บท 140: Chapter 140: Valentine's Day Gift
February 14, 1993, Valentine's Day.
In the early morning, after confirming he had no classes, Ino left his dorm room, suitcase in hand, just like any other day.
He planned to have breakfast in the Great Hall and then head to the Black Lake for some fishing.
Although Acromantulas, like all spiders, could endure hunger, they needed a steady supply of various meats to grow properly. Ino made it a point to carry his suitcase everywhere, even to class, since these seemingly obedient little creatures were still classified as a 5X dangerous species.
Even though they were still spiderlings, their venom was potent. Ino didn't want to follow in Hagrid's footsteps and become another student expelled in fifty years.
...
Lost in thought, Ino arrived at the Great Hall.
Though there was no longer the spectacle of Lockhart, the hall was still decorated for the occasion, with blooming roses adorning the walls.
Taking in the festive decorations, Ino chuckled softly as he sat at the Slytherin table. A light tap on the table and an English breakfast appeared before him.
During breakfast time, all it took was a tap on the table for the house-elves in the kitchen to deliver a standard meal. Whatever the kitchen prepared was what you got, except for Hufflepuff, who could order directly from the kitchen.
Eyeing his sandwich and pumpkin porridge, Ino began to eat, placing his wand on the table within easy reach, just in case. Last year, he had almost gotten into trouble due to a lack of vigilance.
At 8 AM, numerous owls swooped into the Great Hall, as if on cue.
The owls circled overhead, searching for their recipients. Upon spotting their targets, they would fly to them and drop their deliveries.
In no time, a large number of owls had found their destinations, with most heading towards the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
Seeing a wave of owls flying towards Slytherin, Ino quickly put down his sandwich, grabbed his wand, and cast the Levitation Charm.
Even after casting the spell, he kept his wand raised, ready to use it again. This was a technique he had found in the library: holding the wand and focusing allowed for multiple objects to be levitated in quick succession.
Like playing a shooting game, Ino pointed his wand at various parcels and letters, making them float gently in the air.
Meanwhile, at the Hufflepuff table, Cedric Diggory used a different approach. A web of Devil's Snare appeared, its tendrils wrapping around the packages and letters.
Seeing this, Ino couldn't help but admire Cedric's Transfiguration skills, always so precise and steady.
They exchanged a brief, rueful smile before leaving the hall with their piles of packages.
...
Back in the Slytherin dormitory, Ino had just put down his packages when Draco entered.
"Hey! I counted, there are 32 of them!" Draco teased.
Without turning, Ino replied, "You have a lot of time on your hands. How about you get Goyle in here? We can't finish all these sweets, and it'd be a shame to let them go to waste."
"Sure, I'll go get him!" Draco left quickly, used to Ino's preference for sharing with Goyle.
He couldn't understand why Ino favored the simple-minded Goyle so much.
With the dormitory door closed, Ino began opening his packages.
On Valentine's Day, all the packages contained nothing but chocolate.
A stack of two-inch-thick postcards went into an unused cabinet. Though he had no time to read the sappy messages, he respected the effort people had put into writing them.
Looking at the mountain of chocolate on his table, Ino drew his wand.
"Specialis Revelio!"
Seconds later, pink glows began to appear among the pile of sweets.
"... Sixteen of them. You've outdone yourselves," Ino muttered.
Feeling exasperated, he considered taking the tainted chocolates to the Auror office. Unlike others who found additives in normal chocolates, he had to find normal ones among the spiked ones.
Of the thirty packages, over half had been tampered with.
He was tempted to expose the pranksters, but he knew nothing would come of it. Anonymity made it hard to find the culprits, and even if they were caught, the punishment for students was usually just a warning.
Only after graduating did one face the harsh realities of life.
...
At the same time, a small discussion was taking place in the Slytherin second-year girls' dormitory.
Daphne lay on her bed, teasing Pansy.
"Are you really going to just watch? You're not even using the love potion I gave you! You must have heard the rumors, right? That Muggle-born girl in Gryffindor had a crystal ball showing Hogwarts Castle!"
Seeing Pansy's unbothered look, Daphne continued, "And Ino visited her house during the holidays. That's the only place besides Malfoy Manor he's visited. I don't care, but some silly girl might cry in her bed..."
Before Daphne could finish, Pansy pounced on her bed.
"Hey! Why are you attacking me? Go after the person who upset you..."
After some playful wrestling, Daphne asked seriously, "Are you really going to do nothing?"
"What can I do? Use the Imperius Curse or a love potion?" Pansy rolled her eyes at Daphne's childishness.
"I'm talking about that Gryffindor Mudblood..." Daphne whispered.
"Stop it! That won't work. Ino's not stupid, and I don't think I'll lose to her. There's plenty of time."
Lying on Daphne's bed, Pansy stared at the ceiling.
After a while, she turned over and whispered in Daphne's ear, "Don't forget, this is Hogwarts."
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