The next day, as soon as the morning classes were over, Howl packed his things and left the school.
Arriving in Hogsmeade, he entered the Three Broomsticks Pub. Madam Rosmerta, the pub's owner, was already over forty but still beautiful and charming.
Howl's keen ears had heard the owner's name from Little Wizards' mouths more than once.
"Professor Jones, you're here." As soon as Howl walked in, Rosmerta greeted him.
He didn't come here very often, but his appearance was so outstanding that no one could forget him.
The patrons here were much more normal than those at the Pigs Head Bar, and they all greeted the Hogwarts Professor.
"I'm here. Is there a seat available now?" Howl smiled, taking off his hat.
"Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are already here," Rosmerta said. "They're in the back room, just around the corner from here. Do you need a drink, or will you order later?"
"Give me a cherry juice," Howl said, handing over a Galleon. "I'll pay for their tab first, and we can settle up later."
"Alright, coming right up." Rosmerta nodded.
As he reached the corner, Howl took a deep breath, feeling a bit troubled.
Then, he walked in.
As soon as he entered, he saw a plump woman with calloused hands, wearing a slightly old but clean long dress. The man on the other side was a bit thin but full of spirit, with a comfortable smile.
This atmosphere...
After shaking hands with both of them, he learned their names.
Molly Weasley and Arthur Weasley.
After the usual pleasantries, Howl got straight to the point.
"Regarding your visit, I think I have some guesses, and here, I must first express my apologies—"
"Apologies?!" Molly interrupted him.
"Oh my goodness, Jones, you don't need to apologize... Oh my goodness, we're here to thank you!"
"Thank you?!" Howl was also surprised for a moment, shaking his head. "No... no need to thank me. When something like this happens at school, our responsibility is undeniable."
"No, no, no." Arthur quickly waved his hand. "Professor Jones, honestly... when Ron told us that the culprit behind what happened recently was our old rat, we were terrified.
Then, we immediately contacted Dumbledore to confirm the news. That fellow was actually Peter—although we still don't know why Peter is alive, fortunately, Hogwarts has you all, who saved our children's lives!"
As he spoke, a questioning look appeared on Arthur's face: "Professor Dumbledore didn't tell you?"
"Me?" Howl's lips curved. "That guy didn't tell me anything... and I didn't know you had already contacted him..."
"Oh." Arthur nodded. "It seems... this is a small misunderstanding. We're not here to blame, we're just here to thank you."
"It's not just me, there's Severus too." Howl nodded, deflecting the intense gratitude.
"Oh... Snape." Arthur clicked his tongue in exasperation.
"Actually... well. Our relationship might be a bit complicated," Arthur said.
With that, Molly took out several exquisitely wrapped paper boxes.
"I'm truly sorry, there aren't many presentable gifts at home. After much thought, only my beloved's craftsmanship has never failed over the years," Arthur said.
As he spoke, a faint blush flashed across Molly's face as she opened the boxes, revealing small cakes inside.
"You can try them, they won't disappoint you," Arthur said, very confident in his wife's cooking.
Howl nodded and picked up a piece.
Arthur had not exaggerated; Molly's cooking was indeed excellent.
"You could open a cooking class!" Howl said, then asked, "Mr. Weasley, I heard you mention earlier that you seem to know Peter Pettigrew? Could you tell me about him?"
"Oh, that!" Arthur nodded. "To be honest, if Dumbledore hadn't confirmed it, we never would have imagined Peter would be the culprit behind all this.
By rights, he should have died ten years ago... he was even a war hero."
"I suspect he came because he targeted our isolated home," Molly said. "At the time, besides Dumbledore, only a few knew about our home, and he used that to evade many investigations."
"Yes, yes, dear," Arthur soothed, sweat beading on his forehead.
"I'm sorry, Molly is gnashing her teeth at that fellow because she suddenly found out why food was always disappearing at home."
"Arthur, it's because of the children!" Molly glared at him.
Arthur Shrinking the neck, decided to avoid the topic: "Actually, there's one more thing I wanted to tell you, Jones. It's about Hagrid's case tomorrow."
Howl's expression became a bit more serious.
"Actually, there's another reason why the Minister chose today for the hearing.
I don't know if you're aware that recently in Greece, an international Wizard theft ring called the Hand of Glory was busted.
Now the Greek authorities have invited many very reputable scholar Wizards to a conference for the recovery of stolen items.
And you know, many of Professor Dumbledore's friends in the Wizengamot have also been invited."
"You mean, at tomorrow's trial, the review board will mostly be Fudge's people?" Howl said.
"Exactly." Arthur nodded gravely. "Mr. Jones, you must be careful; they will surely put many obstacles in your way tomorrow.
At that time, the people there won't be too kind to you and Hagrid, or to Professor Dumbledore!"
With that, he sighed helplessly: "I'm just from an unrelated department, I'm truly sorry, the only thing I can do is bring this bad news."
Howl smiled: "No, no, no, Mr. Weasley, this isn't bad news."
With that, Howl's face broke into a sinister smile.
"This is a genuinely good piece of news!"
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