Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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With the automatic cleaning kit, Snape's detention became much easier.
That evening, George cleaned all the cauldrons in the Potions classroom in just over an hour.
Moreover, he used the kit very discreetly; Filch, though finding it a little strange, didn't notice anything amiss, assuming George had simply become skilled from detention so many times.
Not to boast, but if it were him, cleaning those cauldrons would only take half an hour.
So, after checking and confirming there were no problems, he took George away.
George then used the incident as a topic of conversation.
The next morning, he boasted at the Gryffindor dining table about his discovery during his nighttime visit to the Potions classroom, claiming he found a letter addressed to Snape in an abandoned cauldron, which Filch had later confiscated.
Although not explicitly stated, George's implication was clear—the letter was a love letter.
This thrilled the Gryffindor lions.
They didn't care whether it was true or not; as long as they had fun, that was enough.
On Hufflepuff's side, Kyle was also very happy.
However, his happiness had nothing to do with Snape's gossip; it was simply because there was a Herbology class today.
Professor Sprout had announced in the previous class that the previous course was over, and they could begin learning Devil's Snare.
There couldn't be better news.
After breakfast, Kyle and the others went to the greenhouse outside the castle, where they would be attending class with the Gryffindor students.
"I sense you're a little excited,"
Kanna glanced at Kyle and said, "The book says Devil's Snare is a very dangerous plant. Aren't you worried?"
"It's alright,"
Kyle quickly wiped the smile from his lips and said, "Actually, Devil's Snare only has a scary name. It's not actually that dangerous. As long as you know how to use it properly, it will become even more docile than a fluffy plant."
"Absolutely right."
At this moment, Professor Sprout suddenly walked up from behind the group, smiling at Kyle and saying, "Don't mind me, continue telling me what you know."
"Alright,"
Kyle cleared his throat and said, "According to *The Magical Vines*, Devil's Snare was once very popular. Many wizards would grow one or two in their homes because it could protect their underground storage rooms from mice and spiders.
However, after the Ministry of Magic listed Devil's Snare as a dangerous plant and banned its private cultivation, it gradually disappeared from wizarding homes."
"Even I couldn't have been more comprehensive," Professor Sprout said happily, "Hufflepuff plus five points."
"Just like Kyle said, the Devil's Snare isn't as dangerous as its name suggests, but…"
She paused, her expression becoming more serious. "It's not dangerous if you understand it. If you know nothing about the Devil's Snare, it can become extremely dangerous, even deadly."
Her words quieted the young wizards considerably.
Professor Sprout nodded in satisfaction.
They were visiting Greenhouse Number Two today.
Upon entering, the first impression was its darkness; the roof and walls were completely blocked out, the only light source being two dim oil lamps.
Fortunately, the greenhouse wasn't large, and after adjusting, they could see their surroundings more clearly.
Compared to Greenhouse Number One, the plants here were much more unusual.
Besides the Devil's Snare displayed on the table, Kyle also saw exploding bean pods, as well as poisonous plants like the fanged geranium and belladonna.
The only pity was that he didn't see mandrake here.
"This is the Devil's Snare."
Professor Sprout stood behind a bench, pointing to a large clump of spiderweb-like vines on the ground in the middle. "It's beautiful, isn't it? But it's also dangerous. Can anyone tell me why?"
Everyone turned to look at Kyle in unison.
"The Devil's Snare can extend snake-like tendrils, entangle anyone who gets close, causing injury or death," Kyle blurted out.
"Absolutely correct, Hufflepuff, another five points," Professor Sprout said, pointing to the roots of the Devil's Snare. "Look, everyone, our Devil's Snare here is still very young."
Because of the dim light, everyone leaned forward, trying to see more clearly, but they couldn't see anything special about it, and they didn't know how Professor Sprout judged it to be "young."
This thing was almost two meters long.
Professor Sprout threw an empty flowerpot at the Devil's Snare.
The moment the flowerpot hit the ground, it was tightly entangled by the tendrils of the Devil's Snare, and then with a "crack," it shattered into pieces.
The young wizards collectively took a step back, staring at Kyle and Professor Sprout as if they'd seen a ghost.
This was supposed to be less dangerous?
"Look at those tendrils," Professor Sprout calmly said, tidying up the broken pieces of the flowerpot.
"They're still a tender green, while a mature devil's snare is dark green. So getting entangled won't kill you, but it won't be pleasant either."
"Now, can anyone tell me how to get rid of the devil's web?"
Everyone looked at Kyle again.
"Don't panic when you're entangled. When you relax and stop struggling, the devil's snare will loosen,"
Kyle said. "Also, the devil's snare hates light and fire; sometimes a simple Lumis can break its hold."
Hearing this, Mikel suddenly chuckled, proudly puffing out his chest.
Lumos? He knew that by heart.
It was no exaggeration to say that among all the young wizards present, no one knew the Lumos better than him.
"Absolutely right, Hufflepuff, add... three more points."
"Today we're going to learn how to fertilize the Devil's Snare."
Professor Sprout said, taking out a small wooden bucket. "Here are the tools and compost. Be very gentle during the process, and if you get tangled, remember to relax your whole body.
Now, who wants to try first?"
Kyle felt the gazes from all directions for the third time, and this time Professor Sprout was also looking at him.
"I'll go first."
Kyle stepped forward.
"Don't be nervous."
Kyle took the shovel from Professor Sprout and slowly reached his hand towards the roots of the Devil's Snare.
Everyone held their breath.
Kyle's hand was steady; he perfectly avoided every tendril of the Devil's Snare and successfully dug a small hole at the root.
Then, he used tweezers to pick up a silver granule the size of a soybean from the bucket of compost and put it into the hole.
Finally, he filled it with soil, and the fertilization was finished.
Just as Kyle pulled his hand out of the Devil's Snare, he heard Professor Sprout's voice.
"Hufflepuff plus ten points."
[End of the chapter]