The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 238 An Island Now Belongs to My Name

Quidditch training ground.

Draco watched the performance over and over again. Although he didn't understand filming very well, he always remembered something Ino had said:

Good stories are never the product of deliberate effort.

With just this one sentence, Draco set a standard for himself: he couldn't let people immediately tell that they were acting out a story.

But after two whole months, one of the short stories still hasn't been filmed.

This not only greatly dampened everyone's enthusiasm, but also caused Draco's popularity to steadily decline.

"Whatever! I'll recruit in Diagon Alley this summer!"

After yet another disappointing result, Draco no longer tensed up.

"Perhaps you've encountered a problem!"

"How about we try our method?"

George and Fred seized the opportunity and stepped out from the crowd.

"The problem isn't with me, it's with them!" Draco shook his head.

Although there were two Gryffindor Weasleys in front of him, he no longer had the energy to argue. Their presence, on the contrary, allowed him to vent his pent-up frustrations.

"We know!" George shrugged naturally.

"So, the key issue is that you can't see the mirror," Fred said, revealing the crucial point.

"A privacy cloak! Simply drape it over a mirror to make it blend into its environment for a period of time."

George took a folded, tattered tablecloth out of his pocket.

Faced with Draco's silent question, Fred did not hesitate and simply covered the mirror with the tablecloth.

The three-foot-diameter mirror was perfectly concealed.

Faced with this "coincidence," Draco pondered for a moment before asking, "Why are you helping me?"

"First of all! This isn't about helping you," George stated his position.

"We're friends with Ino, and he's not at Hogwarts right now, so..."

Fred didn't finish his sentence, but Draco's hostility lessened after hearing "Ino's friend."

Besides, he really didn't have the mind to distinguish anything now, because the mirror had indeed become transparent under the cover of the tattered tablecloth.

Although you can still make out some clues when you look at it up close, you will definitely not be able to see anything when you move a little further away.

"How much is this? I'll take it!" Draco reached into his pocket.

"It's free." Fred clenched his hands, indicating that he refused to pay.

How strange, the Weasley twins are giving away fireworks for free! Draco clearly remembered that in the last Quidditch game, they were selling fireworks for a few nut at a time.

"No money? Then what do you want?"

"We want to see it up close," George and Fred said in unison.

"Alright! But no trouble allowed." After a moment's thought, Draco nodded, then stood up and walked towards the group.

"Everyone, get ready! Let's do it again, this time without mirrors. Just a relaxed rehearsal..."

……

The liveliness of Hogwarts always exudes energy.

The distant island of Briony, however, is filled with a solemn atmosphere.

The island is home not only to the returning Deren and the dragon tamer, but also to Lucius and a group of pure-blooded Croatian wizards.

Croatia, a coastal country with a population of only 4 million and an area of ​​approximately 50,000 square kilometers, is also mobilized in full force.

Including the Minister of Magic, a total of 30 people from Croatia came.

"I respect your sovereignty! But I do not recognize your capabilities." Lucius's gaze swept calmly over the Croatian group.

"A full 23 wizards! If they dare to come to my Dragon Field today, they could attack the British mainland tomorrow, and raid the International Federation of Wizards the day after tomorrow."

At the Croatian Ministry of Magic, the bald, middle-aged minister wiped his sweat while forcing a smile.

"Mr. Malfoy! This is a misunderstanding!"

He couldn't let the other person continue talking; if they kept going, Croatia would become a den of dark wizards.

"Misunderstanding?" Lucius pointed his wand at the twenty-three wizards who were firmly bound on the ground, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"These people have nothing to do with us!" one of the Croatian entourage couldn't help but retort.

This single rebuttal caused a change in the expressions of both sides. The middle-aged minister sighed helplessly, while Lucius wore a bright smile.

"Since it has nothing to do with you..."

Lucius was interrupted halfway through his sentence by the middle-aged minister, who said:

"I agree to lease Brioni Island to your Malfoy family! Let's leave it at that."

Ino watched the entire exchange between the two, but it was clear that Lucius had also inherited the British tradition of using rhetoric to trick the other party into saying the last sentence.

When a sovereign state claims that the invaders of its territory have nothing to do with it, it is essentially admitting that this place is not under its jurisdiction.

The best response to this matter is to take responsibility and promise to find the culprit. There might be compensation involved, but future tax revenue will still be there, unlike now where shirking responsibility results in nothing.

Although the middle-aged minister secretly hated the talkative wizard, he was also secretly relieved that Croatia was perhaps best off extricating itself from the matter.

There were 23 wizards at once, while the entire Ministry of Magic only has 30 people at full strength.

As the middle-aged minister rejoiced, Lucius spoke again:

"It's not a loan for Malfoy, it's a loan for Svenburn! Briony Island will be leased for one gallon per year, with no time limit!"

Upon seeing the 23 wizards on the ground, Lucius had already made up his mind. Forget the eight-eyed giant spiders, forget about making money; even if it cost him a fortune, he would tie Malfoy and Svenburn together.

Ino watched the whole thing unfold, and when he suddenly heard that he owned an additional small island, he looked at Lucius in surprise.

The latter simply smiled and offered no explanation.

Similarly, Lucius seemed to have come prepared, and quickly produced a magical contract, specifically a standard contract from the English Ministry of Magic.

……

The document takes effect upon signature.

At this point, Ino also owns an island, an island with legal documentation and official recognition.

As soon as the Croatian Ministry of Magic delegation left, before he could even speak, Lucius immediately explained:

"Without your help, this dragon farm would have ceased to exist long ago, and would even have had to bear a huge amount of compensation."

Lucius's words were eloquent and even reasonable.

If this had been said two months ago, Ino might have believed it, but after spending two months at the dragon breeding farm, he realized that what was valuable here wasn't the location, the buildings, or even the fire dragons.

The most valuable thing is always market share.

"Uncle Lucius, although I accept the island, Draco's shareholding will not change!" Faced with this good intention, Ino also chose to accept.

After all, once the true intention is understood, further refusals would have a different meaning.

Sure enough, Lucius was all smiles when he heard that Draco's shareholding would remain unchanged.

"Haha, then this place will be in your hands from now on. I'll take care of the initial construction, including Deren's and the others' salaries."

A tacit understanding was thus reached.

(End of this chapter)