Then they turned into a small alley nearby, where there was a small bar.
A tattered wooden sign hung from the rusted bracket over the door, depicting the severed head of a wild boar, with blood seeping through the white cloth wrapping it.
As they approached, the sign creaked in the wind.
"This pig's head..." Harry scrutinized the boar's head, "Does it change every day? Why does it still look a bit fresh?"
"Hard to say." Ron studied it too.
"Come on, let's go in." Hermione said, seeming a little nervous.
"What's there to be nervous about?" Harry glanced at Hermione and said, "The pig's head won't jump up and bite you, or are you religious?"
"Bah!" Hermione glared at Harry.
Harry chuckled and led them inside.
The interior was completely different from the Three Broomsticks Bar, where the large bar counter always felt bright, clean, and warm.
The Pig Head Bar was just a small, dim, and exceedingly dirty room, filled with a strong smell of mutton.
The few convex windows were covered with thick filth, hardly letting any light through, and there were candle stubs lit on the rough wooden tables.
At first glance, Harry thought the floor was packed dirt, but as he stepped on it, he realized that it was a stone-paved floor covered with centuries of grime.
Harry remembered Hagrid mentioning this bar in his first year: "The Pig Head Bar has a lot of interesting folks." He explained how he won a Dragon Egg from a hooded stranger in the bar.
At the time, Harry was puzzled why the person kept their face hidden, but Hagrid didn't seem curious. Now he realized that hiding faces was quite popular in the Pig Head Bar.
There was a person at the bar, their whole head wrapped in filthy gray bandages, but they could still guzzle a smoking, flaming drink through a crack in the bandages.
Sitting at a table by the window were two hooded figures, and if they weren't speaking with a strong Yorkshire accent, Harry might have thought they were Dementors.
In a dark corner by the hearth sat a witch with a thick, black veil that draped down to her feet, revealing only the tip of her nose, which slightly lifted the veil.
"I wonder if we should hide our faces too?" Hermione tugged at Harry and whispered.
"Why?" Harry asked puzzled, turning back to look.
"Look." Hermione pointed at the group, "They're all covering their faces. Wouldn't it be a bit out of place if we didn't?"
"Not at all." Harry said cheerfully, "No need to be tense, the environment at the Pig Head Bar isn't so bad, look..."
He pulled out a few masks from his pocket, "If you want to cover your faces, just put on the masks."
Hermione and Ron gladly took the masks and put them on.
The bar owner slipped out from a back door to greet them.
He looked like a grumpy old man with a lot of long gray hair and beard—Harry recognized him at a glance, it was Abufosi.
"What do you want?" he grumbled, lifting his eyelids to glance at Harry.
"Three bottles of Butter Beer, please." Hermione said.
Abufosi bent down to fetch three dusty, filthy bottles from under the counter, placing them heavily on the bar.
"Six Sickles." he said.
"I'll pay." Hermione quickly said, and handed over the Silver Coins.
Abufosi gathered the coins and placed Hermione's money into an ancient wooden cash drawer, which automatically slid open and swallowed the coins.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat at the bar, Hermione and Ron craning their necks to look around, while Harry focused on tasting the Butter Beer in his glass.
The bandaged man knocked the counter with his knuckle and received another smoking drink from the bar owner.
"Guess what?" Ron gazed with great enthusiasm at the bandaged man's Flaming Whiskey, murmuring, "Here we can order anything we want—I bet that guy would sell us anything, he doesn't care. I've always wanted to try Flaming Whiskey—"
"You—are—a—Class Prefect!" Hermione said fiercely.
"Oh," Ron laughed carelessly, "Class Prefect, yes, I know I'm a Class Prefect, but we're supposed to try new things, right? Hermione?"
"Ronald! Weasley!" Hermione's hair frizzed up, she glared at Ron as if she wanted to slice a piece of meat off him.
"Alright alright, I won't drink, I won't drink, I won't drink." Ron raised his hands in surrender, "I was just joking, do you really need to be so mad?"
"No jokes either!" Hermione slammed the table.
"Okay." Ron smacked his lips.
"Even if you wanted it, I wouldn't sell to a minor like you." Abufosi suddenly said, "Otherwise your school principal might give me trouble."
"Boss?" Hermione grinned and raised her eyebrows.
"Just call me Abufosi." Abufosi smiled, "You're Harry's good friends, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, I know you—of course, you know who I am, I was at Hogwarts two years ago."
"Hello, Abufosi." the two quickly said.
"Want some food?" Abufosi asked, "I have some good stuff here, everyone loves it."
"Sure!" Ron said with a big smile, he loved food.
If everyone loves it, then it must be good.
Abufosi turned away from the counter and returned shortly with three plates.
Ron looked at the jet black, messy, sticky stuff on the plate and hesitantly raised his head to glance at Harry and Hermione.
Apparently, Hermione felt the same, given this thing... looks terribly unappetizing, Hermione even maliciously wondered if eating it might cause some intestinal disease.
But they still had to eat, Hermione closed her eyes and opened her mouth, bravely accepting the food.
Not to mention...
Hey...
It was quite good.
"Really good." She relaxed her eyebrows, "Quick, Ron, try this, I think it's pretty tasty."
"Is it?" Ron closed one eye, examined the plate's contents with the other, took a spoonful, and with the thought of a heroic sacrifice, ate it.
"Hmm... definitely delicious." He remarked, "I've never had something so ugly look tasting this good, Merlin's trousers..."
At that moment, their fifth-year classmates began to trickle in.
Everyone ordered a Butter Beer upon arriving, and after getting their drinks, they sat in groups, chatting merrily and elevating the joyful atmosphere in the rundown bar.
Compared to the bar's tone, it was somewhat out of place.
The wizards originally in the bar stood up and left as the students came in.
Abufosi glanced at these students and then at Harry, anyway he didn't say a word.
Whatever, all customers are guests, he thought to himself.
Then he heard a nasally voice.
"I really didn't expect there to be such a filthy bar in Hogwarts Village." a kid with platinum blonde hair said, "I bet Harry must be crazy to have us gather in this rundown bar."