"Voldemort has returned, unleashing black terror once again!"
"Voldemort's era is over! Everyone, stay calm!"
Recently, the Daily Prophet had been full of reports like these, but they had not frightened the wizards.
The wizards of England, who had once lived scattered across the country, now lived together in Hogsmeade, where the defenses were terrifyingly strong.
Seeing patrols filling the streets and skies, along with Asgard stretching between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, the wizards felt perfectly safe.
Inside the Broken Stone Pub, the customers chatted at ease.
"Hey, that fellow only dares to pull petty stunts around the fringes."
"I can't understand why anyone would still follow that washed-up Dark Lord."
"We should still be careful. I heard he ambushed a few wizards who let their guard down."
"True, but the Muggles have had it rough. I heard several busy districts were attacked."
"I even saw the Muggle leader going to the Ministry of Magic to lodge a complaint yesterday."
By noon, the customers began to thin out.
The owner of the Broken Stone Pub glanced at Hunter, who was polishing glasses. He really was a hardworking employee.
After a moment's thought, he said,
"Hunter, take the afternoon off. Go on a date with your girlfriend."
Seeing that Hunter was about to refuse, the owner added,
"That's an order. If you keep this up, people will call me a vampire."
With no choice, Hunter thanked his boss.
"Thank you."
"All right, off you go. Oh, and don't go anywhere too secluded. Remember to bring your Alert Badge."
Hunter nodded, then went to the staff quarters out back to change into clean clothes. Before leaving, he still slipped a coin-sized badge into his pocket.
It was a piece of alert equipment the Ministry of Magic had issued to wizards free of