Ravenclaw's first Herbology class was on Thursday, and the cooperating house was Slytherin, requiring two consecutive classes.
On the huge worktable in the third greenhouse, rows of Mandrakes had already been placed.
Below the workbench, there were also rows of larger, brand-new flower pots.
Sprout clapped her hands, then smiled kindly at the students. "Sorry to keep you waiting! I'm sure you've heard a lot of you talking about what we're planning to do!"
"Nevertheless, I still need to ask a question…" Sprout held up a flowerpot with both hands, "Can anyone tell me what the characteristics of Mandrake are?"
Mandy Brocklehurst of Ravenclaw raised her hand.
"Miss Brocklehurst!"
Brocklehurst stood up. "The root of the Mandrake is a powerful restorative agent. Many hard-to-break binding curses can be cured with restorative potions using it as the main ingredient."
"In addition, Mandrake has a lethality that matches its restorative properties; when the tuber is pulled out, it emits a cry that can be deadly, so be extremely careful!"
"Mandrake is widely distributed in the wild and has a certain ability to move, so not only wizards know about it, but Muggles also know about it."
Sprout clapped and said, "A very comprehensive answer, Ravenclaw plus ten..."
Pansy interrupted Sprout as she sat back down, adding, "It's also a material for ancient ritual magic, which uses Mandrake, for example, in dark magic..."
"Unexpected." Sprout's smile remained unchanged as she interrupted Pansy, who was about to continue. "Excellent addition! Ravenclaw and Slytherin, both fifteen points!"
"That's right! Mandrake is also an ingredient for ritual magic. However, its main use now will be in potions… You can write down this additional information."
Vizette glanced at Pansy; pure-blood families certainly had a unique approach to the inheritance of magic.
It turns out that Mandrake can also be used in ritual magic, and even ritual magic related to dark magic, which was a new discovery.
"I hope you will all take notes of the following key points." Sprout pulled out a large parchment scroll covered with annotations and a drawing of a Mandrake.
"Young Mandrakes also make a sound, but their sound is not fatal, though it can still knock you unconscious. Be very careful, remember that!"
She waved her wand and, referring to the annotations on the large parchment scroll, explained the relevant knowledge about Mandrakes and the key points to note when transplanting them.
The timing of transplanting Mandrakes would vary depending on when they were planted.
This combined lesson between Ravenclaw and Slytherin would consist of one lesson on repotting Mandrakes and another lesson on caring for the repotted Mandrakes.
Sprout was a cautious professor. As she handed out earmuffs to the students, she repeatedly reminded them, "Make sure you wear the earmuffs properly to ensure they provide the best possible protection!"
"Even though the Mandrake is still a seedling, you are still young wizards. Once you hear the Mandrake's cry, you will inevitably fall into a coma for a long time…"
She put her wand in her pocket, picked up the only ugly pair of fluffy pink earmuffs, and demonstrated how to wear them correctly.
Seeing that the fluffy pink earmuffs had been taken away, the other students breathed a sigh of relief and put on their earmuffs in order.
Sprout pinched the green-purple leaves, shook them in all four directions, and then pulled hard, uprooting the Mandrake.
The tuberous root of the Mandrake had a peculiar shape, looking like a newborn baby covered in wrinkles.
Its light green skin was speckled, and a hole was constantly opening and closing, making it look like it was crying.
However, the students were all wearing earmuffs, so all that could be seen was the Mandrake opening and closing its mouth; not a single sound of crying could be heard.
Sprout held up the Mandrake and shook it, then picked up the flowerpot under the workbench, took out a small shovel and started shoveling soil. After digging a hole, she stuffed the Mandrake into it.
After all that was done, the Mandrakes were still not settled down. It wasn't until Sprout finished fertilizing that the Mandrake leaves stopped trembling and returned to their initial calm.
After observing the professor's demonstration, it was time for the students to take the lead.
Compared to Sprout's relaxed and carefree approach, most students encountered difficulties when they started the first step.
Mandrakes not only had a human-like form, but they could also struggle like babies, and it took a lot of time and effort to pull them out of the soil.
Moreover, once they arrived in the warm greenhouse and could feel the surrounding light, they no longer wanted to return to the pot and would wriggle and struggle.
They not only opened their mouths and cried, but also waved their roots, which were similar to hands and feet, and patted the students holding their heads and leaves, making them look very lively.
Draco suffered because of this step;
He tried to pinch the Mandrake to control its roots and then stuff it into a new flowerpot, but the Mandrake seized the opportunity and bit his finger instead
After several lessons, Sprout was already used to this kind of thing. She casually cast a spell, and the Mandrake relented.
...
When Vizette pulled the Mandrake out of the pot, he encountered a little trouble with such a lively magical plant.
Faced with the constantly struggling and restless Mandrake, he immediately used the Herbology Charm.
Soothed by ancient magical power, the Mandrake quickly calmed down, neither struggling nor screaming.
The Mandrake yawned a long yawn, used its roots as a pillow, rested them on the side of its "head," and started snoring. You could even see snot bubbles covered in dust.
Michael almost got bitten by the Mandrake, and as he dodged, he turned around and saw the "peaceful" Mandrake in Vizette's hand, and suddenly began to question his life.
However, he also understood the preciousness of the Mandrake, and of course, he had to repot this magical plant himself.
Moreover, everyone was wearing earmuffs, so they couldn't hear each other and could only continue fighting the Mandrake.
With the help of "Herbology Charm," Vizette's repotting work went smoothly. He took out the new pot, dug the soil, and successfully stuffed the Mandrake into the hole.
Even after being placed in the new pot, the Mandrake became restless again, desperately trying to crawl out of the soil and stay in Vizette's hand to absorb the ancient magical power.
Vizette had a sudden inspiration and cast the "Herbology Charm" spell on the fertilizer he was about to use, allowing ancient magical power to permeate the fertilizer, and the Mandrake leaves finally calmed down.
Once the repotting was complete, Vizette could focus on the Mandrake itself.
He was naturally very interested in this plant that could be used in ritual magic and wanted to study it in depth.
He cast a spell on the Mandrake, and a strange sight appeared before him…
…
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