Then the day for the Hogsade visit finally arrived for the third-years.
Excitent had already spread through Hogwarts since morning.
Students finished breakfast faster than usual, talking loudly about sweets, joke shops, and butterbeer while hurrying toward the entrance hall before the teachers changed their minds.
When the village of Hogsade finally ca into view, Harry slowed slightly as he looked ahead at the crowded streets and rows of little wizarding shops.
"I really thought I was going to miss this," he admitted quietly.
Around them, third-years were already beginning to split apart into groups the mont they entered the village. So hurried toward Honeydukes while others headed straight for Zonko's Joke Shop.
Honestly, after spending weeks inside Hogwarts without proper shops anywhere nearby, the village felt exciting enough on its own.
Before the students could scatter completely, Minerva McGonagall raised her voice sharply from near the entrance.
"Rember," she said firmly, looking over the students, "you are to remain within the village at all tis."
Her expression beca stricter at once.
"And given current circumstances, I should not need to remind any of you that wandering away alone would be exceptionally foolish."
The ntion of Sirius Black imdiately quieted so nearby conversations.
Only briefly, though.
The second Professor McGonagall finished speaking, the students rushed off again, excitent returning almost instantly as the streets of Hogsade filled with voices and movent.
"Hmmmm…"
Harry looked uncertainly at the jug of Butterbeer Victor had brought over to the table inside The Three Broomsticks.
The pub was crowded with Hogwarts students escaping the cold outside, warm light filling the room while voices and laughter mixed together around them.
Ron already had his cup in hand and was drinking without any hesitation while Harry and Hermione still eyed theirs carefully.
Hermione looked down into her cup suspiciously.
"Are we actually allowed to drink this?" Harry asked. "It's called Butterbeer."
Ron nearly choked from laughing.
"Harry, it's not real beer," he said. "It's just a wizard drink. My mum lets us have it all the ti."
Victor glanced toward him.
"You sound strangely experienced explaining alcohol."
Ron imdiately looked pleased with himself.
"See? Even Victor noticed."
Hermione sighed.
"That wasn't praise, Ron."
Ron ignored that completely and took another drink.
Victor picked up Hermione's untouched cup and held it toward her slightly.
"Just drink it," he said. "You looked at the thing like it was a potion Snape brewed personally."
Hermione gave him an annoyed look before finally taking the cup back.
Harry carefully tried his own next.
The warm, sweet taste caught him off guard almost imdiately.
"Oh," he said, sounding surprised. "That's actually really good."
Ron looked deeply satisfied hearing that.
"I told you."
***
Near Shrieking Shack, Harry and Ron stood at a safe distance from the old building while wind moved through the dead grass around it.
Even during dayti, the place looked unpleasant.
The windows were broken, the wood looked half-rotten, and the whole area around the shack felt strangely colder and quieter than the rest of Hogsade. Fog drifted low near the hill, and very little sunlight seed to reach the building properly.
Ron had wanted to see the most haunted building in Britain earlier.
Now that he was actually standing near it, his enthusiasm had dropped considerably.
Harry looked toward the shack uncertainly.
"Ron," he said slowly, "do we really need to go closer to that place?"
Ron kept staring at the building for another second before shaking his head imdiately.
"Right," he said quickly. "I'm perfectly happy looking at it from here."
Neither of them moved.
Then suddenly, hands landed on both their shoulders from behind.
"You two should go inside," a calm voice said near them. "Not everyone gets the chance to feel this uncomfortable naturally."
Harry and Ron froze at once.
The voice had appeared out of nowhere.
Both slowly turned their heads—
And found Victor standing behind them.
His pale face and emotionless expression, combined with the fog and terrible lighting around the shack, nearly gave both of them heart attacks.
Ron jumped so badly he almost lost balance.
"Bloody hell!" he shouted.
Harry grabbed his chest instinctively.
"Victor! Don't do that!"
Victor blinked once, looking genuinely confused by their reaction.
"You two were already staring at a haunted building voluntarily," he said calmly. "I assud fear wasn't an issue anymore."
Hermione, who had been standing a little behind them, burst out laughing at Harry and Ron's reactions.
"If both of you are this scared already," she said between laughs, "then why did you even co here?"
Ron looked offended imdiately.
"We weren't scared," he argued. "He just appeared like so serial killer from a dark alley."
Harry nodded at once.
"And he talks like one too."
Victor ignored both of them and looked back toward the Shrieking Shack.
"So," he said calmly, "does anyone actually want to go inside? I heard the place leaves such lasting emotional damage that people flinch every ti they hear it creak again."
Then he smiled.
Wide.
Hermione's laughter stopped almost imdiately.
Ron physically stepped back.
Honestly, Victor smiling near a haunted building should probably count as dark magic by itself.
"Can't you smile normally for once?" Ron complained while recovering from the shock. "Every ti you do that, my heart nearly jumps out of my chest."
*****
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