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Chapter 279: Time Flies, August in England
🕑 Added 2025-01-27 07:00:59 +0000 UTCTime slips through our fingers like fine sand, silently but unmistakably.
...
Hogsmeade.
On the second floor of a small house, Ino was meticulously organizing the letters on his desk.
Since his last visit to Spinner's End, more than half a month had quietly passed.
Time flew by, and many things had happened during this period, some closely related to him, others beyond his control.
For example, with Harry, Ino had done everything he could, considering Snape and Dumbledore. Whether Harry could master Occlumency and what his future path would be was Harry's destiny.
Sometimes, the world seemed like a vast collection of stories, and whether it was Harry or anyone else, each person was the protagonist of their own story.
...
In the study on the second floor.
All the letters on the desk were now divided into two categories: completed and pending.
Rather than letters, they looked more like to-do lists.
Ino suddenly realized that with the passage of time and the increase in age, the once peaceful life seemed to be gone, and the trivialities of life gradually increased.
Especially this summer, various tedious affairs came one after another.
For instance: recording with L.A.A, producing Brioni's Island movie mirrors, and replying to the Merlin Knights, among many other things.
Out of all the letters, he only picked out the reply to the Merlin's Order and set it aside.
...
In the past half month, many things had quietly changed.
Ino's gaze swept across the desk, and after categorizing all the letters, he could clearly see that the once seemingly tedious tasks had been completed one by one.
Whether it was singing at the Quidditch World Cup or producing the movie mirrors, everything was on track.
Especially regarding the Quidditch World Cup.
A week ago, he recorded three different theme songs with L.A.A, and he had left the subsequent matters to old Flint to negotiate with the Ministry of Magic.
Looking at the only letter left unfinished on the desk, Ino stood up and stretched lazily.
This feeling of having nothing to do was indeed refreshing.
...
Unlike the tranquility of the small house.
At the beginning of August, the entire England was filled with a subtle tension and anticipation.
As the Quidditch World Cup entered its countdown, the Ministry of Magic was operating at full capacity. The Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Department of Magical Games and Sports, the Department of International Magical Cooperation...
Except for the Department of Mysteries, there was not a single idle person in the vast Ministry of Magic.
This was understandable, considering that the number of foreign wizards flooding into England had already surpassed the local wizard population.
Facing such a major event, the Ministry of Magic, under Fudge's direction, also contacted the Muggle Prime Minister.
...
Manchester, London.
Mr. Granger sat in front of the TV, which was broadcasting the morning news.
At this moment, the host was earnestly reporting the latest news, such as a large circus visiting England recently, and famous magicians from around the world gathering...
If it were in the past, he would have watched with great interest and then expressed his opinions.
But now, everything was different.
"Hermione, do I need to prepare camping equipment in advance? A strong flashlight or a generator? You know your mother and I can't cook with magic."
Mr. Granger asked expectantly, as sports events had always been his favorite.
This year, due to work, he couldn't go to the U.S. to watch the Football World Cup, but then, unexpectedly, his daughter took out tickets for the Wizarding World Cup.
Although he didn't understand Quidditch, the fact that it was popular in the wizarding world suggested it would be a thrilling sport.
On the other hand, upon hearing her father's question, Hermione put down her newspaper.
"Dad, we don't need to bring anything. I'll take care of everything. If we must bring something, let's bring last summer's small tent."
"Alright..." Hearing that he couldn't help much, Mr. Granger's eyes flashed with a bit of disappointment.
Once, everything in this household depended on him. But now, he couldn't help with anything, not even financially, because the wizard bank limited the exchange of British pounds.
Unlike Hermione's indifference, Mrs. Granger, noticing the change in her husband's tone, took his hand.
"You should be happy, not disappointed. Hermione has her own life. You can't expect to take care of her forever. She will find someone who truly cares for her..."
Mrs. Granger's gaze shifted to the newspaper in Hermione's hand. The front page photo of a boy she had seen before.
...
At the same time.
In the Three Broomsticks pub in Hogsmeade, the laughter had not stopped since the afternoon.
In the spacious hall, a large forty-one-inch movie mirror hung, playing Tom and Jerry's antics on a loop.
The young witches and wizards from the castle might have grown tired of it, but the adult wizards were Hogsmeade's main patrons, not to mention the many foreign visitors.
Unlike others' laughter and excitement.
As the pub owner, Madam Rosmerta was more concerned about the sales of drinks.
She first looked at today's revenue and then turned to the boy beside her, sighing:
"I really don't know how you thought of it. This thing will definitely become mainstream in the future. You'll be a rich man then."
Hearing the familiar teasing, Ino followed up:
"It doesn't have much to do with me. The main thing is that there are many collaborators, so everything went smoothly. But whether the product will be as successful outside of England, I don't know..."
"That's unfounded worry!" Madam Rosmerta shook her head slightly. "You have no idea about their capabilities. With enough profit, even if there are troubles, they won't be a problem."
"Perhaps! I wonder how old Tom is doing."
Looking at the crowded Three Broomsticks, Ino was curious about Diagon Alley.
With the Alchemy Factory on Brioni's Island running smoothly, the first batch of promotional products had quietly entered the market.
With the joint efforts of local pure-blood wizards, both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade now had stores that would hang a video mirror playing animations, depending on their size.
"Him? His place must be more crowded than mine!" Madam Rosmerta responded casually, then changed the subject:
"But you, it's hard to believe Fudge agreed to add a new segment before the World Cup matches. A stage for ten thousand people... Merlin!"
"Fudge agreed because it's not just a performance. If everything goes well, many things will be rewritten."
Ino knew very well that unlike the unconventional Fide, if a proper Phoenix was born under the witness of ten thousand people, Fudge's name would also be recorded in history.
After all, this event was a first for England.
