Ch. 33 - Why The Toad?

"What's next, oh yeah, crows." (Professor Joseph)

"Similar to lizards, crows also have great reconnaissance capabilities. However, even though crows could also fly, they do not make great messengers, unlike the owl. Another knack of crows is that they are greedy little creatures who have an eye for treasure. They are notorious for stealing valuables, so that is potentially a benefit of having a pet crow." (Professor Joseph)

"Isn't stealing illegal professor?" A student asked.

"That is true, stealing is illegal. However, you are not the one stealing, the crow is, and the last time I checked, there is no law forbidding crows from stealing. Therefore, its perfectly legal." (Professor Joseph)

"Umm, I'm not sure that's how it works professor," the same student responded.

"Hey child, who's the professor here?" (Professor Joseph)

"You are, professor," the student replied.

"Exactly. Now shut up and stop asking dumb questions." (Professor Joseph)

"Next pet on the list is snakes. Snakes are fascinating creatures, quiet, and clean. Great traits of being a good pet. Not much else to say here." (Professor Joseph)

"Lastly, we have toads. Toads are boring, incompetent, and all they do is croak. Long story short, wizards who have toads as pets are retarded. Don't talk to them, don't look at them. They are boring and weird." (Professor Joseph)

"But…," a student was about to interject.

"Shut. I am the professor here, my word is the law. You have no power here." (Professor Joseph)

Ding! Ding! Ding! The class bell sounded.

"Alight, class has ended. Tonight's homework is to write an essay about your pets' species. Class dismissed." (Professor Joseph)

"Let's go now. We have Mrs. Oxford's class next." (Valde)

"What do you think we'll be doing in class today?"

"Don't know, probably more practical lessons though." (Valde)

"Would be nice if that's the case. I like the practical lessons more."

—In Mrs. Oxford's classroom—

"Welcome students, today we will be learning about some edible plants you can find in the wild. Some of you may think that learning such information is a waste of time. However, half of learning about plants is learning which ones are edible and which ones are not. If, by any chance, you find yourself without food in the wild, the knowledge you learn today may prove to be life-saving. Also, quick spoiler alert, you will be learning about which parts of creatures are edible in your study of magical beasts classes soon." (Mrs. Oxford)

"Getting back on track, unlike the produces you are used to, fruited and vegetables growing in the wild are not as abundant, are harder to find, and are usually smaller in size. This is the result of the plants adapting in a way that maximizes survival. The produces you are all used to are the result of countless years of selective breeding to maximize flavor, batch size, and size." (Mrs. Oxford)

"Since we are living on a snowy mountain, let us begin here. Who here could give me an example of an edible plant one could find on snowy mountains.

"Snow flax?" I answered unsurely.

"You are correct Azrail. The roots and core of the snow flax are safe for consumption. Any other plants?" (Professor Oxford)

No one else answered.

"No? No one? That is fine, you will be learning about them today. If all of you already knew, then there would be no point in teaching class right?" (Professor Oxford)

"We've already mentioned the snow flax, so let's get right into some of the other ones." (Mrs. Oxford)

"However, before we begin, let's first analyze the biome, being snowy mountings in this case. As we all know already, snowy mountains are cold, very cold. By no means are snowy mountains a haven for plants. That is why we do not see much, if any plants, growing above the snow. However, just because the environment is harsh doesn't mean that plant life doesn't thrive here. One must look beneath the snow to find the plants." (Professor Oxford)

"To adapt to the cold weather, plants have borrowed themselves further and further underground to escape from the cold. Now, you may be wondering, if the plants are deep underground, how are we supposed to find them? Long story short, even though the plants are deep underground, they still require sunlight to survive, so all one must do is to find where the plant is getting sunlight from to find where the plant is." (Professor Oxford)

"Now I will proceed to bring out a ground melon so that you all get a better idea of what I am talking about." (Professor Oxford)

Mrs. Oxford proceeded to show a melon-like plant to the classroom. Although it was similar in shape, the plant Mrs. Oxford brought out didn't have the iconic stripes of the watermelon, and it was also pale blue. The most significant difference, though, was that the stem connecting to the top of the melon was almost three feet long!

"As we can see, although the ground melon looks like a melon, one can differentiate it from a watermelon by its unique color and its long stem. Ground melons could be found anywhere from two feet to six feet underground, and they only grow in icy environments, including snowy mountains. As we can see, the stem of the ground melon is very long. This allows the ground melon to be able to still received sunlight by having part of itself still exposed above ground." (Professor Oxford)

Mrs. Oxford then grabbed the end of the stem to show a set of small ash-colored leaves.

"The leaves of the ground melon have evolved to become white to better blend in with the snow. Now you know, when you wander outside, and you see small leaves protruding out of the ground, there could very likely be a ground melon not that far below you." (Professor Oxford)

"Now, as a class, we will get to have a taste of the ground melon." (Professor Oxford)

Mrs. Oxford proceeded to tap the ground melon with her wand, causing it to split into multiple small pieces. After the ground melon was cut up, Mrs. Oxford proceeded to twist her wand above her head while muttering in an alien tongue. After Mrs. Oxford finished incanting whichever spell she was incanting, the cut-up pieces of the ground melon started floating to each table.

One small piece of the ground melon floated in front of me, and I proceeded to eat it. The piece of ground melon exploded in liquid when I bit down on it. Although it wasn't very sweet or flavorful, tasting the ground melon, it possessed a tint of berry-like flavor. Honestly, it made for a good drink.