The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 59 The Daily Life of Three Brooms

Hundreds of owls were in perfect unison, creating an adorable and amusing scene that made Ino unable to resist taking a few more glances.

After pausing for a moment, he walked straight to the counter.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I'd like to rent an owl to deliver my package."

Behind the counter was the only wizard in the entire post office, a gaunt, middle-aged witch.

"Find a suitable place yourself. Parcels within England cost 5 nats each, and mail delivery costs 2 nats. We are not responsible for lost items."

Although she was answering, the witch never raised her head, as if the book "Breaking Up with the Ghost" in her hand was more important than the entire post office.

The tone was full of impatience, a stark contrast to the attitude of the shop owners in Hogsmeade before.

I understand, because ultimately they are different in nature.

The former is a privately owned shop, while the latter is an official organization of the Ministry of Magic; it's normal for there to be a significant difference in their service attitudes.

"Five parcels within England!"

After slapping a scimitar on the counter, Ino turned around and went to choose her favorite owl.

Amidst a chorus of cooing sounds, five of the stronger owls were chosen to serve as messengers for this mission.

After he finished packing and binding, he felt a slight tug at the hem of his right sleeve.

Ino lowered her head and saw a fluffy gray-white feather.

With a round head and a pair of adorable eyes that occasionally glance at his fingers, he looks like a child waiting for his parents to hand out candy.

Upon seeing this, he picked up the round owl without thinking and quickly walked towards the counter.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I'd like to buy this owl."

It's worth mentioning the function of the Owl Post Office here. Although they handle various mailing services, they also sell owls, which can be considered an added-value service.

It's roughly similar to selling telephones in public phone booths.

On the other side, after hearing the inquiry about the price of the owl, the middle-aged witch behind the counter finally put down the novel she was reading.

A stark contrast to his previous indifference, his freckled face now radiated boundless enthusiasm.

"Grey wood owls are very clever; you don't even need to feed them, they can hunt small rodents like foxes and mice on their own. They are also very loyal to their owners, and most importantly, they have no obvious weakness in flying."

"Priced at 27 Galleons and 11 Sickles! Comes with two bags of standard owl food. If you pay 5 Sickles, you can choose one of the following: a cage or an owl stand."

……

Step out of the Owl Post Office.

Ino gently teased the owl on her shoulder with her finger.

"I'll call you Little Guy. I fed a little guy before, but it eventually got lost."

In response, he felt the owl's cool beak touching his cheek.

To be honest, she truly lives up to her reputation as a tenured owl at the post office; at least in terms of emotional intelligence, she's got a knack for it.

He had only intended to deliver a package, but somehow ended up with an owl. However, he didn't regret it at all; sometimes, fate is truly inexplicable.

After confirming that nothing was missing, Ino turned and walked toward the three brooms.

Everything planned was completed in just one morning.

He doesn't plan to wander around during the next two weeks of vacation; he'll stay in his room reading and preparing for Animagus.

……

The return journey is always easy.

He returned to the Three Brooms without any major incident, but upon entering the house, he was met with a teasing remark from a lady in Rosmerta.

"I didn't realize you were such a rich young master. You went out this morning and bought an owl. It seems your allowance is beyond my imagination. Perhaps I should consider raising the room rate."

Before Ino could reply, the little guy on her shoulder seemed to have heard someone mention owls, so it raised one of its claws and made two gentle waving motions in the air, just like a friend greeting each other.

"Haha, ma'am, then your plan is doomed to fail. This little guy represents five years' worth of my allowance. On the way back, I was even considering whether to find another way to pay for the room."

Ino chuckled and took over the conversation, subtly changing the subject, since the principle of keeping wealth hidden is universal.

Based on his observations and the overall prices in the magical world, he realized that several dozen Galleons might indeed be a huge fortune in the eyes of some people.

"A cunning child is not cute at all," Ms. Rosmerta said, pursing her lips.

With over a decade of experience running a tavern, she understood the meaning behind Ino's words, and thus went along with it, asking:

"Then let me hear how you plan to pay the rent. If you don't have the money, I'll kick you out, no matter if you're a child or not."

"Don't worry, you might even have to pay me. Wait two minutes." With that, Ino led the owl upstairs.

……

A few minutes later.

Ino reappeared in the tavern hall with his accordion.

His attire also attracted a lot of attention. Although usually, three brooms wouldn't bring many customers at lunchtime.

But things are clearly different now. Hogsmeade is flooded with wizards during the Christmas holidays, not only from England but also from foreign tourists with awkward accents.

With Ms. Rosmerta's instruction and tacit approval, Inora moved a chair and sat in an empty space to the right of the bar.

This small open space, which was probably the walkway Ms. Rosmerta used to access the kitchen, has now been requisitioned by him.

A delicate yet melancholic melody slowly began to play:

"Are you going to Scarborough Fiar. Parsley sage rosemary and thyme..."

In Hogsmeade, a magical village that resembles the Middle Ages, Ino chose to sing the most fitting song for the current environment—"Scarborough Fair".

After the singing began, the hall with the three brooms gradually quieted down.

The melodious and ethereal voice reaches straight to the soul, and when paired with the husky tone of the accordion, it always evokes a sense of inescapable sorrow in those who hear the song.

A moment later, as the last note faded away, the entire tavern fell into an eerie silence.

After a long while, Ms. Rosmerta, the owner of the place, was the first to react.

"This is a song that touches the heart! Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme seem to represent the protagonist's sweet love, strength, loyalty, and courage."

"As expected, there should be a tragic love story behind this song, right?"

As Ms. Rosmerta asked her question, Ino also noticed that the others present had the same inquisitive and curious expressions.

"Of course! Your wisdom is admirable. Behind this song is a poignant love story."

The bard's technique is to first suppress the emotion and then elevate it, using the song to attract the attention of those around him before slowly telling the story.

"This is a story about a lonely, friendless pirate who, after being captured and about to be hanged, was allowed one last request by the executioner, so he sang this song to passersby."

"He longed for passersby to go to Scarborough Fair, find his beloved girl, and tell her that he would soon die."

After looking around and feeling that the overall setup was complete, Ino slowly began to tell the story of Scarborough Fair.

"The story takes place in the Middle Ages, hundreds of years ago, and was later recorded by bards and sung to this day..."

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(End of this chapter)