Chapter 45: When will Gryffindor win the Academy Cup?
Professor Sprout was a kind-hearted witch. She felt that Rolf's suggestion was good and she immediately adopted it.
At this moment, Lockhart was still at the door, having an in-depth exchange of words with Harry.
Sprout left the greenhouse and invited him to come back after class to show the students how to treat plants.
She was worried about scaring Lockhart away, so she deliberately didn't mention treating the Whomping Willow, only saying it was... a sneezeweed.
Lockhart immediately agreed with joy. He patted his chest and said that he would definitely show the young wizards what...real technology is.
After Professor Sprout left, Lockhart put his arm around Harry's shoulders and said enthusiastically:
"You see, Harry, even Professor Sprout asked me for advice... This is the trouble of excellence.
You are so outstanding that I can’t live without you anywhere, but it’s difficult to refuse because of my face, what do you think I should do?”
Lockhart decided to write this passage into his new book, "My Days as a Professor at Hogwarts."
Harry couldn't understand what Lockhart was talking about. He frowned and wanted to go back to the greenhouse for class, but Lockhart still hugged his neck tightly and said with a smile:
"Harry, don't envy me so much that you even deliberately drove a car to Hogwarts just to be as famous as me!" Lockhart said:
"I know why you did it, it's obvious."
"Professor Lockhart, I..." Harry was about to explain, but was ruthlessly interrupted.
"Harry, I gave you a taste of fame, didn't I?" Lockhart showed his shining teeth and smiled:
"That day at Flourish and Blotts Bookstore in Diagon Alley, you and I made headlines together. I made you addicted... and you can't wait to do it again?!"
Lockhart twisted his mouth, as if he had seen through Harry.
"Oh...no, professor..."
"Harry, I understand that after you taste it once, you want to try it again. This is natural... I let you taste the sweetness too early, which will definitely go to your head... Let you know the taste after eating it.
It’s hard to extricate myself.”
Lockhart reached out and grabbed Harry's shoulders, winked and said:
"How about you come to my office recently and let me teach you some experience personally? One-on-one, completely private tutorial."
Harry: "..."
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When Professor Sprout returned to the greenhouse, he found that the students were standing quietly, and no one was touching the magic plants.
She smiled with satisfaction. It seemed that everyone still remembered the knowledge taught in the first class last year.
Indeed, no little wizard dares to touch the magic plants at will, because the third greenhouse is even more dangerous than the first greenhouse.
Poisonous tentacles are hidden in dark corners, their twigs secrete venom, and their spikes are also highly poisonous.
A group of blood gourds hang on a shelf not far away. They are swaying like gourd dolls and attract animals with their scent.
But if they are really close, these gourds will spit out gourd seeds and shoot them into the bodies of animals, and then rely on the flesh and blood of these animals to nourish the seeds and sow seeds over long distances.
There is also a kind of pink dancing grass, whose tender pink leaves will sway in the wind and dance gracefully, but after eating it, it will dance like crazy...
The entire greenhouse looks beautiful, but is actually full of murderous intent.
"We are going to repot a magical plant today." She pointed to the row of plants on the ground and asked:
"Who knows what this is?"
Before everyone could clearly see the appearance of the plant, Hermione, the humanoid self-propelled encyclopedia, had already raised her white arms high.
"Miss Granger?"
"The leaves are oval, with white or blue flowers, and the fruits are round..." Hermione answered accurately: "This is Mandrake!"
"Very good, five points for Gryffindor." Professor Sprout smiled:
"Everyone can take a closer look. Don't confuse the mandrake with the datura flower. Before they bloom, they look very similar, but the positions of the branches and vines are different..."
The little wizards came closer and admired the mandrake up close. Sprout continued to explain:
"One of the most striking features of mandrakes is that their rhizomes have curled branches at the end, and the overall shape is like a human shape."
Professor Sprout waved his magic wand, and a blackboard appeared, with a pattern of mandrake rhizomes appearing on it, indeed like a shrunken human being.
Justin raised his hand and said: "Professor, can you show the actual object in detail?"
Many students nodded in agreement.
"Of course!" Professor Sprout said happily:
"But before you show it, you must know the dangers of mandrake rhizomes. Who can tell me?
Of course...Miss Granger!"
Professor Sprout raised his hand, signaling Hermione to answer.
"Mandrakes' cries can kill people," Hermione blurted.
"Exactly, ten more points for Gryffindor!" Professor Sprout said loudly:
"There is such a line in "Othello" by Shakespeare, the greatest British dramatist..."
The witch coughed and said in a chant-like tone:
"What a disgusting sound it is! It's like the scream of a mandrake when it is pulled out of the earth! Humans will go crazy hearing it. It is a curse..."
Many students looked at Professor Sprout in surprise.
She wore a patched hat with flowing hair, and her clothes were stained with a lot of mud. She had a very simple image... but she was also a drama lover.
This strong contrast caught everyone off guard.
After finishing the writer's description of Mandrake, Professor Sprout asked:
"Does anyone know if there are still different opinions on the scream of mandrake in the academic community?"
Hermione didn't raise her hand this time, which involved her knowledge blind spot.
Neville wanted to raise his hand, but halfway through, he put it down out of fear and unconfidence.
Luofu glanced at the round-faced boy and stretched out his elbow to lift his arm.
"Mr. Longbottom?"
"There are... some herbalists think..." Neville said with a trembling voice: "Mandrakes don't make sounds..."
Professor Sprout looked at Neville with encouraging eyes, and the round-faced boy stammered:
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "It is the hallucinogenic toxin of mandrake... that causes the poisoned person to have auditory hallucinations, and then produce the illusion that 'Mandrake can scream'..."
"Very good, plus ten points for Hufflepuff!" Professor Sprout smiled with satisfaction:
"Mr. Longbottom, have you also read the latest article in the Journal of Magical Plants?"
"I...Professor...I'll just take a look..."
"Don't be nervous, kid." Professor Sprout praised: "You said it very well."
Many students looked at Neville in shock. They did not expect that this inconspicuous young man who usually looked clumsy and always followed Scamander seemed to have extensive knowledge in herbal medicine.
"Okay, Neville!" Hannah poked Neville: "You are so powerful."
"Neville is really good." As a good brother, Rolf immediately assisted: "Hannah, he got full marks in herbal medicine last semester. If you don't understand anything, you can ask him."
"That's great." Hannah said carelessly.
Neville blushed a little, smiled shyly, and then gave a grateful look to Rolf, who winked at him.
"Since the rhizomes of mandrake are so dangerous, does anyone know how to safely pull the mandrake out of the pot?" Professor Sprout continued to ask.
Hermione quickly raised her hands and said, "Usually plugging the ears with earmuffs or beeswax."
"That's right, five points for Gryffindor!" Professor Sprout smiled and said, "Are there any more?"
Hermione shook her head.
Professor Sprout looked around and saw no one answered, and asked: "Mr. Scamander, do you know?"
Luofu said softly: "You can remotely command swallow-tailed dogs to dig out mandrakes. They are immune to the screams of the mandrakes and can also make the mandrakes stop screaming."
"Very good, five points for Hufflepuff!"
Hermione looked at Rolf pitifully and sighed softly, it was hard for her to fight with two fists.
Can she win another Academy Cup in her lifetime?
hateful!
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(Thanks to "Ji Ai Wa Lang Shui" and "Trooper1770" for their tips.)
