Professor Sprout was a short witch. She always looked kind, with a patched hat on top of her flowing hair. Her clothes were always stained with dirt. If she took off her hat, anyone would think that she was an ordinary farmer. But now, she was a herbology teacher at Hogwarts.
Today's herbology class was taught by Ravenclaw and Slythrin together. Unlike usual, they were going to the third greenhouse. The plants here were more interesting than the first greenhouse, and of course, more dangerous. The students discussed in low voices, guessing what they would learn today. Well, most of these students were from Ravenclaw, and you couldn't expect Crabbe and Gore to be keen on learning. They both looked drowsy and listless, very much in line with the state of being bad students.
Malfoy and Pansy walked to the door of the greenhouse. Beside them were students from Ravenclaw and Slythrin. They were waiting for Professor Sprout to arrive.
"Sorry, children, I'm a little late." Professor Sprout arrived late, her arm still covered in bandages. "There's something wrong with the Whaling Willow again. I have to solve it." She took a large key from her belt and opened the door. The smell of damp soil and fertilizer wafted into their noses, mixed with the rich fragrance of flowers. The flowers were as big as umbrellas and hung from the ceiling.
The students looked around curiously.
"Don't touch it." Malfoy grabbed Pansy's hand. She was about to reach out and touch a plant growing in a small porcelain pot. There were enchanting flowers blooming on it. The seductive figure and bright colors were very attractive to girls.
"If your hand wants to become like this, I won't stop you." Seeing Pansy glaring at him fiercely, Malfoy pulled out a book out of nowhere as though he had swallowed it whole. He skillfully flipped the book to the position he wanted and pointed at a picture, "Here's a picture." "See for yourself." The picture showed a person's withered hand. It was covered in black spots, as if it would rot at any time.
"You win." After seeing the picture, Pansy frowned and took a big step to the other side without hesitation. She showed a disgusted expression at the flower pot.
"That's why the first thing you have to do when you enter is to put on your gloves properly." Malfoy said as he picked out a suitable pair of gloves from the table. Pan Xi hurriedly picked out a pair and put them on. She did not want to accidentally turn her hands into something disgusting.
Professor Sprout stood behind a bench in the middle of the greenhouse. She clapped her hands to attract everyone's attention. She said, "We're going to repot the mandrake today. Now, who can tell me what properties Mandrake has? "
A few Ravenclaw students immediately raised their hands. Professor Sprout pointed at a tall and skinny boy. He seemed to be a bit nervous as he stuttered, "It … It can restore people who are cursed and transformed back to their original state. It's a powerful recovery agent."
"Very good. Ten points for Ravenclaw," said Professor Sprout. "Mandrake is an important component of most antidotes. But it was also very dangerous. Can someone tell me why? "
"If we hear their cries, we'll die," Malfoy said calmly.
"Correct." Professor Sprout said, "I hope you can raise your hand before speaking next time. Ten points for Draco Slytherin." She then pointed to a row of deep-bottomed plates and continued, "Look, our mandrake here is still very young. Their cries are not fatal for now, but they can make people faint for a few hours. Now, everyone take a pair of earmuffs."
There were about twenty pairs of earmuffs of different colors on the bench. The students fought over them. None of them wanted to wear the pink ones.
"Well, I have to say, they actually suit you quite well." Malfoy tried not to laugh. The pink fluffy earmuffs were put on by Pan Xi in the end because she was a bit slow.
"Say that again!" Pan Xi also felt that the girlish accessories did not suit her. After being teased by Malfoy, she could not help but feel embarrassed and annoyed. She reached out and pretended to take off Malfoy's earmuffs, presumably to exchange them.
"Stop." Malfoy gently pushed her hand away and pointed at the professor.
An ugly baby with grass growing all over his head had been pulled out. His skin was light green and speckled with spots. The little guy was clearly screaming at the top of his lungs.
Malfoy shrugged, meaning that there was nothing he could do. The class had already begun. If Pan Xi was willing to faint for a few hours, she might be able to exchange them.
Pan Xi could only vent her anger on the mandrake doll. She used all her strength to hold it tightly. Malfoy promised that the doll in Pan Xi's hand had the most painful expression in the entire classroom.
After a while, almost everyone had finished their task and buried the mandrake in a new pot. Some of the students were sweating profusely, as if they had just fought a dark sorcerer. Some seemed to be at ease, as if they had done something insignificant.
Suddenly, the students felt the table in front of them shake. They looked at the professor and knew that they could take off their earmuffs now.
"Very good, everyone has done well," Professor Sprout praised. He was very satisfied with the students' performance.
"Professor, I want to ask a question," Malfoy said, raising his hand. "Forcibly assisting the science lesson."
"Go ahead, child."
"Can you tell us some specific symptoms that can be cured by the mandrake?" Malfoy said word by word, hoping to attract the attention of the students.
"That's a good question." Professor Sprout praised him first, then said, "It can be used by people who have been affected by the Petrification Spell. This is one of them."
"Professor, did Neville from Gryffindor also use the mandrake in the last semester? He seemed to have been affected by the Petrification Spell last semester, "a brown-haired Ravenclaw girl asked.
"Very good." Professor Sprout's smile became even more amiable, then said, "Child, the effect of the spell is different for different people. Hermione did not mean any harm, and she is still a student now. If the Petrification Spell was cast by that person …" As she spoke, Professor Sprout's smile disappeared, replaced by a serious expression. "Sorry, I seem to have said something unnecessary." She immediately stopped talking because she realized that the atmosphere at the scene had become heavy, and the students' faces were filled with fear.
Malfoy broke the awkward silence. He continued to ask, "Professor, what about Medusa? Legend has it that people will be petrified if they look directly into its eyes. Is this true? Can the mandrake cure it? "
"Oh, child, that is only a legendary creature. Don't worry." Professor Sprout paused for a moment, as if she had thought of something, then said, "But there is indeed a creature whose eyes are similar to the legendary Medusa."
"What is it, Professor?" Professor, 'pursued Malfoy.
"Basilisk."
"Basilisk? What is that? "A group of students began to whisper to each other.
"Hmm …" Professor Sprout buried her head in thought for a moment, as if she was searching her memory. Then she said, "Actually, you can ask your Guardian Mystical Biology teacher, Professor Kettleburn. He should know better than I do." She paused for a moment, then continued, "But since someone asked, I will answer. The basilisk is a large snake with a dazzling green body. Its body length is up to 50 feet. The male snake has a bright red feather on its head, and its long fangs are extremely poisonous. " She paused again, probably to emphasize her next words. "But its most dangerous way of attacking is to stare at the target with its big yellow eyes. Anyone who makes eye contact with it will die instantly. If it's an indirect cure, the only hope is the Mandrake Grass. "
The students were in an uproar.
Realizing that her words were a little scary, Professor Sprout continued, "Don't worry, there has been no record of a basilisk in England for at least 400 years." Many of the students let out a long sigh of relief.
"Does it have a natural enemy?"
"Of course, every creature has a natural enemy. The sound of a rooster is also fatal to it. This is because it was originally hatched from a rooster's egg," Professor Sprout said.
Walking out of the greenhouse, almost all the students were talking. Although many of them were covered in mud and their backs were sore from the hard work, they did not care. The basilisk in today's class made them excited. There was nothing better to talk about than a terrifying but distant thing.
"Students, what are you talking about? A basilisk?" Lockhart appeared behind them like a ghost, leaning against a pillar. He was wearing a lavender robe today, and at the moment, he was showing eight shiny teeth with his signature smile. He blinked his eyes and continued, "That was really a big guy. Back then, I went to …" Lockhart began to boast about his "experience". A group of students heard this and quickly gathered around him. They were very curious about how Lockhart defeated the basilisk. Other than the rooster, could there be any other magic that could defeat it?
"Pansy, aren't you going to listen to his story?" Malfoy asked from the side.
"I think your story of the White Lady is much more interesting." Pansy pursed her lips, disdainful of Malfoy.
Malfoy was immediately embarrassed.
About a quarter of an hour later.
"Just like that, peace was restored in the village. They wanted to repay me, but I refused. As a Level 3 Merlin Medal recipient and an honorary member of the Anti-Black Magic Alliance, this is what I should do. I should not accept any reward." He paused for a moment, then blinked his charming eyes. "Of course, a kiss of gratitude from the girls is not included." As soon as he finished speaking, the students immediately burst into applause. A group of girls screamed excitedly, revealing starry eyes like fans.
"Where did you plagiarize this from?" Malfoy looked at Malfoy's shameless behavior and could only roll his eyes to show his contempt.