Chapter 85: The Three Broomsticks

The topic of house-elves didn't continue, as Hagrid, pulling a carriage harnessed to a Thestral, approached through the morning mist.

"Hello, Hagrid, thank you for preparing the carriage for us," Professor Mori said gently and politely.

"No problem, Professor!" Hagrid said cheerfully. "Glad to help you out—hello there, kid."

He bent down to greet Wade.

"Good morning, Mr. Hagrid," Wade replied, looking up.

His gray eyes, looking cold and serene, suddenly made Hagrid's vague impression of him concrete.

"Oh, you're… you're… Wade from Ravenclaw, right? Harry told me about you…" Hagrid looked at him curiously, then, confused, added, "Uh… you should be a first-year?"

He looked at Wade, then at Professor Mori, clearly a bit awkward.

Professor Mori, though smiling, said in an unmistakable tone, "Wade is my student. I'm taking him to Hogsmeade for alchemy practice."

Hagrid scratched his head.

Although he didn't understand why one would go to Hogsmeade to learn alchemy… after all, he'd only gone up to third year in school and hadn't even fully grasped basic magic, so how could he know what conditions were required for alchemy studies?

So Hagrid hesitated for a moment, raising no further questions. He patted the Thestral's neck reassuringly, seemingly whispering something to it, then said, "Professor Mori, Wade, you can get in the carriage now. This one will take you to Hogsmeade. After you're done, it'll bring you back."

"Alright, thank you, Hagrid."

Professor Mori said courteously. He boarded the carriage first, then said, "Come on up, Wade."

Once both were seated, the Thestral trod through the thin mist and morning light, and the carriage creaked as it left the school. Behind them, Hagrid forcefully pushed the massive oak doors, closing them.

The Thestral occasionally stretched its black wings, as if wanting to fly, but ultimately continued to walk quietly on the road.

"You can see Thestrals?" Professor Mori asked suddenly, noticing where Wade's gaze fell.

"Yes."

"Who did you see die?" Professor Mori asked, then immediately added, "Oh, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to answer."

"…It was a Muggle friend," Wade said after a long pause. "Many years ago, he died of an illness… I watched it happen, watched his parents in pain and despair, but there was nothing I could do…"

His eyes were dark and somewhat hollow, as if still immersed in the sorrow of that moment.

Professor Mori patted his back comfortingly and said softly, "I understand—losing a friend is like losing a part of yourself, but time will slowly heal everything… Perhaps your friend's parents have also moved past the darkness, and even have new children."

"Hmm… perhaps so…" Wade was a little lost in thought, whispering, "I hope so…"

The carriage proceeded in silence, and Hogsmeade village gradually emerged from the mist.

Since it wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend, the small village was very quiet, with only two or three people in wizard robes walking on the street. From a distance, they could see the Three Broomsticks Inn.

Orange-yellow light streamed from the pub windows, making it look warm and bright. Through the glass, they could see it was bustling with people, seemingly quite a few customers even early in the morning.

Wade jumped out of the carriage and looked back.

"Go on in, child—I'll be in two minutes," Professor Mori said from inside the carriage. "If all goes well, I won't need to show my face. But if that fellow is late, don't hesitate, just fire him… Hmph, merely a werewolf… I'll find you someone better."

The old man's protective and domineering words made Wade laugh. He nodded and said, "Of course, I'll remember that, Professor."

Pushing the door open, the wind chimes tinkled. The pub was brightly lit even in the early morning, with two hungover wizards sprawled on tables, seemingly asleep.

A graceful lady stood behind the bar, directing a cleaning rag to wipe tables on its own. Hearing the sound, she immediately put on a warm smile, but seeing a student whose height was clearly below standard, she approached with a surprised expression.

"Child, it's not Hogsmeade weekend, is it? Did you sneak out of school?" she asked, approaching with a hint of seriousness.

"I have an appointment to meet someone here; I've already gotten permission from the Professor," Wade said, already spotting the wizard sitting in the corner. He nodded. "Excuse me, madam. Could I please have a non-alcoholic drink?"

After speaking, he walked towards that corner.

Remus Lupin, who looked even more haggard and aged than Wade had imagined, clearly having had a difficult time these past few years. He watched Wade approach, his eyes widening gradually, and a clear look of astonishment spread across his usually calm face.

"You… you are…"

"Wade Gray," Wade extended his hand, saying, "I think my father should have introduced me to you?"

"Yes, yes…" Lupin shook his hand awkwardly. "He said you had some business that needed managing, but I thought… uh… I thought you'd be older…"

"I understand. Many people assume first-year students shouldn't know anything."

Wade said, choosing to sit opposite Lupin. Embarrassingly, the pub chairs were quite high, so his feet dangled once he sat down.

Wade braced his hands on the chair seat, shifted back, and nonchalantly looked at Lupin: "Let me reintroduce myself. I am Wade Gray, the inventor of the Book of Friends, a first-year student at Hogwarts. I believe you also know that this invention has brought me considerable profit, and I have other collaborations with Aslan's Magical Workshop—ah, thank you, madam."

"Enjoy."

Madam Rosmerta, the pub owner, smiled and placed a glass of butterbeer on Wade's table. She looked at Lupin, then left. After Wade thanked her, he looked at the golden color and creamy foam, and suddenly fell silent.

—Butterbeer is non-alcoholic?

Then what knocked him out last time? Really just two chocolate liqueurs?

—Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Butterbeer must have alcohol; otherwise, why would it be called beer?

Perhaps the lady hadn't heard his request clearly.

Wade withdrew his gaze, recalled for a moment, and picked up their previous conversation: "—So I need an agent to communicate with Aslan's Magical Workshop on my behalf. Additionally, because my personal learning progress far exceeds what the school currently teaches, I also need a magic tutor."

Lupin thought about the content of the job advertisement: "—You want to learn the Patronus Charm? And Animagus?"

"More than that," Wade said. "Also the Disillusionment Charm, Apparition, and memory charms, and so on. Any magic I don't understand, I want to learn."

Lupin was silent for a moment, then asked, "—Including Dark Arts?"

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