Hogsmeade Village: A Few Things

"Madam Rosmerta, you look as beautiful as ever."

At the Three Broomsticks Inn, Voldemort praised her softly. Perhaps it was the influence of the Remnant Soul, but he actually found Rosmerta, who was in her forties, more alluring than Danylis, who looked barely twenty.

"Quirrell, you've become much smoother than you used to be." Rosmerta shot him a flirtatious glance, then handed him a glass of Butterbeer. "You seem to be in a good mood."

Voldemort raised his glass and took a long drink before replying, "I am. I'm going to see Dumbledore today and interview for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post."

As he spoke, he handed Rosmerta the interview letter.

"Are you hoping to use my fireplace?" She took the letter and glanced at it.

"Yes, but it's still early. I should get something to eat first. I'm hungry."

Voldemort took the letter back and tucked it into his robes. The Three Broomsticks Inn was one of the few places he knew of that had a fireplace connected to Hogwarts.

Of course, Hogwarts controlled when it opened. Usually, if the letter said two o'clock, the fireplace would open around half past one, and he could enter through it and arrive at Professor McGonagall's office fireplace.

And the reason he was so pleased wasn't just the interview. Most importantly, he'd confirmed over the phone last night that Dumbledore hadn't gone to the Dursley family's home.

It seemed Harry's weakness had triggered the magic Dumbledore had placed on him. Or perhaps a Squib had alerted him. Either way, Dumbledore hadn't investigated.

"I can make you a sandwich, if you like."

Rosmerta turned to prepare the ingredients. Voldemort watched her graceful figure, and suddenly thought of Ron. If he remembered correctly, Ron had a thing for this lady...

As expected, men remained boys until the day they died.

"That would be great, Madam Rosmerta."

As soon as he finished speaking, Rosmerta turned her head and caught him looking down at her. Her cheeks immediately flushed.

"I'm sorry, Madam. I can only say that you're so beautiful."

Voldemort said it without the slightest guilt. Madam Rosmerta gave him a coy glare, then turned away with a smile and began preparing his lunch.

Voldemort shrugged and let his gaze sweep over the landlady's lovely figure a few more times before turning to look out the window.

Hogsmeade Village really was a village. It was ridiculously small, and there were hardly any people around.

The Wizarding World had never been a bustling place. As far as he knew, there were only several thousand wizards in all of Britain. In his homeland, a large village could have that many people.

"By that logic... my war with the White Devil King must count as a village feud. No, we both had wands for weapons, so it was an armed village conflict..."

The thought made Voldemort laugh out loud, drawing a puzzled glance from Rosmerta.

After lunch, Voldemort didn't wait there for the Hogwarts fireplace to open. Instead, he headed to the Elegant Witchcraft Clothing Store nearby. He wanted to pick out some stylish clothes.

The fact that the brand had advertised at the Quidditch World Cup showed that Elegant Witchcraft had quite a bit of clout in the Wizarding World. He'd visited Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions in Diagon Alley, but the clothes there were too ordinary. Quality Quidditch Supplies was decent, but its women's clothes were good while its men's offerings were mediocre.

"Welcome! What can I help you with?"

As soon as he entered the shop, a sales assistant greeted him warmly. Perhaps nobody had come in all morning, and her enthusiasm made Voldemort rather uncomfortable.

"I'm looking for an outfit. If I find something good, I might buy two."

Voldemort scanned the store and soon spotted an outfit that took his breath away.

It was a black wizarding ensemble with simple purple patterns on the chest and sleeves, and silver embroidery along the collar and cuffs. The matching robe wasn't loose at all; it was fitted to the body. He'd never seen a wizarding robe like it before.

"This is our new design for the year, created by Madam Westwood and made using..." The sales assistant launched into a long explanation.

"Bring me a set to try on," Voldemort interrupted.

Before long, he had the robe on. There was no denying it: he looked much sharper in it.

"The fabric is very comfortable. How much?" Voldemort asked.

"The full set is twenty-six Galleons." The sales assistant sounded almost excited.

Voldemort was taken aback. That was quite expensive.

"Pack up the clothes I changed out of." He paid and left at once.

After leaving the Elegant Witchcraft Clothing Store, he headed for the shop at the far end of Hogsmeade Village, Dervish and Banges. He needed to buy some equipment to repair the Vanishing Cabinet.

"Not many people buy a full set of cabinet-repair tools these days."

The shopkeeper brought over a large box and set it on the counter. "There's a manual inside, but you'll need some knowledge of alchemy to make sense of it."

Voldemort nodded, paid, then glanced at the Two-way Mirror on the counter. He did want to buy one, but he was afraid it would keep making noise.

"This is the latest model of the Chattering Two-way Mirror. It has a lot of new features, including volume control..."

"No, thank you." Voldemort cut the shopkeeper off, picked up the box, and put it into a cloth bag in his pocket. The bag had been enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm.

Using an Undetectable Extension Charm for personal purposes was illegal, but who cared? At least the shopkeeper pretended not to notice and didn't say a word.

After leaving Dervish and Banges, Voldemort returned to the Three Broomsticks Inn.

"Quirrell, that outfit suits you perfectly." When Voldemort walked in, the landlady's eyes lit up, and she praised him sincerely.

"I think so too." Voldemort gave his robe a shake. "And lighter robes are more comfortable to wear."

"I agree. But wizards around here rarely like fitted robes. It's the wizards in America who prefer this style." As she spoke, Rosmerta reached out to feel the fabric.

Voldemort didn't move away. As Madam Rosmerta drew closer, he caught the scent of perfume. He was sure it hadn't been there before.

He took a closer look at Rosmerta and suddenly noticed that her makeup looked different from before, too. It seemed... more refined.

"Did you touch up your makeup?" Voldemort asked curiously.

"What? Oh, yes." Madam Rosmerta's cheeks turned pink, making her even more appealing. "I washed my face and just did a quick touch-up."

Voldemort smiled. That makeup didn't look "quick" at all.

"This look suits you better. You're even more beautiful now," Voldemort said with a smile.

"Really?" She touched her face, looking a little bashful.

An air of flirtation drifted between them. Voldemort thought he ought to do something, or the warm afternoon sunlight would go to waste.

"Rosmerta, get me a drink."

The door suddenly swung open. The newcomer shattered the flirtatious mood, and Madam Rosmerta hurriedly turned and went behind the bar.

"Well... I'll go use the fireplace, then." Voldemort told her and headed upstairs.

I really want to hit that big-bearded bastard with an Avada Kedavra... Voldemort thought irritably.