In the Headmaster's office, Leonardo and Dumbledore both drank tea, neither speaking. They'd just discussed so much, constantly casting magic. Both were a bit tired.
Leo waved his wand to transform the small hoe back to its original form, picking it up to put in his pocket.
Seeing this, Dumbledore's eyes showed a trace of amusement. "I'm very curious, Leonardo—why do you carry a small hoe with you?"
"I quite enjoy planting. Carrying these tools is more convenient."
Dumbledore stroked his beard, chuckling. "That's also a wonderful hobby. Relaxing occasionally is quite nice. Oh right, what plants have you grown?"
"Well, cabbages."
'The kind that might bite,' Leo silently added.
This answer caught Dumbledore slightly off guard. He'd assumed young wizards at this age would prefer cultivating decorative flowers, but practical, edible cabbages?
"You know, you would have been quite well-suited for Hufflepuff as well..."
The two continued chatting amiably for some time. Eventually, Leonardo took his leave, bidding Dumbledore farewell as he departed.
Once Leo had gone, Dumbledore drew back the curtains, revealing the headmaster portraits once more. During their time behind the drapes, the portraits had evidently conferred among themselves and reached an understanding—they would no longer all speak at once.
"Albus, Hogwarts safety is very important. Every student's safety is also very important. Leonardo is still a child. Don't let him get involved in danger too early. Let him study in peace."
The speaker was Sharon Windryan, a beautiful lady wearing silver-framed glasses, a Ravenclaw headmaster. Her tone was serious, looking at Dumbledore solemnly.
Sharon had only chatted with Leo once, but her impression of this student was extremely good, feeling he was almost the young wizard most conforming to Ravenclaw's ideals.
But Dumbledore shook his head, explaining his discussion with Leonardo and the talents he'd displayed one by one.
Finally, Dumbledore added, "That child perhaps cannot be viewed with common sense anymore."
Time flew by. Half a month later, Leo stood in Hagrid's vegetable garden.
Looking at the thirty fully mature Chinese Chomping Cabbages before him, Leo was quite satisfied. Under his careful tending, with no shortage of fertilizer and various auxiliary potions, all the seedlings had successfully grown.
Leo crouched down, carefully examining these cabbages. Yellow-red leaves wrapped around the round cabbage, with a large slit in the center, edges covered with sharp black teeth that gleamed.
What had Hagrid been thinking, actually trying to cook such things?
Leonardo reached out and patted a Chinese Chomping Cabbage. Thanks to the magical plant affinity from 'Diligent Little Gardener,' as long as the plants weren't controlled by someone, Leo was safe from their attacks.
Regarding Leonardo's touch, those Chinese Chomping Cabbages had no intention of tasting human flesh. They just opened and closed on their own, as if breathing.
"System, I want to submit the 'Diligent Little Gardener' loan."
[Ding, 'Diligent Little Gardener' title (monthly loan) has been repaid]
[Wishing the host continues enjoying a fulfilling pastoral life ┌|≧∇≦|┘]
Leo watched as ten Chinese Chomping Cabbages vanished instantly; the system had collected them. With twenty left, Leonardo took out a green flask and gathered them one by one.
The flask was made for planting and storing both magical and ordinary plants. Leonardo had created it a while ago, but he waited to transplant the cabbages until they were fully grown. Now that the loan was repaid, he could finally collect them.
After all, many magical plants were convenient to preserve. Once fully mature, as long as they had a suitable growth environment, they could maintain vitality for a long time.
Given the chance, he'd test the Chinese Chomping Cabbages' power specifically. They were said to be able to easily bite through human bones. Looking at those sharp teeth, it probably wasn't far off.
Leo stood up, waving his wand to clean the dirt from his shoes and clothes. Looking at the vegetable garden, almost two-thirds of the area was planted with large pumpkins.
These pumpkins were a cross between magical plants and regular pumpkins. They grew quickly, became huge, and tasted great too.
Why so many pumpkins? Not because Hagrid loved eating giant ones. Halloween was approaching, and what would the celebration be without pumpkins?
Some things would happen on Halloween—mainly Quirrell's shenanigans. A troll would be let in then, but the problem wasn't serious—the kind with scares but no danger. Those three were sufficient to handle it.
Harry and Ron's studies had been progressing well recently, with Ron showing particularly notable improvement in theoretical knowledge and Transfiguration. They had a monthly assessment in a few days. If they passed, they could begin attempting simple alchemical mechanics creation.
Leonardo walked out of the garden while thinking.
"Oh, Leo, how are those Chinese Chomping Cabbages coming along?"
The rough, booming voice made Leo look up to see Hagrid's familiar smile buried beneath his thick beard.
"They're doing great—all fully mature now. I've already harvested them and prepared that plot for you. Turned over the soil and added fresh fertilizer, so you can plant whatever you'd like."
"Ah, that's wonderful of yeh." Hagrid rubbed his large hands together, his grin widening. "Stay for dinner, won't yeh? Harry and the others'll be comin' by later."
Leonardo nodded, then suddenly remembered something. "Hagrid, do you know how to care for newborn Acromantulas?"
Among the Acromantulas he was raising, new offspring had recently hatched. This was the perfect opportunity to ask Hagrid about rearing the larvae. After all, the half-giant had firsthand experience raising Aragog from an egg.
Hearing the question, Hagrid showed no surprise that a young wizard would ask about such dangerous creatures. "Best ter give 'em some soft food at first, like breadcrumbs soaked in water. Yeh've got ter keep the temperature steady at... Oh, an' once they're past the infant stage, add some fish an' shrimp ter their diet. That'll help delay when they lose their sight..."
Leo nodded along attentively. When it came to magical creature care, Hagrid's knowledge was encyclopedic, and he could talk for hours once he got started.
"Thank you, Hagrid. This information is incredibly helpful."
Hagrid waved a massive hand dismissively. "Don' mention it, Leo. Friends don' need ter thank each other. This is jus' what I learned through trial an' error over the years. Wish I'd known it sooner, though. Got an old friend named Aragog, an Acromantula. Back when I was raisin' him, I didn' know what I was doin', an' he went blind too early. But when I visited him recently, he'd actually recovered some o' his sight! Blimey, it's nothin' short of a miracle. Maybe it's 'cause he doesn' hurt people that he got this blessin'..."
Leonardo's expression shifted subtly, though fortunately, Hagrid was too tall to notice his face clearly.
'A blessing, is it?' Leonardo thought wryly. 'I suppose meeting me could count as Aragog's blessing.'