Chapter 33: Hogsmeade Village

"Who's going in first?"

The group, having finished breakfast, stood in front of the entrance to the secret passage on the fifth floor.

"No need to ask, one of you three should go first!" Albert said confidently. "You've been in there before, so you have the experience."

"Alright, I'll go first." Fred cautiously descended the stairs, followed immediately by the other three. The mirror returned to its original position once the four entered the passage.

The tunnel was a bit cramped and steeply sloped. It was pitch black all around, and the four of them slowly made their way down the stairs.

Albert raised his wand and muttered, "Lumos!"

"I hate these narrow and dark places," Lee Jordan complained softly.

"Stop complaining and keep up," Fred said, focusing on maintaining the Lumos charm as he descended the stairs slowly.

The passage was narrow, making it difficult for even two people to pass side by side. They walked along the stairs for a long time. Halfway through, Fred's wand went out several times.

"I think you should practice the Lumos charm more. It's the most basic spell," Albert suggested, extending his wand forward and reminding him.

"I hate this feeling," Fred muttered under his breath, trying to make his wand glow again.

"After this stretch of stairs, the space ahead should be wider. Albert, why don't you lead the way?" George suggested, fed up with having to stop every few minutes.

"Sure thing!"

After finishing the stairs, they found themselves in a gloomy passageway. The ground was slightly damp, composed of hard earth, and occasionally water droplets fell from the ceiling. One drop landed on Albert's face, causing him to shiver. He quickly wiped away the water and continued forward.

Albert walked slowly, being careful not to slip. No one spoke along the way, focusing all their attention on navigating the uneven ground in the passage.

English: The four of them stumbled forward in the winding passage, wondering who had dug it in the first place.

On that note, it was quite strange that they hadn't suffocated; it was a bit miraculous, to be honest.

Albert raised his wand above his head to examine the ceiling of the passage.

"What are you looking at?" Fred asked.

"Um, is there a ventilation hole above us?"

"Where?" All three of them looked up, but they couldn't find the ventilation hole Albert mentioned.

"It was right where we just walked past."

After walking for an hour and twenty minutes, the passage finally began to ascend, indicating that the exit was close. The four of them, panting, quickened their pace.

Five minutes later, they could feel the cold wind blowing from outside.

The entrance to the secret passage was hidden beneath a large stone, and the exit was narrow. A chubby person might get stuck.

It was still raining outside, but the rain wasn't too heavy.

After Albert emerged from the passage, he took out an umbrella and opened it to shield himself from the rain.

The Weasley trio quickly squeezed in.

"You didn't bring an umbrella." Albert was speechless.

"No, we didn't." The three of them shook their heads simultaneously.

Albert used the Replication Charm to create three umbrellas for them.

"You're as reliable as ever," the three of them praised shamelessly.

"By the way, these umbrellas are quite peculiar." Lee Jordan curiously examined the umbrella in his hand. It could actually expand and contract?

"This is a new invention from Germany a few years ago, convenient and easy to carry," Albert explained. He used the Impervious Charm on himself to ensure that he wouldn't get wet when passing through the lush meadow.

"Be careful!" He heard George's exclamation and turned to see Lee Jordan falling to the ground, completely drenched.

"Are you okay?" Fred quickly reached out and helped him up.

"This is so unlucky. My clothes are completely soaked," Lee Jordan complained in a low voice.

The twins both looked at Albert simultaneously.

"Why are you looking at me like that? It's not like I caused him to fall," Albert said, feeling a bit bewildered.

"Do you happen to know the Drying Charm?"

"What makes you think I know that kind of household magic?" Albert asked, somewhat annoyed.

"Ahem, we were just asking casually. We always feel like you know all sorts of magic," Fred coughed awkwardly, trying to ease the tension.

"I'm telling you three, can you please leave this place first?" Lee Jordan, completely drenched, had a terrible temper. "I hate, hate, hate rain the most."

They made their way through the bushes toward the village of Hogsmeade.

Probably because of the rain, the streets of Hogsmeade were deserted. Lee Jordan, shivering, suggested they go to the Three Broomsticks and have a warm butterbeer to warm up.

The three of them had no objections.

They walked along a road and, a few minutes later, easily found the pub the three of them mentioned.

Well, there were indeed three broomsticks hanging on the door, forming a triangle.

What Albert wanted to criticize was the fact that the pointed triangular roof on the door was actually crooked. Could it be said that it truly lived up to being a wizard-built house?

Completely disregarding the laws of physics and common visual aesthetics.

Of course, there was also a sign in front of the pub that read: Three Broomsticks.

The pub was sparsely populated today. When Albert walked in, he only saw a wizard sitting at the counter chatting with the landlady.

A roaring fire burned in the fireplace, and Lee Jordan quickly walked over, took off his robe, and hung it by the fire to dry.

"I'll go order the drinks," Albert said as he walked toward the counter. The twins, on the other hand, sat down on chairs opposite Lee Jordan.

"Four bottles of warm butterbeer, please," Albert said to the landlady.

The wizard at the counter seemed quite annoyed by being interrupted from his conversation and glared at Albert.

Albert, expressionless, glanced at him once and then ignored him completely, sitting down next to the wizard.

"Where did this little brat come from?" the wizard muttered under his breath. After being fiercely glared at by the landlady of the Three Broomsticks, he obediently shut up.

"Are you Hogwarts students?" Mrs. Rosmerta looked quite surprised as she gazed at the four young wizards who had entered the pub. She couldn't understand how these four little rascals managed to slip out of Hogwarts.

"How much?" Albert asked expressionlessly.

"8 Sickles," Mrs. Rosmerta replied as she went inside to warm up their butterbeers.

During the spare time, Albert surveyed the bar.

Honestly, it was much better than the Leaky Cauldron.

The bar's main hall was brightly lit, with neatly arranged tables and clean sanitation. There was no strong smell of beer, but the decorations and the medieval tavern from the games in his memory were somewhat similar.

After waiting for about five minutes, four butterbeers were placed in front of Albert, and he quickly called someone over to help carry them.

"8 Sickles," Albert took out eight Sickles and placed them on the table. He picked up one glass and walked to a table near the fireplace.

The butterbeer emitted a strong aroma of butter. Albert took a sip and felt that it was somewhat like a less greasy butter toffee. It went down smoothly with little alcohol content, more like a beverage than a drink.

"How does it taste?" The three of them looked at Albert eagerly.

"It's okay, just like a beverage," Albert looked at them and blinked. "It's like the Muggles' soda drink you guys have. Not bad, but takes some getting used to."

The three of them exchanged glances and couldn't help but burst into laughter, as if they expected such a comment from Albert.

(End of this chapter)