Whenever they encountered a shop that piqued their interest, they would step inside for a look, the two of them appearing quite relaxed and at ease.
Passing by Zonko's Joke Shop, they found it similarly packed with young wizards.
Each of them was waving around Galleons and Sickles, spending freely, with the Gryffindor students being the most numerous.
Although Fred and George had already invented quite a few prank items, they couldn't compare to Zonko's Joke Shop in terms of either variety or quantity.
Among these, Dungbombs and Puking Pastilles were the most famous, especially the former, which was truly a common sight in Hogwarts pranks.
Even Fred and George themselves would occasionally come to Zonko's Joke Shop to spend money, which was often mocked by Ethan as supporting the enemy.
However, Ethan didn't spot Fred and George here today, which was a bit strange.
Weren't they bound to visit Zonko's Joke Shop whenever they came to Hogsmeade?
"George?"
Ethan called out with some hesitation, looking at the figure ahead.
Normally, Fred and George were always together, and Ethan could distinguish them based on small characteristics like their preferred way of speaking.
If relying on appearance alone, even their mother Molly couldn't tell who was Fred and who was George.
But now, with only one of them standing alone on the road outside, Ethan could only rely on intuition to guess.
"Ethan, you can tell me apart from Fred?"
George turned his head in surprise, looking at Ethan with disbelief.
His own mother couldn't do it, but Ethan, a friend of several years, had managed it.
Whose problem was that, exactly?
"I mostly relied on guessing, but it seems I guessed correctly."
"By the way, why are you here alone? Where's Fred?"
The twins were usually inseparable; if one was here, the other wouldn't be far away.
George being alone now seemed very odd.
"Over there!"
George pointed to a shop not far ahead.
Ethan followed the direction of George's finger and saw a sign that read "Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop."
This was another signature shop in Hogsmeade.
For young wizards with a sweet tooth, Honeydukes was the first choice; for those who loved pranks and mischief, Zonko's Joke Shop was the first choice.
For those craving Madam Rosmerta and wanting to sample alcoholic beverages and other various drinks, the Three Broomsticks was the first choice.
For those who liked all sorts of bizarre alchemical gadgets, especially those wanting to cheat on exams, Dervish and Banges was the first choice; they released new cheating products every year, though they still couldn't escape the professors' eyes.
And Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop was the first choice for couples on dates.
Everything inside was decorated with lace, even the small round tables; the shop also had golden cherubs as waiters.
These cherubs were similar to the dwarves that Lockhart had brought in on Valentine's Day, except the cherubs were better-looking and not as ugly as the dwarves.
"What's Fred doing in Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop?"
"Why aren't you going in? Why are you alone outside?"
Ethan couldn't figure out what Fred had to do with Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.
Of all the shops they could enter, Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop seemed the least likely.
"Sigh, go take a look and you'll understand!"
George sighed, not wanting to say more.
Seeing this, Ethan didn't ask further, took Cassandra's hand, and walked towards Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.
"Hello, Senior Edwina!"
Reaching the entrance of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, Ethan realized that the greeter was actually a Ravenclaw senior who had graduated last year.
They weren't very familiar, but they knew each other, so it was natural to say hello.
But after more than a year since graduation, he hadn't expected to see her here today, and she really seemed to be having a rough time.
"Adrian, it's you!"
"It seems Penelope lost after all!"
Saying this, Edwina glanced at Cassandra with some surprise.
When she graduated, she and several other soon-to-be-graduating seniors had speculated about Ethan's final choice, but they hadn't expected the Slytherin one to win in the end.
"You can't say that yet; Penelope hasn't lost."
Ethan glanced at Cassandra, or rather, Cassandra had lost badly.
"How have you been recently?"
Looking at Ethan meaningfully, Edwina didn't dwell on the previous question.
After all, this was about having a harem; she wasn't joining in, so why ask so much?
"Not bad; Ravenclaw won the House Cup again last year."
"But what about you, Senior? How did you end up working here?"
She was a Ravenclaw graduate after all, and her grades were decent, in the upper-middle range.
But now she was a greeter; he didn't know what to say.
This wasn't even a formal job; it was just temporary work. Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop didn't usually have greeters; only Madam Puddifoot and a few golden cherubs.
"I'm Muggle-born, with no background, no Galleons. If I want to stay in the wizarding world, I can only do jobs like this."
Edwina's expression didn't change much; the setbacks of the past year had already made her accept reality.
She didn't know how long she could hold on.
If it really didn't work out, she would have to return to the Muggle world and marry someone to get by.
"If you're willing, you can go to the Wizarding Mailbox specialty shop in Diagon Alley. They need some more people, mainly to handle overseas shipments."
The shop was expanding more and more. Last year, it was only in Europe, but this year, it had expanded to the Americas. Next, there was the Asian market. As for Africa, forget about it!
It was too poor there; they wouldn't make any money.
With Edwina's grades in school, if she had any background, she would definitely be able to get into the Ministry of Magic. The fact that she was working here meant she was definitely qualified.
"Then I'll take you seriously! I'll go after I finish work today!"
A look of joy flashed across Edwina's face. She hadn't expected to get a job from a temporary gig.
You have to know that it's very difficult for Muggle-born witches like them to get a formal job. Even the drivers of the Knight Bus and the salespersons in various shops have to fight for those positions.
And they might not even win because Hufflepuff graduates are generally given priority. After all, who wouldn't choose to take care of their own house's juniors?
“I'll contact them when I get back tonight. You just need to go there tomorrow.”
It's a pity that her secret identity can't be revealed. Otherwise, pulling together those who can't make it in the wizarding world would be a considerable force.
“Thank you, boss!”
Edwina quickly got into character.
Led by Edwina, Ethan and Cassandra arrived at a semi-open booth where many couples gathered.
And Fred was indeed there.
Opposite him sat a sturdy-looking, dark-skinned witch, whom Ethan recognized.
A member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Angelina Johnson. It's said that she's quite popular in Gryffindor, but Ethan doesn't appreciate her.
Ethan didn't expect Fred to be hanging out with her already. Ethan, who had read the original books, knew that Angelina Johnson eventually married George.
This is truly a rather melodramatic story.
Angelina Johnson was originally Fred's date for the Yule Ball, so their relationship at that time was self-evident. However, their specific relationship after graduation was unknown.
But after Fred's sacrifice in the Battle of Hogwarts, Angelina Johnson married George.
And their son was named Fred Weasley to commemorate Fred.
Ethan sat there for a long time, but Fred didn't seem to notice him. He was constantly talking to Angelina Johnson across from him.
After sitting there and drinking tea without being noticed, Ethan simply took Cassandra and left.
The purpose of this trip was to figure out what Fred was doing here, and now that the goal has been achieved.
“George, Fred has found a girlfriend. What about you?”
After Ethan came out, he found George still there, but with an even more worried expression.
“I want one too!”
George's face instantly fell.
Influenced by Ethan, Fred and George had agreed at the beginning of this school year to find girlfriends together, but Fred had succeeded, while he was still alone.
They look almost the same, so why can't he do it? This made George very sad.
“Then you should think about it more!”
Ignoring the lonely single dog behind him, Ethan continued to stroll around with Cassandra.
After all, even Ethan couldn't help with this kind of thing.
As dusk approached, it was almost time to gather. Hogwarts was having a Halloween feast tonight.
Ethan and Cassandra walked out of the Hog's Head Inn, the only bar in Hogsmeade that dared to sell hard liquor to young wizards.
The environment inside was also quite dirty and messy, but some people liked it, such as Hagrid and some people engaged in illegal transactions.
Now, it has become a small market for illegal transactions.
Chapter 172: Services That Can't See the Light of Day
By the time the young wizards returned to Hogwarts in Thestral carriages, the sky had already darkened.
Ethan had already taken Nagini back while in the carriage. Now was not the time for her to be exposed to Dumbledore, even in Hogsmeade, Ethan kept her away from the Hog's Head Inn.
Those two remember Nagini's appearance, as for the rest, they are currently very far away and rarely meet, so there is no need to worry too much.
As long as she doesn't appear in front of them or get photographed by someone, Nagini can wander around outside without any problems.
After all, Nagini can be described as a beautiful Asian witch, a range that is too broad, and it is impossible to associate her with Nagini, who disappeared decades ago.
They wouldn't believe that the current Nagini is no different from how she was back then without seeing her in person.
After sending Nagini back to Ravenclaw's secret chamber, Ethan arrived at the Great Hall. Tonight's Halloween feast was not suitable to miss.
In the course of half a day, the professors had redecorated the Great Hall.
Hundreds and thousands of candlelit pumpkins, a large group of flying live bats, and many orange banners burning with flames, floated lazily on the storm-brewing ceiling like colorful water snakes.
The young wizards gathered together in groups, mostly discussing their experiences in Hogsmeade during the day, with smiles on their faces, obviously very satisfied with their trip to Hogsmeade.
“Harry, why did you go to Hogsmeade alone today?”
Seeing Harry walking in from the outside, Ethan asked curiously.
Ethan felt like he couldn't quite understand Ron's current state.
During this period, he was honestly with Harry, and didn't lose many points in class, but he wouldn't answer questions either. He was very low-key.
“Ron said he had been to Hogsmeade before and wasn't interested in it, so he didn't go this time.”
Harry replied with a smile.
He had a great time in Hogsmeade today, especially at Honeydukes Sweetshop, where he sampled all the products.
Then he bought two large bags to bring back, including gifts for Ron.
He had also visited other famous places. For Harry, who wasn't short of money, the experience was really good.
“Do you think he's been normal lately?”
