The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 166 Beginning with a Name: The Faint Path of a Legendary Wizard

"squeak!"

A screeching sound of tires scraping against the ground rang out, and a double-decker bus stopped at the side of Lily Street. Then, a beautiful young woman got off the bus.

"You should go home soon too! Although the Ministry of Magic has increased its patrols, I have a feeling that Sirius is still in London."

As she got out of the car, Hermione turned back and gave Ino a message through the car window.

"Okay! I'm going home now, see you when school starts!" Ino waved goodbye.

A few seconds later, the Knight Bus suddenly disappeared from the roadside.

"There are still four days until school starts..." Hermione pouted as she watched the car disappear from sight and walked towards the brightly lit mansion in the distance.

……

"Hogsmeade? Three more siscos." Ticket seller Sampak leaned against the pillar of the carriage and said with an ambiguous look.

To be fair, the ticket price for the Knight Bus was considered high in the magical world, so not many people rode it, which allowed Sampak to remember every passenger.

Similarly, through frequent rides on the Knight Bus, Ino became acquainted with the talkative ticket seller, their relationship falling into a state of more than friendship.

"Instead of Hogsmeade, let's go to Spider's End."

"Oh ho! I get it, I get it!" Sampak said with an air of knowing what he was doing, then quickly operated the ticket machine on his chest: "Spider End Alley, ticket price 4 Sicoes."

After paying, Ino sat on the portable bed and closed her eyes to rest.

Today's chance encounter with Harry reminded him of something he had almost forgotten: Sirius Black and Pettigrew. Rather than letting the Dementors cause trouble, he should inform Snape as soon as possible.

Leaving Sirius aside, at least Peter could strike directly on the train, leaving Peter nowhere to run.

This way, not only can we repay Snape's favor, but also there won't be too many people causing trouble in the third year, which will be a good opportunity to deal with the Basilisk.

It seems like fifty years have passed, but the death of Moaning Myrtle still haunts Dumbledore, even though he wasn't the headmaster back then.

Gradually, Ino also recalled the scene in Newt's courtyard.

Dumbledore's answer to the question of the Basilisk's existence was firm: it could live, but it had to be completely removed from the castle.

"The idea is good, but I can't support it..."

Thinking of Dumbledore's inexplicable gaze, Ino couldn't help but chuckle; it seemed to be another misunderstanding. He was probably being categorized as a Slytherin descendant again, and even linked to Parsleyan.

Similarly, he felt that the surname Svenburn seemed to be born to attract trouble, which made him want to go back to the orphanage he used to go to and ask the old nanny in person where the surname was found.

After all, in the magical world, a name itself carries a certain mysterious power.

The most obvious example is Voldemort, who made all the wizards in the British Isles afraid to call him by name. Just hearing or saying his name would instill fear in them. It would be hard to believe that there was no mysterious magic involved.

Correspondingly, there is also Dumbledore, whose name seems to have a mystical effect on those who hear it, such as calming and reassuring them.

Suddenly, a word flashed through Ino's mind—"legend."

The word "legend" originally describes people and things that are poetic or mysterious, and it also has strong symbolic meaning, such as heroes, war, love, etc.

Living legends seem to possess a mysterious power that evokes feelings in those who utter their names that correspond to their symbolic meaning.

This is just like Voldemort's killing and fear, and Dumbledore's love and sacrifice.

Even back in Narnia, when the animals uttered the White Witch's name, they would unconsciously feel a chilling cold and terror.

"Perhaps, true legendary wizards possess more than just unparalleled magic and immense strength; magic and strength may only be considered the starting point..."

Ino murmured as she looked out the car window.

The bus sped along the road, and the scenery outside the window flashed by in a bizarre way, like a series of distorted slides.

"squeak!"

Another screeching sound of brakes interrupted Ino's thoughts, the powerful inertia also breaking the silence.

"Spider End Alley, we've arrived!" Sampak's distinctive voice rang out in the carriage.

……

19 Spider's End Lane.

This is the address that Ino deliberately asked Dumbledore for at Newt Manor, so that it would be easier to find Snape.

But after living together for the next ten days or so, he gradually forgot about Sirius Black until Harry brought it up again today.

Walking through the somewhat dirty and messy Spider's End Alley.

It's hard to imagine that London, the capital of England at the end of the 20th century, actually had such ancient streets from the 19th century.

The only good news is that, although the place is very dilapidated, it does have a corresponding house number.

"17...18..." Looking at the house numbers that passed by one by one, Ino finally found number 19 Spider's End, the residence of Severus Snape.

A small wooden building with a brown exterior, even the window frames are designed like those of the old wooden lattice windows from the last century.

The stained glass windows look like they've been weathered by time and are now blurred, but it's precisely this blurriness that creates a hazy atmosphere in the old Spider's End alley.

"Knock! Knock knock!"

Ino stepped forward and knocked on the door.

After waiting for about ten seconds, the door was suddenly opened from the inside.

Snape stood expressionless inside the door, still dressed in his usual long, black robe.

"I don't remember telling you this address."

"I apologize for disturbing you, Professor Snape!" Ino said somewhat apologetically.

"I got the address from Headmaster Dumbledore. I'm here today because it's important, and I'm afraid I'll miss a great opportunity after school starts in a few days."

Snape did not reply immediately, but silently observed the student in front of him for a moment.

"Follow me!"

……

Following Snape into the room, Ino carefully controlled his eyes, refraining from rudely looking around.

After arriving at the living room and sitting down, Snape spoke first:

"Tell me! What you call important stuff."

"Professor! Before I speak, I hope you can remain rational; this is very important."

As Ino spoke, he placed his wand on the coffee table beside him for easy access.

In response to this silent body language, Snape scoffed, "I admit you're capable of defeating most adult wizards, but you're no match for me..."

Although it was sarcastic, Snape casually pulled out his wand and tossed it aside, a distance of more than a meter, just enough to prevent him from grasping it immediately.

This is also a form of silent expression.

Seeing this, Ino didn't hesitate any longer and went straight to the point: "You know I have a talent for divination. A while ago, the Daily Prophet published a news item that Sirius Black had escaped from prison..."

He paused deliberately, looked up at Snape, and only after finding that the other's expression remained unchanged did he continue his story.

Fifteen minutes, or longer.

"...So, this is a complete miscarriage of justice. We won't dwell on Sirius's stupidity, but at the very least, we can't let the real culprit go unpunished."

Today, Xiaodi is sharing about magical creatures: Unicorns.

British Magic Classification Level: xxxx

Origin and distribution: Unicorns are generally found in the forests of Northern Europe.

Physical characteristics: Unicorns are beautiful animals. When they are young, they are pure gold, turning silver around the age of two, and they grow horns at the age of four. At the age of seven, a fully grown unicorn is a horse with snow-white fur and horns.

Habits: Unicorns generally avoid contact with humans, and are more likely to be approached by witches than wizards. They are also very fast runners, making them extremely difficult to capture.

Abilities and Effects: The horn, blood, and fur of a unicorn possess powerful magical properties. Slaying a unicorn will incur a curse.

In ancient runes, the horns of this animal symbolized "1".

(End of this chapter)