The wave of euphoria eventually crested, leaving Char with a profound, almost dreamlike satisfaction. He knelt on the greenhouse floor, watc
The wave of euphoria eventually crested, leaving Char with a profound, almost dreamlike satisfaction. He knelt on the greenhouse floor, watching the reward ball of light now shimmering above the Whomping Willow branch. Even without a direct system prompt, he was certain: the first, most crucial step of the cutting process had been a success. He didn't have to worry about what came next, or whether the entire grafting process could be completed. For now, at least, it had survived. Everything after this was filled with hope.
Thinking back on the process, he took a deep breath. "Without Shadow's help, this move would surely have failed. A Shadowthorn, possessing its own wisdom, actively assisting in the grafting of a Whomping Willow branch… this is probably a concept that has never even been considered in the Herbology community. If this were told to anyone, it would leave any Herbology Master speechless."
Then, Char suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind. He once again looked intently at the Whomping Willow branch. Even after the first step, it still required very careful, meticulous care. There was no room for carelessness. Otherwise, if something went wrong with the newly built and extremely fragile magic transmission pipeline, it would truly drive a person mad.
While Char was carefully tending to the branches of the Whomping Willow, in Professor Sprout's office, she rubbed her weary eyes. Drinking a cup of invigorating herbal tea, she closed a Herbology journal that had just been published, her expression somewhat complicated. This journal had just published an article that had amazed many Herbology Masters. It was the work of a young herbalist named Ed. Professor Sprout had never heard of him before, but the name was most likely a pseudonym, probably because he didn't want to reveal his real identity. After all, the results of this article were indeed amazing. It detailed a very critical processing step in the cultivation of active ancient plant seeds. Ed had developed a special plant, and by using this plant in combination with some other materials, the resulting potion could slightly increase the activity of ancient seeds.
Although Ed did not reveal the origin or cultivation method of this special plant, the effectiveness of the prepared potion had been verified. This also meant that the extremely difficult task of cultivating ancient herbs had taken another small step forward. Many masters of Herbology had already written to express their congratulations. As one of the masters who had also delved into this subject, Professor Sprout was certainly pleased. But when she thought of Char, she felt a little sorry. If it weren't for this article by Ed, in this year's Herbology Association awards, Char should have been able to reserve a spot for the Youth Award. But as soon as this article came out, she was afraid that would be very difficult. Although they were both top publications, the value was simply not on the same level.
Professor Sprout sighed, thinking in her mind whether she should suppress Char's achievements and save them until next year. By then, there probably wouldn't be any herbal research results of Ed's level. And while she was writing a congratulatory letter to Ed, thinking about this question, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside her office door. Professor McGonagall knocked on the door and walked in hurriedly. Behind her were Harry and his group of three.
As soon as she came in, Professor McGonagall asked Professor Sprout, "Pomona. Do you know what plants Char has been growing in his greenhouse lately?"
Professor Sprout frowned, confusion on her face. "Char is already capable of independent Herbology research. I won't ask about or interfere with his projects. But Minerva, why did you come here so early in the morning for this?" Her gaze then fell on Harry, Ron, and Hermione behind Professor McGonagall, her expression becoming even more confused. "Harry, Hermione, and Ron? What does this have to do with you?"
At this time, Harry and his two companions couldn't hold back any longer. They immediately told her about the horrific scene they had witnessed in the small greenhouse. When she heard them accuse Char of cultivating extremely evil dark magic herbs, Professor Sprout's face turned pale. "Nonsense. Char wouldn't do anything like that. Also, your knowledge of Herbology may not be enough to identify some rare herbs."
Hermione's voice rose in anxiety. "Professor Sprout! I assure you, we went in at night wearing invisibility cloaks and we were very close. There's absolutely no herb that looks like that. Just being close to it gave us the creeps."
Harry also said with certainty, "If we made a mistake, we are willing to accept the punishment. But we can't take such a risk."
Professor McGonagall looked at Professor Sprout and whispered, "Pomona. To be on the safe side, why don't you go and have a look?"
Professor Sprout took a deep breath and nodded stiffly, her expression cold. She strode out. Professor McGonagall looked a little embarrassed, knowing this had made her colleague very angry. After all, everyone knew that Char was the relative Professor Sprout cared about most. If your loved ones were reported and accused of doing something very dangerous, you would definitely be very unhappy. But looking at the descriptions from Harry and his two companions, it did not seem fake. No matter how naughty they were, they would not cheat on such things. People were already in a panic at this time, so in order to avoid accidents, it was better to confirm it. Immediately, Professor McGonagall quickly followed with Harry and the other two.
The group walked all the way to the outside of the small greenhouse. Professor Sprout pushed open the door. Everyone saw Char half-kneeling on the ground, carefully protecting something. Even when he heard the door opening, he didn't react.
Hermione's heart tightened. She lowered her voice. "Professor. Judging from Char's appearance, he might have been bewitched by that dark magic plant. He probably doesn't even know what he's doing."
Professor McGonagall nodded slightly. Things related to dark magic, whether plants, living things, or objects, could all have the power to deceive people. If Char was not careful, he might have gotten infected. Thinking of this, she also became a little more vigilant. Holding her wand, she walked slowly forward.
Professor Sprout heard Hermione's reminder, and her brows furrowed even more. Her eyes swept across the small greenhouse, feeling the magical atmosphere within it. As a master of Herbology, her attainments had long reached the level where she could sense the condition of plants through magic. It was just that the magic emanating from the plants at this moment made her feel a little strange. A burnt smell, as if lightning had struck. Besides that, there was a strange magic, a feeling that was ancient, timeless, and powerful. At the same time, she also felt a magic that was extremely familiar to her. After a moment, she reacted, and stormy waves crashed in her eyes. "This is?! Yes, absolutely. It must be that thing."
The next moment, she could no longer contain her excitement. She couldn't wait to walk forward. After seeing Char tending to the Whomping Willow branches, she felt it drawing magic from the soil. Even with her insight, at this moment, she couldn't help but breathe faster. She really didn't expect it. Had Char's Herbology skills made such rapid progress in such a short period of time? Had he completed the first step of grafting the Whomping Willow? This was incredible.
What was even more incomprehensible to her was that Char had not come to her to get the various potions needed for cuttings. These potions were essential for creating the right environment for the Whomping Willow cuttings and were extremely rare. Even Snape wouldn't keep such a potion with such narrow uses and a high price. It was very likely that Char had completed the first step of cutting without the potion. How was this done? With her acumen, she realized it immediately. He must have used a new method to circumvent the restrictions of the potion. When she realized this, she tried to control herself, but she couldn't help it and burst into laughter. She had been worried that he wouldn't be able to compete for this year's Youth Award. But now, it was hard to say.
And just when Professor Sprout was extremely excited, Professor McGonagall, Harry, and the other two all felt their hearts sink. Why was Professor Sprout starting to look so obsessed? Was this dark magic plant really so powerful that even a master of Herbology had fallen into its trap despite being on guard? Professor McGonagall tightened her grip on her wand, took a deep breath, and grabbed Professor Sprout. "Pomona. Wake up!" At the same time, a protective spell imbued with divine magic fell towards her.
Professor Sprout looked at Professor McGonagall in confusion. "Minerva? What are you doing?"
Professor McGonagall was stunned for a moment, only then realizing something was wrong. The protective spell had had no effect. This showed that Professor Sprout was not bewitched by some dark magic. She was really just happy. The next moment, she also saw the Whomping Willow. Her pupils shrank slightly. Indeed, she was not an herbalist, but she had worked with Professor Sprout for so many years. She knew that her colleague had been researching the Whomping Willow. She could recognize its obvious features. So the scene before her was not some dark magic plant. Had Char successfully grafted the Whomping Willow, making some progress on the Herbology research?
After realizing this, Professor McGonagall's face immediately turned red. She turned her head and stared at Harry and the other two. "What about that evil plant you're talking about, the one with red fuzz that needs blood to feed on? Where? Don't tell me it's this newly grafted Whomping Willow branch."
Harry and the others were also stunned. His eyes wandered around the small greenhouse. But the mutant human-faced glow mushrooms they had seen before had long since been chopped to ash by Char's ancient weather magic and buried beneath the branches of the Whomping Willow. How could they find it now? Harry's face was full of disbelief. "How come? It was clearly here before!"
Hermione was also confused. Pointing to an empty area, she said, "I remember it was here before. How could it not be?"
Ron raised his voice. "Char must have known he would be investigated, so he hid it—Professor McGonagall, you have to trust us!"
But before they could finish, Professor McGonagall took a deep breath. Her face turned from blood red to ashen blue. She looked at Harry and the others with disappointment. "You guys disappoint me so much. I thought you would be more cautious when it comes to matters involving your classmates' reputations. I didn't expect that even you, Miss Granger, would act so recklessly. I didn't see any dark magic plants, only Char's outstanding achievements in Herbology, which must have been the result of countless days and nights of practice. Maybe you should also focus more on your studies."
Then, while Harry and the others were still trying to argue, she spoke of a punishment that would make them feel like they were being struck by lightning. "Because of your actions, fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor. Fifty points each."
That was one hundred and fifty points deducted from Gryffindor. Originally, their score was not as high as Hufflepuff's, but it was still ahead of Slytherin and Ravenclaw. But with this deduction, even Slytherin, which had been badly beaten by Hufflepuff, could surpass them without any suspense. The decision that made the trio pale was then announced. Professor McGonagall's face was livid and she looked extremely stern. "To teach you a lesson, so you know not to joke about other people's reputations, you must go on a patrol of the Forbidden Forest."
This made the three people's minds go blank. They had never dreamed they would face such a punishment. At this time, Char, who was tending the Whomping Willow branches, heard this. A hint of strangeness appeared in the depths of his eyes. Unexpectedly, under this circumstance, the point deduction incident from the original book still happened. But a moment later, he put the matter behind him. Whatever happened to the trio had nothing to do with him.
But Ron obviously didn't think so. After being scolded by Professor McGonagall and leaving the small greenhouse, he, Harry, and Hermione walked towards the castle in a panic. A look of resentment appeared on his face. "Professor McGonagall was completely deceived by Char. He must be playing some trick! He's the one who brought us to this point. Just wait and see, this matter is definitely not over!" He gritted his teeth. "Wait until Professor Quirrell comes back. Whatever Char and Snape are up to, then it's all over." The name Professor Quirrell brought Harry and Hermione back to their senses. A little hope rose again. Now they could only pray that he would resolve the disappearance and return to Hogwarts as soon as possible. But before that, looking at the castle that was so close, the three of them looked ugly. He let out a long sigh. There might be another huge uproar waiting for them.
At this time, Professor Sprout was curiously asking Char some details about the cutting process. In order to avoid her worrying, he omitted the fact that he had cultivated the mutant mushrooms and almost encountered the danger of dark magic. He explained that deep in the soil, there was still some magic left by the Hufflepuff gold cup. This explanation made Professor Sprout nod slightly. But there was inevitably some regret in her eyes. If this was the case, it would be difficult to come up with results that could compete with Ed's paper. This year's Youth Award was still uncertain. But then she heard him mention that the Shadow Thorns of a similar nature could help the Whomping Willow branches absorb magic power during the grafting process. This immediately made her eyes burst with joy. "Indeed. It's possible. An idea I've never thought of! This could significantly increase the success rate of the first step of grafting!" Her mind suddenly became clear. Just this result was enough to compete with Ed. Plus the rest of Char's achievements, he had great hopes of winning this year's Youth Award.
Just as they were discussing the subject of the Whomping Willow, a silver phoenix Patronus flew towards the small greenhouse. Dumbledore's voice came from among them. "Pomona. Come to my office. There is important information regarding the disappearances."
Professor Sprout frowned when her interest was interrupted. But now, due to the disappearances, everyone in Hogwarts was in a panic. If there was any update, she really needed to go there quickly. Immediately, she hurried towards the Headmaster's office.
Not long after, outside the small greenhouse, there was another sound of owl wings flapping. Tonks had sent a letter to Char. After he opened it, his pupils shrank slightly. In the letter, she wrote with great ambition, "We have already locked down the monster's hiding area and set up a tight blockade. This matter will be over in two or three days at most."
He took a deep breath. The joy of grafting the Whomping Willow branches faded away quietly. The end of the disappearances? This also meant that Quirrell would soon return to Hogwarts. He was afraid that there was not much peaceful time left for him this school year. A solemn look flashed across his face. But he wasn't exactly panicked. He had already prepared for this day. And this time, through the confrontation with the mutant mushroom, he had also confirmed one thing. That was the source of the Quintaped's power, some ancient dark magic from that temple. And this power would be affected by ancient magic. Especially the ancient weather magic he mastered, which seemed to have a restraining effect on it. Presumably, for Quirrell, who had been transformed into a Quintaped, the restraint would be even more obvious. "It's just that I'm currently casting ancient weather magic, and the speed is still quite slow. Especially at maximum power, it takes quite a while to build the magic nodes. If Quirrell really finds an opportunity to attack me, I might not be able to buy time to use it with my current methods. Control and entanglement need to be strengthened—"
Just an ordinary binding spell, and its effect on a Quintaped would probably be greatly reduced. He was thinking of a countermeasure in his mind. Then, his eyes scanned the system panel. Suddenly, they lit up. An ability that he had previously overlooked came into view. It was the [Enhanced Floating Charm Deduction Ability (Platinum Level)] obtained after harvesting the Elber Tree. A flash of inspiration, sharp and brilliant as lightning, struck his mind.
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