Chapter 535: Herbology Class, Returning Things to Their Rightful Owners
Chapter 535: Herbology Class, Returning Things to Their Rightful Owners
Kyle wasn't sure if his words had any effect on Hermione, but at least for now, it seemed like she was listening.
"You did a good thing," Hagrid said, "Hermione wanted me to join too, but I refused."
"I don't think she'll be able to get all the house-elves to ask for wages, but she obviously didn't listen to me."
"Oh, Hagrid, I just didn't notice..." Kyle looked at Hagrid's haggard appearance and the strong smell of alcohol on him, and couldn't help but say, "How much have you been drinking?"
"Oh, no," Hagrid explained, "I didn't drink any alcohol, I just accidentally knocked over the butterbeer I was preparing for Fang."
"I hope so," Kyle said, "The new semester is about to start, don't forget that you're still a professor, you need to cheer up a bit."
Hearing Kyle's words, Hagrid seemed even more dejected.
"I might not be able to be a professor anymore... The parents won't agree, just like with Lupin before. I just hope Dumbledore will keep my gamekeeper position and not kick me out of Hogwarts."
"It seems like you didn't listen to what we said either," Kyle shook his head, "Wait one more day, after the Christmas break, there should be a new issue of the Daily Prophet, and then you can take a look, there will be a surprise."
"I don't want to see it," Hagrid seemed a bit agitated, "I'm sure the newspaper will still have that woman's article criticizing me, and I really don't want to see those sharp and biting words."
"Trust me, Hagrid, this time it's different, there's a surprise," Kyle patted Hagrid's arm, and then returned to the castle with Cona.
The next day, the semester was starting. Because many students stayed at school for Christmas, the atmosphere in the Great Hall was still as lively as ever, despite the start of the new semester.
The ground was still covered with thick snow, but the greenhouse was as hot as June, with a layer of fine water droplets on the windows that froze into icicles.
"Put on your dragon hide gloves and focus, you must not relax during this class."
Professor Sprout pointed to a long flowerpot in the middle of the table, "Mandrake, I believe you all saw it in your first year, but at that time, you hadn't learned about it yet."
"I must remind you again that Mandrake is a very dangerous plant, extremely dangerous."
As she spoke, she took out a thick wooden stick and gently tapped the flowerpot of the Mandrake.
Under everyone's gaze, the previously quiet Mandrake suddenly opened its mouth full of sharp teeth and bit the wooden stick into pieces like a cookie.
Everyone subconsciously took a step back and leaned against the greenhouse wall.
For most people, this was their first time experiencing the danger of Herbology class firsthand.
Although they had already learned about many poisonous plants, such as Datura and Devil's Snare, in terms of visual impact, they couldn't compare to the Mandrake in front of them.
Just thinking about the image of the wooden stick being bitten to pieces, some of the more timid people couldn't help but shiver, not daring to get close.
"Don't worry, be brave," Professor Sprout said, "I specifically chose a Mandrake that wasn't fully mature yet, as long as you wear the dragon hide gloves, there won't be any problems... And even if there's a special situation, Madam Pomfrey can solve this trouble."
"Come on, go to the front, we need to change the soil for the Mandrake, staying so far away won't work."
Under Professor Sprout's urging, everyone cautiously moved forward a little.
"Look, Kyle isn't afraid at all," Professor Sprout suddenly said, "Oh, that's right, one foot, this distance is just right, it ensures safety and allows us to complete the task of changing the soil. Well done, Hufflepuff, five points."
Everyone immediately looked over, but quickly averted their gazes... It wasn't surprising for a champion to be brave.
When everyone had gathered around the table, Professor Sprout clapped her hands and demonstrated how to change the soil in the pot without disturbing the biting cabbage.
The students watched intently, afraid to miss even the slightest detail.
Next came the hands-on portion, where students worked in groups of four. Due to the challenging nature of the task, Professor Sprout stated that each group only needed to complete the soil replacement once.
Unsurprisingly, the group consisting of Kyle, Cona, Mikel, and Ryan was the first to finish, and they did so in less than ten minutes.
"Incredible," Professor Sprout said as she approached them, marveling at the freshly replaced soil in the pot and the calm, seemingly asleep biting cabbage. "To achieve near perfection on your first try, and at such speed... Kyle, you truly have the potential to become an exceptional magical botanist."
"It's nothing, just practice makes perfect..." Kyle replied, but quickly corrected himself, "I mean, I carefully followed each step."
"Of course, that's what I meant too."
Professor Sprout smiled, "But it's not just about memorizing the steps. You need to remain calm, have steady hands, and ensure the biting cabbage doesn't sense any abnormalities throughout the process. That's the challenging part."
"Maybe I just got lucky," Kyle said with a smile, "I happened to get a biting cabbage with a slower reaction time."
Cona turned her head to the side, covering her mouth to suppress a laugh.
Kyle wasn't just lucky; he had hundreds of biting cabbages in his box, making soil replacement a simple task. However, Professor Sprout was unaware of this, and as a reward, she awarded Hufflepuff an additional ten points.
Finally, after what felt like an entire day, the class bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson. The students eagerly removed their scratched dragon-hide gloves and rushed out of the greenhouse.
Kyle lingered at the back, and while Professor Sprout was busy maintaining order, he secretly took out two seeds from his pocket and tossed them into the nearby pot.
Hmm... Returning the seeds he had taken in his first year, even though it had been a while, it still felt like returning them to their rightful owner.
For the error-free version, read at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+Book_Bar, the original novel.
"I really hope the next lesson won't involve something this dangerous," someone complained as Kyle caught up with Cona. "Did you hear that sound of the cabbage biting the glove? Merlin, I was sweating all over."
"I agree, but Professor Sprout said the biting cabbage lesson will last for a month," sighed a Gryffindor student.
"Really? When did the professor say that?"
"Just now, at the end of class. Didn't you hear?"
"No..."
A chorus of sighs followed.
Upon returning to the castle, Kyle had just reached the Entrance Hall when he spotted a tall figure.
Hagrid was talking to Sirius, and surprisingly, he was smiling.
Noticing Kyle, Hagrid immediately approached him.
"You'll never guess what happened," he said, unfolding a newspaper and pointing to a headline article, "That woman, Rita Skeeter, she actually spoke well of me."
"Really?" Kyle instinctively glanced at the newspaper, which still featured Hagrid's photo, showing him tending to an injured Kneazle.
[Half-Giant: Truth or Myth? Behind the Fierce Appearance Lies a Secret.]
"It's unbelievable. I never would've imagined it. The giant is bandaging the Kneazle's hind leg instead of eating it.
Moreover, similar situations have occurred numerous times.
"Hagrid was a great help to me during my time at school. He's a kind-hearted person and the best gamekeeper there is," said a graduate who had left school five years ago.
Letters expressing similar sentiments kept pouring in.
Even the savior, Harry Potter, publicly stated, "We don't care if he's a half-giant."
This couldn't help but raise the question: Is Rubeus Hagrid, this man of imposing stature and fierce appearance, truly a half-giant, or is he simply big-boned...?"
Kyle didn't read any further.
It was undeniable that Rita Skeeter had some skill. Despite the article being full of contradictions, it somehow made sense while reading it.
...
(End of Chapter)
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