Hogsmeade Village

"Who goes in first?"

After breakfast, the group stood before the entrance to the secret passage behind the mirror on the fifth floor.

"Do you even need to ask? Pick one from the three of you!" Albert said matter-of-factly. "You've already been through it once, so you have experience."

"Fine, I'll go first." Fred cautiously descended the stairs, and the other three immediately followed. Once all four had entered the secret passage, the mirror returned to its original position.

The passage was rather cramped, with a steep slope and pitch-black surroundings. The four slowly made their way down the stairs.

Albert raised his wand and muttered, "Lumos!"

"I hate places that are this narrow and dark," Lee Jordan complained quietly.

"Stop complaining and keep up." Fred focused on maintaining the Lumos spell as he slowly descended the stairs.

The passage here was so narrow that it was difficult even for two people to squeeze past each other sideways. Everything around them was shrouded in darkness as they walked down the stairs for a long time. Along the way, Fred's wand went out several times.

"I think you should practice Lumos properly. It's one of the most basic spells." Albert extended his wand ahead and reminded him.

"I hate this feeling," Fred muttered, trying to make his wand light up again.

"Once we're done with these stairs, the passage ahead will be wider. Albert, you should lead the way!" George suggested, already fed up with stopping every few minutes.

"Sure!"

After finishing the stairs, they entered a gloomy passage. The ground was damp and made of hard-packed earth. Drops of water occasionally fell from above, and one landed on Albert's face, making him shudder. He quickly wiped the water away and continued onward.

Albert walked very slowly, careful not to trip. The others said nothing, focusing all their attention on dealing with the uneven ground.

The four stumbled onward through the winding passage. Who knew who had dug the thing?

Come to think of it, it was rather strange that they had not suffocated to death.

Albert raised his wand over his head and examined the ceiling of the passage.

"What are you looking at?" Fred asked.

"Uh, are there ventilation holes above us?"

"Where?" The three of them all looked up, but they could not find the ventilation holes Albert had mentioned.

"Back where we just passed."

After walking for a full hour and twenty minutes, the passage finally began to slope upward. That meant the exit was close, and the four, already somewhat out of breath, quickened their pace.

Five minutes later, they could all feel the cold wind blowing in from outside.

The entrance to the secret passage was beneath a very hidden large rock. The exit was narrow enough that a fat person might get stuck.

It was still raining outside, though not very heavily.

After Albert emerged from the passage, he took out an umbrella and opened it over his head to block the rain.

The three Weasleys hurriedly squeezed under it with him.

"You didn't bring umbrellas?" Albert asked, rather incredulously.

"No." The three of them shook their heads in unison.

Albert used the Copy Charm to conjure three umbrellas for them.

"You're as reliable as ever," the three said shamelessly in praise.

"By the way, this umbrella is strange." Lee Jordan curiously examined the umbrella in his hand. It could actually extend and retract?

"It's a new German invention from a few years ago. Convenient and easy to carry." Albert cast the Water-repelling Charm on himself, making sure his clothes and boots would not get wet while crossing the thick grass.

"Watch out!" When he heard George's cry, Albert turned and saw Lee Jordan sprawled on the ground, soaked from head to toe.

"Are you all right?" Fred hurriedly reached out and pulled him up.

"Just my luck. My clothes are completely soaked," Lee Jordan grumbled.

The twins both turned to look at Albert.

"Why are you looking at me like that? It wasn't me who made him fall." Albert was thoroughly baffled.

"Have you mastered the Drying Charm?"

"What makes you think I know that sort of household magic?" Albert retorted irritably.

"Ahem, we were just asking. It always feels like you know every spell," Fred said with a dry cough, trying to ease the awkwardness.

"Could you three leave this place first?" Lee Jordan, soaked to the bone, was in a terrible mood. "I hate, hate, hate rainy days."

They crossed the grass and headed toward Hogsmeade Village ahead.

Perhaps because of the rain, Hogsmeade's streets were deserted. Lee Jordan, whose teeth were chattering, suggested they go to The Three Broomsticks first. He wanted a cup of Butterbeer to warm himself up.

The other three had no objections.

They followed a road forward and, a few minutes later, easily found the pub the three had mentioned.

Well, three broomsticks hung above the pub's door, arranged in a triangle.

What Albert wanted to complain about was that the pointed triangular roof above the door was crooked. Was this what one should expect from a house built by wizards?

It completely ignored the laws of physics and all common standards of visual aesthetics.

Of course, there was also a sign in front of the pub that read: The Three Broomsticks.

There were very few people in the pub today. When Albert entered, he saw only a male wizard sitting at the counter and chatting with the landlady.

A roaring fire burned in the fireplace. Lee Jordan hurried over, took off his robe, and laid it by the fireplace to dry.

"I'll order the drinks," Albert said as he headed toward the counter. After exchanging glances, the twins sat down in the chairs opposite Lee Jordan.

"Four bottles of Butterbeer, warm ones," Albert said to the pub's landlady.

The male wizard seemed unhappy that his conversation had been interrupted. He turned and glared at Albert.

Albert gave him an expressionless glance and ignored him after that, sitting down directly beside the wizard.

"Where did this brat come from?" the wizard muttered under his breath. After receiving a fierce glare from the landlady of The Three Broomsticks, he obediently fell silent.

"Are you Hogwarts students?" Madam Rosmerta looked rather surprised at the four young wizards who had entered the pub. She could not understand how these four little ones had slipped out of Hogwarts.

"How much?" Albert asked expressionlessly.

"Eight Sickles." Madam Rosmerta went into the back room to warm their Butterbeer.

While waiting, Albert looked around the pub.

Honestly, it was much better than The Leaky Cauldron.

The pub's main hall was brightly lit, with several tables arranged neatly and everything kept very clean. There was no heavy beer smell inside. Its furnishings were simply somewhat similar to the medieval taverns from the games Albert remembered.

After about five minutes, four cups of Butterbeer were placed before Albert, and he hurriedly called the others over to help carry them.

"Eight Sickles." Albert took out eight Sickles and placed them on the counter, then carried one cup to the table beside the fireplace.

The Butterbeer gave off a rich buttery aroma. Albert took a sip and found that it tasted a little like less-cloying butterscotch. It went down smoothly and contained hardly any alcohol. It was more like a beverage.

"What do you think?" The three of them all looked at Albert.

"It's pretty ordinary, just a drink." Albert looked at the three of them, blinked, and said, "It's like the fizzy Muggle drinks you have. It doesn't taste bad, but I'm not used to it."

The three looked at each other and could not help laughing, as though they had known this was exactly the sort of evaluation they would hear from him.