The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 264 Fox's Visit

Life is full of unexpected events and surprises.

When the Luciuss learned where their son lived, they were not angry about him running away from home. Instead, they sent a house-elf to live with him.

After confirming that the little elf was not Dobby, Ino let it go, and was happy to have someone help with three meals a day.

……

Second-floor study.

On the large desk lay a three-foot-long sword, the Blade of Morgul.

As the sword of the Witch-King of Angmar, this weapon is, in some ways, no weaker than the Sword of Slaying the Enemy.

As the oil lamp shone, the dense inscriptions on the sword blade became clearly visible.

This is a method different from magical alchemy; the blade is covered with countless inscriptions, making it look more like an enchantment of proverbs.

This discovery piqued Ino's interest, as such new alchemy systems often conceal a great deal of fascinating knowledge.

But to his dismay, he lacked the key to unlock this treasure trove of knowledge. These inscriptions were not ancient runes; they were more like a unique script of Middle-earth, a script that carried power.

Anyone who has ever done a jigsaw puzzle knows that without a reference image, it's incredibly difficult to put together a large jigsaw puzzle.

Ino was the same; after two days of being completely clueless, he temporarily put aside his efforts to decipher the power system of Middle-earth and instead continued to develop the cinematic mirror in depth.

Now, his strength is more than enough for him.

Ten years of travel in Middle-earth, the passive growth of magic, the spiritual experiences, and the skillful application of magic.

Although he had never met Voldemort, Ino honestly didn't think he was much worse than him.

This is not blind confidence, but a natural feeling, much like a kind of inner strength that has been accumulated after experiencing all kinds of things in life.

Moreover, both Fied and Bogut are sources of his confidence.

Boggart, in particular, took some time these past two days to experiment in the valley.

After absorbing the cursed black stone fragments from Mount Ereh, the Boggart underwent another qualitative change. Perhaps it could no longer be called a Boggart; Nightmare would be a more fitting description.

Unlike the thin mist and black smoke of the past, now when he mobilizes Boggart, a black curtain hangs over the valley of more than a hundred acres like a tide.

One hundred acres may not seem like a lot, but when converted, it is about the size of sixty standard football fields.

And this is only the area covered by the curtain. If diluted into the previous terrifying black smoke, how much area could it actually cover...?

Ino had never tried it, nor dared to.

Because now it's not just simple fear inside anymore. As mentioned before, it has changed after absorbing the black stone.

Born in the Second Age, the High King of Gondor and Arnor, the King of Men who wielded the sword Nasir to sever Sauron's finger—Isirdu himself inscribed the curse at Blackrock.

This allowed Boggart to absorb the Blackstone fragments, and also infused the veil with many undead from Mount Ereh.

Unlike the atmosphere groups led by Aragorn in the original story, the black undead within the veil can actually attack to a certain extent, but only if the enemy is inside the veil.

In order to test the attacks of these undead, Ino also conducted a special experiment in the valley.

A ten-foot-diameter boulder can be marked with an inch by arrows, spears, or swords.

Don't underestimate this one inch; it's already the firing effect of a Muggle large-caliber rifle.

The ten years in Middle-earth, all in all, added up.

Ino is now truly confident. If there were a truly enclosed environment, he wouldn't even need to show himself; he could simply wear Voldemort down by opening the curtains.

But life doesn't offer so many "what ifs," and powerful wizards often possess great mobility as well.

……

Second-floor study.

After a brief moment of reminiscence, Ino began copying the inscriptions again at his desk.

When you're focused, you don't notice the time passing, until...

The flame of the bronze oil lamp suddenly began to flicker.

Faced with this sudden situation, he immediately looked up, but quickly relaxed.

Fox was now standing by the desk, tilting his head and looking curiously at the flame in the oil lamp.

Similarly, the flickering of the flames just now seemed to be a response of greeting between friends.

"Long time no see, Fox!" Ino greeted softly.

In response, Fawkes gave him a human-like nod, along with a letter strapped to his foot. As for the sender, it goes without saying; in the entire wizarding world, only the old headmaster could afford such extravagance as using a phoenix to deliver a message.

A few minutes later.

Ino opened the drawer, took out a brand new parchment, and began to reply.

The letter was very simple; it just asked for a time to meet someone.

Before summer vacation, after he moved the video mirror into the headmaster's office, Dumbledore had mentioned this verbally and introduced him to the legendary alchemist Nicolas Flamel.

To be honest, he was very interested in Nico, not because of the legendary Philosopher's Stone, but because of Nico's nearly seven hundred years of experience.

People often say that those who wander far from home have many stories to tell. In fact, elderly people who have lived a long life also have many interesting stories to tell.

From the Middle Ages to the modern era, communicating with Nicolas is far more valuable than reading any history book, because history books are often embellished and romanticized.

Despite his thoughts, Ino quickly wrote a reply and tied it to Fox's leg.

Unlike Fide's coldness, Fox's feathers were warm and soft, and he also had a friendly temperament, which made him want to hold him in his arms.

But he remained rational and did not do anything absurd.

As Fox left, the oil lamp on the table flickered gently a few more times.

Feeling the fragmented emotions in her mind, Ino smiled happily.

He will soon have a normal phoenix.

It is now the end of June.

The 442nd Quidditch World Cup, held in England, takes place in August during the summer holidays.

To be honest, if Newt and Flint hadn't already been working on it, Ino wouldn't have wanted to participate.

The very premise of this matter was the birth of the phoenix.

With the help of the emotions of over ten thousand Rohan people, the flames have already condensed into life. Now, even if nothing is done, just waiting for time will bring about the birth of the phoenix, although it may take a while.

Moreover, his ten years living in Middle-earth had changed his mindset a lot.

Compared to the typical celebrity role, he now aspires to the life of his teacher, Hans. Alone with his instrument, he wanders through mountain villages and countryside, quietly telling stories of distant places.

Enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

Fame or prestige is something that people crave but cannot attain; truly capable people probably don't value these things too much.

……

"Never mind, I can get some rest after this is all over!"

Through the second-floor window, Hogsmeade in June presented a unique kind of beauty.

That is a kind of tranquility in life.

(End of this chapter)