Chapter 216: The Hog's Head Inn

After entering November, the weather turned extremely cold, and the mountains surrounding Hogwarts Castle were covered in pristine white snow.

In the morning, a layer of frost appeared on the windows. Albert yawned, rolled over, and curled up in the warm blanket, reluctant to get out of bed. Suddenly, a desperate scream and curse echoed through the dormitory, "Damn it, why isn't it raining today?"

"George, shut up," Lee Jordan pulled the blanket over his head and couldn't help complaining, "It's early morning; don't yell and disturb others."

"So cold, close the window," Albert grumbled, huddled under the covers.

"Are we going into the Forbidden Forest today?" Fred stuck his head out from under the blanket, looking at the closed window, and asked, "Can we find the Dendrobium Parasol Mushroom in this weather?"

"Hard to say." Albert suggested, "Why don't we go to Hogsmeade instead? Do you remember the Hog's Head Inn I told you about? It's said to be a trading place for the black market, and today is the day when Hogwarts students go to Hogsmeade. Even if someone accidentally enters, it won't seem too out of the ordinary."

Albert looked mature enough; pretending to be a third-year student wouldn't be a problem. Besides, no one who didn't know him would suspect that he was actually a second-year student.

"The black market? I've never been to a black market before. What's it like?" Lee Jordan immediately agreed with Albert's proposal. Although they couldn't go into the Forbidden Forest to find the mushrooms, going to Hogsmeade's black market would be quite interesting.

"I'm not sure, but let's not get our hopes up too high." Albert explained, "This is something I heard from Hagrid."

"Let's go to Hogsmeade!"

After a brief discussion, they decided to go to Hogsmeade.

At breakfast time, everyone was talking about Hogsmeade, and they all seemed particularly excited. A few younger students were listening attentively to the older students discussing the only all-wizarding village in Britain and the interesting and novel things to be found there.

After breakfast, the four of them played a couple of rounds of Wizarding cards. Once they had digested their food, they set off through the secret passage to Hogsmeade. The journey was time-consuming, and by the time they emerged from the secret passage, they were shivering from the cold.

"Let's warm up with a hot Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks." Albert's suggestion was unanimously accepted by the others.

Mrs. Rosmerta looked surprised as she looked at the four young customers in front of her. She turned her head to look at the clock beside her in amazement and asked, "You guys actually arrived earlier than the others?"

Albert warmed his hands on the cup of Butterbeer and smiled at the barkeeper, "It's our little secret!"

"Oh, alright, a secret!" Mrs. Rosmerta said to herself, "I guess I should get ready then; it'll get busy here soon."

"When do you expect the first batch of students to arrive?" Fred sat by the fireplace, warming himself.

"At least not earlier than us," Lee Jordan took a small sip of Butterbeer and relaxed with his eyes closed, "It would have been great if we could take some back and enjoy it later."

"That's a good idea." Albert turned his head to ask Mrs. Rosmerta, "I'd like to purchase a small barrel of Butterbeer."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that." Mrs. Rosmerta refused decisively, "I don't want to receive a letter from the Hogwarts headmaster complaining about students getting drunk at school."

"You can get drunk from this stuff?" Albert couldn't help grumbling.

"What a pity."

"I know where we can get a large quantity of Butterbeer." After Mrs. Rosmerta left the counter, Albert spoke mysteriously.

"The Hog's Head Inn?" Fred immediately guessed Albert's intention.

Albert nodded, confirming Fred's guess.

After finishing the Butterbeer and warming up their bodies, the four of them left the Three Broomsticks and started looking for the Hog's Head Inn. It was supposed to be a relatively remote pub or inn, probably located by the side of a small road. It shouldn't look very impressive, and the sign hanging outside should be a picture of a pig's head.

Hogsmeade was actually a small village with not many wizards in it. Before the students from Hogwarts arrived, they had already found the location of the Hog's Head Inn.

"Is this it?" George pointed to the broken wooden sign with a pig's head drawn on it and said to his companions. They hadn't spent much time; they had only strolled around the village of Hogsmeade and then turned into a side alley next to the post office on the main road, where they found the Hog's Head Inn as mentioned in the rumor.

Albert pretended to be just passing by, glanced inside, and casually walked in. The interior of the inn was small, dark, and very dirty, with a strong smell of sheep, somewhat similar to what he had imagined the black market to be like.

The most important thing was that there were no customers inside, which was why Albert led Fred and the others in.

"It's so dirty," George couldn't help muttering.

"Is this the black market?" Lee Jordan's face showed his undisguised disappointment. After being glared at by Albert, he obediently closed his mouth.

As soon as they entered the Hog's Head Inn, Fred and the others began to look around. This place was completely different from the Three Broomsticks.

Several windows were covered in thick dirt, making it almost impossible for light to enter the bar. The rough wooden tables on both sides were lit by some candle stubs.

"This place is really something," Albert suppressed his annoyance. The floor was covered in layers of centuries-old grime, and at first glance, it looked like compacted mud. This immediately reminded Albert of medieval European filth roads, which was quite disgusting.

"What would you like to have?" The barkeeper sidled out from a back door, walking towards them, mumbling.

"Is this a bar?" Albert looked at the tall and thin old man in front of him, uncertain.

"Yes," the gray-haired and bearded old man replied casually.

"Can we buy a small barrel of Butterbeer from here?" Albert asked again. They had just had Butterbeer, and they didn't intend to drink more in this dirty place. Also, the conditions at the Hog's Head Inn were worse than expected.

"One Galleon." The man bent down and pulled out a dusty, dirty oak barrel from under the counter, placing it heavily on the bar.

"Here you go." Albert took out a Galleon from his pocket and placed it on the rough counter.

"It's quite heavy." George reached out to lift the barrel but found that it was quite heavy.

The barkeeper placed the money Albert gave him into an ancient wooden cash register, and the drawer automatically slid open, swallowing the coins.

He took out a dirty cloth and began wiping the glasses, looking interestedly at the four of them, as if he wanted to see how they would handle the heavy barrel.

"Move aside." Albert extended his hand, pushed George away, took out his wand from his pocket, and waved it at the barrel of Butterbeer, casting a spell to greatly shrink it. Then, in front of everyone's eyes, he pinched the small barrel of Butterbeer and put it into the pocket of his robe.

"Why didn't I think of that?" George slapped the back of his head, couldn't help muttering.

"Let's go." Albert signaled everyone to leave the Hog's Head Inn. He didn't want to stay in this place any longer.

"Do you guys feel like this barkeeper looks familiar, like we've seen him somewhere?" Lee Jordan suddenly said.

"I also feel like I've seen him somewhere." Fred echoed Lee Jordan's words.

Albert glanced at the barkeeper and muttered, "Probably related to Professor Dumbledore."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for everyone in the bar to hear.

"Professor Dumbledore's relative?" Fred and the others were all very surprised. They turned to look at the barkeeper. In the minds of most students, Dumbledore was no different from a legend.

"Why are you guys here?" suddenly, a familiar and surprised voice came from behind them.

"Good morning, Hagrid." Albert turned around, smiling and greeting Hagrid.

"You guys shouldn't be here," Hagrid looked at Albert, frowning and saying, "And I remember you guys also…"

"Right, Hagrid, the barkeeper here is Professor Dumbledore's relative, right?" Albert interrupted Hagrid's words.

"What?" Hagrid was also taken aback, apparently not expecting Albert to ask such a question, "Why would you ask that?"

"Look at his eyes, Hagrid." Albert reminded, "They look very similar."

"Oh, um, they do seem to be relatives." Hagrid replied vaguely, seeming reluctant to bring up the subject.

"Why are you here?" George continued to interrupt.

"I..." Hagrid didn't want to answer.

"Are you going to feed Norbert?" Fred asked.

"What's Norbert?" Curious, Hagrid asked.

"Hagrid's new pet dog," Albert explained casually.

"Oh, Hagrid, you saved it?" Aberforth looked at Hagrid in amazement. Of course, he knew that Hagrid bought a sick three-headed dog from a Greek guy, but he was more surprised that Hagrid seemed to get along quite well with the five children in front of him.

"Yeah, Norbert is healthy now, but it hasn't been too happy lately because it doesn't like the rain." Hagrid mumbled vaguely.

"Can we go see your new pet dog?" Fred noticed Albert's signaled glance and continued the conversation.

"Alright, you lot, why are you all here?" Hagrid questioned loudly.

"Today is the day when Hogwarts students go to Hogsmeade," Albert said seriously.

"I know it's the day when Hogwarts students go to Hogsmeade, but that's for third years and above, right? I remember you guys are only second years." Hagrid couldn't help complaining, "That Fudge, the old idiot, let you sneak out secretly."

"Don't be angry, Hagrid. We're just out for a stroll. Nowadays, Hogsmeade is full of Hogwarts students, so it's pretty safe here," Albert comforted.

"But you broke the rules," Hagrid warned, poking Albert's chest with his finger.

"Rules are meant to be broken, don't you think, Hagrid?" Albert replied nonchalantly, "Besides, it's not a big deal."

Hagrid was left dumbfounded, and Fred and the others beside him were astonished and couldn't close their mouths. They had never expected someone to casually justify breaking the rules like that.

"I can't argue with you," Hagrid said with feigned anger, "So, why did you all come here?"

"We came to see what the magical black market looks like. To be honest, it's a bit disappointing," Albert openly showed his disappointment on his face, though it was just an act for Hagrid.

"What do you plan to buy in the black market?" Hagrid asked warily.

"A Runespoor egg," Albert replied without hesitation.

"You want to raise a snake?" Hagrid was extremely surprised, looking Albert up and down again.

"I'm not a Slytherin student, how could I be interested in snakes?" Albert shook his head and explained, "I heard that eating Runespoor eggs can make people smarter, so I plan to buy a few to try the taste and see if it can make me smarter."

At this moment, both Hagrid and Aberforth were left with their mouths agape.

"You want to eat Runespoor eggs?" Hagrid's face twitched slightly, unable to help saying, "I think you're already smart enough."

"But no one minds becoming even smarter," Albert turned his head to Fred and the others and asked, "Do you want to become even smarter?"

"Of course."

"See?" Albert shrugged at Hagrid, then turned to the barkeeper and asked, "This gentleman is..."

"Aberforth Dumbledore," the barkeeper replied.

"Mr. Aberforth, how much would one Runespoor egg cost?" Albert politely inquired.

"The trade of these snake eggs has thrived in the black market for centuries," Aberforth contemplated for a moment and said, "It's a bit difficult to get, but one might cost between five to ten Galleons."

"If you can get me one or two, that would be great," Albert smiled and set his price, "Ten Galleons each. Of course, don't try to fool me with fakes; I know the basics."

Aberforth raised an eyebrow, deeply looking at Albert, and remained silent for a while.

"Albert..." Hagrid couldn't help but speak up, "Dealing with the folks in the black market, you need to be extremely cautious."

"I'm well aware of that," Albert replied, "But this gentleman is related to Dumbledore. I believe he should be somewhat trustworthy to a certain extent. Besides, it's just a matter of mutual benefits."

"One Galleon, and I can introduce you to a rather reliable guy if you need something," Aberforth suddenly raised his finger and said to Albert.

"Aberforth." Hagrid stared at the Hog's Head Inn's owner with displeasure.

Albert took out a Galleon and tossed it to Aberforth.

"He's called Mundungus," Aberforth looked at Albert with surprise, amazed by how straightforward he was.

"That stinking thief Mundungus?" Hagrid clearly didn't like the guy called Mundungus.

"His full name is Mundungus Fletcher," Aberforth said. As he spoke, he waved his wand and released a burst of white light.

"What's that?" Fred and the others looked at the disappearing light and couldn't help but ask.

"It should be a Patronus," Albert explained.

"You know about that?" Aberforth was surprised that Albert knew about Patronuses. It was a very advanced form of magic.

"I know. I'm practicing it. But why did you release a Patronus?" Albert feigned curiosity. He naturally knew that a Patronus could be used for communication.

"For communication. Mundungus will be here soon," Aberforth explained.

"I've never heard of using a Patronus for communication. Is that your own invention?" Albert curiously asked.

"No," Aberforth shook his head.

"Then it must be Professor Dumbledore. He's truly worthy of being the headmaster," Albert murmured to himself, discreetly observing Aberforth's facial expressions.

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