Because Remus Lupin had had a terrible birthday, James Potter, whose birthday fell in the same month, had a terrible one too. So, on the last Hogsmeade weekend in April, they went to the Hog's Head.
The Three Broomsticks was practically a must-visit for Hogwarts students. James, who had returned, "didn't want to attract too much attention," and he was unwilling to spend his birthday somewhere like a teahouse.
James ordered a bottle of Firewhisky, and the Hog's Head's owner, Aberforth Dumbledore, brought the four of them glasses and the liquor as though "he cared deeply."
"We should order something to eat," Pomona said. "Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for your stomach."
"You plan on eating the food here?" Sirius motioned for Pomona to look at the bar's floor, layered with centuries of grease and grime.
She immediately abandoned the idea.
Firewhisky was not like Butterbeer, meant to be sipped slowly. It had to be downed in one gulp. James and Sirius had clearly drunk whisky before; they expertly drained their glasses. Pomona could not let them look down on her either, so she downed hers in one go as well.
Peter Pettigrew, on the other hand, only copied them after seeing Pomona drink. He nearly choked on the liquor and coughed nonstop.
No one paid him any attention. James grandly waved at Pomona and Sirius. "Where are my birthday presents?"
Pomona took out the gift box she had prepared from her pocket. Sirius said, "Wait a second," then left the bar.
"What is this?" James picked up Pomona's gift.
"Night-vision glasses. You'll be able to see clearly even in very dark places," Pomona said.
James did not seem particularly interested in the ordinary-looking glasses. At any rate, he did not put them on right away.
"This is