Chapter 33: Hogsmeade Village
Chapter 33: Hogsmeade Village
"Who's going first?"
The group, having finished breakfast, now stood before the entrance of the mirror passage on the fifth floor.
"There's no need to ask. It should obviously be one of you three!" Albert said matter-of-factly. "You've been through this before, so you have the experience."
"Alright, I'll go first." Fred carefully walked down the stairs, followed closely by the other three. The mirror returned to its original position after they had all entered the passage.
The passage was a bit cramped, with a steep slope and pitch-black surroundings. The four of them slowly made their way down the stairs.
Albert raised his wand and murmured, "Lumos!"
"I hate these narrow, dark places," Jordan Lee muttered.
"Don't complain, just keep up," Fred said, concentrating on maintaining the Lumos spell as he slowly descended the stairs.
The passage was so narrow that it was difficult for two people to pass each other, and the darkness surrounded them as they walked. They had been walking for quite a while when Fred's wand light flickered out several times.
"I think you should practice the Lumos spell some more. It's one of the most basic spells," Albert said, reaching his wand forward and speaking up.
"I hate this feeling," Fred muttered under his breath as he tried to get his wand to relight.
"Once we're done with these stairs, the area ahead should be a bit more spacious. Albert, why don't you take the lead from here?" George suggested, clearly tired of having to stop every few minutes.
"Sure!"
After they finished climbing down the stairs, they found themselves in a gloomy passage with damp, hard-packed dirt underfoot. Occasional drops of water fell from above, and one landed on Albert's face, making him shudder and quickly wipe it away before continuing on.
Albert walked slowly, careful not to trip on the uneven ground. The others remained silent, focusing all their attention on navigating the treacherous path.
The four of them stumbled along, the passage twisting and turning, and they had no idea who had dug it.
Speaking of which, it was a bit strange that they hadn't suffocated yet.
Albert raised his wand to the top of the passage to inspect it.
"What are you looking at?" Fred asked.
"Um, there's a vent at the top?"
"Where?" The three of them looked up together but couldn't find the vent Albert had mentioned.
"It's right above where we just walked."
After walking for a full hour and twenty minutes, the passage finally began to slope upward, indicating that the exit was near. The four of them, now a bit breathless, quickened their pace.
Five minutes later, they could all feel the cold wind blowing in from outside.
The entrance to the passage was hidden beneath a large rock, and the exit was quite narrow—a larger person might get stuck.
It was still raining outside, but not too heavily.
As soon as Albert exited the passage, he took out an umbrella and opened it to shield himself from the rain.
The Weasley brothers quickly crowded in under his umbrella.
"You didn't bring any umbrellas," Albert said, exasperated.
"No," the three of them shook their heads.
Albert used the Duplication Charm to create three umbrellas for them.
"You're as reliable as ever," they said, unabashedly praising him.
"Speaking of which, this umbrella is quite strange," Jordan said curiously, examining the umbrella in his hand. "It can stretch and shrink?"
"This is a new invention from a few years ago. It's very convenient and portable," Albert explained as he cast a Water-Repelling Charm on himself to ensure he stayed dry as he walked through the lush grass.
"Be careful!" Albert turned at George's shout and saw Jordan slip and fall to the ground, getting soaked.
"Are you okay?" Fred quickly reached out to help him up.
"What bad luck. My clothes are drenched," Jordan muttered.
The twins looked at Albert.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I didn't make him fall," Albert said, puzzled.
"Do you know a drying spell?"
"What makes you think I would know a household spell like that?" Albert retorted.
"Ahem, we were just asking. We just assumed you know all kinds of magic," Fred coughed, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.
"You three, could you please leave for a moment?" Jordan, soaked to the skin, was in a foul mood. "I hate the rain more than anything else!"
They made their way through the grass towards Hogsmeade village.
Perhaps because of the rain, the streets of Hogsmeade were quite deserted. Jordan, whose teeth were chattering, suggested they go to the Three Broomsticks first so he could warm up with a cup of butterbeer.
The others had no objections.
They walked down a road and soon found the pub the three brothers had mentioned.
Indeed, there were three broomsticks hanging above the door, forming a triangle.
What made Albert want to criticize was that the triangular roof above the door was crooked. Was this truly a wizard-built house, ignoring both physical rules and common aesthetic sense?
Of course, there was also a sign in front of the pub that read: The Three Broomsticks.
There were few people in the pub today. When Albert walked in, he saw only one wizard sitting at the counter chatting with Madam Rosmerta.
A roaring fire burned in the fireplace, and Jordan quickly went over to take off his robe and dry it by the fire.
"I'll go get some drinks," Albert said as he headed for the counter. The twins exchanged glances and then sat down across from Jordan.
"Four butterbeers, warm please," Albert ordered from Madam Rosmerta.
The wizard seemed annoyed at the interruption to his conversation and glared at Albert.
Albert looked back at him expressionlessly and then ignored him, sitting down next to the wizard.
"Where did this little brat come from?" the wizard muttered under his breath. After receiving a stern glare from Madam Rosmerta, he shut his mouth.
"Are you students from Hogwarts?" Madam Rosmerta asked, surprised as she looked at the four young wizards. She couldn't understand how these four had managed to sneak out of Hogwarts.
"How much?" Albert asked expressionlessly.
"Eight Sickles," Madam Rosmerta replied as she went into the back room to warm up the butterbeers.
Albert took the opportunity to look around the pub.
To be honest, it was much better than the Leaky Cauldron.
The pub's main hall was bright, with tables neatly arranged and the place spotlessly clean. There was no strong beer smell, and the decor reminded him of the medieval taverns from his gaming memories.
After about five minutes, four cups of butterbeer were placed in front of Albert, and he quickly called for help to carry them.
"Eight Sickles," Albert said as he took out eight Sickles and placed them on the table. He picked up a cup and walked over to the table by the fireplace.
The butterbeer had a strong buttery aroma, and when Albert sipped it, it tasted a bit like a less greasy butterscotch hard candy. It went down smoothly, with little alcohol content, and felt more like a beverage.
"So, what do you think?" The three of them looked at Albert expectantly.
"It's just okay, like a drink," Albert said as he looked at the three of them and blinked. "It's like the soft drinks that Muggles drink. It's not bad, but it's not something I'm used to."
The three of them looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh. They had a feeling they would get this kind of evaluation from Albert.
(End of Chapter)
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