The morning before Halloween, almost all the students above third grade gathered at the gates, ready to head to Hogsmeade.
Only Harry stood alone in the entrance hall, being watched by Filch as if he were a thief.
Out of all the third-year students, he was the only one who hadn't submitted his permission form and naturally became Filch's main focus.
Soon, Professor McGonagall arrived, and the group started to set off.
Harry tried his best to appear normal, using a nonchalant tone to bid farewell to Ron and Hermione.
"Don't worry about me, we'll meet later at the feast, have fun."
"Staying behind, Potter?"
Malfoy deliberately detoured to shout at him, "Too scared to face those Dementors?"
Harry ignored him and turned towards the marble staircase.
"Missing out on Hogsmeade, he's going to miss a lot of good stuff..."
Fred, who was at the end of the line, looked back at his silhouette and whispered, "He can't stay in the castle all seven years, that's too boring."
"Exactly," George nodded in strong agreement, "We have to help him..."
"How to help..." Kai asked nearby, "Give him the Marauder's Map?"
"That's a good idea too," Fred said, "After all, we've memorized all the secret passages, giving it to Harry wouldn't hurt."
"But then it wouldn't be as convenient for night excursions..." George thought for a moment, "Actually, the type of map we made last year is good too, just add the secret passage locations."
"But we need to make it discreet, so it doesn't get discovered by Filch or professors."
"Just like the Marauder's Map...it should require a password to reveal the locations."
"That's exactly what I meant..."
The group discussed along the way and soon arrived at Hogsmeade Village.
As soon as they saw the pointed rooftops, Fred and George immediately forgot about Harry and rushed to Zonko's Joke Shop.
In front of Stink Pellets, Burping Powder, and Billywig... Harry? Not familiar at all.
Cedric was heading to Dervish & Banges to buy broomstick trimming tools, and Kael decided to join him.
The shopkeeper there was a pair of brothers with wide connections, always able to get some novel gadgets.
As for Conna and Cho, they were more interested in Madam Puddifoot Tea House.
They agreed to meet at Three Broomsticks an hour later and then went their separate ways.
Dervish & Banges was deep inside Hogsmeade, adjacent to Hog's Head Pub, and looked much smaller compared to other shops.
Kael and Cedric pushed open the door and walked in.
Inside the shop, various magic items were stacked high, teetering, looking like they might tip over at any moment.
This style, Kael had only seen in the Room of Requirement's hiding place.
"Welcome..."
A blonde wizard poked his head out from behind the counter, "Looking to buy something..."
"Do you have broomstick trimming tools?" Cedric asked.
"Of course." The shopkeeper leaned out and pulled out a square box from among the piled magic items.
His movement caused the entire wall to wobble suddenly, scaring Cedric to quickly step back two paces.
But the shopkeeper was unfazed, casually placing the box on the counter and opening it.
"Pruning shears, nine Sickles.
"Full set of broomstick care tools, two Galleons, additionally gifted with a bottle of wood wax and a portable case.
"Which one do you want?"
"The full set, it's more economical..." Cedric counted out two Galleons and placed them on the counter.
"Thank you for your patronage." The shopkeeper glanced at Kael, "So, what do you need?"
"Before that, I want to ask." Kael pointed towards the door, "Is that dog outside yours?"
"What?"
The shopkeeper looked up and noticed there was indeed a big black dog lying outside, right next to the door, visible through the glass.
"Of course not, truth be told, very few wizards would choose a pure black dog as a pet."
The shopkeeper shook his head, "I think it might have come from next door at Hog's Head Pub, the patrons there are always so eccentric, I wouldn't be surprised by anything they bring."
As he got to this point, the shopkeeper suddenly chuckled.
"Remember last time, a Rune Pattern Snake came out, the screams of Ms. Rosmerta, I could hear them clearly even here."
"Really...seems like Ms. Rosmerta doesn't fancy three-headed snakes."
Kael withdrew his gaze and casually asked, "Got anything new or odd here?"
"You're just in time."
The shopkeeper took out a gray bead, "Just happened to get this yesterday, Mist Gem... when crushed it forms a dense fog that can't be blown away, lasting about two hours."
"A Scouring Charm can't dispel it?" Kael asked.
"Unless Mr. Dumbledore casts the Scouring Charm himself," the shopkeeper said jokingly, "Otherwise, you'll find the fog only circles in a specific area, not blown to other places."
Kael's eyes lit up, "How much?"
"Twenty Galleons," the shopkeeper said, "It might be pricey, but it's something only from Uagadou, we managed to get only three."
...
After negotiating, Kael bought all the Mist Gems for fifty-five Galleons.
The shopkeeper only agreed to discount five Galleons but gifted him a pair of Goblin-Resistant Glasses and some irregular opals.
Though Kael suspected he just wanted to clear some unsold inventory, free gifts are freebies after all.
Half an hour later, the two left Dervish & Banges with plenty of loot.
The black dog they had seen before was still lying at the door, its gray eyes continuously surveying the main road, watching the passing young wizards as if searching for something.
As Kael passed by its side, he suddenly stopped, then pushed his tongue against his teeth...
"Tss-ts-ts!"
Almost without any hesitation, the black dog turned its head reflexively.
Sure enough, this trick works on all dogs.
Kael squatted down and raised a finger, "Sit!"
The black dog showed a distinctly humanlike look of disdain, ignored him, and wagged its tail as it continued to lie there.
"Pfft..." Cedric covered his mouth with his hand.
He had been quite apprehensive about this dog just now, after all, in the magic realm, the most ominous image that all wizards avoid is that of a large black dog.
But seeing Kael get disdained by a dog now, he couldn't help but laugh out loud... Hmm, it's a good dog.
Kael, however, was unfazed; he took out a packet of jerky and waved it in his hand, saying again, "Sit!"
This time, the black dog instantly straightened its body, planted its front legs on the ground, tongue out, staring intently at Kael's hand.
"Roll over..."
The black dog hesitated for a moment... until Kael opened the bag.
Upon smelling the rich aroma of meat, it rolled over decisively on the ground without a second thought.
Then Kael tried several other commands.
Run... Spin around on the spot... Jump in place... Jump through a hoop... Spin like Thomas...
The black dog followed every command.
"Nice, nice, here's your reward." Kael placed the jerky down in front of it, "Eat up."
"It's so smart," Cedric crouched beside him, amazed, "It seems to completely understand what you're saying."
The black dog's actions paused for a second, but soon it started gnawing on the jerky heartily as if unbeatable.