The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 222 Alchemy Exchange, Wizard New Media

A one-handed sword? A knight's lance?

Hearing these familiar yet unfamiliar words, after a brief moment of reminiscence, Ino gently rubbed her temples, trying to dispel the sense of disparity between memory and reality.

Perhaps, for old Bans, it was just the past year.

But he actually experienced several fantastical stories, and all of them added up to nearly three years.

This subtle change did not escape old Bans' notice. He couldn't help but take off his thick-rimmed glasses and asked with some concern:

"What's wrong? You've seemed a bit down ever since you came in?"

Ino leaned back in her chair, her gaze sweeping over the mottled wall, and sighed softly, "It's nothing, just a feeling of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing sadness, nostalgia, and a sense of loss) about the passage of time. Time is fleeting."

"Don't overthink it. You're still so young! You're already lamenting the passing of time, what am I, an old man, supposed to do?"

Old Bans smiled and shook his head, jokingly saying:

"Or I could give you a knight's lance; it's really fun, and it even glows at night!"

Ino was amused by this childlike explanation, and her heart was warmed as well.

After all, he hadn't experienced this kind of care from an elder in a long time. Even with Dumbledore, it was more of an equal exchange than this kind of pure concern.

"Forget about the knight's lance! I've learned alchemy now."

"You've learned alchemy?" Old Bans was somewhat surprised to hear this, as very few students were interested in alchemy these days.

Unlike popular subjects like potions and herbs, alchemy has virtually no market. Many people believe that the greatest achievement of learning alchemy is simply becoming a toy merchant.

However, this is indeed the case; the vast majority of alchemists end up opening a joke toy store or working in such a store.

Therefore, Old Bans asked out of curiosity, "Why are you learning alchemy?"

"I learn alchemy purely out of hobby." Ino smiled, then looked at the storage shelf next to him, which was filled with various tools.

"Studying is also a way to pass the time, which helps avoid boredom in life."

"Life is boring?" Old Bans shook his head helplessly. A third-year Hogwarts wizard actually brought up the topic of life being boring.

"Yes, if you don't find something to do, it gets a bit boring." Ino nodded seriously.

Quidditch, Goblin Rock, Wizard's Chess, Thunder Blast, Chocolate Frog, and what else?

Entertainment in the magical world is extremely scarce. Only in the last few decades have wizards introduced radio broadcasts and records, but these are still very monotonous.

"Are you planning to invent a new toy?" Old Bans chuckled. In his view, every student learning alchemy actually harbored a dream of becoming an inventor.

"It's not a new toy, it's a new media!" Ino shook her head slightly, then stated her thoughts:

"Wizards' cultural entertainment is too limited, consisting mainly of books and radio, unlike the rich culture of Muggles."

In just over ten minutes, Ino gave Old Man Bans a brief overview of the development of Muggles.

This includes items that have emerged in recent decades, such as televisions, movies, and videotapes.

"Amazing! This is a bit like a two-way mirror, or the Mirror of Erised," old Bans exclaimed.

But then, old Bans changed the subject and began to talk about the achievements of alchemy:

"In theory, this is not difficult. The original alchemical formulas contained complete imaging technology, but because it was too profound and there was a knowledge gap, later generations were unable to study it."

"It's still very difficult." Ino frowned slightly.

He agreed with old Bans's point of view that, in terms of imaging devices like televisions, wizards were many years ahead of Muggles.

However, being ahead does not mean being widespread. High costs and traditional concepts have caused many brilliant pieces of knowledge to only have a fleeting moment in the long river of history.

Old Bans sat quietly behind the table. He suddenly realized that the young man in front of him was really like his younger self. He had also studied alchemy out of interest and had the same wild imagination.

"Go ahead and do it. I'll help you as much as I can. Don't leave any regrets, otherwise you'll end up like me, alone in this little shop when you're old..."

Old Bans' tone was full of nostalgia.

"We do need to do it! But we need to find a sample first." Ino sat in a chair and stretched lazily.

Throughout Hogsmeade, apart from his own home, he could only enjoy this kind of comfort at Old Banshee's shop.

Perhaps this really is fate between people. Although I go to the Three Brooms more often, it's never as relaxing as here.

at the same time.

When Old Bans heard that samples were needed, he thought for a moment and then promised:

"You'll have to find the samples yourself! But I'll try to find out for you, though they've become very rare on the market these days."

Faced with Old Bans' promise, Ino smiled and shook his head.

"There's no rush, take your time! Besides, some things can't be accomplished by rushing."

Although he said he wasn't in a hurry, he already had a goal in mind: the Mirror of Eris hidden in the castle.

A mirror reflecting inner desires—how could such a high-end alchemical item lack the knowledge of image formation in its techniques?

And this hidden knowledge, illuminated by the light of an oil lamp, is nothing more than a cloud of unsuspecting fluff.

……

Ino stayed at the Bans store until noon.

Besides chatting with Old Bans, we also exchanged some alchemy tips.

In particular, the raspberry wood staff he crafted received high praise from old Bans – the troll wand.

Although they were teased, they also gained something from it.

Before leaving, Ino had a yellowed notebook in her hand, a notebook about making wands given to her by old Bans.

What truly touched him was old Bans's last words of advice:

"There are many alchemists who can make wands, but there can only be one Ollivander in all of England!"

These words were almost a true heartfelt confession.

……

The world of magic is a very complex place.

"Perhaps only Hogwarts can be considered a fairy tale..."

Walking home, this sentence involuntarily popped into Ino's mind.

Stories featuring Harry as the protagonist will always remain just fairy tales.

However, even from the perspective of an eleven-year-old boy, this fairy tale only lasted for three years.

Similarly, he thought of Newt, who had only recently returned to England. As the protagonist of the previous generation, Newt had been portraying a mature story from beginning to end.

Generally speaking, different perspectives lead to different stories.

Stroll through the quiet residential area of ​​Hogsmeade.

At that moment, he began to understand the Brothers Grimm somewhat. They traversed the vast world, recording all sorts of interesting sights and sounds from a unique perspective.

"The story will never end..."

Ino sighed to himself, at the same time feeling an urge to write a novel about Hogwarts.

The main characters of the story are a group of young wizards in the castle.

(End of this chapter)