Lockhart acted as if he hadn't noticed anything amiss. When he saw the bandages wrapped around the Whomping Willow, he put on his signature "expert-in-everything" expression.
"Oh, dear Professor Sprout, your method might be effective, but it's rather old-fashioned," he said with a dismissive wave, his tone dripping with condescension.
"In Chapter Three of Wandering with Yetis, I detailed a much more efficient treatment method."
Professor Sprout's face remained expressionless.
"So it seems Professor Lockhart is now more of an expert than I am. I've certainly never heard of a new method for treating a Whomping Willow."
"Oh no no, of course you're still the expert," Lockhart said with a feigned humility.
"It's just that I happened to encounter a much worse case before, and I healed it in three minutes using a spell."
Sprout only restrained herself because she wasn't the type to cuss people out, otherwise Lockhart would've already gotten an earful.
Charlie narrowed his eyes, highly skeptical. So far, Lockhart had never shown a shred of actual competence.
Lockhart raised his wand and pointed it at the Whomping Willow, muttering under his breath.
"Abracadabra... uh, what came next again?"
"Professor Lockhart, please stop!" Professor Sprout called out in alarm.
"You can't just go casting spells on a Whomping Willow!"
Lockhart flashed a big toothy grin over his shoulder.
"Trust me, Professor. I've got this."
He frowned and concentrated hard, trying to recall the incantation.
"Oh, right! It was... hmm... something or other…"
"Eh, close enough!"
Professor Sprout's face went pale. She quickly grabbed Charlie and pulled him back.
"Step away!" she whispered sharply.
"Even though the tree's magic flow is currently suppressed, any spell cast on it can reactivate the flow."
They had just retreated to a safe distance when Lockhart shouted triumphantly behind them.
"Ha! Look, the spell worked!"
A brilliant white beam shot from his wand and struck the tree's trunk directly.
The Whomping Willow shuddered.
First came a slight tremble. Then it began to thrash violently.
"Ha ha! See? I've restored its vitality!"
Lockhart turned to look at Sprout and Charlie, who were now a good distance away, with a confused expression.
"Why are you two standing so far back?"
The next second, a thick branch came whipping toward him.
Lockhart was sent flying through the air in a perfect arc, before crashing hard onto the grass five meters away.
His scream echoed across the open field.
The Whomping Willow had fully awakened. All of its branches flailed wildly, hissing in fury. Clearly, it was not pleased with the "treatment."
Professor Sprout turned her head slightly, unable to bear watching the carnage.
"I knew this would happen."
Charlie, however, watched with great interest.
As expected of the "great" Professor Lockhart, he had just helped test the Whomping Willow's combat capability for Charlie's future security purposes.
And based on that performance, Charlie was very satisfied.
"H-Help... me…"
Lockhart whimpered from the grass, his voice choked with tears.
His once-glamorous robe had been shredded into rags. His hair looked like a bird's nest, and several red welts were blooming on his face where the tree had slapped him.
Professor Sprout drew her wand and aimed it at the tree's knot.
The Whomping Willow immediately fell silent again. Its branches drooped as the tree returned to its dormant state.
"Charlie, you should head to class," the professor said in an unexpectedly cheerful tone.
"First period is Herbology. Don't be late."
She hummed a little tune as she walked off to collect Lockhart.
Charlie strolled casually toward the greenhouse.
First period was indeed Herbology, shared with the Gryffindors.
Just as he arrived at the greenhouse doors, he saw Harry and Ron standing there looking utterly defeated.
Clearly, they still hadn't recovered from the Howler incident.
"Hey, Charlie," Harry greeted him weakly.
Ron looked even worse, completely wilted and silent.
"Morning," Charlie replied with a nod.
Hermione was standing nearby, unbothered by the drama. She clearly thought they deserved it.
The bell rang, and Professor Sprout pushed open the door to the greenhouse.
She had already dropped Lockhart off at the infirmary, without the slightest hint of concern for her colleague.
"Everyone, please take your seats."
She clapped her hands to quiet the class.
Charlie sat down next to Ernie, who had saved him a spot.
Harry and Ron slumped into their chairs in the back.
Hermione had her quill and parchment ready, eyes gleaming in anticipation.
Neville wrung his hands nervously. He had done well in Herbology last year, which made him both hopeful and anxious.
"Last year, we learned the basics of Herbology," Professor Sprout began.
"This year, we'll begin practical work."
She scanned the room, pausing briefly on each student.
"Many of you may think Herbology is just a support class, useful only for potion ingredients."
Ron muttered under his breath, "Well, it is."
Sprout heard him, but she merely smiled.
"If that were true, why would Herbology be one of the four core subjects?" she asked calmly.
"Let me show you the true power of Herbology."
She pulled out her wand.
"When you truly understand a plant's nature, you can reshape and control it freely."
Professor Sprout raised her wand and moved it gracefully through the air.
The wand tip traced elegant arcs. The air itself seemed to ripple with energy, unlike the sharp, focused pulse of a spell, this magic flowed like water, pulsing with the warmth of life.
Behind her, several pots of deep crimson plants began to stir.
The once-dormant plants suddenly erupted into growth.
"Merlin's beard!" Ron exclaimed.
The stems thickened from finger-width to the size of a human arm in mere seconds.
Branches extended in all directions, writhing and twisting in the air. Thorny spikes sprouted along them, each one glinting ominously.
The plants flailed like a nest of serpents, but stayed rooted behind the professor, not attacking anyone.
Neville's eyes sparkled in awe.
Hermione scribbled furiously.
Herbology could grow plants that size?!
"These are Devil's Snare Tentacles," Sprout explained.
"They're not just medicinal, they can be a wizard's best ally."
As she spoke, one of the tentacles coiled around a pair of dragon-hide gloves on the shelf and gently handed them to her.
Charlie blinked. Wait, weren't those the gloves he gave her?
"See?" she said, slipping on the gloves with satisfaction.
"They're clever. They know what's useful to their keeper."
The class was utterly stunned.
"That's so cool, Professor!" Seamus exclaimed.
He could barely wait to try it himself.
Hmm… if the plants were even bigger, wouldn't they explode with more power?
Charlie couldn't help but admit that he had seriously underestimated Herbology.
Sure, Transfiguration could also produce vines and magical plants, but those required his own energy to maintain, and would vanish once the spell ended.
But Herbologically grown magical plants? They were alive. They stayed. They obeyed.
And most importantly, once given an order to attack, they could act on their own.
Autonomous combat units? That was a huge bonus.
It was like having a whole squad of bodyguards, tireless, loyal, and deadly.
Honestly?
Wizards were just one step away from becoming summoners.
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40 Advanced Chapters on p(a)treon
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters