Chapter 222: Returning to School and Snape's Peculiarity

Ever since buying a house in Hogsmeade, Ino has always found a sense of belonging, whether it's during Christmas or New Year's. Even though he lives alone, he no longer feels like a rootless wanderer.

Sitting quietly by the window on the second floor, he listens to the faint noise from the main commercial street. Smoke rises gently from the chimneys of the surrounding houses.

Life, perhaps, is just like this.

1993 has quietly passed amidst this mundane life. Throughout the year, whether they are young wizards in the castle or residents of Hogsmeade, everyone has been living their own stories.

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The fifteen days of the Christmas holiday passed suddenly. On the day of returning to school, Ino packed all his belongings and set off alone for the castle.

The second half of the school year would probably be busy. But before the busy period begins, there are some things he needs to handle in advance, such as Slytherin's relics.

Using a bronze oil lamp, he copied all the hidden information from the locket. He didn't plan to keep this item. Since he promised to hand it over to Snape, he intended to keep his word. Besides, no one is more qualified to possess this purified locket than Snape.

Provided that Snape remains the head of Slytherin, as this isn't a personal handover. If Snape ceases to be the head, then this locket will naturally no longer concern him.

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The train might always be late. When Ino returned to the common room in the afternoon, he found only a few people there, mostly students who had stayed over the holidays. Though they were not very familiar with each other, he responded politely to their enthusiastic greetings.

After briefly organizing his dormitory and changing into his standard robes, he headed to Snape's office.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The door to the Potions office opened automatically. Walking into the room, Ino didn't exchange many pleasantries. He took out the locket from his pocket and placed it on the desk.

"Professor, I believe this should be given to you," Ino explained quietly.

"The Slytherin locket! The item Regulus sacrificed himself to protect. Now it has been purified."

He didn't mention the Dark Lord. Knowing the whole story, mentioning the Dark Lord in front of Snape felt inappropriate.

Snape didn't respond immediately. Instead, he took out his wand and gently touched the locket, carefully inspecting it before succinctly stating, "Leave it. It belongs to Slytherin."

Hearing this double-edged explanation, Ino smiled silently.

"Yes, Professor. It belongs to Slytherin."

Talking with a smart person is indeed easy. Some things don't need much explanation; simple communication can convey a lot.

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now. Goodbye, Professor!"

After finishing his business, Ino left. Snape was never a talkative person. However, just as Ino turned to leave, Snape's voice came from behind him.

"Some items, like a two-way mirror, can develop problems if left for too long. I mean, if any of your alchemical items malfunction, you can come to me."

Snape's tone was very slow, as if choosing his words carefully or trying to conceal something.

"A two-way mirror?" Ino looked at his head of house in surprise. Why did Snape suddenly bring up a two-way mirror?

"You don't have one?" Snape's expression turned more surprised, even losing the deliberate calm in his voice.

"Should I have one?" Ino felt puzzled. If not for the faint familiarity, he would have wanted to use a lamp to examine Snape.

"You don't…" Snape scrutinized the student in front of him. Confirming that Ino wasn't lying, he asked in an odd tone, "Tell me what you did during the Christmas holidays, who you met, and what you did."

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"Bang!"

The door closed with a bang. Ino left the Potions office with a strange expression.

"Hermione…"

From the brief conversation, he had roughly guessed the situation. In the overall story, Snape always had a cold persona, never caring about students' holiday affairs. Even with Harry, Snape would show concern in his own way, like waiting outside the castle alone or offering special attention in class.

But now, this cold professor asked about Ino's holiday activities, especially reacting when Hermione left, showing a hint of irritability.

Alright, nobody is a fool. Hermione's holiday letters, Snape mentioning the two-way mirror, and the fact that it's left for too long—even linking Gryffindor and Slytherin...

When all these known pieces of information come together, the answer is quite clear.

"The flower that didn't bloom in the last generation, hoping for fruit in the next..."

Walking slowly in the castle's underground corridor, Ino pondered about Hermione. It wasn't a big deal, but before Regulus's funeral, he had just discussed divination and destiny with Dumbledore. Within a week, all these things coincidentally aligned.

Considering the thoughts at Davis's shop about new media, the two-way mirror, and the Mirror of Erised, and then returning to school only to have Snape mention Hermione possessing a pair of two-way mirrors…

When all coincidences align perfectly, it's time to question whether they are truly coincidences.

---

With thoughts in his mind, Ino returned to the Slytherin common room. Unlike the quiet before, the common room was now bustling with the arrival of the returning students.

After all, Slytherins' coldness is reserved for other houses, specifically Gryffindors. In their own space, the Slytherin students shed their usual facades.

"Ino!" Draco approached as soon as he saw someone enter the common room.

"You have to help me! Someone just said Scarhead got a Firebolt."

"A Firebolt?" Ino raised an eyebrow in surprise.

This seemed like another piece of evidence—things belong where they should. Harry still got his new broomstick in the third year.

"Yes! A Firebolt! So, you have to help me." Draco looked indignant.

It's just an inter-house match, but Harry got a broomstick beyond professional league standards. At this moment, Draco completely forgot about buying a bunch of Nimbus 2001s last year.

"How can I help you? Should we corner Harry and beat him up?" Ino felt helpless. How could he help with this? He didn't even play Quidditch.

"Corner Scarhead and beat him up?" Draco's eyes lit up suddenly.

"I was joking! Do you really want to beat someone up? Are you crazy?" Seeing Draco's expression, Ino quickly clarified.

"Then we won't beat him up." After a brief contemplation, Draco shook his head in frustration.

"But before this year's House Cup, you need to perform. I mean, the cheerleading team!"

At this moment, Draco's expression was unusually serious, confidently laying out his plan:

"We need to crush Scarhead with our spirit! Crush the Weasley! Crush Gryffindor!"

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