Hogwarts: The Witch Education Handbook

In the quiet night, a flickering candlelight cast a dim, yellowish glow in the room.

A young girl sat quietly at her desk, her fingers gently holding a fountain pen. The nib glided smoothly across the paper, accompanied by a soft scratching sound, and lines of elegant writing gradually appeared on the page:

May 20, 1991

Wednesday, sunny

Today is my first day teaching at Hogwarts.

I saw Professor Dumbledore this morning. He hasn't looked any different in months—”

The girl who was writing stopped writing, thought for a moment, and then drew a simple sketch of Dumbledore after the dash.

"Long, silvery-white beard and those wise and deep blue eyes."

(P.S.: Professor Dumbledore's beard seems to have grown a bit longer since the last time we met. I really want to know what brand of fabric softener he uses. If possible, I'd like to buy a bottle for my father too.)

He smiled at me, a smile as warm as sunshine, making me instantly feel like I was back home.

We had a brief conversation, during which he gave me a warm welcome and expressed his high expectations for my future at Hogwarts.

His words were full of encouragement and support, which instantly calmed my anxious heart.

After saying goodbye to Professor Dumbledore, I visited Professor Sprout.

As I stepped into her lush, green office, a fresh, herbal scent wafted towards me; it smelled somewhat like...

The girl tilted her head, her brows furrowed slightly as she recalled something, as if afraid of missing something. She even took a slight sniff before continuing to write.

"It smells a bit like jasmine. I remember there were a lot of jasmine flowers planted near my house."

She was busy taking care of her precious plants at the time.

Upon seeing me, Professor Sprout immediately stopped what he was doing and a delighted smile appeared on his face.

This is the professor I interact with most often at school.

Whether in class or after class, she always had a kind and approachable demeanor, making people unconsciously want to get close to her.

Thinking about this, the girl recalled what had happened in Professor Sprout's office that morning.

"Sit down and have a glass of water," Professor Sprout said, gesturing for the girl to sit down.

The girl obediently sat down, took the water glass offered to her, took a small sip, and placed it on the table next to her.

"How was your trip back?"

"I'm a little nervous, Professor," the girl replied. "I just..."

"You're still too insecure," Sprout shook his head, pointing to the potted plant next to him. "Like this Silver Princess Ligustrum lucidum, don't be fooled by its small leaves and slender branches. It's actually shade-tolerant, cold-tolerant, drought-tolerant, and can withstand poor soil conditions. It's highly adaptable to different soil types, and once it finds a suitable environment, its growth rate is astonishing."

"Often, those seemingly insignificant things hide astonishing power."

"While the Silver Lady waxflower may not be as eye-catching as those flamboyant flowers, it possesses a tenacious vitality. It doesn't require much attention or care, yet it can survive tenaciously in harsh environments," Sprout added. "Even under suitable conditions, its growth rate and abundance can surpass many delicate flowers."

The girl followed the professor's finger to the pot of silver wax cactus, lost in thought.

She understood the professor's intention. She had indeed returned with some insecurity and confusion, but in reality, insecurity and confusion often only lead to a vicious cycle.

"Professor, I understand." The girl suddenly stood up and bowed to Professor Sprout. Then, as if remembering something, she took out a carefully prepared gift from her bag and handed it to him.

"You and your senior Phillips are quite in sync, giving each other the exact same gifts," Professor Sprout said, looking down at the dragon manure mixture in his hand with a hint of amusement.

The moment the name Phillips reached her ears, the girl's cheeks flushed crimson, the blush spreading all the way to her ears.

She explained somewhat awkwardly, "No, Professor, I just..." but her words trailed off at that moment.

Professor Sprout couldn't help but laugh at the girl's shy demeanor. It was the first time she had ever seen this usually carefree girl act like this.

So she gently patted the girl's shoulder: "Don't be nervous, I was just joking. Dragon dung fertilizer is indeed a very good fertilizer, which is very beneficial to the growth of herbs. This gift is very useful to me, and I like it very much."

Hearing Professor Sprout's words, the girl calmed down a bit. Just as she was about to say goodbye to Professor Sprout, she heard him ask a question.

"By the way, Nymphadora, where are you going next?"

"Phillips School..." the girl answered instinctively, but then, as if remembering her earlier embarrassment, she quickly corrected herself, "Professor Sean, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Professor Flitwick."

"Then please take this bag of herbs with you; Snape has been urging me for ages."

The girl took the herbs, said goodbye to Professor Sprout, and gently closed the office door.

"After leaving Professor Sprout's office, I went to visit Senior Phillips."

To be honest, I felt very relaxed after leaving Professor Sprout's place, as if a huge weight had finally been lifted off my shoulders.

However, as I approached Phillips's office, that sense of ease was gradually replaced by a strange tension.

The boulder that had already fallen was lifted up again by some unseen force, making it hard for me to breathe.

As I was about to knock on the office door, I suddenly realized that my palms were sweaty.

But the moment I actually saw Phillips, the stone... seemed to vanish suddenly.

The girl stood up the left half of her diary and continued writing rapidly, but due to the angle of view, we don't know what she wrote next.

After some time, it was still the same location, and the same time period.

The girl sat down again and took out her diary.

May 10, 1991

Tuesday, rain

Tomorrow night is the opening ceremony of the Duel Club.

I've been looking forward to this day for over half a month.

Especially these past few days, I feel like I've been sitting in the library forever.

Senior Phillips never assigns me any tasks; at most, he just lets me and his class representatives grade assignments together, which is really boring.

However, I'm finally free.

The girl drew a big smiley face after this sentence and then wrote:

"I'm so looking forward to seeing what happens tomorrow..."

(The next chapter is expected to be released around noon)