The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 128 Magic Beans and an Encounter in the Greenhouse

In the Slytherin dormitory,

Ino gently plucked the harp on her lap and began to compose a piece based on the melody she remembered.

With December fast approaching and the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup set to begin after the Christmas holidays, he didn't have much time left.

After composing music for half an hour, Ino slowly put down her harp, and what came into view was Draco's hesitant and conflicted face.

"If you have something to say, say it. If not, go to sleep." Unlike Cedric, Draco was willing to ask him questions.

"Ino, I feel like your story isn't finished! What happened to Leon and Annie's child in the end? You mean Rick? He can't live on the island forever."

Draco analyzed the plot with an air of certainty.

"Hahaha!" Ino couldn't help but laugh out loud.

I thought it was something else, but it turns out it was all for the sake of a sequel. However, what sequel could there be in such an impromptu story?

But seeing a pair of expectant eyes, he thought about it and decided to grant Draco's wish, so he immediately started making up some unreliable stories:

"Later, Rick grew up and secretly left the island behind his parents' backs. Because he looked very much like his father Leon, he unknowingly had a wonderful encounter with his young, beautiful but wicked aunt Anna, and the two began a romantic entanglement."

About a minute has passed.

"That's it? What's next?" Draco asked anxiously.

"Sorry, there's nothing below!" Ino spread her hands innocently.

"You..." Draco was stunned! It took him a long time to come to his senses.

He now has a feeling that it would have been better not to listen at all. At least the first story was finished, unlike now where he's stuck in this awkward situation.

"Hahaha, it's really over!" Ino laughed smugly, but after a moment, her laughter gradually subsided. "We'll talk about it later, when I figure it out. Now go to sleep!"

"Then you must tell me as soon as you figure it out!" Draco reluctantly walked towards the bed.

Seemingly truly heartbroken, he turned back halfway and said hesitantly:

"Why don't you write it yourself? I'll get in touch with Murmurs Publishing House for you; my dad and their editor-in-chief are good friends. Trust me, this story will definitely outsell Lockhart's books!"

Hearing Draco's suggestion, Ino was also somewhat tempted.

Almost no bard would refuse to publish a book, just like the Brothers Grimm, who collected and copied stories from all over the place, with the aim of publishing a complete collection.

"That's a good suggestion, but let's wait until this summer vacation so I can properly compile some of the best stories."

Upon hearing that they would have to wait until summer vacation, Draco was instantly disappointed, standing there muttering to himself, "Why do we have to wait until summer vacation! That story was so great! Can't we just publish a single volume first, and then release the other stories during summer vacation?"

Why? Of course, it's because he has no shame! A boy under 14 years old writing such a twisted and vulgar love story, does he even have any shame?

Ino was well aware of the difference. Telling a story and publishing a book are two completely different things. The former can be hearsay, while the latter is a real work with a signed authorship!

Although that's what I thought to myself, I couldn't possibly say it to Draco.

"I'm not going to release a standalone book. I'm thinking of an even more exciting story for summer vacation! I'll send you a signed limited edition then, how about that? I can even draw an illustration for you."

In order to get away with it, he didn't hesitate to make a big promise.

"It's a deal!" Draco said with a smile after hearing the promise.

……

Silent all night.

The darkness quietly faded, and dawn broke on the horizon.

The alarm clock woke Ino from her deep sleep, and as usual, she went about her washing and grooming routine.

After tidying himself up, he gently pushed open the bedroom door and walked lightly out of the castle.

The castle was quiet on Sunday morning.

There was none of the usual hustle and bustle; even the air was filled with a faint sense of leisure, and the forbidden forest in the distance was faintly visible in the morning mist.

After glancing at the somewhat mysterious Forbidden Forest, Ino walked towards the greenhouse without looking back.

He had absolutely no interest in exploring the Forbidden Forest. Perhaps he would go openly in the future, but not secretly like he was now.

Outside the herbal medicine greenhouse.

Ino squatted outside a pile of damaged flowerpots and began a new round of sorting, trying to find some 'new homes' for the magic beans.

A gift from William Green, blessed by the goddess of harvest! With such a halo of good fortune, who wouldn't look forward to this magical bean sprouting?

However, fate seemed unwilling to let him grow this bean. He squatted there and picked through more than a dozen flowerpots, but none of them were usable because they were either cracked or had hidden damage.

Just as he was about to use transformation magic to make an emergency flowerpot, a gentle voice came from inside the greenhouse.

"Silly child, you won't be able to find them here. They were just brought out yesterday, and they've already screened them!"

Upon hearing this, Ino looked up in surprise: "Good morning, Professor Sprout!"

Pomona recognized the student in front of her. Although there were many Hufflepuffs, she could still remember each one accurately, only occasionally forgetting their names.

But she still remembered this student very well. He was also someone who loved herb class, just like the chubby little boy from Gryffindor. They were both good kids.

"Come with me. The bulbs in greenhouse number seven need some calming. After you're done, I can give you a few new flowerpots as payment! That is, if you're willing to do it."

"Of course! It would be my honor!" Ino agreed without hesitation.

The flowerpot is small; what's important is building a good relationship with Professor Sprout. I'll probably need his guidance a lot when planting magic beans later on.

More importantly, he wanted to learn Professor Sprout's magic of sensing plants; simply touching the soil with his wand would reveal the plant's needs—it was incredibly useful.

Greenhouse No. 7.

The jumping bulb is a magical plant that looks very much like a hyacinth flower ball, but the difference is that this plant is particularly active and likes to jump around in the flowerpot. If it is not tamed in time, it will make a mess of the whole greenhouse.

Pushing open the glass door of the greenhouse, countless bouncing bulbs seemed to be on steroids, bouncing incessantly, their forms visible on the flowerpots and the ground.

"You..." Professor Sprout hesitated.

"Ino Swinburne, you can just call me Ino."

Ino's timely addition prevented the professor from feeling embarrassed, since he had just realized that Professor Sprout probably couldn't remember the name.

However, he understood, given that Hufflepuff this year had an astonishing 103 first-year students.

"Hmm, Ino! Do you know how to soothe them?" Professor Sprout asked.

After a moment's thought, he found information about the plant and immediately replied:

"Professor, soothe them with fire! Mature bouncing bulbs need fire because they love warmth and light. As for immature bouncing bulbs, just grab them by hand and press them into the soil."

"A perfect answer. If this were in class, I would definitely give you extra points!" Professor Sprout said with a smile.

She really likes students who are attentive in class, especially those who are dedicated to learning herbal medicine.

Because of these mischievous little wizards, her herbalism was even ranked third from the bottom, only after History of Magic and Astronomy, making it the third most useless course at Hogwarts, even lower than the charlatan Divination class!

Meow meow meow, thank you so much for your support!

Xiao Di finally finished coding by 7 o'clock!

(End of this chapter)