The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 55 Before Christmas

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

The countdown to Christmas of the first school year has begun.

The entire castle was decorated with magic, making it look like a dream.

Especially the enormous Christmas tree in the auditorium, which was 20 feet tall, was covered with colorful magic lanterns and twinkling stars, radiating a soft and warm light.

The ground beneath the tree was piled high with all sorts of candy boxes, and Honey Duke's exquisite wrapping paper gleamed under the lights.

Similarly, it wasn't just the auditorium that was decorated; the walls of the corridors were also adorned with magically drawn snowflakes and Christmas ribbons, which floated gently in mid-air as if they were alive.

The portraits hanging in the castle seemed to be infected by the festive atmosphere as well, with each portrait showing the owner with a happy smile.

……

After the last potions class.

Ino strolled down the corridor, his mind filled with the various amusing incidents he had just experienced.

To be honest, what he enjoyed most about Potions class was the battle of wits between Snape and Harry, or more accurately, Snape's one-sided manipulation of Harry. It's hard to imagine how an expressionless person could constantly be sarcastic, mocking, and ridiculing...

The scene was undeniably hilarious.

"Old Potter probably never imagined that the sins he committed would ultimately be paid for by his son... Huh?"

Ino suddenly stopped in his tracks as an unfamiliar corridor appeared before him.

He clearly remembered that after class, he returned to his dormitory along a familiar route, but he unknowingly ended up here.

"interesting!"

With a soft sigh, he then started walking forward.

Although he wasn't particularly curious, this was right in front of him, and it seemed like a silent invitation.

The corridor wasn't very long, about 150 meters, and you could see the end at a glance.

In just a few minutes, he had already covered more than half the distance, but he also discovered that there was nothing special about this place at all.

It was an ordinary corridor, just like any other in the castle, with a long marble paving road, a few portraits scattered on the walls, and even the armor standing next to it was unchanged.

If we really had to find some differences, it would probably be that due to a lack of cleaning over a long period of time, the cobwebs on the armor and the portraits appear somewhat more numerous than those on the other side.

As Ino walked, he also kept an eye on his surroundings.

Just as he was about to turn back, a dilapidated brown wooden door came into view on his left.

Pushing open the door, you'll find yourself in a real, abandoned classroom.

Unlike the other abandoned classrooms in the castle, which were only temporarily empty and not in use, the furnishings inside were in good condition.

The classroom in front of us was extremely dilapidated and messy, with not a single table or chair in the corner intact.

Of course, everything is a contradiction and a unity, just like a pure white lotus blooming in a pond full of putrid mud.

Even in the abandoned classroom, there is its "lotus," a huge, ornate mirror ten feet high.

Its appearance is simple and dignified, and the frame is also carefully carved from dark brown unknown wood, with each line seemingly telling the story of time.

On the base directly below the mirror, there is an inscription in relief: Erised straehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

Seeing this, how could he not know that what was in front of him was the famous Mirror of Erised, a mirror that could reflect people's inner desires?

Similarly, he now understood why he had inexplicably ended up in this corridor; everything made sense now.

"Since I'm already here..." he thought to himself.

I lifted my leg and walked towards this magic mirror that reflected my desires.

Ino stood quietly before the Mirror of Erised. After a moment, a faint glow appeared on the surface of the mirror, creating a hazy atmosphere.

However, the scene he expected did not appear; instead, the temperature in the abandoned classroom suddenly dropped.

Then, a layer of frost appeared on the surface of the mirror, and the entire mirror was frozen.

This sudden change caught many people off guard.

"Did I break it?"

……

"No! It's not broken, it's just frozen."

An old voice rang out in the abandoned classroom.

"Good day, Principal!" Ino greeted him after recognizing the figure.

"Don't be so formal, perhaps we shouldn't be like this," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Alright, as you wish!" Ino shrugged, agreeing with Dumbledore's suggestion.

Time has passed, and now he doesn't care much about the so-called plot anymore, so there's no need for him to deliberately keep his distance.

The root cause of all this is Dumbledore's character. In the end, the headmaster is not a bad person, and there is no doubt about that.

Thinking of this, Ino asked, half-jokingly:

"So, can it be restored? I mean, I didn't intentionally damage or freeze it. And even if it is, don't expect me to pay for it; I don't have any money!"

"Hahaha, don't worry, no need to pay! A single healing spell will perfectly solve the problem."

Seeing Ino's change in attitude, Dumbledore smiled happily, like a child who had received a desired Christmas present.

Immediately afterward, Dumbledore gently waved his wand, casting a silent restoration spell. Under the effect of the magic, the Eris mirror image beside him seemed to have undergone a time reversal, returning to its original form.

"While indulging in illusory dreams and forgetting real life is meaningless, there are always those who can surprise us. Ino, would you like to hear a story?"

Looking at the tables, chairs, and benches that suddenly appeared, as well as the considerable amount of candy, it was exactly the same as the former Astronomical Tower.

However, when faced with the invitation again, Ino no longer showed the resistance or affectation she once had, and decisively pulled over a chair and sat down.

"Alright, Professor! Although I mostly tell stories to others, few people know that what I really enjoy is listening to stories."

Upon hearing this, Dumbledore nodded in agreement.

"Yes, people always presume to define others, assuming what others should like or dislike, but they rarely ask for the opinions of the individuals involved."

"I prefer listening to stories to discussing philosophy." With that, Ino picked up a toffee from the table and put it in her mouth; it tasted just as familiar.

On the other side, Dumbledore casually pulled out a chair, sat down, and began to speak:

"In my more than 100 years of life, I have met many people, including some with the talent for divination and prophecy. Most of these people follow fate in the same way, but there are also some very special people who break this shackle."

"I still remember that sentence: Your subconscious and desires control your life, yet you call it fate and willingly become a slave to this absurd fate."

Dumbledore's tone was filled with nostalgia as he spoke.

"Professor! It is human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm. The difference is that the diviner can see clearly and thus make a choice."

After Dumbledore finished speaking, Ino decisively refuted him.

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(End of this chapter)