The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 301 The Harvest Festival: Three Gifts

This is undoubtedly true; a valley bursting with flowers always evokes a sense of peace hidden in people's hearts.

……

The shelter is in a vast valley.

A small, white house, as white as marble, stands there, and directly opposite the house are three ten-foot-tall, evergreen oak trees.

Under the tree, there was a small stool, and on the stool sat a young man who was constantly flipping through a book.

"This is absolutely outrageous..."

Ino looked at the seven books in her hand and sighed helplessly.

The magic beans given by the Brothers Grimm sprouted last year, and overnight they grew into ten-foot-tall oak trees, followed by a full year of gestation.

Now, the three oak trees have also borne fruit. This should be a joyous occasion, and in fact, Ino is very happy that his hard work has paid off.

But to satisfy his curiosity and to confirm the gift, he took some time to go to London and bought various versions of Grimm's Fairy Tales at Foyle Bookstore.

In fact, with the help of Kreber, the whole process went smoothly and no one noticed.

The book was bought, but then something outrageous happened.

From 1812 to 1864, over a period of 52 years, Grimm's Fairy Tales was reprinted 17 times, seven of which were complete editions, while the other ten were simplified editions for children.

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However, the content of these seven complete versions is also different.

"God knows how many stories are hidden..." Ino put down the book in his hand speechlessly and turned his gaze to the three oak trees opposite him.

The first oak tree was colorful.

The leaves on the branches have long since disappeared, replaced by gemstones of various shapes and sizes: moonstones with iridescent halos, aquamarine topaz, vibrant pigeon blood rubies, deep cornflower blue sapphires, and emerald green garnet tsavorites...

The second oak tree is full of vitality.

Because its leaves not only did not disappear, but became even greener in the autumn season, a delicate and beautiful hand lamp about five inches long was hung among these vibrant leaves, and magically it burned with a blue flame.

The third tree, however, appeared relatively ordinary.

The oak tree was not much different from before, except perhaps for the pure crystal ball hanging among its branches.

At first glance, it doesn't seem particularly magical; it's just like an ordinary divination crystal ball sold in Diagon Alley, like the ones sold by 7 Xike.

But this single crystal is the root of Ino's dilemma.

The first two gifts were easy to guess; the gemstones were self-explanatory. But the blue lamp, after comparing it to Grimm's Fairy Tales, was indeed a pleasant surprise.

If I'm not mistaken, this is the blue light from the fairy tale.

A magic lamp that can summon fairies might be a little hard to understand, but after reading the story, Ino had a more intuitive understanding.

An upgraded version of a house-elf.

Perhaps because it's a fairy tale, the little elf in the Blue Lamp doesn't appear particularly powerful, nor does it seem like the elf in Aladdin's Lamp, who can help people fulfill their wishes.

However, the sprites in the blue lanterns can indeed do many trivial things, and there's no need to worry about betrayal.

To be honest, Ino had been envious of house-elves for a long time, especially after the valley was filled with herbs.

Having an assistant who can manage this herb garden well would undoubtedly save a lot of trouble. After all, there's a giant and a goblin in the valley; they're fine for manual labor, but they can't really be relied on for delicate tasks.

The blue light on the second tree is almost certainly the right sign.

However, the crystal ball in the third gift is difficult to guess because it doesn't have many special markings, which also means it's impossible to identify.

However, this was only a temporary dilemma.

There's only a day or two left. Although it looks like all the gifts are hanging on the tree, Ino still wants to wait until the harvest festival to collect them.

It's not about the sense of ritual that Muggles talk about, but rather that mysterious things really do value ritual.

Sometimes waiting an extra day or two is no big deal.

……

The last Sunday of September.

early morning.

In the Slytherin dormitory.

Ino quietly opened her eyes, sat up from the bed, but did not immediately draw back the bed curtains.

Sitting on the bed, after a brief moment of regaining his senses, he vanished from the spot.

In the bedroom beneath the castle, it was truly impossible to see the sky outside.

But after arriving at the valley of the sanctuary, Ino could clearly see the pale blue-purple sky on the horizon and the white light gradually rising in the east.

It was a peaceful morning.

In the valley, Ino took a deep breath, savoring the fragrance of flowers and grass, and her lingering sleepiness was dispelled.

"Harvest Festival! The harvest has begun..." he murmured to himself, then walked toward three oak trees not far away.

Soon, we arrived at the tree.

As he got closer, Ino felt genuinely fortunate that he had refrained from making a move the previous two days.

The gift's appearance remained unchanged, but the oak tree now exuded a strange, refreshing fragrance.

It smells like ripe grains from the rice paddies, a unique aroma that blends nature and harvest.

A faint, refreshing scent of rice.

Standing under the trees, it feels as if all worries and noise can be washed away, bringing true peace of mind and tranquility.

After regaining his composure, Ino reached out to the second oak tree.

Beneath a patch of lush green leaves, a unique blue lamp hangs quietly.

This lamp, small enough to fit only in the palm of an adult's hand, possesses an indescribable charm.

The lamp body appears to be made of brass, with a faint metallic sheen flowing across its surface. However, the lampshade is not made of traditional glass; it looks more like a transparent protective film, resembling a cicada's wing, as it always creates subtle ripples as the flame flickers.

However, the most eye-catching thing is the blue flame burning inside the lampshade. It lacks the heat and flamboyance of ordinary flames. If it weren't for the occasional flickering and dancing of the flame, it would really look like something out of an oil painting.

As if picking an apple, Ino gently applied force with his palm, and the branch connecting the blue light to the oak tree quietly broke off.

The moment he held the blue lamp in his hand, the blue flame flickered, and then a small figure jumped out of the flame.

"Master, Blue Lantern awaits your command." The little figure landed on the ground and bowed slightly as it asked.

Although it seems abrupt, the current turn of events is also reasonable, since that's how Blue Lantern appeared in the story.

After the other party appeared, Ino also glanced at the little man in front of her.

It was about two feet tall, with facial features that were somewhat human-like, but its skin was an unusual dark blue, and it was wearing a brass-colored robe.

This image may seem strange at first glance, but it is not actually ugly.

"What I want is a sumptuous breakfast," Ino said calmly, looking at the little figure in front of her.

Although it was just a simple breakfast, the purpose was to test the Blue Lantern's abilities.

The reason for using breakfast as an experiment is that, in the sanctuary, the phoenix cannot freely enter or leave without his permission.

Therefore, there are only two possibilities for Blue Lantern to obtain food:

Either use something that already exists in the valley to transform it, or conjure it out of thin air like in a fairy tale.

The former is normal, but if it's the latter, then Blue Lantern's ability is somewhat terrifying.

(End of this chapter)