The Hog's Head Inn was a dilapidated tavern located in Hogsmeade.
The first impression it gave was one of decay. The wooden sign at the entrance was broken, the signpost itself was crooked, the door hung unevenly, and even the tables, chairs, and cutlery inside were in poor condition.
For Aberforth, the barman of the Hog's Head, brokenness seemed almost like a way of life.
Even worse than its state of disrepair was the filth.
At the entrance hung a bloody pig's head, which had likely been there for years. Inside, the entire tavern reeked of stale mutton. Thick dust coated the windows, so much so that sunlight could barely filter through. The ground beneath one's feet looked like packed dirt, but in reality it was layers upon layers of grime accumulated over a stone floor.
Its location was just as uninviting.
Set away from Hogsmeade's main street, it stood at the junction of a narrow, rarely used path.
A place like this would struggle to exist in the Muggle world.
Yet in the British wizarding world, the Hog's Head Inn was second in reputation only to the Three Broomsticks.
Because it was the only tavern that did not reject Dark Wizards.
Every Dark Wizard knew that the barman of the Hog's Head was not the sort to interfere. As long as you drank, paid, and didn't cause trouble, he wouldn't care what you were doing.
What deals were made, what magical creatures were smuggled, what dark schemes were planned…
No one asked.
At first, it had simply been a place for Dark Wizards to relax with a drink. Over time, however, it gradually became a gathering place for them. Many preferred to meet here.
Today, Tonks had flaxen hair.
To be honest, Elijah had never seen her choose such a subdued color before.
"Isn't this all because of the trouble you caused at the Ministry entrance?" Tonks muttered under her breath, clearly displeased. "Now I've been reassigned to this job with you."
Although Elijah had exposed Rita Skeeter as an unregistered Animagus and helped resolve the public backlash, even giving the Ministry a chance to redirect attention away from the attack, Umbridge still believed that Elijah and Tonks had embarrassed the Ministry.
So she had quietly made things difficult for them.
They were removed from the mission to track Sirius Black and Riddle and reassigned to a thoroughly unpleasant surveillance task.
However, Elijah found this assignment rather interesting.
Because their targets were goblins.
Tonks sat down on one of the greasy chairs in the Hog's Head, nervously ordering a Butterbeer. Not only had she changed her hair color, she had also altered her facial features and hunched herself into her robes, making herself look entirely like a Dark Wizard.
"What are you having?" she asked.
Elijah lowered himself onto a chair with obvious distaste, feeling slightly nauseated at the sight of the sticky tabletop. He strongly suspected it had never been cleaned. The surface felt tacky, as though it had been soaked in spilled drinks for years.
But he hadn't come here to enjoy himself.
"Firewhisky," Elijah said casually.
Despite his clear disgust, Elijah outwardly behaved like any ordinary Dark Wizard, completely unfazed by the squalor. After all, no matter how filthy this place was, it was still far cleaner than many Dark Wizards themselves.
While waiting for her Butterbeer, Tonks kept sneaking glances at the people around her, which quickly drew unwanted attention.
Elijah lightly tapped the table, pulling her focus back. "First time at the Hog's Head? There's a rule here. Don't pry into other people's business. Mind your own."
"But—"
Tonks almost blurted out that her job was to observe these Dark Wizards and identify suspicious individuals. Fortunately, she realized in time that Elijah's words were meant for others to hear.
Her earlier behavior had already made several Dark Wizards suspect she might be an Auror—or someone with ulterior motives.
"Sorry… it really is my first time…" Tonks said, lowering her voice.
The hoarseness sounded deliberate, and beneath it there was still a trace of youthful tone.
Like a lamb trying very hard to disguise itself as a wolf.
That only drew even more attention.
At first, the surrounding gazes had been cautious.
Now, they turned openly greedy.
An inexperienced Dark Wizard was like a piece of meat dropped before a pack of starving wolves. Though Elijah and Tonks had only been inside for a short time, some had already begun planning to follow Tonks after they left.
As for Elijah, he didn't look like a novice.
No one was eager to test him.
Elijah paid no attention to the stares. In the end, this was just a loose collection of petty Dark Wizards. Most of them were no match for a trained Auror. If he wished, a single spell would be enough to clear out the entire Hog's Head.
He remained seated, his gaze fixed on Tonks.
But in truth, he had already activated the Super-Sensory Charm.
Every movement within the tavern was under his awareness.
The spell functioned like a limited "all-seeing" perspective, allowing him to perceive everything around him without needing to look directly.
Ordinary wizards couldn't achieve this level of clarity. Their version of the spell only provided vague outlines, more like heat signatures than detailed images.
But Elijah's magic was different.
Ancient Magic existed not only within dragons but also within thunderbirds. The two aspects Elijah currently controlled were lightning manipulation and enhanced perception.
The latter didn't just sharpen his eyesight.
It granted him a form of magical vision, allowing him to reconstruct colors and details even when using perception-based spells.
Through it, Elijah could clearly observe every corner of the tavern.
Aberforth stood behind the counter, impatiently grabbing two cups that looked as though they had never been washed and pouring drinks into them.
About seven Dark Wizards had their attention fixed firmly on Tonks, while a few others lost interest once their suspicions faded.
There was also a hunched old wizard with a thick beard, casually reading The Quibbler from the moment they entered. He kept chuckling to himself, revealing a mouth with only a single remaining tooth.
Elijah hadn't expected to find a reader of The Quibbler in a place like this.
Curious, he glanced at the paper.
The headline read: Fudge's "Rotten Tooth" Plan, written by Lovegood.
According to the article, the five defeated Aurors were proof. Because of toothaches, they had been utterly defeated by Tom Riddle alone.
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In case you're wondering.. yeah, the Quibbler doesn't make any sense.