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

The three chatted and laughed, while Vizette sensed an extremely faint sound, which seemed to be some kind of scream, making him somewhat dazed.

Not only him, but also George and Fred.

The Weasley twins seemed to react more intensely, falling towards each other in perfect unison, supporting each other as if forming the letter "A".

“Strange…” Vizette frowned and immediately used the Guardian Meditation Technique, which instantly cleared her mind.

Combining the sound with his mental confusion, he vaguely had an idea: "Could it be mandrake?"

He immediately tore off a piece of paper from the notebook, turning it into three earmuffs.

After the three put on earmuffs, their mental confusion was immediately relieved.

Vizette turned and ran to the office, where the desk was a mess, with a small hole in the middle of a flowerpot and soil scattered all over the table.

The collector's edition of "I Have Magic" was also mostly covered up, with Lockhart on the cover making an exaggerated expression, his hands spread wide, as if he were about to scream.

The mandrake fell to the ground, its roots swaying stiffly, as if fiddling with something.

Vizette approached the mandrake, only to find it fiddling with the fertilizer with its roots, squealing as it stuffed the fertilizer into the hole in the tuber.

He used the "Elementary Cultivation Techniques," picked up the mandrake leaves, stuffed them back into the flowerpot, and then put the original fertilizer back in.

Only after making sure the mandrake was quiet did he take off his earmuffs and look in the direction where Fred and George were.

The Weasley twins also removed their earmuffs, and George grinned mischievously. "Heh heh! Our Professor Lockhart... he's passed out!"

"Looks like it's because they heard the mandrake's call, tsk tsk tsk! That's hilarious!" Fred's smile was obvious.

George's tone suddenly turned serious. "How can you talk like that? He's our dearest adventurer!"

“Oh…yes! Dear Professor!” Fred’s voice turned somber. “I mean, I’m very sad, very sad!”

Vizette coughed twice. "Let's take him to the school hospital!"

The letter was still on the table. He turned it into a cart and, together with the Weasley twins, moved Lockhart onto it.

"Your shapeshifting magic is so cool!" Fred exclaimed as he pushed the cart. "Professor McGonagall always uses you as an example in class!"

"Unfortunately, finding a suitable base isn't easy; that Filch knows too much!" George sighed, somewhat regretfully.

"What are you doing?" Filch suddenly appeared, his tone menacing. Mrs. Lorris stood at his feet. "An unconscious professor!"

"Aha! I've finally got something on you! You've actually gone too far and knocked out a professor! This is great... this is despicable!"

“Mr. Filch, he was knocked unconscious by mandrake,” Vizette explained, holding up the flowerpot in his hand.

“We were just passing by and were affected by the mandrake’s call. This magical plant is quite dangerous, so you should be careful too.”

"Do you think I'd believe you?" Filch's tone softened, but a skeptical glint remained in his eyes. "This blond guy... the blond guy is Lockhart, isn't he?"

He narrowed his eyes, a look of disgust on his face. "Misusing magic, sending out greeting cards indiscriminately! Tsk! He's no good either!"

He left with a fierce look before limping away.

Watching Filch's departing figure, Fred said with great interest, "He seems to know quite a bit about Lockhart!"

George nodded and said, "Of course! Filch was the doorman when Lockhart was still in school, so he definitely knows some secrets!"

Vizette was still pondering that look in his eyes. "He probably won't let this go so easily, will he?"

George looked at Mrs. Lorris, who was standing beside him: "Of course not! He must have gone to see Professor McGonagall. Anyway, we're not afraid!"

Fred said confidently, "Anyway, with you as our witness, Professor McGonagall certainly won't say anything when she comes."

He changed the subject, "By the way! Should we put it in a small iron cage? It's been following us around anyway..."

“Let’s do it next time! When we go for a night stroll!” George shook his head. “We’re doing a good deed now. We’ll lock it up when we do something bad!”

Despite their penchant for pranks, the Weasley twins were well-liked within Gryffindor.

Besides their endearing, carefree personalities, the reason they never fell behind in their studies was that they only lost points in Potions class.

This is why Filch dislikes them; as they age and gain experience, it becomes increasingly difficult to find fault with them, let alone punish them.

……

In the school infirmary, Madam Pomfrey first praised the three, "No Buffet's Mind-Clearing Potion, and no strange magical wounds, well done!"

She bent down to check on Lockhart. "He was knocked out by the mandrake's call... It's nothing serious, he'll be fine after a nap..."

“Hmm… he wasn’t affected…” She took out her wand and pressed it against Lockhart’s temple. “Do you know how long he listened to the screams?”

“No more than five minutes,” Fred said with a grin. “That scream was really something! We only heard a little bit and it made us feel really uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine here too… His memory shouldn’t be damaged, he’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep!” Mrs. Pomfrey said, moving Lockhart onto the hospital bed.

George's guess was correct. Filch and the two professors arrived at the school hospital, led by Mrs. Lorris.

Professor McGonagall immediately looked at Vizette and the others, asking with concern, "How are you? Are you wearing earmuffs?"

He finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the three nod.

Professor Sprout looked at the flowerpot, somewhat amused and exasperated, and said, "I told him... that flowerpot was a bit special, and I thought he would have a solution!"

She knew very well that mandrakes were picky eaters, which is why she took out this pot of mandrakes, placed it on the other side, and prepared to think about how to deal with it.

Lockhart, by sheer coincidence, even patted his chest and assured everyone that "no one knows more about mandrakes than I do."

That was the reason she entrusted it to Lockhart, hoping he could help take care of it.

After confirming that Lockhart was alright, Sprout and McGonagall exchanged a glance, their lips twitching slightly...

Chapter 95 Squib Filch

“Filch, I think things are clear now.” Professor McGonagall looked at Filch. “This was an accident; they just happened to be passing by.”

Upon hearing Professor McGonagall's explanation, Fred winked at Wizette, as if to say, "See? I wasn't wrong, was I?"

Filch's expression changed instantly; the sneer he had just displayed at the school hospital vanished, replaced by a look of utter frustration, as if he had swallowed a fly.

His voice became much shriller, like fingernails scraping against glass, "But I saw them... they used to team up with Peeves..."

"The patient needs rest!" Mrs. Pomfrey said, raising her eyebrows. "If you have anything to say, please talk outside!"

Filch's arguing was silenced. He limped out of the school hospital, glared fiercely at Fred and George, and hurriedly left with Mrs. Lorris.

Fred and George looked delighted, high-fived each other, and shouted "Yeah!"

Vizette watched the figure disappear at the end of the corridor and shook her head thoughtfully.

Filch is a Squib, and it wouldn't be difficult for most Hogwarts students to discover that.

This also puts him in an awkward position, as he is neither a professor nor a student, neither a wizard nor a Muggle;

Such a vague and marginalized identity naturally caused him to feel dissatisfied and struggle, which in turn fostered a sense of inferiority that he was unwilling to admit.

To alleviate this inferiority complex as much as possible, he transformed it into jealousy and dislike towards his students, which made him feel better.

Filch had almost no friends at Hogwarts; perhaps the only person who truly kept him company was his cat, Mrs. Lorris.

Such a long period of loneliness will also cause him to develop a negative attitude, and will further intensify feelings of jealousy and hatred.

When dealing with energetic students, he would subconsciously form preconceived notions, judging them as "troublemakers" and treating them all with harsh words and attitudes.

Ultimately, it's because he can't use magic but has to watch his students perform it that he's become the person he is today.

……

Outside the school clinic, Sprout reached out and said, "Vizet, let me take another good look at that mandrake."

She took the flowerpot from Vizette, hugged it to her chest, and examined it carefully from all angles.

"There's still some dragon dung... of very good quality... but it's all been scraped to the edges... just as I thought... the original fertilizer was very special, and this little guy really likes it..."

After checking, she handed the flowerpot to Vizet, saying, "It seems this little guy will have to be taken care of by you from now on."

"Can we take two pots of mandrakes with us too?" Fred and George asked almost simultaneously, as if on cue.

Fred looked at Sprout, and George looked at McGonagall, their eyes filled with anticipation.

McGonagall adjusted her glasses, a sharp glint in her eyes.

"The position of doorman is very important; Hogwarts needs Filch. Mrs. Norris is even less suitable; she's just a cat!"

As the headmistress of Gryffindor, she understood what Fred and George were up to.

As a wizard, minor pranks are to be expected, but the unique properties of mandrake itself require her to be cautious.

Although Fred and George are rather mischievous, they are both very talented children, and she doesn't want them to go astray.

Therefore, she will tolerate some behaviors and regulate others.

“Why would we do that?” George clenched his fist and raised it above his head, looking very aggrieved. “We were just interested in flowers and plants!”

“That’s right! We really want to improve our Herbalism class.” Fred nodded in agreement, letting out a long, comical sigh. “We desperately want to improve like Vizet!”

"If only it were true!" McGonagall coughed twice, trying to suppress the laughter in her throat. "I can give you more homework; that's one way to improve."

"How about I let you spend less time researching bag spiders, dead cockroaches, and vixen eggs, and more time studying shapeshifting magic? I can do it right now!"

"Ah!" Fred and George looked around and simultaneously clutched their stomachs. "It must be because we heard the mandrake's cry earlier that we feel unwell!"

They walked backwards with exaggerated expressions, staggering several times and almost falling to the ground.

Only after the two of them clutched their stomachs and retreated to the end of the corridor did they both make a funny face and quickly escape from McGonagall's sight.