In mid-October, the students discovered exciting news posted on the various notice boards throughout the castle. The parchment, bearing the official seal of the school, announced that Hogsmeade village would be open for student visits at the end of the month.
The announcement spread through the corridors like wildfire, carried by excited whispers and lively discussions. Students gathered in groups around the notice boards, their faces glowing with anticipation as they read and re-read the familiar words that promised adventure beyond the castle walls.
This meant that on Halloween Eve, all students third year and above who possessed proper parental permission could visit the famous wizarding village of Hogsmeade, the only settlement in Britain inhabited completely by magical folks.
For Harry and his closest friends, who had just entered their third year and were finally eligible for this desired trip, this was thrilling. They had heard countless stories from older students about the village's wonders: the sweet shop overflowing with magical sweets, the joke shop filled with pranking supplies, and the cozy tavern where butterbeer was served.
Harry suddenly felt relieved as he remembered that he had used some rather creative and morally questionable means to get his guardian—his reluctant aunt Petunia—to sign the required permission slip.
Otherwise, he would have had to watch helplessly from the castle windows as his friends left for Hogsmeade without him, leaving him behind like a prisoner in his own school.
Over the next few days, as autumn deepened and the first hints of winter began to appear in the morning frost, Harry eagerly anticipated the opening of Hogsmeade. He spent his free time listening to older students' tales of the village, studying maps of the area, and planning which shops he would visit first.
Until one morning, when the Great Hall was filled with the usual sounds of clinking cutlery and breakfast conversation, Professor McGonagall approached him with a grave expression that immediately made Harry's stomach clench with unease.
"Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said with a stern expression.
"Although your permission slip bears your guardian's signature, you cannot go to Hogsmeade."
Upon hearing Professor McGonagall's devastating words, Harry quickly put down his fork, and stood up abruptly.
Ron and Hermione sitting across from him at the Gryffindor table, immediately stopped their own breakfast activities and looked at him with expressions of concern and sympathy.
"Why?" Harry asked in confusion. "I clearly have the signature—it's right there on the parchment. I followed all the rules, I got permission just like everyone else."
Harry's words came to an abrupt halt as his quick mind roughly guessed the real reason behind this.
"These are special circumstances, especially for you, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall replied, her stern expression suddenly softening with what might have been concern. Her voice took on a gentler tone as she explained, "Black could act at any moment. We simply cannot risk your safety by allowing you to venture outside the castle."
Harry fell silent for a moment, his mind racing through various arguments and counterarguments.
He knew, with the rational part of his mind, that Professor McGonagall was absolutely right. Sirius Black was still at large, still dangerous, and still presumably committed on causing him harm. But the knowledge didn't make the disappointment any easier to bear, and he really, desperately wanted to experience Hogsmeade with his friends.
"Black wouldn't attack me in broad daylight," He argued desperately logic. "Hogsmeade will be full of people—students, teachers, shop owners. He wouldn't be foolish enough to act in front of so many witnesses."
Hearing this naive reasoning, Professor McGonagall let out a long sigh. Her expression hardened again.
"Mr. Potter, you severely underestimate the madness and desperation of an Azkaban escapee," she said, her tone becoming stern once more. "Black has spent twelve years in the most horrific prison imaginable. He has nothing left to lose, no future to protect, no reputation to preserve. Such a man is capable of anything."
"But—" Harry began, his voice rising with frustration.
Harry still wanted to voice more arguments, but Professor McGonagall cut him off directly.
"Don't make things difficult for us, will you?"
Now Harry had no way to refuse, no arguments left to make. He also knew, that he was making things difficult for Professor McGonagall, who was only trying to protect him.
He suddenly became dejected, his shoulders slumping as the reality of spending Halloween weekend alone in the castle while his friends explored Hogsmeade settled over him.
Just then, when the situation seemed hopeless and Harry's spirits had reached their lowest point, an unexpected voice interrupted the tense conversation.
"Let Harry go, Professor McGonagall," Adrian said with a warm smile as he approached their small group.
"I'll take good care of Harry, With my protection, I can absolutely guarantee that Black won't be able to harm Harry in any way."
Harry looked at Adrian with sudden delight, his green eyes immediately lighting up with hope.
Professor McGonagall adjusted her square glasses. Her sharp eyes observed Adrian's face.
"Professor Westeros," She said finally, "you're too indulgent with him. You know how dangerous the situation is."
Adrian replied just showing a smile that said he was totally comfortable with the level of risk involved. His calm demeanor seemed to have a reassuring effect on the stern Professor McGonagall.
This exchange meant that Professor McGonagall hadn't objected to the proposal outright. Everyone present could see that she had trust in Adrian's magical abilities and his capacity to protect Harry from any threat that might emerge.
"Very well," Professor McGonagall finally said, though her expression remained serious and concerned. "Watch over Harry, Adrian. You know how serious the situation is..."
"Of course," Adrian replied easily. "I wouldn't let any harm come to him."
He knew better than anyone present that Black's target wasn't Harry at all—in fact, Harry was perfectly safe from the escaped prisoner.
At this time, he reasoned to himself, let the child have some fun. Hogsmeade was an interesting and magical place that every young wizard should experience, and Harry had already missed too many normal childhood experiences due to his unique circumstances.
After Professor McGonagall left as she walked briskly toward the staff table, Harry breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Professor," He said, his voice filled with gratitude and excitement.
Adrian smiled warmly and reached out to pat Harry's head. "Enjoy your trip to Hogsmeade, Harry. It's a special place, and I think you'll find it quite memorable."
He winked and continued with a hint of amusement in his voice, "Though I hope you and your friends won't mind having a professor tagging along while you're shopping and exploring."
At this point, Hermione immediately stood up from her seat.
"How could we mind?" She said enthusiastically. "You're always welcome, Professor Westeros. In fact, we'd be honored to have you join us."
Hermione didn't mind at all—in fact, she was quite happy about it. Ron also nodded vigorously beside her.
"That's wonderful," Adrian nodded with a smile. "Actually, I go to Hogsmeade quite often on weekends and holidays. There are quite a few interesting places there."
Hermione and Ron exchanged meaningful glances.
It seemed they had gained not just permission for Harry to join them, but also an experienced and knowledgeable tour guide.
Time passed from autumn into early winter, and eventually the calendar reached the end of October. The day had finally arrived—the first day that Hogsmeade would be open to students for the academic year.
The entire castle seemed to vibrate with anticipation and excitement. Students who had been granted permission could barely contain their enthusiasm, while those who had been denied looked on with obvious envy and disappointment.
Early in the morning, students began hurriedly eating their breakfast before heading out in excited groups.
Harry and his friends were no exception to this general excitement.
Soon, Adrian was leading the three students through the picturesque streets of Hogsmeade village. The village was exactly as magical as Harry had imagined—perhaps even more so.
The weather was exceptionally good that day. Even at the end of October, the sun had made a rare and welcome appearance, bringing warmth to everyone who went outside.
The village streets were lined with old-fashioned shops whose windows displayed an incredible variety of magical goods. Smoke curled from chimneys, and the air was filled with the mingled scents of woodsmoke, baking bread, and the magical atmosphere that permeated every corner of the village.
Adrian took the three of them to almost every significant location in Hogsmeade, serving as both protector and enthusiastic tour guide. His knowledge of the village was clearly wide-ranging, and he seemed to know not just the main attractions but also the hidden corners and lesser-known shops that made Hogsmeade special.
They visited Honeydukes, the famous sweet shop where rows upon rows of magical sweets created a paradise of sugar and wonder. The shop was filled with the aroma of chocolate, caramel, and exotic magical ingredients that made Harry's mouth water.
They explored Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, where the finest writing implements were displayed alongside bottles of ink in every color imaginable. Hermione was particularly fascinated by the self-correcting quills and the ink that changed color based on the writer's mood.
At Zonko's Joke Shop, Ron was in his comfort zone, examining dungbombs, hiccupping sweets, and nose-biting teacups with the expertise of someone who had grown up with Fred and George Weasley. Harry found himself laughing at Ron's enthusiastic descriptions of various pranking possibilities.
At noon, when the sun had reached the top, Adrian brought them to the Three Broomsticks, the village's most famous and beloved tavern.
By this time, except for Adrian, everyone's pockets were stuffed absolutely full of sweets and magical treats. The majority of their purchases had come from Honeydukes, where they had gone slightly mad with the abundance of choices.
All of these treats had been paid for by Adrian, despite the three students' initial protests. They had been quite restrained at first, not wanting to take advantage of their professor's generosity, until Adrian had laughingly assured them there was no need to worry about his wallet.
"I've recently earned a rather large sum of money," He had explained then with a mysterious smile, "enough to buy half the shop's worth of sweets without making a dent in my finances."
The Three Broomsticks was particularly lively today. The tavern was mostly filled with students from Hogwarts.
Harry and his friends chose a comfortable spot by the left wall corner, where they could observe the entire tavern while enjoying some privacy for their conversation.
While Ron found himself somewhat distracted by Madam Rosmerta's graceful movements as she served other customers, Adrian approached their table with a warm smile.
"I'm going to leave you three to enjoy yourselves," He said. "My time watching over you is finished. Now you can relax and have fun without feeling like you're being supervised by a professor."
Adrian looked around the bustling tavern with satisfaction, then walked toward a discrete doorway that led to the inn's private areas. He entered a moderately sized room that had been specially reserved for a very different kind of gathering.
The room was comfortably furnished with several small tables and many chairs arranged in a casual but intimate setting. The lighting was warm and inviting, and the atmosphere was considerably quieter than the main tavern area.
Several professors were already there.
Sprout, Flitwick, Lupin...
Professors needed recreational activities too, didn't they?
To avoid putting psychological pressure on the students enjoying their freedom in the main tavern area, the faculty had made arrangements to reserve this private room at the Three Broomsticks for their own use.
Professor Flitwick had a bottle of colorful drink on the table in front of him. This was his favorite Three Broomsticks specialty, and he claimed it helped him think more clearly about complex charm work.
Seeing Adrian enter the room, Professor Flitwick immediately brightened and waved enthusiastically from his elevated chair. "Come over here, Adrian. We were just discussing today's expedition."
Adrian strode over and sat on a comfortable chair.
"Professor McGonagall told us you were personally protecting that Potter boy today," Professor Flitwick said, his high-pitched voice carrying notes of both approval and curiosity. "It seems we don't need to worry about anything with you watching over him."
Adrian shrugged. "Harry's outside with his friends, safe and sound and having the time of his life."
"See, Pomona," Professor Flitwick said, turning to address Professor Sprout with a knowing wink, "I told you Harry would be perfectly fine. You should have more faith in Adrian's abilities."
Professor Sprout smiled somewhat awkwardly at Adrian.
"Oh—I didn't mean to question your competence," She said, her voice carrying genuine apology. "I was just a bit worried about the whole situation…."
At this point, Madam Rosmerta herself appeared at their table, carrying a tray of foaming butterbeers that had been specially prepared for the faculty gathering.
Adrian gratefully accepted his butterbeer and took a long, satisfying drink of the warm, sweet beverage. While continuing to enjoy his drink, Adrian listened to the professors' ongoing conversation.
It seemed they were all very concerned about Harry's wellbeing, which was understandable given the circumstances.
Or rather, they were all very focused on Sirius Black, who was presumably still hiding somewhere in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
________________
You can read more chapters on:
patreon.com/IamLuis