In a small greenhouse, Char couldn't remember how many times he had used the Patronus Charm in the past two days. Every time he cast the spell, the pressure, like a mountain pressing down on him, made him feel tired for the first time in his life. Mental fatigue was much worse than physical fatigue. It had been a long time since he had felt this drain of energy, this ringing in his head, this aching in his temples.
But in the past two days, his hard work had not been in vain. Now, the guardian tree seed in his hand was covered with countless cracks. At first glance, it looked like shattered, spiderweb-like glass. At this time, even the silver-white mist was still emerging from his staff with difficulty, but this seed seemed to have been unable to be absorbed. He finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the reward information status that appeared on the seed. The handwriting was still blurry and flickering, in a state of transformation. He couldn't see any specific changes. As for how long it would take to successfully transform, and what changes would occur after success, he had never seen such a situation before, so naturally, he had no idea what was going on. He shook his head slightly. "Then wait. There's nothing to do next anyway. I can still afford to wait this long."
Then, just to be on the safe side, he also prepared a large amount of holy tree potion to process the seeds of the guardian tree. This transforming seed and the other ordinary seeds were soaked in groups of the potion. In this way, even if this seed failed to transform, at least the seeds of the other guardian trees would not be lost.
When he finished doing this, before he knew it, the morning sun was shining into the small greenhouse. The sun was already quite hot, and it felt like they were gradually entering midsummer. At the same time, outside the greenhouse, there was also a burst of noisy voices. They chirped like birds, and it was very lively. Char was stunned for a moment. The final exams were over, and the young wizards were actually up at this time? A moment later, he glanced at the date and only then did he react. His expression became a little strange. "So today is the day when the young wizards finish their first year of school and go home? No wonder it's so lively."
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional. A year had just passed like that. From Antonius Dolohov's prison break to the return of the Death Eaters and Voldemort... a little closer, there was not much time left for him.
And when he was sighing, the footsteps outside the door became more frequent. When he opened the door of the small greenhouse, he was surprised to find that the people waiting at the door were all the first-graders. And Cedric Diggory was here with the Quidditch team. "What are you doing?" he asked, stunned for a moment, not knowing what such a big fuss was about.
Seeing this, Cedric smiled at the kids. "Look, I told you already. I'm sure Char has forgotten everything when he's working. Hey, Char, did you forget that today is the day to leave school? We haven't seen each other for the entire summer, so exchanging cards with contact addresses written on them is a tradition in our house. Generally speaking, we would hold a group activity to make up for summer homework a few days before school started, and we had to rely on cards to communicate."
Hearing this, Char rubbed his head and gave a bitter smile. All right. He really didn't remember that there was such a tradition in Hufflepuff. And things like exchanging cards... when was the last time he had done this? Had he graduated from high school or elementary school in his previous life? This activity had happened so long ago that it really felt like a lifetime ago. And at this time, the kids all had cards in their hands, looking as if they were eager to exchange with him. This made him smile even more bitterly. No way. He couldn't refuse this. "Okay. Give me two minutes."
Immediately, the door of the small greenhouse closed again. And when he came out again, he already had dozens of cards made of silver-white bark in his hands, which contained his contact information during the summer vacation. "Please contact the mailbox at the Hogwarts greenhouse entrance, or the mailbox at the entrance to the Sprout family greenhouse. If you can't get through, try writing to the library mail room."
Cedric was the first to take his card. Looking at the content, his cheek twitched. "I just guessed it, and I thought it was unlikely. I didn't expect that, Char, you really plan to stay at Hogwarts during the summer vacation? It's only the first grade, do you have to be so competitive?" A moment later, he sighed. "All right. No wonder you're such a pervert. It's so hard to get a holiday, so take some time to rest. If you have time, come and join our school's holiday social." He winked at him. "At school, everyone wears robes. Hmm, off-campus social gatherings, you might be surprised. The girls in our house are all very well-nourished."
While chatting and joking, Cedric handed his contact card to him. Then the kids also flocked over, exchanging cards with him. Hannah Abbott, who had always been timid, her face flushed even more, whispered to him, "That... the social always takes place at the Leaky Cauldron. I'm there every day. I mean, if you ever pass by, I'll give you a good treat."
Char smiled and waved to her. Hannah also showed a sunny expression. Then, Cedric reminded everyone to catch the Hogwarts Express. The little Hufflepuffs stumbled away from here. And he looked down at the cards he had accumulated in his hand. It felt like going back to the past. He shook his head and laughed strangely. Just when he was about to return to the small greenhouse, another voice called out to him. It was Hermione's voice. She came with Harry. She hurriedly took out several large papers and books from her package and stuffed them all at him. "This is the magical linguistics material you requested, Char. This subject is still too obscure. But these past few days I have finally found all the major works in chronological order."
Then, Hermione tried to appear calm and composed, but a blush had quietly appeared on her cheeks, revealing that her heart was not as calm as she appeared. She also took out a card. "If you have any academic questions, write to me."
He looked at the huge paper and manuscript in amazement, and the haggard look on her face that was hard to hide. Obviously, she had spent a lot of time looking for this information. A warm feeling flowed through his heart. He nodded. "I will."
Then Harry scribbled the address of Privet Drive on a piece of paper. "Just in case, I mean just in case. If you were to pass by here, Char, I could be locked in the cupboard in the stairwell, or locked in the old room on the second floor. Anyway, I mean, see you next semester." Then, he and Hermione also hurried away.
Char shook his head in amusement. He muttered to himself, "It's great to be young." It only took a moment, and the noise in his ears gradually faded away. Even Dumbledore and the professors were preparing for the young wizards' return home. Especially after the unexpected experience in the Forbidden Forest trial at the end of the semester, they didn't want the little wizards to have any trouble on the way. Except for Professor Binns who couldn't go out, it could be said that almost all professors were responsible for sending all the students home. Hogwarts, which used to be very lively, and where you could often see students strolling around at night, now suddenly became deserted. It seemed that he was the only one left. The atmosphere of loneliness and solitude was more intense than ever before. For a moment, he was almost unable to adapt. But a moment later, he turned and walked into the lonely atmosphere, as if becoming one with it. Loneliness was something he had always experienced in his previous life's scientific research. He was already used to this. After all, those great achievements were rarely produced amidst gongs, drums, and salutes. Most of the achievements were gained by chewing on loneliness in one lonely night after another.
He returned to the small greenhouse silently. Out of habit, he took a careful look at the holy tree potion that had just been soaked with the guardian tree seeds. His gaze suddenly paused, showing a look of surprise. "Huh?" In the other groups, the concentration of the potion was still very high. After all, the seeds had only been soaked in it for a short time. Balancing the sacred magic power within it was a time-consuming process, and it wouldn't absorb too much potion at the beginning. But that guardian tree seed covered with cracks... the bottle of potion in which it was soaked had turned into almost clear water. The sacred magic power inside had been completely drained.
At the same time, he looked above the seed. The handwriting of the reward information seemed a little clearer. "The progress of the transformation has improved. Could it be that this process requires a large amount of Holy Tree Potion to provide nutrients such as divine magic power?" This guess came to his mind, and his expression brightened. Not long after, he then prepared a few more potions and added them to the reagent bottle containing the seed. And under his gaze, he could then see the potion that had just been poured into the bottle immediately being like it was poured into a bottomless black hole, disappearing without a trace at an extremely fast speed. And among the countless cracks that had appeared on its surface, there was a crack that was actually healed a little. The traces of healing appeared to be a richer silver color than before the crack. Seeing this scene, he was even more certain of his previous thoughts. So he immediately started working non-stop, preparing all the remaining holy tree potion materials in the small greenhouse. Even the potions that were originally soaked with the seeds of the other guardian trees, he took away a lot of them, leaving only the smallest amount for them. Immediately, he poured dozens of doses of the potion into the bottle in one breath. But the result was no different from before. This cracked seed was like a meal that never filled you up. Provide more potion, and it was still not satisfied. However, some of the cracks on it were quietly healed.
When he saw this, his expression became a little stiff. At this rate, how many doses of the potion would be needed to satisfy the transformation needs of this seed? He was afraid there would be hundreds or thousands of copies. Thinking of this exaggerated number, he couldn't help but be shocked. Although the Holy Tree Potion was a fairly mature potion and its price was not outrageously high, it was impossible to say that it was as cheap as scabies medicine. Few people could afford hundreds or thousands of doses. At this moment, in his view, this seed was simply a money-eating beast.
But the more so, the more it proved how extraordinary this seed was. He wondered what kind of impact his mythical Patronus Charm had brought to it. "Could it be legendary level? No, that's unlikely. But it's epic, so it seems like there's still hope. If I could really get an epic magical ability—hundreds or even thousands of bottles of potion would be worth the money. It's not my money anyway." Before that, he had signed an agreement with the Ministry of Magic. All the resources he needed for his research in Herbology, except for those that were too precious, could be provided by the Ministry. The Holy Tree Potion, a commonly used potion in herbology, was of course included in this list. It just so happened that he hadn't contacted the Ministry to fulfill the contract for a long time. After such a long time, this time he needed a little more. Minister Fudge should understand.
Immediately, he wrote the letter and watched the owl fly towards the Ministry of Magic. It took less than half an hour for a letter to be delivered to the mailbox outside the small greenhouse. He looked surprised. "When did the Ministry of Magic become so efficient?" But when he got the letter and read it, he discovered it did not come from the Ministry, but from Professor Sprout. She seemed to have written it hastily on the Hogwarts Express. Is there something that requires my aunt to write a letter so urgently? Obviously, after a busy day, they would go back to the Sprout family together in the evening. He frowned and opened the envelope, then saw her apology.
"Sorry, Char. I received a last-minute notice from the International Herbalist Association. The official herbalist qualification, originally scheduled for Paris this year, will now be held in London during the summer break. This happened too suddenly. This has never happened before. I have to send the young wizards home and then go to the Herbalist Association to confirm various matters. I'm afraid I'll be busy with this for a long time to come. You can stay in Hufflepuff House. The elves will take care of your food and clothing. Of course, we can also go back to the Sprouts' house via the Floo Network. Food will be prepared there. Besides that, given that this year we have every chance of competing for the International Herbalist Association Young People's Award at the end of the year, this would require formal herbalist status. So I've already registered you for this qualification assessment. Don't worry, you can pass if you rank in the top five among the applicants. It's not difficult, and your level is more than enough. The only opponent we need to watch out for is an herbalist named Ed. He published a paper on ancient plant cultivation this year and was considered a top contender for this year's Youth Award. I didn't expect he'd even taken the assessments and ended up in the same group as you..."
Char looked at her letter. He wasn't too worried about the formal herbalist assessment. It was a relief that he had planted so many advanced plants. His herbology was no longer what it used to be. Given the number of wizards in the wizarding world, how many people could be formally evaluated at one time? It shouldn't be difficult to rank in the top five. Immediately, he put the letter away, preparing to continue to advance the next work at his own pace. But a moment later, he suddenly seemed to remember something. He took out the letter again, his eyes falling on another name mentioned by Professor Sprout. "An herbalist named Ed... could it be him?"
__________________________
"Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider donating Power Stones and joining our patreon
[patreon.com /coolperry]
for early access to future chapters.(+30 chapters)