The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 309 Promise me you won't go looking for Harry

In the Slytherin dormitory.

Ino leaned back in her chair, eating candy while chatting simply with Hermione.

There wasn't much important stuff going on, but the atmosphere of the conversation was quite pleasant.

As for the cause, according to Hermione, it was the dispute between Ron and Draco in the Great Hall.

However, Ino understood that even without the argument in the auditorium, there would be other reasons to chat.

He doesn't mind this; after all, if he can't be a true audience member, he'll just naturally integrate himself into life.

……

When the two-way mirror truly comes into play.

At the same time, in the castle's underground corridor, Draco was silently blaming himself.

The original plan was to set a trap for Weasley, but Weasley ended up falling into it, and in doing so, he dragged the other guy down with him.

"I should be more rational..."

Draco sighed as he looked at the torches on the corridor walls.

Ten minutes earlier, during the argument in the auditorium, perhaps due to the presence of foreign guests, everyone restrained themselves and exchanged words.

Similarly, the topic initially focused solely on Weasley, but this verbal exchange eventually escalated into a battle of champions between the students.

Thinking of this, Draco felt a pang of annoyance. He was the one who started this whole thing. If Slytherin really produced a champion, that would be fine, but what if this champion representing Hogwarts came from Gryffindor...

Without a doubt, he will become the target of public criticism. Although he won't be blamed everywhere, there will always be criticism and discussion.

As Draco pondered a solution, he headed towards the common room.

……

"Knock knock! Bang!"

There were two knocks on the door, and then the dormitory door was opened from the outside.

Ino didn't pay much attention to the door opening.

As mentioned before, there are only three people in the entire Hogwarts who can open this door: the dormitory students and the head of Slytherin. Even the headmaster does not have this authority.

"Let's talk again when we have time!"

Hearing the door open, Ino hung up the two-way mirror and then turned to look at the doorway.

With his platinum blonde, slightly messy short hair, his head down, and his brow furrowed in worry, he looked exactly like a golden retriever who had lost an argument and returned home looking dejected.

"What's going on? Is someone bullying the Malfoy family's young master?" Ino asked jokingly.

Although my conversation with Hermione started with the argument between Draco and Ron, it was just the beginning of the conversation, and we didn't continue talking about other people's gossip.

At the same time.

Upon hearing the question, Draco looked up with anticipation:

"Ino, could you schedule it differently? Or...?"

But halfway through his sentence, his voice gradually faded into inaudibility.

At this moment, Draco's expression resembled that of a theatrical actor, the anticipation on his face gradually fading, replaced by a conflicted look.

"Or... do you have a way to make me a safe warrior? Yes! A safe warrior."

The sentence not only repeated the word "safety" twice, but also emphasized the point.

"Tell me, what happened?" Ino sat up straight.

"It's nothing major, it's just... it's just that I made a bet with Scarface's henchman..."

Less than half an hour.

Draco stammered as he recounted the whole story.

"You really are..." Ino shook his head speechlessly, as if Draco's intelligence would obviously drop whenever he was around Harry and Ron.

"I have a way to make you a warrior! I can even guarantee your safety, but you have to promise me you'll stay far away from Harry from now on!"

Humans aren't plants or trees; after four years of being roommates, he genuinely considered Draco a friend, and therefore made one last request—to stay away from Harry.

Voldemort destroyed three of his seven Horcruxes and confiscated two.

Although Harry learned Occlumency from Snape, this magic isn't a panacea. Besides, in such a short time, Harry couldn't possibly learn more advanced applications.

In this light, Harry might really be a ticking time bomb in the future; he hasn't forgotten Trelawney's prophecy.

"Okay! I promise you!" After a brief moment of thought, Draco readily agreed, even adding as if to suggest:

"I promise, from now on I'll avoid Scarface and his henchmen whenever I see them."

……

Time, like the leaves of the willow tree in autumn, often falls quietly without anyone noticing.

The evening of the second day.

The long-awaited welcome banquet at Hogwarts also began.

In the auditorium, the colorful banners representing the four academies had disappeared, replaced by the emblems of the three magic schools for the Triwizard Tournament.

The Hogwarts shield emblem, Beauxbatons' crossed wand emblem, and Durmstral's double-headed eagle and stag emblem.

The Slytherin table.

Draco ate his food with great confidence, occasionally picking up the pumpkin juice on the table and taking a small sip.

But compared to Draco, Ron seemed rather uneasy. He was unsure how the champions would be selected, or whether any champions would even emerge from Gryffindor.

After a day of inquiries, he was no longer very confident, as there were only two popular candidates: Ino from Slytherin and Cedric from Hufflepuff.

"Why isn't Percy level 1...?"

Ron scratched his head in frustration. Although he was reluctant to admit it, Percy's excellence was undeniable.

The twelve certificates from the final assessment have already illustrated a great deal.

……

The banquet lasted about an hour.

As the food on the table disappeared, Dumbledore slowly stood up.

At the same time, all the young wizards present turned their heads in unison, their gazes falling on the main guest seat.

The VIP seating area was a bit crowded today, with the addition of the principals from two other schools, as well as two high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Magic:

Director of the Department of Magical Sports, Ludo Bagman; Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Bartmünster Crouch.

"It seems the time has come!" Dumbledore began slowly. "First, please allow me to introduce all the guests..."

As Dumbledore introduced the students, polite applause rang out throughout the Great Hall.

"Next! I will talk about the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament!"

Dumbledore's voice made everyone in the room sit up straight, and a feeling of excitement and tension gradually spread throughout the hall.

Fortunately, the old principal wasn't one to keep things mysterious; after looking around, he gently clapped his hands.

Meanwhile, Filch, who had been waiting for a long time, was slowly walking over, carrying a box with difficulty, next to the auditorium.

Perhaps because it was an important occasion, Filch, who was usually unkempt, actually dressed up for the first time, not only carefully combing his messy hair, but also putting on a brand new robe.

But his attempt at disguise was undoubtedly futile.

Because everyone's eyes were focused on the ornate box inlaid with jewels.

Ino was also curious, because according to the original story, the Goblet of Fire was undoubtedly a powerful magical artifact.

This speculation stems from a casual remark by Dumbledore: the decision of the Goblet of Fire cannot be changed, and the chosen champions must participate, or they will be punished by the oath.

Therefore, what truly intrigued him was this punishment. Something taken seriously by the old headmaster couldn't possibly be something as simple as a slap on the hand.

If he hadn't had some reservations, he would have even considered using the Confusion Charm to add another school, and casually slip Voldemort's name into it.

But some things are just thoughts.

However, Ino had also made up his mind about the Goblet of Fire. He could take advantage of the darkness tonight to inspect it with a lantern and also register Draco for the Goblet of Fire.

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: Combo return darts (Sorry, I couldn't find the Wolf Fang Disc! It's the one Draco had today.)

Ever-Bashing Boomerang

The combo dart is a joke product, derived from the ordinary bobblehead used by Muggles. (This is also mentioned in the original book!)

(End of this chapter)