Cassandra sent him a message, inviting him to meet at Honey Duke Candy Shop today.
"What's going on, happy so early in the morning?" Ron asked as he saw his good friend's smiling face upon waking up.
"Cassandra invited me to meet at Honey Duke Candy Shop," Harry said cheerfully, "Looks like you'll have to postpone your plan — if Cassandra sees you using the Inverted Golden Bell on her protege, I can't save you."
"That's a real pity," Ron shrugged.
He then extended a finger.
"Hey, wait." He had a sudden light bulb moment: "You said Cassandra is Malfoy's great-great-aunt, right?"
"Yeah," Harry nodded.
"And you are Cassandra's boyfriend and will marry her someday, correct?" Ron continued asking excitedly.
"Yes," Harry said, unsure why Ron was so excited.
"Then you'll become Malfoy's great-great-uncle-in-law," Ron joyously clenched his fist, "And I'm your brother, we're of the same generation — so, by rounding up, aren't I also a Malfoy elder?"
Harry opened his mouth.
He really wanted to say your great-great-grandfather was also my good brother, but decided against it.
"Kind of, yes," he nodded.
"Victory!" Ron exclaimed, "Next time I see Malfoy, I'll use this argument — definitely deadlier than any magic spell."
Harry gave a sincere thumbs up.
"I must say, you sure have a way with things," he said.
After freshening up, they went together to the hall to have breakfast.
Hermione seemed like she wanted to say something to Ron, but for some reason, kept hesitating.
"Have something warm," Ron grabbed a couple of pieces of bacon, then added more for Harry, "It's gotten colder today — look outside, it's mixed rain and snow. If we don't eat more high-calorie food, we'll feel cold."
"Where are you planning to go?" Harry asked, spearing a piece of bacon.
"To Zoko's Joke Shop," Ron said to Harry, "Fred wrote to me saying Zoko's Joke Shop in Hogsmeade seems to have shut down, asking me to confirm when I visit Hogsmeade — it appears their business is just too good."
"So you're going?" Harry glanced at Ron, "Not afraid they'll kick you out for being Weasley?"
"Even if they do, it'll be worth it," Ron said with a sacred look, "I can't help it, my two good brothers gave me so much — aside from that Dragon Skin Jacket, they also slipped me a hundred Galleons..."
Harry couldn't help it and spilled oatmeal all over the table.
"Wait?" he asked, "You mean? A hundred Galleons?"
"Indeed," Ron resolutely nodded, "A hundred Galleons, I'm willing to do anything for my brothers!"
"They truly are good brothers," Harry said appreciatively, nodding.
The temperature drop was so severe that the walk to Hogsmeade Village was uncomfortable.
Even with scarves wrapped around their lower faces, students couldn't withstand the biting cold; the exposed parts quickly got painfully numb.
"I can't breathe!" Neville hunched over, braving the wind and shouting.
Why don't you shout, "Spotlight, shine it here"?
"Just bear with it, hold on!" Seamus shouted against the wind, "We're almost there!"
Harry wasn't too bothered; he wasn't afraid of such cold winds, not because he was physically fit, but because he practiced cold-resistant magic spells.
On the path to the village entrance, bent students braving the wind could be seen everywhere.
"I can't help but think that staying in the cozy common room might be more enjoyable," Ron said breathlessly.
When they finally reached Hogsmeade Village, they found Zoko's Joke Shop boarded up.
"Sure enough," Ron said, "Zoko's Joke Shop is closed; I must tell Fred about this when I return—"
Then Ron pointed with his gloved finger at Honey Duke Candy Shop.
"Why not sit for a while at Honey Duke Candy Shop? Harry is going there too, Harry?"
They hurriedly stepped through the snow, stepping over and over towards Honey Duke Candy Shop.
"Thanks to Merlin, Gryffindor, and everything," Ron shivered as the warm, caramel scent enveloped them, "Let's spend the afternoon here."
"Harry!" a booming voice said behind them.
They turned to see Professor Slughorn, wearing a massive furry hat and a coat with a matching fur collar, holding a large bag of candied pineapple, occupying at least a quarter of the small shop.
"Really glad to see you," Professor Slughorn smiled mysteriously, "But today I'm even happier — you must be here because you accepted her invitation? Ha, Miss Malfoy, I finally get to meet the famous her."
"Famous?" Harry asked uncertainly.
"Of course, famous," Professor Slughorn chuckled, "She was the girl expelled from the family register by Mr. Septimus Malfoy, the Dark Minister, everyone knew her in our time... oh, sorry."
He noticed that Harry's face wasn't looking good and quickly apologized.
"No problem," Harry smiled at Professor Slughorn, "Then I'll head over; she's waiting for me."
"Alright, Harry, go ahead," Professor Slughorn reached out and patted Harry's shoulder.
After bidding farewell to Ron, Neville, and Seamus, Harry went up to the second floor, entering a private room.
Cassandra was inside, holding a steaming cup, lost in thought.
"Kathy, dear," Harry greeted.
Unexpectedly, Cassandra put down her cup, cheeks flushed with mild anger.
"Who's your dear! Shameless!"
"Huh?" Harry sat down beside Cassandra, smiling awkwardly, "You see, Kathy — aren't you my dear? That's really heartbreaking, as you are my girlfriend..."
"No... shameless," Cassandra tried to maintain a stern expression.
Harry had long gotten used to Cassandra's contradictory nature, cheerfully putting an arm around her shoulder.
"What's up, why suddenly come here?"
"No reason," Cassandra said stonily, "Why do you have so many questions, Potter?"
"Alright, alright, I won't ask, I won't ask," Harry conceded.
He raised his head and looked around.
"This place seems familiar," he said, "If I remember correctly, the first time you brought me to Honey Duke Candy Shop, we sat in this very booth, right?"
"Good memory," Cassandra finally cracked a smile, "I remember a certain young wizard thought I was a villain, wouldn't dare disobey me, but secretly cursed me while obeying."
"You said the latter part right," Harry grabbed a gummy and stuffed it in his mouth, "but the former part wrong — I never thought you were a villain, Kathy — I just thought you were a temperamental young lady."
This was true; Harry had never thought Cassandra was bad, though he did secretly complain about her.
"Really?" Cassandra asked with a playful smile, "I remember the nickname someone gave me—"
"Ahem," Harry coughed twice to disguise his embarrassment, "Let's not bring that up, those things happened so long ago, it's meaningless to keep talking about it..."