16 Chapter 16: The Past That Cannot Be Recalled

There were rows of shelves filled with delicious and juicy candies, including large pieces of milky yellow Butter Almond toffees, shiny pink Coconut Ice, honey-colored toffees, hundreds of neatly arranged chocolates, a large barrel of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and a large barrel of Fizzing Whizzbees.

Against the other wall were some "trick" candies, such as the Drooble's Best Blowing Gum that could fill the room with bluebell-colored bubbles that wouldn't burst for days, the strange, crispy Shock-o-Choc, the small, black Pepper Imps that would breathe fire after being eaten, the Ice Mice that could make the eater's teeth chatter and squeak, the Frog Spawn Soap that would hop around in one's stomach, the thin, crispy Sparklers made of sugar silk, and the Exploding Bonbons.

Of course, Lynn couldn't really appreciate these so-called trick candies. Perhaps only the Weasley twins who loved pranks would like these trick candies; after all, they also invented a lot of such joke products later.

Thinking so, Lynn took two of each of these trick candies and planned to buy them for the Weasley twins.

After selecting some snacks for himself, Lynn quickly checked out and left Honeydukes to meet up with the Weasley twins.

"Here, these are all for you."

Lynn handed the big bag of trick candies to Fred and George.

Upon receiving the bag, Fred and George were both very surprised. These trick candies would serve as excellent reference materials for studying joke products!

Originally, they planned to go to Zonko's Joke Shop to buy some prank products as reference materials for their own creations. The reason they didn't purchase trick candies from Honeydukes and went to Zonko's Joke Shop instead was because they couldn't afford too many snacks from Honeydukes. 

This was evident from the fact that they could only eat sandwiches made by Mrs. Weasley on the train and were reluctant to buy additional snacks.

After learning about the twins' intentions, Lynn asked, "Are you still planning to go to Zonko's Joke Shop?"

Fred nodded and replied, "Of course! Even if we don't buy anything else, we have to purchase some Dungbombs. Our recent goal is to improve the power of Dungbombs, but we've run out of them."

So, Lynn placed the snacks for the three of them into the canvas bag with the Extension Charm and then accompanied the Weasley twins to Zonko's Joke Shop.

Hogsmeade was indeed the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain. The flow of people was no less than that of the main streets in the Muggle world. Witches and wizards coming and going carried their newly purchased items as they walked with their companions.

Zonko's Joke Shop was not far from Honeydukes. It only took a short while for the three of them to reach their destination. 

Using their long-cherished pocket money, the Weasley twins bought a batch of Dungbombs, while Lynn purchased a Quick-Quotes Quill when passing by Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop.

"Shall we go to the Three Broomsticks for a drink?" Fred suggested.

Lynn and George agreed.

The interior of the Three Broomsticks was very clean, and the bar counter was spacious, bright, clean, and warm. It was much cozier than the Leaky Cauldron that Lynn had visited before.

The owner of the Three Broomsticks was Madam Rosmerta, who looked graceful and charming. Many young wizards admired her. Ron Weasley in the original books even had a crush on Madam Rosmerta for a long time in his sixth year.

"Good afternoon, Madam Rosmerta, three Butterbeers!"

Fred greeted Madam Rosmerta happily. 

Madam Rosmerta looked at Lynn and the other two and smiled. "Fred, George, I didn't expect you to bring a first-year student here. What's the name of this little Slytherin wizard?"

Lynn shook hands with Madam Rosmerta. "Lynn Rowle, nice to meet you, ma'am!"

After exchanging greetings, Madam Rosmerta directed them to a table.

The three of them found a spot inside the bar next to the window and the fireplace. 

A few minutes later, three foaming mugs of hot Butterbeer were served.

"Cheers!" 

Lynn and the twins raised their glasses simultaneously and took a big sip.

Lynn felt that the Butterbeer didn't seem like real beer, but rather sweet and a bit nutty. After drinking it, he felt warmth spreading throughout his body.

Just as Lynn and the others finished their Butterbeer and were about to leave, George suddenly called out to them, "Wait, look! That's Professor Green!"

Following George's gaze, Lynn spotted Professor Green, whom he had met just the day before, entering the bar. However, he seemed completely different from how he appeared at Hogwarts. At this moment, he looked very gloomy, his light blue eyes filled with sadness.

"Five Firewhiskeys!"

Professor Green ordered tersely, finding a seat in the deepest part of the bar.

After the strong liquor was served, Professor Green drank it in big gulps. Lynn could see that his eyes were very wet. Obviously, Professor Green wasn't enjoying the drink, but rather drinking to drown his sorrows!

At this point, Madam Rosmerta approached them. Seeing Lynn and the others looking puzzled, she sighed and said, "Alas, in order to teach you in the best condition, Professor Green has accumulated all his troubles and pains in his heart. I'm afraid only now can he let off steam freely."

Lynn hesitated and asked, "Madam Rosmerta, does Professor Green seem to have a past that he can't bear to look back on?"

Madam Rosmerta replied, "Yes, but it's not my place to share that with you. After all, it's Mr. Green's private matter." 

Lynn fell silent for a moment and refrained from asking further questions. Instead, he quietly waited for Professor Green to finish his drinks and leave before returning to Hogwarts with the Weasley twins.

Perhaps he didn't leave earlier because he knew that Professor Green didn't want his students to see him like this.

During their journey back, the three remained silent until they reopened the statue of the One-Eyed Witch and entered the castle.

"Professor Green looked terrible just now. I can't believe that he, who is so kind in class, would have such a side," George whispered.

Fred added, "Maybe he's encountered some problems, but if even Professor Green can't solve them, how can we help?"

Lynn patted the shoulders of the twins and said, "Don't mention this to anyone. The only way we can help Professor Green is by causing him less trouble."

"Of course, brother!"

"We'll keep it to ourselves--"

"--and forget about it entirely!"

The Weasley twins seemed to have returned to their usual selves, singing in unison.

(End of this chapter)