert had brought Fred and the others in.
"This place is disgusting," George muttered.
"Is this the black market?" Lee Jordan's face fell in disappointment, but he quickly shut up when Albert glared at him.
As soon as they entered the Hog's Head, Fred and the others began to survey their surroundings. The place was worlds apart from the Three Broomsticks.
Thick layers of grime covered the windows, blocking out most of the outside light, and rough wooden tables were lit by flickering candle stubs.
"This place is awful," Albert said, struggling to keep his irritation in check. There were centuries' worth of dirt underfoot; at first glance, he had thought the floor was compacted mud. It reminded him of the filthy streets of medieval Europe, and it was disgusting.
"What can I get for you?" The pub owner, a tall, thin old man with gray hair and a white beard, appeared from a back door and approached them, asking in a grumble.
"Is this a pub?" Albert asked, looking at the old man before him and feeling uncertain.
"Yeah," the old man with the gray hair and white beard grunted in response.
"Can we buy a small keg of butterbeer to take away?" Albert asked. They had just finished drinking butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks and had no intention of drinking more here, especially since the Hog's Head's sanitary conditions were even worse than he had expected.
"One galleon," the man said, bending down to pull out a small oak keg from under the counter. The keg was dusty and filthy, and he thumped it heavily onto the bar.
"Here." Albert took a galleon from his pocket and placed it on the rough counter.
"It's pretty heavy," George said, reaching for the keg and finding it heavier than expected.
The pub owner took the money Albert had given him and placed it in an old wooden cash drawer, which slid open and closed by itself, swallowing the coin.
He then took out a dirty cloth to wipe the beer mugs, watching the four friends with interest, as if waiting to see how they would handle the heavy little keg.
"Move aside." Albert waved his wand and shrunk the small keg significantly. Then, in full view of the others, he picked up the tiny keg and slipped it into one of the pockets of his robe.
"Why didn't I think of that?" George slapped his forehead and muttered to himself.
"Let's go," Albert said, signaling to the others that it was time to leave the Hog's Head. He had no desire to linger in such a place.
"Don't you think the pub owner looks a bit familiar, like we've seen him somewhere before?" Lee Jordan suddenly said.
"I feel like I've seen him somewhere too," Fred and George chimed in.
Albert glanced at the pub owner and muttered, "Must be a relative of Professor Dumbledore."
His voice was not loud, but it was enough for everyone in the bar to hear.
"A relative of Headmaster Dumbledore?" Fred and the others were very surprised and turned to scrutinize the pub owner. To most students, Dumbledore was akin to a revered figure.
"What are you doing here?" A familiar and astonished voice sounded from behind them.
"Good morning, Hagrid," Albert turned around and greeted Hagrid with a smile.
"You shouldn't be here." Hagrid frowned at Albert, "And, I remember you guys..."
"Right, Hagrid, isn't the owner of the Hog's Head related to Headmaster Dumbledore?" Albert interrupted Hagrid before he could finish.
"What?" Hagrid was taken aback, apparently not expecting Albert to ask such a question. "Why would you ask that?"
"Look at his eyes, Hagrid." Albert reminded him, "They resemble each other."
"Oh, well, I suppose he could be a relative." Hagrid mumbled, seeming reluctant to discuss the matter further.
"What brings you here?" George continued to divert the conversation.
"I..." Hagrid didn't want to answer.
"Are you going to feed Rover?"
"Who's Rover?" Fred asked curiously.
"Hagrid's new puppy," Albert explained casually.
"Oh, Hagrid, did you nurse it back to health?" Aberforth looked at Hagrid in surprise. Of course, he knew that Hagrid had bought a sick three-headed dog from a Greek man, but he was even more astonished by the seemingly close relationship between Hagrid and the four boys in front of him.
"Well, Rover is doing great now. He just doesn't like the rain much." Hagrid mumbled vaguely.
"Can we go see your new puppy?" Fred noticed Albert's subtle signal and continued the diversion.
"Now, you lot, what are you doing here?" Hagrid demanded loudly.
"Today is the day for Hogwarts students to visit Hogsmeade." Albert said matter-of-factly.
"I know today is the day for Hogwarts students to visit Hogsmeade, but that's for third-year students and above. I thought you were only in your second year." Hagrid scolded, "That old coot Filch actually let you sneak out."
"Don't be angry, Hagrid. We just wanted to take a walk. There are Hogwarts students everywhere in Hogsmeade right now, so it's safe." Albert reassured Hagrid.
"But you broke the rules." Hagrid pointed his finger at Albert's chest in warning.
"Rules are meant to be broken, don't you think, Hagrid?" Albert said nonchalantly, "And besides, it's not that serious."
Hagrid was left speechless, and Fred and the others beside him were equally astonished. They had never expected someone to treat rule-breaking so casually.
"I can't argue with you." Hagrid pretended to be angry, "Now, what are you lot doing here?"
"To see what the black market in the wizarding world is like. To be honest, I'm a little disappointed." Albert did not hide his disappointment, though it was mostly for Hagrid's benefit.
"What do you want to buy from the black market?" Hagrid asked warily.
"A Runespoor egg." Albert answered without hesitation.
"You want to raise a snake?" Hagrid was very surprised and looked Albert up and down.
"I'm not a Slytherin student, so why would I be interested in snakes?" Albert shook his head in explanation, "I heard that eating Runespoor eggs can make people smarter, so I wanted to buy a few to try and see if it could make me smarter."
At that moment, not only Hagrid but also Aberforth were astonished, their mouths agape.
"You want to eat a Runespoor egg?" Hagrid's face twitched, and he couldn't help but interject, "I think you're smart enough already."
"But no one would mind becoming even smarter, would they?" Albert turned to Fred and the others and asked, "Would you like to be smarter?"
"Of course."
"See?" Albert spread his hands to Hagrid, then turned to the pub owner and asked, "What's your name, by the way?"
"Aberforth Dumbledore." The pub owner replied.
"Mr. Aberforth, how much would a Runespoor egg cost?" Albert asked politely.
"The trade of these serpent eggs has been thriving in the black market for centuries." Aberforth considered for a moment, "They're quite rare, so one would cost around five to ten galleons."
"If you could get me one or two, that would be fantastic." Albert smiled and offered his price, "Ten galleons each. Of course, don't try to fool me with fakes. I do have some basic knowledge."
Aberforth raised an eyebrow and studied Albert intently, remaining silent for a long moment.
"Albert..." Hagrid couldn't help but interject, "When dealing with people from the black market, you need to be extra cautious."
"I know." Albert said, "But isn't he a relative of Dumbledore? I think he's somewhat trustworthy to a certain extent, and it's just a matter of mutual benefit."
"One galleon, and I can introduce you to a somewhat reliable fellow if you need anything." Aberforth suddenly held up his finger and made an offer to Albert.
"Aberforth." Hagrid glared at the owner of the Hog's Head.
Albert took out a galleon and tossed it to Aberforth.
"His name is Mundungus." Aberforth was astonished by Albert's straightforwardness.
"That smelly thief, Mundungus Fletcher?" Hagrid clearly didn't like the man named Mundungus.
"His full name is Mundungus Fletcher." Aberforth said, and as he spoke, he waved his wand and released a ball of white light.
"What's that?" Fred and the others asked curiously, looking at the disappearing white light.
"It's probably a Patronus." Albert explained.
"You know about Patronuses?" Aberforth was surprised that Albert knew about such advanced magic.
"Yes, I'm practicing it. But why did you cast your Patronus just now?" Albert feigned curiosity, though he naturally knew that Patronuses could be used for messaging.
"Messaging, Mundungus will be here soon." Aberforth explained.
"I've never heard of using a Patronus for messaging. Did you invent that yourself?" Albert asked curiously.
"No." Aberforth shook his head.
"It must be Headmaster Dumbledore then. He truly is worthy of being the headmaster." Albert muttered to himself while secretly observing Aberforth's reaction.
(End of Chapter)
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