Reward for Keeping the Saplings Alive

An owl delivered a large package to Harry.

From the enclosed note, Harry learned that Professor McGonagall had sent him the latest model of flying broomstick.

Nimbus 2000.

The arrival of this wonderful surprise dispelled Harry's fear of Potions Class. Even Ron excitedly kept talking about going back together after class to open the package.

However, not everyone was as lucky as Harry.

From the moment Neville entered the Potions Classroom, his entire body had been trembling uncontrollably.

"Don't worry, Neville. Today we're learning a potion for treating burns. The steps are similar to last week's."

Hermione had meant to encourage Neville, but her words successfully brought back his miserable memories from last week, making him even more nervous.

"It's fine, Neville. Later, you'll just be responsible for taking notes. I'll handle all the actual work."

Hearing Luan's words, Neville turned and gave him a strained smile.

Professor Snape was as cold and merciless as ever. That was what Ron muttered during class, and he lost a point for it.

Before they began brewing, Harry was asked the usual three questions. Perhaps his attention was still on the flying broomstick; even though he had prepared beforehand this time, his answers came out haltingly.

"Harry Potter, fame can never represent everything. You had better memorize this knowledge instead of understanding only half of it, or you will harm many people."

Snape's rebuke was exceptionally harsh, making Neville, who sat in the back, swallow involuntarily.

Luan noticed something strange. He was sitting beside Neville, and from where he was, he could see that Snape had been watching Harry's eyes the entire time.

Though his tone was extremely severe, the look in his eyes as he gazed at Harry's eyes was somewhat complicated.

It was an expression Luan could not understand.

After questioning Harry, Snape gave Luan, seated beside Neville, a strange glance before returning to the podium and announcing the start of the potion-making.

The magical potion for treating burns required White Fresh Skin, Evening Primrose, Bat Teeth, Toad Skin, and a small amount of Unicorn Tears.

First, clean the Cauldron thoroughly. Then add the White Fresh Skin cut into small pieces, heat it over a low flame, and stir it slowly until a faint green juice seeped out.

Every step Luan took was perfectly standard. Whenever he moved on to the next step, he explained it aloud, while Neville, standing beside him, was responsible for taking notes.

Just as Luan was thinking that there would be no potion accident today, Snape walked over.

"Neville Longbottom!"

Snape's cold, ringing voice suddenly sounded, startling Neville so badly that he threw the notebook from his hand.

Luan swiftly caught the notebook before it could fall into the Cauldron, while his other hand continued stirring without pause.

"Why aren't you doing it yourself? Or do you think you can learn potion-making just by taking notes?"

After speaking, Snape turned to look at Luan.

"And you, Luan Scarlett. Do you think you're helping him!"

"T-This isn't Luan's fault. It was... it was me—"

Luan had just been about to explain when Neville's trembling voice cut him off and took the blame.

"It was you~, was it? Very well! Then, Mr. Longbottom, do you truly have no plans to work with your own hands during this class?"

Under Snape's fierce stare, Neville took the small knife for cutting White Fresh Skin.

"I'm very sorry. What should I do now?" Neville asked Luan in a trembling voice.

"It's all right. You just need to crush the Bat Teeth now. Remember, the finer, the better."

Luan had already added the Evening Primrose to the Cauldron. The emerald-green Evening Primrose oil that had seeped out was slowly blending with the White Fresh Skin juice.

Watching Neville finish crushing the Bat Teeth with trembling hands, Luan first extinguished the flame, then added the tooth powder before letting Neville take over stirring the Cauldron.

Next, before the potion had completely cooled, they needed to add the mashed Toad Skin. Luan chose to handle this step himself.

Once the crushed Toad Skin had been added, he turned the flame to maximum. As soon as the stirring rod could stand upright in the thick potion, he immediately added three drops of Unicorn Tears and extinguished the flame.

With that, the potion had been successfully brewed.

When Snape came over to inspect it after class, he left without making any comment.

On the way to the dining hall, Neville had recovered from his fright, and a smile had appeared on his face.

"This was Potions Class, and I actually didn't get hurt."

Being able to get through Professor Snape's Potions Class safely was an incredible achievement for Neville.

The people around him congratulated him as well, which boosted Neville's confidence considerably.

Luan also noticed a change in Neville, though it had nothing to do with confidence or courage. It was his Wizard Bar.

From the end of Potions Class onward, Neville's Wizard Bar had grown from blank to one-quarter full.

It was already as long as Harry's Wizard Bar.

Such sudden changes in Wizard Bars were not common.

Most Wizard Bars grew slowly, with changes difficult to notice day to day. Therefore, to find out how quickly other students' Wizard Bars were progressing, they had to be compared over a period of time.

At lunchtime, Luan sat at the Gryffindor table and began observing all the First Year students.

Hermione went without saying. Her Wizard Bar belonged to the slowly growing type, but it was still the longest, already three-quarters full.

As for the few people in the second tier last week—Malfoy, Michael Corner, and Susan Bones—their Wizard Bars had nearly reached half a bar.

As for Luan himself, he looked at his reflection in the golden dinner plate on the table.

"One-third."

Luan was very satisfied with this progress. Four or five other students had Wizard Bars as long as his, but only those four were ahead of him. They had thus become the targets Luan intended to catch up with next.

As for his roommates, everyone except Ron had reached one-quarter of a bar.

Watching Ron happily eating roast meat, Luan did not know whether he ought to worry about him.

On Friday afternoon, Luan carried three pots of saplings to the Greenhouse.

Today marked exactly one week since the saplings had been planted, and not a single one had died.

The slender willow branch was growing the best. Not only had it grown three leaves, but it had also gained an inch in height.

The grapevine had adapted to its new environment as well, and tender buds had sprouted from it.

The least noticeable was the holly tree. It had spent a week in its pot without changing at all.

"The fact that it hasn't withered means it's doing very well. Holly trees first take root underground, so you won't see any major changes yet."

Professor Sprout examined the three potted plants and nodded in satisfaction.

"Other Young Wizards rarely have the patience to cultivate plants. Even if they do, the plants they cultivate rarely survive more than three days. I have to say, you really do have a talent for herbology."

Luan did not know whether he truly possessed the talent Professor Sprout spoke of.

He only knew that he had learned most of these things during the three years he spent at the farmstead.

"All right. I said that as long as you could keep even one of these saplings alive, I would give you a reward. Now that all three have survived, it seems I can't keep hiding it away."

As she spoke, Professor Sprout took a Medicine Bottle containing an emerald-green liquid from the wooden crate behind her.

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