Criticism aside, Hermione was merely making an observation. As an outsider, she had no right to interfere with Harry or offer him unsolicited advice.
However, since Harry hadn't secured permission from Professor McGonagall to visit Hogsmeade village and hadn't managed to slip through the cracks, he would probably abandon this notion and dutifully remain within Hogwarts castle, wouldn't he?
He surely wouldn't sneak out of Hogwarts and dash off to Hogsmeade for a solo adventure...
...would he?
As time flowed onward and days slipped by, Halloween Eve was fast approaching, which meant the long-awaited opportunity for authorized young wizards to visit Hogsmeade village for the first time this academic year was nearly upon them.
Consequently, the word "Hogsmeade" appeared in conversations throughout Hogwarts with considerably greater frequency than before. However, only the young wizards who had just advanced to third year were genuinely thrilled. The upper-year students showed lukewarm interest—though pleased enough, this excursion had become rather optional for them, wearing the jaded air of those who'd grown weary of familiar pleasures.
Even so, when younger students approached them seeking intelligence about Hogsmeade, they would still patiently and thoroughly share their wisdom with the eager inquirers.
Such as which spots were entertaining, which locations were worth visiting, which venues were perfect for couples to share intimate moments...
And so forth. Though the prospect of visiting Hogsmeade no longer held much allure for them, sharing their accumulated insights and experiences with the younger students remained quite rewarding.
Hermione was obviously extraordinarily dedicated to information gathering regarding this expedition. Collecting data, analyzing it, and refining her strategies—this had become her recent spare-time obsession.
However, intelligence gleaned from others could only serve as reference material, since everyone approached experiences from different perspectives and harbored different preferences. She'd still need to witness everything firsthand to form her own conclusions.
Having contemplated extensively, Hermione cheerfully scrapped her entire elaborate plan.
There was no need to impose such rigid frameworks on something as simple as having fun. Later, she'd simply follow wherever her friends and Glenn wished to explore.
The little girl shared her decision with Glenn. He fell silent momentarily, then quietly dismantled all the route planning he'd been meticulously crafting during this period.
After hearing Hermione's subtle complaint previously, he had attempted to tackle this particular challenge. Although such endeavors proved somewhat difficult for him, Glenn was a brilliant student after all, and had managed to compile something coherent despite the obstacles.
Now it was all rendered useless.
However, Glenn felt neither regret nor resentment about this development, since his original instinct had been to improvise as circumstances demanded.
Different paths converging toward the same destination, as it were.
Within the gradually brightening atmosphere, Halloween Eve arrived at last.
Come to think of it, hadn't the general mood been fluctuating rather dramatically lately?
Ah well, never mind that.
The weather had turned bitterly cold due to prolonged precipitation, and moisture in the air had condensed into tiny droplets floating about, creating ethereal mist.
Beneath the drifting clouds and fog, the young wizards departed Hogwarts castle like excited holidaymakers, laughing and frolicking as they prepared to traverse the winding path ahead all the way to Hogsmeade village to feast their eyes upon the magnificent scenery of the wizarding settlement.
However, everyone's jubilant spirits evaporated instantly upon encountering the two Dementors stationed as sentries at the main gates.
Bloody hell!
The young wizards clustered together protectively, desperately trying to keep their companions positioned along the group's edges as far removed as possible from those ghastly black abominations.
The mere thought of having to pass these wretched creatures again during their evening return to Hogwarts filled the young wizards with dread and revulsion.
But their deflated spirits were immediately revitalized by Hogsmeade village's breathtaking snowy panorama.
Precisely as the upper-year students had described, every visit to Hogsmeade village coincided with snowfall, as though it existed in perpetual winter—a phenomenon that rendered this wizarding settlement's scenery even more spectacularly enchanting.
(The films positioned Hogsmeade within mountainous terrain, perpetually above the snow line, explaining the year-round snowfall. While I'm uncertain if this aligns with canon, nearly every description of Hogsmeade mentions snow, so we'll maintain this atmospheric setting.)
"Hogsmeade village resembles a Christmas postcard: the quaint cottages and shops are blanketed in layers of pristine, powdery snow, every doorway adorned with holly wreaths, and magically enchanted candles dangle in luminous strings from the trees..."
Confronted by such magnificent snowy splendor, Hermione was murmuring something under her breath.
"Those represent the most consistent descriptions from the older students. I simply synthesized them~"
The little girl turned toward Glenn to clarify.
"Indeed remarkably apt."
Glenn nodded, endorsing Hermione's compilation.
"It feels as though Christmas arrived early."
Neville gazed about wonderingly. Despite growing up within the wizarding world, this marked his inaugural visit to this renowned magical town, and everything appeared fascinatingly novel.
"This is nothing special. When Christmas actually arrives, Hogsmeade village's scenery becomes even more spectacular."
Draco crossed his arms smugly while delivering this assessment, projecting an air of intimate familiarity with the locale.
"You've been here before?"
"Never been, just heard stories."
The little dragon arrogantly elevated his chin.
Then what exactly are you being so bloody smug about?!
Parvati and Lavender silently grumbled internally. Although Draco counted among Glenn and Hermione's friends, he remained distant from them personally, having previously been—oh, still was—an insufferable git prone to mockery. Such exasperating remarks were better left unvoiced.
The group had journeyed together from Hogwarts all the way here, but they'd previously agreed to separate upon entering Hogsmeade village, each pursuing individual agendas to explore and experience this wizarding community.
Consequently, Parvati and Lavender wouldn't need to endure the little dragon's obnoxious personality much longer.
Naturally, that consideration was secondary. This arrangement obviously existed to allow Glenn and Hermione, the young couple, to break away from the group and enjoy their romantic rendezvous privately. What more needed saying?
As for Draco?
Not close, genuinely not close. Though undeniably handsome, his personality proved truly insufferable.
Neville seemed somewhat more tolerable, except he was reportedly planning to seek out Hannah from Hufflepuff.
Something appeared to be brewing between those two as well.
Even if nothing existed currently, something would develop soon, presumably.
The two girls exchanged knowing glances and shrugged resignedly.
For the remainder of this excursion, it would be just the two of them—proud single ladies—operating independently. Those enviable young couples would pair off for their romantic adventures.
Oh, Draco appeared to be flying solo as well. Despite his good looks, he could only seek out his other two companions, Goyle and Crabbe, for wandering about.
Rather amusing, really.
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