After breakfast, everyone gathered in the entrance hall.
Because of the tense atmosphere lately, everyone seemed cooped up in the castle, so there were exceptionally many students going to Hogsmeade this time.
A long line formed in the entrance hall, and Filch stood by the oak front doors as usual, checking the list of students approved to go to Hogsmeade, repeatedly scanning each one with the Dark Arts Detector.
"What a waste of time, so what if we take Dark Arts Items out of the school?" Mikel grumbled discontentedly. "You should probably check what we're bringing in instead."
"I don't need you to teach me how to do my job," Filch replied irritably, poking Mikel with the detector.
Though he said that, he did speed up the inspection and soon reached Kael.
Outside, a strong wind was blowing. To be honest, walking to Hogsmeade Village in this weather was very uncomfortable, and many people started shivering as soon as they left the castle, with their ears and cheeks turning red from the cold.
But no one wanted to stay in the castle, so they could only quicken their pace, wanting to reach Hogsmeade as soon as possible and head to the warm and cozy Three Broomsticks for a hot mug of Butter Beer.
Of course, there were also students not in a hurry, like Kael and Conna, who wore Warm-Up Badges enchanted with waterproof and water-repellent spells on their chests, unaffected by the harsh weather.
The two chatted leisurely as they crossed the grounds and took the path to Hogsmeade Village.
It seemed they were notified in advance, and for safety reasons, all the wizards from other places were gone, and as far as the eye could see, only Hogwarts students were on the streets and in the shops.
"Oh, Kael, look over there," Ryan suddenly pointed to a shop not far away. "Zonko's is closed."
Kael turned to look.
Indeed, the door of Zonko's Joke Shop, nearest the village entrance, was shut tight, and quite a few students were peering through the cracks.
"Really closed, no one inside..."
"What a bummer, I wanted to buy some Exploding Bonbons."
"Forget it, even if you bought them, you couldn't bring them back, don't forget Filch is still checking at the door."
"Maybe I could hide them somewhere first..."
After lingering at the door for a while, everyone left. Since Zonko's was confirmed closed, there was no point in staying there; it was better spent exploring other places.
...
Fortunately, the most popular Honeyduke's Sweet Shop was still open.
The small shop was packed with students, who, waving Galleons, swarmed over the candy on the shelves like locusts. In just a few minutes, the full barrel of Multi-Flavor Beans near the door was half empty.
"Hey, leave some for me!" Mikel couldn't stand it any longer and rushed into the store.
"Kael, want me to get you anything?" Ryan asked after taking a few steps, "How about Multi-Flavor Beans and Chocolate Frogs? These are the most popular."
"No, thanks," Kael shook his head and said.
"Are you sure?" Ryan glanced at Kael. "I reckon there won't be many more chances to come to Hogsmeade, better buy more this time..."
"That's true, but really no need," Kael said. "I still have plenty of candy, you all know that, I really don't need to buy more."
At some unknown point, perhaps a few years ago, Kael stopped visiting Honeydukes.
Mainly because every Christmas and birthday, he received a lot of candy and chocolate. Even after giving some back as gifts, he couldn't finish the rest and had no need to spend money on more.
"You should at least try different flavors, and we can't keep eating your candy," Ryan said, then followed Mikel into Honeydukes.
Kael and Conna didn't linger and decided to go to the Three Broomsticks to grab a good spot while most people were at Honeydukes.
In this weather, having a hot mug of Butter Beer was an irresistible temptation.
When they braved the strong wind to reach the Three Broomsticks' door, they found a few familiar faces there.
The signature red hair was too conspicuous.
"Fred, George?" Kael asked tentatively.
Hearing their names called, the twins immediately turned their heads.
"Haha, we were just talking about whether you'd show up."
"And here you are just after that..." George smiled and waved. "Hey, Conna, how's seventh year going?"
"Not bad," Conna replied, "Are you here to drink?"
"Honestly, we don't have time for leisure," Fred sighed. "Lots of things at the department, we've tried resigning several times but haven't found the opportunity."
"Resigning is an option, but afterward, everything would be dumped on Dad," George added. "He's already busy enough, coming home late every night."
"So you are...?"
"Chasing someone selling fake Protective Talismans, heard he might come to Hogsmeade," Fred explained. "You probably know him too, Mundungus."
"The one from the Order of Phoenix?"
"Who else could it be..." George gritted his teeth. "I finally understand why Mum doesn't welcome him, even though he can always get us what we need, he's also caused us a lot of trouble."
"Have you found him?" Kael asked, "Do you need any help?"