The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 400 A Wrong Beginning, A Right End

What happened in the prize display room on the fourth floor was not a coincidence, but rather a microcosm of the castle.

Because of what happened last night, many people who already had feelings for each other confessed their feelings to one another.

……

Ino was completely unaware of the subtle change in the castle's atmosphere.

His original plans were disrupted by a sudden piece of news.

"Professor, are you saying that the protective magic on Harry has changed?"

"That's about it." Dumbledore nodded slightly.

"Actually, before you came, the portrait hanging in the Gryffindor common room had already told me about Harry's change."

"Besides, apart from that magic, I can't think of anything else that could change Harry."

Listening to Dumbledore's explanation, Ino also fell into deep thought.

It could block Voldemort's Killing Curse and even backfire, causing the opponent's death. The protective magic that Lily released at the cost of her life was undoubtedly extremely powerful.

He had personally experienced Voldemort's Killing Curse, a powerful, swift, and murderous spell that would likely leave most wizards helpless.

Even with such a powerful Killing Curse, it was completely ineffective against Harry's protective magic, which makes one marvel at the power of this magic.

however.

Behind its power, this magic also has extremely strict limitations.

This was described in the original story; Harry had to stay at Aunt Petunia's house during the summer vacation.

Family, blood ties, and kinship seem to be the foundation of this protective magic.

However, looking at the original story, this protective magic seems to have only been used twice: once when Harry was a baby and once when he came into contact with Quirrell.

Although Voldemort was later resurrected and cleverly broke the spell using Harry's blood, this protective magic still felt rather pointless throughout the story.

……

Upon hearing Dumbledore's description, Ino also made a bold conjecture.

"Perhaps Harry never experienced family love, so the magic his mother cast never truly worked..."

This wasn't just a wild guess; you can tell just by looking at Harry's life experiences.

I'm constantly dealing with a neurotic aunt, a short-tempered uncle, and a cousin who loves boxing all the time...

Living in this kind of atmosphere, it's no wonder Harry can't experience family affection.

Hearing Ino's guess, Dumbledore nodded in agreement:

"You're right! The magic unleashed by love and family also requires love and family to blossom..."

"However, the good news doesn't stop there. If everything goes smoothly, we can start preparing for some things in advance..."

As he spoke, Dumbledore silently looked out the window. The Forbidden Forest, though lush and green in early autumn, also had a touch of solemnity.

Harry's weakness and lethargy were all due to Snape's potion, a poison to the soul.

But now Harry has changed his previous state, and it's easy to guess why—his soul must have undergone a change.

What Dumbledore thought of, Ino also thought of.

Moreover, Ino thought about even more.

Today's events left him with a sense of absurdity.

It's like painstakingly solving a puzzle, paying countless prices, only to find that the answer was always right beside you.

The moment the idea came to mind, Ino felt it was both incredibly absurd and real.

The original story involved so many people sacrificing themselves; perhaps it was a mistake from the start.

in case……

During Harry's childhood, someone genuinely cared about him and improved his relationship with his aunt and uncle, allowing the magic Lily unleashed at the cost of her life to take effect...

Forgiveness and reconciliation, the continuation of family ties, and a happy childhood—perhaps this is the most appropriate way to interpret this story.

In the end, it is unlikely that any of the tragedies will occur.

It's clearly a fairy tale, but it's been interpreted from an adult perspective... It's true that one wrong step leads to another.

Thinking of this, Ino spoke with relief:

"Professor, would you like to hear a story? A simple fairy tale, a story that's been messed up by adults..."

……

Time always slips away in the blink of an eye.

That evening, the entire Hogwarts fell into an unprecedented silence.

Everyone, whether students, professors, or staff members like Filch and Moody, returned to their dormitories early after dinner.

After washing up, I lay quietly in bed, filled with anticipation.

Slytherin dormitory.

Draco sat in the chair, neither speaking nor going to bed, just blinking his eyes pitifully.

Faced with such a gaze, Ino was the first to give in:

"Draco, you need to know one thing: Christmas presents can only be received on Christmas Day! If you received them every day, no one would look forward to Christmas."

"But I miss my daughter!" Draco said with a happy expression.

To be honest, for a moment, Ino wanted to take out a video camera and film it, then show it to the Lucius couple so they could see what nonsense their son was spouting.

At an age when he should be dating, he's saying he wants a daughter... Shouldn't he be thinking about someone who will give him a daughter?

"In that case, you can get married after graduation. Now go to sleep and stop acting crazy."

After saying that, Ino ignored Draco and waved her hand, causing the thick bed curtains to fall automatically.

……

With the bed curtains lowered, a closed and enclosed space was created around the entire bed.

Ino lay on the soft bed, but her thoughts did not stop.

To be honest, there were quite a few unexpected events today.

Not only did they unexpectedly find the Philosopher's Stone, which was supposed to be destroyed, but they also witnessed Harry's transformation and a series of subsequent changes.

Of all these things, Harry's change was what pleased him the most, as it meant that many things could be resolved sooner.

"A fairy tale should begin and end as a fairy tale..."

Ino recalled the recent publication of "Once Upon a Time in Hogwarts," Trelawney's prophecy: under a rainbow sky, the Dark Lord was completely wiped out, and candy rained down from the sky...

To be honest, he didn't think much of it when he first saw the prophecy. But today's experience made him genuinely happy to end the story this way.

Harry's story began in the wrong way, but it can now end in the right way. Although there were some regrets along the way, many things are fortunate enough to have a perfect ending.

Similarly, when Ino thought about the ending, he couldn't help but recall his experience in the principal's office that morning.

Before their final farewell, he told Dumbledore a story that took an alternate turn.

In the story, Hogwarts was breached, many people sacrificed their lives, there were many regrets, and there were also many unspeakable emotions.

At the end of the story, Ino also confirmed his earlier speculation.

"If someone had truly helped Harry when he was young, preventing him from living in a cramped attic, wearing old and tattered clothes, and even being used as a boxing training tool by his cousin, perhaps the tragedy that followed would not have happened."

After explaining everything, Ino voluntarily left the principal's office.

In fact, throughout the entire story, everyone has a choice, but Harry is the only one who doesn't have the right to choose.

From the moment the owl delivered the letter to the moment he was resurrected, Harry seemed to be passively enduring everything.

Actually, after writing this chapter, Xiao Di pondered for a long time...

The original Harry Potter story was probably wrong from the start; the fairy tale's themes of redemption and forgiveness, understanding and family...

If Harry had received all of this during his childhood, perhaps the ending would have been very different.

There will be no sacrifices, and no regrets.

(End of this chapter)