章 36: Chapter 36: The Fantasy World, A New Journey
Time is like an invisible river, pushing people's lives forward.
Unknowingly, a whole month had passed since Halloween.
Perhaps people are always prone to novelty.
The troll incident, which had caused quite a stir, had now gradually faded away with time, not even meriting mention in casual conversations anymore.
...
In December, Hogwarts finally saw its first snowfall.
The cold blanketed the entire castle, and this sudden drop in temperature made everyone reluctant to go outside.
The usually bustling corridors and the lively Quidditch pitch were now deserted and silent.
Compared to the harsh cold outside, the young wizards preferred to stay in the warm common rooms, sipping tea and chatting.
In Gryffindor.
In the common room, Harry was frowning at the wizard's chess in front of him. He had already lost four games to Ron.
This current game also looked precarious, as his king was already trembling.
In contrast, Ron appeared quite relaxed, with an air of nonchalance. He was playing chess while also keeping his ears open, gathering information he found interesting.
"Mate, look! She's gone out again. Parvati says she's dating someone, apparently a Hufflepuff, but some say it's a Slytherin. If you ask me, she..."
"Enough, Ron! Stop talking about Hermione behind her back," Harry said, frustrated.
After the troll incident, the three had become friends.
But what Harry couldn't understand was why Ron was always at odds with Hermione.
Although Ron didn't say anything to her face now, he often made snide comments in private.
"I'm not bad-mouthing her!"
Ron was indifferent but didn't continue the topic. Instead, he brought up a new one.
"By the way, do you think in this cold weather, Hagrid's... um, will it freeze to death?"
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle.
After leaving the dormitory, Hermione headed straight for the library on the second floor. She was fed up with her roommates' gossip and idle talk.
A few girls sitting together never ran out of topics.
Just now, they even discussed whether to choose Ino or Cedric from Hufflepuff as their boyfriend, as if the two boys were right in front of them, holding flowers and proposing.
"Really don't know what kind of madness that is!"
In the corridor, the more Hermione thought about it, the angrier she got, as if an inexplicable fire was burning inside her.
...
From the Gryffindor common room to the library, the distance wasn't far.
But that was only if you were familiar with the moving staircases' patterns; otherwise, you could spend half a day going in circles on the same floor.
But none of this was a problem for Hermione, whose exceptional memory allowed her to understand all the staircases' patterns within a week of starting school.
In just over ten minutes, Hermione found herself in the library's hall.
She glanced around, her eyes full of anticipation, and then she saw a familiar figure in a familiar spot, a small smile forming on her lips.
Just like a few months ago during the summer break, when they met at the elementary school gate.
"Phew! I thought with the cold, you might not come," Hermione whispered as she sat down.
"How could I not! Since I received the note you left, I wouldn't miss it," Ino replied, also keeping his voice low.
After all, they were in the library, and not controlling their volume was unacceptable.
Even though he had maxed out Madam Pince's favorability, it only granted him the privilege of quietly chatting without disturbing others.
Words spoken without much thought were taken to heart by the listener.
Ino's casual response somehow took on a different meaning.
Hermione's cheeks flushed instantly, feeling wrapped in an inexplicable atmosphere.
Even in her breathing, she seemed to catch a scent that made her heart race, akin to the freshly cut grass and the refreshing aroma of mint toothpaste.
...
"Hey! Stop daydreaming!"
Seeing Hermione suddenly fall into a strange state, Ino couldn't help but interrupt:
"Tell me, why did you want to see me? Want a fortune-telling or to hear a story?"
"Can't I just have other reasons to see you..." Hermione whispered.
"Of course you can, but I should at least ask first."
Seeing that it wasn't business, Ino didn't mind. He had long given up on making money from these activities; now, whether it was fortune-telling or storytelling, it was more about enjoying the process.
"Ino, do you know someone named Nicholas? Nicholas Flamel..."
...
Time flew by.
In the evening, in the Slytherin dormitory.
Ino opened his Undetectable Extension Charm suitcase, placing various cheeses, dried meats, and other easy-to-preserve foods he had obtained from the kitchen, along with his accordion, wool blanket, and several magic books.
The reason for all this was that during the afternoon's chat in the library, he had felt a familiar thrill.
Clearly, after more than five months, the opportunity to enter the Fantasy world had come again.
Although this time, the interval had indeed been quite long.
But he couldn't care about that now. After telling Hermione he had an urgent matter, he hurriedly left the library and began preparing various supplies.
After a bit of rushing about.
Seeing that everything was packed and in place, Ino drew the thick bed curtains, sitting quietly on the edge of the bed, waiting.
...
One second, or even less.
In the blink of an eye, Ino found himself transported from the warm dormitory to the path he had left the town on before.
Looking back, the small town where he had lived for a month had long vanished, replaced by a misty, endless expanse.
Having experienced this numerous times, he was used to such scenes.
Even if he had just stepped out of the town, turning around next time, it would still be difficult to return to the same place.
Reflecting, life itself is a journey with no way back, only a path forward.
...
After a brief adjustment, Ino stood up, adjusted the wand in his sleeve, picked up his suitcase, and began walking along the quiet path.
What lay at the end of the path? Mountains. And beyond the mountains? More mountains. This wasn't a joke but a fact...
He walked for seven days, enduring the elements for seven days.
Facing endless mountain ranges, he was even more determined to buy a flying carpet during the summer break and thought of the pinnacle of Transfiguration—Animagus.
He didn't wish for something grand like an eagle or a raven; even a flying beetle would spare him this suffering.
While initially, he could still hunt some forest bounty to slightly improve his diet.
But since yesterday, everywhere he looked was a snowy expanse. Not a single animal, not even a green plant, was in sight.
Only white, and more white, as if he were in a world of ice and snow.
...
The journey continued.
It was unclear how much time had passed, but Eno finally saw a different scene.
"Hmm? Modern civilization?"
A street lamp stood in the distance, like some sort of marker, appearing suddenly.
This sight filled him with a sense of vague familiarity, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
However, before he could think further, he was drawn by the sound of footsteps approaching—tap, tap, tap.
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