Sharl's eyes sparkled with anticipation as he gazed at the reward orbs filling the Greenhouse.
He reached out to touch one of the floating orbs.
But just as his fingers brushed near it, his gaze dropped to the soil and branches of the margarets around him.
His hand froze mid-air.
His brows furrowed slightly.
"Too rough," he murmured.
"This work... it's still too rough."
"Before I enrolled, I worked tirelessly in the Greenhouse, day and night. I thought I had perfected every detail."
"But now I see it only had form, not spirit."
"At that time, my Magic Perception was so poor. I couldn't loosen the soil or prune effectively."
"My understanding of the Soil Loosening Spell and Pruning Charm was extremely shallow."
He shook his head in quiet frustration.
"Unbearable."
"If only I had my current Magic Perception and Charms proficiency back then..."
"The rewards from this batch of margarets would've been at least thirty percent higher."
"Even now, there's still room for improvement."
"Perhaps I can still increase the current rewards by another twenty percent."
Suppressing the urge to harvest immediately and boost his magic power, Sharl reminded himself that margarets take nearly half a year to mature.
He had already waited this long. What was another few days?
If he could enhance the rewards by twenty percent, the return would be more than worth it.
Resolute, he calmed his mind and waved his wand.
An earthy yellow glow surged forth.
A Soil Loosening Spell entered the ground, and the soil began to shift, wriggling as it adjusted itself to perfectly match the magical aura of the margarets.
Within the spell's range, the reward orbs—already at their peak—began to grow once more, ever so slightly.
A look of satisfaction crossed Sharl's face.
He waved his wand again.
A wave of invisible magic shimmered in the air.
The Pruning Charm sliced through the margarets with surgical precision, removing branches that appeared vigorous but contained little magic.
Some side branches, which competed for the limited magic supply, were also trimmed.
By removing them, the remaining branches could thrive.
If he was lucky, some of the pruned side branches might be propagated, forming new margarets.
His current Pruning Charm carried a faint platinum glow.
Its success rate was significantly higher than before.
Previously, he had to cast the spell twenty times to get one viable propagated branch.
Now, on his first try, a healthy side branch dropped neatly into his palm.
If planted, it would mature quickly.
Though the rewards from propagated branches weren't as rich as from full-grown margarets, they were still valuable.
And in the vast Sprout Family Greenhouse—far larger than his tiny plot at Hogwarts—the advantage was clear.
Here, Sharl could apply the charm to hundreds of plants.
The benefits were exponential.
Eyes gleaming with excitement, Sharl fully immersed himself in loosening soil and pruning branches.
Farming had never felt more satisfying.
As he worked, Sharl could sense how much he had grown in magic since his arrival at Hogwarts.
A quiet sense of accomplishment filled his heart.
On the system panel, the icons for the Soil Loosening Spell and Pruning Charm glowed more vividly than usual.
Streaks of platinum light shimmered faintly.
At the same time...
Professor Sprout, who had passed out from exhaustion after dinner, finally awoke.
She looked around the warmly lit Sprout home, a dazed but peaceful expression on her face.
It felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
In previous Christmases, she never returned home.
As the only remaining member of the family, the house felt cold and empty.
It was more comforting to spend the holidays at Hogwarts with the students who stayed behind.
And each year, she would be haunted by memories of her brother and the tragedy that followed.
But this year—this year was different.
With Sharl by her side, she felt as though she had finally emerged from the abyss of pain, guilt, and regret.
She could breathe again.
As her senses cleared, she noticed the lights still glowing from the Greenhouse.
A soft, helpless smile touched her lips.
"That child... doesn't rest for a single day, does he?"
She sighed deeply.
"I can't fall behind either."
"The thesis. I must finish the thesis—I've delayed it long enough!"
She pulled out a roll of parchment.
The title read:
"Groundbreaking Conclusions on Piranha Algae and New Topics Derived Therefrom"
It was the thesis she had once mentioned to Sharl.
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, and a quiet smile played at her lips.
"Once this is published, Sharl will become a rising star in the herbology world."
With that, she dove into writing, pulling at her hair in thought as she penned her ideas word by word.
Three days passed in a flash.
Sharl finally exhaled deeply.
He had to admit, the Sprout Family Greenhouse was impressively vast.
And his past efforts had been far too crude—there was much to redo.
Even with his current skill level, working nonstop for three days was the only way to refine the environment.
But looking at the flourishing sea of margarets, his fatigue faded.
They looked far more harmonious now.
Their magical aura was smoother, more balanced.
And the reward orbs were clearly more numerous, thanks to the side branches preserved through expert pruning.
Though the new orbs weren't as potent, the sheer volume added up.
And with the improved environment, all the orbs were continuing to grow.
"In about a week," Sharl murmured, "these margarets will reach their peak reward potential."
"A twenty percent increase over the original."
Three days of effort for a twenty percent return—more than worth it.
And beyond the rewards, the intense use of his spells had significantly boosted his proficiency.
The Soil Loosening Spell—already at the Golden Level—now showed faint flickers of platinum.
He was nearing the Platinum Level.
As for the Pruning Charm, he had used it far more frequently.
His improved mastery of Sectumsempra had also enhanced it.
Combined, they had rapidly pushed the spell toward full Platinum.
Not long now until it underwent a qualitative leap.
If he could continue refining Sectumsempra, it would advance even faster.
However, Sharl's good mood dimmed when he looked at the [Magic Perception Enhancement] on the system panel.
The progress bar was nearly frozen.
Before it reached the Golden Level, he could train it manually.
But now, even after three days of intensive work and sensing magic around the margarets, the improvement was negligible.
He sighed.
"My Magic Perception has probably hit the talent limit of this body."
"If it weren't for the planting system, I probably wouldn't be able to improve it further through training."
No wonder the Hogwarts professors often looked at him with such regret.
Talent... really did matter.
But Sharl soon relaxed.
For others, a lack of talent was a barrier they could never cross.
But for him, with the planting system in hand, this cage couldn't hold him.
His thoughts returned to the future.
"After Christmas, I should get a new experimental field."
"If Quirrell keeps failing to get past me, he'll probably trick Hagrid again—just like in the original timeline."
"That means dragon eggs and young dragons will be appearing soon."
His eyes lit up.
The Blood Emerald, a Silver-Level plant, needed magic-infused blood to grow.
Soon, he could cultivate it.
"If the blood-replenishing ability it grants also enhances my Mythical-Level life force..."
"Combined with external tempering, I might push my life ability even further."
"And the Whomping Willow project must begin."
"I need to decide which sub-topic to start with."
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Sharl stepped out of the Greenhouse for some fresh air.
But as he entered the Sprout Family's hall, he noticed the house-elf Lis standing motionless by the spotless porcelain cabinet.
Her eyes were drooping—clearly dozing off.
But the moment she heard his footsteps, she sprang awake.
A wail burst from her lips.
"Lis fell asleep?!"
"Master isn't sleeping, young master isn't sleeping, but Lis is?!"
"Bad Lis! Lazy Lis!"
She began banging her head against the floor in shame.
Sharl stared, stunned and helpless.
Dobby from the original story had done the same.
Why were house-elves so obsessed with self-punishment?
He sighed.
He had only come out for some air, not to assign tasks.
But if he didn't give her something to do, she might knock herself unconscious.
"Lis," he called quickly, "Prepare my bed."
"And hot water for a bath."
"I plan to take a bath, then rest."
Lis's eyes lit up with joy.
"Lis has new work!"
"I'm ready! Right away!"
With a loud pop, she vanished.
Soon after, Sharl was soaking in a warm, steaming bath.
The Water Enhancement effect and the soothing water made him feel utterly refreshed.
His mind grew sharper.
"Professor Sprout gave me three Whomping Willow sub-topics: Glow-Eating Vine, Shadow Thistle, and Devil's Snare."
"She knows I've cultivated the Guardian Tree, yet she still thinks these are too advanced."
"That means they're at least Silver-Level. Maybe even Gold."
He examined the root samples and letters she gave him.
First, the Glow-Eating Vine.
It thrived in darkness, suppressing all light around it—even Lumos couldn't penetrate its gloom.
In that shroud of darkness, it hunted prey in silence.
Upon inspection, his system displayed:
Rooting Reward: Aura Concealment (Bronze)
Mature Reward: Aura Concealment (Silver), Assassination Boost (Iron)
Sharl frowned.
"Too useless."
"Assassination? That's not my style."
He moved on to the Shadow Thistle.
It merged with shadows, and its attacks caused wounds difficult to heal.
Rooting Reward: Shadow Boost (Bronze), Tearing Wounds (Iron)
Mature Reward: Shadow Boost (Silver), Tearing Wounds (Bronze)
The Shadow Boost ability intrigued him.
If it was anything like Water Enhancement, stacking both could give a great boost.
Tearing Wounds complemented his Sectumsempra spell.
However, its maintenance required frequent casting of the Disillusionment Charm, a high-level Transfiguration magic taught only in sixth year.
He wasn't ready.
He sighed and set it aside for now.
That left Devil's Snare.
He recalled its traits from the original timeline: it feared light and fire, and used entanglement to suffocate prey.
He examined its root and whispered:
"I hope its rewards aren't useless."
Lines of text began to appear before his eyes.
And Sharl's expression shifted.
"Hm?"
"What is this...?"
For more chapters
patreon.com/Ben479