Chapter 23 — Hogsmeade (II)
In my mind, Hogsmeade was something of a symbol for 'things that do not change.'
Even after a hundred years, and another seven on top of that, not much had changed. The Three Broomsticks was in the same spot, then as now, and Zonko's Joke Shop still held its ground.
There were minor differences, of course, like Ollivanders closing its Hogsmeade branch, but in the grand scheme of things, this village was the same as it had been a hundred years ago.
*—Kwoooooooar!*
Which meant that the fact it was sometimes smashed to bits by a troll under a Dark wizard's control was also exactly the same as a hundred years ago.
*—Kwoooooooar!*
*—Kaaaaaaah!*
The only difference was that this time, there were quite a few of them.
I sighed at the familiar sight and wondered, *How did things end up like this?*
***
A short time earlier.
Upon arriving in Hogsmeade, Harry, Ron, and Hermione's eyes immediately went wide.
"Wow, look at that! Is that really Butterbeer?"
"Look over there! That's Zonko's!"
Their vow to catch the pervert rumored to be haunting the village melted away in the face of civilization's temptations, which they hadn't experienced in a while.
Even Harry, upon seeing the Butterbeer shop, gulped and asked, "Hey, guys. Instead of chasing after someone who might not even exist, wouldn't it be better to just relax and have fun?"
"Yeah, let's just keep an eye out while we're at it."
As if they had been waiting for Harry's suggestion, the others immediately scattered. They must have been incredibly curious. A faint smile on my face, I asked Harry, "No matter how glamorous this place is, it's much smaller than Diagon Alley. Why are you so excited?"
Harry shook his head.
"Master, you can Apparate wherever you want, so you wouldn't know, but for shopping streets like this, it's not about *where* you go, but *when* you go that's important."
"No. You can Apparate too, can't you? You could come to Hogsmeade whenever you wanted."
Harry answered with a look of disbelief.
"Master, most wizards can't Apparate directly from Hogwarts to Diagon Alley because it's too far. And I don't even have a license yet."
"Apparition aside, you can still use the secret passages, can't you?"
"Come on, sneaking out is a completely different matter from coming out openly like this."
*This is why the great and mighty can't understand the feelings of an ordinary student.*
Harry grumbled, but it occurred to me that he himself didn't exactly fall into the category of an "ordinary student."
As we walked through the shopping street together, I noticed Harry kept glancing around, so I asked, "Harry, are you looking for something?"
"…What? Ah. No, it's nothing."
His reply was half a beat slower than usual. Sensing something, I patted Harry on the back and said, "If you're looking for flowers or something, try Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop across the street. They have a good selection of that sort of thing."
"…What?! Flowers? Why would I be looking for something like that?"
I just grinned and stared at him. Like a thief caught in the act, Harry slowly averted his gaze.
"I mean, well, it's not that I don't need them. Um. Right. It's not necessarily to give them to Ginny, you know. They could be for decorating the dormitory… No. Why are you so sharp about other people's business all of a sudden?"
I scowled at the unnecessary comment at the end.
"You little rascal. Your backtalk is getting longer these days. Is it time for me to re-establish my authority as your master?"
"Not at all! I'll go buy some flowers then! See you later!"
With a playful mock salute, Harry vanished as if fleeing the scene.
I chuckled and wandered around Hogsmeade myself.
Feeling as if I had returned to my childhood—though my body was, in fact, young—I bought and drank a glass of Butterbeer and watched what the other students were up to.
"What? You think a mere garment like this could possibly satisfy the Malfoy family?"
"Oh, is that so, esteemed customer! Then this, the most expensive piece in our shop, is surely what would suit…"
"Hmph, yes. This is what one might call proper clothing. What is the price?"
"The price is… Galleons."
"…H-how much did you say?"
"…Galleons, sir."
"...On second thought, the previous garment also had a certain excellent flair to it."
In one corner, Malfoy was acting out a pathetic comedy.
"This sword, you see, has been passed down for hundreds of years in a time-honored pure-blood family…"
"Ooooh…"
"The iron was melted at several thousand degrees, and the family's Muggle artisan forged it in a secret workshop called a 'factory' using a magical 'press machine' to create this mass-produced… I mean, high-quality product!"
"Ooooooh!"
In another corner, Neville was being swindled into buying a mass-produced iron sword that was clearly less than a year old, believing it to be a centuries-old family heirloom. And more importantly, why did a wizard need a sword in the first place?
I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh as I watched them while sipping my Butterbeer.
Speaking of which, this Butterbeer was leaving me wanting more. As much of a delicacy as it was, it couldn't compare to real alcohol.
Since I was here, why not stop by a pub for a proper drink?
With that thought, I pulled my robe's hood down and headed toward the Hog's Head.
I was just about to approach the bar to order when someone called out to me from behind.
"Aisen? What are you doing here? This is not a place for students."
I turned to find the source of the voice, and standing there was none other than Professor Lupin.
To think I'd get caught just as I reached the Hog's Head. If I'd known, I would have used Transfiguration to look like an adult before coming.
Still, since it was Professor Lupin who had caught me, I decided to be bold.
"What does it matter? I can have a drink even if my body is young."
But for some reason, Lupin's face soured at my reply.
"What kind of tone is that to take with a professor, Potter? Do you think you won't be disciplined just because we are not at school?"
*What?* I blinked, completely caught off guard by his words, and asked again in a more formal tone. (TN: Aisen switches from informal to formal speech.)
"Could it be that you still haven't heard from Albus?"
I thought he would have gone straight to Albus to ask about my identity last time. Did he really not ask?
When a bewildered Lupin couldn't answer, I asked again, "Then you haven't heard anything from Sirius either?"
"…Why are you bringing up Sirius?"
"What about Snape?"
"...Sirius and Snape? No, don't tell me."
At that point, I started to get a rough idea of what was going on.
"So no one really told you."
I had never thought it was something that had to be desperately hidden.
While I preferred to avoid my friends finding out, I didn't really care otherwise.
Had the people around me thought differently? It seemed they had done a thorough job of hiding my identity from Lupin. …Should I thank them?
Lupin's eyes were trembling as he looked at me, so I instinctively used Legilimency to read his thoughts.
What Lupin was recalling was a recent memory.
Ah, so Snape had at least hinted that there was something he didn't know.
And then, he had left the house in a rather outrageous state of undress… good heavens. They call him a werewolf, but he's truly no different from a beast.
Having read that far, I shot Lupin a look of contempt and asked, "By the way, so the perverted eccentric was you, Professor."
"It was not!!"
He seemed to have been suffering quite a bit from the recent rumors, because even in his confusion, he managed to hear that and shout in anger.
"That rumor is a misunderstanding! It's nothing but baseless gossip, so don't listen to… it…"
Lupin's voice trailed off as he realized where he was standing.
We were in the Hog's Head. Probably the place in the entire magical world where rumors spread the fastest.
His already pale face turned even whiter as he realized his mistake.
"A rumor? What rumor?"
"Tsk, this guy must be from out of town."
"Yeah, what other rumor could there be these days?"
"But what does that guy have to do with the rumor?"
"Wait, isn't that the new professor at Hogwarts?"
Hearing them talk about him, Lupin quickly pulled his hat down low. Unable to bear standing there any longer, he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and whispered, "Aisen. It seems we have much to discuss, but I beg you, could we please move to another location first?"
"Ah, yes. Of course. Um… but if you could just remove your hand."
I subtly slipped out from under Lupin's arm. He looked at me with a wounded expression.
What can I do? The thought of being touched by an exhibitionist who wanders around Hogsmeade naked is terrifying.
I quickly followed Lupin as he rose from his seat.
Perhaps because of that, I failed to notice the gaze of a witch who was watching us from a corner of the Hog's Head.
***
As I walked alongside Professor Lupin, whose face was beet red as he coughed awkwardly, he finally spoke.
"So."
"I know the rumors are exaggerated, so don't worry."
"No, that's not it!"
Lupin cleared his throat and was about to ask me another question when a voice came from behind.
"Aisen! Oh, Professor, you're here too."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking toward us, having seemingly finished their shopping.
Harry was holding a paper bag with flowers peeking out, Ron had an assortment of women's accessories whose purpose I couldn't even guess, and Hermione was laden with all sorts of writing supplies.
Lupin offered a faint smile and asked, "Ah, children. It's been a while. What brings you to this part of town? It must be boring with no one around."
The look on Lupin's face after he heard the next response was truly a sight to behold.
"Well, a rumor's been going around that there's a crazy pervert from the Hog's Head who walks around without clothes on. They say he's one of our school staff!"
"..."
"Professor?"
*Thud.*
While Ron and Hermione were bewildered, Harry, who had mastered Legilimency, instantly saw through to Lupin's secret and dropped his paper bag.
Hermione, whose perceptiveness was second to none, looked from the completely frozen Lupin to Harry, who had dropped his bag, and slowly shook her head in disbelief.
"…It's not true, is it, Professor?"
"I don't know what you're thinking, but I can assure you that whatever it is, it's not true. First, if you would just listen to my story…"
*KABOOOOOM!*
A tremendous explosion erupted from the middle of Hogsmeade. The very ground shook. We exchanged glances for a moment, and then, as one, we all dashed toward the source of the sound.
And what we found there was, as expected, a horde of trolls, smashing up shops in what seemed to be a furious rage.
I muttered, "Honestly, is this damned Hogsmeade under some kind of curse that makes it easy for trolls to attack?"
***