The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 383 Understanding Dumbledore

The curfew at Hogwarts starts at 10:30 p.m.

This may seem like a lot of time, but in fact it is only open to students in fifth grade and above.

Wizards below the fifth grade need to return to the common room an hour earlier, after 9:30.

……

At 10 p.m., Ino left the principal's office.

The castle was no longer bustling at night, since more than half of the young wizards had imposed a curfew.

Having left in fourth grade, Ino is now back in sixth grade, experiencing the castle that belongs to the upperclassmen for the first time.

The eighth floor, the highest floor of the castle, is level with the Ravenclaw Tower.

Standing at the turn of the moving staircase and looking down, it has a distinct Muggle high school vibe.

Looking at the students passing by, although many faces were vaguely familiar, the expressions on their faces were unfamiliar to him.

It was a distinct sense of distance.

Respect, awe, mixed with a hint of fear.

The castle was familiar, the people were familiar, but somehow, the feeling from before had quietly disappeared.

Just as melancholy began to take hold, a magnetic voice rang in my ears.

Does this feel unfamiliar to you?

"A little!" Ino didn't turn around, but he recognized the voice from the person who had spoken.

"That's normal. Ravens fly in the sky, looking down at the whole world, and they're always lonely."

The voice behind him sounded again, but this time it carried a sense of exclamation.

"What have you been through, Qiu?"

Ino turned around and saw Qiu, who had entered seventh grade. The girl had now gained the charm of a mature woman.

"I'm fine. It's you who seems out of place."

As they spoke, Qiu walked to the edge of the stairs and stood at the turn on the eighth floor, looking down. Although it was already ten o'clock, the number of students passing by did not decrease.

The phrase "out of place" resonated deeply with Ino.

To be honest, he did feel a bit unfamiliar upon returning to Hogwarts this time.

……

But it was at this moment that Ino began to understand Dumbledore.

Now I understand why this legendary wizard always played such childish pranks, why he always hid away to eat candy, and even used feigned madness to disguise himself...

All of this, just as Qiu said, is loneliness!

His ideals were shattered, he turned against his best friend, and became enemies with his brothers...

Even if he defeats Grindelwald, ends everything with his own hands, and returns to Hogwarts with glory, he will still have to face the distant and awe-inspiring gazes of the people in the castle.

present.

Ino stood quietly in the eighth-floor corridor, silently watching the bustling crowd below.

Similarly, Ravenclaw's wisdom was also demonstrated at this moment, as Cho wisely chose to remain silent after speaking.

The highest wisdom is sometimes silence.

Time passed by, second by second.

a long time.

"It's okay! It's really okay! I won't act cute or silly, but I can tell stories..."

In the corridor, Ino murmured to herself.

Time flies, and a generation passes in decades.

This generation may feel awe and alienation, but this will not be the case when the next generation of young wizards enters school.

Moreover, he has countless stories to tell.

……

It's 10:30 p.m.

Ino returned to her familiar dormitory. A year and a half later, nothing had changed.

As the dormitory door was pushed open, Draco, who seemed completely distracted, came into view.

As time goes by, the naivety of the past has faded, and Draco now looks like a younger version of Lucius.

The only difference is that Draco's hairline is significantly higher than Lucius's.

"What's wrong with you? You look so listless."

Upon entering the dormitory, Ino took off her long robe and casually hung it on the clothes rack behind the door.

The sudden sound in the room startled Draco, but he relaxed after seeing who it was.

"You're back! That's great. I always keep the things you left behind in good condition, they're well preserved."

Draco turned his head, a fleeting smug look in his eyes.

"Hahaha, thank you so much, my friend!"

Ino saw the fleeting smugness, and at the same time, he was amazed that although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, the sense of familiarity hadn't disappeared.

Even as time passed, Draco's personality remained unchanged; he was still the same proud little wizard.

Looking at the green, fully wound alarm clock on the bedside table, the second hand ticked softly incessantly.

Familiar dormitory, familiar people.

The past events are like flowing water, passing through the stones.

Although it took away the sand and dust, it also left traces of life. In a daze, Ino seemed to have returned to a certain afternoon in the second grade.

After finishing a day of classes, I returned to my dorm and found Draco messing with the alarm clock.

His reason was that having an alarm clock meant he wouldn't need to be woken up, which made him lose face.

"Tell me, what happened? You know you didn't inherit Uncle Lucius's shrewdness; you can't hide anything on your face."

Ino casually pulled over a chair, sat down, and said in a relaxed tone.

Perhaps out of trust in his friend, or perhaps because he suddenly heard his father's name, Draco decided to stop hiding anything.

"Ino, I remember telling you that when I was little, my mother and I lived in a safe house..."

As the past was brought up again, Draco recounted the things deep in his memory, bit by bit.

Although many details have become blurred with time, the tired and anxious face of my father every time he came home has become clearer.

"...Yes, the Malfoy family chose the wrong side. After that man fell from power, Father was always running around trying to avoid being held accountable and to prevent Mother and me from being implicated..."

Draco spoke slowly and calmly.

After the second hand of the alarm clock gently turned ten times, Ino understood why the other person seemed so absent-minded.

"Draco, theoretically speaking, your father is right!"

Ino spoke slowly, defining the nature of the matter.

In fact, no matter how you look at it, Lucius's actions are flawless.

Moreover, the shocking events of fifteen years ago taught many people a valuable lesson.

No one could have imagined that the once invincible Dark Lord would be so easily defeated, and by a woman, by an infant.

With such a precedent to follow, Ino understood Lucius's actions.

Similarly, it is this understanding that prevents him from trying to dissuade others.

"Don't worry! Have a great Christmas at home this year!"

Ino reached out and patted Draco on the shoulder.

"Christmas?" Draco looked up blankly.

The sudden change in topic left him momentarily stunned.

A while passed.

Suddenly, Draco seemed to understand something, his eyes brightened, and he was no longer dejected.

"Good! Christmas! This year I'll give you a treasured Quidditch doll, not the old kind made of goblin gold..."

"Hahaha, it's a deal!" Ino nodded with a smile.

Seeing Draco recover, he was relieved. Wizards aren't afraid of excitement or getting beaten up; they're afraid of overthinking.

When the topic of daydreaming came up, another dark-haired girl from Slytherin suddenly flashed through Ino's mind.

He also planned to find an opportunity to have a good talk with Pansy, although they had less contact since entering the fourth grade.

But no matter what, some things still need to be made clear.

Before graduation, let's put an end to the things that happened during our student days.

(End of this chapter)