Ciel hurried out of the Charms classroom, disappearing in the blink of an eye. But what happened in that class wouldn't just vanish. On the contrary, it immediately spread like a storm throughout Hogwarts.
After all, the social circle at Hogwarts was quite small. The slightest disturbance could immediately get students of all years from all four Houses talking. What's more, the events of Halloween night had just become a hot topic of discussion for everyone. Now with this new incident, it would be strange if it weren't discussed.
However, this time, no one was talking about whether Ciel had mixed giant blood anymore. Instead, Malfoy was often asked with loud laughter in the corridors, "Who has mixed giant blood now?"
This made Malfoy so humiliated he couldn't show his face in public. He returned to Slytherin House in disarray. It was said that he didn't even stay in the common room but locked himself in his dormitory and didn't come out. It seemed that, for the time being, he would finally quiet down for a while and cause less trouble.
In the gamekeeper's hut, Harry and Ron sat by the fire. Talking about this matter, they were laughing so hard they almost doubled over.
"Hagrid," Harry began, "we practically hate that we weren't there to see Malfoy's defeated expression."
"It's killing me," Ron added. "How many times has he been put in his place by Ciel and still not learned his lesson?"
A strange expression appeared on Hagrid's face, as if he was somewhat nervous. "Oh, right. That kid's name is Ciel, Ciel Sprout, right? What's he like? Ahem... I'm just asking casually."
Harry and Ron looked at each other, both somewhat baffled. Although Hagrid tried his best to hide his concern for Ciel, it was well known that Hagrid's attempts at subtlety were about as effective as a Blasting Curse. Even they could see right through him.
Harry considered for a moment, then spoke based on his brief interactions with Ciel. "Well... a typical Hufflepuff, I guess? Besides classes, I heard he just likes planting things and spends every day in the greenhouse. He also helps Professor Snape process potion ingredients. In short, very diligent and also very low-key. That guy Malfoy keeps claiming Ciel has poor talent, but we can all see that Ciel's performance is excellent. He's as brilliant as Hermione."
At this point, Ron couldn't help but add, "But his personality is much better than Hermione's."
Hagrid nodded repeatedly, showing a happy expression, as if the praise for Ciel was praise for him. Harry and Ron couldn't stand it anymore.
"Hagrid," Harry asked, "what exactly do you want to ask about Ciel? Don't hide it from us, your concern for Ciel is too obvious."
Hagrid was taken aback. Then his face turned red. He finally stammered out, "I think Ciel might really have the same blood as me. Or at least a distant relative. After all, the troll that entered the castle on Halloween night was handed over to me by Dumbledore. I saw it... it was beaten into that state by brute force. Even I would have a hard time beating a troll like that. This must be something only giant blood can achieve."
Hagrid's voice became a bit choked. "You all know, so I'm not afraid to tell you. I'm a half-giant. I thought I would be lonely all my life in this world. But I will never reveal to others that Ciel might really have giant blood. I just want to ask you... is it possible to invite him over for a cup of tea or something?"
Harry and Ron looked at each other. They felt it was a very difficult task. They really didn't know Ciel well. Last time Harry wanted to invite Ciel to join them in protecting Hogwarts, he was decisively rejected. But looking at Hagrid's pitiful appearance, Harry still nodded and agreed. "W-well, okay then. We'll try our best to invite Ciel over."
After leaving Hagrid's hut, Harry and Ron were in a predicament. "Ciel is so elusive every day. Where is he now?"
…
Meanwhile, far from Hogwarts Castle, Ciel was holding an Elber tree sapling, listening to Professor Sprout explain how to plant this rare, near-extinct plant.
"It's actually very simple," she said. "You just need to get to a cloud layer above two thousand feet. Then plant the Elber tree in the cloud layer, and it will take root on its own. After planting the Elber tree in the clouds, it's like planting an ordinary plant in the soil. Its root system will secure the cloud mass it's in. It will also gradually draw in more clouds, forming a huge cloud layer where the Elber tree hides."
When talking about such things related to magical plants, even as a herbology master, Professor Sprout was still full of interest. Then her face showed a look of regret. "Actually, in the era when the Levitation Charm was just created, which was when the Elber tree was discovered, although it was rare, it wasn't on the verge of extinction. But later, the pollution of the cloud layers became more and more severe. Especially in the last two hundred years, the clouds in many places have turned black. Even if an Elber tree was sent into such clouds, it couldn't take root. Today, it's finally on the brink of extinction."
Professor Sprout looked at the clouds near Hogwarts, her eyes shining. "Fortunately, near Hogwarts, we don't have to worry about pollution. Just find a slightly higher cloud mass and put the Elber tree in it. This rare plant can grow near Hogwarts. This shouldn't be a problem for your flying skills, Ciel, right?"
Ciel nodded. His own flying talent was already excellent, honed further by his continuous Quidditch practice. Soaring into the sky to find a suitable cloud was a simple matter for him. But just finding a low cloud to plant the Elber tree? The reward after maturation would probably only be Silver Tier. Although that was already good, compared to the Elber tree's potential, it was negligible. This was not what Ciel wanted. He only had one Elber tree sapling on hand. Of course, he had to maximize the benefits.
Even though Ciel didn't like taking risks, he had already decided to go all out and plant the Elber tree sapling as high as possible. However, this would inevitably involve danger. With Professor Sprout watching, she probably wouldn't agree. Just as Ciel was thinking about how to achieve his goal under Professor Sprout's nose, a silver phoenix flew over. It was Dumbledore's Patronus.
Then the phoenix Patronus spoke, emitting Dumbledore's voice. "Pomona, come to my office. It's about that thing."
Professor Sprout's expression changed slightly, and she turned to look at Ciel. "Headmaster Dumbledore has something very important to discuss with me. Ciel, plant the Elber tree yourself. With your herbology mastery, this will definitely not be a problem. Just remember, absolutely do not fly too high!"
Ciel nodded obediently. After Professor Sprout's figure disappeared from his sight, he let out a slight sigh of relief. "I've always been very obedient to my aunt. Rebelling occasionally shouldn't make her angry, right?"
Then, looking at the Elber tree sapling in the bottle, Ciel gritted his teeth. "Forget it, I don't care anymore. I'll plant it first and worry later."
Immediately, he mounted his already-prepared Nimbus 2000 broomstick and gently pushed off the ground. The next moment, the Nimbus 2000 began to ascend rapidly toward the sky. Everything on the ground quickly became tiny. The rapid ascent slammed him with intense G-forces that would have made an ordinary person black out instantly. But Ciel's expression didn't change at all. From beginning to end, his gaze remained fixed on the Elber tree sapling.
One hundred meters, two hundred meters, five hundred meters. One thousand meters. In the blink of an eye, he had reached the minimum required altitude for planting the Elber tree sapling. The text information above the sapling quietly changed.
Flight Ability Enhancement (Silver Tier)
Minor Levitation Charm Deduction Enhancement (Bronze Tier)
Although the reward after maturation was still Silver Tier, it was clear that the silver light was much more intense than before. However, such a reward, of course, could not satisfy Ciel. Without a moment's hesitation, he controlled the Nimbus 2000 and continued flying higher.
One thousand five hundred meters, two thousand meters... the surrounding temperature began to drop. The weather in Britain was already very cold, but now, Ciel felt the surrounding temperature had dropped below freezing. Fortunately, with his legendary vitality, this low temperature didn't affect him at all. But the Elber tree sapling clearly became more active. After maturation, the reward for flight ability enhancement shone with a brilliant golden light, and the other reward also had a silver glow. This was already the plant with the most generous maturation rewards Ciel had ever seen.
"But... it's still not enough," he thought.
While there was still oxygen around, Ciel took a deep breath. Then the Nimbus 2000 continued to climb. Three thousand meters. Four thousand meters. Five thousand meters. Ciel flew into a cloud layer. When he came out, the Nimbus 2000 broom had become incredibly heavy, and controlling it felt particularly sluggish. Ciel turned his head and saw that a thick layer of ice had formed on the broom's twigs. The speed of ascent became slower and slower. It took the same amount of time as before to struggle up to nearly six thousand meters. If it weren't for Ciel's Nimbus 2000 being a custom version, it would have been struggling at 5,000 meters. But now, the altitude could no longer be increased.
At this altitude, the reward text on the Elber tree sapling blazed with a brilliant platinum light. One Platinum and one Gold-Tier reward! Ciel's heart pounded in his chest. Should he stop here? But after a moment, he secretly shook his head. He could feel it. The rewards offered by the Elber tree had not yet reached their limit. And while the Nimbus 2000 broom had reached its limit, Ciel's body was still at ease.
"Continue climbing."
Ciel drew his wand. The ash wood wand remained faithful and stable even in this low-temperature, oxygen-deprived, icy environment. "Wingardium Leviosa!"
A Levitation Charm hit the Nimbus 2000 broom. Instantly, the weight that made the broom struggle seemed to vanish. The broom became as light as a feather and immediately had the power to continue climbing. But with it came violent shaking. Facing the turbulent airflow, its stability was naturally much worse. The view before Ciel's eyes was shaking wildly. If it were someone else, they would probably vomit instantly, or even pass out. But Ciel, with his legendary resistance to falling, still controlled the broom steadily.
"You just focus on climbing up," he told his broom. "Leave the rest to me."
The Nimbus 2000 seemed to understand. Accelerate. Upward! Seven thousand meters. Eight thousand meters. Until twelve thousand meters! This was an altitude that most civilian aircraft rarely reached. And upon arriving here, the reward information on the Elber tree sapling finally stopped changing and stabilized.
Ciel's gaze fell upon it. A crystal clear light, like a diamond, entered his eyes. Even in this oxygen-deprived environment, Ciel couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Diamond-Tier reward! He had actually done it.
[Chapter Complete]
***
Want more? Check out my Patreon for:
✓ Advanced chapters of all my stories
✓ Exclusive novels & fanfics
✓ Early access content [email protected]/meowthtl
💪 Community Goal: 500 Power Stones unlocks a bonus chapter!
Thanks for reading and supporting the story