Chapter 188: Hog's Head

"Do you think people will actually want to be taught by me?" Chris asked Luna sitting in the library on a blustery evening at the end of September. Ginny and Colin were also there. They all were working on their Astronomy essay.

"Don't worry, they will be glad to have you," Luna smiled.

But Chris didn't feel so happy. Though she agreed to teach, the thought that people think she's a dark witch and a fourteen years old girl, made her laugh at Hermione's idea. 

Hermione was the one who first came up with this idea and as soon as Chris agreed on this, she met Cedric and explained to him about it. Cedric thought it was a great idea. He felt that by this the different houses can actually work together for a common cause. Ginny declared that Cedric, Harry and Chris will be the ones leading the group, though most of the work was done by her and Hermione. They had planned the date and place of the first meeting, also had informed all the students who want to come. They were going to use their first Hogsmeade visit.

"Have you talked to Jason about it?" Luna asked getting back Chris's attention.

"Yeah, I have. He thinks this is slightly stupid," Chris said with a sigh. "He always thought risking your neck for others is a very stupid idea."

"He couldn't be a Slytherin otherwise," Ginny said, without looking up from her book. "So I guess he is not coming?"

"No idea," Chris said. "He said he will try."

"Susan and her friends are very excited about this," Colin said grinning.

"What about Michael?" Luna asked.

"He is coming and planning to bring his friends," Ginny said looking indifferent.

"Well, I was meaning to ask, Gin," Chris sat up straight and Ginny looked up from her book. "What you and Hermione are planning to keep our meeting a secret?"

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean we need to keep it a secret from Umbridge, right? The entire thing. So what are you planning? How are we going to do it?"

"Hmm, Hermione suggested Hog's Head rather than three broomsticks for the meeting and she said she will put a jinx on the page and the quill in which the club members will write their names."

"Good idea. I will meet up with Hermione to make sure the jinx works brutally," Chris said seriously. "I hate those people who betray for their own gain."

The morning of the Hogsmeade visit dawned bright but windy. After breakfast, they queued up in front of Filch, who matched their names to the long list of students who had permission from their parents or guardian to visit the village. 

Ginny decided to with Michael and his Ravenclaw friends, and Colin said he will arrive later. So Chris and Luna left without them.

They walked down the main street past Zonko's Joke Shop, the post office, and turned up a side street at the top of which stood a small inn. A battered wooden sign hung from a rusty bracket over the door, with a picture upon it of a wild boar's severed head leaking blood onto the white cloth around it. The sign creaked in the wind as they approached. 

It was not at all like the Three Broomsticks, whose large bar gave an impression of gleaming warmth and cleanliness. The Hog's Head bar comprised one small, dingy, and very dirty room that smelled strongly of something that might have been goats. The bay windows were so encrusted with grime that very little daylight could permeate the room, which was lit instead with the stubs of candles sitting on rough wooden tables. The floor seemed at first glance to be earthy, though as Chris stepped onto it she realized that there was stone beneath what seemed to be the accumulated filth of centuries.

Chris looked around and realized that hiding faces were kind of fashion in Hog's head. There was a man at the bar whose whole head was wrapped in dirty grey bandages, though he was still managing to gulp endless glasses of some smoking, fiery substance through a slit over his mouth. There were two people wearing cloaks like Dementors and a heavily veiled witch.

"Charming," Chris muttered to Luna. "Hermione choose this place?"

Luna laughed.

The barman sidled toward them out of a back room. He was a grumpy-looking old man with a great deal of long grey hair and beard. He was tall and thin and looked vaguely familiar.

"What?" he grunted.

"Two butterbeers, please," said Chris politely.

"Make it five," a voice said behind them.

Chris turned and saw it was Ron who spoke. He, Harry and Hermione just entered the bar.

The man reached beneath the counter and pulled up three very dusty, very dirty bottles, which he slammed on the bar.

"Ten Sickles," he said.

"I'll get them," said Harry quickly, passing over the silver. The barman's eyes travelled over Harry, resting for a fraction of a second on his scar.

"Thank you, Mr Dumbledore," Chris said to the barman.

For a second he looked surprised but the next second he nodded towards Chris and disappeared behind the back door.

"Mr Dumbledore?" Harry said surprised more than anyone. 

They retreated to the farthest table from the bar and sat down,

"Yep, seems like it," Chris replied, wrenching open the rusty top of her butterbeer and taking a swig. "He looked a lot like Dumbledore and remember Dumbledore told us once that he has a brother, so it was a guess."

"A good guess," Hermione said looking impressed.

"So who's coming? You didn't invite the whole school, do you?" Harry asked Hermione. 

"And where is Ginny?" Ron asked.

"She will be here with Michael," Chris said.

Ron made a face hearing the answer, which made Luna laugh hysterically.

"They will be in a minute, Harry. You can meet them yourself," Hermione said ignoring Ron and Luna, who were both laughing now. "They should be — oh look, this might be them now —"

The door of the pub had opened. A thick band of dusty sunlight split the room in two for a moment and then vanished, blocked by the incoming rush of a crowd of people.

First came Neville with Dean and Lavender, who were closely followed by Parvati and Padma Patil with Ginny, Michael and his two friends, then Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and Angelina Johnson, Alex (Colin's roommate), Colin and his brother Dennis, Fred and George with their friend Lee, followed by Cedric, his girlfriend Cho Chang, then Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, Susan, two seventh year Hufflepuff boys, a tall skinny blond Hufflepuff boy with an upturned nose, two Ravenclaw girls on Chris's year, Irena Kyle, Melvin Catterick and two other sixth year Hufflepuffs.

Chris still looked at the end of the line, even when the door was closed. She really hoped Jason will come.

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To be continued...