Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 24 The Crazy Girl and the Harassing Man

Professor Sprout, who taught Herbalism, was a very gentle witch, short and plump, and although she was also the headmistress of Hufflepuff House, she was not at all pretentious.

After a summer apart, she was still the same simple woman Harry remembered, wearing a shortened robe that looked like linen clothes and a hat covered in patches.

She was covered in mud, especially under her fingernails, looking like a farmer's wife who had just returned from the fields.

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When Harry and the others saw her, she was holding a flowerpot covered with a black cloth. Her face, unusually devoid of her usual cheerful smile, was filled with seriousness as she warned the curious young wizards who approached: "Don't go near it, and don't touch the black cloth, or I'll kick you out of the greenhouse and deduct points from your house!"

Professor Sprout has always been the young wizards' favorite professor.

Because of her gentle temperament, lack of prejudice against anyone, and lack of bias towards either house—a point Harry must specifically mention regarding Snape, the Potions Professor who single-handedly lowered the moral standards of the Hogwarts faculty and staff.

Let's get back to Sprout.

For the past year, Harry's impression of her has been that of a plump, muddy face with an ever-present kind smile.

Even when faced with Neville's poor memory, the professor never lost her temper. In fact, she often said in class that Neville had an exceptional talent for herbalism.

Harry had never seen a professor so patient with Neville, even going so far as to tell a lie to comfort him.

Yes, Harry didn't think Neville had any talent for herbalism. This wasn't discrimination; after all, Neville was his friend and had been very good to him.

To be honest, you wouldn't really expect a little wizard who is always forgetful and needs a memory ball to remind him of what he forgot to be a hidden academic genius in a certain subject, would you?

Professor McGonagall often worried about Neville: "I always worry that one day he will lose himself, or be scared to death when facing a dark wizard."

Harry wholeheartedly agreed.

Neville was right next to him, and seeing Professor Sprout's bad expression, Neville's face automatically turned pale.

"Merlin, Professor Sprout has never lost her temper. I simply can't imagine what unforgivable thing the person who offended her must have done!"

He looked at Harry with despair: "Could it be me? Maybe I've forgotten?"

Harry was speechless, but still comforted him, "No, Neville, I think it's probably because of the plant covered with the black cloth."

"You think so too?" Ron whispered in agreement. "Strange, it's just a potted plant, how could it make the professor so upset?"

Harry didn't answer, because he was also puzzled.

Neville, who had been terrified just a moment ago, suddenly said, "Many plants in herbalism are extremely dangerous. If, if what's under that black cloth is what I know, then it's perfectly normal for the professor to be in a bad mood!"

Ron stared at Neville in surprise, as if he didn't recognize him: "You know?"

He seemed to have heard a joke.

To put it bluntly, Ronald Weasley may lack confidence in many areas, but when facing Neville, his confidence explodes!

Neville sensed the contempt in his tone, and his pale face flushed red with anger.

Unfortunately, he wasn't good at expressing himself, and the words stuck in his throat before he could speak. Meanwhile, Professor Sprout had already placed the flowerpot covered with a black cloth into greenhouse number 1, locked it in a cage, and then locked the door tightly.

Then he came to the young wizards.

Seemingly, dealing with the flowerpot improved the professor's mood a bit; a smile appeared on his face, which had been gloomy moments before: "Alright, children, today's lesson will begin—"

"Professor, you've locked the door to Greenhouse Number 1 again," Simon Finigan called out from the crowd.

"Yes, it's locked because we're going to have class in greenhouse number 3 today, darling!"

A murmur rippled through the crowd; everyone was quite interested because they had only been inside Greenhouse No. 1 for the entire previous semester.

Everyone had already heard from upperclassmen that in a professor-managed greenhouse, the higher the number, the greater the danger.

The energetic and curious young wizards had long been fed up with the tedious and dirty task of fertilizing the henbane plants.

Following the professor to the outside of Greenhouse No. 3, amidst a bunch of furry heads straining to look up, Professor Sprout fumbled for another key on his keychain and opened the door.

A damp, earthy smell, mixed with the pungent odor of fertilizer and a rich floral fragrance, filled the air.

The interior of the greenhouse is much larger than it appears from the outside. Of course, this is not surprising to anyone. When they were in their first year, the young wizards had heard the professors say that all the greenhouses at Hogwarts had been enchanted with the Unseen Stretching Charm.

According to Professor Sprout, this measure came from Mr. Newt Scamander, who first proposed the theory of raising magical animals in their wild habitats.

Professor Sprout greatly admired Mr. Scamander, so he applied the latter's theories to the cultivation of the miraculous plant.

So far, the results seem promising.

The misty fog resembled the water vapor drifting across the surface of Black Lake on a summer morning, and also resembled the clouds hanging down from the surrounding mountains, surging in the vast space.

As soon as you enter, standing amidst the clouds and mist are flowers of varying heights, some lying on the ground like a carpet, others hanging high from the ceiling, each one more elegant, some vibrant, some dignified, and some strange.

The rich floral fragrance comes from this.

The environment inside the greenhouse is also different. Some flowers are planted in flowerpots, some are rooted in large areas of soil without any artificial objects, some grow in clear or murky water, and some climb on rugged rocks. The so-called habitat mentioned earlier refers to the original ecological environment of the species. As far as Harry knows, this concept actually comes from Muggles. This is a teaching error in Hogwarts that Vaughn pointed out when he was observing a class last semester. Before him, the professors had always thought that Scamander had created it.

"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've seen Vaughn—"

Harry looked around. If there was anything that pleased him about the new semester, it was that the Gryffindor group was no longer surrounded by those Slytherin faces he had seen enough of last semester.

Hufflepuff was taking herbalism lessons with them.

To be honest, Harry is still a little unaccustomed to this change, not because he misses Slytherin and Malfoy's hateful faces.

Rather, because he couldn't see the other person, he always felt that Malfoy was up to something in the shadows.

He hadn't forgotten that he had snatched the diary from Malfoy!

Two lines followed Professor Sprout through the swirling mist and numerous flowers and plants to an open space in the center of the greenhouse, where there were two rows of benches, each with a pair of earmuffs on it.

Harry noticed that Hermione and Neville were both staring at the stools.

To be precise, it should be the earmuffs placed on the stool!

"Are we going to need earmuffs for today's herbalism class? Do plants make noise?"

A question arose in Harry's mind.

What puzzled him even more was that it was understandable that Hermione noticed the earmuffs first, since she always liked to do her homework in advance.

But Neville, no matter what—

Just then, Harry heard Professor Sprout say, "Now that we're in our second year, Herbology class is venturing into more dangerous territory. Today, we'll begin learning how to repot mandrakes—before the lesson officially begins, can anyone tell me what the characteristics of mandrakes are, and what we need to be careful about?"

Swish!

Don't get me wrong, most students, like Harry, don't really have a concept of this issue.

Only two people raised their hands.

Hermione, and Neville!

Harry stared at Neville in surprise.

The herbal medicine class ended at 10 a.m.

Harry didn't know how he got out of Greenhouse 3.

The morning's classes gave him a feeling of being in another world.

The main reason, of course, is the strangeness of the mandrake.

Those damn guys are so creepy-looking!

Who knows, when Harry saw Professor Sprout twisting the mandrake seedling and pulling it out of the pot, its roots—a plump, light green tuber with limbs and an ugly human face that at first glance resembled a baby—were quite different from the plant itself.

In that instant, the intense fear made Harry feel his heart skip a beat!

What's even more terrifying is that it struggles and screams at the top of its lungs. Even with thick earmuffs covering its ears, you can still faintly hear a piercing scream.

-

Harry saw several Gryffindor and Hufflepuff wizards turn pale and vomit.

Ron was among them.

"If I could, I would never want to touch those things again!" Ron said weakly.

Even after the course was over, his face was still frighteningly pale, and his freckles had faded.

Harry was surprised: "You come from a wizarding family, how come—"

"Are you kidding me? The professor said the sound of a mature mandrake root is deadly. Even if my family are all wizards, who do you think would grow that thing in their own garden?"

—Oh, right!

Harry realized that he still didn't understand wizards, and that his way of thinking was still limited by his former Muggle identity.

For example, he still can't believe that Neville got the most points in the herbalism class that just ended!

After walking a short distance with Ron, Harry finally couldn't help but say, "Neville got 30 points today!"

Ron let out a long sigh, seemingly also holding it in: "Yeah, I can't believe it. What was that guy doing all summer? Did he secretly take extra classes without us knowing?"

"—That's not the point, is it?"

"That's it! Think about it, how much anger Snape and the other professors vented on us last semester? Now he's secretly giving us extra lessons and making a name for himself. And what about us? We'll look so stupid in comparison, Harry!"

Ron's imagination is as quirky as ever, and his logic is touching.

But this time, Harry suddenly felt that what he said made sense.

Driven by a strange sense of crisis and a competitive spirit, the two stopped Neville not far from the greenhouse, wanting to ask him where he was taking extra classes.

Neville looked at them with a strange expression: "Of course it's Vaughn!"

"Huh?" *2

"He's the top student in all four houses, a member of Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration Club, Professor Flitwick even gave Vaughn more points than he would a Ravenclaw student, and Professor Sprout also said that Vaughn is very knowledgeable and has unique insights into herbalism—with a student like that, who else would I need tutoring?"

Of course, Neville's statement wasn't so fluent; he stuttered a bit.

But that didn't prevent Harry and Ron from understanding what he meant.

The two exchanged a glance: "You, when did you two—?"

Neville understood what they meant and said honestly, "During the summer, except for a short period of time, we kept in touch. Vaughn was very patient. He not only answered my questions in detail but also recommended books to me. He was also the one who suggested that I pursue herbalism."

The two fell silent for a moment.

Ron muttered subconsciously, "I'm supposed to be his brother, but he's never this nice to me—"

Harry recalled the hardships he endured during his grueling training last semester and felt somewhat unbalanced.

Then they saw Neville, who was usually the one who got bullied, blush again and say seriously, "You think he's biased?"

'

'

"But I don't think so. On the contrary, I think that you clearly have excellent conditions and a close relationship with Vaughn, so why are you unwilling to take the initiative to ask him for advice?"

"Well----"

"Honestly, you don't value your relationship with Vaughn at all, especially you, Ron. Do you really think he's obligated to help you?"

At this moment, Neville seemed so unfamiliar.

This left Harry and Ron speechless.

They listened to Neville finish speaking, then watched him leave, utterly astonished and bewildered.

Naturally, Neville, who was always timid and cowardly, was surprised to have the courage to ask such a sharp question, showing no consideration for their friendship.

"Confused," as Neville put it—it seems somewhat—well, it makes a lot of sense!

However, they didn't have time to think it through carefully.

The herbalism class had already exhausted them, and next up was the transfiguration class, which was never easy.

To make matters worse, Harry and Ron discovered that after a summer of learning, the Transfiguration lessons they had taken in the previous semester seemed to have vanished from their minds.

They only vaguely remembered that in the first year they learned about inanimate objects transforming, while in the second year they would be learning about living objects transforming. So, naturally, the two of them became a complete mess!

The first lesson of the new semester, according to Professor McGonagall, was the most basic of the basics of metamorphosis—turning a beetle into a button.

"Insects are the simplest living creatures in terms of structure!"

In class, Professor McGonagall, who was usually very serious, said this in a relaxed tone.

result----

Harry poked the beetle so hard it ran all over the place.

Ron was even worse; halfway through poking, he got angry and poked the beetle to death!

When Ron went to Professor McGonagall to get his new beetle, he almost thought the professor would poke a hole in the back of his head with her cold, sharp gaze!

As a result, Professor McGonagall deducted 10 points from both of them.

I'm in a terrible mood.

Especially during breaks, they saw Hermione showing off by flipping her buttons back and forth.

Their faces burned.

Of course, it wasn't all bad news that morning. When Harry walked out of the classroom after Transfiguration class, he still instinctively struck up a conversation with Hermione, asking her when they were going to have lunch in the Great Hall.

Hermione, who had been giving him the silent treatment as if he and Ron didn't exist, actually responded: "If I were you, I wouldn't have any appetite at all. I'd be rushing to the library to flip through the first-year Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook and the travelogues Professor Rosier assigned. Even a last-minute cram session is better than knowing nothing!"

Well—even though it was mockery, at least she was willing to talk.

This is probably good news, right?

Yes, there was only one Defense Against the Dark Arts class in the afternoon, in which they would meet Professor Rozier for the first time.

This should be considered another piece of good news.

In every sense.

Not only Harry and Ron thought so, but almost everyone thought that Gryffindor and Slytherin would have class together today, but the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw wizards were also excitedly looking forward to it!

Harry and Ron ultimately ignored Hermione's advice and went to the library to carry out some kind of raid.

The afternoon's "highly anticipated" Defense Against the Dark Arts class was about to begin, and they couldn't possibly miss such an opportunity to join in the fun!

When the two arrived at the Great Hall, the matter was indeed being discussed enthusiastically at the long tables of each house. The Gryffindor long table, which was usually noisy, was even more boisterous today.

Many of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students gathered around.

Harry saw Cedric Diggory and Justin Finley from Hufflepuff, Padma Pettier, the twin sister of his classmate Parvati Pettier, and Luna Nofgood, her classmate and Weasley neighbor.

They gathered at the Gryffindor table, enthusiastically discussing the "long-standing" (actually only a week old) practical lessons that had been passed down in the castle.

The two found an empty seat and sat down.

Hermione was to Harry's right. Everyone was used to the trio being inseparable, so they subconsciously left a space for them next to Hermione.

Hermione's reaction was to roll her eyes at Harry.

Yes, she's only talking to Harry right now and is still ignoring Ron.

Next to Ron was Dean Thomas, the Muggle-born lion cub who had lost all his Muggle airs from last semester and was now boasting like a wizard: "—I think it's the Hungarian Hornet, the most dangerous fire dragon in the world. Only a creature as big as that deserves to be our subject of practice!"

Yes, he and Seamus Finigan are staunch wilderness survivalists and fire dragon enthusiasts.

They were among the first to hear Ron boast about the "practical course," and were also the culprits who exaggerated and spread the word.

They firmly believed that the practical course involved throwing everyone into a remote wilderness where they would fight a fire dragon.

Someone questioned, "Have you really seen a fire-breathing dragon, Dean?"

Dean Thomas blushed instantly, just like last semester when Seamus Finigan belittled his beloved football. Now, Dean, who considered himself a wizard, could no longer tolerate others "mocking" him for not understanding the wizarding world.

Everyone quickly erupted into a noisy argument, and at that moment, the boundaries between the academies seemed to disappear.

Harry and Ron ate with relish while listening to the argument.

Even the annoyance of being hit by Neville not long ago seemed to have disappeared.

The troubles, of course, didn't really disappear.

At one point, Harry and Ron, who were wolfing down their food, heard an ethereal whisper: "You two have so many harassing creatures on you—"

The two women turned around, their cheeks puffed out; it was Luna Lovegood.

The girl's hair was disheveled, and she wore strange ornaments. Her clear eyes looked at the two of them curiously: "There are a lot of harassing gnats, buzzing around you."

The two looked at each other in bewilderment.

What is a harassment troll?

"An invisible worm," Luna explained earnestly. "When people are troubled, they are surrounded by these 'harassing worms,' which crawl into their brains through their ears, making them even more troubled and confused."

[”

Ron decisively turned his head away and ignored him.

Harry saw Ron mouth "crazy girl" to him and remembered that Ron had talked about this girl with him at the Burrow. It was said that her mother was Vaughn's business partner, so the two families should have a good relationship. Unfortunately, the girl seemed to be mentally challenged.

Harry didn't think about how someone with a mental disability could get into Hogwarts. Of the wizards he'd met, very few were in a normal mental state.

"Thank you for reminding me," Harry said politely. "But being bothered shouldn't be on my mind yet, because I'm enjoying my lunch right now, and I'm actually quite happy."

He thought he was being humorous and had reminded the other person that he was eating.

However, Luna didn't seem to catch his subtext and instead said seriously, "I'm not lying to you, you and Ron have just as many harassers as Vaughn and Dumbledore."

As she spoke, her eyes softened with pity.

Uh—okay!

This girl is definitely not normal.

But Harry still didn't want to be blunt and hurtful, so he casually changed the subject: "Did you see Vaughn and Dumbledore?"

That's impossible. Lately, the headmaster, Professor Rozier, and Vaughn have been appearing and disappearing mysteriously. Nobody knows where they are or what they're doing.

This is why rumors spread everywhere.

But unexpectedly, Luna, resting her chin on her hand and gazing at them with clear eyes, nodded: "They're in the castle, in a room bigger than Weasel Mountain and Saint Catchpol Village. The harassment hounds allow me to find them every time."

The girl's voice was hazy, like the morning mist, drifting and uncertain, making one wonder if she was awake or talking in her sleep.

But Harry and Ron looked at each other blankly.

"Uh, a room bigger than Weasel Mountain and Saint Cachipol Village?"

Harry has a strong sense of déjà vu.

Luna nodded: "Vaughn said that he and Dumbledore were creating a world, which must have been very tiring, and their minds must have been in a mess."

Harry and Ron automatically ignored what the girl said next.

The two exchanged a few perfunctory words to dismiss Luna, then quietly slipped out of the auditorium, glancing furtively around before exchanging a look: "Is what she said believable?"

"She's a freshman and knows nothing about Hogwarts. Even if she's just spouting nonsense, she couldn't possibly guess right on the first try."

"So—Saint Cachipol village is that big—"

"Seamless Stretching Spell — A New World —"

As if exchanging a secret signal, the two lowered their voices and said in unison, "The world within the painting!"

Ron slammed his fist in his hand: "I should have realized it sooner. What could be more suitable as a venue for our practical lesson?"

"Yeah, we don't even need to leave Hogwarts, and we can customize the terrain and content to our liking—we just experienced that a few months ago, why didn't we think of it before?"

"That's not important." Ron smoothly avoided digging into the truth that would frustrate him and his best friend, his eyebrows dancing with excitement: "We can finally hold our heads high this afternoon, Harry. Nobody knows the world in the painting better than us, uh, except Vaughn—oh, and Hermione too."