The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 287: Published in the Newspapers, Dumbledore's Bastard Son

There is no universally accepted concept of how large a camp of 100,000 people is.

But one thing is for sure: the campsite is really lively tonight.

For more than half an hour, Ino felt like she was strolling through a theme park, and this theme was called—Wizards.

During his shopping trip, he also gained a full understanding of the Weasley family's difficulties.

Along the way, no matter how much I tried to restrain myself, I still spent nearly 10 Galleons.

Magic lanterns, golden balloons, Muggle warning devices, rose-shaped badges, tarot cards, moving star charts, moon globes...

There were so many interesting things, many of which were even banned in England, but during the World Cup, 100,000 wizards flocked in.

Of course, this is largely due to the Ministry of Magic's deliberate relaxation of restrictions.

After all, in this atmosphere, the Ministry of Magic seems to turn a blind eye as long as it's not too dangerous or involves large-scale smuggling.

……

"How much...is this?" Ino asked, enunciating each word clearly.

During a leisurely stroll, he discovered something interesting: the flying carpet he had always longed for.

The flying carpet was being sold from a cart belonging to a middle-aged wizard with a thick beard. Judging from his deep-set eyes and high nose, he was probably a wizard from the Middle East as well.

But the other party seemed very careful. The entire cart was filled with all kinds of cheap candies, except for a folded flying carpet hanging on the side of the cart, which looked like a decoration from a distance.

Perhaps they genuinely lack spoken English, or perhaps they don't want to give others cause for criticism.

Upon hearing the question, the middle-aged wizard first held up five fingers, but then, seemingly realizing it was inappropriate, reduced the number of fingers from five to four, before clenching his other hand into a fist.

Forty Galleons.

Ino finally understood why England was off-limits for flying carpets; the price was nowhere near that of flying brooms.

A flying carpet with tens of Galleons and a flying broom with hundreds or even thousands of Galleons are not even in the same dimension.

If flying carpets were to flood the market, I doubt anyone other than Quidditch players would be foolish enough to buy brooms.

After confirming the price, Ino didn't even think about haggling, since things were different now. He decisively counted out forty Galleons and handed them to the other party.

A magical scene unfolded: the middle-aged wizard did not reach out to take the money. He first pointed to the cart, then walked three meters away.

"Haha! Okay, okay."

Ino was amused by the other person; he had truly learned this self-deceptive approach.

There was no conversation throughout the entire process, no handling of money, and even the transactions were self-service. It seemed that even if they were caught, they would have endless reasons and excuses to make.

Although he felt it was unnecessary, Ino still completed the self-service transaction as instructed. His past experience of setting up a fortune-telling stall made him aware of the hardships faced by those at the bottom of society.

The transaction was completed smoothly.

After getting the flying carpet, he continued walking in the other direction.

The flying carpet was an unexpected bonus, but the real purpose of wandering around was to see the inertia of fate.

however.

Two hours later, near midnight.

Looking at the camp filled with singing and dancing, Ino finally realized she had been overthinking things.

There were no riots or Death Eater terrorist attacks; there was only liveliness and joy.

This result seems unexpected, but upon closer examination, it makes perfect sense.

Dumbledore's final appearance was like a weight that set the balance; no matter what was placed on the other side, it couldn't weigh down the scales.

The 422nd World Cup, hosted by England, has come to a very successful conclusion.

……

The first rays of dawn gently rise from the east.

Last night's Quidditch World Cup was just a minor interlude; after this brief interlude, peaceful life is about to begin again.

Inside the Blake family tent.

Under Mrs. Weasley's guidance, the whole family, including Harry and Sirius, sat around the table enjoying a delicious breakfast.

Just then, an untimely voice rang out from outside the tent.

"They've really gone mad! The entire Daily Prophet has gone mad." Arthur shook his head and walked into the tent.

"That reporter named Rita again?" Mrs. Weasley chimed in. "God knows how she got her hands on those inside stories."

"This isn't a secret message, it's downright madness," Arthur sighed helplessly.

Their conversation successfully drew the attention of everyone at the table.

Sirius immediately stood up and took the newspaper Arthur had brought back.

"Pfft... Hahahaha. Don't they realize how old Dumbledore is? How dare they make fun of something so absurd..."

Sirius chuckled and then spread the newspaper out on the table.

Now everyone at the table could see the contents of the newspaper.

Ron even involuntarily repeated, "Dumbledore's bastard son left behind in the Muggle world... Merlin!"

The bold black title, accompanied by a high-resolution photograph, shows Dumbledore standing on a terrace, with Ino cradling a phoenix beside him.

The photo's angle is tricky, seemingly using some kind of optical illusion technique, making the two people look somewhat similar.

After Ron read out the title, everyone went wild.

Mrs. Weasley even put down her cutlery and picked up the newspaper to read.

"...The same phoenix-like personality, and both were outstanding students, makes us wonder about the relationship between the two..."

"A madman!" Mrs. Weasley said, putting down her newspaper.

"He's more than just crazy, he's utterly absurd." Sirius nodded, then chimed in:

"They don't even consider the age difference between the two. Instead of making fun of Dumbledore, they should make fun of that snotty-nosed Snape's bastard son. Anyway, they're both Slytherins."

"Sirius!" Mrs. Weasley said, putting down her newspaper with a hint of annoyance.

Perhaps it was the care he received during his time escaping from prison, or perhaps it was the age difference, but Sirius Black still showed great respect for Mrs. Weasley.

Upon seeing that the other person was angry, he immediately displayed a strong survival instinct.

"Hahaha, I was just kidding! It's all that reporter's fault, Rita, for writing all sorts of nonsense reports all the time..."

"That reporter will get his comeuppance sooner or later!" Arthur said firmly at the dinner table.

Unlike the others who were chatting, Harry stared thoughtfully at the photo.

After their recent interactions, he genuinely felt that Ino and Professor Dumbledore were similar.

Although he didn't agree with this absurd illegitimate child story, the two of them did give him a similar feeling, the most obvious feeling being—peace of mind.

Especially during the period of nightmares and headaches before learning the Occupational Therapy.

The illness seemed to have its own consciousness; as long as he stayed by their side, the symptoms would be greatly relieved or even disappear.

(End of this chapter)