Hogwarts: I'm Harry's older cousin

Chapter 178, Section 176: Dangerous Cabbage Field

Soon it was time to meet up with my friends.

Malfoy and Neville arrived at Godric's Hollow early on via the Floo Network.

Unfortunately, Ron couldn't make it in the end. His father, Arthur, had recently had incredible luck, winning the Daily Prophet's annual grand prize—the Galleon Prize, a whopping 700 Galleons. The family planned to use the money to travel to Egypt, since the Weasleys' eldest son, Bill, worked there.

Before even entering, Malfoy exclaimed in amazement upon seeing the iron thorn security netting, which was taller than a person, encircling the entrance.

"I really should suggest to my father that he try it out too."

Malfoy Manor had virtually no defenses; anyone who wanted to come in could come in.

It's worth mentioning that Malfoy no longer refers to Lucius with the proud "my father," but instead uses a more formal tone.

While the iron thorn security bars cannot defend against wizards, the purpose of these thorns is not for defense, but rather as a warning. If a wizard tries to remove these thorns, it will inevitably attract the attention of the homeowner.

The moment Neville and Malfoy stepped through the garden's iron gates, their eyes lit up, as if they had entered another time and space, a paradise on earth.

"It's not much worse than my family's manor." Even Malfoy, who had seen a lot in the world, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

His Malfoy estate, though large, felt empty; the only sights were the central fountain and the white peacock.

This place, Dudley, is quite different. The entire garden consists of countless lawns, each planted with different kinds of magical plants, many of which Malfoy couldn't name, each with its own unique characteristics. Countless fairies (some kind of magical creatures), butterflies, and other creatures flit among these magical plants, creating a truly beautiful scene.

In the very center of the garden, there sits a small five-story castle.

The castle has been basically renovated by now, and Dudley and the other two have been living there for a while. In fact, the Potter family's old house has also been mostly renovated, but Harry doesn't plan to move there. After all, his parents and Dudley are not there, so it can't be called a home.

Actually, in terms of interior space alone, the castle is larger than Malfoy Manor, after all, it has five floors, but the land area is slightly smaller. However, if you include the Potter manor next door, in terms of area alone, it is no less than Malfoy Manor.

It wasn't that Dudley didn't want a bigger place, nor was it because he didn't have the money; the main reason was Godric's Hollow, the legendary birthplace of Godric Gryffindor, one of the Four Great Lords.

Many wizards live here, and often even if you have money, they won't sell to you.

Unlike Malfoy Estate, which is so remote that you can't see a single person within a hundred kilometers.

"Malfoy, if I were you, I'd better not go any further."

Seeing that Malfoy had crossed a patch of magical pumpkins and was about to go further, Harry suddenly kindly reminded him.

Directly in front of him was a field where cabbages were grown.

Malfoy glanced at him in surprise, then said nonchalantly, "It's just some cabbage, what's there to worry about? Poop, are you out of your mind?"

"I think Harry is serious," Neville, who was following behind the two, suddenly said.

As a herbalist, Navee couldn't take his eyes off the cabbage field.

The color of these cabbages is different from the pure emerald green we usually imagine; instead, it's a green with some orange-yellow hues.

Especially the outermost layer, which is yellowish-orange.

"What is that?"

Seeing Neville say the same thing, Malfoy finally realized that Harry wasn't joking with him. After staring at the cabbages for a while, he asked.

He didn't notice anything amiss.

Please forgive Malfoy, he wasn't very good at herbalism.

"Harry, I think I'm not seeing things, am I?"

Neville asked Harry, somewhat uncertainly.

His tone was suggestive, and Harry understood what he wanted to ask.

"That area is an important defensive measure," Harry emphasized.

Neville suddenly understood after hearing this.

Only Malfoy was completely bewildered and couldn't understand a word he heard.

"What are you two talking about?"

Neville kindly explained to him, "Those cabbages, if I'm not mistaken..."

"It's biting cabbage."

"Biting cabbage? What's that?"

Malfoy was still completely confused. Herbalism was not his forte, and his progress was not much higher than that of his peers. He hadn't even gotten to the part about biting cabbage yet.

Biting cabbage, also known as Chinese biting cabbage, is simply called magic cabbage.

However, this cabbage is not the kind of cabbage that you peel off layer by layer in the ordinary world, and that tastes a bit astringent and harmless.

This thing can bite; the heart of the plant has a large mouth full of sharp teeth, making it extremely aggressive. Most importantly, it's a plant that can move freely.

If there are enough of them, even a single fire dragon will be bitten to death.

Directly in front of Malfoy is an entire field of biting cabbage.

Upon hearing Neville's explanation, Malfoy involuntarily shivered and subtly moved a few steps to the side, keeping himself as far away from the vegetable patch as possible. He also made his steps much softer, afraid of waking the cabbages.

Putting everything else aside, this cabbage field alone can elevate the entire castle's defenses to a whole new level.

It's absolutely top-tier defense.

"These cabbages have a slow growth cycle and high requirements, making them difficult to grow. Brother D has put a lot of effort into them," Harry explained.

His volume made Malfoy nervous: "Shh, Potter, keep it down."

The key word is "cowardly".

Harry shook his head slightly helplessly: "Don't worry, as long as you don't accidentally go into that area without D's orders, you'll be fine. These cabbages won't come out easily."

Neville withdrew his lingering gaze and followed the other two.

As a top student in herbal medicine, he naturally knew the allure of biting cabbage.

They soon crossed the garden and arrived at the gate of the castle.

"How are we going to get in?" Malfoy asked, looking at the bare gate.

This door has been modified by Dudley; it not only lacks a handle but also a keyhole, so even if you wanted to use the "Araquoise," which is known as the friend of thieves, you wouldn't have a way to do it.

Harry glanced at him with a look of disdain, which made Malfoy very uncomfortable.

Then Harry walked to the front of the door.

Facial recognition successful.

A slightly mechanical voice rang in their ears.

The door slowly opened.

"What kind of magic is this?"

Malfoy didn't care about being a country bumpkin anymore; he just found it amazing.

Harry thought for a moment and replied, "Similar to the Ravenclaw eagle-shaped bronze door knocker, capable of autonomously recognizing our identities."

"Cool!" Malfoy exclaimed.

The three then entered the castle gates.

(End of this chapter)