Chapter 1202: Super Upgrade

Chapter 1202 -837: Super Upgrade

In order not to arouse anyone’s suspicion, and also out of curiosity, Kael wandered around elsewhere for a bit. By the time he returned to the Valley Bar, it was already evening, the place was packed, even livelier than at noon.

Kael also spotted someone he knew… no, to be precise, he heard him first.

“Give it up, Abeforth, I’m not selling alcohol to a little fourth-year squirt like you.” The bar owner stood behind the counter, looking teasingly at the young, baby-faced boy in front of him.

The boy glared angrily at the owner. “I’m already in fifth year!”

A roar of laughter rose up around them; everyone was watching over there like they were enjoying a very entertaining show.

“Fifth year still doesn’t cut it.” The owner raised an eyebrow. “Until you turn seventeen, you’re all little squirts, and you don’t get to drink alcohol.”

“Here, this is for you.” He slid over a glass. “Milk and pumpkin juice. That’s what you should be drinking.”

Another burst of laughter swept through the crowd. The Bearded Wizard next to them slapped a Sickle down on the table and shouted, “Will, don’t you dare swindle the kid’s pocket money. His milk’s on me.”

“You guys… I want whiskey!” Abeforth’s face flushed scarlet with anger. He grabbed a handful of Sickles. “I can pay double!”

“Wouldn’t matter even if you paid ten times.” The owner shook his head again. “You’re still underage. You only get milk and pumpkin juice.”

“You still care about that?” Abeforth stiffened his neck and swept a glare around the room. “Don’t think I don’t know—half the booze in here is illegally smuggled from Romania.”

Hearing that, the owner wasn’t the least bit annoyed; instead, he chuckled and said, “Correction, not half—two thirds. And besides, only things on the banned trade list count as smuggled goods. Alcohol isn’t on it.”

The guests drinking nearby all burst into loud laughter as well, none of them found it the slightest bit strange. Clearly, they all knew about this.

Listening to the laughter, Abeforth got even angrier and shouted, “I’m going to open a bar of my own someday, then I can drink as much as I want!”

“Will we get to drink there for free?” someone asked, but the tone was mostly teasing, like the idea of him opening a bar was just something fun to joke about.

“You lot have to pay double!” Abeforth said furiously.

“Then I’m definitely going to try it.”

“Count me in, I just love paying double for my drinks.”

Amid the jeering, Abeforth brushed past Kael and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

As soon as Abeforth left, it was like everyone had agreed on it beforehand—the atmosphere in the bar suddenly cooled, even turning a bit heavy.

This struck Kael as odd. He picked someone who was drinking at the bar and asked what was going on.

The response he got was an impatient bark.

“None of your business, outsider.” The man slanted a glance at Kael and warned, “Stow your curiosity, if you want to walk out of Godric’s Hollow with your dignity intact.”

“Don’t say that, Kode.” The bar owner came over. “He’s a friend of Bathilda’s, so he’s not exactly a stranger.”

“Bathilda’s friend?”

“Mm, I checked. A Hogwarts student who’s into Magic history.”

The man grumbled twice under his breath, downed the rest of his drink in one gulp, and went off to another table.

“Don’t mind him.” The owner looked at Kael. “Potter… that guy just now. He’s on pretty good terms with Kendra, so his temper’s bound to flare a bit at times like this. He’s actually a decent bloke.”

“Kendra?” Kael repeated the name quietly.

“Just someone who lives here in Godric’s Hollow, nothing to do with history. You wouldn’t be interested.” The owner said, “Want a brandy? On me.”

“Oh, sure.” Kael said.

He could tell the owner didn’t want to talk about Kendra, so he didn’t press.

But Kael could understand. He’d only just arrived here; even with Bathilda’s help, it was impossible to blend in that quickly.

Take it slow, no need to rush.

…

For the next while, Kael didn’t go anywhere else. Normally, he stayed either in his room or strolled around nearby pretending to look busy, then came back at dusk to drink and chat with everyone. When the mood was good, he’d casually pick up the tab and buy a round for the whole place.

Didn’t cost much anyway. In a bar like this, the number of patrons was basically fixed; at most, two Galleons would cover it.

And he didn’t even have to pay out of pocket… Hokuriken was sponsoring.

After he’d treated everyone to drinks a few times, his popularity here started climbing fast, and he could exchange a few words with pretty much everyone.

During this period, Abeforth came by several more times, trying to buy alcohol, but every time he was mercilessly turned down by the owner.

After Abeforth was kicked out for the fifth time, Kael put down his glass and turned to ask, “He’s been rejected so many times already. Why does he keep coming back?”

“What else? He’s had another row with Albus.” The Wizard sitting next to Kael took a sip of brandy as he spoke.

Kode Potter—he was the one who’d called Kael an outsider at first. Over the last while, after seeing Kael’s sincerity, he’d gradually lowered his guard.

Can’t be helped, free drinks are irresistible.

“Judging by their names, they’re brothers, right?” Kael asked, sounding casual.

“Blood brothers. They used to get along great.” Kode said, punctuating it with a boozy burp.