Dark_Peace
patreon
Chapter 301: An Excellent Servant
🕑 Added 2025-02-19 16:15:54 +0000 UTCIn the valley of the sanctuary.
Ino watched the food in front of him with interest—a plate of freshly baked flower cakes, freshly toasted bread, crispy biscuits, and a cup of honey water with a hint of olive fragrance.
Although the food looked delicate, it confirmed Blue Lantern's abilities—a small elf that abides by the rules of the magical world.
"I'm sorry, master, there aren't many ingredients available here, so I could only make these things," Blue Lantern said, lowering his head slightly with some embarrassment.
"It doesn't matter. This is enough!" Ino was indifferent to this.
Following the rules was reassuring. If Blue Lantern could truly break the magical rules, Ino would actually feel uneasy.
"From now on, your task will be to manage the herbs in the valley. I'll send you some books on how to handle them later. For now, you can water them."
As the words fell, Ino noticed that after Blue Lantern gave a slight bow, his body gradually became transparent before disappearing altogether.
At the same time, a light cloud rose over the valley, followed by a continuous drizzle like fine silk.
"Indeed, it's a wizard's ability..."
Watching the moving cloud, Ino confirmed his suspicion once again.
Blue Lantern's limits seemed to be on par with that of a wizard. It couldn't conjure food from thin air but could summon water.
With more than a hundred acres of land in the valley, watering everything would certainly take some time.
After one last glance at the floating cloud, Ino shifted his gaze to the two oak trees.
He picked up a crystal ball with a diameter of seven inches. It seemed as plain and ordinary as the oak tree it grew on. It didn't react at all, merely feeling like a Muggle decoration in his hand.
Although it appeared unremarkable, Ino carefully stored the crystal ball.
This reminded him of a joke he once heard—if you find a glass bead in a chest full of gold, it's not just a glass bead; it's likely some kind of gemstone you don't recognize.
By the same logic, this crystal ball was probably similar.
After securing the crystal ball, only the final harvest remained—a whole tree laden with dazzling gemstones.
Once again, Ino didn't use magic. Instead, he harvested them like a true farmer, picking them one by one by hand.
Of course, this wasn't due to sentimentality or some peculiar hobby, but rather a logical deduction.
After all, harvest festivals usually symbolize hard work and simplicity.
…
Half an hour later.
After a period of diligent labor, Ino's harvest of various gemstones was plentiful.
At first, he quietly kept count, but after a while, he stopped bothering.
Looking at the small piles of gemstones on the ground, he estimated there were at least one or two hundred of them.
He was genuinely pleased with this bounty. Unlike gold, gemstones were more versatile in the magical world. Whether in potions or alchemy, they had numerous uses. Some rare gemstones were so precious that they were priceless.
Harvests always bring joy.
After organizing all his gains, Ino watered the three oak trees, looking forward to the new gifts they might yield next year.
Once everything was done, he bent down, picked up the breakfast Blue Lantern had prepared, and with a flash, disappeared from the valley.
After all, wasting food was unacceptable, especially for someone who had truly experienced hunger.
…
Slytherin dormitory.
"Is this a new dish from the Hogwarts kitchen?"
After getting up and washing up, Draco noticed the food placed on the dormitory table. The delicate appearance and the fragrance of flowers stirred his appetite, causing him to swallow instinctively.
"No, it's not from the kitchen. I bought it from outside! But feel free to help yourself."
Half-leaning on the bed, Ino easily noticed Draco's subtle expressions and movements.
"Then I won't hold back!" Invited to try the food, Draco didn't hesitate, grabbing a flower cake from the table and taking a bite.
The next few moments were filled with the sound of food being swallowed in the otherwise quiet dormitory.
After eating two flower cakes and a few biscuits, Draco wiped his mouth, clearly satisfied.
"Ino! The Durmstrang students might be arriving this afternoon, but before that, I want to take a trip to Hogsmeade. Is there anything you need me to buy for you?"
Hearing Draco's question, Ino was momentarily dazed. His mind had been occupied with the three oak trees over the past few days, and he hadn't realized that the day had already arrived when the Goblet of Fire would be lit.
"I'm asking you, do you need me to bring anything back for you?" Draco asked again, noticing the lack of response.
"Hogsmeade?" Ino instinctively wanted to decline but then thought of Blue Lantern in the valley.
"Bring me a book—One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. If there's time, get some butterscotch from Honeydukes too."
Since Blue Lantern would be managing the herbs, the process would naturally involve harvesting and storage. A book for reference would be essential.
"Leave it to me! I'll be back before noon," Draco confidently promised. He wasn't curious at all about why Ino wanted a duplicate of a textbook.
Ten minutes later.
Draco happily left the dormitory, and the entire plate of flower cakes disappeared along with him.
As Ino looked at the empty plate, he was about to cast a cleaning spell when he heard a faint vibration from the drawer beside his bed.
…
Astronomy Tower.
Perhaps this was truly the loneliest place at Hogwarts.
Except for astronomy class at night, the Astronomy Tower was usually so quiet that it could even surpass Snape's office in stillness.
The peaceful Astronomy Tower was bathed in the soft morning sunlight of autumn.
Hermione stood alone at the edge of the tower. Dressed in a plain witch's robe, the early morning sun outlined her silhouette in golden light.
At her feet were a pair of khaki-colored women's ankle boots—one foot firmly planted on the ground, while the other lightly lifted, the tip of her shoe unconsciously tapping against the weathered stone wall of the Astronomy Tower.
Perhaps feeling a bit bored after standing for a while, Hermione turned toward the tower's edge.
Her hands rested lightly on the cold stone crenellations as she gazed quietly into the distance toward the Forbidden Forest.
But what Hermione didn't notice was that the moment she turned, a faint orange-red glow flickered in the tranquil Astronomy Tower.
…
As the orange-red glow flashed, Ino's figure appeared in the Astronomy Tower.
Thanks to the phoenix's Apparition ability, the entire process was silent.
Upon arriving at the tower, Ino saw a beautiful scene.
Atop the serene tower stood a tall girl, her hands resting on the edge of the crenellations as she gazed quietly into the distance.
The sunlight illuminated her brown, slightly wavy hair, giving it a golden sheen, with each strand glowing softly.
Everything seemed perfect, like a carefully crafted oil painting.
Yet amidst this beautiful scene, Ino sensed a trace of loneliness.
This feeling reminded him of three years ago. On a similarly sunny morning, he sat by the Thames, eating a cheap breakfast while watching the bustling boats and crowds.
Even in such a lively scene, that sense of loneliness had permeated his very bones.
A stranger in a foreign land—perhaps that was what it was like.
For some reason, Ino suddenly felt as if Hermione had never truly integrated into Hogwarts.
Unlike in the original story, where the trio's adventures had forged deep bonds of friendship, in this version, Hermione seemed to remain alone. Even after four years, this proud girl still stood apart from the rest of Gryffindor.
