The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 64 Professor Sprout's Explanation

Time always slips away unnoticed.

In May, temperatures in the Scottish Highlands can reach 18 degrees Celsius.

Hogwarts, too, seemed to awaken from its winter slumber.

Under the warm spring breeze and sunshine, the area outside the castle began to show signs of life.

Water hyacinth, beggar-ticks, field bindweed, alfalfa, and other beautiful plants grow quietly on the lawn, emitting a faint fragrance.

The tall willows have also sprouted tender green leaves, forming a striking contrast with the ancient castle and highlighting its vitality and life.

In the azure sky, a few magical creatures occasionally fly by. They may be owls soaring high or hippogriffs leisurely gliding. In short, their appearance adds a touch of mystery to Hogwarts.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting its glow upon the distant Black Lake. The shimmering water, like a mirror, reflected the azure sky and the castle's silhouette.

Everything was breathtakingly beautiful.

……

Slytherin common room.

In the dormitory, Ino gazed at the two potted plants on the shelf. After watering them as usual, she stood quietly to the side and began to think.

It has been more than three months since Voldemort last pressed his face against me, and many significant things have happened during that time.

For example, Quirrell's body was visibly weakening day by day, or Snape was suddenly injured three days ago and always walked with a limp, his wide black robes no longer able to sway gracefully...

However, in Ino's eyes, these were all insignificant things.

Ever since he experienced that profound sense of powerlessness, he has lived a completely secluded life.

Aside from attending classes and eating in the auditorium, I spend most of my time in the dormitory, at most going to the common room for a while, but I never leave the crowd.

Even when I occasionally go to the library, I always borrow a week's worth of books at once, taking advantage of the morning rush.

The days of staying in the library until evening are over.

Of course, everything has two sides. While the ascetic lifestyle may seem to reduce some experiences and fun, it also brings other benefits.

The most obvious example is the resurgence of Slytherin's long-dormant story salon.

Invited by Malfoy, Ino would also tell stories and sing songs in the common room during his free time, which was a rare pastime to pass the time.

Three months of peaceful coexistence had made the Slytherin members no longer look at him with unfamiliarity; the boys' eyes were less reserved, and the girls' eyes were filled with more passion.

In addition to the obvious external changes, there are also many internal changes.

After three months of repeated adaptation, Ino finally obtained a qualified Mandrake leaf, thus fulfilling the prerequisite for Animagus. All that remained was to wait for the full moon night to prepare the potion and drink it on a stormy night.

……

The silence in the dormitory was broken as Malfoy's voice rang out.

"Class starts in half an hour, we should go!"

After her thoughts were interrupted, Ino turned to look to the side. At this moment, Malfoy was already dressed and holding two brand-new dragon skin gloves in his arms.

"Of course, let's go."

Ino smiled as she spoke, then casually picked up a ceramic pot from the shelf and walked out of the common room with Malfoy.

Outside the castle.

Herbal medicine greenhouse.

There was still about fifteen minutes before class started, and the young wizards waiting at the door were gathered in twos and threes, chatting about topics that interested them.

It's quite an interesting phenomenon that the academic system seems to have taken deep root in people's minds.

Even when they were freely chatting, Gryffindor and Slytherin remained distinct, separated to the left and right by the greenhouse gate, with the lion and viper each occupying their own territory.

This interesting balance was disrupted with the arrival of Ino.

After walking all the way from the castle, when he arrived at the greenhouse, he did not choose a side, but instead stood on the central axis directly opposite the gate, holding a ceramic pot.

Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor crowd...

The moment Neville saw Ino, he wanted to go up and say hello, but when he saw Malfoy standing to the side, he hesitated.

"If you can't face your fear, you'll never escape it, let alone overcome it."

Neville recalled Ino's instructions, took a deep breath, and then walked forward without a second thought.

"Ino, hasn't it sprouted yet? I suspect the seed died, otherwise the other one is growing so well."

Hearing a familiar voice in his ear, he turned around and saw Neville's slightly uneasy expression.

Seeing this scene, Ino was also very happy, which proved that his previous attempts to persuade Neville had not been in vain. He immediately gave Neville an encouraging look.

"I don't know either, so I brought it with me today. I'll let Professor Sprout take a look after class."

As he spoke, he handed the ceramic basin in his hand to Neville for inspection.

Since their first encounter a few months ago, potted plants have become the bond between them.

Surprisingly, despite both being planted from berry seeds in Narnia Valley and subjected to the same sunlight spell, the two potted plants grew in vastly different ways.

Although it refused to sprout for a long time, he never threw it away, always feeling inexplicably reluctant to part with it.

the other side.

After taking the terracotta pot, Neville carefully examined it and said with a puzzled look, "I think the problem lies with the seeds. The humidity and temperature should be just right..."

Nawi stopped halfway through his sentence.

Professor Sprout had already appeared in front of the greenhouse.

"Alright, kids! I think it's time for class now. Stop your chatter and come with me to greenhouse number three."

It can only be said that Professor Sprout's voice, as always gentle and tolerant, is worthy of being the headmaster of Hufflepuff, making listeners feel as if they are bathed in a spring breeze.

The little wizards, who had been scattered just moments before, now spontaneously formed two lines.

Ino took the earthenware bowl from Neville and silently joined the line.

Greenhouse No. 3

A dark and damp place, because it was full of devil vine seedlings.

After Professor Sprout explained the characteristics of the devil vine in detail, he had the young wizards put on dragon skin gloves and begin repotting and transplanting all the devil vines.

After all, these Devil's Vine seedlings are growing very vigorously right now, with two- to three-meter-long vines writhing on the ground like black mamba snakes.

Such a terrifying scene would be unbearable for even Slytherin, let alone Gryffindor, who are fond of snakes.

That's why everyone put in their best effort to get to work; after all, the faster they finished, the sooner they could leave get out of class.

This is perhaps why Sprout is so popular; as long as the young wizards are capable, it's common for them to finish class early.

……

Thanks to everyone's efforts, this herbal medicine class ended half an hour early, which is quite unusual.

After class.

Ino picked up the ceramic pot beside him and lingered there.

"Child, is there anything else?" Professor Sprout asked.

"Professor, this is my potted plant. I've been trying to grow it for months, but it just won't sprout."

As he spoke, Ino placed the earthenware pot on the table beside him.

Professor Sprout walked over, but instead of conducting a physical examination like Neville, she took out her wand and gently tapped it on the soil in the terracotta pot.

His expression was like that of a renowned doctor taking a patient's pulse and making a diagnosis.

And so it passed quietly for quite a while.

"I think I've found the reason," Professor Sprout said softly.

"A very magical seed. Perhaps it was due to its circumstances, or some other reason. In any case, it didn't lack sunlight and warmth; what it needed was cold and frost."

At this point, Professor Sprout paused deliberately for a moment, then slowly said:

"Flowers that bloom in the dead of winter will never sprout in spring. So you don't need to worry about it now. The seeds are very resilient. This winter, you just need to put them outside the castle."

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(End of this chapter)