Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 55 More money is needed

After the second floor was built, many tables and chairs in the tavern had to be moved upstairs. Professor Flitwick used a levitation spell to move these tables and chairs, while the house elves were moving oak barrels, and a new solid wooden bar was to be put up.

Hagrid saw others moving things and thought he was here to help, so he was eager to join in. However, he glanced down at the pink umbrella at his waist and a hesitant expression appeared on his face.

After careful consideration, Hagrid finally chose to use his strength. He said hello to Ms. Rosmerta and ran over excitedly to move the heaviest bar.

Dumbledore sat nearby and watched.

The heavy hardwood bar was something that could only be moved with a levitation spell, but the half-blood giant moved it directly, reaching his hands under the cabinet to hold it, lowering his waist and raising his shoulders, taking a deep breath and letting out a muffled groan.

"Ah!"

It actually lifted up. One end of the long bar rested on his belly, while the other end was raised directly. All the weight was concentrated on his hands and belly. It trembled and swayed twice, and then made a breaking sound.

Several house elves rushed over to protect them. They had been feeling aggrieved because Hagrid had taken their job, but now that they saw him break the cabinet, they did not dare to blame the tavern's guests. They could only blame themselves, crying at the cabinet and wishing they could bang their heads against it to die.

"..."

In the end, it was Professor Flitwick, who was free, who repaired the wooden cabinet. The house-elves were no longer willing to let this half-blood giant participate in the work. Every time Hagrid approached, they stared at him with wide eyes, which made him feel uneasy.

Hagrid stood there at a loss, forcing an awkward smile. Melvin couldn't help but make a few jokes, and Rosmerta and Professor Flitwick laughed out loud.

Dumbledore stood nearby, also smiling.

Then the half-blood giant ran over to watch Wright cast the Traceless Extension Spell, staring at him as he chanted the spell and as he arranged the space, his eyes wide open. The look was different from that of the elf, but it also made Wright feel uneasy, and even casting spells felt a little awkward.

Hagrid wanted to use the Untraceable Extension Charm in his own cabin. His thoughts were written on his face. Melvin and Flitwick saw it, Dumbledore saw it, and Wright saw it too. They sighed helplessly and casually talked about some beginners' spellcasting techniques.

Hagrid was very grateful. He clapped his hand on the shoulder like a fan and shouted that he would buy him a drink.

He had only learned a little about the Traceless Extension Charm, and by then the third floor had been completed. Hagrid heard that Madam Rosmerta was going to give the third floor to Melvin, so he dragged him to take a look and almost collapsed the wooden stairs that had just been built.

"What are you going to use this floor for?"

"You'll know later."

"..."

Hagrid's large face wrinkled slightly. This way of speaking was very similar to Dumbledore's, which was the kind he didn't like.

The renovation progressed quickly. In about three hours, the main work was almost completed. As it was almost lunchtime, the house-elves, who had been busy for half the day, immediately squeezed into the kitchen in the inner room.

A group of wizards dined around a round table. The dishes were classic pub dishes: beer batter-fried cod with chips, shepherd's pie made with minced lamb and vegetables, and Scotch eggs, boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and minced meat. There was also a wide selection of alcohol and drinks. Hagrid drank one glass after another, grinning from ear to ear.

Melvin and Professor Flitwick drank some craft beer, just for the sake of it.

Dumbledore smiled and did not choose the sweet eggnog or mead, but ordered a glass of whiskey.

Rosmerta asked some questions about the decoration layout at the dining table. Melvin was mainly answering, occasionally throwing out some Muggle concepts. The female owner of the tavern listened very carefully, and so did the owner of a repair shop.

The detailed work in the afternoon took even more time. After finishing everything, they said goodbye to the tavern owner.

"Just have dinner in the tavern before going back." Rosmerta warmly persuaded him to stay.

"We're going to the pub, but it's the pub at the end of the village, the Hog's Head!" Hagrid put his arm around Wright's shoulders, not caring at all about the pub owner's thoughts, and laughed gruffly, "I'm going to buy them a drink!"

"..."

Melvin and the others responded with helpless smiles.

At six o'clock in the evening, it was getting dark.

The lights of the Hog's Head Inn came on. The tattered, old wooden sign depicted a severed pig's head, bloodstains on its neck, and a strange look in its eyes, as if mocking passersby. Standing on this cozy street in Hogsmeade, compared to the other candy shops and pink couples' teahouses, this pub felt strangely out of place.

The day after Christmas, Boxing Day night.

Normal wizards were still at home reuniting with their families and friends. There were few pedestrians on the streets, and without customers there was naturally no business. Other shops were basically closed, and only the Pig's Head Bar was half-open, revealing a few patrons inside.

However, many guests covered their faces. Some wizards wore cloaks and hoods, some had half-face masks or bandages on their faces, and a few witches were wrapped in thick black scarves. There were also wizards with unnatural expressions, looking like they were wearing someone else's face.

People sat together in groups of three or four, speaking in low voices. The whispers of many people mixed together, making it not noisy, but rather eerily quiet.

Hagrid didn't feel anything unusual about this. He reached out and patted Wright, making him stagger. Then he patted Melvin on the shoulder and looked at Dumbledore and Flitwick. "Come on, you must try the Fire Whisky here. It's my treat!"

Professor Flitwick refused. "I've drunk enough yesterday and today."

Dumbledore also shook his head, his expression somewhat complicated: "You guys go ahead. If I go in, I'll probably be kicked out by the boss."

The others thought he was joking and didn't take it seriously, nor did they continue to persuade him.

Wright was no stranger to the Hog's Head. He chuckled twice, and when he saw Melvin was about to shake his head, he quickly reached out and tugged at his sleeve. "Then let's have a drink, Hagrid's treat. I'll thank you on Melvin's behalf."

Melvin turned to look at him: "?"

……

The Hog's Head Bar is very small, even smaller than the Three Broomsticks before its expansion. The main hall is cramped and, apart from a row of seats next to the bar, can only accommodate a few small round tables, which can accommodate at most twenty to thirty guests at the same time.

As he walked into the bar, a strong smell of sheep hit him in the face. Melvin frowned slightly, feeling a little uncomfortable.

Wright seemed to sense his disgust through the mask and chuckled, "You'll get used to it in a few minutes. It's not entirely smelly. If you smell it carefully, can you still smell a slight aroma of alcohol?"

Melvin took a deep breath and indeed smelled something else, but it wasn't the aroma of wine, it was the smell of moldy wood.

"..."

Half of Melvin's face was hidden behind the mask, with no expression and no discernible emotion.

To match the habits of the other patrons of the Hog's Head, he and Wright both wore masks, but Hagrid didn't. It made no difference whether he wore one or not, unless the mask could hide his nearly ten-foot height.

In fact, given the dim lighting in the bar, the role of the mask is unnecessary.

The Hog's Head Inn is similar to the Leaky Cauldron in that the first floor is a bar and the second floor is an inn. The target customers here are obviously not ordinary wizards. If a questionnaire survey could be conducted, Melvin believes that the customer base of this bar and Knockturn Alley overlap a lot.

However, the environment here was even worse than Knockturn Alley. The doors, windows, tables, and chairs were covered in years of accumulated grime and grease; a flick of the finger would produce a greasy, black residue. The floor felt peculiar underfoot; at first glance, it looked like compacted mud, but it was actually centuries of accumulated grime on stone. Because rainwater couldn't reach the interior, in some ways, it was even dirtier than the open ground of Knockturn Alley. The half-giant walked into the bar, attracting the attention of many patrons, but he paid no attention; his first action was to order drinks.

Hagrid was very experienced in this and led the two to the bar. The bar owner was standing behind the wooden cabinet. He had thick gray hair and beard, and his face could not be seen clearly. One could only tell that he was a tall and thin old man. Judging from his sharp eyes, he had a bad temper.

The person in front of me is the principal's biological brother...

Melvin looked at the owner of the Hog's Head Inn. He was tall and thin, wearing a dirty apron. Most of his face was hidden behind his unkempt beard and hair. The thick beard and hair showed no signs of being trimmed, almost like a mask. Only a pair of blue-gray, slightly cloudy eyes could be seen from under his eyebrows.

If you didn't know his identity, it would be almost impossible to associate the sloppy bar owner with the Hogwarts headmaster.

"Three bottles of Ogden's Firewhisky," said Hagrid.

The bar owner glanced at them, bent down and pulled out three dusty bottles of whiskey from under the counter. He said in a dull voice, "Thirty Sickles."

Hagrid pulled a gold Galleon from his pocket, counted out thirteen silver Sickles, weighed them in his palm, and handed them over. The wooden drawer of the till slid open automatically, swallowing the fourteen coins.

"Don't look, there's no cup."

Wright pulled Melvin towards an empty round table in the corner. "At the Hog's Head, you drink directly into your mouth, or bring your own cup."

Melvin looked back and saw the boss wiping a glass with a dirty rag. The rag was black and looked like it had never been washed. The more he wiped, the dirtier the glass became.

"..."

Firewhisky.

The wine is transparent amber in color. When it is unopened, there is a layer of blue flame close to the liquid surface, like a thin film, which does not feel warm when touched through the bottle. After opening, the flame quickly turns to bright yellow, and ripples of flames appear. There are also sporadic sparks on the surface, making a slight sizzling sound.

It is said that the inspiration came from a brewing wizard's visit to a dragon.

Hagrid didn't exchange any fancy greetings or toasts. He just unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip. He exhaled comfortably, and a smell of alcohol rushed into his nose, followed by a few wisps of orange flames.

Wright drank more slowly but just as casually, with a blaze of fire coming out of his nose, while he asked Melvin:
"I heard you rented the memory mirror to Madam Rosmerta, letting her broadcast football games in the tavern. It attracted a lot of business, and you shared in the increased profits. How much did the mirror cost to rent? Did you make a lot of money?"

"The mirror is free, and the proceeds from the game are used to buy brooms for the team. I only earn a commission."

“How much money do you make specifically?”

"Four hundred Galleons..."

Melvin looked at him suspiciously, suspecting the repair shop owner also wanted to make a deal. He didn't mind, after all, he was the one who invented the memory mirror. "Why are you asking this? Is there anyone else who wants to buy the mirror? You can just sell it directly."

"No, it's you who came up with this idea and you who provided the funds for my research and development. I can't keep the Shadow Mirror for myself."

"Is the Monk Stanley family so professional?"

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Then why ask about rent and income?"

"This matter is rather complicated..."

Wright took a sip of whiskey, waiting for the flames in his nose to die down. He was about to explain in detail when he saw the unopened bottle in front of him and asked, "Why don't you drink it?"

"Yeah, give it a try." Hagrid immediately joined in, his voice sounding a little drunk. He stood up and walked towards the back of the bar. "You guys enjoy your drink. I'm going to the toilet. I drank a little too much today..."

Wright told him to go without worry and that he would treat Melvin well.

The half-blood giant staggered away from the round table, and several eyes in the tavern followed his back.

"Uh……"

Melvin hesitated for a moment. After all, he was a professor at the school. Even during the holidays, he could not tarnish the image of Hogwarts outside. So he reached into his pocket, rummaged around, and then took out a goblet.

He opened the bottle and poured a glass of whiskey brewed by the wizard. Suddenly, orange flames rose from the glass goblet.

Wright was stunned for a moment, looked at the glass, and then looked at his deflated pocket: "Invisible Extension Spell?"

Melvin nodded silently and took a sip of the whiskey. The flame was not scorching, but a little spicy.

Wright frowned, his expression suddenly becoming serious: "Is your pocket legal?"

Melvin looked at him puzzledly: "I am a foreign wizard, why should I obey the laws of the British Ministry of Magic?"

"Don't lie to me! The Woolworth Building also prohibits the abuse of the Undetectable Extension Charm!"

"I'm in Scotland, why should I obey the laws of MACUSA?"

"You...this...I..."

Wright was stunned. The Monkstanley family had been law-abiding model wizards for generations. It had taken them several years of struggle to open a repair shop here. They had only become bolder in recent years. He had never seen such a guy walking on the edge of the law.

"Then you asked me last time in the tavern whether the stretching spell was legal?"

"You are a local wizard, you should abide by the law."

Melvin waved his hand, telling him not to dwell on such details. "Let's not talk about the Traceless Extension Spell anymore. Let's get down to business."

Wright clenched the bottle tightly, like a fist, feeling like he had a lot of words stuck in his chest. He wanted to write to the Ministry of Magic and the Magical Congress to report this guy, but when he thought of the illegal shop he opened, he finally held back:

"Old Tom from the Leaky Cauldron has also heard about the mirror. He wants to buy one. We can also work together like we did with the Three Broomsticks. You provide the mirror, he provides the tavern, and you can split the monthly profits directly."

"You're mistaken," Melvin corrected. "I lent the Shadow Mirror to Madam Rosmerta for free. The school is collaborating with the Three Broomsticks on Quidditch, and they share the profits. I'm just earning a commission."

"Then Old Tom is willing to give the school a share, so you can earn a commission."

"I mean, the Leaky Cauldron wants the Shadow Mirror, and Old Tom wants to pay for it."

"?"

Wright was about to ask more questions when Melvin suddenly turned his head to look at the back door of the tavern and asked softly:
"Hagrid, did you take too long in the bathroom?"

(End of this chapter)