Leonard watched Peeves throwing his usual fit. His expression was less than pleasant, though not out of concern—just irritation.
The real problem was Peeves' singing. It was so awful it could rival the Hogwarts school song on a bad day.
Peeves using this place as his secret base was troublesome, but not unmanageable.
As a poltergeist, Peeves didn't possess any particularly powerful magic. What made him annoying was that he was immune to spells and could physically handle objects that other ghosts couldn't touch.
That was exactly why he could pull off pranks all over Hogwarts with impunity—and why getting rid of him was so difficult.
Fortunately, Leonard's Enhanced Disillusionment Charm made him completely invisible to Peeves. As long as he didn't make any noise, he had nothing to worry about.
He passed by the grinning poltergeist, who seemed lost in his own mischievous thoughts, and continued on to a quiet, empty room.
There, carved into the wall, Leonard once again spotted the strange symbols that marked traces of ancient magic.
"Is the relic behind this?" he murmured.
The Ancient Sprout on his sleeve extended a tendril, gently touching the glowing symbol.
A soft light spread from it, and as the Ancient Sprout swayed, a cluster of radiant knowledge flowed into Leonard's mind.
The new knowledge stirred his long-buried memories, and as they merged, another ancient spell revealed itself.
A vision unfolded in his mind—a shadowy figure, representing him, raised its wand and fired a beam of dark purple energy. The target exploded on impact, dissolving into a cloud of violet-black ash that slowly faded away.
It was a single-target spell, fast to cast and devastatingly powerful. The result was simple and brutal—complete annihilation.
"Another incredible spell... Ancient magic really is beyond comprehension," Leonard muttered.
No modern spell could compare. Even the infamous Fiendfyre Curse, capable of leveling a city, seemed weak next to the raw destructive force of ancient thunder magic.
The second ancient spell he'd uncovered was as vicious as any of the Unforgivable Curses. In fact, compared to this, even the Killing Curse seemed merciful—it at least left a body behind. This one turned its victims into dust.
"I'm really looking forward to testing this. If the energy cost isn't too high, it might even be practical enough for regular use. Perfect for getting rid of evidence," Leonard mused with satisfaction.
He withdrew his hand, watching the fading glow of the symbol before turning to leave.
It wasn't time to explore the ruins yet. That would come later.
When Leonard returned to the castle's first floor, the Quidditch match was still ongoing. Judging by the time, he decided to make another visit to the botanical garden.
These days, he always activated his plant radar on the way, transplanting useful magical plants whenever he found them.
Thanks to his consistent effort, the garden's plant variety had reached 15 out of 20 species.
These additions had earned him 200 experience points from long-term tasks, 400 from plant collection, and two enhancement points.
Most of the plants were herbaceous and non-aggressive, valued for their medicinal uses. Leonard had optimized their growth for stronger healing properties rather than reinforcing them with Magical Creature materials.
Even so, he now had a well-developed herb garden, and his progress had advanced to Junior Herbologist (851/1000).
The two extra enhancement points also allowed him to unlock the defensive branch of the [Ability Sharing] talent tree.
These two defensive upgrades—[Hardened Shell] and [Power Absorption]—stood on par with [Magic-Eater] and [Self-Destruct] in terms of strength.
[Hardened Shell] boosted physical defense, and when triggered during self-destruction, its tough outer layers would explode into shrapnel-like fragments, inflicting wide-area damage.
[Power Absorption], as the name suggested, stored the physical damage received and released it alongside the self-destruct blast.
After all, wizards weren't limited to magical attacks. Professor McGonagall, for example, could easily use Transfiguration to subdue the Three-Headed Dog—turning rocks into serpents to bind it, or summoning massive creatures to crush Leonard's plants underfoot.
But with [Hardened Shell] and [Power Absorption], his plants were no longer fragile. They'd become like stubborn stones—tough enough to withstand even tremendous force and still fight back.
The [Ability Sharing] enhancement node was now available for activation, but Leonard had no enhancement points left.
He could only wait to level up, acquire new plants, or let the first batch in his botanical garden reach maturity.
Aside from the plants he had transplanted, his garden's main focus was still that initial batch. For magical plants, their growth had been impressive, but they were still some time away from ripening. Using Rapid Growth to force maturity wouldn't yield any experience—he had to let them grow naturally.
Leonard deftly fertilized the plants, then used the Clear Spring Water Charm to water them.
It was a spell taught by Professor Sprout, meant specifically for watering—harmless but quite ingenious.
A simple act of conjuration, it produced clean water from nothing. With this spell, one would never have to fear thirst, even in a desert.
After watering, Leonard examined the plants' condition. Everything seemed fine—except for a few Bitterthorn shrubs that appeared to have developed pests.
"I'll need to get some insecticide," he muttered, frowning as he inspected the leaves.
"How could a plant full of venom get bugs?"
"I think Professor Sprout has plenty of insecticide in her stores. I should probably ask if magical plants can survive herbicides, too."
As he spoke, something caught the edge of his vision—a flash of silver-white.
Something had moved just beyond the garden's boundary.
Leonard leaned forward for a better look and soon spotted a unicorn standing among the trees, staring in his direction. Their eyes met for a moment before the creature startled and bolted, only to pause a short distance away and glance back.
"A unicorn? Why has it come here again?" Leonard murmured, his brow furrowing slightly.
...
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