Harry Potter: The Bard of Hogwarts

Late May.

Ino left Brioni Island.

It wasn't that he wanted to leave, but a letter from Hogwarts made it necessary.

The sender was Snape, and the content was very simple, consisting of just a four-word phrase: "Return for the exams!"

Faced with the Househead's brief and clear message, Ino immediately said goodbye to Newt and also informed Dren, to ensure the continued smooth operation of the spider farm.

...

Upon arriving at Hogwarts.

Ino went straight to the Potions office, marking the end of his two-and-a-half-month leave from school.

"Professor, thank you for your approval! Everything is on track now."

"There's no need to tell me this!" Snape's tone was as unchanging as ever.

After three years of interaction, Ino understood Snape's personality well, so he didn't say much more.

After politely seeking permission, he left the office.

Two and a half months later.

Returning to the Slytherin common room felt familiar.

The familiar decor, the familiar atmosphere.

But the only unfamiliar thing was the movie mirror on the shelf, showing a duel between the clumsy Goyle and Ron...

Surprisingly, Slytherin and Gryffindor were performing together, and even more astonishing was that Ron was getting beaten up quite badly.

In the mirror, Ron was stumbling around and screaming dramatically, making it obvious to anyone that it was fake.

But precisely because it was so fake, it was hard to believe.

...

At the same time.

In the Gryffindor common room.

George and Fred threw a bag to Ron, who eagerly opened it.

"One, two, three..."

"No need to count!" George glanced at Ron and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Exactly thirty Sickles, your promised reward is all here."

"He he!" Ron chuckled unconsciously.

Thirty whole Sickles, almost equivalent to two Galleons; he had never had so much money in his life.

Looking at the shiny silver coins on the table, Ron couldn't help but swallow.

Seeing this, Fred felt a bit bad for bullying his silly brother for the first time.

But there was no choice; Malfoy had offered too much, ten whole Galleons, just to have Goyle fake a beating on Ron.

With the twins' tacit understanding, as Fred's thoughts shifted, George quickly dragged him away.

As the two left.

Ron continued to count the money happily. Knowing the amount was one thing, but counting it himself was another, giving him a sense of satisfaction.

"I think it's not that simple! Ron, think carefully about what happened."

After George and Fred left, Harry gently nudged Ron.

"It's fine, they wouldn't go too far!" Ron shrugged indifferently.

It was just a prank; George and Fred would never cross the line, he was sure of that.

Besides, with such a high reward, he wasn't willing to think too much about it.

After all, pretending to fall for one Sickle and crying out for five Knuts was an opportunity too good to pass up.

If it weren't for the limited time, Ron swore he could earn enough for a new broom before the summer holiday.

"Who else was there that day? I still feel something's off," Harry said, still puzzled.

"Malfoy was there! That's normal; do you think George and Fred would be so generous otherwise? Not only did I know they were making a profit, but I also knew it would be filmed, but I didn't care."

Ron saw everything clearly.

The Weasley family might be poor, but they weren't truly stupid.

But because he saw it clearly, Ron chose to accept the job, not only for the generous reward but also to appear in the movie mirror.

Ron Weasley earned money with his skills and acting, and there was nothing shameful about it.

After hearing his friend's explanation, Harry had nothing more to say.

Everyone knew, so what else could he say? Besides, he initially wanted to point out that the embarrassing scenes might be filmed.

But somehow, as Ron spoke, Harry also felt a subtle longing.

Of course, the prerequisite was that he bought a mirror from Ino and filmed in Gryffindor, not cooperating with Malfoy.

But all this had to wait until Ino returned; after all, it had been over two months without a sign of him.

At that moment, Harry suddenly realized that he might actually miss a guy someday.

...

"Achoo!"

A clear sneeze echoed in the library.

Ino rubbed his sore nose and smiled apologetically at Madam Pince.

After watching Ron's personal show in the common room, he came to the library.

Facing the upcoming final exams in two weeks, although his practical skills were fine, he needed to review the theoretical knowledge.

Otherwise, if his exam results declined, it wouldn't matter to him personally, but Snape's reputation would suffer, and there would be all sorts of gossip and comparisons among the professors.

Similarly, he intended to remind Lina that the countdown to their departure had begun.

This wasn't just because the Hogwarts library would close for the summer, but also based on the usual patterns of the sanctuary.

This time, they would likely open two fantasy worlds again.

Lina, or the White Witch, was the second person to help him greatly, apart from Professor Hans, and he couldn't keep treating her like a pet.

Clear distinctions between gratitude and grudges were the basic bottom line.

Although the rules prevented them from severing their connection completely, he could grant her the greatest freedom within those rules.

And this freedom could be maximized in Middle-earth or the Arad continent.

...

With these two purposes, Ino stayed in the library until 7 PM.

As the library grew emptier, he casually passed by the restricted section.

At the same time, a nimble blue Acromantula crawled into his sleeve from his robe.

Before leaving the library, Madam Pince curiously asked:

"With exams approaching, you're not borrowing any books? You won't be able to borrow any in a week!"

In response to this kind reminder, Ino gently waved his arm.

"Thank you! But I have better options."

Lina had spent a whole school year in the restricted section; with such accumulation, there was no need to borrow more books.