The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 280 Time Flies, England in August

Time slips through our fingers like fine sand, silently and unnoticed, yet undeniably real.

……

Hogsmeade.

On the second floor of the small house, Ino was intently organizing the letters on her desk.

More than half a month has passed since my last trip to Spider's End.

Time flies, and many things have happened during this period. Some of these things are closely related to him, while others are things he is powerless to help.

For example, Harry did everything he could out of respect for Snape and Dumbledore.

Whether Harry will learn Occlumency and what his future path will be is entirely up to him.

Sometimes, the world is like a vast collection of stories, and whether it's Harry or someone else, everyone is the protagonist of their own story.

……

In the study on the second floor.

All the letters on the table were now divided into two categories: completed and pending.

Rather than letters, they look more like to-do lists.

Ino suddenly realized that as time passed and she grew older, the peace she once had seemed to be gone forever, and the trivialities of life gradually increased.

This summer, in particular, there have been one tedious task after another.

Such as: LAA recording records, Brijuni Island film and television production, Merlin Jazz Band reply letters, and a whole host of other things.

Among the pile of letters, he only picked out the reply from the Order of Merlin and casually put it aside.

……

In the past two weeks, many things have quietly changed.

Ino's gaze swept across the table, and after sorting through all the letters, it became clear that the seemingly tedious tasks had been completed one by one.

Whether it's the Quidditch World Cup performance or the production of film and television mirrors, everything is on track.

Especially regarding the Quidditch World Cup.

A week ago, he also recorded three different theme songs at LAA, and he left the specific follow-up matters to Flint Sr. to negotiate with the Ministry of Magic.

Looking at the only unfinished letter left on the table, Ino stood up and stretched lazily.

This feeling of being carefree and relaxed is truly refreshing.

……

Unlike the comfort of a small house.

In early August, a subtle tension and anticipation permeated the air throughout England.

With the Quidditch World Cup countdown underway, the entire Ministry of Magic is operating at full capacity: the Department of Disasters and Accidents, the Department of Law Enforcement, the Department of Sport, the Department of International Cooperation…

Aside from the Department of Mysteries, there's practically no one idle in the vast Ministry of Magic.

There's really no way around it, since the number of foreign wizards pouring into England has already exceeded the number of native wizards.

Faced with such a significant event, the Ministry of Magic, at Fudge's behest, also contacted the Muggle Prime Minister.

……

Manchester, London.

Mr. Granger sat in front of the television, which was showing the morning news.

At this moment, the host is reporting the latest news in a serious tone, such as a large circus recently visiting England, and famous magicians from all over the world gathering...

In the past, he would have watched with great interest before offering his own opinions.

But now, everything is different.

"Hermione, do you need me to prepare camping gear in advance? A powerful flashlight, or a generator. You know your mother and I can't cook with magic."

Mr. Granger asked with anticipation, as sports events have always been his favorite.

This year, I couldn't go to the United States to watch the World Cup due to work reasons. However, in a twist of fate, my daughter actually produced tickets for the Wizards World Cup.

Although I don't know anything about Quidditch, its enduring popularity in the wizarding world suggests that it must be a very exciting sport.

Meanwhile, Hermione put down her newspaper after hearing her father's question.

"Dad, we don't need to bring anything. I'll take care of everything. If we really have to bring something, then let's bring the little tent from last summer."

"Alright..." A hint of disappointment flashed in Mr. Granger's eyes when he realized he couldn't be of much help.

Once upon a time, everything in this household depended on him. But now he could no longer help, not even with money, because the wizarding bank had restricted the amount of pounds that could be exchanged.

Unlike Hermione's absent-mindedness, Mrs. Granger, noticing the change in her husband's tone, took his hand.

"You should be happy, not disappointed. Hermione has her own life to live. You can't expect to take care of her forever, and she will find someone who truly cares for her..."

Mrs. Granger's gaze shifted to the newspaper in Hermione's hand; the boy in the front-page photograph was someone she recognized.

……

at the same time.

Laughter never stopped at the Three Broomsticks pub in Hogsmeade from the afternoon onwards.

In the spacious hall, a large 41-inch video mirror hangs on the wall, playing a loop of Tom and Jerry's funny stories.

While the young wizards in the castle may be getting a bit tired of seeing them, adult wizards are the mainstay of Hogsmeade, and there are also many foreign tourists.

Unlike the laughter and merriment of others.

As a bar owner, Ms. Rosmerta is more concerned with the sales volume of drinks.

She first glanced at today's sales figures, then turned to look at the young man beside her, and sighed softly:

"I really don't know what you were thinking. This thing is bound to become the mainstream in the future, and you'll be a real rich person then."

Hearing the familiar teasing, Ino naturally picked up the conversation:

"This doesn't concern me much. It's mainly because we have a lot of partners, so everything has gone smoothly. But I don't know if things will be so smooth once the products leave England..."

"That's worrying unnecessarily!" Ms. Rosmerta shook her head slightly. "You have no idea of ​​their strength. With enough profit to back them up, they have nothing to fear even if they encounter trouble."

"Perhaps! I wonder what's going on with Old Tom."

Looking at the three brooms that were packed with people, Ino became curious about the situation in Diagon Alley.

With the gold refining factory on the island of Yingbrioni now on track, the first batch of promotional products has quietly entered the market.

Thanks to the combined efforts of native pure-blood wizards, nowadays, whether in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, every shop that opens a store will hang a video mirror that plays animations, depending on the size of the shop.

"Him? It's even hotter there than here!" the woman from Rosmerta replied casually, then changed the subject:

"But you, it's hard to believe Fudge would agree to add a new segment before the World Cup. A stage for a hundred thousand people... Merlin!"

"Fudge will agree simply because this is not just a performance; if everything goes well, many things will be rewritten."

Ino knew very well that, unlike the unconventional Fide, if a proper phoenix were born in front of 100,000 witnesses, Fudge's name would also be recorded in history.

After all, this was a first for England.

I'm having a bit of writer's block, sorry everyone. I only have two chapters today. I'll work on them tonight. Tomorrow is the World Cup, and then I'll speed up the start of school and get into the three-way battle.

Xiao Di shares: Flobberworm

British Magic Classification Level: x

Physical characteristics: The florper's armyworm is a stout, round, brown worm that can reach up to 10 inches in length and is not very active. The two ends of the florper's body are not much different, and both can chew plants and secrete mucus, hence its name.

Habits: The florper's armyworm lives in damp ditches. Its preferred food is lettuce, but it will eat almost any plant.

(End of this chapter)