Harry Potter: The Bard of Hogwarts

Brioni Island, Croatia

In 1992, with the formal dissolution of Yugoslavia, several republics including Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia declared independence.

Brioni Island became renowned on the international political stage because the former Yugoslav Prime Minister, Josip Broz Tito, spent his later years there.

Of course, this is Brioni Island from a Muggle perspective.

120 nautical miles away from the main island, there's another large and remote island.

Ancient trees tower over the island, and lush green grass blankets the ground, giving one the feeling of being in a primeval forest.

…

On the outskirts of the island, a blue glow flickered momentarily.

Two figures suddenly appeared on the island.

"Uncle Lucius, even though it's a bit late to say this, I still think you didn't have to come," Ino said, looking at Lucius, who still had lingering fear.

This fear was caused by Fide. Originally, this international trip should have been made using a Portkey.

However, Lucius, for some reason, insisted on not applying for a Portkey, arguing that with a phoenix, there was no need for one.

Whether it was an old desire or some sort of obsession, Ino detailed why Fide wasn't convenient for bringing people along, but it was to no avail.

Reluctantly, Ino had to go along with it.

In fact, Lucius was genuinely terrified. Fide had only given him a curious glance, which made Lucius completely lose his composure, making him too scared to meet Fide's gaze again.

Ino thought he would be making this trip alone, but unexpectedly, after a short rest, Lucius regained his composure and insisted on coming along.

Despite his confident words.

The moment he grabbed Fide's tail feathers, Lucius regretted his decision.

The cold, black eyes, the intense magic power emanating pure hatred, reminded him of a similarly ruthless figure from fifteen years ago.

But fortunately, that was all in the past.

Standing by the island's edge, after a brief rest, Lucius struggled to his feet:

"It's okay, I'm feeling much better! You're Draco's friend; I can't let you handle this alone."

Lucius took out his wand, and orange magical symbols converged to form a complex magical emblem, which slowly floated into the sky.

…

Brioni Island

By the coast, Ino quietly looked up and saw several figures on broomsticks appearing on the horizon.

A few minutes later, as the figures landed, three burly men approached, the leading middle-aged man already wearing a broad smile from a distance.

"Honorable Mr. Malfoy! It's been a long time since I've seen you in person. You can't imagine how happy I was to receive your letter."

"Long time no see, Dren," Lucius replied indifferently, then turned and said, "This is Mr. Swinburne! Our best friend of the Malfoy family!"

"The second wizard in the magical world to own a private phoenix, and a best-selling author!" The middle-aged man named Dren greeted warmly.

Some people are naturally suited for socializing, while others are only good at hard work.

But there's a third type of person who combines the advantages of both, being both adept at socializing and capable of getting things done.

In just a few minutes of conversation, Ino had already rated this dragon farm manager highly, giving him an 85 out of 100.

Not only did he speak well, but he also had a thorough understanding of the farm's operations.

From accurately reporting profitability to detailing the habits and breeding details of various dragons, and even knowing the character of the staff, he had answers to all questions.

"Dren, let's check out the site first!"

After a brief chat, Ino suggested the purpose of their visit.

"Of course, Mr. Swinburne!" Dren responded immediately, but his eyes turned to Lucius.

He never forgot that this dragon farm belonged to the Malfoys.

…

The group rode on flying broomsticks.

Ino now had a relative understanding of this hidden island, which was significantly large.

After flying for about ten minutes, they reached the island's center.

There, an open area was filled with various iron fences.

After landing, Dren pointed to the surrounding fences and said humbly:

"This is the place. After receiving the notice, I researched the characteristics of the Acromantula and took the liberty to set these up."

Ino smiled slightly at the sight of the regular iron fences. If Acromantulas were so easy to keep, their venom wouldn't be so expensive.

"Is it not suitable?" Seeing no response, Lucius asked softly.

"It's not that it's unsuitable, but it needs some improvements. Besides..." Halfway through his sentence, Ino suddenly stopped.

After a while, he looked strangely at a nearby, large enclosed room, which was at least ten meters high.

"What is that for?"

"It's the dragon blood collection area, and sometimes we slaughter old dragons there," Dren said cautiously.

From their meeting until now, he had figured out the primary and secondary roles; perhaps this young man would be the real controller of the dragon farm in the future.

"Blood collection and slaughter, huh?" Ino shook his head slightly.

"Let's go to the southern jungle first; that's the most suitable place for Acromantulas."

After a brief pause, he quickened his pace towards the other side of the island.

Although a bit surprised, the others didn't think much of it, especially Dren, who led the way quickly. He realized he had done something wrong and needed to make up for it.

When everyone's attention shifted, Ino pressed his fingers hard against his brow.

No one noticed that beneath his feet, his shadow, black and viscous like thick ink, was slowly fading.

In fact, as they passed the dragon slaughter area, he felt an extreme pleasure.

This feeling was all too familiar—it was the feedback from a Boggart after absorbing enough fear.

Upon learning the purpose of that room, he guessed the source of the fear—the dragons.

Both being 5X magical creatures, dragons were naturally stronger than Acromantulas, especially when it came to the fear of life and death. The surge of emotions almost made him lose control of the hidden Boggart.

This wasn't a trivial matter. If mishandled, everyone around him, including Lucius, would likely end up in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

After all, a Boggart that has absorbed extreme emotions and suddenly explodes with fear would have a devastating effect. Fainting would be the luckiest outcome.

At the last moment, he forcefully merged the Boggart into his shadow, narrowly avoiding a tragedy.