Apart from the history of the Goblins' birth, some obscure passages also mentioned the profound magical language of blessings and curses. As Breeze murmured the words, he could feel his Natural Magic Power stir faintly within him, but it quickly settled again. If not for his keen senses, he might have thought it was only his imagination.
"What a strange language." Touching the parchment book, Breeze could feel his magic disdaining these words. He could use his magic however he wanted, so why rely on this magical language?
With no answers for now, Breeze put the parchment book in a drawer of the solid-wood desk, then went to wash up and get some rest. It was already very late.
The next day, Breeze spent the whole day in the Owlery studying notes—the ones from the previous Master of the Turret. He skimmed through the spells in them, preparing to combine Natural Magic Power with modern spells.
He also needed to start putting together an alchemical notebook of his own. One notebook wouldn't be enough to support his future magical research, and he couldn't possibly carry around a whole stack of them everywhere.
Breeze counted his Galleons, set aside a hundred, then wrote several letters listing the items he needed to buy. He planned to send them to the shops he dealt with, but he still had no idea where to find one of the main ingredients: Trance Grass.
"I'll get the rest of the ingredients ready first. Once I find Trance Grass, I'll start making it. Professor Sprout isn't very good at keeping secrets. Where else in Hogwarts could Trance Grass grow, if not in the Forbidden Forest?"
Yes, Breeze had finally decided to sneak into the Forbidden Forest. He was capable enough now, as long as he didn't venture too deep. There were rumors that Hogwarts had a dragon, though he didn't know if it lived in the forest. Breeze had no desire to run into something as dangerous as a dragon.
That afternoon, Breeze entered the Great Hall, famished, and immediately heard Malfoy stirring up trouble again. It seemed to be because Harry had become a Seeker and received a state-of-the-art Nimbus 2000 broomstick from Professor McGonagall, while Malfoy's father had refused to buy new brooms for the Slytherin team, despite Malfoy's boast that he would.
His father's reason was that Malfoy needed to prove himself by earning the top grades in his year. Being allowed to join the team this year was already an exception.
Malfoy was still using last year's old broom, a Cleansweep Seven.
Hermione had also received a Nimbus 2000, but Malfoy had clearly aimed all his taunts at Harry. Ron's boasting had also played a part in provoking him.
"Oh, honestly, they're being awful."
When Hermione spotted Breeze, she came over at once to complain. "Can't they just let us eat in peace? Tomorrow's Monday, and we need to save our energy for studying!"
Breeze smiled without replying, then shook his head to show his helplessness and walked over to the Slytherin table to eat.
If Hermione minded her own business more, she'd have much more time to study.
"A duel... tonight, in the Trophy Room... Potter, don't you dare back out..."
After challenging Harry, Malfoy swaggered back to the Slytherin table. When he saw Breeze watching him, he swallowed. Ever since Malfoy had cost Slytherin 120 points, Breeze hadn't looked him in the eye.
"Hmph. Don't look at me like that. I'll win the points back. That won't be hard for a Malfoy."
Breeze raised an eyebrow. "I just hope all my efforts weren't wasted. I'm not someone who likes to give up halfway. If we fail to win the House Cup this year because of your mistakes, you can look forward to a nightmare next year."
He took a bite of apple pie, then added, "Don't let me hear that Slytherin lost points tomorrow."
Malfoy's expression softened, and a mocking glint flashed in his eyes. "Of course not. I'd rather hear that Gryffindor lost points."
"Let's hope you put your mind to something worthwhile." Breeze soon ordered another steak. Before long, he was nearly full, and a stack of plates had piled up. He wasn't some young lord who had to chew a tiny piece of steak for ages. He could eat plenty without slowing down.
After dinner, Breeze planned to help Professor Sprout. He couldn't only go to her when he needed something—that would be far too self-serving, and it wasn't in his nature. Besides, he enjoyed working with plants.
As night fell, Breeze helped Professor Sprout, then quietly wandered outside for a while. When no one was watching, he hurried into the Forbidden Forest.
Breeze tightened his wizard's robe and cast a Warming Charm to keep himself warm. The weather had turned chilly, and he hated the cold.
The forest was filled with enormous trees whose roots twisted together, and old vines sprawled everywhere. Now and then, he spotted animal droppings and common plants on the ground.
There were a few things of some value, but what did Breeze need them for?
He turned his nose up at them. The Forbidden Forest was full of good things; all he needed was a little luck to come away with a rich haul.
At dusk, the woods were quiet, broken now and then by birdsong as birds returned to their nests.
"Lumos." Breeze drew his wand and cast the Wand-Lighting Charm, illuminating his surroundings.
Then he focused and used his senses to search for unusual traces of magic.
Trance Grass could make people overlook it, which was why it was so rare. Breeze wasn't sure whether his senses could help him find it.
Clearly, luck wasn't on Breeze's side that day.
"Awwooo!"
A Werewolf's howl!
Breeze quietly backed away and extinguished the light from his wand. A moment later, he heard the sound of hooves.
A Centaur.
"Whoosh!" An arrow whistled through the air.
"Leave. It's not the full moon!"
"Firenze, I only got lost..."
"Stop playing games. Mars tells me you came here with a scheme. I think I'll have to tell Dumbledore!"
"Oh, certainly, certainly. I'll leave. As an old friend, please give this letter to Dumbledore. The Werewolves in our forest have been threatened... Werewolves from outside found us through their rituals..."
"They're the ones behind this scheme!"
"What?"
"You'd better be telling the truth. I'll find a way to get the letter to Dumbledore... Now leave."
Breeze stayed still, wary, until the voices faded. Only then did he slowly move away, heading in the opposite direction.
"Buzz!" A noise came from the bushes ahead.
"Thud, thud!" Heavy footsteps followed.
A Troll!
The Troll's body was covered in thick green skin, all covered in warts. Its tiny, intelligent eyes reflected Breeze standing in front of it. It seemed to have been startled and immediately raised its club, charging at him.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Breeze fired a testing spell at the Troll, but its highly magic-resistant skin weakened much of the magic. It was only immobilized for a few seconds before charging again.
"Petrificus Totalus!" This time Breeze held nothing back. He summoned more magic and hit the Troll, turning it to stone in an instant.
Looking at the motionless Troll, Breeze cast a Freshness Charm, then went around it and continued on. The thing was stupid as a post, and Breeze didn't have time to deal with it.
"Could a Troll's hide be used for an alchemical notebook? It is the hide of a Magical Creature, after all... No, it stinks, and it's covered in warts. Forget it." Breeze glanced at the Troll's back, then turned away in disgust.
"No wonder Snape always calls people trolls. There's nothing to like about the things. In Snape's eyes, they're probably even worse than slugs. At least slugs are ingredients in plenty of basic Potions."
After searching for a long time, Breeze came up empty-handed.
As he neared the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Breeze spotted a Green Apple Tree sapling he'd dismissed earlier. He walked back a few steps, pulled it out, then used the Shrinking Charm to make it small enough to tuck into his pocket. Only then did he head back to Hogwarts Castle, feeling content.
The Owlery was still too empty, wasn't it? The lush trees and Four-Leaf Vines needed some friends. Besides, Breeze could keep them alive.
"Ha, found you!"
"Hmm, not here. Damn brats. I ought to hang you up and give you a good thrashing!" Filch held up his lantern and glared around, his face twisted with anger. Only after making sure no one was there did he continue toward a room deeper inside.
Breeze stepped out of the shadows and touched his chest.
"Could Filch have some kind of detective spell? I used the Desillusionment Charm to get around him. He shouldn't have found me."
"It's you!"
"Breeze?"
"Slytherin!"
Breeze stared blankly at the three of them, who were visibly panicking. Now he knew the answer. These three were a real handful—no, Malfoy had challenged Harry tonight.
To a duel!
"Oh, I knew Slytherin was behind it! And he's Malfoy's accomplice. Just like during Flying Class..."
"Stop it, Weasley!"
Hermione glared angrily at Ron, then turned to Breeze in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
Breeze thought for a moment and was about to make up a story when he heard someone nearby cough after choking on dust, followed by a curse. So he said, "I came out to look for a little snake."
"Malfoy?" Breeze narrowed his eyes. Malfoy's platinum-blond hair was easy to recognize, and Breeze had hardly even tried to stay hidden.
"Hmph, Breeze. You care that much about me?" Malfoy didn't call him out on his lie. Instead, he lifted his chin toward Harry. "Potter, you're lucky..."
"Meow!"
"Damn, it's Mrs. Norris!" Ron cried. Mrs. Norris was Filch's cat and always helped him patrol. Whenever she showed up, it meant Filch was nearby.
"Breeze, hurry, go!"
Hermione glared at Malfoy, then pulled Harry toward the Seventh Floor. Ron hurried after them.
Malfoy looked flustered and was about to run, when Breeze turned to Mrs. Norris and said, "Please, kitty, don't give us away."
Then he headed for the staircase leading to Ravenclaw.
Malfoy thought for a moment, a glint of cunning in his eyes, and immediately followed.
"You're going the wrong way, Malfoy."
"Come on, Mr. Order. I helped cover for you just now, and if Filch catches me, I'll lose points too."
Breeze narrowed his eyes. When no sound came from behind him, he stopped and said to Malfoy, "I think we should part ways here, Mr. Malfoy."
Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to sleep on the roof all the time, are you? Winter's almost here!"
"No need to worry about me. You should worry about yourself."
Breeze cast a Desillusionment Charm on himself and disappeared into the darkness. Malfoy didn't follow. He knew that prying into a Slytherin's private affairs was a sign of hostility.
"Stupid Mr. Breeze Order, a little snake who left Slytherin. I can't believe this happened during my years at school."
"Who's there?"
Snape!
Malfoy forgot all about privacy and hurried after Breeze into the darkness...
Please keep reading, everyone!
I didn't get a recommendation last Friday, so I'll have to wait for the smart recommendation at 100,000 words. I hope it'll get me a trial recommendation this week.
Before you continue