Devil's Snare

With the automatic cleanup kit, Snape's confinement became much easier.

That evening, George finished cleaning all the cauldrons in the Potions Classroom in just over an hour.

Moreover, his movements in using the suit were very discreet. Filch, who was standing next to him, found it a little strange, but he didn't notice anything amiss. He simply assumed that George had been put in solitary confinement so many times that he had become skilled through practice.

Not to Filch, but if Filch were to clean these crucibles, it would only take him half an hour.

So after checking and confirming that there were no problems, he left with George.

George then used this incident as a topic of conversation.

The next morning, he was at the Gryffindor dining table talking at length about his discovery during his nighttime visit to the Potions Classroom, and claimed that he had found a letter written to Snape in an abandoned cauldron, which Filch had later confiscated.

Although he didn't say it explicitly, George's implication was very clear—the letter was a love letter.

This thrilled the lion cubs.

They don't care whether the story is true or not; as long as they have fun, that's enough for them.

Kyle was also very happy on Hufflepuff's side.

His happiness had nothing to do with Snape's gossip; it was simply because there was Herbology Class today.

Professor Sprout announced in the last class that Rue's course was over and they could begin learning Devil's Snare.

There couldn't be better news.

After breakfast, Kyle and the others went to the greenhouse outside the castle, where they had their class with Gryffindor students.

"Why do I sense that you're a little excited?"

Kanna glanced at Kyle and said, "The book says that Devil's Snare is a very dangerous plant. Aren't you worried?"

"Well enough."

Kyle quickly wiped the smile from his lips and said, "Actually, the Devil's Snare only has a scary name; it's not that dangerous. As long as you know the right methods, it will become even more docile than Puffskein."

"Absolutely correct."

Just then, Professor Sprout suddenly walked up from behind the group, smiling at Kyle and saying, "Never mind me, continue telling me what you know."

"All right."

Kyle cleared his throat and said, "According to the book <The Magical Vines>, the Devil's Snare was popular for a long time. Many wizards would grow one or two in their homes because they could protect their underground storage rooms from rats and spiders."

However, after the Ministry of Magic classified Devil's Snare as a dangerous plant and banned its private cultivation, it gradually disappeared from wizarding households.

"Even I couldn't have given a more comprehensive answer," Professor Sprout said happily. "Hufflepuff plus five points."

"Just like Kyle said, the Devil's Snare isn't as dangerous as its name suggests, but..."

She paused, her expression turning serious. "The premise that they're not dangerous is that you must understand them. If you know nothing about the Devil's Snare, they can become extremely dangerous, even deadly."

After her words, the young wizards quieted down considerably.

Professor Sprout nodded in satisfaction.

They came to greenhouse number two today.

Upon entering the greenhouse, the first impression was that it was very dark. The roof and sides were completely blocked out, and the only light source was two dim oil lamps.

Fortunately, the greenhouse wasn't very big, so after getting used to it, I could still see my surroundings clearly.

Compared to the previous Greenhouse One, the plants here are much more unusual.

Besides the Devil's Snare on the table, Kyle also saw exploding Puffapod, as well as poisonous plants like Venomous Tentacula and Belladonna.

The only pity was that he didn't see Mandrake here.

"This is the Devil's Snare."

Professor Sprout stood behind a bench, pointing to a large clump of vines resembling a spiderweb on the ground in the middle, and said, "It's beautiful, isn't it? But it's also dangerous. Can anyone tell me why?"

Everyone turned to look at Kyle in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized.

"The Devil's Snare can extend snake-like tendrils, entangle anyone who gets close to it, and cause injury or death," Kyle blurted out.

"Absolutely correct, Hufflepuff gets another five points." Professor Sprout pointed to the roots of the Devil's Snare and said, "Look, everyone, our Devil's Snare here is still very young."

Because the light was dim, everyone crowded forward, trying to see more clearly, but they couldn't see anything special about them, and they didn't know how Professor Sprout had determined that they were "young".

This thing is almost two meters long.

Professor Sprout threw an empty flowerpot into the Devil's Snare.

The moment the flowerpot hit the ground, it was tightly entangled by the tendrils of the Devil's Snare, and then with a "crack," it shattered into pieces on the ground.

The young wizards all took a step back, staring at Kyle and Professor Sprout as if they'd seen a ghost.

This is what you call not that dangerous?

"Look closely at those tendrils; they're still a tender green, while the mature Devil's Snare is dark green."

Professor Sprout quickly cleaned up the broken pieces of the flowerpot and calmly said, "So getting entangled in it won't kill you, but it won't be pleasant either."

"Now, can anyone tell me how to get rid of the Devil's Snare attack?"

Everyone looked at Kyle again.

"Don't panic if you get entangled. When you relax your whole body and stop struggling, the Devil's Snare will loosen."

Kyle said, "Also, the Devil's Snare hates light and fire; sometimes a simple Wand-Lighting Charm can break its hold."

Upon hearing this, Mikel, who was standing next to him, suddenly chuckled and puffed out his chest proudly.

Wand-Lighting Charm? He knows that by heart.

It's no exaggeration to say that among all the young wizards present, no one knew the Wand-Lighting Charm better than him.

"Absolutely right, Hufflepuff adds another three points..."

"Today we're going to learn how to fertilize the Devil's Snare."

Professor Sprout picked up a small wooden bucket and said, "Here are the tools and compost. Be very gentle during the process, and if you get tangled, remember to relax your whole body."

"Now, who wants to try first?"

Kyle felt gazes coming from all directions for the third time, and this time Professor Sprout was also looking at him.

"I'll go first."

Kyle came out.

"Take it easy."

Kyle took the shovel from Professor Sprout and slowly reached his hand toward the roots of the Devil's Snare.

Everyone slowed their breathing.

Kyle's hands were steady; he perfectly avoided every tendril of the Devil's Snare throughout the process, successfully digging a small hole at the root.

He then used tweezers to pick up a silver granule the size of a soybean from the wooden bucket containing compost and put it into the pit.

Finally, fill the soil back in, and the fertilization process is complete.

Just as Kyle pulled his hand out of the Devil's Snare, he heard Professor Sprout's voice.

"Hufflepuff plus 10 points."