Chapter 280: Hogsmeade
Perhaps inspired by Harris, Kyle decided to join his friends for a trip to Hogsmeade on the first weekend of the new school year. Although Kyle had visited Hogsmeade before, he'd always snuck in through a secret passage. Now that he was in his third year, he could finally go openly. During the last Herbology class before the weekend, he'd handed in his permission slip to Professor Sprout.
In the foyer, Filch was checking names against a long list, ensuring no unauthorized students slipped out. But Kyle and his friends strolled out confidently, permission slips and all.
...
Unlike the small muggle village of St. Catchpole, Hogsmeade was a true wizarding village, where every resident was a witch or wizard.
However, property prices were anything but cheap. Kyle had looked into it once and found that even building a small house in the most remote corner would cost at least 20,000 Galleons—and that was the current price. Due to the presence of The Hog's Head, there were always a few questionable witches or wizards around, which had caused property values to drop. Decades ago, before The Hog's Head opened, a plot of land here would have cost upwards of 50,000 Galleons; back then, it was considered prime real estate in the wizarding world.
Despite The Hog's Head's reputation, Kyle and his friends had nothing to worry about. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were in Hogsmeade with them, and nobody would dare stir up trouble with professors around. In fact, these visit days were the most orderly times in Hogsmeade. The more dubious witches and wizards were on their best behavior, even being mindful about littering, lest they attract unwanted attention from the professors.
And as the most popular wizarding village, Hogsmeade had plenty to explore. From the moment they entered, they could see the colorful signs of various shops lining the road.
First up was Zonko's Joke Shop, Fred and George's favorite haunt. They spent nearly all their saved pocket money here. Just down the road were the Owl Post Office and Honeydukes Sweetshop.
"We could come here every day, but Visiting Day is always the best," Fred said with a grin.