"I asked, when did the business of the Pig's Head Bar become so good?"
The Pig's Head Bar is still as dilapidated as ever. The wooden door in front of me creaked when touched, and half of it was even broken by the customers coming in and out. Only the other half was still sticking to its position, rocking back and forth, and groaning miserably.
Harry and the others stared at everything in front of them in astonishment, dumbfounded.
"I probably understand why," Maka said with a grin, "Well, the effect of beautiful women on attracting customers is beyond imagination. It seems that the salary Aberforth gave was not in vain!"
"What salary?" Ron asked curiously.
"There's no need for me to explain this to you. Just go in and take a look for yourself." Maka pointed to the inside of the door and motioned for everyone to squeeze in and say hello, "Let's go! We're all here, so we can't Are you going to turn around and leave? I think there should be a room upstairs."
Why do you say you know it just by taking a look? When Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the bar one by one, they immediately heard a clear and sweet female voice faintly passing through the crowd of customers and reaching their ears.
Back then, Charlotte was a famous beauty at Hogwarts, and many people knew her. In addition, she currently serves as a professor's assistant. Although she may not be seen often in class, there are still quite a few people who are familiar with her.
"Miss Werther?" Hermione asked in surprise, "Why did she come here to work as a bartender?"
"Come to make some pocket money," Maka replied, "Actually, I was the one who introduced her here in the first place - although she can get paid as a professor's assistant, and she doesn't have to spend money on food and accommodation at school, but that salary is not enough for her. Sometimes it’s not enough.”
"That's really hard work!" Hermione nodded.
"Yes! Life is not easy," Maka waved her hand, "Come on! Go say hello and go upstairs to rest for a while."
After Dumbledore's funeral, there were basically not many outsiders coming to Hogsmeade. The reason why this place is so crowded now is entirely because of the male students who came here after hearing the news - especially the majority of senior students.
Therefore, at that time, Charlotte still had to find reasons to refuse others to stay, but now no one comes to stay.
"Hi, senior!" When Maka used this old title, she couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia in her heart. "Good morning! Where is Aberforth? The old man will let you greet the guests here alone. ? Where did he hide himself? "
"Ah! Isn't this Maka?" Charlotte poked her head inside the bar and looked at Maka who squeezed in from the outside and said happily, "You still call me senior? It used to sound strange, but You'll get used to it after hearing it a few times... But you're a professor now, how dare I let you call me that!"
"No one else calls me that, so I look more unique when I call her! Otherwise, how can I attract the attention of this beautiful woman like you?"
Ever since the first entrance dinner, he and Charlotte had always talked very casually. Now that I think about it, this surprisingly pure friendship is really rare.
After Luna, who had squeezed in with him, heard this, she somehow grabbed his robe, which made Maka quite surprised. What's going on, has this little girl finally learned how to declare her sovereignty
Before Maka could have some fun, Luna leaned close to him and whispered: "Maka, I saw him, he is right there!"
"What? Who did you see?" Maka suddenly asked in confusion, thinking that this girl is not jealous, which is really a pity.
Anyway, if this girl with long pale blond hair knew what taste was, that would surprise him!
Following Luna's gaze, she glanced inside the door behind Charlotte, but found nothing. It was too dark to see anything there. God knows what Luna saw
"I'll take Harry and the others to sit down for a while," Maka said to Charlotte, "You continue to work! If Aberforth is stingy and the salary he gives you is too low, remember to tell me and I will help you find him. Order more!”
It's not that he doesn't want to chat with Charlotte anymore, but it's really not a good time to chat right now. If nothing else, at least his appearance here now has made many Hogwarts students start whispering. There is no way, he, Maca McClain, can now be regarded as an idol and a powerful star.
"Well, the boss is at the back!"
Charlotte also knew that this was not the place for small talk, so she said it bluntly. She didn't say it clearly, because the second floor of the Pig Head Bar was actually a stronghold of the Order of the Phoenix, so it was always good to avoid people noticing. And she didn’t need to say this, Maka herself understood it perfectly.
"Okay, let's talk at school when we get the chance later!" Maka nodded and led Luna back out of the crowd, letting Harry and others who were following him step forward to say hello.
There are so many people in front of the bar that they have to queue up to even talk casually. The charm of this beautiful lady Charlotte is evident.
After waiting for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to say a few words to Charlotte, Maka led them out of the Pig's Head Bar again, and led them around to the hotel with their questioning eyes. The back door of the bar.
This is a small alley. You can tell just by looking at the dust and debris in the alley. There are definitely not many people walking here.
Then Maka waved her hand towards the inconspicuous wooden door, and as a faint light flashed, a large goat's head pattern suddenly appeared on the bare door leaf.
"Ahem..." He coughed dryly at the goat's head, and then said meaningfully, "They say goat horns are better when they are bent!"
Before he finished speaking, two dots of light flashed across the goat-patterned eyes, and the door opened.
"Goat horns?" Ron looked confused, "What do you mean?"
On the day of Dumbledore's funeral, although he and Harry had been out of this bar, almost everything here was still familiar yet unfamiliar. Regarding Dumbledore's brother, they have not had the opportunity to know more about him.
"It's just a code, don't worry about it." Maka shook her head, "It's the bar owner's personal interest... On this point, you'd better not ask any more questions."
After saying that, he asked the four of them to follow quickly and walked in first.
This back door is located in the utility room at the end of the bar. As soon as we walked in, we smelled a musty smell, and it was quite strong. The smell irritated everyone's nostrils, making everyone want to sneeze a few times.
"Go faster, I don't want to be choked by this smell!" Maka pinched her nose and urged the friends to quickly pass through the oak barrel racks, and soon pushed across the utility room. Another door.
"Ah sneeze! Ah sneeze—"
After all, someone couldn't help it anymore and sneezed several times. Maka looked at Aberforth who was sitting at the table and reading a book angrily and rubbed her nose vigorously.
"I think you should take some time to clean that utility room! Can't you smell the smell there?" He complained to Aberforth who turned around.
"Humph, I don't think it's necessary," Aberforth said nonchalantly, "Anyway, I never go there myself. If you can't stand it, you can help me pack it up - I don't need anything inside."
"You still want me to work for you as free labor? What a beautiful idea!" Maka glared at him rudely, and then moved her gaze to the other side, "Since when did you have a house elf here?"
"He was starving to death. I gave him food to eat, and he cleaned the bar for me." Aberforth explained briefly, and his eyes were already looking at Harry, "There were a lot of calls that day. The kid who came to my bar to make a scene? Well... and you guys were all there that day... "
"Uh... hello, sir!"
Harry knew that the strong old man with a white beard was obviously talking about the meeting that RA had held here before it was officially established. I just didn't expect that the bar owner had a very good memory and recognized him at a glance.
Maka did not interrupt the exchange of feelings between the destined acquaintances. His attention was already attracted by the house elf standing at the table. Regardless of whether he could tell the elf's appearance, at least the layers of socks on the elf's feet were enough to indicate his identity.
"That's him," Luna said. "I just saw him behind the door."
"Who?" Hermione asked.
She is very interested in house elves, and her desire to change the living environment of these little guys has not waned at all.
"She probably said that this is the sock thief you met at Fengya Wizard Clothing Store." Maka looked at the house elf and explained casually.
At first, the house elf stared at Maka and the others with the same curiosity. But when Maka said this, his big head shook like a rattle, and his big ears swayed as he shook his head violently, looking very funny.
"Dobby didn't steal the socks, Dobby gave him money!"
After hearing this familiar self-identification, Harry was stunned for a moment, and a vague memory that had long faded away with time slowly surfaced in his mind.
"Dobby?" he murmured.
"Oh - Harry Potter, it's really Harry Potter!" At first, Harry had been standing at the back, and obviously, he was not as tall as Aberforth, so until Harry He didn't realize its existence until Lee opened his mouth, "Dobby met the respected Mr. Harry Potter again!"
Maka looked at the elf from the side, a hint of surprise flashed across her face. He didn't expect that the elf Dobby, who had inexplicably not appeared again in the second school year, would actually appear in front of everyone again at this time.
"Could it be that..." He frowned slightly, "Something happened to the Malfoy family?"