Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 319: Lu Ping

Green Bookstore is located not far from Three Brooms Bar. You can vaguely see the huge holly tree at the entrance of the bookstore, which is covered with colorful ribbons.

Justin glanced at the bookstore, then looked at the stunned Sheen, stopped in his tracks, and turned his gaze to the Three Brooms Bar in front of him.

This is a small, warmly lit bar. There's a sign at the entrance that reads:

"We offer butterbeer (the signature drink), lemonade, mulled mead, red wine, cherry juice and soda."

"How about we go to Three Brooms for a butterbeer? I've been wanting one for ages."

With ten minutes left before opening time, he suggested.

"it is good."

Sheen responded, and the two headed towards the bar.

Outside the bar, the wind was biting cold, making your hands feel numb, but inside the bar it was a completely different story.

It was extremely crowded, noisy, hot and smoky.

A beautiful, curvaceous woman was greeting a group of noisy male witches at the bar.

"Is that Ms. Rosmerta?"

Justin said,

"Before opening the shop, I did some research on the wizards here... I went to the bar to get three butterbeers."

He left naturally.

Sheen squeezed to the back of the bar, where there was a small empty table between the window and a pretty holly tree, next to the fireplace.

And here, there happened to be a male wizard with gray hair, tattered clothes, and a haggard, pale, and tired appearance.

"Excuse me, may I sit here?"

Sheen said.

"Please feel free to do so."

"I am tired and haggard," said the wizard.

He sipped his butterbeer quietly, pausing after each sip before gazing wearily into the distance.

There, Grimm's Bookstore still had a job posting.

Justin's offer wasn't low; fifteen gallons a week was quite good.

Ten Galleons would suffice for a wizard to barely make ends meet. The fact that fifteen Galleons could be earned simply by doing odd jobs at a bookstore made the advertisement incredibly tempting.

Not to mention the store manager's benefits—35 Galleons per week, plus room and board. There are also extra bonuses.

"Would you like to apply for the store manager position?"

Sheen asked.

"I am not qualified to do this job."

The weary wizard smiled and shook his head. He hadn't expected his emotions to be so readily apparent, to be noticed by the young wizard.

"You should apply for the job."

Sheen thought for a moment and then said.

The weary wizard chuckled to himself. The child was observant, yet seemed like someone who wasn't good with words.

Five minutes later Justin arrived, carrying three large mugs of hot, frothy butterbeer.

“Happy Halloween!”

He raised his glass and said with a smile.
"Sir, would I have the honor of inviting you for a drink?"

The sorcerer's face was half-hidden in his hood, but Sheen knew he was surprised.

Happy Halloween.

He eventually accepted the glass.

Sheen took a sip, and it was something wonderful that seemed to warm every inch of his body.

Outside, snow was falling heavily, and a sudden gust of cold wind ruffled Sheen's hair.

The door with the three brooms opened, and Sheen looked over the rim of the cup before quickly burying his head.

"Come on."

He said something.

He just vanished completely.

Justin was puzzled, but he quickly used the Disillusionment Charm to hide himself. Then he saw Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick walk into the bar in a blizzard, followed by Hagrid, whose expression was not very good.

Lupin sipped his butterbeer, his eyes narrowing.

He hadn't seen anything this interesting in a long time: two Hogwarts students who seemed to be following the rules, yet were actually breaking them...

"Felius, are you aware of what's been happening lately?"

"At the bar," Professor McGonagall asked. A woman's voice rang out:

"A small glass of violet water—"

"mine."

Professor McGonagall took the glass.

"Four pints of mead—"

The voice rang out again.

"Thanks, Rosmerta."

Hagrid said.

"A glass of iced soda with whelk and cherry syrup—"

"Ok!"

Professor Flitwick smacked his lips and said,
“The little ones have been quite frightened by that rumor lately, you know. Penelope has asked me about it several times.”

Because Hagrid was also there, Professor Flitwick did not specify what it was.

"is that true?"

Professor McGonagall appeared to be asking Professor Flitwick a question, but her gaze was actually fixed on Hagrid the whole time.

Hagrid kept his head down, drinking mead, and didn't seem to notice anything unusual.

But Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick realized at the same time—this appearance today was nothing like Hagrid.

I think so.

Professor Flitwick spoke as if by telepathy, and they saw Hagrid's body tremble.

"Things are in trouble."

Professor McGonagall said that at this point Hagrid relaxed again.

"Perhaps the problem has been resolved?"

Professor Flitwick said in a high-pitched voice.

Hagrid became nervous again.

His reactions were too predictable; he would tense up when it came to facts and relax when it came to fake news.

Most importantly, it was subconscious; he himself was completely unaware of it.

"I'm going to... I'm going to buy something..."

Hagrid mumbled something under his breath, then hurriedly walked away, and no one heard what he was saying.

Sheen watched quietly as Hagrid seemed very angry with himself, stepping into a puddle and getting his shoes covered in mud, but he didn't care.

He was a man with a rugged appearance but a sensitive mind. His intelligence was just enough to make him aware that he had done something wrong—somewhere between rarely making mistakes and being completely unaware of them.

As he walked, he arrived at the entrance of Grimm's Bookstore.

Justin was at the back assigning tasks and handing over Sheen's signed books, while Sheen stood at the door, looking at the job postings nearby, the Three Broomsticks bar in the distance, and Hagrid not too far away.

Happy Halloween! It's nice to see you here.

Sheen spoke softly, his voice sounding like rain and snow drifting into Hagrid's mind.

"Sheen?!"

Hagrid stared at him blankly.

“Sheen.”

His face fell instantly.

"I heard you, it's okay."

With a wave of Sheen's wand, the mud on Hagrid's feet disappeared.

Hagrid's lips trembled; he could never keep a secret and always got into trouble.

Last time, the way Harry got through the three-headed dog while drinking almost cost him his life, and this time he completely leaked the information about the Basilisk.

"It's ok."

Sheen added.

This matter was bound to be discovered sooner or later, and once it was reported, it would be very difficult to hide the truth at Hogwarts.

Sheen had also made plans.

The faint, silvery-white sun was shining on the ground. Hogsmeade Village was always covered in snow, with layers of white snow covering the pine branches. Sheen saw a figure walking towards them.

He said softly:

"Cheer up, Hagrid, you just spoke up for me in advance."

(End of this chapter)