Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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Fertilizing the Devil's Snare was arguably the hardest lesson in first-year Herbology class.
Kyle did it easily simply because he had experience. Don't forget, he'd been tending to the Biting Cabbage for months.
An adult Biting Cabbage was far more dangerous than the Devil's Snare, which only knew how to bind people; a slight mistake and Kyle might end up at the school clinic drinking Bone Knitting potion… or some other potion.
After a period of hellish mode, going back to the easier dungeons was naturally a breeze.
However, the others lacked this experience, and their first encounter with the Devil's Snare left them screaming and howling in agony from the tendrils.
Some panicked immediately after being entangled, completely forgetting Professor Sprout's instructions and instinctively struggling.
If Professor Sprout hadn't been there, they probably would have been completely bound.
Kyle wasn't idle either; when Professor Sprout was too busy, he stepped in to help the entangled young wizards break free from the Devil's Snare.
His action earned him another ten points from Professor Sprout.
"Thank you, Kyle,"
Ryan said, shaking his arm, which was aching from the pressure. "When I saw you do it, I thought it would be easy, but it's so difficult… I can't even get close to it."
"Don't be discouraged…"
Kyle patted his shoulder. "Just be careful not to touch the tendrils."
"I'll try,"
Ryan sighed. "It's a pity Professor Sprout doesn't allow the use of the Lumos, otherwise it would be much easier."
"You're overthinking it," Kyle shook his head slightly.
Using the Lumos would probably cause the young Devil's Snare to open immediately, rendering the lesson pointless.
Even a three-year-old could do something as simple as digging a hole and fertilizing it; why waste a whole class period learning it?
"I was just saying,"
Ryan said, changing direction and trying to reach out again.
At this moment, Kyle also looked elsewhere.
The others performed similarly to Ryan, but there were exceptions.
Kanna successfully completed the task, becoming the second young wizard to fertilize the Devil's Snare. Although her movements weren't as skillful as Kyle's, and she paused many times, overall she did quite well, passing on her first try.
Gryffindor's Cormac McLaggen was next, but he was slower, finishing only halfway through the lesson.
After him, the Devil's Snare seemed tired, moving its tendrils noticeably slower, giving the young wizards more opportunities.
By the end of class, more than half had finished fertilizing the Devil's Snare, but they were all exhausted and sweating profusely, wishing they could immediately return to the castle for a shower.
Professor Sprout had them line up in two rows, and only after everyone was in position did she slowly open the greenhouse door.
Sunlight instantly filled the entire greenhouse, and the Devil's Snare in the middle seemed to be greatly stimulated, instantly freezing in place.
Kyle, deliberately at the back of the line, had a sudden flash of inspiration. Taking advantage of Professor Sprout's inattention, he quickly pulled out a small knife he had prepared beforehand, swiftly cut off a small section of tendril, and stuffed it into his pocket.
Sunlight had a significant effect on the Devil's Snare; even after being cut, it remained completely unaffected.
Kyle then acted as if nothing had happened, leaving the greenhouse with the others, even casually greeting Professor Sprout as he passed.
"Goodbye, Professor."
"Goodbye, Kyle," Professor Sprout smiled and waved. "I remember you like plants. Would you be interested in growing a bean pod plant? You can divide it during your next class."
"I'd be happy to, Professor."
Kyle was even happier with this unexpected bonus.
After bidding farewell to Professor Sprout, he hurried towards the castle.
The pods were a matter for later; Kyle planned to take what was in his pocket to the Room of Requirement on the eighth floor first.
Devil's Snare vines were incredibly resilient; as long as the root was planted in time, it would survive and grow into a complete Devil's Snare.
As he walked, a commotion suddenly arose from nearby.
Kyle looked up and saw many people running towards Hagrid's cabin, including the young wizard who had just attended Herbology class with him.
"What's going on? Has Hagrid's keeping of Cerberus been discovered?"
Kyle frowned and went over to investigate.
It was pretty much as he suspected; Hagrid's keeping of Cerberus had indeed been discovered, and people had come to his door.
Three Ministry of Magic members dressed as strikers stood at the cabin's door, pointing their wands at Hagrid rudely.
"We received a report that you bought a magical creature of unknown origin in September," one of the henchmen said. "Hand it over and come back to the Ministry of Magic with us."
"I didn't!"
Hagrid said, blushing. "I only bought some medicine to get rid of flesh-eating slugs!" the henchman persisted. "But someone saw you trading magical creatures."
"That's nonsense!"
Hagrid said, somewhat flustered. "Besides, you've already checked my room, haven't you? It's just me and Fang here!"
"Whether you've done it or not isn't up to you to decide. We can't just listen to your side of the story." The man looked at Hagrid's expression, narrowing his eyes. "If you're truly innocent, the Ministry of Magic will naturally clear your name… What do you have to worry about?
Or are you hiding something and afraid to come back to the Ministry of Magic with us?"
His aggressive manner infuriated the surrounding young wizards.
Although they weren't familiar with Hagrid, they remembered that when they first entered school, it was this big guy who led them from the train station into the castle.
The students…especially the freshmen, didn't care about the Ministry of Magic. They only knew Hagrid was one of their own, so naturally they sided with him.
A chorus of boos and shouts erupted, urging them to leave Hogwarts immediately.
A few clever young wizards, knowing they couldn't do anything to the Ministry of Magic, quickly ran towards the castle to get reinforcements.
The aurors also noticed the situation. The three exchanged glances and simultaneously raised their wands, seemingly intending to forcibly take Hagrid away.
Just as Kyle was about to stop them, someone stepped forward first.
"Don't talk so nicely,"
Professor Oren said disdainfully, appearing behind the three aurors. "You're here because you've only heard one side of the story, aren't you?"
[End of the chapter]