The Three Broomsticks was packed with people, but thankfully Daphne had gone in early to reserve them a table.
Rhys struggled to push through the crowd in front of him, while Harry followed cautiously behind, careful not to step on anyone's foot or have his Invisibility Cloak tugged off.
Sirius, however, took full advantage of his size and simply squeezed under the tables, darting straight to where Daphne was sitting.
After much effort, Rhys finally managed to make his way over. Harry slipped around behind him, and seeing that no one nearby seemed to notice, he removed the Invisibility Cloak.
Daphne gave him a quick glance, her expression slightly surprised. She now understood why Rhys had suddenly dashed off earlier.
"Wow.. Didn't expect this place to be so lively," Rhys remarked, looking around at the bustling tavern with genuine amazement.
Had Hogsmeade's pubs always been this lively? He wasn't sure—he'd never been here before. But in his impression, weren't taverns supposed to come alive only after nightfall?
"Four Butterbeers, with a proper head of foam!" Daphne called toward the bar, where the proprietor—a shapely, strikingly attractive middle-aged witch—was standing.
Glancing at the elegant Madam Rosmerta, then at the middle-aged wizards gathered around the bar bragging and chatting, Rhys suddenly felt enlightened: no wonder business here was so good! Madam Rosmerta clearly knew exactly how to run a tavern.
While Rhys was lost in thought, Madam Rosmerta had already pulled out four mugs from beneath the bar and filled them to the brim with frothy, golden Butterbeer.
As Daphne requested, Madam Rosmerta had poured the standard-foam version. There were also "extra foam" and "no foam" options—the former nearly all froth, the latter with almost none at all. It depended on the drinker's preference, though the price remained the same.
After filling the mugs, Madam Rosmerta was about to call Daphne over to collect them when the cups lifted into the air on their own, floating steadily across the room to Daphne's table. At the same time, a few silver Sickles dropped neatly onto the bar.
"Wicked!" Madam Rosmerta whistled, gave Daphne a thumbs-up, then turned to serve the other customers.
Rhys and the others began to enjoy their fresh Butterbeer.
Thanks to the butter added to the brew, this drink replenished far more energy than ordinary beer. The butter mellowed the bitterness of the ale, while the ale itself cut through the heaviness of the butter. Rhys didn't even dare imagine how perfect this would taste on a cold winter's day.
Harry and the black dog beneath the table each had their own mug as well, drinking together—boy and dog alike.
Just as the four of them were savoring their drinks, the door of the tavern suddenly swung open.
Harry followed the line of his mug toward the entrance, and what he saw nearly made him choke: Hagrid was pushing his way in, filling the doorway with his massive frame. Behind him… someone else was following.
Even though Harry was close to Hagrid, he wasn't naïve enough to think Hagrid would be fine with seeing him here. Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed his mug and ducked under the table, pulling his Invisibility Cloak on in one swift motion.
If Harry had been startled, Sirius was even more alarmed. He had just caught sight of who was walking behind Hagrid—his old friend, Lupin!
Others might not recognize a big black dog, but if Lupin failed to, that would be absurd. Sirius didn't stop to wonder why Lupin was here; he simply dove under Harry's Invisibility Cloak in a panic.
Harry: ???
But now was clearly not the time to shoo away the overly friendly black dog. All he could do was pray it stayed quiet.
The Three Broomsticks was nearly packed to capacity. After circling the room, Hagrid and the Lupin following him couldn't find an empty table, so they had no choice but to share one with others.
By coincidence, there just happened to be some familiar faces here.
When Hagrid started heading toward their side, both Harry and Sirius felt their hearts leap into their throats.
Once the two men sat down at the table, Harry could only sigh helplessly and shift himself a little farther to the side so they wouldn't accidentally step on him.
"What brings you here?" Daphne's voice came from above the table.
"We've been trying to breed a new type of magical creature and needed to buy some things from Hogsmeade," Lupin explained.
Recently, Hagrid had come up with an odd idea about magical creature breeding. After sharing it with Lupin, he'd gained Lupin's support.
The project, however, hadn't been going very smoothly. The initial stock of materials they'd prepared had already been used up, and they needed to purchase another batch.
As for whether Lupin and Hagrid's activities violated the Prohibition of Experimental Breeding of Creatures statute, the four of them tacitly agreed not to mention it.
"Those damned Dementors are finally gone—what a relief." After they'd been drinking for a while, the conversation shifted to school security.
"But with only Aurors and Hit Wizards, catching Sirius will still be difficult," Lupin added to Hagrid's remark. "On the other hand, we should also figure out how to explain why we're buying what we're buying today."
Hagrid let out a belch. The name "Sirius Black" lit a fire in him. "That filthy, stinking traitor!"
He spoke so loudly the whole pub turned to look at them.
"I must have been the last person to see him—apart from Peter. When I rescued Harry from the wreckage at James and Lily's house, Sirius showed up. He looked white as a sheet, shaking all over, and then he tried to trick me into handing Harry over—spouting that nonsense about being Harry's godfather—"
"Alright, alright, Hagrid, pipe down!" Lupin's face darkened. "Lower your voice, everyone's watching us!"
Hagrid took a deep, heavy breath and then rumbled, "I'll wager, if I'd handed Harry to him, he'd have thrown the boy off the motorcycle into the sea halfway there! Hmph. If I ever catch him, I won't use any wand—I'll break every one of his limbs, one by one, and shove them—"
"Enough, Hagrid, you're drunk." Lupin's expression turned serious. "There are children at this table; what you're saying is out of line."
He carefully guided Hagrid to his feet, apologized to Rhys and Daphne, then left the pub.
Hearing the exchange between Hagrid and his old friend, Sirius under the table drooped his head listlessly, and Harry had frozen the moment he heard the word "godfather."
When they stepped out of the inn and the cold wind hit them, Harry finally registered it: the man who'd betrayed his parents and caused their deaths had once been his godfather.
A swirl of complicated emotions churned in him as he walked numbingly toward Hogwarts.
Rhys watched Harry's dazed figure and cocked his head.
A wand slid from his sleeve into his hand. He raised his wand, pointed it at the back of Harry's head, and intoned, "Obliviate."
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