The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 36 A Fantasy World, A New Journey

Time is like an invisible river, pushing people's lives forward.

Before we knew it, a whole month had passed since Halloween.

Perhaps people are always prone to getting tired of the old and seeking the new.

The once sensational giant incident has slowly faded with time and is no longer worthy of being a topic of conversation.

……

In December, Hogwarts finally welcomed its first snowfall.

A chill enveloped the entire castle, and the sudden drop in temperature made everyone reluctant to go outside.

The once bustling corridors and lively Quidditch pitches are now deserted.

Compared to the freezing cold outside, the young wizards preferred to chat and drink tea in the warm common room.

Gryffindor.

In the common room, Harry frowned as he looked at the wizard chess game in front of him. This was already his fourth loss to Ron.

This game is starting to look dangerous again, because our own king is already trembling with fear.

In contrast, Ron seemed quite nonchalant, appearing completely unconcerned. He even listened intently while playing chess, gathering information that interested him.

"Hey buddy, look! She's gone out again. Parvati says she's in love, and it seems to be a Hufflepuff, but some people say it's a Slytherin. If you ask me, she's totally..."

"Alright, Ron! Stop talking about Hermione behind her back," Harry interrupted, sounding annoyed.

After experiencing the troll incident, the three formed a friendship.

But what Harry couldn't understand was why Ron and Hermione always seemed to be at odds.

Although Ron wouldn't say anything to someone's face now, he often gossiped about it behind their backs.

"I didn't slander her!"

Ron didn't seem to care much, but didn't say anything more. Instead, he started a new topic.

"By the way, in this freezing weather, what if Hagrid... um, won't he freeze to death?"

……

Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle.

After leaving her dorm room, Hermione went straight to the library on the second floor. She was fed up with her roommates' nagging and gossip.

When the girls sat together, there was nothing they didn't talk about.

Just now, they actually put Ino together with Cedric of Hufflepuff.

Then they gushed over which one to choose as their boyfriend, looking as if the two men were right in front of them, holding flowers and proposing to them.

"I really don't know what's wrong with him!"

In the corridor, Hermione grew angrier the more she thought about it, as if a strange flame was burning in her heart.

……

The distance from the Gryffindor common room to the library isn't far.

However, you must be familiar with the patterns of those moving staircases; otherwise, even if you spend half a day, you'll only end up going around in circles on the same floor.

But none of this stumped Hermione. With her exceptional memory, she figured out the pattern of all the staircases within a week of school starting.

It's a journey of about ten minutes.

Hermione was already in the library lobby.

The girl turned her head slightly, her eyes full of anticipation. Then, in a familiar place, she saw a familiar person, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.

Just like when we met at the elementary school gate a few months ago during summer vacation.

"Phew! I thought it was too cold and you might not come," Hermione said softly after sitting down.

"How could I! Since I received the note you left, I would never break my promise." Ino also controlled the volume of her voice.

There was no other way; after all, we were in a library, and we couldn't let the volume get out of control.

Even if he maxed out Mrs. Pince's favorability, he only gained the privilege of chatting quietly without disturbing others.

What was said unintentionally may have been taken to heart by the listener.

It's unclear how Ino's casual reply was interpreted.

In short, Hermione's cheeks flushed red instantly, and she felt enveloped in a strange atmosphere.

Even in her breathing, she seemed to smell an intoxicating scent, like the fresh scent of a mowed lawn and the aroma of mint toothpaste.

……

"Hey! Stop spacing out!"

Seeing Hermione suddenly fall into a strange state, Ino couldn't help but interrupt:

"Tell me, what brings you here? Do you want a fortune telling or to hear a story?"

"Can't I talk to you about something else...?" Hermione couldn't help but whisper.

"Of course, but I need to ask first."

Seeing that no business was coming his way, Ino didn't mind. He had long since given up on making money from these things. Now, whether it was fortune telling or storytelling, he was more interested in enjoying the process.

"Ino, do you know someone named Nico? Nicole Flamel..."

……

Time marches on.

Evening, Slytherin dormitory.

Ino opened the seamless extended suitcase and carefully placed various cheeses, dried meats, and other easily preserved foods she had obtained from the kitchen. Next came the accordion, the cashmere blanket, and several magic books.

The reason he did all this was simply because he felt a long-lost flutter in his heart while chatting in the library that afternoon.

It is clear that after more than five months, the opportunity to enter the fantasy world has come once again.

Although this time, the interval was indeed quite long.

But he couldn't worry about that. He told Hermione that he had something to do and hurriedly left the library. Then he started preparing various supplies.

After a lot of trouble.

Seeing that everything was packed and arranged, Ino quietly lowered the thick bed curtains and sat on the edge of the bed to wait quietly.

……

One second, or even less.

In a short while, Ino left her warm bedroom and arrived at the road where she had left the town earlier.

Looking back, the town where I had lived for a month had long since disappeared, and all I could see along the path was a thin mist and an endless haze.

Having experienced this countless times, he had become accustomed to such scenes.

Let alone having traveled such a long way since leaving the town, even if you only step out of the town once, the next time you come back and look back, it will still be difficult to return to the place you once were.

When you think about it, isn't life's journey just like that? There's no way back, only the way home.

……

After a brief moment of adjustment, Ino stood up, adjusted the wand in her sleeve, and then picked up the briefcase beside her.

Following the quiet path, I walked away into the distance without looking back.

What lies at the end of the road? Mountains! And what's on the other side of the mountains? More mountains. This isn't a joke, it's the truth...

Ino traveled for seven days, enduring wind and rain for the same period.

Faced with the endless mountain range, he not only became more determined to buy a magic carpet during the summer vacation, but also thought of the pinnacle of transformations—the Animagus.

He didn't even dare to dream of eagles, ravens, or even a flying beetle; otherwise, he would be suffering like this.

At the beginning, you could hunt some of the mountain forest's bounty to slightly improve your diet.

But since yesterday, all he could see was a blanket of white snow. Not to mention small animals, even a single green plant was hard to find.

It was all white, just white, as if I were in a world of ice and snow.

……

The journey continues.

After an unknown amount of time, Ino finally saw a different view.

"Hmm? Modern civilization?"

A lamppost, like some kind of coordinate, appeared prominently not far away.

The scene before him gave him a vague sense of familiarity, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

However, before he could think too much, he was drawn to the sound of pattering footsteps.

New book release, a new journey begins. Thank you to all the big names for your support.

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(End of this chapter)