The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 381 The Train for the New School Year

As the morning mist enveloped Platform 9¾, the annual back-to-school season arrived as scheduled.

As the morning sun gradually warmed up, the thin mist quietly dissipated.

Only today of the year can this ancient platform radiate endless vitality.

11:00 AM.

As the melodious whistle pierced the sky, the weathered steam engine began its warm-up.

Similarly, the students who had been leisurely strolling on the platform earlier quickened their pace.

The noise level suddenly rose a notch, as there were not only parents urging their children on, but also various pets barking incessantly.

The owl, in particular, let out a cooing sound that sounded almost like dissatisfaction, since the little wizard always made a clanging noise when he carried the cage.

……

As the noise on the platform grew louder, Ino casually closed the window in her train compartment.

The noise was blocked out, but at the same time, the sounds of conversation from inside the room reached my ears.

"You know, I was devastated at the time, and I was even afraid to accept it..."

Ginny looked at Hermione with lingering fear, her eyes reddening as she spoke of her sadness.

"It's all over now! Aren't I perfectly fine now?" Hermione reached out and patted Ginny's hand to comfort her.

"Speaking of which, I'm the one who stood you up! We had planned to go shopping together at my house last year, and I even had the places in mind: Harrods and Selfridges..."

Hermione said with a hint of regret.

"It's okay! I'm already lucky enough to see you again." Ginny shook her head earnestly.

Compared to my friend's resurrection, shopping at the mall is really a small matter.

"By the way, Hermione, did you know? Wonder Witch has released a new product. I'm telling you..."

Thanks to George and Fred's hard work, the Weasley family gradually escaped poverty.

With plenty of pocket money, Ginny became a regular at Wonder Witch's, and she also became very knowledgeable about various cosmetics and beauty potions.

There's probably no girl who doesn't love beauty.

If so, it must be because poverty limited her.

When girls chat, the topic always changes without them even realizing it, and their focus gradually shifts from life and death to beauty and fashion...

……

Hearing the chattering around her, Ino couldn't help but look across at the other side.

Opposite him, Harry looked like he hadn't slept well and was listless.

His slightly bluish eye sockets and listless expression made him look extremely tired.

If an adult saw Harry looking like this, they would probably pat him on the shoulder and give him a knowing smile.

Ino, however, knew that this must be because Snape's potion had taken effect.

As things stand, Harry will have to pay a heavy price to erase Voldemort's soul fragments.

This kind of medicine, which causes mutual harm, may seem foolish, but it is a truly effective and permanent solution.

Whether he can recover in the future is unknown, but with Snape around, there's probably not much to worry about.

Just thinking about Harry inevitably brings to mind the other two Horcruxes, and also Dumbledore.

……

"Waaah..."

As the last student boarded the bus, the heavy whistle sounded again.

The old steam train slowly started moving.

And once again, it fulfilled its mission—

A group of young wizards, brimming with magical dreams, set off towards the ancient castle hidden in the clouds—Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Outside the window stretches endless fields and hills, a magnificent landscape typical of the English countryside.

As the train moved along, Ino opened the window again.

Autumn is high and fresh.

A gentle breeze also flowed in through the window.

The small cubicle was filled with four people. Hermione and Ginny were still chatting. They hadn't seen each other for a year and a half, and it seemed like they had endless things to say to each other.

As for Harry, with the train moving at a steady pace, he had already closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat, pretending to doze off.

Feeling the gentle breeze, Ino slowly closed her eyes.

However, he was thinking about the past.

……

To be honest, Ino was somewhat puzzled by Dumbledore's actions.

After Hermione's incident, the headmaster hid away as if he had done something wrong, rarely appearing in public, let alone meeting her alone.

But to say that Dumbledore did anything is really an overstatement. Ignoring the original story, he made a rough judgment based on just two points.

First of all, the old headmaster was not a fool. From a generally utilitarian point of view, Dumbledore would not benefit from anything he did regarding Crabbe.

Dumbledore wanted to eradicate Voldemort completely, but only for the sake of Hogwarts, or rather, for the peace of the wizarding world, not for personal vendettas.

With this as the premise, many things can actually be determined.

Moreover, after meeting Hans and exchanging ideas, Ino ruled out Dumbledore as a suspect.

Like the Brothers Grimm writing a story, Hans wrote down the "outcome," and as the story unfolds, it must find a suitable cause for that outcome.

Perhaps Voldemort's visit to Hogsmeade was the initial trigger.

Unfortunately, the dice were not used, the first trigger failed, and the second trigger naturally followed.

Hermione was attacked and killed, and he used the dice to return to Hans's story, thus achieving the 'result'.

……

"Cough cough cough..."

Suddenly, Harry started coughing repeatedly in the cubicle, as if he had choked on water.

"Another nightmare?" Ginny was the first to realize.

As she spoke, she gently patted Harry's back to soothe his cough.

"Yeah! But this time it's much better!" Harry said, leaning back in his chair, still feeling a bit shaken.

Ever since he drank Snape's potion half a month ago, he has been having all sorts of dreams about being on the verge of death, and the ways he dies are all kinds of bizarre. To drown like today is really a gentle death.

At the same time, as Harry coughed, Ino suddenly thought of a problem that had been overlooked.

In fact, he had discussed this issue with Dumbledore at Black's old house.

The difference between divination and prophecy.

Asking Grindelwald to find the Horcruxes is divination, but Hans writing down the result in the storybook is prophecy.

Similarly, the protagonist Harry also has a prophecy.

This is probably why Snape hinted at Dumbledore's suspiciousness in their previous conversation.

In fact, it's not Snape's fault at all. Honestly, Ino knows very well that if he were in Snape's shoes, without knowing everything, he would also doubt Dumbledore.

After all, that night in Godric's Valley was quite a coincidence.

……

The train continued its journey.

After Harry woke up, the conversation in the cubicle gradually returned to Hogwarts.

"You're asking about Ron? He's a prefect now, he'd love to be glued to his private car."

Ginny said sarcastically.

Upon hearing this answer, Hermione covered her mouth and chuckled:

"Hahaha, the dragon slayer has also turned into a dragon."

"Who says otherwise!" Ginny nodded in deep agreement.

"I don't know where he got the courage to mock Percy before."

(End of this chapter)