A Certain Magical Hogwarts
Chapter 519

The Bells of St Mark's Basilica Rang Out

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After leaving Professor Dumbledore, William walked out of St Mark's Basilica alone.

The clock tower not far away has completely caved in, revealing a deep pool.

William stood on the shore, looking down into the water.

The pond was teeming with fish, plump and dull-witted... clearly never caught, fish that hadn't been through the wringer.

William was prepared to arrest them all.

He wasn't really interested in whether or not to make fish soup; his main goal was to teach them a lesson.

Of course, this process takes place inside William's digestive tract.

William was a man of action; he took out his wand, but suddenly a cough came from behind him.

William turned his head and saw that it was Nymeria. She was holding a square wooden board in her hand.

The sign read: Fishing is prohibited. Violators will be fined 50,000!

"Is this any of your business?" William asked, puzzled.

The Pucey woman nodded and planted the wooden sign by the pool.

"Yes, on the surface I am an employee of the Ministry of Magic, but in reality I am a manager of St Mark's Square."

I'm holding Muggle nationally issued certificate.

Oh, so they're urban management officers.

"Therefore, fishing is prohibited here," Nymeria said seriously. "Also, feeding the pigeons is not allowed."

I heard from the minister that you and Miss Granger spent the afternoon feeding pigeons yesterday.

Fines will also be imposed because pigeons live long, can become pregnant, and cause serious damage to the environment of St Mark's Square.

William nodded; what Nymeria said did make sense.

But... with St Mark's Square already in this state, is there any room for further destruction?

"It's alright, I put contraceptive Potions in the food I feed the pigeons."

If you still think it's affecting the environment, I can help you catch some for free.

"..."

Nymeria took out two fishing nets and handed one to William.

William didn't stand on ceremony, and the two squatted down by the pool to catch fish.

William quickly found the fattest bighead carp.

"Oh, right, here you go." Nymeria took two more masks out of her bosom.

"There's no tracking magic this time, right?" William smiled as he took the document.

"That's all." Nymeria said, bowing her head. "I'm truly sorry about what happened before."

But I wasn't lying, I really am your fan.

"Hey! Let's not talk about fans anymore, let's forget about it," William quickly interrupted.

William will get angry with anyone who claims to be his fan.

Isn't that an insult?!

This statement, like William's "I swear in Tom's name," both imply... being ready to betray someone at any time.

Wait a minute... these two sentences, when used together, don't feel out of place at all:

I swear in Tom's name, I'm truly your fan.

If William were to encounter Voldemort, he would definitely say this to him.

Voldemort might be very happy.

After catching another fish and placing it in the Safety Watch, William got up and left.

He continued walking and saw a gondola on the riverbank.

Hermione and Trene are busy on the ship, repairing it.

Trene looked a little pale; her injuries hadn't fully healed. But she finally wasn't wearing her leather jacket anymore; she'd changed into hot pants, showing off her long legs and looking quite dashing.

"Weren't you supposed to be recuperating?" William asked. "How did you end up here?"

"Check my gondola; have you ruined it?"

Trene straightened up and stretched. "Overall, it's alright, except the roof was damaged by the explosion."

Hermione coughed; she was the one who blew open the ship's roof. But at a time like this, it was best not to explain.

"You're going to Albania?" Trene asked, hands on her hips, staring at William.

Yes, do you have any suggestions?

"Hmm..." Trene rested her chin on her hand and said generously, "This ship is for the two of you. It's just the Adriatic Sea; you can get through it safely."

William looked at Trene and didn't refuse, asking, "And what about you?"

"We can just steal another one," Trene whispered. "We have a pardon anyway. As long as it's not murder or arson, we can do whatever we want."

"..."

"Haha, just kidding."

Trene whistled, "All the Muggle have run away. The shipyard has plenty of new ships, but nobody wants them anyway."

"There are several more Muggle military ships; I plan to dismantle their engines and spare parts and install them on my new ship."

"..." Even William was a little tempted by what he said.

His favorite pastime was buying and selling military industry products.

"Please forgive me," Trene suddenly said, "I shouldn't have lied to you both. I stole the Holy Grail; it's been with me all along."

"A ship in exchange for forgiveness, that's perfectly reasonable." William smiled wryly.

"Goodbye then." Trene winked and gave her a flirty look. "See you at the Quidditch World Cup."

William and Hermione stood side by side at the bow of the ship and waved.

Trene stood on the shore, gazing at the gondola as it gradually disappeared into the distance.

"Stop looking, everyone's gone, sister." Nymeria and disappeared like a ghost.

"These fish are really good, we'll make fish soup tonight." She lifted the fish in her hand.

Trene didn't speak, but suddenly remembered something and ran towards the ruins of St Mark's Basilica.

On the gondola, Hermione, holding William's hand, showed him the masterpiece she had been working on all morning.

She boasted, "I modified the cockpit; now it can seat two people."

William looked closely and saw that Hermione had simply added a small chair to the original spot, the kind where you couldn't even stretch your legs out.

William muttered, "It would be better if only one person could sit here."

"What did you say?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"I said... you did a great job with the renovations." William quickly added, "It would be even better if it were a sofa. It would be soft and comfortable."

"Why didn't you say you'd get a different bed?" Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

William hesitated for a moment, then quickly said, "That's fine too. Shall we change to a bed now?"

"I told you to change the bed! You scoundrel!!"

Hermione's ears turned red, and she stepped on William's instep. He winced in pain, gasped, and sat down on the deck.

As he fell, he grabbed Hermione's hand, tripping her as well.

The two wrestled for a while without getting up, instead shifting to a more comfortable position.

William pressed his hands behind his head, the dazzling sun shining down, and he closed his eyes.

Hermione lay down beside him, her face pressed against William's chest, lost in thought.

The gondola drifted slowly forward along the canal.

Hermione suddenly tilted her head back, her bright eyes gazing into the distance, and whispered, "It's the Bridge of Sighs!"

The two passed through here when they came. Now that they've left, they're passing through here again.

According to Venice legend:

If two lovers kiss under this bridge as the bells of St Mark's Basilica toll, they will love each other forever.

Hermione leaned against his chest again, closed her long, clear eyes, and said regretfully, "St Mark's Basilica... hasn't rung its bells yet."

Just then, a melodious chime rang out from St Mark's Basilica.

Hermione turned to look back and saw in the distance that Trene was using magic to strike the cathedral bells.

William suddenly opened his eyes and found that Hermione had rolled over and was sitting on his waist.

Her face flushed, she looked down into his dark green eyes, then reached out two fingers and ran them over his long eyelashes.

William, pinned beneath him, reminded him, "The bells are about to stop ringing."

Hermione leaned close to his ear and whispered, her breath sweet as orchids, "Then... close your eyes."

William waved his wand, and all the wooden planks around them rose up, obscuring their figures.

The canal lapped against the bottom of the boat, making a splashing sound.

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Thank you to "Dannnyzzx" for the generous donation.

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