Harry Potter: Charlie and the Candy Factory

Leaky Cauldron

The noisy shouting mixed with the pervasive aroma of wine and the vague and unknown smoke exaggerated the main colors here.

"ha!!!"

Standing next to the slightly old round wooden table, he slammed the wine glass in his hand onto the table.

Feeling the liquor flowing down your throat and into your stomach, stimulating every cell in your body, you can't help but feel awe-struck.

Hagrid's face, covered by his thick beard, turned red, and he couldn't help but let out a loud belch.

He licked his lips and rubbed his beard stained with beer with his hand.

Then he raised the cup in his hand again, turned his head towards the bar, and shouted with a voice that almost drowned out all the sounds in the entire bar.

"Tom!!! Finished the wine! Give me some more!!"

Behind the bar, the old man with almost all his hair and wrinkled face slowly raised his head.

He glanced at the tall, muscular man not far away who seemed to be in a state of high spirits and was still shaking his wine glass at him.

"You've had fourteen drinks, Hagrid! Don't forget you have something to do later."

He did not move, but continued to wipe the beer glass in his hand, and then reminded him slowly.

"matter……"

Hagrid lowered the wine glass he originally held high.

He was stunned for a moment and muttered what Tom said again. Because of the effect of alcohol, his brain, which was not thinking very much, was even more confused at this moment.

Hagrid frowned, and began to press his temples with his huge fingers, trying to make his brain feel better in this way, but it was obviously of no use. Hagrid's mind was still so confused that he couldn't think of anything at all.

something.

His elbows rested on the table to support his huge body. The old wooden table made a harsh "squeak" sound under the pressure.

Old Tom behind the bar couldn't help but tremble his eyelids, fearing that this wooden table, which was older than him, would be completely and gloriously sacrificed today.

So he quickly put down the beer glass in his hand and hurriedly ran out from behind the bar.

Old Tom stretched out his hand to help Hagrid, who was almost half-pressed on the table, and then continued.

"Have you forgotten? When you came here, you said that Principal Albus Dumbledore gave you some important task..."

"Deng... Principal Dumbledore?"

Hagrid half-closed his eyes and subconsciously repeated Tom's words.

Then the little old man, who was already rickety, struggled to hold his arm in an attempt to save his beloved little round wooden table.

"Headmaster Dumbledore!?!?"

However, the next moment... it was as if an electric current flashed through his mind, causing the originally drunk person to suddenly wake up.

"hiss……"

A breath of cold air was sucked into his stomach, and his eyes that were still half-lidded suddenly widened, and there was no longer any hint of drunkenness in them.

Old Tom, who was struggling to support his huge arm, suddenly felt a lightness on his body and subconsciously raised his head to look again.

Hagrid, who was still drunk and in a daze, could barely stand up.

"Tom! What time is it now!?"

He reached out and grabbed the linen robe that was placed aside, and asked in a panic

"Forehead……"

Old Tom blinked and turned to look at the watch hanging on the wall.

"Fifteen o'clock...fifty?"

As soon as these words came out, the already panicked Hagrid's face turned from red to pale.

"It's over, it's over..."

While he was chanting in his mouth, he began to move with all his strength and some unsteady steps.

After knocking over a few unoccupied tables in the rush, he finally opened the wooden door of the bar and got out.

Old Tom raised his eyebrows, looked at the messy scene in front of him, "hum" twice, but didn't say much, and started to clean up on his own.

Obviously, this is not the first time.

………………………

Hogwarts Headmaster's Office

The sunlight shines in through the glass window and shines on the slightly yellowish paper on the desk.

On the wall are portraits of former principals sleeping with their eyes closed.

Fox, the phoenix, with its head buried in flame-like feathers on a brass cage...

At the same time, it also spread to the old man with white beard and hair and a kind face behind the desk—Albus Dumbledore.

Dumbledore lowered his eyes and stared at the paper filled with writing in front of him, seeming to be thinking about something.

At the same time, he reached into the half-open drawer below, took out two candies with ease, threw them into his mouth, and quietly waited for them to slowly melt in his mouth and finally disappear.

The entire office was extremely quiet, and the only sound was the scratching sound of the quill that Dumbledore picked up from time to time across the paper.

Time and space seemed to stand still at this moment, like an elegant picture scroll, everything seemed so leisurely and beautiful.

until…

"Bang bang bang!!"

There was a sudden knock on the door. Like a stone thrown into calm water, the waves of ripples completely broke the calm into irreparable fragments.

On the surrounding walls, the portraits of the principals who were still resting suddenly came to life.

"Oh! God..."

"Oh, damn it! Albus! You should tell him to be less forceful! It happens every time. Sooner or later, the office door will be removed by him!!"

"...This office is older than all of us combined! You should tell him not to do this to this poor door!"

"It's this guy again... he wakes me up every time he comes!"

"I'm an old guy!! I should get enough rest!!"

"Damn it! You should fire him!"

…………

Or angry, or irritable, or helpless, or sighing.

Although the words are noisy, the meanings expressed by these portraits of principals with distinct personalities and different ideas are rarely the same...

It's nothing more than a heartfelt complaint against outsiders.

Even Fox couldn't help but let out two cries that were obviously unhappy. He spread his wings to cover his little head.

"Okay, be quiet, principals."

Albus Dumbledore raised his lowered eyes again, looking at the door of the principal's office that was knocked loudly, and you could vaguely see some sawdust flying out, while he helplessly raised his hand to signal to the door on the wall.

The portraits fell silent again.

"Hagrid?"

Dumbledore asked slowly

"Principal...I'm sorry I'm late."

Outside the gate, Hagrid's voice sounded a little uneasy.

But fortunately, the wind blowing all the way made him wake up completely, and his words were no longer as vague as they were in the Leaky Cauldron.

"It's okay, please come in."