The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 136 The Promised Christmas Family Feast (First Update)

Just as the Lockhart incident was causing a great stir in the wizarding world of the British Isles, the Christmas holidays arrived as scheduled.

The two-week holiday acted like a powerful fever reducer, putting Hogwarts into a brief cooling-off period.

It also served as a mitigating agent, allowing the young wizards to go home and discuss this sensational topic with their families.

This year, as always, Ino signed the list of those leaving school.

……

Lily Street, Stone District, Manchester, London.

Affluent neighborhoods in England that are typically middle-class or above.

On Christmas Eve, as dusk fell, warm lights illuminated the streets, and through the windows one could see busy figures and joyful laughter inside.

"444 Lily Street!"

Ino stood at the entrance of the block with her suitcase, checking the house numbers one by one.

Fortunately, his proper attire allowed him to avoid questioning by the patrol officers and easily enter this affluent area.

Two years ago, he could only sneak in when everything was quiet in the early hours of the morning.

Under the cover of night, they quietly searched for everyday items that were clearly in good condition but had been discarded as trash.

The reason I am here today in the once unattainable Muggle affluent area is due to an instant message from the library three weeks ago.

Hermione wrote down the Christmas invitation in her notebook, and he inexplicably accepted it, which seems unbelievable now.

However, since I've agreed, I must keep my promise.

After buying some cream toffee as a gift at Honeydukes, she took the Knights Bus to the address Hermione had given her.

……

Middle section of Lily Street.

A typical Victorian-style building, with ivy climbing all over the red brick walls, and delicate snowflake-shaped stickers on the windows and doors on the first floor.

After confirming that the address was correct, Ino knocked on the door.

"Knock! Knock knock!"

The person who opened the door was a middle-aged woman with long brown hair, which looked a little messy and seemed neglected. Her long hair was held in place with an inconspicuous black hair clip, simple and practical.

"Hello, who are you looking for?"

When faced with the middle-aged woman's question, Ino got straight to the point:

"Excuse me, is this Granger House? I'm Hermione's classmate, and she invited me to tonight's Christmas family dinner."

"You're Mr. Swinburne? Come in quickly, Hermione wrote to us a long time ago!"

The middle-aged woman opened the door with some enthusiasm, and at the same time, she did not forget to introduce herself: "By the way, I am Hermione's mother, Mia Prowitt! If you don't mind, you can call me Aunt Mia."

"Okay! Aunt Mia, you can also call me Ino." Ino responded with a polite smile. After changing into slippers in the entryway, she was led to the living room by the other party.

Sitting on the leather sofa, looking at the modern-style room, he felt as if he had traveled to another world.

A magnificent glass chandelier, a television screen at least 23 inches in size, a bulky VCR, and neatly arranged boxes of videotapes...

"Ino!" Before even seeing him, a surprised voice rang out from the second-floor staircase.

Hermione ran down the stairs as fast as she could, her mouth never stopping as she chattered away:

"I've been waiting for you since this afternoon, afraid you'd forgotten! I almost thought you weren't coming, and I was also worried you wouldn't be able to find the address, it's already evening! Thank goodness..."

"Merry Christmas, Hermione!" Ino interrupted Hermione's rambling, then took a pre-prepared gift from her suitcase. "This is your Christmas present!"

"What is this?" Hermione asked eagerly as she took the gift, not only because of her anticipation for it, but also as a sign of politeness.

After all, opening a gift in person is a sign of respect.

"What a beautiful gift! It's so lovely!" Mrs. Granger had already quietly stood by the living room and exclaimed in amazement as she looked at the gift in her daughter's hands.

"Mom! It's mine!" Hermione hugged the crystal ball tightly, as if afraid it would be taken away.

This is a custom-made crystal ball containing an exquisite miniature Hogwarts Castle. It also appears to have been enchanted with weather-fixing magic, allowing the crystal ball to adjust its internal weather according to changes in the external weather.

Night has fallen, and Hogwarts inside the crystal ball is also in the dark.

"Tsk! I was just looking, I wasn't planning on taking your gift!" Mrs. Granger teased with a smile, seeing her daughter's nervous expression.

Sitting on the sofa, Ino quietly watched the scene before him, and he could feel the harmony and warmth in this family.

Clearly, Hermione and her mother have a very good relationship.

……

Two hours later.

In the restaurant, Ino gazed at the table laden with delicious food, but the legendary dentist, Mr. Granger, was nowhere to be seen.

However, he didn't want to ask about other people's affairs, so he simply sat down with Hermione in the restaurant.

"I'm sorry! It'll just be the three of us tonight!" As she spoke, Mrs. Granger walked into the living room. Although her expression remained normal, the disappointment in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"Dad's working overtime again? Was he the one who called just now?" Hearing that there were only three people, Hermione quickly guessed the reason.

"That's right! Your Uncle George has acute pulpitis. He just called to say he won't be back tonight. Of all times, he couldn't have gotten sick earlier..."

Mrs. Granger stopped mid-sentence, seemingly realizing that she shouldn't complain so casually in front of her daughter's classmate, and promptly changed the subject:

"Ino, Hermione said you live in a wizarding community? Can you tell me what it's like there?"

"Of course! Aunt Mia!" Ino readily agreed to Mrs. Granger's question.

"Hogsmeade is the only remaining wizarding village in all of Britain, and the train to Hogwarts stops nearby..."

As Ino continued to explain, Mrs. Granger's expression turned longing.

"Aunt Mia, I'll be there for the Christmas holidays. If it's alright, I'd like to invite you to visit, along with Mr. Granger and Hermione, of course."

In return, he extended an invitation to visit.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Granger's eyes showed a hint of interest, but after a moment's thought, she said with a touch of regret:

"Forget it! The clinic's appointments are booked until after the New Year!"

Hearing that the invitation was rejected, Ino didn't take it to heart. In the adult world, there's probably no such thing as just packing up and going.

……

The three of them enjoyed a sumptuous dinner while chatting freely.

Time passed quickly, and an hour before midnight, Ino asked to take his leave.

He politely declined Mrs. Granger's offer to stay, and after saying goodbye to Hermione, he picked up his suitcase and headed out the door.

Accommodation is not an option at all, since Draco, Pansy, Daphne, Neville, and the others have all been scheduled for tomorrow, Christmas Day, the 25th.

……

Under the deep blue of the night.

A black swan soars over England.

As the eighth Animagus registered with the Ministry of Magic this century, although the Ministry did not publicize it extensively at Professor McGonagall's behest, the registration was indeed real.

Therefore, Ino feels no pressure at all when using this magic.

Most importantly, as a special form of shapeshifting magic, Animagus cannot be detected by the trail.

It's likely that the person who set up the trail didn't expect that an ungraduated wizard would be able to learn the transformation magic of the ceiling.

(End of this chapter)