When Dumbledore rushed to Quirrell's office, he saw Horatio wearing a mask and oxygen tank, using a stereo to repeatedly play the "Great Compassion Mantra" at a lantern.
"What are you doing? Where's Quirrell?" Dumbledore asked.
Without taking off his mask, Horatio wrote in the air with his magic wand, "I'm conducting an experiment on reforming Voldemort. As for Quirrell, you may have inhaled part of Quirrell when you breathed just now."
"???"
Horatio briefly described what had just happened, then handed Dumbledore an oxygen tank and a mask.
Dumbledore silently put on the mask and, imitating Horatio, wrote in the air with his magic wand, "Come to my office."
Inside the Headmaster's office, Horatio and Dumbledore, one large and one small, sat around the lantern and observed what was inside.
"My child, you've truly given me a huge problem," Dumbledore said with a sigh.
"???"
Horatio's face was full of question marks. "Old Deng, don't you dare try to pin this on me. I obviously solved a huge problem for you. If you don't give me an explanation today, you can forget about keeping this office."
With that, Horatio took the nuclear warhead from his cloth bag and slapped it onto the table.
Dumbledore jumped in fright and hurriedly put the thing away. "Calm down, calm down. This is far too dangerous. I'll keep it for you first."
Dumbledore gave Horatio a detailed explanation of the prophecy concerning Voldemort and Harry, as well as the plan for Harry's growth.
Most transmigrators with ambitions and other goals had little interest in helping Harry grow, but Horatio was different. He was here for the fun, and he insisted on being involved in this sort of thing.
Afterward, he and Dumbledore reached an agreement.
First, Horatio would help train Harry, but he could not teach him the Dark Arts. Other than that, as long as he did not take Harry's life, he could do whatever he wanted.
Second, Horatio would participate in setting up the stages for the Sorcerer's Stone defense battle. The same rules applied: no Dark Arts, and he could not take Harry's life.
Third, as the final Boss, Horatio could not use the Dark Arts on Harry.
At last, Horatio left with Dumbledore's written order.
The next morning, Harry and Ron were eating breakfast when Horatio came to find them.
"Harry Potter, I am formally notifying you that, because you have repeatedly violated school rules and caused irreparable damage to the school's reputation, you are required to obey the orders of Horatio, the person who follows school rules most faithfully, for the rest of this term."
Harry pointed at himself. "Huh? Me?"
Then he looked at Horatio. "You? The one who follows school rules most faithfully?"
Horatio slapped Dumbledore's written order onto the table in front of Harry. "Less nonsense. This is Dumbledore's written order. Get up and come with me now, or wait to be expelled."
Harry looked at the written order on the table and felt as though the sky had fallen. Under the sympathetic gazes of the young Wizards, he followed Horatio out of the Great Hall.
Harry followed Horatio to a greenhouse filled with lush green Houttuynia cordata. Neville was inside, helping water them.
"House-Elf Unit 1, stop for a moment. This is House-Elf Unit 2." Horatio pushed Harry in front of Neville. "Explain the greenhouse rules and precautions to him, then take him with you to finish today's work."
Neville looked at Harry with the expression of a fellow sufferer. "Come on. I'll introduce you to the tools and herbs here."
"Oh, right. House-Elf Unit 1, isn't it time you paid me today's wages?" Horatio held out his hand to Neville.
Neville fished a Silver Sickle out of his pocket and handed it to Horatio.
"House-Elf Unit 2 doesn't need to pay today since it's his first day. Remember to pay me tomorrow. One Silver Sickle a day." Horatio left the greenhouse after saying that.
"Huh? Neville, why do we have to pay him when we're helping him work?"
"Horatio said that being allowed to work for him here was already an enormous honor for young Wizards like us. Besides, the variety of herbs here is no worse than at Hogwarts. Being allowed to study here for only one Silver Sickle is already a great deal."
"..."
"Cawww!!!" A pitch-black crow flew onto the support frame above their heads and screeched at them.
"Sorry, Lady Nephthys. We'll get to work right away, right away."
Neville pulled Harry over to a pile of fertilizer and began shoveling it into small buckets.
"Harry, Hathor, Isis, and Nephthys take turns standing guard here. You absolutely cannot let them catch you slacking off, or the three of them will deal with us."
"Why? They don't look like they have much fighting ability."
"I used to think that too, until they put on their power armor. Anyway, I spent an entire day lying in Madam Pomfrey's care after that."
"Harry, you need to understand that our status here is only slightly higher than the rocks on the ground."
"..."
That night, Harry and Neville returned to their dormitory utterly exhausted. They lay on their beds, wanting to do nothing but sleep properly.
A few days later, during Herbology class, Harry and Neville skillfully repotted, fertilized, and watered the Bouncing Bulbs. Professor Sprout happily awarded them two points.
Ron asked Harry why he was so skilled.
Harry said that after repotting dozens of Bouncing Bulbs every day, anyone would become skilled.
That day, Horatio brought Harry and Neville to an open area outside the school.
Horatio said, "House-Elf Unit 1, House-Elf Unit 2, today I'm giving you some employee benefits. I'll teach you some real skills."
Harry and Neville were excited. Whatever else could be said about Horatio, his strength was genuinely formidable.
Harry asked, "Really? You're going to teach us magic?"
Horatio took a yellow cube out of his cloth bag and said, "Do you know what Gryffindor's greatest trait is?"
Harry answered, "Not following school rules?"
Neville answered, "Liking to cause trouble?"
Horatio facepalmed and said speechlessly, "It's courage. Gryffindor's greatest trait is courage."
Horatio threw the yellow cube onto the ground. After a series of transformations, it became a massive yellow jeep.
Looking at the jeep, whose tires alone were nearly taller than he was, Harry asked tremblingly, "Hor... Horatio, we... we aren't going to fight that thing, are we?"
Horatio gave Harry a wicked grin, backflipped onto the jeep, and started it.
Harry and Neville were scared out of their wits by the tremendous roar. They turned and ran.
"Harry, Neville, don't run!!! Face me bravely!" Horatio drove the jeep after Harry and Neville.
Harry and Neville fled desperately ahead of him. "Who wants to face you? We'll die!"
"Harry, what kind of expression is that? Can your tears defeat The Dark Lord? Can they save Hogwarts?"
Before you continue