Throwing Mandrakes

Since the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, Albert's school life has returned to normal.

He no longer stays up late, goes to bed on time every day, and wakes up at seven o'clock every morning.

On rainy days, I sometimes stay in bed and be lazy.

Yesterday, the weather finally cleared up, but this morning it started drizzling again. Hmm, he's definitely not making excuses for staying in bed.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Albert and his roommates went downstairs for breakfast. The long table in Gryffindor was already set with plenty of oatmeal, pickled herring, sliced bread, and plates of golden fried eggs and fried bacon.

The pickled herring was not fermented. After being pan-fried, the meat was firm and a bit salty, making it a good accompaniment to oatmeal porridge.

Of course, this is on the premise that no sugar or milk is added to the oatmeal.

"Good morning. Have you heard about the Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Angelina picked up a bowl of oatmeal with milk and sat down in the chair opposite Albert.

This topic quickly piqued the interest of the surrounding students, Defense Against the Dark Arts has always been a popular course at Hogwarts.

"What is it?" Albert asked.

"According to Ravenclaw students, our first lesson was about how to deal with Boggart," Angelina said, adding sugar to her oatmeal.

"You mean Roger? I just heard him too. He was still bragging about how he dealt with the Boggart." George scoffed. "As everyone knows, the Boggart is basically no threat. At worst, he'll just get a fright."

"Boggart can transform into creatures that others fear. It's said that if there are too many people around, they won't know what to become." Albert recalled that Lupin only talked about how to deal with Boggart when Potter was in his third year. However, considering Lockhart's incompetence, not using "Dark Forces: 《Self-Defense Guide》" in his lectures all semester, it wasn't hard to guess that he was behind schedule.

"I'm suddenly looking forward to seeing what I'm afraid of," Albert, taking a bite of his homemade salted fish sandwich as he pondered what he might be afraid of.

"Failed the exam?" Shanna raised an eyebrow and said.

"I don't think he's ever worried about that kind of problem," Lee Jordan said, taking a bite of bread and speaking indistinctly. "I think it's about not having money, that is, becoming a pauper, yeah, becoming a pauper."

"I do like money, that's true, but I'm never afraid of becoming a pauper," Albert said irritably. After all, being a wizard with a system makes earning money quite easy.

"I think it's either having no books to read, or becoming an ordinary person," Fred said without hesitation. "I bet Knut."

"Then you've definitely lost." Albert smiled and spread his hands at Fred. "One Knut, who else wants to bet?"

Fred slapped Albert's hand away and complained, "I haven't lost yet."

"No, you're doomed," Albert said with a laugh. "After all, how could I not know what I'm afraid of?"

"You actually cheated?" Fred feigned shock, which made everyone burst into laughter.

"I think it's going to be a busy job," George said. "After all, Albert is living a more comfortable life than anyone else, so he certainly doesn't want to be busy with work in the future."

"Well..." Albert stroked his chin and shook his head in denial. "If I were rich, I wouldn't need to work, and I wouldn't have to worry about a busy job. Why do most people work? Isn't it for money? There are very few people in reality who work out of interest."

"So... George, bring it here Knut," Fred said with a smile.

"Ahem, speaking of which, when do we have Defense Against the Dark Arts?" George coughed, changing the subject.

"Don't change the subject," Fred said, displeased.

"I never said I was going to gamble," George protested. "You've misunderstood."

"How could there be a misunderstanding? We're twin brothers. Do you think I wouldn't know what you're thinking?"

"The first period this afternoon is Defense Against the Dark Arts," Angelina said, pulling her timetable out of her bag. "However, I'm a little worried that this professor won't be teaching for long."

"That's for sure. Smart professors would resign before they even finish Defense Against the Dark Arts," Albert said matter-of-factly. "Nobody wants to get involved with a curse and bring themselves a bunch of bad luck."

"So, what exactly is this curse all about?" Shanna asked curiously. "Do you know?"

"You want to know?" Albert gave a malicious smile. "I've heard some rumors."

"Just tell me, stop keeping me in suspense," Angelina urged.

"I heard it's related to Lord Voldemort," Albert said quietly.

"Lord Voldemort has cursed that position." Everyone stared in astonishment. "You can't just say things like that."

"How did you know?" Lee Jordan asked curiously.

"It's all just a rumor," Albert said mysteriously. "There are many other rumors about this Lord Voldemort. Would you like to hear them?"

"Go ahead and tell me." Fred was also very curious. He knew that Albert had a wide circle of friends, so it wasn't surprising that he would know a lot of messy things.

"Alright, don't tell anyone else," Albert said mysteriously. "Rumor has it that the Lord Voldemort stole Ravenclaw's Diadem."

"Rumor has it that the Lord Voldemort can communicate with snakes and is Slytherin's great-great-great-grandson."

"Rumor has it that the Lord Voldemort is immortal."

"Rumor has it that Lord Voldemort once opened the Chamber of Secrets."

"Rumor has it that the Lord Voldemort was once the Student Council President of Slytherin."

"Rumor has it that the Lord Voldemort once had a chance to become Minister of Magic."

"Rumor..."

"You're getting more and more outrageous," Shanna interrupted. "Let's go, don't be late. We have our morning Herbology class with the Hufflepuff students."

"Fifteen minutes is enough," Fred said without hesitation. "We can still play a game of Wizard Card."

While Albert watched the two play cards, Charlie walked over and specifically reminded him, "The Quidditch selection is this afternoon, don't forget."

"Understood," everyone said in unison.

Charlie greeted everyone and then left in a hurry.

"You haven't bought a broom yet, have you?" The Weasley Twins both looked at Albert.

"Even if we order, it won't be that fast." Albert spread his hands helplessly.

After Fred and Lee Jordan played another game of Wizard Card, everyone headed to the greenhouse. Their timing was perfect; Professor Sprout was just opening the greenhouse door. The Hufflepuff students who had arrived before them had been getting rained on outside for a while.

Albert and the others followed the crowd into the greenhouse.

"We're repotting the Mandrakes today." Professor Sprout brought over a large cardboard box containing more than twenty pairs of earmuffs in different colors. She looked around at everyone and asked, "Does anyone know why we need these earmuffs?"

"Hearing the cry of the Mandrakes can be fatal," Albert said when no one answered. "Of course, young Mandrakes will only cause unconsciousness for a few hours."

"Very good, five points for Gryffindor." Professor Sprout nodded in satisfaction, then continued, "Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrakes?"

She glanced at the students in the greenhouse, and finally her gaze settled on Albert.

"Mandrakes, also known as Mandrakes roots, is a Strong restorative potion," Albert recited simply from the textbook, "Used to restore a person who has been Transfiguration or Charms to their original state. It is also an important component in most antidotes. Of course, Mandrakes is dangerous. It is said that a wizard once used Mandrakes to defend against Dark wizard who had invaded his backyard, but because he threw a mature Mandrakes, the Dark wizard died on the spot."

"Absolutely right, ten more points. Just as Mr. Anderson said, Mandrakes is dangerous; its cry can be fatal." Professor Sprout noticed everyone's unease and reassured them, "Of course, the Mandrakes here are still very small; hearing its cry will at most cause them to fall unconscious for a few hours."

"Did you eat the book?" Lee Jordan joked, sometimes envying Albert's mind.

"You actually saw this?" Albert said, feigning surprise. "How about it? You'd like to try it. It'll taste even better with some soy sauce."

"No, thank you, but I don't have as good an appetite as you," he said irritably.

The Twins brothers were secretly laughing nearby.

"Alright, everyone come and get a pair of earmuffs," Professor Sprout said to everyone.

Everyone rushed to Professor Sprout's position, and Lee Jordan even helped Albert grab a gray earmuff.

Albert took the earmuffs and said thank you.

"Now, I suddenly understand why Professor Sprout's card effect is to throw Mandrakes at the enemy," Lee Jordan muttered. "However, you should change that effect. Maybe it should be changed to instantly kill the entire field after entering the field."

"That's breaking the game balance," Albert couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"When I tell you to put on the earmuffs, make sure to cover your ears completely. I don't want anyone to faint because they didn't put them on properly," Professor Sprout said, raising two thumbs. "When it's safe to remove the earmuffs, I will raise two thumbs, like this."

"These green and purple plants in front of you are Mandrakes seedlings. Your task is to repot them." She pointed to a row of deep-bottomed plates and said, "Alright—now put on your earmuffs."

After Albert put on the earmuffs, he couldn't hear any sounds outside.

"I wonder if there are any recording devices in the Wizarding World." Albert murmured to himself, looking at the Mandrakes seedling in front of him. "If we could store the Mandrakes's voice, it would be an invisible weapon of mass destruction, even more effective than Stun Grenade."

In the Wizarding World, some people might be wary of wizards carrying wands, but absolutely no one would care whether you're carrying a grenade.

Of course, no one would care that you're carrying a tape recorder.

"Why don't we find an opportunity to ask?"

Professor Sprout had already put on his earmuffs, rolled up his sleeves, and firmly grasped the Mandrakes's leaves, pulling it forcefully out of the pot.

A chorus of screams erupted in the classroom.

Of course, because everyone was wearing earmuffs, no one heard anyone else screaming.

What was pulled from the soil was not a grass root like a beet, but a baby with light green skin, Professor Sprout was holding by the leaves on its head.

The little guy started yelling and screaming as soon as he was pulled out.

Now everyone knows what Albert meant by the "crying" of the Mandrakes.

Professor Sprout brought a larger flowerpot, crammed the Mandrakes into it, and quickly covered it with damp compost and soil, leaving only the leaves sticking out.

She patted the mud off her hands, gave everyone two thumbs up, and then took off her earmuffs.

"I'll say it again, make sure you wear your earmuffs later," Professor Sprout loudly reminded everyone. "I don't think you want to miss this class. Work in groups of four—there are lots of big flowerpots over there—and compost in those bags over there."

Of course, Albert was divided into groups of four, and Professor Sprout signaled that everyone could begin only after all the ear covers were on.

Pulling Mandrakes out of the soil is hard work, not as easy as Professor Sprout did.

This is even harder than pulling radishes in a field, and Mandrakes don't like being pulled out of the soil.

Lee Jordan tried his best but failed. In the end, Fred helped him pull it out. The worst part was that after it came out, it didn't want to go back. It twisted its body, kicked its legs, and waved its little fists, just like a living person who didn't want to be put into a coffin.

"It's really funny, isn't it?" Fred laughed and poked the Mandrakes's cheek with his finger, only to have it bitten off.

Fortunately, he was wearing Dragonhide Gloves.

George couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.

Lee Jordan didn't laugh; he was struggling with the Mandrakes that was blocking the rim of the basin with its foot, stubbornly refusing to be stuffed into it.

As for Albert, he resorted to force, shoving the Mandrakes into the flowerpot and quickly burying it with damp soil and compost, successfully completing the first repotting.