The Bard at Hogwarts

October 2003.

After the Goblet of Fire ended hastily in 1994, nine years later, Hogwarts welcomed guests from afar again.

…

At five o'clock in the afternoon, all the teachers and students, led by Professor McGonagall, lined up on the lawn outside the castle again.

In the sky, the carriage belonging to Beauxbatons flew over Hogwarts again, and the huge magic horse also attracted the admiration of a group of young wizards.

Rubeus Hagrid, the professor of Care of Magical Creatures, stood in front of him as he had done before, holding a huge red warning sign in both hands, guiding the magic horse to land.

Behind the students, Ino watched the scene in front of him quietly.

History seemed to repeat itself again.

…

With a loud bang, the carriage belonging to Beauxbatons also landed smoothly.

The door was opened, and the person who came down was still Madame Maxime, who was over twelve feet tall.

This time, she was not greeted by Dumbledore anymore.

Two female principals from three magic schools in Europe met at this moment.

At the same time, Ino also found that many students silently raised their video cameras.

After seven years, the magazine founded by Draco is still passed down in an orderly manner. The editor-in-chief of the magazine is like the captain of Quidditch. Every editor-in-chief will always choose the next successor before graduation.

Looking at the active little wizards, Ino also showed a knowing smile on his face.

Unconsciously, their generation has led the new trend of the castle.

…

At the same time.

After greeting Professor McGonagall, Madam Maxime walked towards the Hogwarts faculty.

"Long time no see, Principal Maxime!" Ino took the lead in greeting.

"Yes! Long time no see." Madam Maxime sighed, "You still rejected Beauxbatons and finally chose Hogwarts."

The young man in front of her was the one she felt most sorry for.

Before the other party became famous, she had offered him an olive branch and even directly promised him the position of alchemy professor, but the final destination was a professor at Hogwarts.

"It's not that I chose Hogwarts, it chose me a long time ago."

For Madame Maxime, Ino also respected her very much, not only because of Nico, but also because of her style of doing things.

On the side, Madame Maxime nodded thoughtfully, and then changed the subject:

"I won't stay in the position of principal for many years, and Beauxbatons is now short of a vice-principal..."

"Ahem!" Professor McGonagall couldn't help but cough lightly.

"I have already arranged a place for Beauxbatons in the auditorium. After the fatigue of the journey, I think you will not refuse a cup of hot black tea!"

This is a polite tone and rhetoric, but there is no smile on Professor McGonagall's face.

In front of the headmaster of Hogwarts, she came to poach a professor from Hogwarts. If it weren't for the wrong occasion, she would have been angry a long time ago.

On the side, Madam Maxime also stopped the topic. The Goblet of Fire will last for the entire school year. There is still plenty of time, so there is no need to rush.

"Thank you, Principal McGonagall."

After Madam Maxime finished speaking, she also walked towards the auditorium with ease.

This understated answer made Professor McGonagall purse her lips subconsciously.

She regretted agreeing to hold the Goblet of Fire. She thought it would add glory, but who would have thought that after so many years, the other party still hadn't given up.

Looking at the tall back that was gradually going away, Professor McGonagall's eyes turned to another person involved.

"I don't want to resign, and you know, the magic mechanics class has just started." Ino spread his hands and said innocently.

"Yeah." Professor McGonagall nodded slightly, as if he agreed with this answer.

After a while.

"Hogwarts is also in need of a vice-principal."

After speaking, Professor McGonagall turned around proudly and looked at the Black Lake in the distance.

The lake surface, which was still calm just now, suddenly had a huge vortex at this moment.

...

Eight o'clock in the evening.

The hall was brightly lit.

The dinner was held as scheduled, and the Goblet of Fire was lit. But this time, Professor McGonagall explicitly prohibited students under 17 from attending.

"... So, I will reiterate the age limit for the last time, and I hope you will abide by it consciously."

In the main guest seat of the auditorium, Professor McGonagall's loud voice overwhelmed the whole audience.

Although this decision made 99% of the little wizards dissatisfied, this is not the Goblet of Fire nine years ago, and the headmaster is not Dumbledore nine years ago.

Strict, fair, and rigid... No one dares to challenge Professor McGonagall's authority at this time.

"Professor Swinburne!" In the main guest seat, as Professor McGonagall called the name, Ino also stood up.

"Ahem... I hope everyone will abide by Principal McGonagall's requirements. I will set a cordon after the banquet. If there are any students who try to challenge, I will give them an unforgettable experience."

As he spoke, Ino waved his hand, and a colorful halo enveloped the lit Goblet of Fire.

The colorful halo was like a cloud group magnified countless times, and it was very beautiful.

But facing such a beautiful thing, many young wizards sighed from the bottom of their souls, and the voices of Gryffindor were the loudest and the most emotional, and many of them even lowered their heads helplessly.

The young wizards in Hogwarts all knew that the most frightening person in the entire castle was not the strict Professor McGonagall, but Professor Swinburne of the Magic Mechanics class who always had a calm face.

Many of them grew up listening to the legend of this professor. With the popularization of video cameras, although it has been a long time, the video footage of the battle has been well preserved.

Therefore, after seeing the colorful ball of light, many people completely gave up.

…

The banquet ended in a commotion.

As the professors left, a few sneaky little heads poked out and quietly approached the fire cup shrouded by the colorful halo.

For this brave behavior, naturally, many people also attracted onlookers.

Because everyone wanted to know what the so-called unforgettable experience was, and now it was rare for brave people to try it, which just happened to satisfy people's curiosity.

And the instigator of the whole thing, Ino, knew nothing about it, and he had returned to the valley at the moment.

…

The night in the valley was still quiet.

The sky dotted with gems was bright and beautiful.

But compared to the stars, a small hill on the ground was more warm.

Below the hill, there is a flattened right-angle plane, on which there is a small door of about 1.5 meters and two exquisite window frames.

At this moment, the originally dark window is shining with a faint orange light.

"Bilbo..."

Seeing the light on in the window, Ino also walked over with joy.

In the past seven years, he has received many guests and also told many stories.

And Middle-earth is always indispensable, so Bilbo, the old friend, also received the same treatment as the Grimm brothers and could stay in the valley for a while.

...

However, with the passage of time, things have changed, and many things in Middle-earth have changed.

The most important thing is that his contact with Lina has been interrupted.

This is a good thing. When the path to Middle-earth in the shelter disappeared, he had a guess.

After entering Middle-earth, this was further confirmed.

Without the original constraints, although he didn't know how Lina was feeling, Ino felt relieved from the bottom of his heart.

Therefore, after discovering that Lina was not in Shire, he did not take the initiative to look for her.

Instead of a sentimental farewell, it is better to leave quietly like this, which is good for both of them.

There is also an explanation for Lina.

Without any ties, this tragic white witch can also start her story.