The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 131 The Growing Study Group

Time was like the hourglass of Gryffindor in the Great Hall, slowly decreasing grain by grain with Snape's friendly help.

As December arrived, the atmosphere in the castle became visibly restless, because the annual Christmas was just around the corner, a holiday that everyone looked forward to.

Everyone! Although summer vacation is great, for seventh graders who are about to graduate, summer vacation often means farewell and sadness! But Christmas vacation is different; everyone can fully enjoy the joy of the holiday.

In the Slytherin dormitory.

After cleaning the dormitory with a cleaning spell, Ino sat quietly to the side, staring intently at the three brand-new ceramic pots on the table.

These are the magic beans that William Green gave us.

Amazingly, William sent half a box of 163 pills, but under the Scapin Manifestation Charm, only three pills were found to be truly alive.

This made him fall into deep thought. The tavern had told three legendary stories: three magic beans were traded fairly with William, three more were burned in the tower, and now there were three more signs of life...

It seems that everything in a fantasy world has a price.

If you can find the hidden price and apply reasonable rules, almost every world is a treasure waiting to be discovered.

After thinking for a moment, Ino stood up and carefully moved the three ceramic pots to the shelf next to her bed to prevent them from being accidentally broken.

After all, the dormitory will be lively again in a little while.

Having already attended another unwavering History of Magic class this morning, Draco has already set off to call on others to attend.

……

In the dormitory.

Ino stood alone at the far end of the room, and on the wall behind him hung a makeshift blackboard created using shapeshifting magic.

There was no other way; unexpectedly, twenty-three young wizards showed up today, and the entire second year of Slytherin was present, so naturally, a more formal occasion was necessary.

However, he roughly understood today's unexpected situation; it was clearly a phenomenon of involution!

While my classmates were all taking extra classes, I was chatting, bragging, and playing Wizard Chess. It didn't seem like a big deal in the short term, but I started to feel uncomfortable over time.

After a brief moment of thought, Ino stopped worrying about people and turned her attention to the twenty-three young wizards.

"Ahem! Good afternoon. Although we are all familiar with each other, some of you are here for the first time, so I have to emphasize the nature of this gathering."

At this point, Ino turned around and wrote a few words on the blackboard: proper learning, independent thinking.

After finishing writing, he turned around and looked at everyone again, one by one: Draco, Pansy, Daphne, Goyle...

"Why do we study the history of magic? Is it educational? I think everyone here has thought about this question. Listening to a ghost professor rambling on and on seems to be nothing more than a waste of time, and sometimes you even want to cast a stun spell on your head."

After a little joke, the atmosphere in the dorm room was no longer serious.

After a moment, Ino coughed lightly, once again drawing everyone's attention.

"Why study the history of magic? My answer is: history is like a sharp axe that can cleave the frozen sea within us."

"We all crave ideas, knowledge, power, and peace. But before that, we must have the ability to think independently."

Ino stopped because she saw Pansy quietly raise her hand.

"Miss Parkinson, please speak!" He did not address Pansy by her first name in formal settings.

"I'm a little curious, did we never have the ability to think independently from the beginning?"

Pansy seemed to have asked the question on everyone's mind. All the young wizards present, including Goyle, looked at her with inquisitive eyes.

"That's a great question!" Ino clapped lightly and looked at Pansy with admiration, who responded with a standard ladylike smile.

"What is independent thinking? Independent thinking means that we cannot blindly believe anyone or anything. We must use critical thinking to examine others, the environment, the Ministry of Magic, and even the entire era!"

"And what cultivates our independent thinking is the history of magic. Now, everyone, turn to page 167 of the Modern History section. Professor Binns is talking about a wizarding movement that took place half a century ago..."

……

When you're focused, time always flies by.

The one-hour history of magic review covered major events that occurred over a period of 20 years, from 1926 to 1945, as well as the shift in the overall ideology of wizarding.

"Alright! That concludes Professor Binns' lesson for today. Finally, I'd like to remind everyone not to forget to complete the paper assignment he gave us."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ino also dispelled the transformation magic on the blackboard behind her.

After all the young wizards filed out of the dormitory...

Only Pansy and Daphne remained, as did Draco, who had already reached the door but turned back after realizing what was happening.

……

In the dormitory.

Looking at the three familiar people in front of her, Ino simply stopped pretending and lay down on her side on her bed, leaning against the thick pillow and soft down comforter, half-lying on the bed.

"You three... okay! Not Draco! What earth-shattering things have you two said this time? Say it now, while I still have some energy!"

From the moment he finished recounting the fairy's betrayal, he had become accustomed to the little snakes' insane pronouncements, which were utterly extreme.

This is why he deliberately added some personal insights before today's review. Independent thinking is undoubtedly very important for Slytherin wizards.

"Hahaha! Look at this! It's not even halfway through the semester, and some people are already starting to dislike us. How sad!"

Daphne joked with a laugh, while simultaneously covering her chest with her hand and putting on a heartbroken performance.

"Stop fooling around!" Ino rubbed his temples helplessly. He felt like he had suddenly gained a little sister when it came to this quirky girl.

"I'm not making a fuss. This time, Pansy wanted to stay, and I'm really ready to leave!" Daphne slowly walked over and sat down on Ino's bedside without any hesitation.

"Alright! I misunderstood you." Ino said without even looking up, then slowly sat up.

Unlike Daphne, who relaxed after getting to know him better, Pansy always maintained basic etiquette, which made it difficult for him to be too casual.

"Pansy, is there anything you'd like to discuss?"

As she finished speaking, Pansy became unusually sentimental:

"Ino, you talk about independent thinking! But after thinking about it, I've found that I can't see the future of wizards at all... Starting from modern history, starting from the Act of Secrecy in 1689, the place where we live has been gradually shrinking."

At this point, Pansy seemed a little excited, a hint of sharpness flashing in her eyes.

"Why must we keep backing down? I don't understand! Since the Statute of Secrecy was signed in 1692, the wizarding communities of Greater Manchester, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Hertfordshire have disappeared. All that's left in the British Isles are Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade! We've been constantly backing down and running away!"

"But today, based on what you just said, and after independently reflecting on the witchcraft movement of half a century ago, I think I've found the answer!"

Listening to Pansy's account, Ino suddenly felt an urge to rush out the door.

While encouraging independent thinking and critical examination of everything appeased the other snakes, it seemed to have led Pansy astray.

It's like trying to press down one gourd only to have another pop up; none of them are easy to deal with.

That's all for today's coding! Xiao Di plans to share some official HP knowledge every day from now on, starting with Fantastic Beasts.

Dwarf Pig Monster: XXX

Appearance: It looks like a stunted piglet, with short legs, a long tail, and squinty black eyes.

Characteristic: It is afraid of pure white dogs, even if the dog is a shapeshifter.

(End of this chapter)