The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 404 Halloween and the Forgotten Hagrid

Time flies.

Peaceful life always passes by in a flash.

End of July 1996.

It has been almost a month since the last immersive dream experience.

But no matter how time flows, the joys and sorrows of the young wizards in the castle, like the changing seasons, are always continuous.

Halloween is less than three days away.

The castle was already being lightly decorated.

Although Hagrid was content to be the professor of Magical Creatures, he never neglected his "work" that had continued for decades.

Outside the castle, in the vegetable garden behind the cottage, Hagrid still plants a large field of pumpkins in advance of spring, to decorate the castle for Halloween every November.

……

In late autumn, Black Lake was covered with a thin layer of frost due to the sudden drop in temperature.

On the lakeside, Ino walked slowly along the familiar path. The withered yellow lawns and bare willows around her added a touch of desolation to the place.

"Are you ready?"

On the quiet path, Hermione asked again, still worried.

Although she had asked him many times, she was still a little worried. Her boyfriend was going to do something thrilling at this year's Halloween party.

"Don't worry! I might be able to come back and bring you candy before the banquet ends."

Hearing the question again, Ino patiently made the promise.

"You always have to be careful!" Hermione warned worriedly.

"If anything happens to you, I'll have to go to the Arad continent to find a solution. After all, I don't have any teachers or golden apples..."

Hermione's tone was somewhat downcast. She had inherited the Sanctuary, but only one door remained, leading to the continent of Arad.

As for the valley, even with all her might, she couldn't push open the tavern door.

"Don't worry, I'm confident! Besides, Professor Dumbledore is here as a special correspondent."

Ino interrupted the rather heavy topic and also half-jokingly mentioned Dumbledore.

Dumbledore's name seemed to have a magical calming effect, no matter when or where. After hearing this, Hermione indeed didn't say anything more.

……

To be honest, choosing to take a walk along Black Lake in the cold of late autumn seems a bit silly.

But this so-called foolishness did not dampen their enthusiasm for continuing their walk.

Hermione, in particular, always thinks of the time she spent as an animal whenever the autumn wind blows and she sees the lake.

"I wonder how Odette is doing. Do you think we have any chance of going back?"

Hermione gazed at the frozen lake, as if a flock of swans and wild ducks were playing on it.

"Of course!" Ino nodded decisively.

"After Halloween, I'll try to take you into the story of the Ugly Duckling."

"You can still go in?" Hermione turned around in surprise, her tone incredulous. "Wasn't Professor Hans already...?"

"He's just asleep, and besides, we have invitations," Ino interrupted.

"Do you remember the feather Odette gave you? If you still have it, then we will surely be able to go in again."

As time went by, and through several conversations with William, he became more and more familiar with that magical tavern, especially after Jacob planted the seeds he had taken away.

One of these is the ability to enter stories one has previously entered, but this comes with prerequisites, such as gifts from the story's protagonist or things left behind in the story.

As the protagonist of The Ugly Duckling, Odette's feathers are undoubtedly the best invitation.

Similarly, Ino thought of another almost forgotten thing: a brass key.

As the protagonist of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, it was given by Baggins and Frodo together, and it was also the key to Bag End, the starting point of the story.

This isn't some kind of key; it's practically a blatant pass to enter Middle-earth.

In the beginning, as the valley changed, the road to Middle-earth also disappeared.

For a fleeting moment, Ino felt a pang of sadness. After all, Middle-earth not only had many former friends, but also Lina, who had once smuggled herself in, and Doris, whose fate was unknown.

In any case, for those who were once close to us, there was ultimately no formal farewell.

……

Outside the castle.

The two chatted as they strolled aimlessly along the lakeside.

Soon, two small houses with white smoke rising from their chimneys came into view.

The houses were the residences of Hagrid and Moody.

"Why do you think Hagrid doesn't use magic?"

Hermione was a little confused. She didn't seem to remember Hagrid ever using magic. He always relied on his large, futon-like hands to do everything.

"Hagrid? Magic?" Upon hearing this, Ino slapped his forehead.

As the story changed, he truly forgot about Hagrid.

In the original story of the second year, with the basilisk being killed, Hagrid, who had been wrongly accused for fifty years, was also exonerated.

But now, although the basilisk was also killed, both its corpse and its skin, which was comparable to that of a fire dragon, have long been used as various alchemical materials.

Lacking media attention and publication, Hagrid remains, in name, the wizard with the broken wand. Perhaps nobody cares about that now, but it's still a regret, however small.

"I'll take care of this tonight. It's been a while since I've spoken to Fudge."

Standing on the withered grass, Ino quietly gazed at the cottage in the distance.

At this moment, Hagrid was carefully stacking a pumpkin, which was as big as a Bitboar, in the small yard outside the house.

Although his thick beard obscured his expression, his light and quick steps seemed to reveal Hagrid's mood.

"Is there a reason why Hagrid doesn't use magic?" Hermione asked, seizing the key point after hearing Fudge's name.

"There is a reason, but it's all a misunderstanding." Ino shook her head gently, then looked away at Hermione.

"Thanks to you today, otherwise heaven knows when I would have remembered this."

Ino felt fortunate, after all, making up for past regrets was part of the story's inherent meaning.

"I want to know why this is happening," Hermione said quietly, standing on the lawn.

It seems that Gryffindor's curiosity has been quietly awakened once again.

……

The years do not live, the seasons flow.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

On Halloween, Hogwarts was bustling with activity, and the English wizarding world was at peace; everything seemed normal.

Of course, the owl that flew in from afar at dawn made ten-foot-tall Hagrid wail loudly.

A belated apology letter, a brand new wand, and compensation of seventy-five Galleons and twelve Sickles.

Moody stood outside his hut, listening to the deafening cries from next door, and a slight smile appeared on his face.

In his hand, however, was a copy of today's Daily Prophet.

At the very bottom of the front page of the newspaper, in a three-inch space, stood a prominent headline: "Fifty Years of Injustice."

Meow, that's all for today. Hope everyone has a happy day!

(End of this chapter)