The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 4 is actually about Occupational Surgery.

Half an hour later.

The lounge area on the fifth floor of Foyle Bookstore.

The divination dice spun incessantly on the table, much like a wound-up mechanical top, showing no sign of stopping.

"This doesn't make sense..." Ino thought to herself.

Although somewhat surprised, his expression remained unchanged, while he pondered the cause of the problem in his mind.

After a moment's thought, he considered another possibility, quietly put the dice away, and then looked at the girl next to him with displeasure.

It should be noted that he had performed at least a hundred divinations in the past two years, and had long since become thoroughly familiar with the rules of the dice.

六面骰子，从1~6的数字，分别代表了事情的发生的机率：0%、20%、40%、60%、80%、100%

With the dice spinning continuously, there remains one possibility: this matter can neither succeed nor fail.

However, this outcome will never appear in divination.

Just like something never has a 50/50 probability, because everything has a bias, it can be 49.999%, but it will never be 50%.

Closer to home.

The scene of their first meeting flashed through Ino's mind once again, along with the memory of how the other person had called her a liar.

He quickly realized that the other party was not telling the truth and was probably using some fake divination conditions to sabotage the event; he had encountered this kind of thing before.

After figuring all this out, he said in an annoyed tone:

"Rabbit... Excuse me, Miss with no name! Are you sure you have a chance of getting into these two schools, and not another one like Smetine School? There's something you should know: a fool will never get into Cambridge or Oxford."

For the sake of the money, Ino didn't call the other party "Miss Rabbit" this time, but she subtly mocked the other party's disruptive behavior.

"Miss Granger! My name is Hermione Granger. And I'm quite certain that my grades are good enough for either of those schools, not the second-rate ones you mentioned."

Hermione understood the sarcasm, and at that moment she was like a cat with its fur standing on end, full of aggression.

Faced with that cute yet fierce expression, Ino didn't even lift his eyelids; his mind was now completely absorbed by the other person's name.

After all, the name 'Hermione' is so easily recognizable, and then there's the owl's letter from before...

After hesitating for a moment, Ino still asked:

"So your father is also a dentist?"

Upon hearing the word "dentist," Hermione paused for a moment, then asked in surprise:

"Did you divine this? It's accurate, but what I asked for was for you to divine my future school."

"It's confirmed!" Ino thought to himself.

They share the same name, live in London, and both have a dentist father.

He was 100% certain that the girl in front of him was Hermione Granger, the future Minister of Magic and one of the savior trio.

At that moment, Ino made a decision: to get away from this girl as soon as possible, or at least keep a distance.

Being close to Hermione at Hogwarts is undoubtedly an indirect way of linking arms with Harry, something Malfoy might find quite interesting.

Getting close to the savior? Ino had absolutely no interest in that. Harry in the next seven years... well, those who know, know.

"Miss Granger, the divination has yielded results: neither of these two high schools is your future destination."

After briefly stating the divination result, Ino picked up a one-pound note from the table and turned to leave.

Seemingly noticing the confusion in the girl's eyes, he reluctantly made another promise before leaving:

"Of course, if you really get into those two middle schools, I will return double the money to you before the start of the semester. Don't worry, I won't run away."

After saying that, Ino walked out of the lounge area without looking back.

With Miss Know-It-All around, he didn't plan to stay in the bookstore any longer. Instead, he intended to buy a few books to take home, as a way of preparing for his future campus life.

On the other side...

Looking at the empty chair, Hermione lowered her head in a slightly aggrieved manner; she was not happy at all.

"They all came to you for fortune telling, and you chatted with them for so long, but why did you only talk to me for a few minutes..."

……

Foyle Bookstore, first floor lobby.

Under the astonished gaze of the bookstore cashier, Ino paid a hefty sum of £10 and successfully purchased three famous collections of fairy tales.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales, and One Thousand and One Nights.

It was nearly noon when I left the bookstore.

Ino quickened his pace on the way back; there were more important things waiting for him that afternoon.

The letter delivered by the owl clearly stated that a Hogwarts professor would be visiting this afternoon to help him complete all the admission items listed on his acceptance letter.

This is something you absolutely cannot miss.

……

After returning to his residence, Ian read his newly purchased books while quietly waiting for the appointed time.

Time passed by, second by second.

When the old pocket watch in his hand pointed to the hour, Ino decisively closed the book, then looked up and kept looking around.

Sure enough, a figure appeared out of thin air in the next second where he could see.

Upon seeing who it was, Ino's heart skipped a beat.

He felt a surge of resentment. Everyone else's beginner's guide was the responsible Professor McGonagall, but when it came to him, he became the pitiful half-blood prince.

The man in the long, flowing black robe, with greasy hair clinging to his face, was none other than Severus Snape, the current Head of Slytherin and Professor of Potions.

Just as Ino was stunned, Snape walked up to him expressionlessly.

Although he had read the original books and had some understanding of Snape, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable being stared at by those empty, lifeless eyes in real life.

Unbeknownst to Ino, the moment their eyes met, Snape was also experiencing a turbulent inner world.

Pure, clean, bright... Snape read so much in those amber eyes.

It was as if he had opened a window that spanned the river of time, allowing him to see all the beauty in the world.

At 19 Spider's End, in an old, run-down house, a little boy fusses around his mother, wanting to hear a wizard's story...

In the quiet park, there was a thin, dark-haired little boy and a girl with a sweet smile and emerald green eyes...

Scene after scene flashed through Snape's mind.

"Ha! Stop with your clumsy brain-blocking technique."

Snape's voice was cold and piercing; it was easy to tell from his tone that he seemed to be suppressing something.

"I am a professor at Hogwarts, and I am here only because your name appeared on the list of those who need guidance. It now appears that there is a mistake on this list, and someone does not need this guidance."

"No guidance needed?" Upon hearing this, Ino, disregarding Snape's mention of Occlumency, quickly explained:

"Sir, I think there must be some misunderstanding between us. I've been a homeless person since I was ten years old, and without the school's help, I really wouldn't have been able to buy all the things I needed before starting school on my own."

Ino spoke very quickly, which was understandable, since the person in front of him was Snape, not the responsible Professor McGonagall.

Others might just be trying to scare him, but this mixed-race prince truly means what he says; if he says he won't care, he really won't.

If that's the case, he'll be completely lost. Putting aside the location of Diagon Alley, the money needed to buy books and wands alone is enough to give him a headache.

Ino wasn't entirely clear on the exact costs of living in the magical world, but he could guess that it wasn't something he could simply buy a few books in the morning and spend ten or so pounds on.

After hearing the explanation, Snape did not leave immediately, but took a moment to look around at his surroundings.

Wild bridge arches, tattered canvas, secondhand stools...

If I had to find something presentable, it would probably just be that nearly new aluminum kettle.

It's fortunate that it's the height of summer right now. If it were the dead of winter, with conditions like these, anyone who wanted to live here would probably freeze to death by the second day.

"Pack your things and come with me!"

Snape believed Enoch's explanation, or rather, he believed his own judgment, but he was also surprised.

"This boy in front of me is an expert in Occlumency..."

This is what puzzled him the most, because it wasn't the kind of superficial way of hiding one's thoughts.

Snape knew better than anyone that only someone who was proficient in this magic could allow any spy to see what the person subconsciously desired to see.

A new book release marks a new journey. Thank you to all our readers, both new and old, for your support. The book is already under contract, so feel free to add it to your collection.

(End of this chapter)