Hogwarts.
In the dormitory, Ino slowly opened his eyes.
After several months, the familiar yet strange environment in front of him gave him a feeling of being in a different world.
It was as if he had lived a whole life in a dream after falling asleep, only to wake up and realize it was all just a dream.
Logically speaking, he should have been used to this from his previous travels.
But this journey had been genuinely exhausting, far from the usual kind of staying in a small town, calmly telling stories while quietly waiting for time to pass.
The difference between the two was simply too great.
"Hogwarts still feels the most reassuring..."
Under the heavy bed curtains, Ino sighed from the bottom of his heart.
After saying that, he lay straight back on the bed, so tired that he fell asleep with his boots still on, his feet hanging half off the bed.
...
When in deep sleep, people often cannot sense the passage of time, but similarly, they also strongly dislike being woken up.
Ino slept for a full two hours.
Until... the dormitory was filled with all sorts of noisy sounds, as if a tea party was being held.
The bed curtains were pulled open.
"I say! Can't you be quieter? Is the common room too small for you? Do you have to come here to chat?"
Woken up by the noise, Ino rarely lost his temper due to his morning grouchiness.
But he didn't notice that in the instant he got angry, the temperature in the dormitory suddenly dropped, and even the burning fireplace couldn't dispel the current chill.
Malfoy and his two friends, Crabbe and Goyle, were all stunned, with Crabbe and Goyle even showing a look of fear.
Seeing this scene, Ino slightly regretted his previous actions. He shouldn't have been so ostentatious, as it didn't fit the plan he had previously set.
Thinking of this, he stopped scowling and instead showed a familiar smile, and the temperature in the room also stopped being so cold.
"Seriously! Can't you guys be a bit quieter? I just fell asleep not too long ago."
"S-sorry! We didn't mean to disturb you, we'll leave now!" Malfoy stammered after coming to his senses.
This seemed to be a signal, instantly activating the scene. Goyle and Crabbe sprang up from their chairs like they were under a spell and fled the dormitory.
"Draco, it's okay! I just had a bit of morning grouchiness, don't mind it."
Seeing Malfoy, who was a bit slower to react, Ino quickly explained.
Honestly, if possible, he didn't want to fall out with Malfoy. Not only would he lose a human alarm clock, but it would also be detrimental to his life in Slytherin.
To be fair, the Malfoy family's influence, up to the final battle, was somewhat significant. From the Minister of Magic down to the dark wizards in Knockturn Alley, they had connections.
And for such people, he genuinely wanted to get along, as getting their help could sometimes be very handy.
On the other hand.
Perhaps because Ino had resumed smiling, or for some other reason.
In any case, after a brief pause, Malfoy seemed to recover, no longer being so reserved and returning to his usual state.
"Ino! You should smile more often," Malfoy said seriously.
"By Merlin! You have no idea how scary you looked just now with a stern face, like... like Professor Snape, or even scarier."
After thinking for a while, Malfoy could only think of the Head of House as a comparison.
"Don't compare me to Professor Snape," Ino quickly interrupted. "By the way, what were you three talking about so enthusiastically?"
Hearing the change of topic, Malfoy also quickly picked up on it.
"I'll tell you secretly! Potter and his followers, and that big oaf outside the castle, are secretly raising a dragon. I just called those two in to discuss how to deal with it..."
Malfoy spoke endlessly, not realizing that Ino's mind was already wandering.
Norbert had hatched, and Quirrell's life had entered its final countdown...
Unbelievable as it was, Ino sometimes felt he might forget these things, given that for others, it had only been two or three months since the start of the term, but for him, it had been more than half a year.
But in fact, as time passed, he became even clearer about everything at Hogwarts.
...
While Malfoy was talking about the dragon.
Outside on the lawn, Hagrid's hut was in a state of chaos.
Complaints, crying, barking, and even the low growls of a young dragon... it was quite lively.
"I say, Hagrid shouldn't have stopped Fang from chasing Malfoy just now. He definitely wouldn't have gotten away," Ron said indignantly.
Just an hour ago, their secret with Hagrid had been exposed, and Malfoy had seen the dragon Norbert clearly.
Ron couldn't imagine how bad things would get next.
He now felt like Snape could pop out from behind him, next to him, or from a corner at any moment with a stern face.
On the other side, upon hearing Ron's words, Hermione looked at him in disbelief.
"Let the dog chase Malfoy? What were you thinking?"
"Don't you know this could get Fang killed? And implicate Hagrid. Even if he catches Malfoy, what are you going to do? Kill him? Imprison him?"
Hermione was getting frantic now. Instead of thinking of a solution, they were here blaming each other.
"Fang is very timid. Even if he catches up to Malfoy, it won't help. Poor Norbert... so small, yet about to be taken away," Hagrid said, wiping his tears.
Hearing Hagrid's complaints, Harry also felt uncomfortable. He suspected it was because he and Ron had accidentally leaked the secret in the library.
"We need to think of a way to stop Malfoy before it's too late. I'll go to Slytherin and talk to him."
Harry spoke with determination, then stood up and walked toward the door.
"Mate, are you crazy!" Ron grabbed Harry's sleeve. "You're going to Slytherin? To the lair of dark wizards? I don't want to lose you in addition to Norbert."
"Ron's right!" Hagrid stopped crying. "Harry, don't go. If worse comes to worst, I'll go to Professor Dumbledore. He always has a way."
Harry sat back in the chair dejectedly, and the situation seemed to be at an impasse again.
In the silence, Ron suddenly said loudly, "I'll contact Charlie! He's at the dragon reserve in Romania. At worst, we'll secretly send Norbert away before we're found out."
"But..." Hagrid seemed reluctant.
"No buts, this is the only way," Hermione interrupted Hagrid. "What else can we do? Leave him in the Forbidden Forest?"
Half an hour later.
After some pulling and pushing, everyone in the hut agreed. Harry would try to keep Malfoy busy, while Ron would write to Charlie.
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