The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 369 The Lost World, Like a Fairy Tale

Perhaps it was a sudden resurrection, after a brief period of adjustment, and after eating several pieces of candy in a row.

Hermione gradually relaxed and was no longer as excited as before.

……

The golden, fine sand along the coast remains breathtakingly beautiful.

Hermione rolled up her trousers, walked barefoot in the waves, and occasionally bent down to pick up the gifts the sea had given her—colorful seashells.

Beneath the bitter elm tree, Ino glanced at Hermione in the distance, then turned his gaze to his side:

"Mr. Hans! Thank you so much this time."

He hadn't expected the golden apple; his original intention was simply to learn how to use the ice flower, but unexpectedly, he ended up saving the ice flower altogether.

"It's nothing, everything was predetermined long ago!" Hans, the middle-aged man, said calmly, his tone as nonchalant as ever.

Ino was used to the pronouncements of a professional bard and fortune teller, since the other party was always like that.

But today, there are some things he intends to ask carefully. He has a feeling that if he misses this opportunity, they may never meet again.

"Teacher! To be honest, this makes me a little suspicious..."

Under the tree, Ino looked up at the sea again and calmly asked the question that had always puzzled him.

Miracles about oneself.

On her tenth birthday, she pushed open the door of the orphanage's washroom and unwittingly entered a fantasy world, where she also unwittingly encountered Hans, a middle-aged man telling a story.

It's normal to not have many ideas at the beginning.

But nowadays, with so many things connected, anyone with a brain can spot the differences hidden in the details.

The first time he enters, the first person he meets, and even that die, can allow him to travel directly from the castle into the story world without going through the sanctuary.

I hadn't thought much of it before, just using it as a life-saving tool, but now that Hermione has resurrected so casually, everything has become clear.

Even a legendary figure as powerful as the White Witch, who destroyed the world, ruled Narnia, and even subtly opposed the Lion, the so-called creator, ultimately only delivered a seed.

And even so, it was still secretly delivered through a roundabout and circuitous route.

……

After asking the question that had been bothering him, Ino leaned against the tree trunk and waited quietly.

half an hour.

"I will give you an answer before you leave." The middle-aged Hans's tone was more serious than usual.

"But before that, you need to help Miss Swallow, since she's the one who picked the apples."

There seemed to be no direct answer, but faced with such an answer, Ino felt a sense of relief.

Everything is fine as long as there is an answer.

After all, nothing is more frightening than the unknown.

Prophets and seers are highly respected precisely because they can glimpse a corner of the future.

Now that she had the answer, Ino stopped worrying about the time. So many years had passed, so waiting a little longer didn't seem like a big deal.

……

evening.

The simple room became lively as Hermione and Swift chatted, their clear, bell-like laughter ringing out from time to time.

Ino sat quietly to the side, preparing the seafood she had just bought that day.

Although I was somewhat surprised as to why Mr. Hans chose to settle in such a fishing village, I didn't ask him any further questions.

A bard may seem to have no fixed abode, but that's only on a macro level. Often, they will pause in one place for a short while and stay there for a period of time.

But in any case, it's a choice.

……

After dinner.

Ino opened the briefcase he was carrying.

It hadn't been necessary before, but he was used to sleeping outdoors. Now that there was suddenly another person, he couldn't let Hermione sleep on the floor with him.

The briefcase now is no longer the one used for raising giant spiders, but a gift from Nico, made of Porter's warthog skin.

The leather of magical creatures inherently possesses magical power, so even after using an expansion charm to enlarge the area by hundreds of square meters, the overall structure remains very stable.

……

Dawn breaks.

A swift soars freely in the azure sky.

Behind the swift, a dark black swan floated in the distance, and beyond that was a three-foot-long flying carpet.

Hermione sat on the undulating flying carpet, clutching her suitcase. Although she had already taken flying lessons at Hogwarts, the flying carpet felt like the freedom of flight to her.

As for the flying broom, it's more like riding a bicycle in the air.

Sitting on the flying carpet, Hermione looked enviously at the swifts and swans in front of her. If she could, she would prefer to fly without the aid of props.

"When I get back, I'll learn to be an Animagus too..."

Hermione made up her mind in her heart.

……

Unlike Hermione's envy, Ino in the sky was calculating the timing of this story.

During yesterday's conversation, he learned that this time it was probably because of the different way of entering, or some other reason.

This resulted in the time flow rate being the same on both sides.

After all, the fact that Hermione wanted a sweet and sour drink the moment she was resurrected already tells a story.

Moreover, during their subsequent conversation, he learned that a week had actually passed inside the castle, and the Goblet of Fire had been forcibly extinguished.

However, he didn't care about any of that. What truly concerned him were Voldemort and Barty Jr., and those who might be pulling the strings behind the scenes.

It's like he owes a favor to the swift, which he needs to repay. Some people's debts also need to be settled, but they can only be settled while the other party is still alive; otherwise, even becoming a ghost is meaningless.

While thinking this, Ino flapped her wings as much as possible to avoid slowing down.

Swans are actually quite fast, with a maximum flight speed of 100 kilometers per hour. Swifts, as top-performing birds, can reach speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour.

Therefore, he had to fly at full speed to avoid falling behind.

As for the flying carpet I bought during the World Cup, that thing is pretty much like a flying broom.

I don’t know if it was for sales purposes, but it was designed purely for single-person use and didn’t have the ability to carry many people when unfolded, as described in “One Thousand and One Nights”.

……

In the sky, no one knew how much time had passed.

During the high-speed flight, Ino only vaguely remembered passing many cities and crossing continuous mountain ranges...

Finally, before dusk, the swift gradually slowed its flight.

After slowing down, Ino was able to see clearly what kind of place he had arrived in.

To be honest, the scene before him was somewhat shocking.

The sky was as clear and bright as a washed sapphire, with a few white clouds drifting leisurely by. They were of various shapes, sometimes gathering together to weave dreamlike patterns, and sometimes scattering like light feathers.

Sunlight filters through the clouds, casting dappled shadows and draping the earth in a warm and soft golden veil.

This is just the sky, but the scenery on the ground is in no way inferior to the sky.

On this land, seemingly sculpted by the god of nature, birds sing and flowers bloom, teeming with life. Colorful birds hop merrily among the branches, foxes run, rabbits leap, raccoons groom themselves, and countless other small animals...

Not far away, a crystal-clear stream meanders through the landscape, its waters shimmering silver in the sunlight, like a silver ribbon inlaid on a green brocade.

On the river, a few fallen leaves occasionally drift gently by, or a few leisurely waterbirds skim across the surface, creating delicate ripples. But the most captivating sight is the graceful flock of swans frolicking in the center of the river, and the ducks paddling at the edges…

Here, there seems to be no noise or disturbance, only tranquility and harmony. Because every detail reveals the wonder and artistry of nature.

Standing in mid-air, Ino felt as if she had entered some distant and dreamlike corner.

It's like a world that has suddenly emerged from an ancient fairy tale.

……

"We've arrived!" Swift's clear voice rang out.

At the same time, Ino also heard a scream coming from behind her.

"Oh my god... how did it become like this..."

Hermione's shout made him turn around abruptly.

Upon closer inspection, Hermione was nowhere to be seen on the flying carpet. Instead, a silver-grey sea otter sat upright on the three-foot-long carpet.

The little sea otter was holding its head in its hands, looking surprised and incredulous.

(End of this chapter)