As the school year ended, Hogsmeade Station filled with students eager to return home to tell their families about their achievements throughout the year. But there were also some students crying amidst farewells as it was their last year at Hogwarts.
Others complained about not being able to do magic while waiting for the next school year, though these were mostly Muggle-born students.
After all, it was an unspoken understanding that those living in magical homes could use their wands as much as they wanted, as long as they didn't cause any trouble that the Ministry had to deal with.
"It's so unfair!" Hermione was throwing a tantrum when she overheard Ron talking to Harry about this fact.
Though she had enough books to read over the summer, not being able to practice with her wand while others could left her, in her opinion, at a tremendous and unfair disadvantage.
Perhaps her first year and making some friends had somewhat straightened her most off-putting lecturing attitude, but her competitiveness against others her age was still very present.
Barnaby was saying goodbye to some friends at the station when he saw Hermione's situation, which he quickly ignored, while he continued to happily chat with everyone, accompanied by a beautiful Ninetales.
If the girl was as smart as she thought she was, she would have considered visiting her friend Ron's house over the summer to practice spells there. Since the magic would be cast on the Weasleys' territory, the Ministry wouldn't even bat an eye at her "violation" because despite their fallen status in the magical community, the Weasleys were still one of the families on the Sacred Twenty-Eight list.
Taking your head out of books and looking at the real world around you often puts things in perspective.
With the departure of the locomotive, Hagrid and Barnaby set off back through the streets of Hogsmeade.
"Dad, I'm going to Diagon Alley this afternoon, do you need me to buy anything?" the son asked the father.
Hagrid scratched his head as he thought.
"Eh, I can't really think of anything right now," he commented without stopping. "We already treated the garden slugs with the potion you got from Snape and we have enough meat to feed Norberta. Maybe a new toy for Fang?" suggested the half-giant, remembering the last one wasn't quite functional. "But avoid stuffed animals, the last one gave him nightmares."
"Yeah, a big pink bunny can have that effect..."
Fang being a coward was a fact written in stone, but he was the family's coward and they loved him.
Maybe Barnaby could find a big bone and enchant it to taste like roast beef. The last one should be losing its effect by now.
"What are you going to do at the alley?" Hagrid asked.
"Uncle Snape needs me to get a couple of things for him."
And he had to visit the contacts provided by the Potions Master (after gifting him a flask) to quickly sell the Acromantula venom on the black market, where no questions were asked, and payment was made in cash on the spot.
"Oh, alright," Hagrid nodded, not noticing anything unusual. "I think I'll take a walk in the Forbidden Forest; the centaurs seem much calmer recently and I'm curious to know the reason."
"You can explain it to me when I get back," Barnaby said as he slowly averted his gaze.
The version the centaurs would tell Hagrid was that something hunted the Acromantulas (Barnaby's leshen) and they ended up moving to a faraway place (the land of the dead).
This might make Hagrid sad, but it was better than telling him his son made sure to kill every last Acromantula in the forest.
He personally set Aragorn's body on fire and enjoyed watching the creature roast amidst screams and spasms. It was a shame that the leshen had to leave that same night, but at least it took a nice crunchy snack for the road...
Saying goodbye to his father, Barnaby stepped into a side alley and, striking the ground with his staff, black thorns emerged from the shadows, wrapping him in a writhing cocoon. By the time the cocoon opened a moment later, Barnaby was already a few streets away from Diagon Alley.
"Why not use the Floo Network or Apparition?" Sanshi asked as she gracefully emerged from the ground with a jump.
"I don't like using half-finished faulty magic," Barnaby replied with a clear expression and tone of disdain in his voice.
He didn't like using any of those magical means, nor did he like using Portkeys. All of them were clearly half-finished products with several obvious dangers, but no one seemed to have the intention of studying and completing them properly.
The Floo Network was under strict control of the Ministry despite its creator not being part of the institution, and required paid permits, as well as purchasing the powders for each trip. At the same time, they could close or block connections "if deemed appropriate" at any moment.
Then there was Apparition, whose use could result in dismemberment if not careful. In case of success, it felt like being forcibly stretched through a thin tube the size of a pinky finger.
Portkeys were essentially the same, only needing to enchant the object with the coordinates beforehand. Instead of passing through a thin tube, it felt like being put in a blender.
That's why Barnaby preferred his own method of travel. In a few seconds, he had gone from being in Hogsmeade to this place, without discomfort or restrictions.
"Can we go together?" Sanshi asked, tilting her head slightly, causing her cascading hair to follow the laws of physics, referring to accompanying him physically instead of hiding.
"I don't think it'll be a problem," Barnaby thought for a moment and nodded, waving his staff and shrinking Sanshi until she was small enough to fit in his chest pocket, where she could see everything clearly.
Sanshi settled inside and poked her head out, smiling happily.
It wasn't just soft, warm, and comfortable; she could also hear Barnaby's heartbeat!
It felt so good that if she wasn't careful, she might fall asleep...
Sanshi's movements tickled Barnaby, but he didn't say much more as he cast some spells to divert the attention of Muggles and headed towards the Leaky Cauldron to enter the alley.
"Is this the place?" Sanshi looked at the sign with interest. "Will we eat here?"
"No," Barnaby didn't even have to think about the answer. "If you're hungry, we can get ice cream or something else you want later, but not here."
The deep impression Barnaby had of this place could be summed up in one word: Dirty.
Despite the business owner being a wizard and using wandless magic to serve drinks, store money, or cook, he seemed determined not to employ a single basic domestic cleaning spell in his entire business.
Everything was cleaned by hand like a Muggle...
But his cleaning talent made any water he touched turn into sludge!
It was already a miracle that people didn't get stuck stepping on his floor!