In the afternoon, Potions class was with Hufflepuff. Wade and Theo partnered again, standing in a corner, next to Ryan and a Hufflepuff boy.
Michael and Padma were up front.
Wade saw that Padma initially seemed unwilling to acknowledge Michael, but after he leaned in, said a few words, and subtly slipped her something, the girl's anger turned to joy.
Ah, I see...
Wade subtly shook his head. It wasn't strange that Michael liked Padma, but he also liked other pretty girls. They might have made up today, but they'd inevitably argue again soon enough. However, matters of the heart are like drinking water—only the one drinking knows if it's cold or warm. Perhaps they were just that type of bickering, loving couple?
Wade didn't dwell on it further and went with Theo to the back storage cabinet to retrieve the potion ingredients for today's class.
Looking at the dark cabinet, he suddenly remembered something. He reached inside and felt around, actually finding two tattered copies of Advanced Potion-Making at the very bottom.
"What's this?" Theo asked.
"Looks like old student textbooks."Wadesaid, flipping through one casually.
One of them was densely covered in tiny, messy handwriting in the margins, and even between the lines of text. The handwriting was almost illegible.Wadecasually slipped it into his bag and put the other textbook, which had fewer notes, back.
While brewing the potion, Theo hesitated several times, as if he had some reservations.
"After dinner, we'll go to the eighth floor of the castle,"Wadewhispered.
Theo's eyes immediately lit up.
When Theo saw the Room of Requirement, he was utterly astonished, even though he came from a wizarding family. Then, upon seeing the Vanishing Cabinet, he was speechless.
"This is the Vanishing Cabinet from the castle?" Theo asked. "I heard it was broken."
"I fixed it,"Wadesaid. "Originally, I had an experiment scheduled with Remus today... oh, Remus Lupin, he's my tutor... but now I have detention with Professor Sprout..."
Theo nodded. "Then leave the experiment to me... How do I contact Mr. Lupin?"
Wade tore out the contact details for Remus from his notebook and gave them to Theo, also giving him some points to note.
Seeing that it was almost nine o'clock,Wadeimmediately left. He had just arrived at the entrance of the second greenhouse when Professor Sprout arrived.
"Herbology is the foundation of Potions, and Transfiguration, Divination, and Alchemy often involve the application of herbs."
"But talented wizard apprentices often only focus on the healing or toxic properties of herbs, overlooking other uses..."
As she opened the greenhouse, Professor Sprout said: "But those inconspicuous parts are often the very foundation of plant life. For example..."
A damp scent washed over them, and various green plants intertwined, forming a vibrant tableau. Professor Sprout smiled and asked him, "Wade, do you know how plants sprout?"
Detention... or rather, the tutoring session, ended.Wadeleft the greenhouse, carrying an indescribable sense of shock.
In his hand, he held a seed gifted by Professor Sprout. It was just a common dandelion. Its parent plant had been cultivated alongside many magical plants, so this seed also carried a faint trace of magic. This magic wouldn't turn it into a true magical plant, nor would it give it special properties; it would only make it a bit stronger than its peers during its growth period.
That was how it was supposed to be.
But now, the dandelion seed in Wade's palm sprouted, grew, and its leaves unfurled. Without water or soil, a few small yellow flowers quickly bloomed, then withered within seconds, turning into fluffy white seed heads. A gust of wind blew, and the dandelion seeds drifted away, the withered stem and leaves seemingly turning to dust, until only one seed slowly descended into Wade's palm.
The same process repeated itself, as if a video had been put on high-speed fast forward.
"Life..."Wademurmured this ordinary yet extraordinary word, a subtle understanding dawning within him. It wasn't just Herbology; even Animagus transformations... and biological alchemy... he had gained some inspiration.
There was still some time before curfew, soWadewent to the Room of Requirement first.
Theo, as expected, hadn't left, but he didn't look happy; instead, he seemed troubled.
Hearing the door open, he turned his head and sighed, "Wade, the experiment didn't work."
"What happened?"Wadewas momentarily stunned and walked over to ask. He examined it carefully; the magical runes on the Vanishing Cabinet were still intact, without any flaws.
"I don't know what's going on, it's working on and off."
Theo had a piece of parchment in front of him, detailing each item sent, and whether the transmission was successful or failed.
"We experimented fifty times in total, thirty-seven successes and thirteen failures, roughly failing once or twice every five attempts."
Theo's notes were very detailed.Wadesaw that the number of failures didn't increase with the magical power of the object; it was a completely random probability.
"But the good thing is, even if it failed, the transmitted item or creature didn't appear damaged, it just seemed to be trapped in the cabinet for a while."
Theo looked atWadeand quietly asked, "Is there still something wrong with the repair? Maybe we could ask Professor Morrey about it."
Wade shook his head. "I can confirm it's repaired. I even made some improvements to it based on Mr. Scamander's teaching method... Of course..."
He said with some frustration, "Perhaps there's something I haven't discovered, or maybe they just aren't very compatible... If I can't find the problem myself, I'll have no choice but to consult a professor..."
Perhaps all the magic needs to be restored to its original state?
But Newt's method was definitely better. Without needing any "protagonist's halo,"Wadecould tell this with his own magical knowledge. He repeatedly observed the Vanishing Cabinet but still couldn't figure out where the problem lay.
Consulting Professor Morrey was an option, but if possible,Wadedidn't want to do that. It was like a normal student wouldn't go ask a teacher, "Which posture looks cooler when I'm sneaking out of school by climbing the wall?"
Theo sawWadedeep in thought. Although he didn't understand whatWadecould see on the black cabinet, he quietly stayed by his side, thinking about tonight's experiment to see if he could deduce any patterns.
Suddenly, he noticed a problem.
"Wade," Theo said, "You said you improved this Vanishing Cabinet..."
"Yeah,"Wadesighed.
"Then..." Theo hesitated, unsure if his guess was correct. "Was the other cabinet improved as well?"
Wade abruptly turned to look at him, then slapped his own forehead hard.
"How could I be so stupid... Theo, you're a genius!"
He finally knew why it had failed!