The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 305 Ron's Show-off

The last weekend of September 1994.

On the top floor of the Astronomy Tower, it was nearly noon when Ino subtly took his leave of Hermione.

Although he chatted for several hours in the morning, he didn't feel bored at all; on the contrary, he felt that time flew by.

……

It was noon that day.

The auditorium was unusually lively at lunchtime.

With the posting of the notice, everyone knew that Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's students and teachers would be visiting Hogwarts before 6 p.m. today.

Therefore, even on weekends, no one chooses to go to Hogsmeade.

The Gryffindor table.

After quickly finishing the food on his plate, Ron was once again full of energy.

"Harry, have you heard? They've decided on the champions."

Ron's voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to travel far and wide. Within a ten-meter radius of him, the young wizards seemed to slow down their eating.

As a whiz at gathering information, Ron easily noticed the surrounding situation, which made him nod in satisfaction.

But before Ron could continue, an untimely dissenting voice arose from the surroundings.

"Here we go again! If the professors really do choose the Warriors from within, I definitely won't attend this so-called Triwizard Tournament."

The speaker was Dean Thomas, who was also one of Harry and Ron's roommates.

After he finished speaking, his roommate Simon, who was sitting next to Dean, whispered a word of dissuasion:

"Let's hear what he has to say; we can't think of any interesting topics anyway."

A standard five-person male dormitory room perfectly embodies the concept of alliances and betrayals at this moment.

Dean could never stand Ron and would always disagree, while Seamus, though closer to Dean, also had some connection with Ron, seemingly able to please both sides.

At the same time.

Ron ignored Andy's rebuttal, after all, this wasn't a dormitory, and he didn't need another listener.

Looking around and noticing the curious glances from the other young wizards, Ron cleared his throat and pretended to look at Harry.

"Harry, I just learned this secret. Apparently, the professors accidentally let it slip..."

The words were cryptic, but the voice sounded like a speech.

A small-scale cultural salon was thus born.

However, in addition to the discussions organized by Cairon, there were also many other discussions in the auditorium.

From a minimum of two people to a maximum of more than a dozen, everyone was talking about who could become the champion of Hogwarts.

Of course, every young wizard in every house hopes that someone from their house can be elected.

However, in the discussion, Ino and Cedric were the most talked about.

To be honest, Cedric had spent six years at the school and had accumulated a lot of prestige, although most of this prestige was limited to Hogwarts, but that was enough.

While everyone was discussing it enthusiastically.

The atmosphere in Slytherin was somewhat somber. Thanks to Draco's unintentional spread of the word, they now roughly understood one thing: Ino would most likely not participate in the Triwizard Tournament.

Reason told them that Ino's approach was correct, after all, the medals of the Order of Merlin were always superior to the glory of the Triwizard Tournament.

But emotionally, the Slytherins still felt a slight sense of loss.

Lunch, too, quietly ended amidst the noise and melancholy.

……

Time quickly passed and it was afternoon.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, thanks to the combined efforts of all the prefects, the castle became completely empty.

Actually, the prefects didn't need to remind them; no one would want to miss out on something so new.

On the lawn by Black Lake.

Professor McGonagall had taken her designated spot early on.

Seemingly to emphasize the importance of the welcoming ceremony, Professor McGonagall not only changed into a brand new robe, but also meticulously put on her pointed wizard hat.

This scene looks quite beautiful even from a distance.

On the lakeside, an elderly witch led a neatly arranged group of young wizards, all standing quietly together.

Unfortunately, beauty is meant to be broken.

As the first whispers arose from the crowd, things gradually spiraled out of control.

The discussions gradually shifted from being cautious at the beginning to becoming unrestrained.

"Quiet! Line up! Prefects, keep an eye on them!"

With the help of magic, Professor McGonagall's voice clearly reached the ears of every young wizard.

Professor McGonagall seemed to be in a bad mood, and her tone carried a hint of emotion. However, the effect was equally remarkable; under her loud reprimand, all the young wizards scurried into tiny, fluffy balls.

After everyone had regained their composure, Professor McGonagall turned her head and gazed into the distance once more.

In fact, she was really annoyed right now, and the root of her annoyance was the renowned Sir Merlin Order.

"Insisting on setting it for October is just being rigid and inflexible, like old fogies..."

Professor McGonagall couldn't help but feel discontent. The three great magic schools of Europe had been vying for power for centuries, each wanting to make their school the undisputed number one.

The purpose of the three-way battle for supremacy was also for this reason.

Let the three magic schools compete under reasonable rules and with measured standards to determine the nominal winner.

However, she also heard the news that Ino, her most promising student, might miss the competition because of the Merlin Order awards ceremony in October.

This is really annoying.

As Professor McGonagall silently criticized him, a cacophony of voices gradually rose behind her.

"Quiet! Everyone..."

The loud reprimands silenced the young wizards once again.

Unlike Professor McGonagall, who was particular about etiquette, the other three Deans, including Dumbledore, remained silent.

What followed was quite interesting; roughly every fifteen minutes, Professor McGonagall's reprimand would echo across the shores of Black Lake.

……

One reprimand, fifteen minutes of peace.

After repeating this cycle six times, a full hour and a half had passed.

"It's 5:40. Will they be late? If they are late for an occasion like this, it'll be a real mess."

Ron took out his pocket watch, looking like he was waiting to see a good show.

Interestingly, although he was chatting idly, he didn't put the pocket watch away, seemingly showing it off intentionally or unintentionally.

This is an exquisitely designed mechanical pocket watch inlaid with a ruby ​​the size of a fingernail.

A flash of light occasionally streaked across the dazzling red gemstone, while George and Fred at the back of the crowd simultaneously wore speechless expressions.

"I told you to just give him two siscons, that would be fine! But you insisted on giving him two gallons." Fred lowered his head helplessly.

"How was I supposed to know he'd do this? He can forget about getting a single nut of pocket money from me from now on." George also turned his head to look to the side.

Ahead, Ron's low-class showing off made them both feel embarrassed just by watching from afar.

At this moment, they truly regretted giving Ron pocket money after the World Cup.

……

It is no coincidence.

As Ron subtly displays his pocket watch, Draco, from the Slytherin group, also pulls out a pocket watch from his pocket.

The difference was that Draco merely glanced at the time before putting it back.

"Ino, do you think they'll be late?"

(End of this chapter)