Harry Potter: The Bard of Hogwarts

The Halloween feast for the third year ended in a joyful atmosphere.

There were no Dementors, no ominous black dogs, and no slashed portraits. Everything was so orderly.

Although the feast lasted until just before midnight, Ino still managed to return to the dormitory by 11 PM.

As he opened the door, he saw Draco sitting in a chair with a conflicted expression.

"Are you really dating that bunny... I mean, that Granger girl? My God! Pansy will kill her."

Ino was speechless at this irrelevant comment and walked towards his bed.

"Don't ignore me! I'm serious. You don't know how terrifying a witch can be when she goes crazy!"

Seemingly thinking of something horrifying, Draco's shoulders trembled slightly.

"Why have you become like Ron Weasley, gossiping so much?"

Ino frowned slightly, then thought that Draco was not someone who would talk nonsense.

"Since you're so curious, I'll tell you. First, I'm not dating anyone, and even if I wanted to, it wouldn't be until after fifth year. Whether it's Pansy or Hermione, I don't have the right to decide for them. Attraction and love are two different things."

Taking off his outer robe, Ino leaned against the headboard and explained to Draco clearly.

He understood very well that the crushes and vague feelings during school years were just common symptoms of adolescence. Such feelings were like summer storms, coming quickly and going just as fast.

After graduation, when each has their own job and life, even the unforgettable memories will become just a nostalgic reminiscence during an afternoon nap, a kind of yearning.

Seeing Draco suddenly fall silent, Ino said no more. Many things indeed needed time to be understood.

...

At the same time.

In the Slytherin girls' dormitory, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

Daphne, contrary to her usual playful demeanor, sat expressionlessly on a chair.

"Are you just going to let her provoke you like this?"

"What do you want me to do? I've said before, this is Hogwarts!" Pansy raised an eyebrow, looking at the table with the weather crystal ball on it.

"During the holidays, we could..."

"Stop!" Pansy decisively interrupted, "Anything but this! This is a dead end. Ino is not stupid, and Draco has pretty much laid it all out for him."

"If anything happens, whether it's me or not, I'll be the prime suspect!"

"Poor skills, always causing trouble..." Daphne gritted her teeth, looking displeased.

"Poor skills?" Pansy suddenly laughed, her smile carrying a complex undertone. "There are no poor-skilled Malfoys. They can only be evaluated by luck, not ability."

Pansy knew very well that if there were a ranking in Slytherin or even all of Hogwarts, Draco would undoubtedly be the closest person to Ino.

"So, we're just going to let it go?" Daphne asked, unwilling to give up.

This time, Pansy didn't answer directly but scrutinized Daphne with a strange look.

"What are you doing!" Daphne felt uneasy under her gaze, as if a secret had been revealed.

"Nothing." Pansy shook her head lightly, naturally shifting her gaze to the floor where the Daily Prophet lay.

The headline on the front page was about the Nimbus company launching their latest broom, the Firebolt. Its sleek lines and powerful specs attracted even Pansy, who didn't play Quidditch much.

However, whether it's attraction or liking, very few could actually afford a Firebolt.

Some things she didn't mind having one more competitor.

After all, many people looked longingly at the Quidditch shop window, but only those who could afford it could ride the broom.

...

Time passed slowly and steadily.

Three days after the Halloween feast.

After finishing the only morning Charms class, Ino headed to the library.

He now felt like a genuine scanning machine, reading many books without thinking much, focusing on accumulation rather than understanding.

After reading, he would wear the diadem once a month to organize and comprehend the knowledge through a magical AI.

The power of the Ravenclaw diadem was somewhat unexpected. The legend that wearing it grants wisdom was not an exaggeration at all.

However, what interested him more was the creator of the diadem, Rowena Ravenclaw.

What kind of exceptional wisdom did she possess to create such a powerful alchemical item? Understanding and learning oneself is a kind of intelligence, but being able to make others understand as well transcends intelligence and becomes an ability.

Lost in thought, Ino shook his head to bring his attention back to the present.

On the table in the library reading area was a half-inch thick book—"The Framework of Alchemy."

Lina had used a spell to bring this book down from the high shelves. He thought it was another basic application book.

But as he opened the pages, he noticed something different.

This book had been modified; its cover and title were added later.

Unlike ordinary covers, the pages inside were much older. Without magical protection, Ino had no doubt that they would crumble into pieces with a gentle turn.

Moreover, the content inside surprised him.

In just half an inch of thickness, there were notes in more than ten different handwriting styles, some messy, some neat. There were additions and corrections from predecessors and condescending comments to successors.

This seemed to be a legacy book, and the annotations were the best evidence.

Ino was very interested in these annotations because reading them was like discovering time capsules. For example, the one before him read:

"Descendants, do not believe everything my grandfather wrote. His mind was kissed by a Gurdyroot, resulting in these nonsensical insights."

The romance of traversing time, communicating with future generations, seemed truly unique to long-established families.

Enjoying the fun of reading these comments, Ino turned to the next page with a smile.

His smile quickly faded.

One annotator had written their name: Phineas Gaunt.

Ino was all too familiar with this family, which spanned the entire story.

The Gaunt family was a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin and also the family of Voldemort's mother.

For such a legendary and mysterious family, their inherited notes were simply included in the Hogwarts library.

At that moment, Ino couldn't help but appreciate Lina's freedom in the restricted section.

The return on this was incredibly quick.

___