The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 62 Beating Workers

It was not until the afternoon that Ada returned to the Leaky Cauldron, which was crowded with people chatting and drinking. People from all over the country would come here to sit as long as they arrived in London.

Several old witches gathered in a corner, muttering to each other, without touching the mead in their cups. The wizards were drinking fire whiskey, and no one knew what made them so happy.

The oddly dressed short wizard and the unkempt bearded wizard were discussing the contents of "Today's Transfiguration" intensely. If no one had stopped them, they would probably have started fighting.

All kinds of wizards came and went in the bar, making this small bar very lively.

The waiters in the bar were busy serving the guests. They were carrying trays and moving among the crowd. Some of the anxiously waiting guests complained loudly from time to time.

The bar owner Tom could no longer stand at the bar and wipe the wine glasses calmly. He was also busy. He grinned with a toothless mouth like a walnut and smiled ingratiatingly at the customers in the store.

The noisy and chattering bar did not annoy Ada. Instead, she found these noisy wizards very interesting, so she did not go back to the room upstairs directly.

Although she had been to the Leaky Cauldron last August, she just passed by and did not stay, so naturally she did not see such a lively scene.

After solving the work problem, Ada naturally had the leisure to look at the guests in the bar. Some of them were dressed luxuriously, while others were dressed ordinary; some were in high spirits, while others were in a hurry. The current appearance of these people might be Ada's future.

Ada was standing against the bar, holding a small cup of tea in her hand. Although Tom let her stay here, he did not provide Ada with any alcohol. Ada could only drink tea and water.

From time to time, a few guests would push open the door and walk in. Some were going to Diagon Alley to shop, while others just came to the bar for a drink, or to meet up with a few old friends and chat.

These people would take a look at Ada after coming in. People who are good-looking would naturally make people want to take a second look, and Ada leaning against the bar was too conspicuous.

With dazzling long golden hair and wearing dark wizard robes, if she wasn't so young, someone would have come up to chat her up. I just don't know if the wizard's way of chatting her up is cliché or full of new ideas.

If Ada were given a better-looking robe and stood in front of Madam Malkin's robe shop or Tuofan's clothing store, she would definitely be a living signboard and could serve as a poster girl, but neither of the two bosses had this idea.

After being busy for half a day, Tom finally returned to the bar he had been longing for. His hands were shaking as he wiped the wine glasses. There was a lot of work to do today, and the skinny old man was really exhausted.

"It's a mess here, why don't you go back to your room?" Tom asked.

In Tom's opinion, Ada, who was leaning against the bar, was a bit of a hindrance. She didn't drink, so he couldn't make much money from her. The Leaky Cauldron didn't need an immature sign girl like Ada. She was far inferior to the still charming Mrs. Rosmerta.

"I would like to try some sherry. Some people compare it to 'Spanish sunshine in a bottle'. Can you sell me a glass?" Ada shook the teacup in her hand, as if it contained sherry instead of tea.

Old Tom shook his head. He couldn't provide these alcoholic drinks to the underage Ada.

"Gamp's aged social wine is also fine. I heard that you can get a reward of 100 gold galleons after drinking a pint." Ada continued.

After the implementation of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, the then Minister of Magic, Gamp, allowed the Leaky Cauldron to continue operating, so the bar owner at the time created this brand of beer, but it is said to be very unpalatable, very, very, very unpalatable.

How could such an appallingly unpalatable wine be passed down? Old Tom certainly couldn't produce it. He took out a bottle of butter beer from under the bar and said, "This bottle is mine." Ida tasted the butter beer and found it quite delicious. This wine tasted sweet and had a low alcohol content. Ida felt that it was more like a drink than wine.

This wine is very popular with underage wizards because they can only drink this low-alcohol beverage, and they can only drink fire whiskey when they come of age.

Looking at the endless stream of customers in the bar, Ada naturally understood what old Tom meant, but Ada didn't want to go upstairs. She felt that staying downstairs was more interesting than going upstairs to read.

"Since you're treating me to butterbeer, I'll help you!" Ada, who loves reading and whose image has collapsed, walked into the bar under Tom's surprised gaze, "No need to calculate the wages!"

Ada stood at the bar. Although she was a little flustered at first, the unruly system came online again and gave Ada a progress bar for [Bartender]. Moreover, this progress bar could be upgraded. The name of the next level was [Bar Owner].

"Five glasses of mead!" said the waiter.

"Five glasses of mead are ready." After Ada filled the wine, she placed it on a tray and handed it to the waiter.

The waiter did not hear Tom's voice but a strange female voice, so he stared blankly at Ada who was pouring wine and did not even notice that Ada reached out for money.

Ada knocked lightly on the bar counter with her knuckles. The waiter finally realized what was happening and gave the money to Ada. He asked, "Who are you? Why are you here? Where is Tom?"

The three philosophical questions did not get Ada's answer. After putting the coins into the money box, Ada continued to be busy. Just now, a wizard who looked a little down and out ordered a glass of brandy.

The waiters quickly became familiar with the "new" bartender Ada. It was always better to deal with Ada than old Tom, not to mention that Ada could complete the job efficiently.

If the guests ordered at the bar, Ida would just hand them the drinks, and the guests just thought Ida was a relative of old Tom. They were just a little curious about how Tom, who was not good-looking at all, could have such a good-looking relative.

If you place your order through a waiter, the waiter will loudly notify Ada to prepare drinks or food, or use magic to make the order fly directly into Ada's hands.

Old Tom walked among the guests, afraid of neglecting them. He would occasionally glance at Ada at the bar. Ada handled everything skillfully, which made Tom wonder if Ada had worked in this line of work before going to Hogwarts.

In just one afternoon, not only the waiters were familiar with Ada, but even the guests in the bar were familiar with her. Ada got along well with the guests. She just didn't like to communicate with others, not that she couldn't get along with others.

Standing at the bar as a bartender might seem like a waste of Ada's time, but in fact, she gained a lot from it.

The guests in the Leaky Cauldron were a mixed bunch, and their small talk contained many things that Ada was interested in. Vampires, ghouls, and various dark creatures all helped Ada expand her knowledge and hear many rumors that she could not find in books.

These rumors may sound a little unbelievable, but Ada is very yearning for them. After she graduates, she also wants to travel around the entire wizarding world and explore various countries.

With Ada's help, the waiters were no longer in a rush, and they were able to take better care of the bar's business. Although it was a bit exaggerated to say this, Ada's bright smile illuminated the dim bar like a little sun.

(End of this chapter)