The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 17 A Small Test

After watching Malfoy and his two companions leave, Ino leaned back for a nap, enjoying the tranquility of the moment.

After all, I got up and left home at eight o'clock in the morning and have been holding on until now. I need to take a nap to recover my energy and make it easier to deal with the Sorting Ceremony tonight.

When the topic of the Sorting Ceremony came up, Ino immediately rejected Harry's subjective and mandatory Sorting Ceremony.

Perhaps because he's been doing divination for so long, he now prefers to follow fate's arrangements and see which academy he will ultimately enter.

Similarly, he didn't forget the Occlumency technique Snape had mentioned before, and he took this opportunity to test it out and see if the Sorting Hat could still have a proper conversation with Occlumency.

……

Outside the car window, fields rushed by.

As the neat farmland slowly disappeared, dense forests, winding rivers, and verdant hills followed.

Time seemed to be stolen away by some unseen force, and several hours passed in the blink of an eye.

Ino opened her loose eyes and looked out the car window. She found that it was now completely dark. Under the deep purple sky, there were mountains and trees, and she couldn't tell where she was at all.

His sleep was intermittent, lasting from noon until dusk.

My gaze shifted to the cubicle.

"Ha! Still putting on a long face," Ino thought to herself.

Malfoy had been sullen and unhappy ever since he came back at noon.

That look was just like someone who had been chatting online for three years, only to have their hopes dashed when they finally met in person.

Perhaps at first, Malfoy genuinely wanted to be friends with Harry, but he forgot that the greatest torment in the world is to love someone while simultaneously harboring contempt for them.

"The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train, and we will take it to the school for you."

Just as Ino was sighing, an announcement was made in the carriage, and then the train's speed visibly decreased.

Ten minutes later.

"The car has come to a complete stop. If you're not planning to get off and miss the opening banquet, then we'll have to see you next year."

After saying that, Ino ignored the three people beside her and walked towards the door alone.

He and Malfoy didn't have a deep relationship; the fact that he mentioned him was entirely due to their brief encounter in the same carriage.

Pushing open the partition, the once empty aisle was now packed with young wizards who kept coming out, pushing and shoving each other as they surged toward the car door.

Fortunately, his cubicle was located relatively far back, so he didn't have to squeeze into the center of the crowd. He just needed to follow the flow and walk slowly forward.

Hogsmeade Station.

The final stop of the Hogwarts Express, a very small and old platform.

"First-year students! First-year students, come over here! Harry~ Harry, come over here!"

On the platform, Ino looked up at the sound and saw a giant with a thick beard, at least 10 feet tall.

"It's been a long time, Rupert Hagrid."

With a soft sigh, he then walked in Hagrid's direction.

at the same time.

Above the throng of heads, Hagrid held up a medieval-style lantern. The orange magical flames inside were exceptionally conspicuous in the dark night, making his tangled beard and gigantic body stand out clearly.

Led by Hagrid, the first-year students, like sturgeon returning to their homeland, slowly made their way along the steep and narrow path.

Perhaps because it had just rained, the road was unusually slippery, and we had to be wary of the various vines under our feet from time to time. This journey... perfectly illustrated what it means to stumble and fall.

It was pitch black all around, except for a sliver of light from Hagrid's revolving lantern at the very front.

The surrounding environment made him sigh. He just couldn't understand it. There were countless floating jack-o'-lanterns on Halloween.

Why is it pitch black here? I'm not asking for bright lights, but at least install some streetlights.

Ino raised her wand, waved it gently, and whispered, "Blazing Flames!"

A flame suddenly rose from the tip of the elderflower wand, then quickly expanded to the size of a fist before hovering steadily at the tip.

The long practice of magic finally yielded results at this moment.

From a distance, it looked like a small torch had suddenly been lit on a dark path.

The rising flames emitted a warm light, instantly dispelling the surrounding darkness and chill.

"Svenburn..."

In a daze, Ino seemed to hear someone calling him from behind. He subconsciously turned around to look, but it was pitch black in the distance and he couldn't see anything.

Anyone with wilderness survival experience knows that lighting a torch at night is probably only to illuminate others, because the person holding the torch will have their vision limited by the firelight.

"It looks like it's either Hermione or Hannah."

Although Ino couldn't see people clearly, he knew in his heart that there were only two girls he knew here.

Aside from Hermione, whom I met through a fortune telling, the only other person I knew was Hannah, whom I met while living at the Leaky Cauldron.

Ignoring the envious glances of the young wizards around him, Ino continued on his way, wand in hand.

He soon regretted his actions; the natural human tendency to be attracted to light caused the young wizards around him to unconsciously gravitate towards him.

"Don't push... Hey! I'm talking to you, don't cling to me..."

After a period of chaos and confusion, Ino finally managed to restore order to the young wizards around him, though he was also filled with lingering fear.

If a stampede occurs because of him... ha, he might as well skip Hogwarts and go straight to Azkaban.

"Quiet! Little ones, just around this bend, and you'll see Hogwarts for the first time."

Hagrid's booming voice invigorated everyone; all the hardships they had endured were for the sake of reaching the castle as soon as possible.

A few minutes later.

The group walked along a slippery path and arrived at the edge of a black lake.

On the high hillside across the lake stands a majestic and solemn castle, its spires towering and its bright windows twinkling like stars in the night.

"Remember! No more than four people per boat!"

Hagrid pointed to a fleet of small boats moored on the shore and gave them loud instructions.

Unlike the others who hesitated, Ino was the first to board a nearby small boat.

The effect of setting an example is enormous. After seeing him board the ship, the other young wizards also jumped onto the boats closest to them, which of course caused quite a bit of chaos.

"Is everyone on board?" Hagrid called out, and after confirming that no one had been left behind, he walked toward the last small boat.

"Set off!"

Small boats moved automatically without wind, gliding across the mirror-like surface of the lake towards the opposite shore.

……

"Did you just use a fire-starting spell?"

On the small boat, Ino heard the familiar voice again, and this time she finally recognized who it belonged to.

"Miss Granger! Was my previous divination accurate?"

"I'm asking you about the magic you just saw!" Hermione corrected.

"I know, but I have to be responsible for my divination before that, after all, I took your money!"

"You... Hmph! Stingy!"

Hermione bit her lip gently; she was genuinely angry now.

This was completely different from what she had expected. Who would have thought that the other person wouldn't talk about magic, but instead would still be thinking about the 1 pound fortune telling from back then?

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(End of this chapter)