That Fake Chicken-Stealing Thing

Su Yu leaned against the counter, Kurama peeked out from his arms, staring at the row of cheesecakes in the counter.

The cheesecake comes in four flavors: original, blueberry, caramel, and chestnut. The autumn limited edition is chestnut, with a fine layer of chestnut powder sprinkled on the surface and a small piece of candied chestnut stuck on top.

Kurama's ears perked up.

"Chestnuts," said Kurama.

"You said the caramel flavor was delicious last week," Su Yu said.

"Then I want them all!"

Su Yu glanced at her. Kurama's expression was very serious. Su Yu asked the proprietress for a slice of chestnut cheesecake, placed it on the counter, and then packed the rest to take away.

Kurama jumped down from her arms, squatted down next to the cake, and took small bites. Cake crumbs fell onto the counter, which she gathered up with her paws and licked clean.

Ginny walked over with a bag of Fizzing Whizzbees and couldn't help but chuckle when she saw Kurama eating cake. "She eats exactly like you."

"I'm too lazy to chew," Hermione chimed in.

When Ginny came out of Honeydukes, she had three more things in her bag: Fizzing Whizzbees, Chocolate Frog, and a bag of Exploding Bonbons.

Hermione bought a bag of fudge and a small box of Bertie Bott 'Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

Daphne's basket was empty; the biscuits were kept by the proprietress in exchange for a small jar of the proprietress's homemade toffee.

Daphne put the jar of toffee into her bag.

"She said she'll teach me how to make fudge next time she comes."

"You know how to make cookies? Is that not enough? You want to learn how to make candy too?"

Hermione and Ginny looked on with envy at their sister who radiated maternal love.

"There's no harm in learning more," Daphne said.

They walked along the cobblestone path. There weren't many pedestrians on the street; some were browsing shops, some were strolling along the roadside, and some were sitting on benches basking in the sun. A ginger cat was squatting in front of the post office, licking its paws with its eyes half-closed. It had probably just woken up and its face was still groggy. It didn't see Kurama.

Kurama, perched on Su Yu's shoulder, also saw the cat. She jumped over and slapped it, instantly sobering the cat up. The cat obediently sat down and saluted Kurama. Only then was Kurama -Kurama satisfied. She was now the village bully, and all the animals in Hogsmeade treated her with utmost respect.

The Three Broomsticks is located in the center of town, with a string of lanterns hanging at the entrance, swaying gently in the wind and casting a warm yellow light.

The door was open, and a cacophony of voices and laughter drifted out, mingled with the aroma of Butterbeer and roasted meat.

Su Yu pushed open the door and went in. Kurama jumped off his shoulder and ran to the fireplace first. He squatted down by the fireplace and roasted his wind-blown fur.

Ginny followed them in and found a table by the window to sit down. Hermione and Daphne also sat down, and Su Yu went to the bar and ordered four Butterbeer and a glass of milk.

Madam Rosmerta was wearing a deep red robe today, her blonde hair was piled on top of her head, and she had that calm smile that comes from having seen it all. She pushed the Butterbeer in front of Su Yu and then glanced at the Kurama squatting by the fireplace.

Su Yu carried the tray back to his seat, distributed the Butterbeer to the women, and placed the milk in front of Kurama by the fireplace. Kurama put his face into the glass, licked it a few times, and then looked up, his nose covered with a ring of white milk foam.

Su Yu took a sip of beer, which was still as unpleasant as ever. Looking at Daphne wiping Kurama's mouth, he could only lie down on Ginny's lap, stretch slowly, and hum comfortably.

Hermione was looking down at a candy catalog she'd grabbed from Honeydukes, while Daphne sipped her Butterbeer, occasionally wiping the troublemaker's paws and mouth.

By the time the group emerged from behind the Three Broomsticks, the sun was already setting.

The light changed from orange to golden red, bathing the entire street in a warm hue. The shadows of the trees stretched long, casting black stripes on the ground like the black keys of a piano.

"To the Elegant Brand?" Ginny asked.

"Go," Hermione said. "I want to buy a new pair of gloves."

"Didn't you just buy those gloves last year?" Ginny said.

"I don't like last year's colors anymore, so I need to buy two sets for Ka-jie and Fa-jie."

Gladrags Wizardwear was across from the Three Broomsticks. Several new robes were displayed in the window, in this year's trendy dark emerald green and dark purple, with silver patterns embroidered on the collars. Hermione pushed open the door and went in, with Ginny and the others following behind her.

Looking at the dazzling array of gloves in the store, Su Yu felt a headache coming on. He had just wandered in; he should have known better than to come in.

"Do these look good, Su Yu?" Ginny picked up a pair of shoes and put them on her hands, asking Su Yu.

"So beautiful, it really suits you, absolutely gorgeous!"

"At least take a look first, hey!"

After a while of commotion, Hermione bought several pairs of gloves, Ginny bought some yarn to knit a scarf for Su Yu, and Daphne stood in front of a scarf, hesitating.

"What's wrong?" Su Yu asked from the side.

"I feel the color doesn't quite suit me, but the pattern is quite pretty."

Su Yu looked at the dark green scarf. "I think it suits you quite well."

After saying that, he grabbed the scarf and put it into his shopping bag.

Daphne glanced at him, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Alright then, I'll do as you say this time."

The group walked back along the street. The sun had lowered further, and the light had changed from golden-red to orange-red, tinging the distant mountain peaks with a pale purple hue. Fewer pedestrians were on the street, and shops were beginning to close, the sound of roller shutters being pulled down echoing in the empty street.

As Su Yu reached the village entrance, he glanced back at Hogsmeade. The setting sun bathed the entire street in a golden light, while the distant castle became a dark silhouette in the twilight, with only the flags atop the towers fluttering gently in the wind.

Are you coming again next week?

"I'll definitely come next week," Hermione said. "Next week is Hogsmeade weekend, and the gloves I want are out of stock. The shopkeeper said they'll arrive next week."

"You want to buy gloves too?" Ginny, a little confused.

"This is for myself; what I wanted to buy for Su Yu was out of stock."

"Hermione, you don't seem very happy today," Daphne asked, finally getting to the question she'd been wanting to ask all day.

"Yes, you seemed distracted all day," Ginny couldn't help but ask.

"It's all because of that guy named Krum lately!" This question seemed to open a floodgate of complaints, Hermione began to grumble.

"Groups of girls would sneak behind the bookshelves, whispering amongst themselves, making it impossible for me to concentrate on my reading!"

"And what's so good-looking about him? Is he handsome? Those girls idolize him only because he can do some cheap tricks like stealing chickens!"

"Um... you mean, Wronski Feint?" Su Yu thought for a long time before finally managing to utter a sentence.