Greenhouse Three.
Lucien unhurriedly picked up a pair of earmuffs. There was no need to rush, as there was exactly one more pair than the number of young wizards. The extra pair had likely been prepared by Professor Sprout for herself.
Sure enough, after everyone returned to their spots with earmuffs in hand, Sprout picked up the last pair, which happened to be pink.
"I've told you, once you put on your earmuffs, you must keep them on and make sure they're tightly sealed!"
"When I raise two fingers, you may take them off. Alright, everyone, put them on now."
The young wizards followed her instructions, even helping one another check the fit.
Then Sprout demonstrated the procedure.
She grabbed the leaves and pulled the Mandrake out with a firm tug.
What appeared before them was not a root, but an ugly baby, yanked out just like that, with pale green skin covered in blotchy spots of various sizes.
Its little face was twisted in a silent scream, its mouth opening and closing continuously.
However, the earmuffs were indeed of excellent quality. Lucien couldn't hear the Mandrake's cries at all.
Professor Sprout quickly placed the Mandrake into a larger pot, skillfully burying it with soil and fertilizer, leaving only its green leaves exposed.
She then raised two fingers, and at the signal, the students removed their earmuffs.
Professor Sprout reached behind her shoulder and gave a sharp pat, knocking away a few dark red, spiky tendrils belonging to a Venomous Tentacula.
"Be careful with the fertilizer. These Venomous Tentaculas have already grown teeth."
"Alright, let's begin. Four per group."
Lucien and his roommate Terry, along with two Hufflepuffs, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones, were assigned to the same group.
Each of them took a pot of Mandrakes and prepared their tools.
Lucien skillfully pulled out a Mandrake, but it didn't scream. Instead, it kept its little mouth shut.
He was already used to this. His title of "Diligent Little Gardener" gave him a certain affinity with plants. As long as they weren't being directly manipulated by humans, these magical plants generally wouldn't harm him.
But the others were not like Lucien. The Mandrakes pulled out by Terry and the rest immediately began to wail.
Although the sound could not reach their ears, the Mandrakes continued to struggle.
They twisted their bodies violently and flailed their limbs, clearly hating being pulled out of the soil.
Yet at the same time, they seemed unwilling to return.
Even when placed into new pots, if they were not buried under soil and fertilizer, they would keep writhing restlessly.
Lucien had just finished burying his quiet Mandrake when he looked up and saw Hannah clutching her hand in pain. Her Mandrake had also fallen to the ground.
It seemed she had been accidentally bitten. Although these were only seedlings, the Mandrakes' bite was not something to be taken lightly.
Lucien took out his wand and cast a healing spell on Hannah's hand.
The pain quickly subsided. Hannah removed her dragon-hide glove and saw the row of bright red bite marks rapidly fading.
Seeing Lucien holding his wand, she realized he had helped her and immediately thanked him repeatedly, her face full of gratitude.
But the young girl forgot that everyone was wearing earmuffs and couldn't hear her.
Lucien still gave a small nod. At the same time, from the corner of his eye, he noticed the Mandrake on the ground twisting as it opened its mouth, about to bite Hannah's ankle.
There was no dragon-hide protection there. A bite would leave a bloody wound.
Lucien's lips parted slightly as he uttered a strange, obscure word in a soft tone.
"Slumber~"
In an instant, the Mandrake stilled. Its small mouth opened and closed a few times before it went limp and fell asleep.
Strangely, Terry and the others, who were close to Lucien, faintly heard the word "Slumber" and felt their eyelids grow heavy.
However, Lucien did not continue, and with the dampening effect of the earmuffs, they quickly recovered.
They also noticed that the Mandrakes in their hands had quieted down, no longer as frantic as before.
Lucien pointed toward Hannah's feet. She followed his gesture and saw the Mandrake lying there, immediately startled.
Knowing how strong a Mandrake's bite could be, Hannah couldn't help but feel a chill. Even if Madam Pomfrey could heal it, being bitten would still hurt a great deal.
Hannah picked up the Mandrake from the ground. Although she wasn't sure why it had fallen asleep, she still patted her chest in relief.
Holding the Mandrake, she thanked Lucien again, seemingly forgetting that everyone was still wearing earmuffs.
Lucien waved it off, recalling the sensation from using Moon Slumber Melody just now.
It hadn't been smooth enough, and his control still lacked precision.
He had learned Moon Slumber Melody from one of the magical books in Nicolas's collection. It had been created by an ancient wizard with Veela blood.
It could soothe creatures, including humans, animals, and even magical plants, placing them into a deep sleep.
This magic was quite unusual. It required the spell to be spoken in a special melody. The incantation itself was very long, like song lyrics, making it more like singing than casting a spell.
And as the melody was sung, the magic would already begin to take effect, growing stronger as the incantation progressed.
At the time, Lucien had been very interested. Many ancient spells, at least in form, were very different from modern magic.
He had asked Nicolas about it and received an answer.
Magic was created and passed down by wizards.
In the earliest days, those who accidentally awakened magical abilities had no ready-made charms, potions, or alchemy. Everything was explored step by step on their own.
Each wizard had different understandings and strengths, so the magic they created naturally varied, each possessing its own unique qualities.
The more ancient the wizard, the fewer spells they might have mastered in number.
However, the magic they developed themselves was undoubtedly the most suited to them.
From nothing to something, ancient wizards understood every step and detail of magic, witnessing its birth and growth.
Because of this, they were also able to draw out its full potential.
Those ancient spells were difficult to learn precisely because they carried such strong personal characteristics.
As time passed, fewer and fewer of them were preserved.
This was something Lucien found deeply regrettable. Some knowledge simply could not be passed down, even if one wished it.
The Herbology lesson passed quickly.
By the end of it, the students were drenched in sweat, their backs and waists aching, all thanks to those troublesome Mandrakes.
Lucien, however, felt nothing in particular. When it came to gardening, that level of effort wasn't even enough to warm him up.
After class, Hannah thanked Lucien again, having apparently realized that he hadn't been able to hear her earlier because of the earmuffs.
Next, Lucien went to find Professor Sprout. That morning, Fawkes had delivered a letter from Dumbledore, asking for his help in healing the Whomping Willow.
After all, it was the only Whomping Willow in Britain. It would be a great pity if it were destroyed by a car.
Its branches, leaves, and bark all had significant medicinal value. Snape would occasionally come to collect some for potion-making.
Lucien knew that Dumbledore wanted him to use qilin saliva to heal the Whomping Willow, in case it might not survive otherwise.
Dumbledore had also promised that Lucien could collect the fallen branches and bark.
Naturally, Lucien was willing. Not only because of their medicinal value, but also because he had a piece of magic he wanted to construct, which required materials from the Whomping Willow.
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