The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 340 Planning Ahead: Hogwarts' Assets

Perhaps it was the nature of snakes, or simply Salazar Slytherin's personal preference.

The Slytherin bedroom, located beneath the castle, always immerses young wizards in a profound and delicate tranquility.

……

In the dormitory.

Ino stood up, stood there for a few seconds, and then sat back down in her chair.

Just now, he suddenly thought of the murals in the castle. Apart from the bedroom, various murals were scattered throughout the castle corridors.

Actually, it would have been better if it weren't for that bloodstained letter. With that letter, Dumbledore could have easily found the person who lost the letter, and by peeling back the layers, he should have become more alert.

Thinking about this, he suddenly stopped being in a hurry.

Ultimately, whoever is hiding, the target is Harry, and they probably won't destroy the castle or even harm anyone else.

As for Harry, he was already surrounded by enough people.

Besides, he always felt that going to see Dumbledore now was just someone who took advantage of his free time and was just trying to get close to him.

……

Gradually, I came to understand everything.

Ino shifted to a more comfortable sitting position, reclining halfway in the high-backed chair.

"Draco, have you decided on a name for your monthly magazine? There's only one month left. If possible, we might be able to release it early. Now is a great time."

The topic suddenly shifted, and Draco didn't react for a moment. A few seconds later, he stammered out:

"I've already thought of a name! It'll be called 'Hogwarts Past Events,' since the monthly magazine doesn't publish news, it's just a secondary discussion of past events..."

Ino became interested as he listened to Draco's words. Finding new content in history and the past was similar to the storytelling of a bard.

"That's great!" Ino immediately agreed.

"After you graduate, hand this place over to the next Slytherin. You can also make a sister book called 'Once Upon a Time in England,' which sounds quite nice."

"The history of England?" Draco turned his eyes thoughtfully, as if he had thought of something.

But after a while, Draco became dejected again.

"That's really good! But I can't even finish writing 'Once Upon a Time in Hogwarts' right now; I've oversimplified it..."

Draco was frustrated. So many days had passed since he came up with the idea, and he had only become Hogwarts' head of information.

As for the publication of the full edition, it seems like it's a long way off.

"...I've ordered the equipment, but I don't have the manpower. They're all students, and even if some were willing to accept my employment, there's nowhere for them to work. The dormitories are no good, the abandoned classrooms have the annoying Filch, and as for outside the castle, there are too many people and too many eyes..."

Draco recounted his grievances and difficulties in a complaining manner.

"These are minor issues!" Ino decisively took over the conversation, ignoring Draco's surprised look, and continued:

"I have a group of very responsible staff members, and I can also arrange a classroom for you in the castle, the kind where you won't be disturbed. You can prohibit anyone from entering except the principal..."

"This is absolutely fantastic!"

Before he could finish speaking, Draco suddenly stood up.

He felt that happiness had come somewhat suddenly. As the head of the secret service hidden in the castle, having news but not being able to publish it was truly a torment.

"Don't be so happy yet, I have conditions!" Ino reached out and gently tapped the armrest of the chair.

"Tell me! I'll promise you anything, whatever it is!"

Upon hearing the terms, Draco turned around, placed his hands on the table, and made a sincere promise.

He started this monthly magazine out of interest, not to make money. He wouldn't mind giving it all to Ino, since the printing equipment wasn't worth more than a few hundred gallons.

Ino understood Draco's underlying meaning, but he had no intention of taking over his friend's business.

Sitting in the chair, he raised his hand and held up two fingers:

"Two points. First, the location. I can find a suitable place, but the castle is not my property, so you need to pay Hogwarts a certain amount of rent. That cannot be changed."

The castle rental fee was a choice Ino made after careful consideration.

Although Hogwarts is a prestigious school with a history of over a thousand years, it is actually subject to the control of twelve board members, because all the expenses of the castle come from external funding.

It's quite laughable, really, that such a huge place as Hogwarts, with its castle, Forbidden Forest, Black Lake, herb greenhouses, and so on, doesn't have a single publicly known independent business.

To put it nicely, it's a grant; to put it bluntly, the castle depends entirely on others' charity, and if those charity stops, Hogwarts probably won't even be able to pay its professors' salaries.

In the story of the Basilisk, Dumbledore was easily expelled from school, which is actually for this reason.

Ordinary people often think that the principal is the most powerful, but that only applies to principals with a reputation. If it were just an ordinary principal, the twelve board members would be able to demonstrate their power and authority.

……

For some reason, Ino thought of a very interesting phenomenon in the original story.

Around the time he first enrolled, Draco always mentioned his father, the school board chairman, and acted like a castle owner, which was probably a habitual way of thinking that he had heard and seen at home.

Unfortunately, Draco encountered a headmaster named Dumbledore, and in the end, he even lost the Malfoy family's inherited board position.

Plan ahead.

After seeing his name in the Book of Admission, Ino had the idea of ​​developing Hogwarts and breaking free from his dependent status.

However, at the time he was only thinking about developing the forbidden forest and expanding greenhouse cultivation.

But today, by some coincidence, Draco's monthly magazine gave him a reminder, which can be considered as relying on Hogwarts' campus business to some extent.

Even if it's not much money, it can still install a few magic lamps on the path to the new students.

……

At the same time.

When Draco heard that it was just rent, he agreed without even thinking:

"No problem, rent or anything else is a small matter! What about your second point?"

In response to Draco's anxiety, Ino remained calm and simply waved her hand gently.

"The second point isn't urgent; it's about discussing the salaries of my junior staff! I'll introduce you to them once we find a place."

After speaking, Ino stood up again.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked curiously.

"I'll go find Professor McGonagall! I'll set the rent for you!"

As Ino spoke, he snapped his fingers lightly, and the robe on the clothes rack obediently flew over.

At Hogwarts, the vice-principal is far more reliable than the headmaster when it comes to matters concerning the operation of the castle.

……

Castle corridor.

After leaving the Slytherin common room, Ino walked up the stairs toward Professor McGonagall's office.

Of course, there were also many polite responses along the way.

But this time, contrary to the norm, most of the people who greeted him were boys.

It must have been broadcast over a loudspeaker after they held hands yesterday.

Ino didn't care at all.

Unless you follow Dumbledore's example and remain single your whole life. In their old age, some grandmothers even establish Dumbledore study groups in his honor.

Otherwise, his current predicament was only a matter of time.

(End of this chapter)