Good Fortune in Abundance

The nature of a creature could not be changed. Some things that looked almost identical were actually entirely different species. Take the Kneazle, for example. It looked much like an ordinary cat and could even interbreed with cats, yet it was a magical creature. Its eyes were red, and it possessed the remarkable ability to judge a person's character and whether they were suspicious. However, earning its loyalty was extremely difficult. Like a Crup, keeping one required permission from the Ministry of Magic.

Crups also looked rather like Jack Russell terriers, except their tails forked like swallows' tails, making them look as though they had two. They were fiercely loyal to wizards but extremely vicious toward Muggles. Any wizard wishing to keep a Crup had to pass a simple test proving they could control one in Muggle residential areas before receiving a license from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Once the dog reached six to eight weeks old, its owner was legally required to use a painless Severing Charm to remove its unusual tail. Pomona decided she would learn that Severing Charm herself, because she needed the strength to protect herself.

If wizards had not drawn a distinction between people and animals, then Slytherin would not have used a House-elf to practise the Unforgivable Curses. They did not regard other magical creatures as lives equal to their own. Inequality bred contempt for life, while Hufflepuff happened to value equality most of all. If that Severing Charm could cut off a dog's tail, why could it not be used on a person? Some people simply needed to be taught a lesson. Without punishment, they would never know what they had done wrong.

Once Angie and the others made their move, the girls of Slytherin and Hufflepuff would become enemies. Women could smile sweetly and say, "We're the best of friends," while poisoning each other's drinks.

Hufflepuff excelled at Herbology, while Slytherin excelled at Potions. Antidotes would probably sell very well by then. At thirty-two Galleons per dose, whoever had enough stockpiled would make a fortune. As long as the poisons and herbs were not particularly vicious, they would not kill anyone at once. How delightful it would be to watch all manner of magical effects take hold.

"I love magic." Pomona could not hide her heartfelt joy at all, and the smile on her face was brighter than usual. An opportunity to make money until her hands cramped was almost here, provided she got the greenhouse in order and found a partner skilled at brewing potions.

When impulse clouded the mind and emotion overwhelmed reason, people did not hesitate to spend money. Slytherin and Hufflepuff happened to have many pure-blood aristocrats, and they were very wealthy. The students' parents might not be willing to fund Hogwarts under Dumbledore's leadership, but they could not control how their children spent money at school. This money would be used to ease Hogwarts's financial strain.

Although peace was a prerequisite for commercial prosperity, chaos also created business opportunities, provided one had a discerning eye. Many Hufflepuffs were actually quite rich, such as Newt Scamander. The hides, fur, and blood of magical creatures were all expensive magical materials. Ordinary wizards found them difficult to obtain, often needing to defeat or even kill the creatures first, which frequently put their lives at risk. But Newt was deeply familiar with those creatures' habits and could acquire such materials without harming them, so he grew richer and richer. Pomona felt she could already see her wonderful future as a wealthy woman. Rich men usually had one or two mistresses, but rich women could not keep several men who lived off them. Otherwise, society would label them "promiscuous." Besides, men drawn by the scent of gold often lacked moral character; after swindling away her money, they would vanish without a trace. So fantasies of keeping men would remain only in her mind. She would never put them into practice.

She had kept a tortoise in the past simply to save herself trouble. Now, she had a pet she truly wanted: a Kneazle capable of judging people's character. But that meant she would have to make a trip to the Ministry of Magic.

Once she had one, Pomona planned to choose a suitable boyfriend. When a tree grew to a certain point, it blossomed and reproduced; that too was part of biological instinct. Werewolves bit humans in order to reproduce and expand their own kind as well, though children born to werewolves and humans did not become werewolves. Pomona did not intend to spend her entire life at this school. One day, she would leave. Before then, she would train someone to replace her as Herbology professor. She owed Dumbledore nothing. When that day came, she would travel the world with her handsome husband.

Places where magical animals and plants appeared were often uninhabited, so besides being handsome, that man would need to be strong enough to protect her and handle all sorts of unexpected situations.

After what had happened with Nancy, looks were not especially important to her anymore. What mattered was character and strength. But if she had a choice, and two men were roughly equal in every other respect, why not choose the more handsome one? Ah, being a beautiful and adorable rich woman was truly troublesome.

"Wipe that stupid grin off your face, Martin."

Pomona had been happily daydreaming when an unpleasant voice suddenly rang out from a dark corner. She did not even need to turn around to know who was speaking.

"Don't talk to her like that, Severus." Lily stepped out of the shadows. Her eyes were full of concern as she looked at Pomona. "I heard about it. You were the one who sent that House-elf to the hospital wing."

The moment she saw the two of them appear together, Pomona's good mood vanished without a trace. She did not understand what was wrong with her. She liked Lily and hated Snape, with his perpetually greasy hair. Seeing Lily alone made her happy, but whenever they appeared together, she felt like she was about to vomit.

Snape was poor. Everything on him except his wand was second-hand, yet he was arrogant. Where did he get the confidence?

"Even if you didn't do it, Snape, if you truly care about your friend, you should keep your distance from Lily," she said coldly. "The situation is very bad right now. You haven't forgotten that Lily is a Gryffindor, have you?"

"So you saw who did it, didn't you?" Lily fixed her beautiful green eyes on Pomona.

"I didn't see anything," Pomona denied at once. "When it happened, he was with you, attending the first class with Gryffindor. He has an alibi. That was how I ruled him out as a suspect."

Where Lily could not see, Snape wore that Slytherin sneer again, but he said nothing. Only after Pomona's reminder did Lily suddenly understand.

"So when you warned me not to get too close to Slytherins, you weren't talking about Severus?"

Pomona did not know how to explain it to Lily.

"Think whatever you want." She sounded a little tired. "Is there anything else? I need to go to the greenhouse."

"You're still going to the greenhouse after something like that just happened?"

"That's my job..." Pomona broke off halfway through, then looked at Lily and Snape and could not help laughing. "Merlin's wand, did I drink Felix Felicis today? Why do good things keep happening?"