In the end, Leonard decided not to let Midgard intercept the dragon egg.
Quirrell intended to trade the egg for information from Hagrid. Though Leonard found the plan utterly foolish, there was no doubt Quirrell was determined to succeed.
Leonard worried that if Quirrell failed to buy the dragon egg from the smugglers, he might fly into a rage and target Midgard and her group instead.
After all, Quirrell wasn't just Quirrell—he carried Voldemort with him. Being noticed by Voldemort was never a good thing.
It wasn't worth putting Midgard and her people in danger over a dragon egg.
Aside from the egg, the list in the letter also mentioned several unusual plants.
One was a parasitic pod from Africa, similar to the Puffapods in Hogwarts' greenhouses, which burst open upon maturity to scatter seeds.
The difference was that these seeds were far more sinister—they would take root and grow wherever they landed on a living creature.
Though not fatal, the process was agonizingly painful.
Another plant was a miniature man-eating flower, enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm. Despite being only palm-sized, it could swallow prey as large as an elephant.
Both species were extremely dangerous, classified as high-risk plants prohibited from trade or import. If not for the werewolf wizards now controlling more than eighty percent of Knockturn Alley's smuggling routes, Leonard might never have encountered them.
The parasitic pods were especially hazardous, so even smugglers refrained from selling seeds, dealing only in immature plants instead.
The miniature man-eating flowers, on the other hand, were unstable due to the nature of the Undetectable Extension Charm—fully grown specimens could easily self-destruct if transplanted improperly. As a result, only seeds were sold.
They were valuable items, and Leonard planned to have Midgard bring them over when she came.
Yes—he intended to summon Midgard soon. The first batch of plants in the Botanical Garden was nearing maturity, and he had nearly mastered his second piece of ancient magic. It was time to explore the ancient ruins beneath Hogwarts.
During Christmas, many professors chose to return home for the holidays, making this the ideal time to act.
Leonard finished writing his letter, fed two nuts to Gray—who had rested for a while—and sent him off to deliver it to Midgard.
Then, pulling on his fur-lined robe, Leonard left the dormitory.
The Hogwarts kitchen was anything but quiet despite most students being away. The house-elves were busy preparing for the Christmas Eve feast.
Though there would be fewer attendees this year, the house-elves showed no sign of slacking. They worked tirelessly to prepare a grand dinner for the students who stayed behind.
To celebrate Christmas, they had specially prepared roast turkeys. The sight of the plump birds lined up on the counter was rather amusing.
Before long, one of the house-elves noticed Leonard and bounded over cheerfully.
"Mr. Leonard, is there anything you need?" it asked enthusiastically.
The house-elves could recognize nearly every Hufflepuff student—they were frequent visitors here.
"I'd like something to eat…" Leonard paused. "Preferably vegetarian."
"Vegetarian?" The house-elves lifted their heads, their faces blank with confusion. "Do you mean pastries?"
"Pastries are fine too," Leonard said after a moment's thought. "Do you have oatmeal cookies?"
"Only oat bread."
"Then I'll have some of that," Leonard replied.
"But that's just plain bread. Wouldn't you like a pie or something?"
"No, that's fine," Leonard said.
Soon, a paper-wrapped bundle of oat bread and a neatly packaged maple muffin were placed in his arms.
"If you need anything else, please come again," one of the house-elves said warmly. They walked him all the way to the kitchen door before waving goodbye.
After parting with the cheerful house-elves, Leonard stepped out of the castle.
The moment he reached the courtyard, a sharp wind made him pull his thick cloak tighter. From his sleeve, a small ancient sprout peeked out, trembled in the cold, and quickly withdrew.
In this kind of weather, even the most energetic students wouldn't stay outside. Most were likely reading or playing games in the library, the Great Hall, or some quiet corner of the castle.
The courtyard was empty and silent, carrying a hint of loneliness.
"It's freezing… probably going to snow soon. I wonder if it'll fall by Christmas."
Leonard glanced up at the dim sky, tucked the warm paper bag with the muffin and bread into his cloak, and made his way toward the Forbidden Forest.
Walking along the stone path, he looked over at the Whomping Willow in the distance.
The great tree stood bare and lifeless, looking almost dead—but Leonard knew it was only in a light slumber. Anyone who got too close would still be ruthlessly struck by its whipping branches.
He had once thought about planting a few Whomping Willows in his own Botanical Garden, using their branches as seeds, but the attempt had failed.
It wasn't that he couldn't get a cutting; it was that the Whomping Willow's violent temperament refused to allow any other plant to grow nearby. Even Leonard's orders had no effect.
Before he could even plant the branch, it had already launched a wild assault on the surrounding Bitterthorns.
And as for the result… well, Leonard only had a single twig—how could it possibly win against those thorny plants?
So the Whomping Willow never got planted.
Still, Leonard had kept a number of branches stored in his spatial storage, ready to summon them if needed as weapons.
After all, the Whomping Willow at Hogwarts was always there, and even if he couldn't claim ownership or gain experience from it, he could still make use of it freely.
Beneath the tree lay Hagrid's hut and the entrance to the Forbidden Forest.
Hagrid wasn't inside his cozy hut at the moment. He was sitting on a wooden stump, trimming an acacia tree, with his hound Fang curled at his feet for warmth.
Acacias, with their neat symmetrical shape, made excellent decorations—perfect for Christmas trees.
It seemed Hagrid was preparing for Christmas as well.
Leonard wasn't there to visit him, of course—they weren't that close. As he approached, he cast a Disillusionment Charm over himself and slipped quietly past Hagrid. Under Fang's puzzled sniffing, he entered the Forbidden Forest.
The forest in autumn and winter felt calmer than usual. Though it wasn't a holiday, there were still owls carrying letters overhead, and the mist among the trees didn't seem quite as eerie.
Leonard had barely walked a few steps when he heard a clear clatter of hooves. Moments later, a silver-white unicorn bounded happily toward him.