Chapter 838: Super Senior
To avoid drawing attention—and partly out of curiosity—Kyle wandered around for a while. By the time he returned to the Valley Bar, it was already evening. The place was packed, even livelier than it had been at noon.
Kyle also came across a familiar face—or rather, a familiar voice.
"Give it up, Aberforth. I’m not selling alcohol to a fourth-year runt like you." The bartender stood behind the counter, looking playfully at the young boy in front of him.
"I’m in fifth year!" the boy snapped, his face flushed with anger.
A burst of laughter erupted around them. Everyone turned to watch, as if enjoying an amusing performance.
"Fifth year doesn’t cut it either," the bartender replied with a raised brow. "If you’re under seventeen, you’re still a kid—and kids don’t drink."
"Here, this is for you." He slid a cup across the counter. "Milk and pumpkin juice. That’s what you should be drinking."
Another round of laughter rang out. A burly wizard nearby slapped a Sickle onto the table and shouted, "Will, don’t rob the kid of his pocket money. That milk’s on me!"
"You guys... I want Firewhiskey!" Aberforth shouted, his face turning redder as he slammed a handful of Sickles down. "I’ll pay double!"
"Even ten times wouldn’t help," the bartender said, shaking his head again. "You’re underage. It’s milk and pumpkin juice for you, and that’s final."
"And you care about that?" Aberforth retorted, chin raised defiantly as he looked around. "Don’t think I don’t know—half the booze in here is smuggled in from Romania!"
Instead of getting angry, the bartender chuckled. "Correction: not half—two-thirds. And only items on the prohibited trade list count as contraband. Alcohol’s not on it."