Harry Potter: The Bard of Hogwarts

There's no universal concept of how big a camp for one hundred thousand people is.

But one thing is for sure: tonight's camp is truly lively.

In a little over half an hour, Ino felt like he was strolling through a theme park, with the theme being "Wizards."

During his stroll, he also fully understood the difficulties of the Weasley family.

Despite trying to restrain himself, he ended up spending nearly ten Galleons.

Magic lanterns, golden balloons, Muggle alarms, rose-shaped badges, tarot cards, portable star charts, lunar globes...

There were so many interesting things, many of which were even banned in England, but with the influx of one hundred thousand wizards during the World Cup, such items were abundant.

This was largely due to the Ministry of Magic's intentional leniency.

After all, in this atmosphere, as long as it wasn't too dangerous or large-scale smuggling, the Ministry seemed to turn a blind eye.

...

"You... how much... this?" Ino asked, word by word.

During his leisurely walk, he came across something interesting—a flying carpet he had always dreamed of.

The seller was a middle-aged wizard with a beard and a small cart. Judging by his sunken eyes and prominent nose, he seemed to be a wizard from the Middle East.

However, the man appeared very cautious. His cart was filled with cheap candies, and only a folded flying carpet hung on the side, looking like a mere decoration.

Perhaps he truly didn't speak English well, or maybe he didn't want to risk getting caught.

After hearing Ino's inquiry, the middle-aged wizard first held up five fingers but then reconsidered and changed it to four fingers and a fist.

Forty Galleons.

Ino finally understood why flying carpets were banned in England—their price was incomparable to flying brooms.

Flying carpets cost tens of Galleons, while flying brooms could cost hundreds, thousands, or even more. They weren't even in the same league.

If flying carpets entered the market, no one but Quidditch players would foolishly buy brooms.

After confirming the price, Ino didn't haggle. Given the current circumstances, he decisively counted out forty Galleons and handed them over.

A miraculous scene unfolded. The middle-aged wizard didn't take the money. Instead, he pointed to his cart and then walked three meters away.

"Haha! Okay, okay."

Ino was amused by the man's behavior. This kind of evasive tactic was something he learned anew.

No conversation, no touching money, and even the transaction was self-service. It seemed that this way, even if caught, the man would have endless excuses and reasons.

Although he found it unnecessary, Ino followed the man's instructions to complete the self-service transaction. His past experience as a fortune teller made him understand the difficulties of the lower class.

The transaction was completed smoothly.

After acquiring the flying carpet, he continued walking.

The flying carpet was an unexpected windfall, but his real intention for wandering was to observe the inertia of fate.

However.

Two hours later, near midnight.

Watching the camp filled with song and dance, Ino realized he had overthought things.

There were no riots, no Death Eater attacks—only excitement and joy.

Such a result was unexpected, yet upon reflection, it made sense.

Dumbledore's final appearance acted like a weight on the scale, making any attempt to tip it futile.

The 422nd Quidditch World Cup hosted in England concluded perfectly.

...

The first light of dawn gently rose from the east.

Last night's Quidditch World Cup was like a brief interlude, and after this short episode, a peaceful life was about to resume.

In the Black family's tent.

Under Mrs. Weasley's care, the whole family, including Harry and Sirius, sat around the dining table enjoying a delicious breakfast.

At this moment, an inappropriate voice came from outside the tent.

"They're truly mad! The entire Daily Prophet has gone mad." Arthur shook his head as he entered the tent.

"Is it that reporter named Rita again?" Mrs. Weasley took over the conversation. "Who knows how she gets those secret stories."

"This time, it's not a secret story but sheer madness," Arthur sighed helplessly.

Their conversation caught the attention of everyone at the table.

Sirius immediately stood up and grabbed the newspaper Arthur brought back.

"Pfft... hahaha. They don't consider Dumbledore's age and dare to joke about such absurd things..."

Sirius chuckled and then spread the newspaper on the table.

Now everyone saw the contents of the newspaper.

Ron couldn't help but read aloud: "Dumbledore's Illegitimate Child Left in the Muggle World... Merlin!"

The bold black headline was accompanied by a high-resolution photo of Dumbledore standing on a terrace with Ino holding a phoenix beside him.

The photo was cleverly angled, creating an illusion of similarity between the two.

As Ron read out the headline, everyone at the table was stunned.

Mrs. Weasley put down her utensils and picked up the newspaper.

'... The same phoenix and outstanding student days make us question the relationship between them...'

"Madness!" Mrs. Weasley gave a concise and powerful evaluation as she put down the newspaper.

"Not just madness, sheer absurdity," Sirius nodded in agreement. "They don't consider the age gap. If they're going to slander someone, they should choose Snape as the illegitimate child. At least they're both Slytherins."

"Sirius!" Mrs. Weasley put down the newspaper, visibly angry.

Perhaps due to the care during his time in Azkaban or the age difference, Sirius respected Mrs. Weasley a lot.

Seeing her anger, he immediately showed a strong survival instinct.

"Haha, I was just talking nonsense! It's all that reporter Rita's fault, always writing such ridiculous reports..."

"That reporter will get her comeuppance sooner or later!" Arthur said firmly from the table.

Unlike the others chatting, Harry stared thoughtfully at the photo.

From their recent interactions, he truly felt that Ino and Professor Dumbledore had similarities.

Though he didn't believe in such absurd rumors about an illegitimate child, the feeling both gave him was indeed similar—the most noticeable being a sense of security.

Especially before learning Occlumency, during the period when he had nightmares and headaches.

It was as if the ailment had its own consciousness. As long as he was near either of them, the symptoms would greatly alleviate or even disappear.