With the village of Hogsmeade filled with laughter following the students' entrance and the hungry, furious Dementors on the other side, it was no wonder there were conflicts.
Upon hearing this, Tom, Hermione, and Mrs. Rosmerta sighed.
Then, Mrs. Rosmerta pulled out a pamphlet from somewhere and handed it to Tom. Tom opened it and saw that it was the menu of the Three Broomsticks.
"A beef bourguignon, a serving of bacon spaghetti. Hermione, is there anything you'd like to eat?" Tom quickly glanced at the menu and ordered two dishes that he liked.
Hermione thought for a moment, "Then let's have a paella and a pint of butterbeer."
The butterbeer she ordered this time was not the small glass Mrs. Rosmerta had given her but a large can, almost a liter in size. The top layer was a rich, creamy white foam, and the bottom layer was a warm, buttery beer, perfect for the colder months. It was full of warmth and brought a strong sense of satisfaction.
The Three Broomsticks was a wizarding pub, and the food was served without the fuss of a muggle English restaurant, and within five minutes of ordering, a large tray flew over to Tom with his order.
Hermione scooped up a spoonful of paella, pursed her lips, blew twice, and ate it. Hermione didn't expect much from pub food, but the paella was a pleasant surprise for her.
The rice was perfectly steamed, with just the right amount of moisture and dryness, and with the mushrooms, crab meat, tofu, corn kernels, and broth, a complex aroma burst in her mouth as she ate. This spoonful of paella was the best of both worlds in terms of texture and flavor.
As Hermione scooped up the second spoonful, she saw Tom looking bewildered, so she held the spoon out, saying, "Open your mouth, ah~."
Tom opened his mouth, and a spoonful of steaming paella was put into his mouth.
"Mmm!" Tom's hands waved around: the rice was so hot that he struggled for a while to recover, and on the other side of the table, Hermione had collapsed in her seat from laughter.
Tom kicked her shin. "Stop laughing!" He feigned anger, but it was in vain.
Tom also grabbed a piece of beef with his fork, dipped it in the sauce, and passed it to Hermione's mouth. Hermione smiled wryly. "Do you think I'm you? That's not going to happen."
She blew on the piece of beef and then swallowed it with an "awwww."
"It's tender and delicious," she said, savoring it for a moment, not fully prepared, "more!"
"Mmm!" Tom gave her another piece.
"So tasty, more!" Hermione's eyes narrowed to slits.
...
Soon, not much meat was left on the plate, and most of it ended up in Hermione's belly. Soon, only one last piece of meat remained, probably from the skirt steak, which seemed less lean, with a little fat between the muscles, and it was incredibly flavorful.
Hermione took another bite but missed, opening her eyes to find the meat a few inches in front of her. She bit again but missed once more: Tom quickly pulled the meat back the instant she touched it, preventing her from eating it.
Hermione: What are you up to?!
Hermione watched as Tom brought the meat to his mouth, leaning forward and holding the piece of beef with his teeth. Hermione leaned closer to him and took the meat with her mouth, wiping the grease off the corner of his lips. But it seemed to backfire, and instead of cleaning the sauce off Tom's face, she smeared it even more.
Tom and Hermione were halfway through their meal when suddenly he felt a chill and shivered.
"Hermione, do you feel like it's getting colder in here?" Tom asked, somewhat puzzled, initially thinking that someone had come in from outside and left the door open. But when he turned to look at the bar's door, he found it securely closed and not open.
"Indeed, it's starting to get cold." Hermione's expression turned serious, and her wand appeared in her hand. This strange sensation seemed familiar... Hermione's mind raced, recalling the dementor she and Tom had encountered on the Hogwarts Express, and the feeling now was very similar to that time. A thought came to Hermione, sending a chill down her spine and a jolt through her. She could already guess what was happening outside. A sense of absurdity overwhelmed her.
She looked at Tom and saw him uttering three words: Dementors.
"How can it be? How is it possible that the Ministry of Magic allows Dementors to be active in the wizarding community!" Hermione found it unbelievable and even doubted her own judgment.
Not only Tom and Hermione noticed the difference, but all the patrons in the bar had sensed something unusual. They all stopped eating and drinking, ceased their conversations, and turned in unison towards the bar's entrance. Mrs. Rosmerta's face grew rigid as she muttered, "They promised... they promised, why did they return and let these beasts in again?"
Her initial reaction was that the Dementors were conducting a search of the village of Hogsmeade. That had already happened once, a few days after Sirius' escape, and she and several shopkeepers had protested to the Ministry after that search. The Ministry had responded by promising not to allow the Dementors back into Hogsmeade, but to her surprise, they had broken their promise.
Soon, the source of the chill became evident.
The bar's door swung open abruptly, and several tall, hooded figures appeared outside, silently gazing at the hushed crowd in the room.
One of them still wanted to enter, and Mrs. Rosmerta took a sharp step forward and forced out a phrase through her chattering teeth: "Get out!"
Obviously, her threat was feeble. The figure didn't stop; on the contrary, they took another step forward, somewhat provocatively, and Mrs. Rosmerta stumbled backward, falling onto a table and sending a ripple through the room.
Normally, the patrons wouldn't have missed a beat, but now they had no desire to do so, and they all felt as if they had been stripped bare and exposed to the cold wind. Some of the customers drew their wands, waving them incessantly, and a white, silvery mist appeared at the tips of their wands, only to quickly dissipate like a flame from a lighter in the wind or the smoke from a dying cigarette.
Their actions seemed to disturb the Dementors, who turned toward the men, took a deep breath, and the brave drinkers rolled their eyes back and collapsed, powerless.
At that moment, Hermione stood up.