The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 318 The Storms of the Castle, Daily Life in Diagon Alley

Everything seems to follow one principle: ultimate compromise.

Whether it's a difference in ideology, a dispute over interests, or even a conflict of action, as long as it doesn't come to the point of life or death, the only way in the end is compromise.

The same principle applies to the magical world.

Faced with the unexpected appearance of a fourth warrior, Mrs. Maxim and Karkaroff also chose to compromise and accept it.

In the end, the two principals even saw a hint of inquiry in each other's eyes.

It's likely that both of them suspected the other of already knowing Ino's strength and thus orchestrating this self-inflicted injury to divide the spoils equally.

Whether it was a ruse or a genuine accident, both of them accepted the outcome of the matter readily, and could even be said to be delighted.

It's like a recreational duel between students, and suddenly the champion of the previous International Wizard Duel Tournament emerges. The two are completely different concepts, so there's no suspense no matter how you compare them.

But things are different now. The champion's legs were held down by his teammates, restricting his movement, so he was able to compete once, albeit with difficulty.

……

The three principals reached a consensus.

This same resolution spread throughout the castle the following day.

The wind rose, creating a noise that seemed unprecedented.

Even though a week has passed, the rumors in the castle continue unabated, with everyone discussing the topic of the fourth warrior as much as possible.

Harry has once again become the focus, or rather, the subject of discussion.

But no matter what winds were blowing in the castle, they seemed to only blow in through the windows, while the Slytherin common room, deep beneath the castle, remained peacefully undisturbed.

Ino was not interested in the rumors and gossip outside.

A lot has happened in the past week, but the only thing that deserves his attention is the timing of the first competition.

After consultation among the five referees, the time was set for the end of November.

It's quite interesting that the Warriors were selected in early October and the competition started at the end of November, a full two months, as if they were afraid that one side would be unprepared.

Ino didn't intend to ask about Dumbledore's plans, because it was pointless.

Dumbledore will tell him what he truly needs to know, and forcing him to know what he doesn't need will only provide more topics for conversation.

Since the old principal is willing to take the lead, he is happy to have more free time.

……

In the Slytherin dormitory.

Ino took off her plain-colored robe and put on the blue long gown she had worn before, which was made of spider silk.

A week has quietly passed, and today is the time I had agreed to meet with Marcus.

"Ino, do you think I need to go?"

In the dormitory, Draco hesitated for a long time before tentatively asking.

"You? My answer is whatever. Go if you want, or stay in your dorm if you don't. As a shareholder, you always have the right."

After a brief moment of thought, Ino gave his answer to Draco's question.

"Then I won't go. Anyway, there's nothing for me to do inside." Draco breathed a sigh of relief. He was now very glad that he hadn't been too involved in the operations.

"Ha! It's not as serious as you think." Ino saw right through Draco's thoughts.

In fact, he did not doubt anyone until he saw the evidence.

It would be incredibly foolish to doubt one's partner or fly into a rage based solely on Crom's side of the story.

While we may not doubt it, we cannot ignore it.

Krum's words also reminded him of something: although a community of shared interests is very solid, it also requires equal status among its members.

……

As Ino prepared to depart, he was far away on the main street of Diagon Alley.

The atmosphere in the shop, which covers an area of ​​about 100 square meters, was rather somber.

The mirror shop originally belonged to the Malfoy family, but was later used by Draco as a shareholding.

The shop has two floors; the first floor is used for business operations, while the second floor is a standard storage warehouse.

This might seem like a waste of space, but when there aren't enough goods and a wide variety of products, it's wisest to concentrate everything on the first floor.

At this moment, the first floor of the shop is still open for business as usual. Although the shop is a bit deserted, there are not many goods on the shelves either.

This caused the only two young employees on the first floor to immediately start slacking off, each with a bag of Bibigo Beans, chatting idly.

The two shop assistants, a man and a woman, both looked to be no more than 20 years old, especially the woman, who looked like she had just graduated from Hogwarts.

"Penelope, instead of focusing on increasing production, they're all flocking to the store. Has something major happened? Or are they going out of business?"

The male shop assistant sat behind the counter, looking curious and inquisitive, but mostly bored and listless.

"I don't know!" Penelope turned her head and said calmly, "But Mr. Flint, you know the situation here. Orders from all over the world are booked until next year. If your cousin knew you were hoping for the company to go bankrupt..."

"No! I was just saying it offhand." Linli Flint instantly snapped back to reality.

As an undervalued branch of the Flint family, he was all too familiar with the methods of purebloods. The image of Marcus involuntarily surfaced in his mind, his smiling expression concealing an unknown ruthlessness.

"Since that's the case, then stop talking nonsense! If you really have nothing to do, just lie down and sleep."

Penelope turned her head away from the colleague who had listened to her advice; she had only said a few words, and the other person had actually fallen asleep on the table.

Even so, she had no other choice. She had thought that as a Ravenclaw prefect and the head of the Hogwarts Student Council, she would at least be able to get a decent job after graduation.

However, reality taught her a lesson: Muggle-born wizards have no place in the Ministry of Magic, or rather, any respectable job has a label attached to it, and what seems like an open job is merely an explanation to the public.

Even the Centaur Liaison Office, a perpetually quiet and deserted department, is still run by a group of mixed-race individuals.

"If one path is blocked, try another..." Penelope gazed at the staircase leading to the second floor.

It seems some people are born to be upstairs, while she can only stay at their feet. Even her right to stay at their feet is only because of Percy's connections.

For some reason, Penelope felt a sense of irony.

It seems that everything in the castle was a dream. What prefectural power, what glory? After leaving Hogwarts, all achievements are no match for a mere surname.

"I should have just not tried to get it..."

The college's past now seems utterly absurd.

Some people she once looked down on have now become respectable, while she, the student council president, has become nothing more than a shop clerk.

Although the monthly income is quite considerable, he is essentially still a waiter.

(End of this chapter)