After parting ways with Harry and the others, Sherlock headed straight toward the Three Broomsticks pub, with Hermione and Luna following close behind.
The snow beneath their feet crunched as they walked, leaving a trail of footprints of varying depths.
The wooden door of the Three Broomsticks seemed to radiate warmth even from a distance.
The moment Sherlock pushed it open, a wave of heat mixed with the sweet aroma of butterbeer rushed out, instantly dispelling the cold clinging to their bodies.
The pub was already quite crowded. The wooden tables gleamed from polishing, and the copper tankards on them reflected the dancing flames from the fireplace.
Wizards were raising their glasses to toast one another, calling out "Another round!"
Behind the bar, Madam Rosmerta was attending to customers. When she spotted them entering, she smiled and nodded at Sherlock.
Luna immediately remarked, "Sherlock, she seems to know you."
"That's right," Sherlock nodded.
During his first year, he'd visited here with both Hagrid and Flitwick on separate occasions—it would've been hard not to be remembered.
"You're finally here," came Gemma's voice from a corner.
She sat by the window with an untouched butterbeer in front of her. Sunlight streaming through the glass fell on her hair, turning her chestnut locks a pale gold.
"Let's go join her," Sherlock said.
As the three approached, Gemma immediately stood up.
"I've asked Madam Rosmerta to keep some hot butterbeer for you. Just a moment." She reached out to take Hermione's wrist, guiding her to the seat beside her, then headed toward the bar.
Hermione felt somewhat overwhelmed by Gemma's enthusiasm.
Sherlock just smiled and said, "Have a seat first."
Hermione sat down as suggested.
Just as Gemma had promised, no sooner had Sherlock and Luna settled in beside Hermione than Gemma returned carrying three steaming butterbeers.
She distributed the mugs to each of them, her gaze lingering on Hermione with a hint of teasing.
When Hermione caught that look, she recalled the "devil's whisper" from before, and her fingers unconsciously gripped the hem of her skirt in embarrassment.
Sherlock's eyes swept across the table, quickly noticing that Gemma's butterbeer remained untouched. "Have you been waiting long?"
"Not too long—just about fifteen minutes."
Gemma picked up her mug and gently swirled the butterbeer inside, causing foam to spill slightly over the rim.
Luna surveyed their surroundings with an unchanged expression, then asked curiously, "Gemma, is it always this crowded here?"
"As you can see," Gemma replied, her fingertip lightly tracing the side of her glass.
"The Three Broomsticks is arguably the most popular place in all of Hogsmeade. Unless they're particularly busy, almost everyone who visits the village stops here for a few drinks. It gets especially lively on weekend days each month because of the Hogwarts students. Of course, this is also because the pub itself is outstanding."
Luna nodded, thought for a moment, then asked, "Is Romania fun?"
Her eyes sparkled brightly, clearly fascinated by the dragon reserve where Gemma had worked. The enormous leap between topics meant nothing to her.
"That depends on how you define 'fun'—in my view, it was certainly quite interesting..." Gemma smiled and began recounting her experiences as a dragon handler in Romania.
Her tone was vivid, and when she reached the exciting parts, Luna couldn't help but gasp with delight.
Hermione was somewhat surprised to discover that Gemma and Luna were getting along remarkably well.
Luna's curiosity about magical creatures perfectly matched Gemma's extensive experiences. The two traded stories back and forth, their conversation flowing without pause.
After exhausting the topic of dragons, Luna brought up how Professor Grubbly-Plank had been substituting for Hagrid's classes.
Upon hearing that Professor Grubbly-Plank was well-received among the students, Gemma nodded, her tone was becoming more serious.
"Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank—I know of this professor. She graduated from Ravenclaw House years ago and achieved excellent results in both her O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. examinations.
Before Hagrid, the Care of Magical Creatures professor was Silvanus Kettleburn—you never had him as a teacher, but at that time, Grubbly-Plank was already Kettleburn's assistant. Actually, when Professor Kettleburn retired, we all assumed Grubbly-Plank would take over his position."
"But it was Hagrid who ended up with the job," Sherlock said, taking a sip of his butterbeer. His tone was flat yet perceptive. "That's precisely why Rita Skeeter's article gained traction with the public."
"Objectively speaking, Dumbledore's choice of Hagrid did involve some personal sentiment," Gemma said openly, pointing out the crux of the matter without hesitation.
"In my opinion, Hagrid's knowledge of magical creatures is no less than Professor Grubbly-Plank's, but when it comes to teaching methods, he falls somewhat short."
"Not somewhat—he falls far short," Sherlock stated more directly, offering his assessment without mincing words. "From what I've observed during this time, Grubbly-Plank is knowledgeable and clear-headed, far more suited to this position than Hagrid."
Hermione couldn't help but sigh, setting down her mug. "Clearly everyone thinks so. Thank goodness he listened to your advice at the start of last year, or he would've been exposed long ago."
"I actually found those Puffskeins quite interesting—it's a pity he's barely giving them out this year!" Luna suddenly burst into laughter, her bell-like giggle standing out even in the noisy pub.
"Exactly, which is why Rita Skeeter claimed the students had been bribed—though that wasn't Hagrid's intention, he certainly achieved that effect," Hermione said, unable to suppress her own laughter.
Sherlock and Gemma laughed as well, and the area around their table filled with cheerful energy.
Meanwhile, things weren't going as well for Harry.
After parting with Sherlock, he'd led Cho Chang and Ginny through nearly half of Hogsmeade's main street. In the end, they confirmed that none of the shops contained any sign of Hagrid's massive form.
Fortunately, both Cho and Ginny understood his anxiety and harbored no resentment toward his single-minded search for Hagrid. In fact, both girls were actively helping him brainstorm ideas, which warmed his heart.
It's wonderful to have friends like these, he thought.
"What if he simply didn't come today? With his build, if he were here, he'd definitely attract attention," Ginny said somewhat defeatedly, sucking on a strawberry-flavored sugar stick as she watched the wizards passing by on the street.
Earlier at Honeydukes, she'd wanted to buy several more boxes of Fizzing Whizzbees, but because Harry had been so focused on finding Hagrid, she'd lost her enthusiasm for selecting sweets.
Cho nodded in agreement, her breath forming white clouds that quickly dissipated in the cold air. "Perhaps we could wait at the Hog's Head or the Three Broomsticks? He might show up at one of them?"
Harry looked at Cho gratefully. Even if she hadn't suggested it, he'd been planning to do exactly that.
"Harry, you really don't need to worry so much," Cho said gently, looking at him. "As long as Dumbledore is around, Hagrid won't come to any harm."
"You're right, but he won't even see us now," Harry said, sounding dejected.
"We'll go find him again when we get back today," Ginny declared, raising an eyebrow with characteristic boldness. "If he still won't open the door, we'll blast it open with magic!"
Both Harry and Cho couldn't help but laugh at Ginny's suggestion.
After the laughter subsided, however, Harry suddenly thought it might actually be a decent idea. While breaking down a teacher's door sounded rather extreme, he believed that even if he did such a thing, Hagrid wouldn't give him detention.
After all, Hagrid had avoided me first, Harry thought indignantly.
Next, Harry led Cho and Ginny down a quiet side alley. Their destination was the Hog's Head.
Partly to check whether Hagrid might be there, as Cho had suggested, and partly because he'd arranged to meet Sirius at the Hog's Head.
Compared to the Three Broomsticks' lively atmosphere, the Hog's Head looked considerably more decrepit. Paint peeled from the wooden door, several empty barrels were stacked by the entrance, and the cold wind swirled dead leaves in circles near the doorway.
Harry pushed open the heavy wooden door, and a smell mixing malt beer, tobacco, and mustiness immediately assaulted his senses.
The lighting inside was dim, with only a few yellowing oil lamps hanging from the ceiling. Wizards sat scattered at corner tables in twos and threes, most wearing hats or scarves that obscured much of their faces.
Sirius, tall and handsome with his face uncovered, stood out conspicuously. Upon spotting the three of them, he immediately waved, his eyes glinting with unconcealed delight.
Even though they only met once a month, he never wanted to miss it—especially seeing Harry walking in with two pretty girls.
"Harry, Cho, Ginny—hello!" Sirius said as the three approached. He stood and clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Sorry, I can't stay long today. I have matters to attend to."
Cho and Ginny sat down on chairs across from him, looking somewhat self-conscious as they regarded Sirius. Though they'd met Harry's godfather more than once, they still found themselves drawn to that combination of casualness and sharp intensity in his bearing.
"That's all right. I'm just glad to see you," Harry said with a smile, warmth spreading through his chest. Sirius had made time to see him despite being busy—that consideration meant the world to him.
Sirius picked up his glass and took a sip of beer, then looked at Harry with unmistakable pride. "Remus told me about the first task. You three were magnificent getting past those dragons! Especially you, Harry—staying calm in front of a Hungarian Horntail is far better than I would've managed at your age. If it had been me, I probably would've gone weak in the knees the moment I stepped into the arena."
Harry scratched his head self-consciously while Cho and Ginny smiled. The Hogwarts champions' performance in the Triwizard Tournament had been remarkable, and they felt proud of it too.
"And thank you both as well," Sirius said, turning to Cho and Ginny with a gentler expression. "Thank you for being willing to dance with Harry at the Yule Ball. This boy can be too introverted sometimes—I'm grateful you were there for him."
Cho's cheeks flushed slightly as she murmured, "You're welcome."
Ginny waved dismissively with a smile. "We're friends—it's what friends do."
After a few minutes of light conversation, Harry's expression gradually grew serious as he told Sirius everything about Hagrid—Rita Skeeter's article, Hagrid's "disappearance," and his purpose in coming to Hogsmeade to find him.
"I saw that article too," Sirius said, his face darkening as his fingers tightened around his glass. "Rita Skeeter—that woman still loves stirring up trouble. Don't worry, Harry. I have ways to make sure she never dares write such things again."
Hearing the harsh edge in Sirius's voice, Harry felt alarmed, realizing his godfather was genuinely angry.
"No!" Harry shook his head firmly. "Sherlock said he's already handling this. We just need to wait a bit longer."
Sirius had mentioned using extreme measures before, and Harry had talked him out of it. He certainly didn't want him choosing that path again.
"Sherlock? What can he do?" Sirius asked curiously.
"I don't know," Harry sighed. "But he said he can make her shut up permanently soon—that she'll never write such rubbish again."
"Shut up permanently? I like the sound of that!" Sirius's eyes lit up. "Since the kid said that, I suppose I can wait and see!"
Having successfully dealt with the matter between him and Peter Pettigrew, Sirius had considerable trust in Sherlock.
"By the way, it's just the three of you—didn't Sherlock come to Hogsmeade today?"
"Er... Gemma invited him and Hermione to the Three Broomsticks..."
"Gemma? That's the Farley girl, isn't it!" Sirius laughed. "So, he's got three girls around him now!"
The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listeners took notice.
Sirius had merely stated a fact, yet Cho and Ginny exchanged barely noticeabkle glances. Their eyes met briefly before both looked away, their faces flushing slightly.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Sirius checked his watch and stood up. "I should go. You three should head over to meet Sherlock and the others soon as well."
He picked up his cloak and draped it over his shoulders, gave Harry a few more reminders about staying safe, then turned toward the back door of the pub and quickly disappeared into the shadows.
Harry and the other two also stood and headed for the exit.
"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks now. Maybe we'll run into Hagrid there."
Cho and Ginny nodded and followed Harry out of the Hog's Head, walking toward the Three Broomsticks.
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