The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 99: Want a Scarface Doll?

In the dimly lit basement corridor, Ino walked alone toward his Slytherin bedroom, pondering his weekend plans as he went.

Buying books is actually not a big deal; you can just write to the bookstore and have an owl bring enough Galleons, and that will easily solve the problem.

However, to order a custom instrument from Devis, a face-to-face meeting is required.

Moreover, he needs to get the finished product and compose the melody before the Quidditch season starts in the second half of the year.

After all, if you want to play a super exciting World Cup theme song, one accordion is far from enough. Violin, harp, clarinet, timpani... you can't play a beautiful piece without at least seven or eight instruments.

The place where he commissioned his instruments was Devils-Bans.

A repair shop in Hogsmeade, although the shop mainly repairs and refurbishes all kinds of magical items.

But old Dewey occasionally makes some interesting gadgets, and the self-playing accordion is one of them.

Ino originally bought it in Diagon Alley, but he ran into the maker in Hogsmeade. After a brief chat, he gave up the idea of ​​making it himself.

Although it was just a simple automatic accordion, it involved a great deal of alchemical knowledge, an entire discipline, which was much more difficult than he had imagined.

……

The Slytherin bedroom and the Potions office are both located in the castle's basement.

In just five or six minutes, Ino returned to her dormitory.

Pushing open the door, one sees Draco's quiet back.

Seeing this, Ino knew that the other party was angry, but some things had to be reasoned with, that is, reason prevailed over people.

Unlike the original story, this time Hermione didn't actually provoke Draco; she simply commented on Quidditch in a matter-of-fact manner.

Draco, however, responded harshly, arguing that he was completely unreasonable in this matter.

This is why he insisted that Draco apologize, even though his tone was somewhat harsh.

But there was no other way... In that situation, facing a Quidditch team whose average age was fifth grade, if you didn't put on a cold face and instead had a beaming smile, you really couldn't control the situation.

Not only can they not mediate a fight, they might even become a laughing stock themselves.

Seeing that Draco was still angry, Ino tapped his finger lightly, and a foot-square piece of ice condensed in mid-air.

Then he took out his wand and used the Transfiguration spell to gradually stretch and shape the entire block of ice.

A few minutes later.

A lifelike miniature doll, about 20 centimeters tall, floats in mid-air.

Although its entire body is made of solidified ice and has no other color, its appearance and distinctive scars make it clear that it is a star Seeker from a certain academy.

Ino used the Levitation Charm to control the puppet and move it toward Draco.

"Here you go! And how about I teach you a magic trick to make it hang upside down in mid-air?"

On the other side, Draco deliberately turned around when he heard the door open.

Although he realized he was wrong after calming down, he was still upset about it.

Now, seeing the doll is like finding a reason to convince myself, and I gradually feel more relaxed.

"Ino! With so many people around, you embarrassed me." Draco said with a hint of resentment.

"Sorry, but you really didn't do it right! Let's talk this out calmly now. In that situation, wouldn't it have been more satisfying to stand up to Wood or even the entire Gryffindor than to yell at a little girl? Besides, I had to be fair back then, otherwise we would have definitely started fighting. Don't underestimate the courage of those lions."

Without waiting for Draco's reply, Ino continued:

"A brave man draws his sword in anger against the stronger, a coward in anger against the weaker. I don't expect my friends to be brave, because that would be foolish. But likewise, I don't want my friends to be cowards; in fact, I would much rather you were all the stronger ones."

"Draco, sometimes it's not so bad to embarrass yourself once; what's terrible is to rush in when you don't have the ability, and end up embarrassing yourself every time."

After finishing her speech, Ino sat quietly to the side, giving Draco some time to think.

Similarly, the dormitory fell into a brief silence.

A while passed.

"Ino, to be honest, I've never thought about these things. When I was very young, I lived with my mother in a safe house. Malfoy Manor was abandoned, and during that time I rarely saw my father. When we did meet, he always seemed very anxious and in a hurry."

Draco looked somewhat downcast, but still raised his head and stared at the ceiling of the dormitory.

"Back then, what I heard most was about restoring the glory of the Malfoy family for thousands of years. So I cared a lot about honor, but no one ever told me how to obtain it. I also knew that their respect for me was actually for my father, for our family's Galleons... even for Goyle and Crabbe."

At this point, Draco slowly turned his head, his eyes brightening, almost sparkling.

"Until just now! I think I understand how to gain glory and respect. It's not Quidditch, it's not report cards, it's not college credits, it's not getting praise from professors..."

"True glory and respect come from becoming strong, just like you did in the training ground. Flint, Wood, Scarface, Red Weasley, and even everyone here just now, they were all afraid of you, so they had to respect you, and no one dared to contradict you."

"So Ino, teach me magic! Not those little tricks, I want to learn real magic!"

Ino sat quietly in the chair, and at that moment he felt once again that the story was just a story.

Whether it's Draco in front of us, or Pansy, or many others, they are not characters who appear briefly or are only mentioned a few times in the story.

They are all living, breathing people, with flesh and blood, feelings, memories, and aspirations...

Seeing Draco's expectant gaze, Ino nodded earnestly:

"Alright! I'll teach you magic, real magic!"

……

The other end of the castle.

Potions Department Office.

Snape sat alone at the table, his eyes closed, seemingly lost in thought.

His figure appeared exceptionally serene in the dim light. From a distance, he seemed to have transformed into a still sculpture.

But upon closer inspection, one will find that the sculpted body is not completely still.

Beneath the long black robe, his chest rose and fell slightly, each breath a silent declaration that he was still alive.

It was precisely this subtle sign of life that broke the sculptural stillness.

Time passed quietly, and Snape remained motionless in that position.

a long time.

The silence was broken.

"Potter..."

Snape's voice remained as calm as ever.

It was calmer than ever before, as calm as a stagnant pool.

……

Slytherin dormitory.

On the round table where potted plants were placed, an old book titled "Advanced Potion Making" was spread out.

At that moment, Ino was hunched over the table, copying something incessantly.

On the other side of the dormitory, Draco, wand in hand, was practicing magic on an ice doll.

"Seal the throat and lock the tongue!"

"Fuchsia!"

"The golden bell falls to the ground!"

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(End of this chapter)