Harry Potter: The Bard of Hogwarts

Nighttime.

After finishing the public screening work in the common room, Draco struggled to carry the mirror back to his dormitory.

He greatly disapproved of Ino's attitude. Such a precious alchemical tool should not be so casually placed in the castle hall or the common room.

If it were to be damaged, it would be impossible to find the culprit. Moreover, he had noticed from the start that the Weasley were particularly interested in the mirror, not just Harry Potter's followers, but also those two fifth-year twins.

This discovery made Draco even more uneasy. He not only personally moved the mirror in and out every day but also arranged for Goyle and Crabbe to take turns keeping watch.

Though Ino was carefree and didn't seem to care, as a friend, Draco felt obligated to do his part.

But today, something seemed different.

After returning to the dormitory with the mirror, he noticed that Ino was looking at him intently.

"Is something wrong? Although I retrieved the mirror from the hall half an hour earlier today, not many people have been watching it lately," Draco said, somewhat evasively.

"Nothing's wrong! I just realized that you're quite suited for these tasks..." Ino paused, unable to think of a suitable compliment immediately.

"I like to highlight Slytherin's glory!" Draco helpfully added.

"That's great!" Ino nodded approvingly. Highlighting Slytherin's glory was a high compliment.

"Draco, there's now something even more... even more glorious. Are you interested?" Ino asked.

"For example?" Draco asked indifferently, though his eyes betrayed his interest.

Ino chose to ignore Draco's pride and explained:

"For example, you could write and shoot a story, replacing Tom and Jerry with real people..."

Ino tried to describe the responsibilities of filming and directing in simple, easily understandable terms for wizards.

As Ino's description grew deeper, Draco's eyes shone with unprecedented brilliance.

It was as if he was rediscovering himself and finding his mission.

...

After explaining the director's duties, Ino suddenly found that he now had a Malfoy-brand follower who carried a sketch notebook at all times.

Every day, Draco sought opportunities to ask questions about angles, lighting, sets, and more.

At first, Ino could brush him off, but as Draco's questions became more professional, Ino started to feel overwhelmed.

He thought his days would continue in this interesting yet mundane manner.

But a sudden letter disrupted his orderly life.

"Ino, what did my father say?" Draco asked curiously.

"The procedures have been completed! I'll need to leave Hogwarts for a while," Ino said, putting down the letter and not hiding its contents.

The spider farm he had planned two months ago had finally received legal approval thanks to Lucius.

The dragon farm was located on Brijuni Island in Croatia. Although Brijuni Island was once famous on the international stage, it was actually made up of more than ten small islands.

There were 14 islands on the Muggle map of Brijuni, but on the wizarding map, there were always 15.

The extra island was protected by a Muggle-Repelling Charm and served as the dragon farm.

...

At the same time, upon hearing that the approval had come through, Draco seemed less interested.

He now had new pursuits, and the once-coveted Firebolt no longer seemed as important.

"How long will you be gone? I haven't learned how to do a transition shot yet," Draco said reluctantly.

"A month, or a few months. I'll try to be as quick as possible," Ino hesitated for a while before answering.

He truly didn't know how long he would be gone, but one thing was certain: the time wouldn't be short.

As the world's first acromantula breeding farm, many things needed to be figured out.

The breeding environment, venom collection process, and even the proper feeding schedule had to be established.

Only when everything was on track could Ino comfortably step back and await the annual dividends.

While he was contemplating, Draco uncharacteristically spoke up:

"Ino, why don't we just give up? Let's focus on filming instead. There's no need to waste time on this."

"Give up?" Faced with such an immature suggestion, Ino wanted to record it with the mirror and show it to Lucius to see his son's performance.

"Do you know how much effort your father has put into this? It's not just the permit from the Croatian Ministry of Magic. The new industry will inevitably face many envious competitors."

"I was just saying it casually." Draco turned his head guiltily upon hearing about the great effort involved.

Seeing Draco's rashness, Ino decided to say a few words. After all, the second semester was ending, and Draco was already fifteen. In the Middle Ages, he might have had a child or two by now.

"Draco, if possible, never speak of giving up lightly again. It's fine for us to say it in our dorm, but if Uncle Lucius hears it, he'll be very disappointed."

Ino spoke seriously, but then he changed his tone:

"As for filming, I'll leave two new mirrors behind. You can experiment as much as you like."

Combining reprimands with rewards is always effective and is the best way to educate.

Draco's previously gloomy expression brightened.

"Leave it to me! You'll see some interesting stories when you return."

"Yes, and I won't give up on the acromantulas either. I'll stay there during the summer. After all, it's our business."

Draco spoke confidently.

Seeing such vitality and confidence, Ino smiled and nodded.

However, there was one thing he hadn't noticed: his daily behavior was increasingly resembling Dumbledore.

It was the kind of genuine satisfaction that came from watching others grow.

...

On the first weekend after receiving Lucius' letter, Ino rushed to Hogsmeade early in the morning and opened the fireplace at home for one-way communication.

After doing all this, he leaned back on the living room sofa and waited patiently.

Everything had gone smoothly, thanks entirely to the green light from his head of house.

He still remembered Snape's expression change when he went to his office to ask for leave.

At first, Snape was silent, but when he heard it was to make money, he unexpectedly approved and even spoke about the importance of money for family life.

Although it felt like Snape's character had collapsed, Ino was very grateful to him.

As the head of Slytherin, Snape had every right to refuse the leave request. After all, it wasn't a legitimate reason, and being refused would have been more reasonable.

However, Snape not only agreed but also offered to help if needed.

"It feels like I owe more and more favors..."

Staring at the orange flames in the fireplace, Ino pondered how to find an opportunity to repay Snape.