Edward finished the last sip of his butterbeer just as Madam Rosmerta refilled his mug. "Still, come to think of it," she went on, "there really were quite a few goblin uprisings during that time. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if those greedy, disgraceful creatures started a rebellion over just a single Galleon."
Audrey chimed in with another question. "But after the goblins were completely suppressed by the wizards, why were they entrusted with running Gringotts? That's the institution responsible for minting and distributing wizarding currency—it's practically the lifeblood of the wizarding economy."
"Hahaha," Madam Rosmerta let out a hearty laugh. "That, I don't quite understand either. Maybe the wizards were just too dumb to wrap their heads around economics. Or maybe the goblins were the real fools—putting them in charge of finances just meant they'd be too busy with numbers to cause trouble."
"There's one theory you might find interesting," she added. "Some people say that giving the goblins control over money was actually a curse—a curse that made those greed-driven creatures see nothing but gold and Galleons. On the surface, it looks like they control the economy, but in truth, they're the ones controlled by gold. They can never walk away from it."
Edward and Audrey exchanged a silent glance. Maybe…that was one way to look at it?
"Thank you, Madam Rosmerta," Edward said earnestly, quickly jotting down everything she'd just said.
She looked at him curiously. "Is this something a professor assigned you to write? Or are you planning to publish a book?"
"Both."
"Oh." She grinned and gave him a reminder, "If it does get published one day, don't forget to include my name!"
"Of course, ma'am."
After resting for a while longer, they bid Madam Rosmerta goodbye and left the Three Broomsticks.
"Next stop, the candy shop," Audrey said cheerfully. "I want to buy a few gifts to take back."
"Sure."
Following the footprints in the snow, they made their way to Honeydukes, one of the most popular destinations for any student visiting Hogsmeade.
Audrey took a stroll around the shop first, then pointed at a shelf full of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.
The shopkeeper, Ambrosius, smiled warmly. "Looking to try some Every Flavour Beans? I promise this batch is all good flavours!"
"No thanks!" Audrey shook her head. "I want one of everything except those."
"Eh?"
Ambrosius was stunned for a moment before breaking into a broad grin. Now this was the kind of big-spending customer he hadn't seen in years!
Edward, silently watching from the side, wasn't surprised. As expected of the daughter of Loen's wealthiest family—her way of shopping really is on a different level.
Ambrosius immediately called out his wife, and the two of them got to work packing up the order. Soon, the entire counter was covered in neatly wrapped candies.
Of course, since these were student-priced confections, it all looked like a lot, but the final bill wasn't too outrageous.
Edward took the opportunity to ask the shopkeepers about Hogsmeade's history, but they knew even less than Rosmerta.
After leaving the candy shop, they headed over to Scribbulus Writing Instruments. Audrey picked out several of the most expensive, magically-enhanced quills to gift her father and older brother.
Then it was time for Zonko's Joke Shop—a place Audrey had heard Ron rave about many times.
The Weasley twins often bought prank supplies from here, dismantled them for study, then either reassembled them or modified them into new forms…with Ron as their designated test subject.
When she first heard the story, Audrey had sighed in amazement: The fact that Ron survived this long really is a miracle!
When the two entered the shop, the Weasley twins were still there, their arms full of prank gear as they tried to haggle with Mr. Zonko.
Edward caught part of their "bargaining strategy":
If the item was priced at 100, they'd offer 10, and then ask him to throw in a second one for free.
It was a testament to Zonko's patience that he hadn't kicked them out on the spot.
Of course, the twins were desperate too. They'd lost all their savings on a failed gamble recently, and the little they'd managed to scrape together afterwards had gone into printing pro-Dumbledore pamphlets.
Unable to bear it any longer, Edward interjected. "Alright, alright, stop bullying the shopkeeper already. I'll cover these for you—but that means no Christmas presents this year."
The twins hesitated briefly. One of them said, "No way. We have to get Christmas presents."
The other added, "So think of this as a loan. Don't worry—we'll pay you back soon."
"Fair enough."
As soon as they got their hands on the prank gear, the twins hugged Edward tightly.
"Edward, we love you to bits!"
Then, in perfect unison, they shoved him toward Audrey. "We're done loving him. He's yours now!"
"Thanks," Audrey said with a laugh.
The twins gave an exaggerated bow and retreated. "You're welcome~!"
Audrey chuckled. "Those two are absolute clowns. They bring joy to everyone around them…except…"
Edward finished for her, "Ron."
"So, anything you want to buy? Want to do like you did in the candy shop and tell the owner to wrap up everything?"
"And then distribute it to all the students? Mr. Filch would go insane!"
After a round of careful picking, Audrey settled on some fun but harmless prank items to gift Ron, Harry, and even Draco.
As they left the joke shop, Audrey let out a small yawn and asked, "Where to next?"
"Hmm…our last stop: the Hog's Head Inn."
"Another pub?"
"This one's different. It's more…grungy."
"Eh?"
———
The Hog's Head Inn was little more than a single, small, dark, and thoroughly filthy room. The stench of goats hit them hard even from a distance.
Thick grime coated the few bulging windows, letting barely any light through.
As the pair pushed open the door and stepped inside, they saw that everything—from the floor to the ceiling—was caked in filth. Even the butterbeer bottles were covered in dust. Compared to this place, even the pirate taverns in Bayam seemed sparkling clean.
Audrey resisted the urge to cast several Cleaning Charms and instead looked around the bar. Quite a few wizards were sitting inside, and to their surprise, Professor Snape and Professor Flitwick were seated at one of the tables, casually drinking and chatting. Neither had noticed the pair enter.
On the wall behind the bar hung a painting: a frail-looking girl holding a black-bound book, standing in front of vibrant green vines. She looked melancholic and sentimental.
Their arrival quickly drew attention from the tables near the entrance, particularly Audrey's presence. Several wizards' eyes lit up—until they noticed her Hogwarts uniform. At once, any improper thoughts were doused like cold water. After all, everyone knew Hogsmeade was Hogwarts' domain. Trying anything with students here was just asking for trouble.
At that moment, a grumpy-looking old man with an unruly tangle of long grey hair and beard stepped behind the counter, blocking Audrey's view.
"What'll it be?" he asked.
Audrey was caught off guard. This old man…why does he look like a scruffy version of Professor Dumbledore?
The man suddenly frowned. "Hmm? You two are Hogwarts students? Didn't Dumbledore tell you this place is for adult wizards only?"
His words instantly caught Snape's attention. He turned and frowned slightly, recalling the moment yesterday when she had cast the Patronus Charm.
Professor Flitwick, on the other hand, raised a hand and smiled. "Hey, Edward! Audrey! Are you two on a date?"
Audrey grinned. "Yes, Professor."
"Hahaha, how lovely. Youth truly is a gift."
Edward then addressed the old man.
"Um, Mr. Aberforth, I'm writing a paper on Hogsmeade. Would you mind answering a few questions? Anything about its culture, history, customs—anything at all would help."
The cranky man—Aberforth—grumbled, "How should I know? It's not like I grew up here!"
...Well, fair enough.
Edward had assumed, perhaps too optimistically, that since Aberforth was Dumbledore's brother and a powerful wizard, he'd also be a well-informed one.
"Alright then...but since you've run this bar for so many years, surely you've heard some interesting tales?"
Aberforth thought for a moment. "Forgot 'em."
"..."
Professor Flitwick waved them over. "Don't bother with this old goat. All he cares about is pouring drinks and cuddling his ancient goat at night. If you've got questions, you can ask me."
That worked too.
They walked over, and Edward began by revisiting the topic of the goblin rebellions, then branched into questions about Hogsmeade itself.
"You're actually asking the right person," Flitwick said, sipping his butterbeer. "As you both know, I have some goblin ancestry myself. I remember reading a few family records about the 1612 rebellion. Supposedly, the goblins wanted to storm Hogwarts and steal something—but the records don't say what exactly."
Edward asked, "Was it the Sword of Gryffindor?"
"Oh? Why do you think that?"
"I heard the sword was originally purchased from the goblins. But goblins believe anything they make always belongs to them—no matter if someone paid for it or not."
Flitwick scoffed, "Hmph! Greedy creatures. It's no wonder they've ended up the way they are."
Snape suddenly spoke, his tone flat.
"If you're interested in the goblin rebellions, why not ask the Hogwarts ghosts? Many of them were around when it happened."
"I actually did," Edward replied helplessly. "But the goblin forces were defeated before they ever breached the castle. So the ghosts only know that it happened, not what really went on."
They lingered in the Hog's Head for another half hour, draining every bit of goblin-related information Flitwick had to offer, before finally taking their leave.
"Time to go back," Edward said.
Audrey looked surprised. "You're not going to interview anyone else?"
"No need," he replied. "A Scribe isn't a detective. My job is to truthfully record what I learn. If I uncover some hidden truth, that's great. But if I don't, that's fine too."
He smiled. "Besides, the world's a big place. I'll have plenty more stories to document in the future. Next stop—Godric's Hollow, tomorrow!"
"And this afternoon?"
"You spent the morning with me, so it's only fair I spend the afternoon with you. Your call, Miss Hall."
Audrey thought for a moment. "Then…let's visit St Mungo's Hospital."
"To treat the Longbottoms?"
"Right. I promised Neville, so of course I have to at least try."
"Alright! Let's head to London for lunch first—and pick up a few supplies while we're at it."
After all, quite a few items on the Goddess's procurement list weren't the kind of things you could just grab at the last minute. He couldn't afford to wait until right before returning to the World of Mysteries like he had the last two times. By then, it would be far too late.
"Let's go!"
———
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