Hogwarts: Don't call me the Staff Maker

Chapter 791 At the Pig's Head Bar

Pig Head Bar was unusually closed today, making it much quieter than usual, but it also felt more eerie.

Aberforth heard rustling footsteps hurrying past him. He drew the curtains tightly, making sure there wasn't a single gap, and then locked the bar door.

"Don't lift the invisibility cloak, come with me."

Harry and his two companions hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to believe him.

The three followed behind, passing through a dilapidated, dirty bar table covered in sawdust, then through a door, and saw a rickety wooden staircase behind it.

Seeing the bar owner walk up, the three of them quickly followed.

The rooftop is the living room, covered with a worn-out carpet and a small fireplace. Above the fireplace hangs a large oil painting of a blonde girl gazing tenderly into the room.

Harry stopped instinctively.

Ron, who was at the front, didn't notice for a moment and took two more steps forward, sliding the Invisibility Cloak off Harry.

"what!"

Hermione gasped and reached out to pull Harry inside.

"It's not necessary. They won't follow us here," Aberforth said, turning around and looking at the three of them with his blue eyes.

"What were you thinking, you stupid fools, coming all this way?"

"Thank you." Coming to his senses, Harry looked away from the painting and at the furious bar owner in front of him.

"I don't know how to thank you enough; you saved our lives."

The bar owner grumbled a few words angrily.

"Sorry, we'll be leaving now," Hermione said.

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that," Aberforth sneered.

"Why?" Hermione suddenly tensed up, secretly reaching into her pocket to grip her wand.

Aberforth's eyes flickered, but he pretended not to see her little gesture.

"Why? You don't think Hogsmeade only has those Death Eaters we just saw, do you?"

"Isn't that right?"

"Of course not," Aberforth said. "There are only a small number of Death Eaters here, about a dozen or so."

"A dozen or so Death Eaters—and only a small number?" Ron blurted out.

But Aberforth only glanced at him.

"Of course, after all, according to Ollivander, there are over a hundred Death Eaters hiding around here. In comparison, there aren't many Death Eaters here."

"More than a hundred—" Ron's face turned pale instantly, and he felt his legs go weak in waves.

"Actually, I'm more curious about how you got here without being discovered." Aberforth looked the three of them up and down.

Based on the clues he had just observed, the Death Eaters had already occupied every road leading to Hogsmeade. No outsider could get in without them, especially three fugitives personally wanted by Voldemort.

"We Apparated to this place, and it was the wrong Apparition," Hermione said. "We were trying to go to a Muggle street."

"No wonder." Aberforth nodded after hearing Hermione's explanation.

They were incredibly lucky. If they had been just a little closer, they would have been caught red-handed in Hogsmeade Village; if they had been a little further away, they would have been caught by Death Eaters as well.

Fortunately, they appeared right between the two encirclements, thus escaping unscathed.

Harry and his two companions were also startled; they never expected that this place would hide more than a hundred Death Eaters.

"You just mentioned Ollivander, was it Siron Ollivander?" Harry asked thoughtfully.

“That’s right,” Aberforth said. “He came to Hogsmeade hoping we could help him find the Death Eaters who are hiding.”

"I understand." Hermione's eyes lit up. "After the Death Eaters take over this place, only people like you who originally lived here will be able to avoid arousing suspicion if you appear nearby."

Aberforth nodded, then turned and used his wand to turn on the lights in the room.

"I know who you are!" Harry said suddenly, looking at his back. "You are Aberforth Dumbledore."

"Who?"

Aberforth remained noncommittal and continued bending down to light the fire. He had never intended to hide his identity; otherwise, he wouldn't have brought Harry and the others here.

"Wait, I'm a little confused." Ron looked at Harry. "What did you just call him? Albus Dumbledore?"

"It's Aberforth Dumbledore, Headmaster Dumbledore's brother," Harry explained, looking up at the painting on the wall. "I've seen this painting in the Headmaster's office; the girl in it is their sister."

Ron and Hermione both stared wide-eyed, probably not expecting that Dumbledore had a younger brother.

Aberforth paused for a moment as he lit the stove, and his mouth moved slightly.

"He doesn't deserve to be Ariana's brother."

"Sorry, what did you say? I didn't hear you," Harry asked.

"It's nothing." Aberforth seemed unwilling to continue the topic and turned to leave the room.

A moment later he returned with a large loaf of bread, some cheese, and a jug of mead, which he placed on a small table in front of the fire.

The heat from the stove carried the aroma of bread and cheese, and the three of them immediately felt their stomachs rumble.

They hadn't eaten for a long time, and after experiencing Voldemort at Riddle Hall and the Death Eaters at Hogsmeade, the hunger and fatigue that had been building up suddenly surged up after they relaxed.

"Eat quickly."

After receiving Aberforth's permission, the three men immediately stepped forward and began to eat and drink voraciously.

Well, the cheese was alright, the bread was hard, and the mead tasted weird, kind of like a fake, but for them now, it was a rare treat.

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the crackling of the fire and the sounds of chewing food.

Aberforth didn't come over again until the three of them had almost finished eating and Harry and Ron were sitting drowsily in their chairs.

"Well then, we need to come up with a way to get you out of here."

He lifted the curtains and glanced outside.

"You stay here for now. After dawn, I'll find a way to get you out of Hogsmeade. I know a path that avoids Death Eaters and leads you into the forest. It's dangerous, but at least it will get you away from the Death Eaters. Besides, the magic there is chaotic, so you don't have to worry about being tracked even if you use Apparition."

Hermione nodded. If that were true, the Forbidden Forest would indeed be a good place. Compared to the Death Eaters, those magical creatures were practically harmless.

However, before she could say anything, Harry shook his head seriously.

"No, we're not leaving," Harry said. "We need to get into Hogwarts."

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