Harry Potter: The Bard of Hogwarts

In the bustling city of London, there are always some hidden, special places.

Special enough to be forgotten by the gentlemen of Downing Street, and these forgotten places have become synonymous with old and messy.

...

19 Spinner's End.

A small wooden house with a brownish exterior. Inside, Harry quietly looked around.

Everything here seemed to come from the last century.

Old furniture, yellowed newspapers, dusty photographs, and a grandfather clock you would only see in an antique shop.

In the living room on the first floor.

As Harry observed his surroundings, Snape's gaze inadvertently fell on Harry's eyes.

In just a moment, he felt his thoughts, like bamboo shoots after a rain, sprouting uncontrollably.

His greatest dream had once been to invite a girl with identical emerald green eyes to visit here.

But unfortunately, due to various factors, this invitation was never sent out.

As Snape remained silent, Harry couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

Since entering Hogwarts and after attending his first Potions class, he never thought that one day he would be a guest at Snape's house.

And this wasn't just an ordinary visit; he would be staying here for half a month.

Thinking of this, Harry's mind flashed back to Professor Dumbledore's instructions: regardless of whether he learned anything in the half-month period, he must return to Aunt Petunia's house on Privet Drive and stay there until the start of the school year.

As the two of them were silent, the fireplace in the room suddenly flared up with green flames.

"Sorry! I'm late."

Ino said while quickly scanning the living room.

Unlike Snape's calm demeanor, Harry stood up and greeted with a smile.

"You can't be late when there's no set time!"

"That's debatable, especially since you're both waiting for me," Ino looked around again.

Although the place was a bit old, the overall space was quite sufficient. But what puzzled him was that Snape wouldn't let Harry sleep in the living room on the first floor.

"Follow me!" Snape stood up and walked towards the stairs leading to the second floor.

The wooden stairs creaked softly under their feet as they followed Snape, and soon they arrived at a room on the second floor.

As soon as the door was opened.

Ino admitted he had underestimated his headmaster. It was clearly a room similar to the one downstairs, but its actual area was at least ten times larger.

This seamless Extension Charm was quite impressive, showcasing the confidence of a Potions Master who clearly disregarded the Ministry of Magic's regulations.

The room was filled with all sorts of bottles and jars, brass cauldrons, and stacks of brand new glass bottles.

Of course, there were also various potion ingredients, including numerous herb roots, magical creature innards, and even some unidentifiable specimens.

This was evidently Snape's usual place for brewing potions.

...

"Professor, are you letting Harry stay here?"

Ino was a bit unsure. Although this place seemed much more spacious than downstairs, the scent from the accumulated potion ingredients was predictable.

Harry didn't speak but also looked at Snape with a puzzled expression.

"The safety here is high." Snape uncharacteristically explained.

"Alright, you have a point," Ino shrugged indifferently. When it comes to safety, it doesn't really matter where one stays.

Moreover, Snape's potion brewing and storage area was surely well-secured.

Under Harry's astonished gaze, a crystal-clear little house slowly rose in the room on the second floor, which looked like a small plaza.

The small house wasn't big, about ten square meters, but its shape and color reminded him of the mushroom houses described in fairy tales from his childhood.

Unlike Harry, who was just watching the spectacle, Snape squinted his eyes and closely examined the small house before him.

Wandless and silent, elemental transfiguration magic, and creating a house in one go.

Putting all of these together, Snape felt a sense of absurdity. The once pretentious student had grown to such an extent in just three years.

"Harry, your new house is ready, a bargain at three sickles!" Ino joked, pointing at the mushroom house.

"If you feel cold, you can light the fireplace inside for warmth! My ice and snow aren't easy to melt, you can rest assured about that."

The ice house, or rather the protective isolation of ice and snow, was essentially to help Harry get a good night's sleep.

Especially since Harry mentioned dreaming of becoming a snake, the unconscious state linking the Horcrux and the main soul might be the key factor in gradually being influenced.

Dumbledore understood this, and Ino had also guessed as much.

Because of this, he also thought Harry could be really stubborn sometimes. If he had spoken up about his headaches or dreams early on, the situation might have been much better.

But now that things had reached this point, there was no point in pursuing the blame.

...

In a small plaza of potions and ingredients.

A semi-circular mushroom house about five or six meters in diameter and three meters high stood in the middle.

Pushing open the small door, Harry felt a chill, especially since he was still wearing summer short sleeves.

"Incendio!"

Seeing Harry's discomfort, Ino snapped his fingers, and a floating flame appeared inside the icy mushroom house.

As the flame appeared, the temperature inside the room immediately rose significantly. The presentation of ice and fire might only be something magic could perfectly achieve.

"If you need any furniture, just use Transfiguration to create it yourself. Since it's not a permanent stay, just make do!"

Ino handed Harry a pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from his pocket and then walked out of the mushroom house.

Inside, Harry looked down at the candy in his hand. He knew the use of this pack of Every Flavor Beans.

But... using small candies to transform into furniture?

For a moment, Harry wanted to call Ino back and seriously tell him that his Transfiguration assignments were all copied, and mindlessly so.

...

Stepping out of the mushroom house, Ino walked to Snape's side.

"Professor! I've done everything I can! If there's anything else you need, feel free to write me."

"Alright!" Snape nodded slightly, then took out a bottle of dazzling potion from his pocket.

The golden, radiant color of Felix Felicis was unique among all potions.

Seeing the familiar potion, Ino couldn't help but feel a bit dazed.

There was a time when he was obsessed with Felix Felicis, going so far as to handle ingredients in the Potions classroom every week, just to someday brew this magical potion himself.

However, after starting his third year, having acquired the Ravenclaw Diadem and taking Ancient Runes as an elective, his pursuit of potions seemed to have been put on hold.

Now, seeing his past pursuit again brought a sense of nostalgia.

"Professor! I don't need Felix Felicis right now," Ino shook his head and declined while looking at the precious potion.

Though it was a great item, he had no reason to accept it, as this matter never required Snape to foot the bill.

Although the offered potion was refused, Snape suddenly thought of something else, and a rare smile flashed across his usually calm face.