Moody thought for five seconds and then gave up the idea of taking them there on a flying broomstick. He knew that every young wizard who had ever touched a flying broomstick developed a fervent love for this mode of travel.
Before they went to Hogwarts, it was probably best not to let them know yet: "Alright, then we can use the floo network to go to Hog's Head Inn first."
"Who names a pub something like that?" Thomas muttered to himself.
Severus, however, was very excited. He was at an age where he was curious about everything in the Wizarding World: "Mr. Moody, what is the floo network?"
"It's a common mode of travel for wizards. Although it's not as convenient as Apparition, it's very safe and won't put a young wizard's head at risk of separating from his body," Moody teased Severus, who was clearly much more innocent than his brother.
Sure enough, Severus's face went pale, and images appeared in his mind.
"Hey, sir, don't scare him," Thomas interrupted Moody unhappily. "Severus, don't be afraid. We just used Apparition to get to St Mungo's, and we're perfectly fine now."
"I'm not scaring you, young wizards. Don't easily try magic you don't understand," Moody mumbled, then knocked on Dr. Jones's office door.
"Come in." The group pushed the door open. Dr. Jones was writing medical records and smiled when he saw Moody and his companions: "Alastor, you've finally come to your senses. I've always told you that Apparition isn't very friendly to young wizards."
"Dr. Jones, you truly are far-sighted!" Thomas immediately said, finding a kindred spirit.
Moody rolled his eyes: "I need to borrow your fireplace."
"Be my guest." After saying that, he buried his head back in his work.
Moody then led Thomas and Severus to the fireplace.
Thomas curiously examined the fireplace. It looked no different from a common world fireplace, just exceptionally large.
Probably because it was summer, there was no accumulated wood ash in the fireplace, and it looked particularly clean.
"Are we going to Hogsmeade Village through the fireplace? Is there a dimensional portal here?" This was Thomas, who thought of Doraemon's Anywhere Door.
"Is Santa Claus real?" This was Severus. He had always thought the story was a lie because he had never received a Christmas gift.
Severus' question hung in the air for a moment, so unexpected that even Thomas blinked at him. Moody raised an eyebrow, the scars on his face shifting as he tried not to laugh.
"Santa Claus?" Moody repeated, his voice rough but oddly amused. "You're asking me if a fat man in a red suit squeezes himself down chimneys to deliver presents?"
Severus didn't flinch. "I just want to know if he's real," he muttered, almost defensive. "Everyone at school used to talk about Christmas gifts, but I've never seen him. So I assumed he wasn't."
Moody's expression softened—not much, but enough to show he wasn't mocking. "Aye, well… there's no Santa in the magical sense. No wizard flying around handing out presents with a sack of enchanted toys." He paused, then added, "But sometimes Muggles invent stories to make up for things they wish were real."
Severus looked down at his shoes. "So it was all a lie," he murmured. "I knew it."
Moody huffed, then leaned closer. "Listen here, lad. You didn't get gifts because certain people in your life were too foolish to give you any. That's on them. Not on some imagined old man. And not on you."
Severus' eyes flicked up, surprised by the blunt kindness.
Thomas nudged him with his elbow. "If it helps, even if Santa isn't real… I can still get you something this year."
Moody snorted. "Right, enough sentiment. Before either of you starts thinkin' Christmas cheer is a form of Dark Magic." He held up the jar of sparkling powder. "Now pay attention. This powder is what we call Floo."
Moody grabbed a handful of powder from the jar and put the jar back in its place. He walked into the fireplace and motioned for Thomas and Severus to stand beside him. Both children were thin and small, and the fireplace was just big enough to accommodate the three of them: "All you need to do is concentrate and think about where we want to go. Understand?"
"Understood!" Thomas and Severus both stared intently at Moody's actions, afraid of missing anything.
Moody sprinkled the powder into the fireplace and shouted in a clear, loud voice: "Hog's Head Inn!"
Thomas saw a flash of green light before him, and in an instant, they had changed locations.
This was a bustling and noisy pub, with an exceptionally lively atmosphere, every table filled with people.
Thomas noticed that there were many teenagers here, wearing similar uniforms, with laughter rising and falling.
"Oh, it's Saturday today," Moody mumbled, nudging the stunned brothers. "Get out quickly, don't block the way here."
No one paid attention to the three who had appeared out of thin air in the fireplace, except for the owner.
When they walked to the bar, the owner, who was wiping glasses behind the bar, spoke up: "Alastor, a rare guest. Care for a drink?"
Moody pointed to Thomas and Severus: "No, Aberforth, I need to take these two young wizards to Brown's house. They'll be staying there for a while."
"Oh, young wizards..." The owner's deep blue eyes swept over them, a hint of imperceptible scrutiny hidden behind his murky gaze.
Thomas felt that the owner, Aberforth, was looking at them a bit strangely, but he didn't sense any malice.
So, when Aberforth's gaze swept over him, Thomas still gave him a friendly smile.
Severus, however, had a stern little face, very serious. He was always silent and wary in front of strangers.
Subsequently, Aberforth only stared at Thomas. This young wizard felt too familiar to him—black hair and black eyes, always appearing very friendly on the surface, but his smile was not sincere, just like back then... Moody also sensed the strange atmosphere and, after greeting the owner, took the two boys out of the pub.
"Aberforth, although a bit eccentric, is a good person," Moody said after they had left the pub.