Hogwarts: From Luna's House to Godhood Through Intense Competition

"They're trying to intimidate me!" Dumbledore smiled slightly, seemingly unconcerned about the matter.

"Actually, I have enough troubles to deal with every day. I don't have the energy to care about those baseless things."

“It’s probably going to be difficult for Cornelius Fudge to realize this,” Professor McGonagall sighed helplessly. “He can’t see that far ahead.”

"It doesn't really matter, as long as the magical world is at peace, that's what I've always wanted to see." Dumbledore picked up a macaron. "Perhaps this is all I can do..."

“The road ahead needs to be walked by someone else, but that person absolutely cannot be me! All I can do is give him time, guide him, and help him…”

Professor McGonagall looked at Dumbledore with a complicated expression, unsure of what to say for a moment.

Having worked together for so long, and having visited Hogsmeade and passed by the Hog's Head pub many times, I understand why Dumbledore would say that...

Chapter 88 Mandrake

Ravenclaw's first Herbs class is on Thursday, and the co-op house is Slytherin, requiring two consecutive classes.

On the huge worktable in the third greenhouse, rows of mandrakes have already been placed.

Below the workbench, there were also rows of larger, brand-new flower pots.

Sprout clapped his hands, then smiled kindly at the students. "Sorry to keep you waiting! I'm sure you've heard a lot of you talking about what we're planning to do!"

“Nevertheless, I still need to ask a question…” Sprout held up a flowerpot with both hands, “Can anyone tell me what the characteristics of mandrake are?”

Mandy Broglie of Ravenclaw raised her hand.

"Miss Broglie!"

Broglie stood up. "The root of the mandrake is a powerful restorative agent. Many difficult-to-solve binding spells can be made into restorative potions using it as the main ingredient."

"In addition, mandrake has a lethality that matches its restorative properties; when the tuber is pulled out, it emits a cry that can be deadly, so be extremely careful!"

"Mandragora is widely distributed in the wild and has a certain ability to move, so not only wizards know about it, but Muggles also know about it."

Sprout clapped and said, "A very comprehensive answer, Ravenclaw plus ten..."

Pansy interrupted Sprout, sitting down to add, "It's also a material for ancient ritual magic, which uses mandrake, for example, in dark magic..."

“Unexpected.” Sprout’s smile remained unchanged as he interrupted Pansy, who was about to continue. “Excellent addition! Ravenclaw and Slytherin, both fifteen points!”

“That’s right! Mandrake is also an ingredient for ritual magic. However, its main use now will be in potions… You can write down this additional information.”

Vizette glanced at Pansy; pure-blood families certainly had a unique approach to the inheritance of magic.

It turns out that mandrake can also be used in ritual magic, and even ritual magic related to black magic, which is a new discovery.

“I hope you will all take notes of the following key points.” Sprout pulled out a large parchment scroll covered with annotations and a drawing of a mandrake.

"Young mandrakes also make a sound, but their sound is not fatal, though it can still knock you unconscious. Be very careful, remember that!"

She waved her wand and, referring to the annotations on the large parchment scroll, explained the relevant knowledge about mandrakes and the key points to note when transplanting them.

The timing of transplanting mandrakes will vary depending on when they are planted.

This combined lesson between Ravenclaw and Slytherin will consist of one lesson on repotting mandrakes and another lesson on caring for the repotted mandrakes.

Sprout was a cautious professor. As she handed out earmuffs to the students, she repeatedly reminded them, "Make sure you wear the earmuffs properly to ensure they provide the best possible protection!"

“Even though the mandrake is still a seedling, you are still young wizards. Once you hear the mandrake's cry, you will inevitably fall into a coma for a long time…”

She put her wand in her pocket, picked up the only ugly pair of fluffy pink earmuffs, and demonstrated how to wear them correctly.

Seeing that the fluffy pink earmuffs had been taken away, the other students breathed a sigh of relief and put on their earmuffs in order.

Sprout pinched the green-purple leaves, shook them in all four directions, and then pulled hard, uprooting the mandrake.

The tuberous root of the mandrake has a peculiar shape, looking like a newborn baby covered in wrinkles.

Its light green skin was speckled, and a hole was constantly opening and closing, making it look like it was crying.

However, the students were all wearing earmuffs, so all that could be seen was the action of opening their mouths, and not a single cry could be heard.

Sprout held up the mandrake and shook it, then picked up the flowerpot under the workbench, took out a small shovel and started shoveling soil. After digging a hole, he stuffed the mandrake into it.

After all that was done, the mandrakes were still not settled down. It wasn't until Sprout finished fertilizing that the mandrake leaves stopped trembling and returned to their initial calm.

After observing the professor's demonstration, it was time for the students to take the lead.

Compared to Sprout's relaxed and carefree approach, most students encountered difficulties when they started the first step.

Mandrakes not only have a human-like form, but they can also struggle like babies, and it takes a lot of time and effort to pull them out of the soil.

Moreover, once they arrive in the warm greenhouse and can feel the surrounding light, they no longer want to return to the pot and will wriggle and struggle.

They not only open their mouths and cry, but also wave their roots, which are similar to hands and feet, and pat the students holding their heads and leaves, making them look very lively.

Draco suffered because of this step;

He tried to pinch the mandrake to control its roots and then stuff it into a new flowerpot, but the mandrake seized the opportunity and bit his finger instead.

After several lessons, Sprout was already used to this kind of thing. She casually cast a spell, and the mandrake relented.

……

When Vizet pulled the mandrake out of the pot, she encountered a little trouble with such a lively magical plant.

Faced with the constantly struggling and restless mandrake, he immediately used the "Basic Cultivation Technique".

Soothed by ancient magical power, the mandrake quickly calmed down, neither struggling nor screaming.

The mandrake yawned a long yawn, used its roots as a pillow, rested them on the side of its "head," and started snoring. You could even see snot bubbles covered in dust.

Michael almost got bitten by the mandrake, and as he dodged, he turned around and saw the "peaceful" mandrake in Wizette's hand, and suddenly began to question his life.

However, he also understood the preciousness of the mandrake, and of course, he had to repot this magical plant himself.

Moreover, everyone was wearing earmuffs, so they couldn't hear each other and could only continue fighting the mandrake.

With the help of "Elementary Cultivation Techniques," Wizette's repotting work went smoothly. She took out the new pot, dug the soil, and successfully stuffed the mandrake into the hole.

Even after being placed in the new pot, the mandrake became restless again, desperately trying to crawl out of the soil and stay in Vizet's hand to absorb the ancient magical power.

Vizette had a sudden inspiration and cast the "Basic Composting" spell on the fertilizer she was about to use, allowing ancient magical power to permeate the fertilizer, and the mandrake leaves finally calmed down.

Once the repotting is complete, Wizette can focus on the mandrake itself.

He was naturally very interested in this plant that could be used in ritual magic and wanted to study it in depth.

He cast a spell on the mandrake, and a strange sight appeared before him...

Chapter 89 Unique Magic Circuits

The mandrake's magic circuit is the most complex of all the magical plants that Vizet has encountered so far.

If you only observe it briefly, you can only see a tangled mess of hemp fibers, which seems to be constantly moving and full of indescribable restlessness, making him feel dizzy.

Perhaps it is precisely because of the complexity of the magic circuit that it became a part of ritual magic.

Compared to modern magic, which is incredibly precise and can be cast using wands, gestures, and spells, ritual magic is much broader in scope.

Ancient wizards used ritual magic to deal with this breadth, and thus developed multiple steps, constantly eliminating and combining elements to ultimately achieve the desired magical effect.

Vizette suppressed her dizziness and focused her attention even more intently on observing the mandrake.

This time, his observations were not limited to the tubers, but also included the leaves of the mandrake plant.

He made a new discovery by observing the leaves of the mandrake.

The leaves of the mandrake contain magical circuits, completely different from those in the tuber.

The overall magic circuit is extremely orderly, like a series of sturdy and stable nails, firmly fixing the magic circuit of the root.

There is a connection between the leaves and the tubers. You can vaguely feel that the magical circuits of the leaves also flow and slowly enter the tubers.

The new discovery of mandrake alleviated the dizziness and gave Vizet more energy to continue studying the special features of mandrake.

He discovered something interesting: the magical circuits between the leaves and the tubers flowed between each other.

Even though the flow was extremely slight, it was still detected through his patient observation.

……

Sprout looked around and walked over to Vizet's side.

She bent down slightly to carefully examine the mandrake that had just been transplanted.

The soil in the flowerpot was very even, and the burial position was just right...

She wasn't surprised by Vizette's good performance, but she still had a satisfied smile on her face.

Sprout straightened up, gently patted Vizet on the shoulder, and gestured for Vizet to follow him.

The two went to the second greenhouse and waited until Sprout closed the door to make sure they couldn't hear the mandrake's calls before they took off their earmuffs.

Vizette rubbed her temples to relieve the dizziness. "Professor Sprout, is there anything I can help you with?"

“These are for you…” Sprout opened his hand, revealing a few tender mandela leaves.

“Mandragora leaves that have just been transplanted are the best for practicing Animagus.”

"The best effect?" Vizet maintained his Eye of Magic, and on the leaf in Sprout's hand, there were still magic circuits like nails.

Since the leaves have been picked, their magical circuits have stopped flowing and have stabilized.