The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 148 The Beautiful Charles and the Last Oil Lamp

The early autumn morning was already a bit chilly.

In the morning light, a winding gravel path stretches quietly across the green fields, sunlight filtering through the loose clouds and dappling the ground.

On both sides of the road, there are rolling rice paddies, with the rice ears drooping low, as if whispering to Mother Earth.

A gentle breeze rippled through the rice paddies, creating golden waves that rustled softly. Occasionally, a titmouse would fly by, its clear, melodious call adding a touch of life to the scene.

At the end of the path.

A simple horse-drawn carriage approached from afar.

The driver was a young man wearing a light blue robe.

As if an old horse knew the way, the young man leaned against the carriage shaft, holding a thick book in his hands, reading it intently, without any concern for the direction the horse was heading.

"Brother Ino! How much longer do we have to go?" A childish voice asked in the carriage.

"Soon! Soon!" Ino closed the book and replied helplessly.

Middle-earth seems to be extraordinarily large.

Although traveling with the elderly, women, and children meant he would be slow, the journey still took him three months, and he still hadn't seen a trace of Charles.

Although the journey was tedious, it was very rewarding.

Not only was I able to calmly and carefully read through the "Standard Spells" that Draco had given me, but more importantly, time was passing by.

Three months in the Woodland Kingdom, nearly three months in Saint White City, and now another three months on the journey...

In nearly a year, the little wizard's passive magic power increased without him even realizing it.

Although there is no reference point, the base time is still there, and I recall Professor Flitwick saying last year that he has the magic of a nearly fourth-year wizard.

Unbeknownst to him, after adding and subtracting, Ino suddenly realized that he had surpassed the level of a seventh-grade graduate and possessed the magic of an adult wizard.

What made him even happier was that this wasn't the limit. Because his body was still in the second-year state, it meant that his magic power would continue to increase over time.

"Just by accumulating seniority, he could probably become a legend..." he sighed inwardly.

Immediately, Ino turned her gaze to the distance, where a low hill came into view. But that wasn't the point; the point was that there were small door frames and window frames at the foot of the hill.

"Aunt Julia! Lily! We've arrived, we've reached the Shire!"

……

Hole at the bottom of the bag.

Baggins rubbed his eyes in disbelief. If he hadn't just turned fifty, he would have thought he had presbyopia.

"Are you Ino?"

Seeing the boy opposite him nod slightly, Baggins pounced on him immediately.

"Hahaha! My old friend! If you hadn't pulled me out of there, I would have been feeding spiders in the forest long ago. You have no idea what we went through after that, you know... later..."

In the less than 1.7-meter-high Bag Bottom, Ino sat quietly listening to Baggins' narration.

It seems that Baggins has been somewhat lonely these past few years, perhaps like someone who has seen real storms and feels out of place when returning to his hometown, a small mountain village.

The arrival of Ino filled the void left by Baggins; what had been hidden for decades could no longer be concealed.

"You know what? Over the years, only Gandalf would occasionally visit me! I thought you'd forgotten about me! Today, I'm so happy..."

As he spoke, Baggins' expression was a mixture of sadness and joy at the reunion; perhaps this was the true meaning of bittersweet emotions.

"Old friend, don't be sad. I'm here now, and I'm even planning to settle down here," Ino interrupted Baggins with a light laugh.

"Settle down? Not leaving?" Baggins suddenly stood up from the stool and paced back and forth in the room with some excitement.

"I will leave again! But I will settle down here! I will come back every now and then."

As Ino spoke, his gaze fell upon the elderly man and his grandson at the table next to him.

"Leave this to me! I'll take care of it for you." Baggins said, heading towards the door, seemingly unconcerned that it was already late at night.

……

Winter in the Shire is a season of joy and feasting.

After the farm work is finished in the fall, the kind-hearted hobbits gather together to sing and dance.

In short, every day was fulfilling and joyful.

Not far from Baggins Pocket, a somewhat unusual house was also brightly lit and filled with laughter.

It is considered somewhat unusual because this house is a two-story wooden cabin built on top of the traditional tree hole house in Hobbiton.

in the room.

Ino and Baggins sat chatting in chairs, while Lily played with several children her age, and on the other side, Aunt Julia was tidying up the food, putting it into baskets one by one.

"Are you going to the party or not? Are you going to play? Are you going to chat?" Julia's hoarse voice rang out.

"Let's go! Don't keep everyone waiting." Ino stood up first and took the basket containing the food.

Today is a special day. The old year ends today, and the new year begins today.

Therefore, the hobbits, who love lively gatherings, would always bring their own food and gather in the Shire square for a grand banquet that would last until dawn.

Ino, who was watching, stood up, and Baggins jumped off his chair as well, saying with some melancholy, "Gandalf probably won't come this year! Maybe next year, maybe the year after, he'll always come to the Shire before the New Year to light up some beautiful fireworks for everyone."

"Old friend! Gandalf isn't the only wizard!" Ino chuckled as he pulled his wand from his sleeve.

……

Middle-earth, at the end of the Third Age 2971.

All the hobbits living in the Shire had a New Year's Eve dinner they would never forget.

Brilliant and vivid fireworks, countless delicious candies, miniature ice and snow castles, tall ice and snow slides, and strange animals that you can ride and play with, yet are gentle and harmless.

late at night.

Ino put the sleeping Lily on the bed. The little girl had completely gone wild today, and in the end, she even fell asleep riding on the back of a little unicorn.

After settling Lily in, he left the room.

"Are you leaving? Don't underestimate an old woman's intuition!" The old woman, Julia, sat quietly in the living room.

Seeing that Ino did not reply, she got up and walked to the cabinet next to her.

A moment later, an old-fashioned oil lamp appeared on the table.

"It's nothing valuable, but I don't have much else to give you! Take it with you; it might light your way at night."

……

On a path not far from Shire.

In the pitch-black night, a lit oil lamp cast a faint light, illuminating the small area around it.

A moment later, the firelight suddenly disappeared, along with the figure carrying the oil lamp.

After a brief period of strangeness, everything returned to normal.

Even though it was late at night, if you listened carefully, you could still hear the cheerful laughter of the hobbits carried on the breeze.

Today, Xiaodi is sharing a magical animal: the Silent Bird.

Level: xx

Characteristics: A small blue bird with spots on its body. They never sing throughout their lives, except for a long cry just before they die.

Uses: The feathers of the Silent Bird can be used in Truth Potions and Memory Potions.

(End of this chapter)