For the entire next week, Harry and Ron spent their evenings scrubbing silver in the Trophy Room under Filch's supervision. No magic allowed, just dirty rags and elbow grease.
Rove, on the other hand, was sentenced to help Snape process barrel after barrel of slimy, moldy horned toad entrails.
"Orc lives matter too!" Rove scrubbed his hands furiously with soap to get rid of the stench. "This is exactly how Saruman treats his slaves. Making us toil in filth, trying to break our will. But I did not yield; I recited the lineage of Gondor in my heart."
Regardless, the detention finally ended. Life gradually returned to normal, just like the moving staircases of Hogwarts—occasionally catching a foot, but generally functioning.
This morning, they were heading to their first Herbology class of the new term.
The Hogwarts greenhouses glittered in the morning sun, dew still clinging to the glass domes. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students were gathered outside Greenhouse Three, waiting.
But in Rove's eyes, this was no place for gardening study.
[Entering Area: Isengard Breeding Grounds / Corrupted Garden]
[Environmental Debuff: Toxic Gas (Faint), Hallucinogenic Spores]
[Mission: Dispose of Mutant Larvae]
[Suggested Equipment: Gas Mask, Flamethrower]
Professor Sprout walked over. She was a dumpy little witch wearing a patched, pointed hat, her grey robes stained with dirt and plant juices of various colors.
"Today, we'll be repotting Mandrakes."
"Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?"
Hermione's hand shot up instantly, as always.
"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative..." She recited fluently from the textbook, like a human tape recorder. "It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state. But its cry is fatal to anyone who hears it."
"Precisely, Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor." Professor Sprout nodded with satisfaction. "However, the Mandrakes here are still young. Their cry won't kill you, but it will knock you out for several hours. I don't want anyone carried to the Hospital Wing on the first day, so everyone put on your earmuffs."
A pile of earmuffs in various colors lay on the bench. Rove looked at them critically and picked up a pair of fluffy pink ones.
[Acquired Equipment: Anti-Psychic Interference Helmet]
[Quality: Inferior]
[Defense: +10 (Sonic Resistance)]
[Enchantment: Looks Stupid (Charisma -5)]
He frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the appearance of this gear. But he put the earmuffs on anyway, and even pulled two strips of cloth (originally intended as leg wrappings) from his pocket to tie the earmuffs securely to his head.
"This is a battlefield." He gestured to a bewildered Neville next to him. "The defense line must be watertight."
"Alright, watch me." Professor Sprout rolled up her sleeves, grasped a tuft of leaves, and pulled hard.
Instead of white roots, an extremely ugly little baby was pulled out of the soil. Its skin was a sickly purple-green, and it opened its mouth wide, revealing toothless gums, screaming with all its might.
In Rove's eyes, this was a nightmare come true.
[Hostile Creature Encountered!]
[Name: Uruk-hai Larva / Mandrake]
[Status: Berserk / Screaming]
[Skills: Psychic Pierce (Sonic), Bite, Scratch]
[Weakness: Physical Heavy Blow, Head]
The little monster waved its fists, its face contorted, trying to attack Professor Sprout's fingers. The professor didn't even blink; she skillfully stuffed it into a larger pot and buried it with damp black soil until only the leaves remained exposed.
"Right, four to a group, get started! Compost is there, water buckets over there!"
Rove, Harry, Ron, and Hermione naturally formed a group.
Harry tried to pull one up. The thing didn't want to leave its dirt nest, and Harry struggled for a while before yanking it out. The piercing scream vibrated his eardrums even through the earmuffs, feeling like someone was drilling into his brain.
Neville, in the next group, had just pulled his out. Before he could even see what it was, his face went deathly pale, his eyes rolled back, and he fell straight backward, stiff as a board.
"That's a psychic attack!" Rove shouted internally. "Neville failed his Willpower Check!"
Fortunately, Professor Sprout rushed over and confirmed Neville had just fainted.
It was Rove's turn.
He took a deep breath, adjusting his breathing rhythm. Facing such an evil creature, there could be no mercy.
He reached out suddenly, grabbed the messy tuft of leaves, and pulled hard.
Pop!
Dirt flew. The purple-green little monster was yanked out. It opened its mouth wide, inhaling deeply, preparing to scream.
Rove gave it no chance.
His other hand was already prepared, holding a garden trowel.
"Physical Silence!"
CLANG!
The back of the trowel smacked crisply onto the little monster's forehead.
The scream cut off abruptly, stuffed back into its stomach before it could escape. The "Uruk-hai Larva" rolled its eyes, kicked its legs, and its arms went limp.
Youth is great; falls asleep immediately!
Rove moved with extreme agility. While it was unconscious, he quickly stuffed it into the new pot, filled it with soil, packed it down, and gave it two pats—all in one smooth motion.
The whole process took less than five seconds.
Harry and Ron watched, dumbfounded, their trowels frozen in mid-air.
Professor Sprout walked over, looking at the quiet pot, then at Rove, who was still holding the trowel.
"Er... Mr. Baggins." The professor shouted loudly through the earmuffs, her expression complicated. "Although very efficient... please be a little gentler. They are just babies."
Rove lifted one side of his earmuffs and said seriously, "One cannot be soft on the seeds of evil, Professor. If we don't suppress them early, they'll eat people when they grow up. I was helping it with 'Deep Sleep Therapy'; it helps with root development."
Professor Sprout opened her mouth as if to argue, but looking at the soundly sleeping Mandrake, she ultimately said nothing. After all, Rove was the first in the class to complete the task.
[System Alert: Herbology Proficiency +1]
[Title Acquired: Orc Bane]
[Evaluation: Simple, Brutal, Effective.]
---
After class, they dragged their exhausted bodies out of the greenhouse. Ron's clothes were splattered with mud, and Harry felt his ears were still ringing.
Sunlight streamed through the arches of the corridor, falling onto the ancient flagstones. Rove stopped, his gaze crossing the courtyard to stare at the distant castle towers.
[Current Location: Outpost of Gondor / The Last Sanctuary]
[Status: Shrouded in Shadow]
[Faint Dark Whispers Detected]
"This fortress remains strong," Rove spoke suddenly, "standing in the West like Minas Tirith, defying the Shadow."
Harry and Ron stopped, looking at him in confusion.
"What now?" Ron asked. "You mean Hogwarts? Of course it's strong; there's a thousand years of magical protection here."
"Walls may be impregnable, but the defense line of the human heart is often the first to crumble." Rove shook his head, a trace of worry in his eyes. "The Steward of Gondor thought he controlled everything, until despair consumed his reason. Remember, friends, the enemy is not always an Orc with a sword. Sometimes, it disguises itself as a 'gift', or a seemingly harmless smile."
He glanced meaningfully in the direction Ginny Weasley had just run, then looked at Harry.
"We must remain vigilant at all times. Even in this ivory tower that seems peaceful, the fog of war has never lifted."
"I think you're overthinking it, Rove," Hermione walked ahead, carrying several thick books. "As long as we follow school rules and study hard, nothing will happen. Besides, Professor Dumbledore is here."
"Gandalf cannot watch every corner at all times, Hermione." Rove sighed, adjusting his robes. "Especially when we have to face internal 'Mental Pollution'."
"Mental Pollution?" Harry asked.
"Exactly." Rove took out his schedule and glanced at it.
"Next class is Defense Against the Dark Arts with Gilderoy Lockhart."
"I have a premonition; it will be a disaster."