Sprout is a Good Professor

Regulus stood there, his fingers unconsciously rubbing together, lost in thought.

Professor Sprout's words echoed in his mind; the emotion wasn't accurate, but the nature was— Magic Power itself carried a tendency.

He suddenly realized something.

After acquiring the inheritance of Natural Magic during the holiday, he guided Dittany's Magic Power to heal wounds and observed the process of plants withering. He did indeed vaguely sense a certain tendency within the Magic Power.

Some are as gentle as spring water, while others are as fierce as flames.

But this is not the same as the tendency Professor Sprout mentioned; his understanding is more like the Magic Power nature the professor described.

At the time, he thought it was a secret knowledge passed down through his family, a secret known only to a few.

Now he understood: Professor Sprout had taught Herbology here for twenty years and had personally cared for hundreds of Magical Plant.

She had witnessed how Poison Tentacle could paralyze animals, how the Devil's Snare could stretch out its tendrils at night to draw life force, and the entire process of Mandrake growing from seedling to mature plant.

She knows far more than he does, much more than he does.

He merely acquires knowledge through inheritance and draws conclusions through experiments, while the professor summarizes the patterns through decades of practice.

Regulus's newly formed sense of superiority vanished instantly.

"The seedling's Magic Power is not yet complete," Professor Sprout continued. "Therefore, the crying can only cause discomfort, not death, but the Magic Power is already present, just not strong enough."

She looked at Regulus, Regulus also looked up, meeting the professor's eyes.

With gentle brown eyes and fine wrinkles at the corners, he was looking at him with a profound expression.

Regulus realized that the professor had seen through him.

The professor knew that he had just touched the seedlings with Natural Magic Power, knew that he was studying the properties of Magic Power, and might even have guessed that he had acquired some kind of Magic.

But that's fine too; Natural Magic isn't something that needs to be hidden away.

Now that I've been seen through, I can openly ask for your guidance and practice openly.

Moreover, the professor didn't explicitly say so; she was simply imparting knowledge, telling him in the most straightforward way.

Sound is merely a vehicle; its true destructive power lies in the decomposition of this property itself, and that is the tendency of Magic Power.

The seedling's Magic Power is incomplete, so it can only cause discomfort; the mature plant's Magic Power is complete, so it can lead to death.

The professor withdrew his gaze and softened his tone again. "Studying the magical properties of Magic Plant Magic Power is a valuable direction, but it is also very dangerous. Once some properties are triggered, there is no way to undo them."

Mandrake is just one of them; there are others, such as the nerve paralysis from the Poison Tentacle, the life drain from the Devil's Snare, and the physical crushing from the Whomping Willow.

The professor was reminding and guiding him not to focus solely on the superficial aspects of Magic Power, but to understand its deeper nature; not to rashly approach dangerous plants, but to first build up sufficient knowledge and protective measures.

But what followed was the key point; with each word the professor uttered, a certain understanding in Regulus's mind was unlocked a little.

This inspired Regulus, and also made him feel a slight tightness in his back.

To paralyze, to absorb, to crush, to decompose.

These words are not Magic terms, nor are they spell names, at least not in textbooks.

They describe the result, the final state that appears after the Magic Power takes effect; the Magic Power itself carries the properties that lead to these states.

In the current context, let's make them sound closer to something conceptual.

They transcend specific spells; they are more fundamental, more direct, and more abstract.

This is genuine guidance.

Regulus did have some ideas in his mind, but they were vague and uncertain, like tiny bubbles of inspiration.

He may discover this knowledge on his own in the future, or he may not.

We may have to take many detours, and we may miss crucial clues.

Now the professor points it out directly, saving us time from trial and error and clarifying the direction forward.

He didn't know if the direction was near or far, but he would continue walking in that direction.

Sometimes, the true secret can be contained in a single sentence.

"Thank you, Professor." Regulus bowed sincerely in thanks.

Professor Sprout smiled, his wrinkles smoothing out.

"You are very talented and have many ideas. Stay curious, but also be cautious. The Magic world is vast, and some things take time to understand."

Regulus nodded earnestly and thanked him again.

He recalled something similar from Professor Flitwick after his Charms Class: Magic is there, everyone understands it differently, but you must believe in the power of the mind.

The two professors expressed themselves differently, but the core message was the same: don't rush, take your time, and keep an open mind.

As Regulus walked back to the Castle after leaving the Greenhouse, he was still processing the conversation he had just had.

At the same time, a thought popped into my head: Just how powerful is Professor Sprout?

Can she apply the qualities and tendencies the professor just mentioned, as she has guided her?

Or is it just a theory derived from observation?

Regulus was uncertain, but one thing was certain.

Professor Sprout shouldn't just be a gardener who grows flowers; she has a profound understanding of Magic and her own system.

Professor Sprout must be a powerful witch.

She is gentle, patient, unassuming, and her insightful advice always hits the nail on the head.

Professor Flitwick pointed out the irrational side of Magic to him, Professor McGonagall guided him to delve into the essence of Transfiguration, and Professor Sprout pointed him in the direction of Natural Magic.

Every professor at Hogwarts guides students in their own way; they are all truly good people.

He felt the professors' kindness.

A sense of emotion welled up in Regulus's heart, but he quickly suppressed it.

Feelings are emotions; what he needs is to transform those emotions into actions and inspiration into strength.

Slughorn, old...

Dear Professor, we're just waiting for you! Let's get those coins rolling!

The Defense Against the Dark Arts Class on Fridays is on the third floor, with windows facing the courtyard outside the Castle, offering a view of the snowy edge of the Forbidden Forest in the distance.

When Regulus entered the classroom, most of the students were already seated.

Avery and Alex saved him a seat in the middle row by the window.

Hermes sat alone in the last row, in the corner, looking down at his textbook.

Professor Merlisse stood on the podium.

He was a middle-aged male wizard with neatly combed hair, wearing a dark gray robe, and wearing an exaggerated expression on his face.

"We'll learn two things today." Professor Merlisse opened the textbook.

"The first one is the Spark Spell. The incantation is 'Spark Burst,' used to emit a red signal light to warn companions when lost or in danger in the wild."

He wrote the incantation and its pronunciation on the blackboard.

"Turn your wrist like this, with the tip of the wand pointing upwards. While chanting the spell, imagine red or green light shooting out from the tip of the wand, and then maintain the spell."

He demonstrated once, and a fist-sized ball of red light emerged from the tip of the wand, hovering in the air and emitting a soft red glow.

The ball of light lasted for three seconds, then turned green, and then went out without leaving any trace.

"Safe spells won't cause harm," Professor Merlisse said. "Now practice in pairs."

The students began practicing, and Avery was still paired with Regulus.

Regulus succeeded on his first attempt; the orb was standard, the color was pure, and the duration was precise.

But his mind wasn't on practicing; another thought popped into his head.

Light Magic.

Light is essentially wave-particle duality, possessing both wave and particle properties.

The red color is due to the Magic Power frequency.

Thinking of this, Regulus suddenly stopped; he decided to try a different approach.

Don't think about these things, don't think about duality, don't think about frequency, think about Magic.

What if it's not just about emitting light, but about making light carry information?

Light itself can carry information, and information can sometimes be used as a weapon.

Or give light a physical form, imbue it with energy, and then let it explode.

It can be given symbolism and meaning.

Simple light, brightness, brings warmth and wards off darkness.

As our thoughts continue to expand, we realize that light can also be the light of civilization.

Regulus pondered these thoughts, mechanically practicing with his hands, the orb of light lighting up and then going out again and again.

Half an hour later, Professor Merlisse called a halt to the practice.

"The second topic Gnomes." He turned to another page in the textbook.

"Gnomes Magical Creatures, averaging thirty inches tall, with pointed ears. They like to steal Magical Plant and are commonly found in gardens and yards; they are pests."

The book contains Gnomes diagrams and anatomical illustrations of goblins to help young wizards understand.

"To deal with Gnomes Gripping Charm, use the Grapple Charm. The incantation is Gripping Charm. Grab them, spin them, and throw them out of bounds."

He recited the incantation and made the gestures, but did not demonstrate.

"Next class will be a practical exercise: cleaning up the Gnomes in the Hogwarts courtyard. Today, we'll learn the theory first."

A low cheer erupted in the classroom.

Practical classes are always more interesting than theoretical ones, especially Defense Against the Dark Arts Class, which should be fun but are actually quite tedious.

Several Gryffindor students had already begun whispering about how to throw the Gnomes further, while the Slytherin were relatively restrained, though anticipation was also evident on their faces.

Regulus wasn't very interested. Goblins Gnomes low-level Magical Creatures with practically zero combat power. Their only problem was their sheer numbers, speed, and ability to dig burrows.

In comparison, with too many projects on hand, any newly generated inspiration has to wait.