Chapter 53: Chapter 53: The Second Divination at Hogwarts
Looking at the ice-blue lilies in front of her, Hermione, unusually for her, was momentarily hesitant.
With her hands lightly clasped behind her back, her head bowed, and her lips gently bitten as if deep in thought, or perhaps to hide her nervousness, she unconsciously kicked at the toe of her shoe.
In short, she didn't reach out to touch the bouquet for a long time.
Seeing this, Ino couldn't help but laugh inwardly at Hermione's shy side, while also reflecting on his own actions.
After confirming once again that the flowers in front of him were lilies and not roses, he decisively took Hermione's hand and placed the bouquet in it.
"Take it! It's made of ice, so I suggest you use the Levitation Charm to carry it back. If you put it outside your window, it should bloom for an entire winter."
"Alright, I need to visit Malfoy now. See you later!"
With that, Ino headed towards the hospital wing.
As he passed Harry, he nodded in greeting, but was met with the same difficult smile.
…
In the hospital wing.
Seeing Malfoy wrapped up like a mummy, Ino felt a pang of guilt.
When Malfoy turned his head at the noise and saw Ino, he immediately broke into a bright smile.
Of course, his face was wrapped up, but from the curve of his mouth, it was clear that this was a genuine smile.
However, when he turned his gaze and saw the ice-blue lilies…
Malfoy's smile gradually faded, and he even shivered involuntarily.
"Sorry, Draco." Ino quickly dispelled the magic on the lilies.
At that moment, he realized how foolish he had been. Clearly, Malfoy had been frostbitten, and yet he brought ice flowers—essentially a second fright.
"I'm fine!" Seeing the ice flowers disappear, Malfoy put on an indifferent face but then hesitantly said, "But honestly, next time you practice magic in the dorm, could you let me know in advance?"
"There won't be a next time. I won't practice magic in the dorm anymore, and Professor Snape has also had a talk with me. You can rest easy now." Ino said firmly.
Upon hearing this promise, Malfoy visibly relaxed, but then seemed to remember something and asked worriedly:
"Professor Snape? He didn't give you a hard time, did he? If needed, I can write to my father."
Although Malfoy's cheeks were wrapped in bandages, his haughty demeanor was unmistakable.
However, no matter how arrogant he was, it was impossible to dislike him.
Seriously, put yourself in his shoes. A person ends up in the hospital because of him, yet even lying in bed, this person is still thinking of him, without a trace of concern about why he ended up in the hospital.
How could anyone dislike such a person?
Ino felt the same way; at that moment, he truly accepted Malfoy.
"Don't worry, Professor Snape didn't give me a hard time. He just told me not to practice magic in the dorm."
Time passed, and the two of them chatted idly, just like they used to in the dorm.
After about a quarter of an hour, Madam Pomfrey came to the ward to remove Malfoy's bandages, and Ino was ushered out.
…
Leaving the ward, Ino saw Hermione and Harry in the corridor again, but this time Harry had an expression as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
"Why are you still here?"
Ino asked Hermione curiously, ignoring Harry.
For Hermione's sake, he had extended goodwill twice, but Harry had only reluctantly responded both times.
Sorry! There won't be a third time. He wasn't the bedridden Malfoy and had no special fondness for this.
"We need to talk to you!" Hermione gave Harry a look of frustration before saying, "It's him! He wants you to do a divination. What do you think?"
Seeing himself pushed forward, Harry finally stammered, "Hi, I heard from Hermione that your divination is very accurate. I was wondering if you could…"
Seeing Harry stumble over his words like Professor Quirrell, Ino interrupted him.
"Although I focus on storytelling now, Hermione is a former client, so I have to consider her feelings."
At this, Ino paused deliberately, and Hermione lifted her chin proudly, looking pleased.
"So, Mr. Potter! I can do a divination for you, but you'll need to pay 5 Sickles each time."
5 Sickles! This price was something he had thought about and decided, not because Harry was wealthy or for other subjective reasons.
Back in his Muggle primary school, Ino had charged one pound per divination.
Every 5 pounds was roughly equivalent to 1 Galleon, so 1 pound was about 20% of a Galleon, which translates to roughly 5 Sickles.
There might be some discrepancy, but not much, given the wizarding world's quirky number systems—either 17 or 29.
On the other side, upon hearing the clear reply, Harry immediately agreed.
"Of course! I'll pay the fee! I'll pay now."
With that, Harry began fumbling through his pockets. Perhaps proving the old saying true, the more he hurried, the harder it was to find any Sickles.
In the end, Harry could only stand there pitifully with a handful of coins.
This scene made Ino chuckle.
Although he hadn't seen Harry buying candies on the train, he imagined it wasn't much different from the current situation.
Then, Ino casually picked a Galleon from Harry's pile of money and said:
"I'll give you change, deducting 12 Sickles! But now we need a quiet place to start the divination."
…
In a deserted classroom in the castle, desks and chairs were haphazardly piled in the dark corners.
In this seemingly forgotten classroom, Ino, Harry, and Hermione sat in the center, forming a small circle.
"Mr. Potter, you can tell me what you want to divine now." Ino asked, playing with a die.
"The content…" Harry started to stammer again, seeming very hesitant.
Seeing this, Hermione quickly seized the opportunity and said decisively:
"Hagrid is secretly raising a dragon, and we want to divine whether Hagrid will be punished for this."
After speaking, Hermione looked at Harry, exasperated, "Are you still trying to hide it? Malfoy has already seen the dragon clearly. What's the point of hiding now?"
"You're right, I shouldn't hesitate." Harry nodded belatedly.
Ino didn't pay attention to their interaction. Even though he knew the answer, he still chose to divine for them since he had taken their money.
After silently repeating the divination content several times, he casually tossed the die in his palm.
The die spun on the table and finally stopped with one face up.
'5'
Seeing this number, Ino put away the die and told Harry and Hermione: "The divination result is out. Regarding the matter of secretly raising a dragon, Hagrid will not be implicated or punished."
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