Hogwarts
In the dormitory, thick bed curtains were suddenly drawn back.
After changing into the plain robes of Slytherin, Ino opened the dormitory door and walked out towards the castle grounds.
The rewards from the recent adventure were truly exhilarating, but he couldn't share this joy with anyone.
So, he decided to go to the Black Lake and have a good time in the water to let off some steam.
As a black swan, playing in the water was quite natural, after all.
...
With an indescribable joy on his face, Ino made his way to the Black Lake.
There were many students at Hogwarts, but the castle was enormous, and the surrounding grounds were even more expansive.
Just the Black Lake alone stretched as far as the eye could see.
To put it into perspective, a person with normal vision, standing on flat ground, can see up to about 500 to 1000 meters.
If you think of the Black Lake as a square with a side length of 1000 meters, its area would be equivalent to at least a hundred football fields.
At the lakeside, under the gallery bridge.
Ino approached a huge rock to use as cover.
In an instant, a black swan with feathers tinged with a faint blue glow emerged from the other side of the rock.
"Plop!"
The swan jumped into the water with a very carefree splash.
Its webbed feet gently stirred the lake's surface, creating ripples. As the water waves spread, it swiftly swam towards the center of the lake.
Sunlight bathed the Black Lake, and Ino, with his eyes half-closed, enjoyed the pleasure of floating on the water.
At this moment, he finally let go of all his burdens because everything was settled.
Whether it was the mutated Fire Making Charm or the White Witch's ice magic, as long as he bided his time, he couldn't guarantee becoming a legendary wizard, but he could certainly reach the level of top-tier wizards like Snape or Professor McGonagall.
Moreover, if he could fully understand the book on time reversal...
In short, the future path seemed as smooth, broad, and tranquil as the Black Lake before him.
...
Sometimes, time seems biased; when playing and having fun, it quietly speeds up.
Unbeknownst to him, the clouds in the sky were dyed a warm orange-red by the setting sun. The clouds floated gently, as if playing with the reflections on the lake's surface.
Occasionally, a gentle breeze blew by. If you listened carefully, you could hear the distant laughter of young wizards from the castle mixed in the wind.
In the evening, on the gravel-paved path outside the castle.
Humming a countryside ballad, Ino walked alone towards the brightly lit castle.
"Ino!"
A familiar voice called from behind. He stopped and turned to see Hermione and her two friends on the nearby lawn.
"Good evening, Hermione! And Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley!"
Ino greeted them with a smile.
Now that he had completely let go of his mental burdens, he didn't care about the progress of the story.
Likewise, he no longer deliberately kept his distance from Harry and Ron. Especially with Ron, he no longer viewed him through a prejudiced lens.
It was meaningless and pointless.
...
Outside the castle.
Hermione was inexplicably happy.
Just now, at Hagrid's hut, she and Harry and Ron were discussing Lockhart's hidden secrets.
When she felt at a loss, fate led her to Ino.
She instinctively had confidence in Ino—he was good at divination, had excellent grades, was knowledgeable, and, most importantly, very kind.
"Ino, are you busy right now? We discovered an earth-shattering secret!"
Hermione said quickly as she walked over.
On the lawn, Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and followed her.
Harry had a good impression of Ino, especially since Ino had helped him with a divination. Although Hagrid ended up being fine and Harry got punished, the divination results were accurate.
Ron, on the other hand, simply felt grateful. No matter how much he might have held a grudge before, Ino had saved Ginny's life.
"An earth-shattering secret?" Ino asked with a smile, looking at the trio.
"Yes!" Hermione nodded seriously. "It's Lockhart! He's a complete fraud. He's deceived everyone!"
"Harry discovered it in Lockhart's office!" Ron added promptly, emphasizing the "saw with his own eyes" part.
It seemed the gears of fate were beginning to turn.
Hearing this, Ino glanced at the sky: "Let's head back to the castle. We can talk while having dinner."
...
In the castle's Great Hall.
Ino followed Hermione and her friends to sit at the Gryffindor table.
This wasn't a big deal, after all. This wasn't a start-of-term feast, and these tables didn't have strict rules about who could sit where. It was just that the young wizards naturally formed cliques based on their houses.
It was like drawing a line on a school desk to divide territory, except the young wizards at Hogwarts had drawn several lines, dividing into four territories.
So essentially, there was nothing wrong with Ino sitting at the Gryffindor table.
But he overlooked two people in the hall: Draco and Pansy.
Pansy was fine; she just smiled warmly, though her eyes were fixed on him.
Draco, on the other hand, couldn't stay calm. He stood up, ready to walk over.
But after a few steps, his gaze shifted, and seeing Hermione sitting beside Ino, he displayed a meaningful expression and returned to his seat.
On the other side of the hall.
At the Gryffindor table.
After sitting down next to Ino, Hermione began to recount the entire incident.
Since it was a significant matter and the hall was crowded, she leaned in close and spoke softly to ensure no one else would hear.
From afar, it looked like they were sharing a secret, heads close together.
Meanwhile, Harry and Ron, sitting opposite them, looked like two bodyguards.
They kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings, and if anyone approached, they would stare them down with a look that seemed to silently warn them off.
...
As Hermione explained, Ino gradually understood the gist of it.
To increase his fame by associating with the savior, Lockhart frequently invited Harry to his office.
They would talk about dreams and experiences, doing everything to strengthen their bond.
At first glance, this didn't seem like much. But the interesting part came when, during one of their conversations, a paper airplane suddenly appeared in Lockhart's office.
Lockhart left to deal with it but told Harry to wait.
What happened next was intriguing. A book suddenly fell from the shelf, and when Harry picked it up, he saw a pink hair clip under the sofa...
In a series of bizarre, intricate coincidences, like luring a cat with treats, Harry eventually found a cheap notebook in a hidden corner.
Though most of the content was scattered and disjointed notes, Harry managed to find useful information and discovered a shocking secret—Lockhart had been using magic to steal others' experiences.
All of Lockhart's books were fabricated.
...
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