Harry Potter: The Bard of Hogwarts

Time always passes quietly.

After Dumbledore announced the end of the banquet, all the young wizards from the four houses returned to their dormitories in an orderly manner, led by the prefects.

Of course, there was one important tradition that couldn't be skipped during this time—the singing of the school song in unison.

…

Outside the Great Hall.

While everyone was busy discussing the Triwizard Tournament, Ino turned and walked toward the stairs.

However, this inappropriate action went unnoticed by the sixth- and seventh-year Slytherin prefects, both male and female. They unanimously chose to ignore it.

Privilege, in this moment, was on full display.

What happened next was quite interesting: the red-robed Gryffindors and blue-robed Ravenclaws walked side by side on the moving staircase.

The two houses clearly occupied their own halves of the staircase, but trailing behind the red and blue was a distant speck of green.

At the same time, Hermione and Cho started performing a spacewalk.

It looked as if their steps were moving forward, but in reality, they were steadily retreating.

"Ino…"

"Why are you here…"

Two crisp voices spoke at the same time but quickly fell silent.

Hermione turned her head in surprise, but upon seeing it was Cho, she relaxed.

The four of them often attended the Transfiguration Club together, so Hermione knew Cho well enough to not worry. After all, Cho had a boyfriend, so Hermione didn't mind her presence.

In contrast to Hermione's indifference, Cho seemed a bit shy, as if she felt guilty about secretly bringing milk tea to a friend. But this subtle change in her expression quickly disappeared.

"I'm just on my way to see Professor Dumbledore."

Ino didn't hide his intentions after seeing the two girls.

"Alright then! Don't forget about the club on Wednesday! I have to get going now."

Cho was the first to react. In the brief delay, she had already noticed that several Ravenclaws were starting to look back frequently.

After a hurried goodbye, she caught up with the Ravenclaw group, as there were just too many people here.

"You're going to see Professor Dumbledore? Is it because of the Triwizard Tournament?"

Unlike Cho, who was wary of others' opinions, Hermione didn't care at all. Let those who like to gossip say whatever they want.

"It's not about the Triwizard Tournament. I just have some things I want to discuss with Professor Dumbledore."

Ino walked alongside Hermione on the moving staircase, chatting as they went.

It seemed like a casual conversation, but it was more Hermione sharing her thoughts while Ino listened and occasionally responded.

…

No matter how long the journey, it always has an end.

The eighth floor of the castle.

Ino's destination was the headmaster's office, while Hermione followed the Gryffindor group down the corridor in the opposite direction.

A few minutes later.

Once again, Ino found himself in the familiar corridor.

Gazing from a distance at the stone gargoyle, it didn't wait for him to approach this time. It automatically turned aside, revealing a passageway.

To be honest, ever since two years ago, when the gargoyle first opened the door for him, Ino had gone from being surprised to taking it for granted.

During that time, Ino had repeatedly questioned the headmaster's office's current security system. It was like having a husky guard the door—who knows what was really going on in the original story?

Dumbledore was clearly a headmaster recognized by the Ministry of Magic and the twelve governors, yet Umbridge couldn't get through this door no matter what.

Thinking about this, Ino patted the gargoyle's head as he passed by—a 'guard' that worked when it felt like it.

…

Passing the gargoyle and walking down a connecting corridor.

Ino once again entered the headmaster's office.

After glancing around, he had to admit that his timing was a bit off.

It seemed that Dumbledore hadn't returned directly to his office after the banquet.

Although surprised by this, it was understandable. After all, with the new gamekeeper this year, it made sense for Dumbledore to return later than usual.

Sitting on the sofa, Ino quietly waited.

It seemed that the night had truly settled in, as even the usually talkative portraits of former headmasters had started snoring, making the office feel even quieter.

In the midst of the former headmasters' snores, Ino slowly closed his eyes.

…

In contrast to the quiet of the headmaster's office.

The other side of the eighth floor of the castle.

The Gryffindor common room was filled with a lively atmosphere.

"I've decided! I'm going to compete!" Ron declared righteously.

But aside from Harry's habitual nod, no one else paid him any attention.

"How do you think they'll select the champions? By drawing lots? Personally, I think it would be best to decide through a game of wizard chess."

Ron stroked his chin, seriously sharing his thoughts.

"In that case, I'd prefer a Quidditch match!" Harry immediately voiced his differing opinion.

"Oh, come on, little Ronnie! Your wild ideas are making me laugh." George appeared from the crowd, holding a large pile of butterbeer. It seemed he was selling them.

"Laugh? What's so funny!" Ron's tone was a bit disgruntled, but he knew George had a point—selecting champions through wizard chess was indeed far-fetched.

Soon, Ron shifted the topic away from one that wasn't in his favor:

"I'm just curious—if you and Fred are so rich, why are you still selling this stuff?"

Ron hadn't forgotten the scene after the Quidditch World Cup, when Ginny opened a money bag filled with gold Galleons—at least several dozen by the looks of it.

"Do you think we're only selling stuff for the money?" Fred appeared behind Ron.

"We're doing it for fun! Besides, we didn't charge a single Knut more for these. Oh, by the way, Harry, this one's on the house."

As he spoke, Fred pulled a butterbeer from his pocket and handed it to Harry.

"What about me? I'm your brother!" Ron exclaimed in disbelief upon realizing he wasn't getting one.

"Oh, dear brother!" George, ever the considerate one, handed Ron a butterbeer.

"That'll be three Sickles, please!"

In an instant, Ron's smile froze on his face.

…

Time passed, minute by minute.

Back in the headmaster's office.

Ino slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall—10:30 PM.

This made him decide not to wait any longer. Who knew if Dumbledore would return tonight?

"Brighid!"

With a soft call, a beautiful orange-red figure appeared in the office.

Standing up, Ino was about to have the phoenix take him back to his dormitory when an oval arch suddenly appeared on the office wall.

Although curious, Ino turned away, considering that the office's owner wasn't present and choosing to ignore it.

However, just as he picked up Brighid, a hoarse voice echoed in the room:

"I thought you might be curious, but you're leaving so quickly!"