Goethe's Palm

It was actually possible to travel from Venice to Padua by boat, but winter was flood season, the water conditions were uncertain, and having a car in the city was much more convenient.

It would take the Muggles at least an hour to get there by car, so as they wandered around, they arrived at the botanical garden.

Padua's botanical garden had originally been established by the medical faculty of the University of Padua to study the medicinal value of rare plants. Its location and layout had remained unchanged for centuries.

The botanical garden was enclosed by red brick walls and iron railings. Not far from the entrance stood a plane tree planted in 1860. Lightning had struck it, leaving it hollow inside, yet it still looked full of life.

The botanical garden's oldest tree was a palm planted in 1585. It had been renamed Goethe's Palm because Goethe wrote a poem, "The Metamorphosis of Plants," for it. The greenhouse had even designed a poster specifically for it and plastered it everywhere.

"This is what proper planning looks like." Severus pointed at the geometrically arranged seedbeds. "Full of order. Your seedbeds look like a mad tropical rainforest."

"I separated the carnivorous plants into their own seedbed." Pomona smiled falsely. "I think plants grow stronger when they are closer to their natural environment. This artificially planned environment is not conducive to their growth."

"You just can't take advice, can you?" Severus said with an equally false smile.

"Do you want to become flower fertilizer?"

"Are you going to murder me?" he asked, feigning surprise.

"I've even thought of how to dispose of the body," she said in a sweet voice.

"What makes you want to murder me, madam?"

"I don't know, but I've heard that most married couples eventually want to