The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 104 Ten Musical Instruments and a One-Handed Sword

Hogsmeade, in front of Devis Bance store.

Good day, Mr. Devis!

Ino greeted them softly and then went into the shop.

"Welcome to Banswell... Hmm?" Devis paused halfway through his sentence, squinting as he carefully examined the person opposite him.

"The taste of compound decoction! Who are you?" The smile vanished, replaced by a calm interrogation.

Meanwhile, after Devis narrowed his eyes, Ino felt a sense of unease. It was like a golden eagle soaring in the air suddenly spotting its prey on the ground and locking onto it with its sharp eyes.

It was a strange feeling; he felt like the prey, locked on by Devis, and any slight movement would trigger a swooping attack from the golden eagle in the sky.

"It's me! Ino from the alley next door! I secretly ran away from Hogwarts!"

As Ino explained, Devis's face was filled with smiles again, even more kind than before.

"Ino, I always thought you were a good kid, but I never imagined you'd gone astray! Sneaking out like this, I'll write to Felius in a bit..."

Although it was a reprimand, Devis's tone and expression made it sound like a teasing joke.

"He's no use!" Ino waved her hand lightly. "I'm not Ravenclaw, Professor Flitwick can't control me."

"Yeah, you're not Ravenclaw!" Devi's eyes suddenly dimmed, then he muttered to himself, "What kind of world is this! Don't they see what Ravenclaw is like now? I really don't know what they're doing..."

"Okay! Okay! Just a quick interruption, I'm short on time, and the compound decoction tastes awful," Ino quickly said.

His interactions during the summer vacation revealed to him that Dewey, like any ordinary old man, would sometimes get lost in memories and start reminiscing endlessly.

Therefore, he didn't intend to delay and went straight to the point, stating his demands:

"Mr. Devis! It's like this, I want to order musical instruments, a lot of instruments. Clarinet, violin, timpani, harp, saxophone, guitar, trombone... Oh, and if the price is right, I'd also like to order a piano."

"So many? This is a huge project!" Devis took off his black-rimmed glasses.

Then he took out an old-fashioned notebook with a brown cover from the drawer and began to write down the names of the musical instruments one by one.

A dozen minutes later.

"I've figured it out! Without the piano, the nine instruments cost a total of 125 Galleons. With the piano, it's exactly 200 Galleons," Devus said softly.

Upon hearing the offer of 200 Galleons, Ino quickly did some calculations.

The first nine items are priced at a really reasonable 125 Galleons. After all, he spent 10 Galleons on an accordion in Diagon Alley before, and this one is custom-made. 125 Galleons is really not expensive.

As a large piano, the price of 75 Galleons is reasonable.

"Alright, then bring the piano. Here's a 30% deposit." Ino counted out 60 Galleons from his pocket and placed them on the table.

This is why he only paid 9 for Pansy's house initially, reserving a few hundred gallons for unforeseen circumstances.

"By the way! Mr. Devis, since I spent so much money in one go, could you give me a little something as a gift?"

Although he didn't ask for a discount, Ino still wanted some free gifts, since he really didn't have much money in his pocket right now.

"This isn't Joko's joke shop, what gadgets could I possibly have? How about I give you a file?" Devis said with amusement.

"I don't want a file, I want a longsword! Not a decoration, but a real, usable one-handed sword, something that can at least pierce a troll's skin. Ideally, you could also assemble an old camera for me, nothing fancy, just something that works..."

In the end, Ino felt a little embarrassed, after all, he hadn't spent much money, yet he kept asking for this and that.

"A longsword that pierced a troll's skin? You're telling me this is a freebie after spending 200 Galleons? How about I just give you the Gryffindor sword?"

Upon hearing the request, Dewey nearly fainted.

Realizing belatedly that her request was a bit excessive, Ino immediately changed her mind, saying, "Then it just needs to be sturdy, sharp, and not a toy."

"That's more like it! Two more Galleons for the one-handed sword, and the camera is yours for the taking!"

Devis said irritably, then started muttering to himself again:

"Why would a Slytherin need a one-handed sword? The Sorting Hat has really messed up..."

……

After agreeing on a pickup time, Ino returned to Hogwarts alone.

Unlike other young wizards who longed for Hogsmeade, he had become less curious about his surroundings since buying a house there.

It's like people living in tourist cities who generally don't visit the city's famous attractions. When asked why, the answer is always the same: they see them every day, so what's there to be curious about?

They returned to Hogwarts without any major incidents.

Upon entering the common room, I saw Flint sitting on the sofa, talking animatedly about something.

After exchanging a glance, Ino went straight to the bathroom and emerged a few minutes later, revealing his true appearance.

"Mr. Swinburne! Please wait a moment!"

The sound from behind forced him to stop.

Turning my head, I saw an unfamiliar face; I remembered it as a new Slytherin student who had enrolled this year.

But he couldn't remember her name for the time being.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" Ino asked calmly.

"Here's the thing, I just ran into Professor McGonagall in the castle. She asked me to tell you that if you have time, please come to the Transfiguration office."

The young wizard who delivered the message seemed a little nervous, and he didn't stop catching his breath after finishing his sentence.

"Okay! Thank you. What's your name?"

"Harper, my name is Harper Vick!" the little wizard replied excitedly.

"Okay! Goodbye then, Mr. Vic!" Ino nodded in a friendly gesture.

……

Transformation Class Office.

Although it's Halloween, Professor McGonagall is still busy at her desk.

Unlike her usual furrowed brows, she was in an exceptionally good mood at this moment.

The editorial office of "Transformers Today" has replied, stating that Hogwarts will have another young wizard who will win the Best Newcomer Award, following in the footsteps of Bill Weasley.

"Bang! Bang bang!"

A knock sounded at the door, and without thinking, Professor McGonagall waved her wand to open the door, then looked expectantly at the entrance.

"Ino! Come quick, your paper has been accepted. Metamorphosis Today has sent a prize and a certificate of honor."

Professor McGonagall put down her work and said with delight.

"Good day, Professor! This is the best news I've heard today!" Ino was equally happy.

His happiness didn't stem from any honor; it was simply from hearing that there was a bonus to be won, since he was practically penniless after ordering the instrument today.

Walking to the desk, Ino took the certificates and letters first, though he was more interested in examining the money bag bearing the Gringotts logo.

But there was nothing he could do; Professor McGonagall handed him the letter and certificate first, so he had no choice but to put aside his thoughts and read the letter carefully.

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(End of this chapter)