The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 223 Return to School and Snape's Abnormality

Since buying a house in Hogsmeade.

Whether it's Christmas or New Year's, Ino always finds a sense of belonging.

Although he was alone in the house, he no longer felt like a rootless duckweed.

I sat quietly by the window on the second floor.

The clamor could be faintly heard from the main commercial street; wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys of the surrounding buildings.

That's pretty much what life is like.

1993 passed quietly amidst the everyday hustle and bustle of life.

Throughout the year, everyone, from the young wizards of the castle to the residents of Hogsmeade, lived out their own stories.

……

The fifteen-day Christmas holiday passed by in a flash.

On the day she returned to school, after packing all her belongings, Ino set off alone on her way back to the castle.

The second half of the semester will probably be a bit busy.

But before getting busy, there are some things to take care of, such as Slytherin's belongings.

After copying down all the hidden information on the pendant by the light of a bronze oil lamp, he did not intend to keep it.

Since we promised to hand it over to Snape, we must keep our word.

Moreover, no one is more qualified than Snape to have this purified pendant.

But the prerequisite is that he must still serve as the Head of Slytherin, since this is not a private appointment.

As for the future, once Snape is no longer the headmaster, this pendant will naturally have nothing to do with him anymore.

……

Trains are often delayed.

When Ino returned to the common room in the afternoon, she found that there were still only a few people there, probably students who had stayed on campus for the holiday.

Although they weren't very familiar with each other, he politely responded after the other person greeted him warmly.

Back in his dorm, after a quick tidy-up and changing into his standard robe, he headed toward Snape's office.

"Knock knock knock!"

The door to the Potions Department office opened automatically.

Upon entering the room, Ino didn't exchange many pleasantries. She took the pendant out of her pocket and casually placed it on the desk.

"Professor, I think this should be given to you," Ino explained in a low voice.

"The Slytherin pendant! Something Regulus once sacrificed himself to protect, and now it has been purified."

He didn't mention the Dark Lord's name, especially given his knowledge of the story. Knowing everything yet mentioning the Dark Lord in front of Snape would be somewhat dishonest.

Looking at the intricately carved pendant box, Snape didn't respond immediately. Instead, he took out his wand and gently pressed it against the pendant.

After a careful examination, he then stated his position sparingly:

"Put it down! It belongs to Slytherin."

Hearing the double entendre, Ino smiled silently.

"Yes, Professor! It belongs to Slytherin."

Talking to smart people is really easy, because some things don't need to be said in detail. A simple exchange can already reveal a lot.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now. Goodbye, Professor!"

After finishing his business, he left, since Snape wasn't a talkative person to begin with.

However, just as Ino turned around, Snape's voice came from behind him.

"Some things, like two-way mirrors, tend to develop problems if left unused for a long time. I mean, if you have any alchemical items that malfunction, you can come to me."

Snape spoke very slowly, as if he were carefully choosing his words, or as if he was trying to hide something.

"A two-way mirror?" Ino looked at her dean in surprise. Why did he suddenly think of a two-way mirror?

"You didn't?" Snape's expression was even more surprised, and he even lost the calm tone he had been trying to maintain.

"Should I have it?" This was very puzzling. If it weren't for the vague sense of familiarity, he would have wanted to shine a lantern on Snape right now.

"You didn't..." Snape scrutinized the student before him, and after confirming that the student wasn't lying, he asked with a somewhat enigmatic tone:

Tell me what you did during your Christmas holidays, who you met, and what you did!

……

"Bang!"

The door slammed shut.

Ino left the Potions Department office with a strange expression.

"Hermione..."

Based on the brief conversation just now, he probably guessed what had happened.

After all, throughout the story, Rhinep is portrayed as a cold and aloof character who would never pay attention to the trivialities of a student's holiday.

Even when it came to Harry, Snape would only show his concern in his own way, such as waiting alone outside the castle or giving him special attention in class.

However, this aloof professor actually asked him what he had done during the Christmas holidays, and he seemed somewhat irritated when he heard Hermione leave in anger.

Okay, nobody's a fool.

Hermione's holiday letter, Snape's mention of the two-way mirror, the long period of storage, even Gryffindor and Slytherin...

Once all this known information is put together, the answer actually becomes clear.

"Those flowers that didn't bloom in the previous generation, they're already thinking about the fruit that the next generation will bear..."

In the castle's basement corridor, Ino walked slowly toward her bedroom, her mind once again pondering Hermione's situation.

This wouldn't have been a big deal, but just a week had passed since he had a conversation with Dumbledore about divination and fate before Regulus's funeral.

While at the Banshee shop, Hermione thought of MediaCorp, the two-way mirror, and the Mirror of Erised. On the very day she returned to school, Snape told Hermione that there were pairs of two-way mirrors.

When all the coincidences come together in perfect order, it's time to start thinking about whether they are really just coincidences.

……

With her thoughts weighing on her mind, Ino returned to the Slytherin common room.

Unlike the coldness before I left.

As the train carrying students back to school arrived, the common room became bustling with activity.

After all, the snakes' coldness was only directed at other academies, or more precisely, at the lion cubs.

Now, on their own turf, the young wizards of Slytherin have shed their previous pretenses.

"Ino!" Draco called out as he approached someone who had returned to the lounge.

"You have to help me! Someone just said Scarface had a fire crossbow bolt."

"Fire crossbow bolts?" Ino raised an eyebrow in surprise.

This seems to be further evidence that what belongs to someone should belong to them, and Harry still received a new broom in his third year.

"Yes! Firebolts! So you have to help me." Draco said indignantly.

It was just a competition between academies, yet they used brooms that surpassed those used in professional leagues.

At this moment, he completely forgot about last year when he bought a bunch of Nimbus 2001s in one go.

"How can I help you? Should we ambush Harry and beat him up?" Ino said helplessly. How could he help with something like this? He wasn't a Quidditch player.

"Smother the scar and beat him up?" Draco's eyes suddenly lit up.

"I was just kidding, you really want to hit someone? Are you crazy!" Seeing the other person's expression, Ino quickly made her stance clear.

"Then let's not fight." After a brief moment of thought, Draco shook his head somewhat discouraged.

"But you'll be playing before the Academy Cup starts this year, you know, as a cheerleader!"

At this moment, Draco's expression was unusually serious, and he confidently stated his plan:

"We'll crush Scarface with our sheer force! We'll crush Redhead too! We'll crush Gryffindor!"

It's the beginning of the month! Xiao Di is begging for votes! Please vote! Please vote, everyone! Please cast your vote!

Xiao Di's sharing today: Sea Snake

British Magic Classification Level: xxx

Origin and distribution: Sea snakes are found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean Seas.

Physical characteristics: Sea snakes can grow up to 100 feet long, with a head shaped like a horse's head, and their long bodies often arch out of the water.

Abilities and Functions: Although sea serpents look terrifying, they have never killed anyone. However, Muggles have come up with many of the atrocities that sea serpents have committed.

(End of this chapter)