As they walked forward, the house at the end of the alley became clearer.
A two-story building, with a small footprint, yet it exuded a touch of Victorian elegance and dignity.
The entire house was built from dark marble, which had been weathered by time, giving it a calm and ancient charm.
Outside, the stone walls were entwined with roses and ivy, adding a touch of mystery and vitality to the small building.
"Fantastic! Really!"
Looking at the house in front of him, Ino couldn't help but praise it, then turned to look at Pansy behind him.
"This is the one! I really like it, there's no need to see the other two. Now, can you tell me the real price?"
"Haha, it's actually not that expensive." Pansy chuckled as she opened a piece of parchment and pointed to a section with her finger.
"Look, similar houses to this one were sold for only fifteen thousand Galleons."
Only fifteen thousand, huh? Ino looked at the parchment in front of him, feeling somewhat speechless. Before enrolling at Hogwarts, he had thought that having a bag of gold coins made him wealthy.
But now it seems... in these pure-blood families, he was only richer than the Weasleys.
"I can only pay nine thousand Galleons for now. I will gather the remaining amount as soon as possible, probably... before I graduate, I will repay the full amount."
Ino said with a look of apology. If he could, he really didn't want to owe money.
But this house in front of him really fit his aesthetic perfectly. Whether it was the environment or the layout, it was all perfectly suited for a wizard's residence, mysterious, weighty, and full of a sense of history.
...
By noon.
Ino returned alone to the Three Broomsticks.
After paying a total of 60 1.2-ounce gold coins, he successfully obtained a property sale contract stamped and signed by the Ministry of Magic. At this point, the bag of gold coins given by Old John was nearly empty.
Pushing open the door of the Three Broomsticks, the first thing that greeted his eyes was Madam Rosmerta's half-smiling expression.
"Sent your little girlfriend home? Let me guess, did you two go to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop?"
"Pansy is not my girlfriend! She's my creditor." Ino said irritably. It seemed that all Hogwarts graduates were like this; Madam Rosmerta was always incredibly curious.
"Creditor?" Upon hearing this, Madam Rosmerta's playful demeanor changed to one of concern, and she asked seriously, "Did something happen?"
"It's nothing, I just bought a house in Hogsmeade." Ino raised his eyebrows, speaking in a light and somewhat reserved tone.
He didn't hide the fact that he bought a house, as it was impossible to keep it a secret.
After all, Hogsmeade was a small place, at most the size of a small town, where everyone knew each other's business.
"My Merlin! The first time I saw you, you went out and bought an owl. It hasn't been that long, and now you've gone out and bought a house. Next time, you might buy my pub!"
Seeing Madam Rosmerta's somewhat exaggerated expression, Ino replied half-jokingly:
"Buy your pub? Although I would love to, I am currently in debt. I was thinking of working here part-time, telling stories. Of course, I'll give you thirty percent of the tips as a venue fee."
"Save your few Knuts." Madam Rosmerta said, rolling her eyes at the empty hall. "You think you can make money here? Do you think it's Christmas every day?"
"That's true..." Realizing this, Ino felt a bit enlightened.
After all, Hogsmeade was just a residential area, not a commercial street. The biggest economic activity might be the weekends when Hogwarts students above the third year come here to spend money.
...
By evening.
After settling the accommodation fees for the past few days, Ino returned to the small alley from the morning with his suitcase.
Looking at the small building full of history, unlike the distant view last time, this time he walked straight to the door.
"Cough! Cough cough..."
As he pushed open the door, a choking smell of dust hit him in the face. The room was covered in a thick layer of dust, the floors spotted with mold, and the corners occupied by doxies...
"Hasty decision!" Ino muttered to himself. In the morning, he had been enchanted by the exterior of the small building, not expecting it to be so decayed inside.
"Scourgify!"
"Tergeo!"
"Salvi Hexia!"
Seeing this scene, he immediately drew his wand and cast three household cleaning spells in succession. After waiting at the door for a while, he finally entered the house with his suitcase.
The effects of the spells were immediate. Looking at the old furniture and the spotless room, Ino breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of belonging.
The house had two floors, each with an estimated area of only sixty to seventy square meters. The ground floor consisted of a living room and a combined kitchen and dining area.
Upstairs was an open-plan bedroom, with a walnut double bed in the center and a large desk by the window on the other side.
Although the furnishings on the second floor were very simple, he didn't mind. Having more space was better, allowing for future additions.
...
Time sometimes felt like a professional Seeker on a new model broom, always catching the hidden Golden Snitch before anyone realized it.
Two months of summer vacation passed quietly.
During this time, Ino mostly spent his days in his little house.
During the day, apart from practicing magic, he would go to the pine forest behind Hogsmeade to chop down some dead pine trees to make furniture, such as coffee tables, sofas, chairs, bookshelves, and storage racks.
With the Cutting and Sticking Charms, the process of making furniture was incredibly easy. Not only was it effortless, but it also had the fun of stacking building blocks.
Upstairs, at the desk.
The Hogwarts owl delivered the second-year supply list as expected.
Looking at the string of book titles on the parchment, it was clear that the popular novelist Lockhart had indeed become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
"I really don't know what they're thinking, sigh..."
With a sigh, Ino set down the parchment. Compared to the unpredictable headmaster, he trusted Professor McGonagall more.
Whether based on his understanding of the story or their correspondence over the past few months.
He had come to realize that Professor McGonagall always acted with the best interests of the students at the castle in mind.
If she were the headmistress, she would never allow someone like Lockhart to teach at the school.
For this reason, he was considering whether to tell Professor McGonagall about the so-called Chamber of Secrets at an appropriate time, to prevent the second half of the school year from becoming chaotic.
As for stopping the diary, sorry! He wasn't that great, or rather, he didn't have the ability to deal with a story that had changed its course.
...
Humans are complex creatures, or rather, the human heart is always complex and changeable.
Cross a bridge, eat a bowl of rice, meet some people, and your thoughts will change accordingly.
After experiencing Middle-earth, Ino no longer blindly believed in story plots but also wouldn't foolishly play the hero.
Similarly, like the wave-particle duality revealed by the double-slit experiment.
Perhaps when he placed himself within the story, viewing it from the first-person perspective, the story had already changed.
But these changes were still within a certain range. If he really prevented the diary from entering Hogwarts, Dumbledore would know nothing about the Horcruxes.
If that happened, the future storyline would change too much.
So the best choice was to let the diary come in and then secretly inform Professor McGonagall.
As for the opportunity and excuse, Ino had already thought about it.
In the magical world, what is more mysterious than divination? He just needed to buy a crystal ball before school started and then put on a performance when the time came.