Hogsmeade

Chapter 33: Hogsmeade

"Who's going in first?"

After breakfast, the group stood before the entrance to the Fifth Floor Mirror Secret Passage.

"Do you even need to ask? Pick one of you three!" Albert said as if it were obvious. "You've already been in once, so you naturally have experience."

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

The passage was somewhat cramped, with a steep slope and utter darkness all around. The four of them slowly made their way down the stairs.

Albert raised his wand and muttered, "Lumos!"

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

"Quit complaining and keep up." Fred concentrated on maintaining the Lumos Charm as he slowly descended the stairs.

The passage here was so narrow that it was difficult for even two people to squeeze past each other sideways. Surrounded by darkness, they continued down the stairs for a long while. Halfway through, Fred's wand went out several times.

"I think you ought to practice the Lumos Charm properly. It's one of the most basic spells," Albert reminded him, extending his own wand ahead.

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

"Once we finish this stretch of stairs, the passage ahead should be wider. Albert, why don't you lead the way?" George suggested. He had already had enough of stopping every few minutes.

"Sure!"

Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, they entered a gloomy passage. The ground was slightly damp and made of hard-packed earth. Drops of water occasionally fell from overhead, and one landed on Albert's face, making him shiver. He quickly wiped the water from his face and continued onward.

Albert walked slowly along the way, careful not to stumble. No one else spoke, focusing all their attention on dealing with the uneven ground.

The four staggered forward through the winding passage. There was no telling who had dug it.

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

Albert raised his wand above his head and inspected the ceiling of the passage.

"What are you looking at?" Fred asked.

"Uh, are those ventilation holes overhead?"

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

"Back where we just passed."

After a full hour and twenty minutes of walking, the passage finally began sloping 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 passage lay beneath a well-hidden boulder. The exit was very narrow; a fat person might have gotten stuck.

It was still raining outside, though not very heavily.

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

The three Weasleys hurriedly squeezed beneath it.

"You didn't bring umbrellas?" Albert was speechless.

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

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

"You're as reliable as ever," the three praised shamelessly.

"Say, this umbrella is pretty strange." Lee Jordan curiously examined the umbrella in his hand. It could actually collapse?

"It was a new German invention from a few years ago. Convenient and easy to carry." Albert cast the Waterproof Charm on himself to ensure that his clothes and boots would not get wet as they crossed the thick grassland.

"Watch out!" When he heard George cry out, he turned and saw Lee Jordan sprawled on the ground, soaked all over.

"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 looked at Albert.

"Why are you looking at me like that? It's not like I made him fall." Albert found it baffling.

"Have you mastered the Drying Charm?"

"What makes you think I know that kind of Family Magic?" Albert retorted irritably.

"Ahem, we were only asking. It just feels like you know every kind of magic," 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 an awful mood. "I hate, hate, hate rain."

They crossed through the grass and headed toward the village of Hogsmeade ahead.

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

The other three had no objections.

They walked down a road and easily found the pub the three had mentioned a few minutes later.

Well, three broomsticks hung on the door, arranged into a triangle.

What made Albert want to complain was that the pointed triangular roof over the door was actually crooked. Was this truly what one should expect from houses built by wizards?

It completely ignored the Rules of physics and common visual aesthetics.

Of course, there was also a sign outside the pub, bearing the words: Three Broomsticks.

There were very few people in the pub today. When Albert entered, he saw only one wizard sitting at the counter chatting with the proprietress.

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

"I'll order the drinks." Albert headed toward the counter as he spoke. After exchanging a glance, the Twins sat in the chairs opposite Lee Jordan.

"Four Butterbeers, warm," Albert said to the pub's proprietress.

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

Albert gave him a blank look, then ignored him and sat down directly beside him.

"Where'd this brat come from?" the wizard muttered under his breath. After receiving a fierce glare from the Three Broomsticks proprietress, he obediently shut up.

"You're Hogwarts students?" Rosmerta looked at the four young wizards who had entered with considerable surprise. She could not understand how these four little ones had slipped out of Hogwarts.

"How much?" Albert asked expressionlessly.

"Eight Sickles." 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 bright, with several tables arranged neatly and kept very clean. There was no heavy smell of beer inside. Its furnishings did resemble the medieval taverns from the games Albert remembered.

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

"Eight Sickles." Albert took out eight Sickles and placed them on the table, then picked up one cup and headed toward the table beside the fireplace.

The Butterbeer gave off a rich buttery aroma. Albert took a sip and thought it tasted somewhat like less-cloying Hard Candy. It went down smoothly, with barely any alcohol. It was more like a beverage.

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

"It's pretty ordinary. Just a drink." Albert looked at them and blinked. "Like the Muggle soda you drink. It doesn't taste bad, but I'm not used to it."

The three exchanged glances and could not help laughing, as though they had expected exactly that sort of assessment from him.