Professor Sprout's Gift

Several weeks passed. As Breeze studied magic methodically at Hogwarts, his unconventional way of life made him seem less and less like a Slytherin.

The Little Snakes stopped picking on him, while students from the other houses grew much friendlier. Even Ron Weasley gradually stopped bringing him up.

Breeze became an unconventional Little Snake.

"The Sorting Hat must be broken. Otherwise, how could our adorable little brother Breeze have ended up in Slytherin?" George said with a grin over lunch. "Don't you agree, Fred?"

"I'm George, Fred." Fred glanced at Ron, who had overheard them and was already bristling, then took the opportunity to rile him up.

"Ah, I really wish we could trade him for another."

"Trade me for another brother!" Ron glared at Fred, furious. "George, you couldn't afford to feed a brother who eats like a bottomless pit!"

Instead of getting upset at Ron's words, Fred grinned. "I could sell the old brother, then I'd have enough to feed the new one."

"Enough, George!" Percy said sternly from nearby. "Stop fooling around at the table."

The real George spread his hands, putting on a wounded expression.

"I'm George. Don't blame me for Fred's mistakes."

Fred put an arm around George's shoulders and protested, "Don't be like that. We're one and the same. If one of us does something wrong, the other gets blamed too."

"Sure, but our old brother might be about to hit us." George laughed and pointed at Ron, who was sitting there red-faced and sulking, refusing to eat.

Harry saw his friend being bullied by his brothers but had no intention of intervening. He was used to it. It would be far more worrying if the Weasley Twins stopped teasing Ron. Besides, Harry envied their lively home life. He wished he had an older brother; at least then he wouldn't be so lonely.

Hermione, reading a book, frowned deeply and paid no attention to the argument. Only after finishing the last bite of her salad did she close the book and turn to Harry with a serious expression. "Harry, Quidditch practice starts this afternoon. You need to come to the library with me first so we can finish our weekend homework!"

"Ah... I— I mean, I know, Hermione. You can go ahead. I'll join you after I eat a little more." Harry grimaced. He'd spent the past few weeks like this. Hermione had joined the house Quidditch team without letting it interfere much with her studies; she managed her time very tightly. Since he was in the same year and on the same team, she naturally dragged him along too, and he had no excuse to refuse.

"I suggest you hurry." Hermione kept her eyes straight ahead, not even glancing at Ron, who was glaring at her beside Harry. Then she picked up her book and headed for the library.

"Oh, look at that. She's just like that Order fellow—an oddball. Gryffindor's know-it-all girl, always lecturing people, like some old scholar. Nobody likes her, Harry. You need to escape her clutches."

Ron had clashed with Hermione in Charms class a few days earlier. He had even openly criticized her for helping the younger students get a handle on their spells, and had secretly given her the nickname "Miss Know-It-All."

"Ron, you can't say that about Hermione. She's a girl."

"Hmph. Anyway, you have to admit the Gryffindor girls don't like her either. Granger only knows how to deal with books. Even if she joined the house Quidditch team, she'd still be a disaster. Maybe— Mmph!"

Harry hurriedly clapped a hand over Ron's mouth and looked guiltily at Hermione, who had stopped behind them.

"Sorry, Hermione. Ron didn't mean it."

Hermione said nothing. Her eyes reddened, and she ran off.

"Oh, our old brother made a girl cry—and not just any girl, but the star Beater on our team." Fred patted Ron on the shoulder. "You have to apologize, Ron."

George joined in. "You need to go apologize sincerely yourself. What you said was too hurtful."

Percy wore a stern expression too. As a Prefect, he absolutely wouldn't allow a house quarrel to happen under his watch.

"You have to apologize, Ron."

At first Ron felt guilty, but as his brothers kept blaming and ordering him around, he suddenly stood up. "That Order fellow is your brother, not me! Don't order me around!"

Then he ran off too.

Harry sat uneasily in his chair. In the end, he decided to go after Ron, hoping he could talk some sense into him.

The little disagreement among the Gryffindors didn't attract much attention. Breeze had been talking with Cedric at the time about the new desserts the House-elves had been working on.

"It's Friday, and first-years don't have classes this afternoon. I'm going to see Professor Sprout, so I'll be off."

Breeze pulled his cloak tighter around himself. It was winter now, and the temperature at Hogwarts was low. Only inside the castle was it warm. It hadn't snowed yet, but the wind had turned bitterly cold.

"Professor Sprout, are we transplanting the Devil's Snare today?"

In the greenhouse, Sprout was crouched beside an enormous Devil's Snare, holding a small flowerpot. Her trowel was poised in her hand.

"Oh, Order, come help me. You're the only one who can calm it down."

Sprout was delighted to see Breeze. He'd been coming here often over the past few weeks, and had become Sprout's favorite student.

Breeze laid a hand on the agitated Devil's Snare and let a faint trace of Natural Magic Power flow from him, calming it down.

"That really is an extraordinary talent," Sprout remarked as she parted the now-calm tendrils.

Breeze had chosen to tell Sprout about his Natural Magic Power himself. Answering her openly would earn her goodwill and make him seem more sincere than waiting for her to ask. It wasn't scheming, just a little thought of Breeze's own.

"The Devil's Snare has many tendrils, but only one root system. Find it, and you can transplant it." Sprout turned the plant over, and soon found its roots by relying on her experience.

"If it weren't for you, I'd probably have to use fire magic to keep these tendrils at bay."

Sprout waved the small flowerpot in her hand. "Dumbledore found this enchanted object for me. It lets large magical plants stay inside temporarily, which makes them easier to transplant. Would you like to try?"

"Of course." Breeze's eyes lit up. He took the flowerpot, then watched as Sprout carefully loosened the soil around the roots with her trowel and slowly lifted them out.

Breeze held out the flowerpot. The roots were soon transplanted inside, and the flourishing tendrils shrank until they formed a tiny clump.

"Excellent work. Many young wizards don't have the courage to face large magical plants. You're very capable." Sprout still remembered a lesson on Devil's Snare a few days earlier, when some young wizards had been frightened by even a small specimen. They hadn't learned much at all, which was a pity.

"Good. Let's keep working on the other plants. I know you're free today, and as a thank-you, I've decided to give you a present."

A present?

Breeze felt eager. Looking after plants was how he unwound from his studies. He couldn't bear to study all the time; he couldn't become a real bookworm. And Sprout always had gifts for him. Just last week, she'd given him a Moonflower, which Breeze had placed on the windowsill of the Owlery.

"Of course, I'm looking forward to it. But I'm sorry, Professor. I have things to do this weekend, so I won't be able to help you look after the plants this afternoon. I might be getting busier after that, too."

By now, Breeze had learned every spell he could find and had mastered most of them. In terms of Charms, he was fully the equal of the outstanding graduates.

Next came combining Charms with Natural Magic. As for making an alchemical notebook—well, the platform of the Owlery was already piled with flowerpots. They held all sorts of plants Breeze had brought back from the Forbidden Forest, but there wasn't a single Trance Grass among them.

"Oh, that's all right. I have plenty of time this weekend, and I can look after them myself after that." Sprout smiled warmly, ruffled Breeze's black hair, and pinched his cheek. "Now, let's get started."

"Of course."

After helping Sprout look after the plants, Breeze watched her take a small box from her pocket with a mysterious air.

"This is a Small Garden Box."

A garden box?

Breeze stared at the box in surprise. He could only think of one possibility: a pocket space inside a box, made using another application of the Undetectable Extension Charm. Such an object was extremely precious. Rumor had it that Helga Hufflepuff had invented it.

"I made this enchanted object based on some alchemical notes left by Helga Hufflepuff," Sprout said, handing the box to Breeze. "I hope you like it. Don't worry, it was approved by the Ministry of Magic. But I'm always at Hogwarts, and I have several greenhouses, so I can only keep it stored away. It's better off with you."

"Thank you so much. I need it." Breeze was utterly sincere, excitement showing on his face. Sprout pinched his cheek again.

"All right, it's getting late. Hurry back and have dinner."

"Oh, right. Goodbye, Professor Sprout."

"Goodbye, dear."

After leaving the greenhouse, Breeze headed for the kitchens. He wasn't planning to show up at the Great Hall. The box had disrupted the schedule he'd made for the day, and now he wanted to go to the Forbidden Forest.

"Dobby, could you give me some food that's easy to carry? I have something to do and won't have time to go to the Great Hall."

"Oh, of course! It's Dobby's honor to serve a young wizard!"

Perhaps Breeze was excited because he was the only House-elf he knew by name. Being singled out like that made Dobby feel proud, perhaps even boastful, and the other House-elves were all quite envious.

With the beef jerky and sandwiches the House-elf had given him, Breeze cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself.

Breeze had always wanted to learn the Disillusionment Charm, but ordinary wizards had no way to access it. Perhaps the Forbidden Section held a copy, but Breeze had the Owlery owner's detailed notes, so he'd mastered the charm after spending only some time on it.

Once he cast the Disillusionment Charm, Breeze blended into his surroundings. Even when he passed some young wizards, they didn't notice him. The charm wasn't foolproof, but it was enough to deal with young wizards. If he studied it further, he might even be able to slip past some powerful wizards.