The Bard at Hogwarts

Hogwarts, the principal's office.

On the sofa, Ino was still trying to digest what he had seen in the secret room.

It was so sudden that his name was recorded in the admission book, and it was even ranked behind Dumbledore.

Considering the names of the dozen or so well-known wizards, what that list represents is actually self-evident.

In the original story, in the last few years, the principal of Hogwarts really changed frequently.

From the ridiculous pink toad Umbridge, to Snape later, and finally to Professor McGonagall who deserved the title.

But what happened today really surprised him.

Thinking of this, Ino looked at Dumbledore across from him again.

"Professor! I'm only in the fourth grade. Don't you think this decision is too hasty?"

"Haste?" Dumbledore pondered slightly: "It seems... you have misunderstood one thing. As I said just now, it is Hogwarts that has given you the power from beginning to end."

"Look at how many portraits there are here? And how many principals are recorded in the history of Hogwarts."

Dumbledore shook his head and pointed to the portraits on the wall, but this move also caused the former principals to roll their eyes in dissatisfaction, and even the hot-tempered Phineas Black burst out with swear words.

Perhaps Ino would watch this scene with interest before, but now...

He was thinking about what Dumbledore said in his mind, and at the same time recalling the history of Hogwarts. Since the school was founded in 990 AD, there are a total of 17 principals recorded in the history of the school.

But whether it is the list just now or the portraits hanging on the wall now, the number is obviously inconsistent.

...

For a long while.

Ino gradually sorted out his thoughts. There are probably two types of principals.

One is recognized and selected by Hogwarts, and the other is recommended by wizards, the Ministry of Magic, and the school directors when there is no suitable candidate.

After Ino finished his guess, he turned his eyes to Dumbledore again.

"That's right!" Dumbledore nodded decisively.

"As I told you before, no one can fully understand the castle, not only because there are countless secrets hidden in the castle, but also because the castle has its own thoughts."

At this point, Dumbledore paused for a moment, then spread his palms with some regret, and said in a slightly heavy tone:

"And this is the key. Just like no one can really understand a person, even most of the time, this person himself does not understand himself."

After Dumbledore finished speaking, Ino did not reply immediately, but went over his experiences in the past few years in his mind.

Perhaps because he had just visited Nico, he can always connect magic and alchemy together now.

If we really regard the entire castle as a living body, a powerful alchemical product, everything seems to make sense.

Whether it is the long-standing Sorting Hat, or the Room of Requirement behind the tapestry, or even the basilisk of the second grade...

Especially the basilisk, Ino now finally knows the series of accidental reasons in the original story, the extra puddle of water, the ghost blocking the way...

If he had guessed Dumbledore before, now he has no hesitation at all, everything is attributed to the will of the castle.

Speaking of which, guessing Dumbledore is a bit far-fetched, magic affects personality, as a great white wizard, Fawkes favored a member of the Dumbledore family.

Probably, the headmaster would not let a 5X basilisk run rampant in the castle for the so-called "layout".

Similarly, Ino also thought of another thing, that is, why Dumbledore never knew where the basilisk was hiding.

The basilisk placed by Salazar Slytherin himself must have taken into account the authority of successive headmasters in later generations.

If any headmaster could find it, Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets would be a joke and meaningless.

...

Gradually, everything was connected.

There was even a moment when Ino thought of the Gaunt family's notes.

Was it Lina who found it in the forbidden section of the library, or was it the castle itself that wanted her to find it?

For a long time.

"Okay! I think I understand everything!"

Ino leaned on the sofa, slowly stretched out his fingers, and tried to tap the empty coffee table.

It was a magical scene, a cup of freshly squeezed grass juice suddenly appeared on the coffee table.

Although it was just a drink, it involved the power of the headmaster.

You know, after three years at Hogwarts, Ino had seen countless professors go to the auditorium for dinner, including several deans, and even Professor McGonagall, the vice-headmaster.

But he had never seen Dumbledore. At first, he always thought it was a time difference, but now it seems... the headmaster is always enjoying his own special meal.

As if he saw what Ino was thinking, Dumbledore said naturally:

"I sometimes fill my stomach with candy. Honeydukes is as delicious as ever. Would you like some?"

Although he was asking, Dumbledore stood up and walked towards the cabinet where candy was stored while he was talking.

Two plates full of candy were brought to the coffee table.

One plate of snow-white cream toffee and one plate of crawling cockroaches.

Seeing the familiar candy, Ino couldn't help but think of the astronomy tower in his first year.

That was the first time he was alone with Dumbledore, and he also greedily ate a few more candies.

It seemed that from then on, Dumbledore would always bring out a whole plate of cream toffee as a treat.

"Thank you for your generosity!"

Ino smiled and picked up a piece of candy. As Dumbledore said, the taste did not change, and it was still full of milk flavor as always.

And what responded to him was Dumbledore's silent smile.

...

Time was as quiet as water.

After eating the last piece of candy, Ino reached out and wiped the sugar residue from the corner of his mouth.

"Professor! There is one thing I want to let you know. On the train at the beginning of this year's school, Harry told me something."

"It said that before the holiday, Trelawney made a prophecy for him, and the content was that Harry killed you..."

After saying that, Ino looked up and looked at Dumbledore's reaction.

However, facing such a prophecy, Dumbledore was not only not panicked, but even showed a hint of interesting smile, as if he had seen something funny.

But soon, this smile quietly disappeared, replaced by a kind of sympathy and compassion.

"Sybill is always like this! Every word of the fortune teller has a price to pay."

"But this time the content is something I didn't expect. Being killed by Harry, this looks interesting..."

"It's not interesting at all!" Ino interrupted Dumbledore's narration.

"If you are killed by Harry, who will take care of Voldemort? Although Hogwarts recognizes me, I don't have the ability to take care of too many people."

When Ino talked about Harry, he deliberately emphasized the tone, and the meaning of the expression was self-evident.

If it really comes to the end, Harry probably can't escape the fate of perishing together with Voldemort.

After all, the opponent is Voldemort. Once he is timid, he can only end up like Dumbledore in the prophecy.