73: Hogsmeade

On Saturday morning, Alaric woke up as usual. The tiny sun rays peered through the murky water outside their dorm's windows, illuminating the room enough for him to go to the bathroom. 

Like every other morning, he took care of his hygiene, dressed in a forest green wizarding tracksuit, grabbed his wand, and left for the gardens. When the door creaked open, he passed through the spirit haunting him for the last few weeks. It'd become routine at this point.

The Bloody Baron trailed Alaric up the dungeon stairs, along a corridor full of still-snoring portraits, through the Entrance Hall, which was festooned with floating pumpkins and spiderwebs, and outside. It followed Alaric as he ran around the castle grounds three or four times, past Hagrid's hut and pumpkin patch, as he sat on the chilly and snow-covered grass to do some stretching exercises, and as he returned to the Common Room, sweat trickling down his blond hair.

"See ya later," Alaric said to the ghost, opening the door to his room. He had to admit, the Baron was good company for the morning runs — he was always quiet. But staring at Alaric in the library or following him to the loo wasn't really up the boy's alley. 

Today, however, wasn't the day to worry about whether he was being haunted. It was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year and the first time they'd be allowed to go. Alaric wanted to see more than Aberforth's decrepit bar. 

After a quick shower and a new set of clothes, Alaric drew his wand. He checked his pocketwatch, watching intently as the hours-hand approached nine in the morning. The second it struck, Alaric flicked his wand, and two large trumpets were conjured near Blaise and Theodore's ears. 

A loud — not melodious at all — fanfare came from the trumpets, and the two sleeping boys woke up with a jolt and a gasp. 

"What was that for?!" complained Blaise, rubbing his forehead after hitting the frame of his poster bed. 

"It's nine already," Alaric shrugged. "You were the ones who asked me to wake you up in time," 

Theodore had, too, just woken up. 

"What time is it?" He asked groggily, rubbing his eyes, trying to shake off the sleepiness. 

""Nine,"" 

"Already?!" Every ounce of drowsiness faded away, replaced by a frantic shuffle to get out of bed and run into the bathroom. 

Minutes later, the three were walking down to breakfast. Every student they passed by seemed filled with excitement, talking happily with their friends about the visit. 

Upon their arrival, the Great Hall was already abuzz with activity, packed to the brim with students. Pumpkins levitated above, casting shadows on the long tables, while fake skeletons clung to the walls, animated spiders crawling around them. Even the resident ghosts had embraced the Halloween spirit, startling distracted students with scares or serenading them with eerie tunes as they breakfasted. 

"So," Blaise started, taking a large bite from a pumpkin pie. "Honeydukes first?" 

Alaric nodded, indifferent to the order as long as they reached Zonko's at some point.

"Then the Three-Broomsticks!" Theodore said with unusual excitement. "I'll go mad if I don't get to drink a butterbeer today," 

"Can you even handle butterbeer, Theo?" Blaise sniggered. "You probably have the tolerance of a house elf," 

"Want to bet on it?" said Theodore quickly. "Five galleons say I can outdrink you," 

Blaise seemed to think for a moment, weighing his chances, before grinning and shaking his friend's hand. 

"Sure," said Blaise. "But I don't want the galleons. If you lose, you have to serve as my bludger target practice," 

Later, the three went to the entrance hall, where Filch, the caretaker, was standing inside the front doors, checking off names against a long list, peering suspiciously into every face, and making sure that no one was sneaking out who shouldn't be going. But instead of joining the crowd outside, the three leaned against a wall near the entrance, waiting. 

Alaric pulled out his golden pocket watch and observed it sway in his grasp. They waited for no less than an hour before the two girls finally joined them.

"Why did you take so long?" Blaise grumbled irritably. "We've been waiting forever!"

"Shush, would you?" Tracey hissed, then turned to Alaric and Theodore. "Sorry, we couldn't decide what to wear," she admitted sheepishly.

"No worries," Alaric responded, doing his best to avoid looking at Daphne, who had her golden hair flowing down freely, while a green scarf hung around her neck. "Let's get going, or we won't have time to see everything,"

The group of five made their way to the line, which inched forward as Filch, with considerable spit in the mix, laboriously read out loud the names on the list.

"Name?" Filch growled, his jowls quivering unpleasantly.

"Alaric Grindelwald," Alaric stated, fully aware that Filch knew who he was perfectly well. In fact, the caretaker knew the identity of every student but took his sweet time with the list to prolong their wait as much as possible. Alaric figured the man was under the impression that the students were to blame for him being a Squib.

"You can go," he spat, and Alaric moved forward.

Following a few more uncomfortable exchanges with the caretaker, they all strolled along the broad stone path to Hogsmeade.

Alaric had been staring absentmindedly to his front when he felt an arm sneak around his. He looked to his left and arched an eyebrow at Daphne. 

"What?" She asked. "It's cold. And you're warm," 

He didn't know why, but he felt fuzzy inside. 

__________

A thick blanket of snow cloaked the quaint cobblestone streets of Hogsmeade, muffling the sounds of footfalls and carriages. As the students from Hogwarts arrived, the village took on a cosy and inviting atmosphere, a huge leap from the depressing air around Hogwarts due to the dementors. 

The rooftops of the village cottages were dusted with glistening snow, and icicles hung from their eaves, reflecting the soft but dim light of the winter sun. The warmth from the shops and inns radiated through the frosty air, welcoming anyone passing by. Storefronts were adorned with Halloween decorations, and colourful pumpkins hung on many brick walls. 

Adding to the decorations, there were also Ministry warnings on posters around the village.

**

BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC

Until further notice, Dementors will be patrolling the streets of Hogsmeade every night after sundown. This measure has been put in place for the safety of Hogsmeade residents and will be lifted upon the recapture of Peter Pettigrew. It is therefore advisable that you complete your shopping well before nightfall.

**

As wizards and witches strolled along the streets, their breath turned to mist in the cold air. Snowflakes fell gently from the sky, settling on their hats and robes. 

As planned, the first shop they went to was Honeydukes, the sweetest shop in Hogsmeade. If Alaric had to describe it with a simple phrase, it'd be a haven for those with a sweet tooth. The moment you entered, a sweet aroma assaulted your nostrils. Shelves upon shelves were lined with colourful jars of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Fizzing Whizzbees, and Chocolate Frogs. In the far right corner of the shop, was a towering display of what they reckoned to be the largest chocolate fountain in the British Isles. 

Leaving Honeydukes behind, Theodore assured them he could wait for his butterbeer, so the group ventured to Zonko's, and Alaric understood why it was so popular. The products there were more harmless than those he and the Weasley twins made, but there were quite a few interesting items Alaric wanted to buy for... inspiration.

After a while, they yearned for a break, but wanting to save the Three-Broomsticks for last, they found themselves at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Delicate lace curtains, dainty china teacups, and crystal chandeliers greeted them as they sat around a small table near the fireplace. 

"It'd be a crime if you're not the captain next year," said Blaise, looking at Alaric. A small milk moustache had appeared on the dark-skinned boy's face after he mixed some mooncalf milk with his tea. "I mean, Carrow's a good player and all, but a good captain? And don't get me wrong, Flint was also awful, but why give her the position all of a sudden?" 

"This year's Quidditch season is going to be tough," Theodore sighed, softly stabbing his fork on the pavlova he ordered. "The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws got to keep most of their teams, but we had to replace half of ours," 

"The Hufflepuffs are at least having the same problem. They only have Diggory as a player from last year," Tracey muttered. 

"As long as none of us suffers an accident, we're good," said Alaric. "The only Seeker we have a part from me is Malfoy — and we all know how that ended. And as much as you want to play Beater, Blaise, you're one of the two decent Chasers we have this year. And you, Theo, we don't even have a proper Keeper to replace you in case of injury," 

"That doesn't help at all," Blaise groaned. 

Daphne had been silent, as Quidditch wasn't exactly a thing she adored, but she didn't mind listening to her friends rant about it. It was funny, in a way. However, while her ears were with the group, her eyes were outside, following the hovering dark cloaks that seemed to fly around the village. 

She was sure that at least Alaric had noticed as well. The atmosphere in Hogsmeade and the surroundings seemed almost forced as if the habitants had made everything possible to hide the depressing feeling of dread the dementors gave. In the end, they were mildly successful.

"What if Dementors try to intrude in a game?" Tracey suddenly asked, and Daphne perked her ears. 

"Dumbledore wouldn't let them," Alaric quickly said. "He hates those things more than anyone. And even so, Dementors have a large degree of sentience. You can have something akin to a conversation with them, so I'm sure the headmaster will take care of it," 

"A dementor can speak?" Theodore asked in surprise. "How'd you know that?" 

"I read about it," said Alaric in his usual tone of voice. 

"Speaking of Dementors," Blaise said, picking up a copy of the Daily Prophet from a nearby table. "You guys don't find it weird that there hasn't been a single sighting of Pettigrew?" 

"Matter of fact, I do," Daphne finally spoke, leaning forward and speaking in a ushered tone. "And the strangest part? The Minister issued the largest manhunt in the last thirteen years to find him. And yet, there hasn't been a single clue," 

"Not one?" Tracey asked in disbelief. 

"Not one. My father even told me the Minister refused to release critical information for the Aurors," Daphne continued. 

Alaric already knew all of this since the day he eavesdropped on James Potter, Sirius Black, and his newest professor, Remus Lupin. And after Fudge ordered those Hexcloaks, even a fool could guess he was hiding something. And Alaric had started to suspect what... But he still needed more information, so he'd have Orion look into it. 

"How about we leave?" Alaric suggested. "We still have a lot to visit, and Theo will faint if he doesn't have his butterbeer," 

"Great idea!" Theodore shot up and looked at Blaise with fire in his eyes. "You haven't forgotten the wager, have you?" 

"Since you're so eager to lose, I guess we have to go," Blaise shrugged and smirked at his friend. 

Amidst the laughter and chatter, they made their way to see the rest of the village. 

**********

A/N: I know this kinda felt like a filler chapter, but it's important for what's coming next. 

Fun fact! Did you know Filch and Madame Pince were lovers at some point? There's also a big theory in the community that Ms. Norris, Filch's cat, is a maledictus who was in love with him. (Ex: Nagini is a maledictus)

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to vote!