62. Silent Fear, Teaching Peeves A Lesson, Biting Cabbage

T/N: Hey everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I wanted to take a moment to apologize for the recent delay in uploading chapters. Unfortunately, I had a little accident - slipped in the shower and hit my head pretty hard. It knocked me out of commission for a few days, but I'm happy to report that I'm feeling much better now.

I want you to know that I'm fully committed to this project and to providing you with regular updates. Your support means the world to me, and I'm eager to get back on track.

Thank you for your understanding, and I promise to make it up to you with consistent updates moving forward.

Take care,

FicReader~

[Silent Fear: Scarecrow Federico's signature skill releases a psychic shockwave, which can make the enemy see the most terrifying scene in their minds.]

Magic that directly affects the mind or even the soul is relatively rare in the wizarding world. Most of it is categorized as black magic, such as the three Unforgivable Curses, which are closely related to the soul.

If classified according to its nature, Silent Fear should also be categorized as black magic. Its most notable feature is its invisibility and instantaneous effect, which cannot be blocked by any curse. This fact delights Wayne. However, it does have its shortcomings. The power of the fear spell is not controlled by the caster; it is determined by the enemy's willpower. If the enemy is truly fearless, then this magic won't have any effect. At most, it can only harass and upset the enemy. But if the enemy is a coward or lacks mental strength, it will be incredibly effective. This magic can make them lose their resistance and be susceptible to attack.

"Sleep."

With his gains, Wayne happily tucked himself into bed and soon fell asleep. Eleven or twelve years old is the age when the body grows, and although the system has optimized Wayne's body, he still needs sleep.

The next morning, Wayne didn't wake up until half past eight. His roommates were even more outrageous; if he hadn't woken them up, they would have slept until noon. Wayne went to the cafeteria and gave the promised quills to the twins, urging them to speed up their learning so they could make their magic quills. He quickly ate breakfast and headed towards the Greenhouse. As he passed through the atrium garden and approached the greenhouse on the east side of the castle, Wayne noticed that the little wizards were all blocking the door and clanking sounds were coming from inside.

"What happened?" Wayne asked Susan Bones, who was in front of him.

"Wayne, there you are. Peeves is causing chaos in the greenhouse, throwing all the shovels and buckets on the floor. Everyone is afraid to go in, so we came on behalf of the dean to resolve the situation," Susan said with concern.

Wayne pushed through the crowd and arrived at the door. Sure enough, Peeves was holding a shovel and hitting the iron bucket like a Quaffle. The loud clanking sound made many little wizards cover their ears. Unlike ordinary ghosts, Peeves is an extremely unique existence. It can even be argued that he is not a real ghost. All ghosts were formed by wizards before their death, as a result of their nostalgia for the world and various mysterious reasons. They were all once human beings.

On the other hand, Peeves has existed since the school's inception and was born alongside Hogwarts Castle. He has no prototype character in his lifetime.

One notable difference about Peeves is that he can touch entities, which is not something other ghosts can do.

Technically speaking, Peeves is not much a ghost as he is a special spirit formed by the mischievous thoughts of the young wizards residing in the castle.

While Peeves was enjoying himself, he suddenly felt a chill in the air, as if he were being targeted by Bloody Baron.

Peeves became frightened and quickly looked around for Bloody Baron, but instead, he only saw a young wizard who appeared to be interested in him.

Peeves, the usual culprit for casting disdainful glances at young wizards, found himself in an awkward role reversal today, becoming the target of those very looks. It was as if the universe decided to play a practical joke on the mischievous poltergeist, leaving him fuming and flustered in equal measure.

"Hey! Kid, what do you think you're looking at?" Peeves exclaimed, putting his hands on his hips. The hat on his head shook, which was quite comical.

"My name is not 'Hey,' it's Wayne…" Wayne replied.

"Peeves, if you continue misbehaving, do you believe I will bring Bloody Baron here?"

Upon hearing Bloody Baron's name, Peeves became genuinely scared. However, after taking a look at Wayne's school uniform, he regained his composure.

"You little Hufflepuff wizard, Bloody Baron has no connection with you."

"If you dare to scare Uncle Peeves, just wait and see what I'll do to you!"

With that, Peeves flew up with an iron bucket filled with fertilizer, preparing to land next to Wayne and give him a scare.

However, he knew there were limits to his actions. If he were to pour fertilizer on the young wizard, Dumbledore would surely intervene.

Wayne, seeing Peeves's intentions, also took out his wand, prepared to teach Peeves a lesson.

Suddenly, a spell he had practiced the previous night came to mind, and he decided to try it out.

In an instant, Peeves froze, his smirk disappearing. He broke out in a cold sweat and let out a scream.

It was unclear what scene Peeves witnessed that frightened him to such an extent, especially considering his usual fearlessness.

Once the effect had worn off, Peeves's demeanor towards Wayne had completely changed.

"Was that your doing?" Peeves asked.

"Yes," Wayne admitted, "Do you want to try again?"

As he spoke, Wayne pretended to wave his wand once more.

This terrified Peeves so much that he immediately dropped what he was holding and fled through the ceiling.

The young wizards from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff cheered, and Padma Patil's eyes sparkled as she looked at Wayne with fascination.

With such a handsome and powerful young wizard, she was eager to befriend Wayne.

After drinking, it becomes a family.

Just when everyone was happy, Professor Sprout also arrived. After learning what had happened, he happily patted Wayne on the shoulder.

He also added ten points to Hufflepuff.

However, Peeves had made a mess of the greenhouse. Originally, the lesson was supposed to involve the young wizards fertilizing the evening primrose and pruning the leaves.

Now I have to change my plan.

Sprout pondered for a moment, then led everyone to the neighboring No. 3 greenhouse.

At the door, she issued a somewhat serious reminder:

"The plants here were prepared for third-year students and can be somewhat dangerous. Everyone, please remember that once we enter the greenhouse, you must have my permission before touching anything."

Upon hearing this stern warning, the young wizards obediently nodded.

Sprout felt much more relieved.

Luckily, there were no Gryffindor students in this class; otherwise, she would not have dared to bring those energetic little lions into Greenhouse No. 3.

Everyone obediently followed Sprout into the greenhouse.

Then, a wave of exclamations filled the air.

"What is this?!"

"It looks so scary!"

In the field closest to the gate, there was a row of strange light yellow plants. After the students entered, their mouths opened and closed, revealing sharp teeth.

"Biting cabbage, stay away from them, children." Sprout cautioned, "Their teeth are so sharp that they can even pierce the skin of a fire dragon."

Some of the young wizards were frightened and their faces turned pale. This was exactly the effect Sprout wanted.

The magical world is full of dangerous plants, and it can be very dangerous if you are too curious about everything.

She led everyone to the innermost row of vegetable plots

 and held up a jar of plants.

"Does anyone know what this is?"

In Wayne's class, he was more active than the other students and immediately raised his hand when Sprout asked a question.

"Lawrence, please tell me." Sprout called him up cooperatively.

"Sneezeweed is a poisonous plant that can easily cause encephalitis and make people reckless and impatient. It is the main material for making potions and sneezing powder."

"Very good, excellent explanation." Sprout awarded two points to Hufflepuff.

"I hope everyone remembers what Mr. Lawrence said. This grass is poisonous. Don't mistake it for coriander and add it to food randomly..."

Hannah calmly retracted her hand from the sneezeweed, pretending as if nothing happened.

Sprout knows the behaviors of the young wizards well, and her first reaction upon seeing the plant is to put it in her mouth.

Usually, there's no risk, she simply turns a blind eye.

Just go along with it and let the mischievous badger have a taste.

But sneezeweed is different. It is more dangerous and can easily harm the brain.

Sprout didn't want to see a bunch of giggling badgers.

To ensure safety, Sprout went into detail and repeated the precautions.

Then the students were instructed to use tools to loosen the soil of the sneezeweed, apply fertilizer, and use liquid to speed up its growth.

Some of the grown materials will be given to Snape for use as teaching materials in Potions class.

The rest will be sold to the shops in Diagon Alley to generate funds for the school.

Sprout specifically assigned Wayne to watch over Hannah, so they formed a team and he could keep an eye on the biggest foodie in the school.

Wayne's face twitched as he looked at drool overflowing from the corner of Hannah's mouth.

Wake up, Hannah.

This is not edible.

During this class, Wayne was very alert. It wasn't until Professor Sprout instructed everyone to put their tools away at the end of class that he took his eyes off Hannah.

Once everyone had left, Wayne was left alone again.

"What seems to be the problem, Lawrence?" Wayne looked at his dean, hopeful. "I need biting cabbage seeds from you, Professor. I want to brew a batch of steel potions."

Biting cabbage seeds are also used as a medicinal herb. The steel potion can temporarily make the wizard's body as hard as steel. Biting cabbage is a key ingredient.

"Really?" Sprout replied. "Do you want to grow biting cabbage yourself?"

"No, Professor, Even if I wanted to grow biting cabbage, my dormitory doesn't get enough sunlight," Wayne explained.

Sprout agreed, noting that biting cabbage requires ample sunlight and humidity, neither of which is available in the Hufflepuff dormitory.

After Wayne assured Sprout that he wouldn't grow his biting cabbage, she handed him a bag of seeds. She trusted the honesty of Hufflepuff students.

Leaving the greenhouse, Wayne immediately divided the biting cabbage seeds into two parts. One part would be used for brewing the steel potions, and the other part, of course, would be used for planting.

But Wayne, being an honest Hufflepuff, was determined to keep his promise to Sprout. So, he decided to seek out Hagrid.

"The biting cabbage is a very dangerous plant, Lawrence," Hagrid declared upon hearing Wayne's request.

Inside Hagrid's cabin, Wayne corrected him, saying, "I only gave you the seeds, Hagrid. You gave me the ripe, chewy cabbage."

Hagrid looked at him puzzled, asking, "What's the difference?"

"Of course, there's a difference," Wayne explained earnestly. "I didn't take part in the actual planting, so I didn't break any school rules."

Hagrid remained hesitant, insisting that he wouldn't agree to the request.

Wayne decided to use his ultimate tactic. "Hagrid, you wouldn't want to be unable to see Fox anymore, would you?"

Hagrid paused for a moment, contemplating the statement. Still, he maintained his initial stance.

His fondness lay with powerful magical creatures like dragons and phoenixes. A biting cabbage wouldn't be enough to impress him.

If Wayne were able to produce a dragon or a Whomping Willow, then maybe Hagrid would reconsider. But biting cabbage alone wouldn't sway him.

Wayne pondered for a moment before taking decisive action. "Hagrid, you don't want me to start fighting with Fluffy every day, do you?"

The hybrid giant was taken aback. "How do you even know Fluffy?"

"Didn't we cross paths in the fourth-floor corridor? We've interacted on two occasions and we got along quite well."

Wayne blinked his eyes. "If you won't assist me, don't expect my help if your dog ever gets kidnapped."

At this point, Hagrid became genuinely frightened. He understood Wayne's deep connection with animals. Whenever Wayne appeared, Hagrid's dog, Yaya, would completely forget about him as the owner and instead, would eagerly follow Wayne, wagging its tail.

The thought of Wayne petting Yaya, while Fluffy basked in the joy displayed on the dog's face, left Hagrid feeling despondent.

Hagrid whimpered, "No!"

In the end, he agreed to Wayne's request and planted biting cabbage on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

If it is planted in a vegetable field when the biting cabbage grows up, it is estimated that other vegetables in the field will be cleaned, and those steel-like teeth are not meant for use.

Fortunately, Hagrid also has a piece of cultivated land in the Forbidden Forest. The area is not large. It is enough to plant a dozen biting cabbage seeds.

After burying the seed, Hagrid wiped the sweat from his head.

"I still don't know why you grow this stuff. It tastes terrible."

Wayne looked at the fertile land that had been turned over and nodded with satisfaction.

The season is not right now, but it doesn't matter. The world of magic does not talk about science.

With the magic potion, this batch of biting cabbage will mature in two or three months next year.

He can also gain a group of thugs.

Hearing Hagrid's doubts, Wayne said without looking back:

"I'm a Hufflepuff. Is there anything wrong with liking farming?"

In the next few days, Wayne prepared many potions to speed up growth and went to the edge of the Forbidden Forest to water the fields in the afternoons when he was free.

Hagrid also turned a blind eye to Wayne's intrusion into the Forbidden Forest.

The two of them are now in cahoots.

Wayne also asked Hagrid if he could get a batch of moon-crazy beast excrement to use as fertilizer, and Hagrid agreed.

There is indeed a tribe of moon-crazy beasts in the Forbidden Forest. It's just some feces, so it's not a difficult task for him.

It's Friday again in the blink of an eye.

Quirrell walked into the classroom.

There was no student in the first three rows of the classroom because no one could stand the smell of garlic on Quirrell's body.

Quirrell didn't care about this either, silently opened the book and said in a stammering voice:

"Today... today... we are going to learn the classification of... magic spells.

"Charms are divided into... curses, jinxes, and spells.