Finally, Thomas and Severus were 'chased' out of the house by Anne.
Before they left, Anne slipped a few Silver Sickles into their pockets and softly instructed, "Children, go to Honeydukes and pick out some candies for me. Remember to choose what you like, and let me try some of those new, sweet flavors."
"Thank you, Miss Anne." Thomas and Siv couldn't refuse, feeling a warmth in their hearts. He knew the two elders didn't have any particular preference for candy; most of the last batch ended up in his and Severus's stomachs.
"Severus, look after Thomas." Anne, who was clearly more cautious, instructed Severus, "Remember, don't go into the woods."
"Don't worry, I'll look after Thomas," Severus promised obediently, raising an eyebrow at Thomas with a hint of smugness.
Thomas grumbled, "I'm the older brother," and, amidst Severus's feigned resistance, put his arm around his neck and headed out the door.
Central Avenue wasn't far from the Brown's house. Following the road straight, they could reach it in just over ten minutes.
That was the center of Hogsmeade Village, where various interesting magic shops gathered.
It wasn't their first time here. On their very first day, Mr. and Mrs. Brown had brought them here to buy daily necessities and school supplies. The news of two young wizards arriving at the Brown's house quickly spread throughout Hogsmeade Village, which was why Anne felt comfortable letting them go out on their own.
Severus walked directly towards the Potions shop. He seemed to have a natural obsession with Potions. Thomas shook his head with a chuckle, no wonder he would become a Potions Professor later.
Severus stopped at the entrance. Thomas looked at his brother's gloomy little face and followed his gaze to the shop. It was probably because today was the visiting day for Hogwarts young wizards... The shop was simply too crowded, as noisy as a marketplace.
Although Anne wanted them to make friends, they couldn't just walk up and say, "Hi, classmate." Besides, with such a big age difference, students might not even want to talk to them.
The two of them visited a few more shops, all of which were overflowing with people, so they simply decided to go directly to Honeydukes to complete their shopping mission.
This was simply a hellish challenge. Being too small and squashed in the middle of the crowd, Severus was already regretting coming in with Thomas.
"Thomas, do you really have to eat that damned Hell-Hop Candy?"
"Hey, Severus, that's the hottest new product! Chang told us to buy some new products to take back." Thomas, with righteous indignation, used Chang as an excuse. Hell-Hop Candy was said to give people the thrill of bungee jumping when eaten—how could he miss out!
...What should I do? He didn't want this brother anymore.
Finally, the two successfully squeezed into the shop!
But as Thomas turned to find a more comfortable standing spot, he wasn't careful and stepped on the edge of a slightly raised wooden board.
His body instantly lost balance, he staggered back a step, and then fell backward.
It was then that Thomas discovered a narrow staircase hidden behind him. The staircase was cleverly concealed in the shadow of a row of tall shelves, almost imperceptible on ordinary days.
How unlucky, Thomas thought. His body uncontrollably tumbled down the stairs.
It happened too suddenly. Severus cried out and immediately chased after him, but in the noisy shop, no one heard the frantic sounds from this side.
Fortunately, the staircase wasn't long, and Thomas quickly rolled to the bottom, crashing into a pile of large wooden crates.
It didn't hurt much, though. In the nick of time, Thomas made the sage seeds he carried with him sprout. This was a common herb found everywhere in the village, providing him with a soft landing spot.
"Thomas, are you okay?" Severus's anxious voice came.
"I'm fine." Thomas patted his hair, shook off the grass clippings, and quickly reassured his brother.
Sure enough, Severus's face stiffened, ready to start lecturing. Thomas felt he was starting to resemble Anne.
"Severus..." Thomas was about to say something else when a rustling sound suddenly came from nearby.
Out of instinct, Thomas immediately pulled Severus close, hiding him in the shadows behind the boxes: "Shh."
Severus pursed his lips, a little nervous because of his brother, but he couldn't understand why. They weren't stealing anything, so what was there to be nervous about?
Thomas peered sideways. The sound came from under a floorboard. The wooden floorboard moved a few times, then was pushed open.
Two young wizards climbed out from below. Their familiar black uniforms and red and yellow scarves immediately identified them as Hogwarts students.
Why would students come out from here? Thomas was a little puzzled.
Then he heard one of the boys excitedly tell his companion, "Hey, Matthew, I didn't realize this secret passage really led to Hogsmeade!"
The boy named Matthew glared at him: "Quiet down! Do you want the whole world to know we secretly ran to Hogsmeade?!" They still had a month of detention, after all.
His companion quickly made a zipping motion over his lips, indicating he understood.
"Why is there a pile of sage over there?"
"Who cares, let's go, before someone sees us."
They restored the wooden board and swaggered out of the basement, completely unaware that they had already been seen.
This was a secret passage that led to Hogwarts. Thomas was a little surprised.
He was really too curious about what Hogwarts was like. Anyway, "since they were already here," why not... He and Severus exchanged glances.
Severus instantly understood what his brother wanted to do: "No."
"It's still early anyway, Anne will be unhappy if we go back so soon." Seeing his brother's somewhat wavering expression, Thomas continued, "Sev, that's Hogwarts!"
Thomas thought, the four words "Hogwarts" might be a spell, capable of commanding any young wizard to obey.
The two of them worked together to push open the wooden board. It was a dark, deep stone staircase, completely invisible ahead without the illumination of candlelight.
"Severus, it's up to you!" Thomas immediately looked at his brother, his eyes full of encouragement.
Severus gradually lost himself in his brother's adoring gaze, took out the children's wand Anthony had bought for them, cleared his throat, and said, "Lumos."
A faint silver orb of light appeared at the tip of his wand. It was the first time he had successfully used this magic.
Thomas glanced at the small light ball, decisively took down a lit candle from the wall, and smiled ingratiatingly at Severus, who was glaring at him: "We still have to come back later, so save your magic."
By the faint light of the candle, the brothers walked into the darkness.