Unconsciously, the sky had already brightened.
The first ray of morning sunlight gently pierced through the heavy clouds, like meticulously polished golden threads, softly and steadfastly penetrating the gaps in the curtains.
The sunlight cast dappled shadows on the curtains.
The dawn had yet to break, but the eastern sky was already brightening.
Weak light filtered through the windows, casting a faint glow on the stone floor of the castle's corridors.
On either side of the walls, magical torches flickered, seemingly about to extinguish at any moment.<...
Although he had never witnessed Los Angeles at four in the morning,
Ino could describe Hogwarts at six in the morning.
At six, the castle was still shrouded in deep blue and black, with stars yet to fully fade, twinkling faintly.
The castle had not fully awakened; only a few ...
"Winter is coming!"
Ino stood up, pointing his wand towards the sky.
As the incantation rang out, the entire classroom seemed to be torn apart by a mysterious force, and the previously agitated swarm of Billywig insects calmed down.
In just an instant, the room appeared to ha...
Some things, like thunderstorms in midsummer, come fiercely and passionately, yet leave quickly and quietly.
At first, it swept through like a storm, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of the entire castle. The common room, corridors, and dormitories were abuzz with discussions, as if the e...
Leaving the Transfiguration Classroom
At this moment, Ino felt an extraordinary sense of relief; all potential instabilities of his second school year had been perfectly resolved.
From now on, he could finally stay in the library until curfew, and at dawn and dusk, he could wander e...
Slytherin Common Room
The Slytherin first-years who joined this year were all obediently standing in the common room hall.
Perhaps it was because the previous prefect, Montague, had graduated. The one standing before the first-years now was another prefect.
The routine was th...
Inside the train compartment.
Ino subconsciously voiced his true thoughts.
However, he regretted it immediately after, especially when he saw the expressions on Draco and the others' faces.
"Haha, I was just rambling. After all, our current task is to study hard. By the way, ...
At the bustling entrance of Flourish and Blotts, Uno watched Ginny's receding figure, feeling a twinge of complex emotions.
Shaking his head helplessly, he squatted down again to pick up the scattered parchment on the ground. Though the person was gone, the things underfoot couldn't be lef...
London, Diagon Alley.
Despite Diagon Alley being bustling every year before the start of the school term, today's commotion seemed even greater than usual. It felt as if the entire magical community of England had gathered here, making the whole street appear ready to boil over.
......
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 ancien...
Slowly opening the door, what greeted him was Pansy's slightly anxious face.
Upon closer inspection, Ino noticed something different; Pansy seemed to have put on a bit of light makeup today. Her usually somewhat gaunt face, with a slightly sharp look, now appeared softer and fuller.
Three Broomsticks Inn, in the guest room.
The messy table was covered with discarded parchment.
The reason they were called discarded was that many of the opened parchments only had a single sentence written on them, while the rest of the large blank areas were filled with various c...
Wiltshire is a place in the southwest of England, known for its beautiful Cranmore Hills and Salisbury Plain.
Standing on the old streets of Wiltshire, the scenery before Ino was familiar, but his mood was completely different from before.
This journey, although seemingly fruitless ...
Middle-earth, Third Age, 2941, Autumn.
The Lonely Mountain, now free of the dragon, resembled an old man who, having survived another harsh winter, regained a bit of vitality in the spring of the following year.
Of course, this semblance of a final burst of life came at the cost of ...
The sunset's afterglow bathed the forest in a golden hue.
In a clearing among the trees, Ino sat on the soft grass, with an accordion floating in mid-air behind him.
"The heart lives on the sea, innately seeking a home, steering with the wind, accompanied by waves, unwavering in spi...
"Kill it?"
Thranduil's face displayed a rare smile, as if he had heard an amusing joke.
"I suppose... you haven't seen that dragon, have you?"
Upon hearing this, Ino was a bit slow to realize he might have oversimplified the situation.
"No, Your Majesty! I have never s...
Although the elves disarming them made the dwarves quite angry, the situation was beyond their control. Under Thorin's appeasement, they could only swallow their anger.
However, there was a silver lining. With the elves guiding them, they didn't encounter any dark creatures along the way.<...
Just as all the dwarves began unpacking their bags, preparing to eat and drink.
"There's something nearby! Be on guard!"
Kili, taking advantage of the moment, swiftly drew his bow and shot an arrow.
The sharp arrow pierced through the air, embedding itself into the distant fo...
The Elf-path, an ancient and secret route from the previous age, was a little-known trail.
Looking at the familiar scene, Ino was somewhat dazed; this was the very place he first arrived at when he came to Middle-earth.
Back then, he found the forest eerie and chose the grasslands i...
In the empty room.
Ino sat quietly in a chair, but his thoughts were like a stormy ocean, endlessly churning.
In his mind, he replayed the story of Middle-earth, from the First Age to the Fourth Age: the Silmarils, Morgoth, Sauron, the Valar, and the Maiar...
He meticulously ...
A total of thirteen dwarves plus a tall, gray-robed elder.
With such distinctive features, how could Ino not recognize that the people before him were the protagonists of the story of Smaug?
After a moment, this group seemed to catch their breath and began to take in their surroundi...
Farmhouse, in the courtyard.
From dawn till noon, Beorn either kept chopping wood nonstop, feeding the animals in the pen, or harvesting honey from the beehives behind the yard.
In short, there seemed to be endless work to do.
Ino, maintaining a great deal of patience, stayed...
Under the Night Sky
Ino gazed at the distant mist-covered mountains and then looked around at the vast grasslands surrounding him.
After much hesitation, he finally chose to enter the farmhouse in front of him.
"I can't believe I'm not as quick-witted as Hermione!"
See...
At dusk, a faint golden hue spread across the sky, like a splash of color carelessly dropped from an artist's palette.
The boundless prairie appeared infinitely vast in the gentle twilight, like a green ocean with waves undulating, pulsating with the rhythm of life.
The rolling hill...
Two hundred kilometers away from London, in Wiltshire.
In the evening, after passing through a lush forest, Ino finally arrived at his destination, Malfoy Manor.
Walking into the estate, the first thing he saw was a vast lawn.
To his astonishment, the lawn was planted with th...
The train traveled through the dawn, with fields and hills whizzing past outside the window.
In the compartment, Ino quietly watched the scenery.
When he first boarded this train, he was full of anticipation, heading towards the fairy tale-like Hogwarts.
Now, after a school y...
Ino followed closely behind Professor McGonagall.
It was his first time entering the Transfiguration office on the sixth floor of the castle.
Pushing open the door, he was greeted by a row of towering bookshelves lining the walls, filled with various books ranging from ancient parch...
Hogwarts, Great Hall.
As more and more Slytherins gathered, Gryffindor also took action. George and Fred were the first to stand up, leading the Quidditch players and upper-year students over.
This scene was so blatant that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were not surprised at all.
...
Slytherin Dormitory.
Ino placed the clay pot back on its previous shelf and then looked at the bored Draco nearby.
"Draco, on my way back, I saw Harry teaching people his flying techniques..."
"Where?"
Draco instantly sprang up from his chair as if it had a spring.
...