Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

After saying that, he seemed to suddenly remember something, turned to look at the girl next to him, and said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice, "By the way, was the person standing with Professor Snape just now your school's headmaster, Karkaroff? I was running too fast just now and didn't see his face clearly. I only saw that he was wearing the same style of robe as you."

The girl nodded and said with certainty, "That's right, it's our school's principal, Karkaroff. He's been very close to Professor Snape all day, probably discussing something."

“I think it’s safer inside the Great Hall.” Michael exhaled, patted his chest, as if he hadn’t fully recovered from the shock. “At least in the Great Hall, Professor Snape won’t deduct points from us arbitrarily; at most, he’ll just look a little grumpy.”

After saying this, he waved to Dylan and Ginny, said goodbye, and then took the girl's hand and walked quickly into the auditorium, clearly not wanting to risk staying outside any longer.

The banquet is over.

until the next day.

Of the students who came to the greenhouse this morning, only Dylan has arrived so far.

Without the usual hustle and bustle, the greenhouse was unusually quiet. This atmosphere actually made it easier to have more topics to talk about, and Professor Sprout had a rare opportunity to have a detailed conversation with Dylan.

As Professor Sprout loosened the soil around a pot of magic apples with a small shovel, he mentioned the changes in Neville and Hannah: "Neville and Hannah have grown so much lately, it's been a wonderful surprise."

"Their talent in herbalism is already outstanding, and they have a natural sensitivity to the habits of various magical plants, but the most crucial factor is their growing confidence."

She put down the shovel, wiped the dirt off her hands, and continued, "I know they all joined an organization. To be honest, it was after joining this organization that they gradually opened up and became more and more confident."

"At the beginning, I would be so nervous that my hands would shake when I did experiments, but now I can handle some difficult herbal cultivation work independently."

Professor Sprout looked at Dylan with admiration in his eyes: "Their progress is due to the encouragement from their peers, and you, Dylan, deserve even more credit."

"You not only frequently encourage them to try new things, but you also share your own learning methods with them without reservation, helping them avoid many detours. You are such a kind child."

“Speaking of which…” Professor Sprout’s eyes lit up as if he suddenly remembered something. “I heard Neville mention that they’ve also made contact with other magic schools, and even became pen pals with a professor there who specializes in herbalism, often exchanging cultivation experiences. You should know about this, right?”

“Yes, Neville often talks about this with me.” Dylan nodded and added, “Actually, I didn’t teach Hannah much; Neville learned it all from me and then taught it to others. Moreover, based on the information shared by that professor, they have tried to cultivate several magical plants that are unique to other regions. They are growing quite well now, but they haven’t reached the time to flower and bear fruit yet. We’ll have to wait and see how they perform.”

“I’ve heard about this too, and they’re getting more and more interesting.” Professor Sprout smiled with satisfaction. “And that essence replenishment you taught them, I’ve seen them use it a few times, and it’s indeed an extremely practical spell. It’s better than many specialized potions for promoting the growth of magical plants and repairing damaged roots.”

She looked around at the neatly arranged flowerpots and nursery in the greenhouse, her tone thoughtful: "Speaking of which, I've been thinking about something. Perhaps we should find a suitable place and cultivate a special plot of land just for them."

"For those who want to delve deeper into herbalism, having their own land is essential to cultivate various magical plants more systematically and thoroughly, and to accumulate practical experience."

Dylan blinked, his gaze sweeping over the divided cultivation areas in the greenhouse, and said thoughtfully, "Does the professor mean to create a private space for them, similar to this greenhouse? Only perhaps smaller in scale, just for a few people?"

“That’s right, that’s exactly what I mean!” Professor Sprout nodded vigorously, his tone becoming increasingly serious. “To become a qualified herbalist, book knowledge and scattered experiments are not enough. There must be a dedicated place where they can participate in the entire process from sowing and maintenance to harvesting, and personally handle all kinds of problems encountered in cultivation.”

“Ordinary wizards use flower pots to grow magical plants, one type per pot, which is sufficient for daily needs or simple experiments.”

"But for those aspiring to become herbalists, the space in flowerpots and the fertility of the soil are limited, which cannot meet the needs of long-term and in-depth research."

Dylan lowered his head in thought for a moment, then looked up at Professor Sprout, his tone somewhat tentative: "Hearing you say that, it suddenly occurred to me, isn't this somewhat similar to the principle of ritual magic? If we compare a herbalist to a wizard who focuses on a particular field..."

He paused, organizing his thoughts, and then said, "So, for herbalists, isn't a dedicated cultivation plot of land equivalent to a wizard's 'wand'? Is it the core medium through which they cast 'herbal magic' and unleash their abilities? Professor Sprout, is this interpretation of your meaning correct?"

“Haha, that’s quite an interesting and apt analogy!” Professor Sprout was amused by Dylan’s idea, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out. “Since we’ve already compared it to a wand, perhaps we can go a step further—like Neville, the reason he’s so suited to be a herbalist is not only because of his talent, but more importantly because he has rare patience.”

She picked up a freshly picked magic leaf and gently stroked its veins: "The worst thing in cultivating magical plants is to be impatient for quick results. Every plant has its own rhythm of growth, and Nawi can calm down and carefully observe and patiently care for it day after day. Even for rare varieties that grow slowly, he can take meticulous care of them. This kind of mindset is the most valuable quality to become an excellent herbalist."

Professor Sprout chatted with Dylan while tending to the magical plants in the greenhouse.

Holding a specially made watering can, she carefully watered a delicate fluorescent plant. The water droplets fell on the leaves, reflecting a faint green light.

Professor Sprout quickly brought up the topic of his previous herbal research: "Recently, I've been researching something to optimize the effects of herbs, to give a single herb multiple properties. It seems to involve ritual magic." "This kind of magic is very versatile and well-suited for modifying the essential attributes of magical plants."

She looked at Dylan and continued, "Dylan, your understanding of ritual magic is already quite profound. In fact, the entire natural world we live in can be considered a huge ritual magic field. It is constantly circulating and interacting with itself. You should be very clear about this, right?"

“I understand.” Dylan nodded, immediately thinking of a concrete example: “One of the ingredients in the potion needed for Animagus transformation serves as evidence of this: ‘dew that has not been exposed to sunlight or living beings.’”

"This dew must be collected in a specific environment and at a specific time. It carries the mark of natural ritual magic in order to work in potions."

"In fact, in many cases, the boundaries between different magical fields are not so clear. They are often interconnected and intertwined."

"It is precisely because of this that ancient wizards were able to start with the most basic ritual magic, constantly explore and innovate, and step by step develop the rich and diverse magic system we have today."

"A very good summary!" Professor Sprout's eyes were full of praise, and his tone became even more gratified. "'The boundaries of magic are not so clear'—that statement is so true. It accurately summarizes the core ideas of magical research."

She further guided, "Dylan, this statement can actually be used in many places. By using ritual magic, one material can acquire the properties of another, thereby simplifying potion recipes. In essence, this breaks down the boundaries between ritual magic, herbalism, and potion-making, and integrates them together."

Hearing Professor Sprout say this, Dylan looked at the professor and said with a smile, "Professor Sprout, do you mean that the kind of cross-domain fusion that ritual magic can achieve can also be achieved with specific spells? For example, the Essence Supplement that I taught Neville before, this spell can directly affect magical plants, enhance their vitality, and even make them grow faster. It is essentially a modification of the properties of herbs."

“Yes…that’s right.” Professor Sprout nodded slowly, his gaze falling on Dylan, his tone tinged with satisfaction. “Dylan, what I’m about to say, you’ve already been putting into practice for a long time.”

“You’re not just doing this yourself; you’ve also shared this idea and approach with others, especially Neville.”

"This is also the fundamental reason why he has been able to make such rapid progress in the field of herbalism and is now becoming more and more adept at handling magical plants."

She paused, then continued, "But you should know that this approach applies not only to the 'cultivation process' but also to the 'final result'."

"These ideas are insights I've gradually come up with after years of observing and learning from nature, and I'd like to take this opportunity to share them with you today."

"If you've already figured these things out yourself, then just consider me old and prone to rambling. Or you could check them again to see if there are any oversights in these ideas so I can improve them."

Hearing Professor Sprout say this, Dylan smiled slightly: "Professor Sprout, I am very willing to listen to your sharing of these experiences. How could I find you long-winded? These are the culmination of your many years of hard work, which is very valuable to me."

Although he figured out some of the experience on his own.

However, he was still very willing to listen to the ideas of other wizards.

After all, stagnation will only lead to falling behind and prevent progress.

Being able to listen to other people's advice is also a very interesting thing.

You never know when you might get inspiration from a casual remark someone makes.

Professor Sprout laughed and waved his hand, saying in a relaxed tone, "Let's start with the most basic plant cultivation. There are actually many ways to get a new magical plant. The simplest and most direct way is, of course, to sow seeds and then patiently wait for them to germinate, grow leaves, and gradually grow into a mature plant."

"But in addition to sowing, cuttings, division or grafting are also feasible cultivation methods. Although these methods differ greatly in operation steps and applicable plant species, some require cutting branches, some require separating the root system, and some require combining parts of different plants, their ultimate goal is exactly the same - to obtain a healthy 'new plant'."

She bent down and gently stroked a pot of forget-me-nots that had just been divided, and continued, "As a qualified herbalist, one cannot only know one cultivation method. Instead, one must flexibly choose the most suitable cultivation method based on the resources at hand—such as whether there are enough seeds and branches, the growing environment—such as whether the temperature and humidity are suitable for sowing, and the specific effect desired—such as whether it is necessary to obtain mature plants quickly or whether the characteristics of the mother plant should be preserved."

"If that's what you're saying, isn't it similar to the ways wizards move around?" Dylan asked after listening. "For example, Apparition, Manifestation, and Portkeys. The principles and operations of these methods of movement are completely different. Apparition requires the wizard to master spatial magic, Manifestation relies on a guide, and Portkeys require the creation of magical items in advance, but their ultimate purpose is the same—to safely transport people from one place to another."

He continued, "As long as the ultimate goal can be achieved, the most suitable method can be flexibly chosen to achieve the desired result based on the actual situation. Thinking about it this way, this principle seems to be applicable to many magical fields, not just herbalism and teleportation magic."

"Just like the 'two 'P' Apparition principle' passed down from Godric Gryffindor, and the traditional 'three 'D' principle' commonly used in the wizarding world today, these two principles have completely different core points. One emphasizes 'Focus' and 'Precision,' while the other focuses on 'Determination,' 'Direction,' and 'Destination.' However, they both achieve the same goal through their respective logic and methods—helping wizards practicing Apparition successfully master and cast this spatial magic, avoiding the danger of 'split'." (End of Chapter)