The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 413 The Approaching Christmas

The story never stops unfolding because of the absence of an individual.

Even the main characters in the story are no exception.

While individuals are precious, in the grand narrative, life always continues, cycling and evolving.

Newt was like this in the past, Harry was like this later, and even Ino is like this now; they all adapt to this.

……

Lake City.

A secondhand shop quietly opened.

To be honest, opening a new shop in such a big city is really too ordinary. It's like throwing a pebble into a pond; the ripples disappear in an instant.

Indeed, that is exactly the case.

From its opening to its first two weeks of operation, the shop received almost no customers, except for the night watchman. Moreover, its location next to the clock tower further deterred ordinary people from entering.

A night watchman and a clock tower—anyone with a brain knows what that means.

But as the shop owner, Ino knew nothing about it.

He has been here for a week. After being received by the almost perfect doll Alice half a month ago, he has gradually integrated into the city and even opened a legal shop with her help.

Thinking about this, Ino couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder.

Alice the doll is a true mechanical life form, but she is not entirely a machine in the traditional sense.

If we really want to make a comparison, it's somewhat like alchemy, a product of the combination of mystery and mechanics.

Even so, Ino still considered the other person a friend.

Or rather, he always felt that Alice was the only normal person in the city; the others he encountered were either dull-witted like the innkeeper before, or absent-minded.

However, none of this mattered to Ino; he was merely a passerby at best.

What he truly cared about was the knowledge he gained from his interaction with Alice, which belonged to the mechanical civilization.

This is a civilization different from the Muggle technology of the original world; it is more like an alien civilization.

Regardless, everything here amazed Ino, because through conversations he learned that this land not only possessed machinery, but also other extraordinary powers.

Flesh and blood, curses, magic, potions... a hundred extraordinary aspects, this is truly a treasure trove of a story.

Inside the shop, Ino slowly stood up, closed the door, and began setting up her shop.

Such an interesting story, we will never give up. Although the whole house is built through dreams and magic, setting a landmark is essential.

Having settled here, he would like to explore other cities with different styles if given the opportunity.

What intrigued him most was the Crimson Rose, a city built of flesh and blood.

This reminded him of the Gaunt family's old notes, which were also a kind of disguised flesh and blood magic.

……

At the same time.

The moment Ino closed the shop door, the door to the top floor of the clock tower was pushed open.

Celia hummed a little tune as she routinely maintained and inspected the clock.

Her recent experiences felt like a dream; the temple had actually sent someone to this inconspicuous little town, and the person who came was someone she dared not look directly at.

The leader of the Mechanical Palace.

Unlike Nord and the others, Celia was well aware of the power of the Hall Leader. He was a person who could truly communicate with the Primal Machines and one of the few beings on the entire continent who could directly confront the alien invasion.

It is precisely because of the leader that the Hall of Fame has been able to establish itself in this chaotic land and even stand on equal footing with other top powers.

The teleportation channel opened, and upon seeing the same figure as in the portrait, Celia felt an unprecedented sense of security and tranquility.

Everything is stable now.

……

Time flies like water, always disappearing without us even realizing it.

As I've said before, the story can continue to unfold no matter who leaves.

Hogwarts in December is filled with a pre-Christmas joy.

It seems that true joy in festivals only comes before they arrive—a joy that combines anticipation and excitement.

But once the holiday actually arrives, it seems that every day of the holiday is filled with reluctance and sadness as it passes by.

In mid-December, preparations began to be made for the castle.

Some simple ribbons and decorations quietly appeared in the corridor.

Compared to the festivities at Hogwarts, the Christmas following Voldemort's death also saw an unprecedented celebration and joy throughout the English wizarding world.

The dark clouds that had been hanging over the British Isles have dissipated.

It has completely disappeared.

……

Hogsmeade.

Not far from the Devis Bans store, in a space of less than 20 square meters, stands a mini manor.

In short, apart from the ten-foot-tall gate, which looked somewhat normal, the entire house resembled a small toy, or perhaps a goblin castle.

The house looked somewhat comical, but no one looked down on it because of that.

This house was originally the Lestrange family home, but now it belongs to the miracle wizard Enoch Swinburne.

Miracle Wizard—that's what the wizarding world calls Ino. Just as Dumbledore is hailed as the greatest white wizard of the twentieth century, people seem always happy to bestow honors upon those of renown.

With the export of the Vision Mirror overseas and the fermentation of its story over nearly two months, scholars in the magical world have had to admit one thing—

Miracles cannot be replicated.

The Killing Curse remains an unforgivable curse, but turning it into fireworks and candy is an unrepeatable miracle.

And this miracle also includes those who have died and come back to life.

That's how it is. When someone is slightly ahead, smart people will try to figure it out, make inferences, and then learn from it.

But when it comes to things that are beyond one's reach, no matter how intelligent a person is, they will choose to give up, because it is beyond their capabilities.

……

The disturbances from the outside world are like the snowflakes falling on Christmas, both gentle and weak.

Whether it was discussion or praise, none of these voices could ever reach the miniature manor of Hogsmeade.

What looks like a toy manor is actually a real castle once you open the door.

Come to think of it, it makes sense. How could the Lesterland family's ancestral home be small and cramped?

In the study on the second floor.

At this moment, Ino is working with old Bans, engrossed in building a miniature mechanical lighthouse.

To be honest, Old Bans was the first person he ever crossed paths with in the wizarding world.

Whether it was the accordion they bought in Diagon Alley or the many musical instruments they commissioned later, the two had known each other for a long time.

It's the same this time.

After spending more than two months in the story, Ino immediately sought out Old Bans upon his return to study mechanical knowledge that differed from traditional alchemy.

The reason he left in a hurry after only two months was simply because he wanted to verify the flow of time.

As expected, the times were about the same on both sides.

It's a bit of a shame, but it's also normal.

After all, now that we can freely enter and exit the story, if time were still frozen, it would make people wonder if another Hans had quietly appeared.

However, no matter what, the knowledge gained through exchange still needs to be verified.

If everything goes well, Ino has considered taking an additional course at Hogwarts.

The story of this other world is not over yet. After all, the coordinates have been set, and it will probably be a permanent story from now on, which can be explored slowly.

(End of this chapter)