Chapter 264: Taking Draco to the Burrow

After Fawkes left, the cottage welcomed new guests in the evening.

At the dining table, Draco poked the owl in front of him. He had never seen such an old and nearly lifeless owl before.

"It's still alive, just too old! It should be enjoying its retirement in the owlery rather than delivering letters."

"I agree with that!" Ino nodded in agreement.

When it came to identifiable pets, across the entire British Isles, only the Weasley family's owl, Errol, could barely compete with Fawkes.

After providing the elderly owl with water and food, Ino saw the letter from the twins.

"Draco, I might have to leave tomorrow to visit the Weasleys at the Burrow."

"Weasleys? Are you crazy!" Draco stood up reflexively, but after a brief moment of shock, he sat back down quietly.

"Their family is alright, I guess. At least the twins aren't too annoying."

"Hahaha, right!" Ino laughed along.

"Do you want to come along? Don't worry! With me there, you won't be targeted."

He had considered this invitation carefully. The grudges of the previous generation didn't need to be carried on to the next.

Besides, if you trace it back, both the Malfoys and the Weasleys are pure-blood families. Several generations back, they would inevitably have some marital connections, not to mention the connection between the two family matriarchs, Prewett and Black.

Thinking of Prewett, Ino also thought of another Prewett lady, Mia Prewett, Hermione's mother in Manchester, London.

Although Hermione was born to Muggle parents, her father was named Granger, and her mother was a Prewett, which might partly explain Hermione's talent in Potions.

In the original story, a second-year student daring to brew Polyjuice Potion was not unheard of, but it was definitely rare.

Meanwhile, Draco hesitated after hearing the invitation.

Compared to the simple-minded Goyle and Crabbe, he genuinely felt joy during the times he spent with the twins making stories.

Seeing this, Ino immediately made the decision for Draco.

"Alright, you're coming with me tomorrow. We'll discuss the movie mirror and try to get it into all the shops in Diagon Alley before the World Cup."

...

While Ino made his decision, in a three-story villa in Manchester, London, Hermione received a letter from Snape.

Upon opening the envelope, she found not only the answers to her previous questions but also a finely crafted ticket.

"The Quidditch World Cup!" Hermione gasped quietly.

Despite living in a Muggle community, she subscribed to the Daily Prophet, so she was well aware of this major event sweeping the wizarding world in August.

"A box seat!"

While she was pondering over the single ticket, the number on the back made her cover her mouth in surprise and softly read it out loud.

"A-23 box, the ticket holder may invite up to 7 people to enter the venue."

Although she didn't understand the specific meaning of the number, the explanatory text was clear enough: one ticket for up to seven people.

Comparing it to a Muggle celebrity concert, Hermione instantly grasped the value of the ticket but then had a new question.

"I'm not even in Slytherin..."

Hermione carefully tucked the ticket into her textbook and then looked at the contents of the letter.

The complex professional terms of Potions, the advanced knowledge, and the various imaginative brewing methods...

Soon, Hermione set aside her previous doubts.

...

At the end of June, it was midsummer in England.

The temperature had soared to 35 degrees, so many people avoided going out during the midday heat.

Even wizards were no exception.

The next morning, with the help of the Malfoy family house-elf, Ino and Draco had breakfast and then connected to the Burrow via the Floo Network.

Since there was an extra person, Ino had written a letter the previous night to inform George and Fred. This was not only a matter of politeness but also to avoid any potential trouble.

At eight in the morning, after breakfast, Ino grabbed a bag of packaged candies and walked to the fireplace.

"The Burrow!"

As the Floo Powder scattered, green flames rose.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a somewhat cluttered room, with several people inside.

Mrs. Weasley was at the center, smiling George and Fred, a shy Ginny, and... Ron, whose expression was unreadable.

"Dear, welcome! I've wanted to invite you for a long time, but you know, with our family's reputation in Slytherin, I didn't want to cause you any trouble..."

Mrs. Weasley began with an apology, explaining the situation.

She wasn't lying. After discovering Ginny's diary was a relic of Voldemort, she had always wanted to find an opportunity to thank Ino.

But because of a letter from Bill, they reluctantly dismissed the idea. The gratitude had to be remembered and repaid later, but it couldn't bring trouble to the other party, especially while he was still studying in Slytherin.

As Mrs. Weasley's thoughts raced, the fireplace once again flared with green flames.

Draco, with his platinum blonde hair, stepped into the Burrow for the first time.

"Welcome, my child!" Mrs. Weasley said warmly.

"Don't be shy, make yourself at home! Adult matters don't concern you; you kids go and play. I'll make you some sweets."

With that, Mrs. Weasley headed to the kitchen, clearly giving the children some space to interact.

With Mrs. Weasley's departure, the atmosphere in the room relaxed considerably.

"Let's go upstairs. There are things here that aren't convenient to show, and we don't want the Daily Prophet's special correspondents hearing about them."

George spoke, and as he mentioned special correspondents, his eyes naturally drifted towards Ron.

"Indeed, his story-making ability is even better than that crazy woman Rita Skeeter."

Fred picked up the topic without mercy.

Faced with the twins' teasing, Ron's face turned red.

He glanced cautiously at the kitchen, seemingly seeing something, and then walked out to the yard, deflated.

At the same time, the twins had already pulled Draco upstairs.

Seeing this, Ino didn't hurry to follow. Instead, he handed the bag of candies to Ginny.

He admired this brave girl from the story.

When deciding to do something, while everyone else asked Harry why, only Ginny would think about how to do it.

Such a pure and courageous girl was really hard not to like.