The second phase of training was far more difficult than the first, and also much more entertaining.
Of course, that entertainment was strictly for the spectators. For the people actually involved, it was still a serious challenge.
Leonard had George and Fred attack each other with the Spider Banishing Charm.
This spell was extremely effective against spiders, even lethal to them, but against wizards it was weaker than most basic charms. Even when Leonard used an enhanced version of the Spider Banishing Charm on a wizard, it could only knock the target down, not stun them.
With George and Fred, things were even simpler. Even if they hit each other, there would be no real consequences.
So the goal of the second stage was straightforward: while both of them were casting the Spider Banishing Charm at each other, they had to dodge their opponent's spells as much as possible.
On paper, it sounded even easier than the first phase. Before they started, Leonard even taught them how to roll to evade incoming attacks.
It didn't take long for George and Fred to realize they had been far too optimistic.
They quickly turned the exercise into what could only be described as frantic rolling around on the ground, and not even in a coordinated way. It looked more like a two-person version of flailing chaos.
Compared to Leonard's thrown stones, spells traveled much faster. They barely had time to register where a spell was headed before instinctively diving and rolling to avoid it.
They succeeded in dodging, but that left them no time to aim. Their spells flew wildly in all directions and didn't even brush the other's sleeves.
The worst part was that neither of them realized what was happening. The moment they heard the other chanting, they immediately rolled away, completely unaware that both of their spells were already veering dangerously close to Leonard's face.
Leonard stood off to the side, watching with obvious amusement. Honestly, watching the two of them roll back and forth like this was pretty entertaining.
Before long, though, someone finally noticed something was wrong.
"Arania Exumai!" George shouted as he finished a roll and scrambled back to his feet, immediately preparing to cast.
But after rolling so many times, his head was spinning. He managed to say the incantation, but his wand movement didn't keep up, and the spell never actually formed.
Fred didn't notice any of that. He assumed George had cast another spell and reflexively rolled away again.
George froze for a moment. He glanced at Leonard's barely concealed grin and instantly understood what had happened. A strange look crossed his face as he began chanting the spell again.
Fred kept rolling.
Dizzy and disoriented, he had no idea that George had already stopped rolling. George wasn't even casting anymore. He was standing in place, chanting the incantation faster and faster, clearly holding back laughter.
Fred was too busy dodging to stop and try casting himself, and he completely failed to notice George standing still, chanting like a broken record.
Still, Fred wasn't stupid.
Before long, suspicion crept in. There was no way George could be casting spells that quickly.
With a sudden burst of movement, Fred sprang up, rolled in a wide arc, then stopped and stood there, panting heavily as he stared at George.
The moment he saw George's expression, it all clicked.
George didn't look like someone who was dodging anything.
"You tricked me!" Fred roared as he lunged forward.
Both twins dropped their wands, and the two of them tumbled onto the grass, wrestling each other without restraint.
Leonard didn't bother intervening. He just watched with a grin as they fought.
What an enviable display of brotherly affection.
Leonard smiled with undisguised schadenfreude.
Still, George and Fred alone didn't provide him with much lasting amusement, because something far more interesting was about to happen.
Gray, noticeably rounder than before, flew in from a distance and landed on Leonard's shoulder, dropping a letter into his hand.
Leonard took the letter and glanced at the discreet signature on the envelope. He didn't open it right away, instead slipping it into his pocket.
"Alright," Leonard said, cutting into the twins' "bonding moment."
It wasn't clear which of them was currently on top, but both George and Fred stopped and looked at him.
"I've got something to take care of," Leonard said. "You two keep training. Take the second phase slowly. Don't just focus on dodging. Keep your eyes on your opponent."
"Watching your opponent helps you dodge more efficiently, and it also helps you aim," he added.
With that, Leonard turned and left.
George and Fred watched him go, then looked at each other. Faced with the choice between stopping or continuing, they unanimously chose to keep fighting.
Soon, the sound of roughhousing echoed across the grass once more.
...
Leonard returned to the empty dormitory. Ernie and Justin were likely still in the library, which made this the perfect time to read confidential mail.
He walked over to the fireplace, lit it, and under the flickering firelight, opened the letter and read its contents.
The letter was from Midgard.
Its message was brief.
Lucius Malfoy was ready.
"That's wonderful," Leonard said softly. He smiled as he tossed the letter into the fire and watched it burn to ash, the smile on his face growing wider.
"With over half of the British wizarding world's pure-blood family heads losing their support, Voldemort's days are bound to become difficult."
Still, Leonard's goal had never been to weaken Voldemort. In his current state, Voldemort wasn't worth worrying about.
What Leonard truly cared about was his botanical garden.
"Even combined, they're no match for a single Voldemort. But Voldemort is already weakened, and there are so many of them. If they escape into the Forbidden Forest, even with the Forest's Eye, it would be hard to wipe them all out…"
After thinking it over, Leonard decided it was time for "Ranrok" to make an appearance.
Direct action might not be necessary, but he couldn't allow any stragglers to slip through.
He opened the drawer beside his bed and took out a pale blue potion streaked with silver lines.
It was Polyjuice Potion, capable of transforming him into Professor Flitwick.
Even so, one vial wouldn't be enough. Professor Flitwick was a public figure. While most wizards couldn't tell goblins apart, Leonard didn't want his actions to cause trouble for Flitwick.
The last time Leonard appeared as Ranrok in front of Lucius, he had used wrinkle patches and Muggle contact lenses. This time would be no different.
"This is a tour personally hosted by the Botanical Garden's curator," Leonard said with a sigh. "Such a grand occasion. Those wizards will be dying in the right place, won't they?"
He pulled on his robes, packed away the Polyjuice Potion, and hurried out.
There was still a lot to prepare. The plants already in the botanical garden wouldn't be enough to deal with such a large number of pure-blood wizards. He would need to add a batch of temporary plants as well.
This plan had to be flawless.
Not a single wizard from those pure-blood families would be allowed to escape.
They would all stay behind and become fertilizer.