Unconsciously, the sky had already brightened.
The first ray of morning sunlight gently pierced through the heavy clouds, like meticulously polished golden threads, softly and steadfastly penetrating the gaps in the curtains.
The sunlight cast dappled shadows on the curtains.
As the curtains swayed lightly, these shadows danced on the wall, resembling a group of mooncalves ...
The dawn had yet to break, but the eastern sky was already brightening.
Weak light filtered through the windows, casting a faint glow on the stone floor of the castle's corridors.
On either side of the walls, magical torches flickered, seemingly about to extinguish at any moment.
In the shifting light and shadows of the hallway, Dumbledore spoke slowly:
"We haven't...
Although he had never witnessed Los Angeles at four in the morning,
Ino could describe Hogwarts at six in the morning.
At six, the castle was still shrouded in deep blue and black, with stars yet to fully fade, twinkling faintly.
The castle had not fully awakened; only a few early-rising portraits rubbed their sleepy eyes in their frames.
The entire corridor was eeri...
"Winter is coming!"
Ino stood up, pointing his wand towards the sky.
As the incantation rang out, the entire classroom seemed to be torn apart by a mysterious force, and the previously agitated swarm of Billywig insects calmed down.
In just an instant, the room appeared to have undergone a temporal distortion. The previously bright surroundings dimmed.
The temperatur...
Some things, like thunderstorms in midsummer, come fiercely and passionately, yet leave quickly and quietly.
At first, it swept through like a storm, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of the entire castle. The common room, corridors, and dormitories were abuzz with discussions, as if the entire world was engulfed in this fervor.
However, this excitement usually doesn't last long.<...
Leaving the Transfiguration Classroom
At this moment, Ino felt an extraordinary sense of relief; all potential instabilities of his second school year had been perfectly resolved.
From now on, he could finally stay in the library until curfew, and at dawn and dusk, he could wander every corner of the castle alone.
After all, since he enrolled last year, due to Quirrell's pr...
Slytherin Common Room
The Slytherin first-years who joined this year were all obediently standing in the common room hall.
Perhaps it was because the previous prefect, Montague, had graduated. The one standing before the first-years now was another prefect.
The routine was the same as always, and the scene felt familiar. Setting rules for the first-years was something that ...
Inside the train compartment.
Ino subconsciously voiced his true thoughts.
However, he regretted it immediately after, especially when he saw the expressions on Draco and the others' faces.
"Haha, I was just rambling. After all, our current task is to study hard. By the way, I heard Lockhart is on this train too?"
Ino tried to change the subject, but he forgot about ...
At the bustling entrance of Flourish and Blotts, Uno watched Ginny's receding figure, feeling a twinge of complex emotions.
Shaking his head helplessly, he squatted down again to pick up the scattered parchment on the ground. Though the person was gone, the things underfoot couldn't be left unattended.
"She's quite pretty, isn't she?" Hermione's voice broke the silence, her gaze f...
London, Diagon Alley.
Despite Diagon Alley being bustling every year before the start of the school term, today's commotion seemed even greater than usual. It felt as if the entire magical community of England had gathered here, making the whole street appear ready to boil over.
...
"So, you secretly bought a house in Hogsmeade during the summer?"
Hermione's eyes wid...
As they walked forward, the house at the end of the alley became clearer.
A two-story building, with a small footprint, yet it exuded a touch of Victorian elegance and dignity.
The entire house was built from dark marble, which had been weathered by time, giving it a calm and ancient charm.
Outside, the stone walls were entwined with roses and ivy, adding a touch of mystery...
Slowly opening the door, what greeted him was Pansy's slightly anxious face.
Upon closer inspection, Ino noticed something different; Pansy seemed to have put on a bit of light makeup today. Her usually somewhat gaunt face, with a slightly sharp look, now appeared softer and fuller.
"Miss Parkinson? This is...?"
He stood at the door, not immediately inviting her into the ro...
Three Broomsticks Inn, in the guest room.
The messy table was covered with discarded parchment.
The reason they were called discarded was that many of the opened parchments only had a single sentence written on them, while the rest of the large blank areas were filled with various cartoon doodles.
In stark contrast to the messy table, the room was exceptionally tidy, as if ...
Wiltshire is a place in the southwest of England, known for its beautiful Cranmore Hills and Salisbury Plain.
Standing on the old streets of Wiltshire, the scenery before Ino was familiar, but his mood was completely different from before.
This journey, although seemingly fruitless with not even a copper coin gained and spent entirely in a tense and passive atmosphere, had undenia...
Middle-earth, Third Age, 2941, Autumn.
The Lonely Mountain, now free of the dragon, resembled an old man who, having survived another harsh winter, regained a bit of vitality in the spring of the following year.
Of course, this semblance of a final burst of life came at the cost of countless lives.
The sky was gray with smoke, and sunlight filtered through the thick clouds,...
The sunset's afterglow bathed the forest in a golden hue.
In a clearing among the trees, Ino sat on the soft grass, with an accordion floating in mid-air behind him.
"The heart lives on the sea, innately seeking a home, steering with the wind, accompanied by waves, unwavering in spirit, unwavering in spirit..."
As the accordion's melody played on, Ino gradually closed his e...
"Kill it?"
Thranduil's face displayed a rare smile, as if he had heard an amusing joke.
"I suppose... you haven't seen that dragon, have you?"
Upon hearing this, Ino was a bit slow to realize he might have oversimplified the situation.
"No, Your Majesty! I have never seen Smaug."
At this moment, Thranduil spoke in a peculiar tone:
"The King under the Mounta...
Although the elves disarming them made the dwarves quite angry, the situation was beyond their control. Under Thorin's appeasement, they could only swallow their anger.
However, there was a silver lining. With the elves guiding them, they didn't encounter any dark creatures along the way.
The Woodland Realm
Since the shadow of Sauron descended upon Amon Lanc in T.A. 1050, e...
Just as all the dwarves began unpacking their bags, preparing to eat and drink.
"There's something nearby! Be on guard!"
Kili, taking advantage of the moment, swiftly drew his bow and shot an arrow.
The sharp arrow pierced through the air, embedding itself into the distant forest, followed by a chilling screech from within the dense woods.
All the dwarves nearby, wit...
The Elf-path, an ancient and secret route from the previous age, was a little-known trail.
Looking at the familiar scene, Ino was somewhat dazed; this was the very place he first arrived at when he came to Middle-earth.
Back then, he found the forest eerie and chose the grasslands instead. Now, two days later, he found himself back at his starting point.
"Alright, let's rel...
In the empty room.
Ino sat quietly in a chair, but his thoughts were like a stormy ocean, endlessly churning.
In his mind, he replayed the story of Middle-earth, from the First Age to the Fourth Age: the Silmarils, Morgoth, Sauron, the Valar, and the Maiar...
He meticulously reexamined every event, every detail.
After a moment.
Ino seemed to reach a conclusion...
A total of thirteen dwarves plus a tall, gray-robed elder.
With such distinctive features, how could Ino not recognize that the people before him were the protagonists of the story of Smaug?
After a moment, this group seemed to catch their breath and began to take in their surroundings.
"Hey! You human, your farm was almost breached by a giant beast, and you just stood ther...
Farmhouse, in the courtyard.
From dawn till noon, Beorn either kept chopping wood nonstop, feeding the animals in the pen, or harvesting honey from the beehives behind the yard.
In short, there seemed to be endless work to do.
Ino, maintaining a great deal of patience, stayed silent and waited for Beorn to finish his tasks.
As the sun reached its peak, Ino finally sp...
Under the Night Sky
Ino gazed at the distant mist-covered mountains and then looked around at the vast grasslands surrounding him.
After much hesitation, he finally chose to enter the farmhouse in front of him.
"I can't believe I'm not as quick-witted as Hermione!"
Seeing the farmhouse's tightly closed door, Ino sighed belatedly.
Despite his sigh, he had no re...
At dusk, a faint golden hue spread across the sky, like a splash of color carelessly dropped from an artist's palette.
The boundless prairie appeared infinitely vast in the gentle twilight, like a green ocean with waves undulating, pulsating with the rhythm of life.
The rolling hills in the distance undulated, their outlines gradually blurred in the afterglow of the setting sun, l...
Two hundred kilometers away from London, in Wiltshire.
In the evening, after passing through a lush forest, Ino finally arrived at his destination, Malfoy Manor.
Walking into the estate, the first thing he saw was a vast lawn.
To his astonishment, the lawn was planted with the glowing grass mentioned in *One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi*.
Although two Knuts for ...
The train traveled through the dawn, with fields and hills whizzing past outside the window.
In the compartment, Ino quietly watched the scenery.
When he first boarded this train, he was full of anticipation, heading towards the fairy tale-like Hogwarts.
Now, after a school year had flown by, he was once again on the same train, leaving.
It seemed like nothing had ch...
Ino followed closely behind Professor McGonagall.
It was his first time entering the Transfiguration office on the sixth floor of the castle.
Pushing open the door, he was greeted by a row of towering bookshelves lining the walls, filled with various books ranging from ancient parchment scrolls to brand-new hardcovers, resembling a small library in scale.
In the center of t...
Hogwarts, Great Hall.
As more and more Slytherins gathered, Gryffindor also took action. George and Fred were the first to stand up, leading the Quidditch players and upper-year students over.
This scene was so blatant that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were not surprised at all.
They very tactfully retreated to the sides, leaving the entire hall open, each standing in a spot wh...
Slytherin Dormitory.
Ino placed the clay pot back on its previous shelf and then looked at the bored Draco nearby.
"Draco, on my way back, I saw Harry teaching people his flying techniques..."
"Where?"
Draco instantly sprang up from his chair as if it had a spring.
"I saw him in the Great Hall earlier, but I'm not sure where he is now."
Ino said, mainta...