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Chapter 230: The Hogsmeade Trip
Chapter 230: The Hogsmeade Trip (Please subscribe, favorite, and vote)
The next day was Saturday. Liam pulled back the curtains after getting out of bed and was bathed in the golden sunlight.
Today, he was going to Hogsmeade, his first visit to Hogsmeade Village this school year. He had missed the previous trips because he was an exchange student in Brazil. Liam was quite excited about this, as he had never explored this bustling Wizarding Business Hub, which was often compared to Diagon Alley. He was eager to see how it differed from the Hogsmeade in the movies he remembered from his past life.
After getting ready, Liam headed to the Common Room, where he saw the Weasley Twins and Ron, all looking excited. Ron, in particular, seemed to have shaken off his bad mood after losing his mouse.
Professor Dumbledore had instructed Liam and the others not to spread the news about the mouse, so Liam and Percy could only tell Ron that the mouse had been temporarily borrowed by Professor Dumbledore.
After exchanging greetings, they all made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. As Liam was drinking his milk, a large flock of owls flew in from the ceiling. Soon, the chatter around him grew louder and louder, until it sounded like they were in the middle of a Quidditch match.
What's going on? Liam looked around curiously, and then Lee Jordan raised the Daily Prophet and shouted, "Blimey, Sirius Black was innocent all along. And the ones who discovered it were students from our house!"
"What, really?" "Who was it?" "How did they figure it out?" All the students were now talking excitedly about the news.
"Hey, I never thought our straight-laced big brother and you would pull off something like this", Liam felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see the Weasley Twins standing behind him.
Taking the newspaper from the Weasley Twins, Liam read the article. It stated that under the wise leadership of Minister Fudge, the Ministry of Magic had decided to review and clear old cases. The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones, had visited Hogwarts and listened to the concerns of two Hogwarts students. This led to the capture of Voldemort's lackey, Peter Pettigrew, and the exoneration of Sirius Black.
In an interview that morning, Minister Fudge claimed this was part of the Ministry of Magic's efforts to address past mistakes and better lead the British Wizarding community. He also called for people to find Sirius Black and inform him that he had been cleared of all charges and was now free, with an apology from the Ministry.
"Turning a bad situation into a good one, that's all the Ministry's bureaucrats are good for", Liam scoffed at the article in the Daily Prophet. However, there were some useful pieces of information in the subsequent reports.
For example, it announced that the Hogwarts students, Percy and Liam, would be rewarded for their assistance, and that all Dementors would be recalled and the curfew in Hogsmeade lifted.
"At least those awful Dementors are gone; that's some good news", the Weasley Twins said with a smile.
Liam also received a System notification: 20 Deviation Points for changing Sirius Black's fate. It seemed that the efforts to clear Sirius Black had indeed been worth it.
The news spread quickly through the school that morning. As they left the Great Hall and walked toward the front door, Liam could feel many eyes on him.
"The book 'Wizard Monuments' says that the Three Broomsticks Inn was the headquarters of the goblin rebellion in 1612, and the Shrieking Shack is probably the most haunted house in Britain—" Hermione was rambling beside Liam as they waited in line for the inspection.
"Come on, relax a bit. You've been busy with the Study Group lately. Remember, a good balance of work and play is the best way to get things done. Non-stop work isn't a good idea", Liam advised.
Hogsmeade is a beautiful little village. The historical ancient ruins aren't as scholarly as Liam had imagined. After all, there aren't that many people in the magical world. If they made it into a highly professional museum, hardly anyone would visit.
For example, the small inn that once served as the headquarters for a significant Goblin rebellion only has a tiny room dedicated to recreating the scene, with a small plaque nearby detailing the events.
So, they quickly finished visiting these historical sites and spent the rest of their time exploring the entire Hogsmeade village. Dervish and Banges, Gladrags Wizardwear, Scrivenshafts, and the Post Office with hundreds of owls. Each place left a deep impression on them.
After a light lunch at the Three Broomsticks and trying the famous Butterbeer (everyone around them was cheering for the Dementors' departure), they followed the path up a slope to the Shrieking Shack. The Butterbeer was indeed a wonderful drink. Even though the wind was strong on the hill, causing their clothes to rustle, they still felt the warmth from the Butterbeer in their bodies.
The Shrieking Shack sits on a small hill slightly higher than the other houses in the village. Its windows are boarded up, the garden is damp and overgrown with weeds, making it seem eerie even in broad daylight.
While Hermione leaned against the fence, examining the haunted house, Liam picked up a sharp stone and carved the word "dog" on a pillar next to the garden gate. According to the plan he discussed with Black in the Common Room, once Liam successfully clears Black's name, he will carve this word to let Black know he can reappear in public.
After finishing the carving, Liam and Hermione quickly returned to the village. After all, there wasn't much to see from the outside of the Shrieking Shack. As they passed Zonko's Joke Shop, they saw Ron and his two Weasley twin brothers buying various joke products.
"Perhaps the wizards' magic limits their imagination. I've never understood the appeal of throwing stinky Dungbombs at each other", Hermione remarked, watching Ron and the Weasley twins buy a large pile of Dungbombs.
"Maybe it's like the traditional Scottish men who don't wear underwear under their kilts; it's a custom", Liam speculated as they continued down the path. Finally, they reached another shop. "We're here. This is Honeydukes. The student handbook says we can buy sweets that don't have obvious magical effects for our immediate family. I want to get some for my parents."
"Can we bring them to our parents? I want to buy some too", Hermione said.
When they entered the shop, they saw shelf after shelf filled with the most enticing candies imaginable. Large pieces of Butterbeer Caramels, glowing Pink Coconut Ice, hundreds of varieties of chocolates neatly arranged, a large bucket of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and a tub of Fizzing Whizbees.
Along the wall were candies with special effects: Fizzing Whizbees, peculiar shard-like Mint Humbugs, small Pepper Imps, Ice Mice, toad-shaped Fizzing Whizbees, crisp Sugar Quills, and Exploding Snap.
The two of them spent an hour in the shop and, when they returned to school, Liam and Hermione each carried a large bag of sweets. It was a fruitful trip to Hogsmeade.
(End of Chapter)
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