Well, hello. It's Mirei, with a (hopefully) multi-chaptered fic out at last. This is a humorous what-if-this-happened sort of story, spanning from Prisoner of Azkaban to the end of Half-Blood Prince.
So enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter and all its magical fabulousness. If I did, I'd be the richest woman alive.
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Hedwig's: A Place for Friends
Chapter One: The Old Building in Hogsmeade
The tiny old building in Hogsmeade had stood empty as long as anyone could remember. Compared to the rest of the village, it was a relatively young building, having been built in 1893. At one time, it had been yet another pub but closed sometime before the rise of Grindelwald due to poor business. (The score of ghosts who haunted the place had never been particularly kind to patrons.)
One brisk day in mid-September, one of the ghosts was hovering in a dirty attic window under the eaves. She looked about thirty years of age, with straight black hair and dressed in a long white nightgown. In life, she had been Hedwig Hornby, and in death, she was the friendliest ghost of the bunch.
Hedwig Hornby was gazing down upon the living folk of Hogsmeade. Directly below her window, two stories down, a goblin was tacking up wanted posters for Sirius Black. I knew Sirius Black, Hedwig thought. He and his friends frequented the village in their school days… Suddenly the goblin was shoved aside by a pretty brunette in sweeping turquoise robes. She was followed by Bilius and Myrna Cross, the elderly couple who were unofficial mayors of Hogsmeade. Hedwig saw that the trio approached the front door of the pub, so she sank down through the floorboards to greet them.
"Is this the building, Miss Youngblood?" Bilius Cross asked. He was a slightly stooped old mad with wispy white hair wearing brown robes. His wife, Myrna, wore robes of pale green and carried a large rusted key. Behind them, the brunette in blue smiled, coming forth. "Yes it is, Mr. Cross!" Myrna unlocked the creaking oak door, opening the old pub.
The front room was about the size of the Potions dungeon at Hogwarts and about as welcoming. Spiderwebs draped the walls and windows, dangling from the ceiling like flimsy silver curtains. Rotting wooden tables and benches lay about, splintered and broken. Moldering away about the fireplace was a stuffed moose head, strung round the neck with a desiccated floral garland. The sconces on the peeling painted walls were covered in wax stalactites. The place had a musty smell to it and looked a complete wreck.
"Oh, what a fright. Well, nothing a little magic can't mend!" the blue-robed woman declared, whipping a slender maple wand from her deep bell sleeves. Bilius and Myrna in turn drew their wands. "Not so fast, Miss Youngblood! You don't own this building yet!" Myrna said.
Miss Youngblood tossed her short, springy brown curls. "Ah, well. That is true. But, after all, I am Vivienne Youngblood, top realtor on the Witch Weekly staff." she said brightly. Bilius and Myrna rolled their eyes. It was about the sixty-third time they'd heard that lovely little tagline that afternoon—not that they were counting.
"I'll take this grubby old shack off your hands, Mr. and Mrs. Cross. In fact, I'll purchase it from the village of Hogsmeade. But rest assured! I'll turn this into the most popular restaurant in the village. Witches and wizards will come from all over, and think of the potential business form the students and faculty at Hogwarts!" Vivienne gushed.
"And just what do you intend to do to make it so?" a voice inquired.
Everyone whipped around to the back corner to see the ghost of a dark-haired, nightgown-clad woman floating there. She had a disgruntled look on her pretty face, and her transparent arms were folded in annoyance.
"I'm Hedwig Hornby and this is my home. You can't just establish a new business here. My ghostly friends will surely wreak havoc upon the patrons, as they did when there last was a bar here, and it will be a horrible failure of a business." Hedwig Hornby said coolly. Despite the warning, Vivienne's face was as bright as a sunrise.
"Oh, I don't mean to ruin this lovely old place. In fact…. Wait. Hedwig, did you say your name was? That's perfect! I'll name my business after you! 'Hedwig's: A Place for Friends!' What do you say to that, Miss Hornby?"
Hedwig smiled. "Sounds fine to me, Vivienne Youngblood." Vivienne stuck out her hand, and Hedwig did her best to reciprocate the handshake.
A quill and ink were extracted from a small leather pouch at Bilius' waist, and Myrna took the deed from a book she had brought along. The deed was signed, a bulging velvet sack of Galleons changed hands, and with that, Hedwig's was opened.
Life in Hogsmeade was about to get a whole lot more chaotic….
Did you like it? Reviews are most appreciated. =]
~Mirei
