(39) Herbology Class

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After breakfast, Ian and his friends headed to the Herbology classroom.

The Herbology classroom was located in a greenhouse behind the castle, filled with various magical plants that were dazzling to behold.

Herbology was taught by Professor Sprout, a kind and amiable witch who always had a warm smile that made her students feel at ease.

Professor Sprout handed each student a straw hat to wear, explaining that it would protect them from the sun.

Standing in front of the greenhouse, Professor Sprout raised her voice. "Today, we are going to learn about a very interesting vine plant—the Devil's Snare."

"Who can tell me what the Devil's Snare is used for?" Professor Sprout asked, scanning the group of young wizards.

Hermione immediately raised her hand and stood up. "Devil's Snare can be used to make binding potions, which render the bound person unable to move."

"Excellent, Miss Granger. Ten points for Gryffindor! Your answer is completely correct," Professor Sprout praised with a smile. "Now, who can tell me the Devil's Snare's most prominent feature?"

"Professor, I know," Ian said, raising his hand. "The Devil's Snare only binds living objects and leaves inanimate objects alone."

"In other words, if we stay still, it won't actively attack us."

"Absolutely correct, Mr. Potter. Ten points for Slytherin," Professor Sprout said, nodding in satisfaction. "It seems you've prepared well for class. Very good, very good."

"Well, let's get started," Professor Sprout announced, leading the students into the greenhouse.

She guided the group to the darkest corner of the greenhouse, where they stopped in front of an immature Devil's Snare.

"Now, you need to form groups of no more than seven people and no fewer than four," Professor Sprout instructed, holding up a small basket. "There are red fruits hidden within the Devil's Snare."

"Your task is to pick all the fruits and place them in this basket. But remember, the Devil's Snare will actively attack living objects. You'll need to figure out how to calm it down before attempting to pick the fruits."

"The group that picks the fruits the fastest will earn extra points and receive a reward from my private collection—some rare magical seeds!!" Professor Sprout announced.

The students eagerly began forming groups, and Ian and his friends naturally ended up together.

"I still think we should explore what's under that trapdoor," Harry murmured, standing in front of the Devil's Snare and eyeing the green vines as he whispered to Ian.

"You can't let your curiosity get the better of you," Ian replied firmly. "We promised the three-headed dog. Don't go doing something reckless."

When Harry opened his mouth to argue, Ian quickly cut him off. "Harry, we're at Hogwarts now, not at home. We can't just do whatever we want."

"Exactly!" Draco said, tugging at his green tie and shooting Harry a glance. "The Sorting Hat knew what it was doing. At least Ian doesn't act as recklessly as you."

"Well, Ian definitely has Slytherin's sense of self-preservation," Cassandra added, nodding in agreement.

"Then what about Hermione? She's also a Gryffindor," Harry muttered under his breath. "Didn't she also refuse to explore the trapdoor's secret?"

Hermione turned her head, avoiding their gazes with an awkward expression.

In truth, she was very curious, but concerns about Gryffindor losing points—and Ian's convincing arguments—had kept her from acting on it.

"Alright, let's focus on figuring out how to pick the Devil's Snare fruit," Ian interjected, cutting off Harry and Draco's back-and-forth. "Don't forget, we're here for Herbology class, not to debate whether or not to go on an adventure."

Harry clamped his mouth shut and reluctantly turned his attention to the Devil's Snare.

With Hermione serving as their resident "encyclopedia," the group quickly came up with an effective solution: using bright sunlight or fire to calm the Devil's Snare and safely pick the fruits.

Devil's Snare is a shade-loving plant. Once exposed to sunlight, it becomes sluggish and ceases its attacks.

"The question is, where are we supposed to find strong sunlight or fire?" Ron asked, gesturing at their dim surroundings with a frustrated expression. "It's so dark here, and sunlight can't reach us."

"Weasley, where's your brain?"

Draco sneered, looking at Ron with disdain. "There's no sunlight here, but we're wizards. We can use spells. Are you really that dense?"

"Malfoy, it's easy for you to talk. If you think it's so simple, go ahead and do it," Ron shot back, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Draco froze, momentarily flustered. He didn't actually know any spells to create sunlight—he'd just wanted to criticize Ron.

"Ian can definitely do it," Draco said confidently, shoving Ian forward. "Right, Ian?"

Ian: ...What the?

Ian stared at Draco in exasperation. You're boasting and putting this on me? Really?

With a sigh, Ian raised his wand and cast, "Lumos!"

A bright, white light burst forth from the tip of his wand, illuminating the surroundings as though it were daylight. The Devil's Snare immediately recoiled under the strong light, shrinking and wilting like a frostbitten plant, revealing the red fruit hidden within its vines.

"Ian, I knew you could do it!" Draco said smugly, patting Ian on the shoulder. "Come on, let's pick all the fruits."

Ian put away his wand, and the Devil's Snare began regaining its vitality. "Hold on," Ian said firmly. "It doesn't take everyone to pick the fruits. Two or three people are enough. The rest of you should check on the other groups. If they figure out how to use light, we'll switch to fire. That way, we'll always stay ahead."

"Yes, Ian is right," Hermione agreed, nodding as she took charge. Placing her hands on her hips, she began assigning tasks.

"Ian and I will pick the fruits. The rest of you—go see how the other groups are doing. If you find out anything, report back immediately."

Cassandra crossed her arms and raised her chin. "I'll stay too. You three go to the other groups to gather information."

"Alright," Draco said, nodding under Cassandra's commanding gaze.

He then gestured toward Harry and Ron. "You two, come with me to check on the other groups."

Ron hesitated, clearly reluctant to go anywhere with Draco. But when he saw Harry already following, he sighed and trailed after them begrudgingly.

Ian watched the three of them walk away, briefly considering asking to go with them. But feeling the intensity of the two gazes still fixed on him, he quickly decided against it.

Sometimes, being caught between two determined and curious witches was a sweet, albeit challenging, burden.

Under the combined focus of Cassandra and Hermione, Ian found himself juggling multiple tasks at once: casting "Lumos," carefully picking the Devil's Snare fruits, and answering an unending stream of questions from the two witches.

"By the way, Ian, what's your favorite color?" Cassandra asked suddenly, her tone casual but her gaze intent.

"Green. Silver is nice too..."

Ian replied without much thought, his focus still on explaining the Devil's Snare's growth habits to Hermione. "They're the iconic colors of our house—I like them a lot."

"Hmm.. Green and silver," Cassandra murmured to herself, her expression thoughtful.

Her mind raced with the idea of gifting Ian a green scarf for Christmas.

That way, every time he wore it, he'd think of her, right!?

Ian, oblivious to Cassandra's train of thought, continued his conversation with Hermione, fully engrossed in answering her questions. Not knowing his offhand remark had sparked some plans in Cassandra's mind.

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P@treon: Dragonel