Ron was the first to rush toward the Three Broomsticks: " Butterbeer! Two for me!"
Harry followed behind, smiling. This was the first time he had ever truly explored Hogsmeade like a normal student.
The girls swarmed into Honeydukes, grabbing handfuls of Chocolate Frog, Fizzing Whizbees, and Acid Pops;
Fred and George headed straight into Zonko's Joke Shop, where Quidditch players gathered around Dervish and Banges's door, marveling at the Quidditch equipment and Sneakoscope.
Even the usually serious Percy joined Penelope in picking out a decent scarf at the Gladrags Wizardwear.
The aroma of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop filled the air, and many students peeked out, secretly observing this romantic spot for the couple.
At the Hogsmeade Post Office, hundreds of owls returned, hooting and cooing, creating a lively atmosphere like a small aviary.
The sun was shining brightly, and the streets became bustling again, filled with laughter, footsteps, and shopkeepers' greetings.
No one could have imagined that just half an hour ago, this place was shrouded in Dementor, as deserted as a ghost town.
The shop owners stood in front of their respective shops, looking at the bustling streets that had returned, their eyes welling up with tears.
Someone nodded deeply to Draco:
" Young Master Malfoy, I am deeply grateful."
Draco nodded in response, but his gaze involuntarily fell on Hermione, who was holding a bag of candy. She turned back and smiled gently at him, the sunlight shining brightly on her hair.
Draco walked slowly to Hermione's side, his gaze falling on the bag of Honeydukes candies she was holding. "I just finished setting up the barrier, my throat's all dry, I'm craving something sweet."
Hermione, clutching the bag of candy, a sly glint in her eyes, pretended not to understand his hint. Turning to the bustling street, she casually said, "Why don't you go to Honeydukes and get some more? They have plenty of candy."
Draco, hearing this, decided to be even more direct. He stared intently at the bag of candy in her hand, tapped it, and said, "I don't want to take it myself; I just want to eat the kind you're holding."
Hermione suppressed a laugh, turned her head to look at him, and tilted her head in feigned confusion. "Me? Aren't all Honeydukes candies the same flavor? Do you really care about the brand?"
Seeing Hermione's earnest, feigned ignorance, Draco gritted his teeth and said helplessly, "Stop pretending, Granger, I just want the candy you peeled."
Hermione could no longer keep up the act, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.
She then gave him a reproachful glare, but obediently let go of his hand, took out a fruit hard candy from the candy bag, carefully peeled off the wrapper, and held it to his lips.
Draco smiled and bent down to take the candy from Hermione's finger.
His lips brushed against Hermione's fingers unintentionally.
Hermione's hand trembled, and she quickly withdrew it, clutching the candy wrapper in her hand, her cheeks flushed.
Draco, with a sweet hard candy in his mouth, said smugly, "Why didn't you say that sooner? I had to say it so many times."
"You want to eat it but you won't say so." Hermione snorted and pushed the bag of candy in her arms toward him.
Ron, who was holding Butterbeer not far away, looked over and rolled his eyes. He muttered under his breath, "They're showing off their love again," which made Harry next to him burst out laughing.
As the setting sun cast its glow over the rooftops of Hogsmeade, students, carrying overflowing shopping bags, laughed and prepared to return to Hogwarts together. Suddenly, the once bustling and peaceful street was torn apart by a deafening roar.
The ground shook violently, and the stone pavement cracked open.
Two Troll clad in heavy black iron armor crashed into the Gladrags Wizardwear on the street corner, their bulky bodies crushing the scattered robe fabric.
Clutching massive, sharpened sticks, they swung them wildly, smashing the windows of Zonko's Joke Shop to pieces, sending prank props flying everywhere.
The thick, powerful feet stomped wildly, crushing roadside stalls and wooden chairs into dust, their target being the students and shop owners on the street, their roars causing eardrums to ache.
The third-grade wizards were the first to panic, clutching their shopping bags and shrinking back into the crowd. Some dropped their Chocolate Frog, and cards scattered all over the ground.
The fourth-year students were relatively calm, but they were still trembling as they gripped their wands. The Prefect blew their whistles, Percy, leading the charge, shouted as he stepped across the Transfiguration cobblestones:
"Fifth graders and above, line up immediately! Seventh graders, follow me on the left flank; sixth graders, guard the right flank!"
"Third and fourth graders, follow me! Ron, Harry, and Olivia, you take a group and retreat to the Three Broomsticks' backyard!"
Several senior Prefect quickly stepped in, surrounding the panicked junior students.
They used basic shield spells to block the flying debris while pushing them towards a safe area.
"Heads down! Don't look back!" The Prefect's shout drowned out the Troll's roar, and the third and fourth-year students snapped out of their daze and followed him to the open space in the backyard of the bar.
Draco had already placed Hermione by his side, as he and Hermione had already dealt with Troll before.
"The armor's weak points are the shoulder guard joint and the back of the knee. Use the Diffindo, not the Blasting Curse, or it will bounce off!"
Draco's voice pierced through the chaos, reaching precisely into the ears of every student involved in the battle.
Hermione immediately created a Impedimenta, her pale blue shield firmly blocking the Troll club swung by the troll on the left, giving the charging fifth-year students a chance to catch their breath. "Focus your fire on the back of the knee! Don't spread your attacks!"
As they approached the safe zone, Ron helped Neville up, who had nearly tripped over some loose rocks. Looking back at the two armored Troll, three times the size of those in the first-year dungeon, he sighed in amazement.
" Troll are this big?"
"This is what dungeon crawling for first graders is like? I actually thought I was pretty good back then..."
Neville, watching the figure fighting ahead, added in a low voice:
"Those Troll might just be cubs; they're wearing armor, so they're different. If we had encountered something like that back then, we probably wouldn't have even made it out of the dungeon."
Behind a makeshift shelter on the street, Lavender peered over the wall and exclaimed to Parvati beside him, " Hermione and Draco are such a perfect team! Hermione blocks the attacks, Draco finds their weaknesses, and the Troll can't even get close to them!"
"Indeed!" Parvati chimed in. "Look at Draco, every time Hermione casts a spell, he can perfectly follow up with an attack, without even exchanging glances. It's just too sweet!"
"Stop eating candy! Quickly observe how the shopkeepers and the older students fight, learn a few tricks so you can protect yourself next time you encounter danger!" Hannah reminded her from the side.
But as soon as Hannah finished speaking, she realized that the older students in front of her didn't dare to get close at all.
The fifth-grade students, clutching their wands, only dared to cast spells from ten meters away. The red and blue light that struck the Troll's armor only produced a crisp "clang" sound, causing no real damage whatsoever.
The sixth and seventh graders were slightly bolder, but still only a little closer than the fifth graders. They released their Incarcerous, attempting to entangle the Troll's ankles.
Only Draco and Hermione approached step by step on the gravel. Draco used Disarming Charm to deflect the troll's Troll club, Hermione seized the opportunity to get closer and tap the gap in the Troll's shoulder armor with her wand.
"Don't get too close!" Draco suddenly said, pulling Hermione back behind him as she was about to get close to the Troll on the right.
At the same time, he raised his hand and shot out a Incendio, repelling the Troll's swinging claws. "The armor has barbs, be careful not to get scratched."
Hermione nodded, took a half step back, and still aimed her wand precisely at the Troll's knee.
The two, one attacking and one defending, formed an impenetrable defensive line, firmly restraining one of the Troll.