As a convention, the field lines due to a permanent bar magnet have a direction at any point outside the magnet along the direction that a tiny magnetic compass needle shows. Since like magnetic poles repel and opposite poles attract, the compass north, $N_{com}$ always stays in a direction away from the bar north, $N_{bar}$ as long as the compass is outside the bar magnet.

However, if we drill a longitudinal tunnel through the bar magnet and insert our tiny compass, then $N_{com}$ will be towards $N_{bar}$.

Why?

Refer to this figure:
https://cnx.org/resources/c1c1701c5298aadd3138573996e708a9904cf3f1