On Saturday afternoon, Harry ultimately chose to go to Hogsmeade.
There was no helping it. He had already promised Cho Chang, and going back on his word really would not be right. Besides, who said he could not have fun alone? Harry did not think so, though he was not entirely confident about that.
After seeing Cho Chang and her friends to Hogsmeade, Harry began wandering aimlessly around the village on his own.
As an entirely magical village, it actually had quite a few wizard residents besides the handful of shops that were so popular with the students. There were plenty of people around, so Harry did not find it boring as he looked here and there.
After walking for a while, Harry remembered a place he had always wanted to visit, but for various reasons had never taken a proper look at, even though several months had passed since the start of term: the Shrieking Shack.
Harry had been curious about the Shrieking Shack for a long time.
Since he happened to have nothing to do today, he decided he might as well go and take a look.
The Shrieking Shack stood at the very edge of Hogsmeade, and it took Harry quite a while to reach it. Once he actually got there, however, Harry felt there did not seem to be anything particularly special about it.
A wooden fence surrounded it, but it was already dilapidated and rotten. Inside stood a small wooden house that looked even more run-down than the fence. Other than that, there seemed to be nothing special about it.
There was not the slightest sound from inside, none of the roaring and howling of ghosts and monsters that the rumors spoke of.
Harry circled the fence without spotting anything special. Just as he was