Albus Potter, Classmates and Elves

Ch 47 Hogsmeade and Muggles

My friend CPStabell has just published the first chapter of her new Harry Potter Fan Fiction story on Wattpad. 6/2021.

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Shortly before dinner Hermione met Ron at the Weasley Wizards Wheezes store in Hogsmeade. The store building also housed a tiny DMLE office. There were two apartments above the store. The resident Auror couple occupied one of them, but the other was currently free.

Ron brought food, and suggested that they eat it in the free apartment. "I have take-away from The Hog's Head. Roger and Penelope Davies and their Elf help make a reasonably good meal. It is sure way better than when Alberforth owned it. They are still on the payroll as undercover Aurors, and they do deal with most of the dodgy characters that come to Hogsmeade."

"How many of these dodgy characters have contact with Muggles?" Hermione wondered as she pulled the food out, which magically plated itself, and poured some butterbeer

"Many of them," Ron admitted, picking up his fork and digging into his food. "Some of them dabble in fortune telling, and the fortune tellers have clients in close proximity all the time. A couple are amateur healers, specializing in fertility potions. At one time witches were noted for birth control, but Muggles have ways to do that now.

"Others have small farms. It is easier to weed and fertilize with magic, and to keep a greenhouse warm enough with magic. so if they have a small farm it is easy to make money selling produce. One of the things The Hogs Head has always done is exchange Pounds for Galleons, and we know some Magi sell produce to Muggles.

"We would not have been so poor if Mum had not spent so much time teaching us, and had so many of us. The farms around the New Burrow are quite profitable now. The Potter/Weasley farm market is gaining a growing Muggle cliental who like the quality of the produce. We just have to make sure the Muggles never see the special section for magical plants."

"Do you think we could get the cliental of The Hogs Head to wear masks?" Hermione wondered. "The magical medical masks are very good."

"Getting some of the cliental of The Hogs Head to do anything is difficult or impossible," Ron scoffed. "We know where all the Magi in Great Britain live, at least partly due to Harry's maps, and to tracing spells that Roger and Penelope have used on a few of the harder cases. With the fortune telling and even some of the growing of plants some of them come too close to violating the Statue of Secrecy."

"Is the rest of Hogsmeade any better," Hermione inquired as she cut up her chicken.

"It depends on the store," Ron replied. He grabbed a piece of Hermione's chicken but she made to stab him with her fork. He just grinned at her. "Scrivenshaft's Quill shop buys all his supplies from a magical distributor. Madam Puddifoot's and The Three Broomsticks buy all of their food locally or from magical wholesalers as well, as do the butcher shop and the greengrocer.

"Gladrags Wizardwear has started to carry Muggle style clothes, but none of it is purchased directly from Muggle clothing companies.

"Of course there are some people who live in Hogsmeade who work elsewhere. I am almost sure a few work for Muggles, but I do not know who."

"Who would know?" Hermione wondered, pushing a few more pieces of green beans on Ron's plate, ignoring his wrinkled nose.

"Ambrosius Flume is the mayor, and he knows everybody who lives in Hogsmeade and plenty of other Magi besides. He gives the residents of Hogsmeade discounts on his sweets, and I kid him that by doing so he is buying votes. In all honesty, being mayor is a fair amount of work for not many Galleons. He shares what he knows with our resident Aurors, but most of their time is spent in protecting Hogwarts.