They arrived at the School Infirmary.
Devero and Hermione pushed open the door.
The sharp smell of disinfectant hit them.
The room was softly lit.
A faint herbal scent lingered in the air.
It was soothing.
Madam Poppy Pomfrey, the school nurse, was busy arranging the medicine cabinets.
Neville was lying on a bed.
His complexion had improved considerably.
He was no longer as pale as before.
By then,
the doctor had nearly finished treating Neville's injuries.
Ron was still sitting beside him.
When he saw Hermione and Devero come in,
he immediately sat up straight.
His face lit up with excitement.
"You're finally here!"
Ron said happily.
He glanced at Devero.
A trace of amusement flickered in his eyes.
"Malfoy was so embarrassing in class earlier. He actually wet himself!"
Hermione couldn't help laughing.
She looked at Devero.
He also seemed to be struggling not to laugh.
"Quiet!"
Madam Pomfrey gave the four of them a stern look.
"Patients need proper rest. If you keep making so much noise, I'll have to ask you to leave!"
They all nodded quickly.
Like chicks pecking at grain.
Only then did Madam Pomfrey turn back around.
She resumed arranging the medicine cabinets.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
They hadn't been at the school for long.
But they'd already heard about how strict Madam Pomfrey was.
Devero stepped forward.
He asked with concern,
"Neville, how are you feeling now?"
Neville excitedly raised his hand.
He spoke in a whisper.
"I'm completely fine now. Look, Madam Pomfrey got me back to normal in just a minute!"
Devero's eyes lit up.
He turned to look at Madam Pomfrey.
Her panel appeared before him.
[Name: Poppy Pomfrey]
[Age: 51]
[Spell Library: Mending Charm (Proficient), Rennervate (Proficient),...]
[Traits: Master Healer (Purple), Magical Talent (Purple)]
[Master Healer (Purple): Extremely skilled at using healing spells, with extensive experience in medicinal potions and herbs. An exceptionally talented healer.]
[Magical Talent (Purple): Possesses magical talent beyond that of the average wizard. Learns spells faster than most and has a degree of creativity.]
Devero nodded with satisfaction.
The [Master Healer] trait was different from the talent-based traits he'd seen before.
It was an experience-based trait.
That meant if Devero loaded and copied it, he would gain all of Madam Pomfrey's years of experience as a healer!
Devero had recently observed a great many people.
He'd come to a conclusion.
If a wizard had fully realized all the potential granted by a trait,
then that trait would transform into one that contained their experience.
Otherwise,
it would remain an original talent-based trait.
This was the first purple experience-based trait Devero had ever seen!
Even Dumbledore hadn't had one when Devero saw his panel before.
Of course, that might have been because Dumbledore's talent was simply so extraordinary.
No matter how hard he tried, he might never be able to realize all of it.
Devero immediately added the trait to his shopping cart.
Meanwhile, Ron was quietly
continuing to chatter away about what had happened in class.
"You have no idea. Malfoy was so scared his face turned green. He thought he was going to fall to his death!"
Devero smiled.
"Malfoy has certainly learned his lesson now."
Neville laughed too.
Then he asked,
"Devero, how did you do that? You flew so well just now. Could you teach me?"
Devero smiled faintly.
His answer was the same as the one he'd given on the lawn.
"It's simple, really. You need confidence and focus, and you have to build a rapport with your broom. When you hold it, treat it like an old friend and let it feel that you trust it."
Neville listened intently.
He nodded.
"I understand. I'll give it a try next time."
Devero thought to himself,
Neville had better stay on the ground.
Even with both feet planted on the ground, he somehow attracted an endless stream of trouble.
"And you have to stay calm. Don't lose control because you're nervous."
Ron chimed in.
"Malfoy flew so badly because he was too nervous."
Devero glanced at his watch again.
There wasn't much time left before his appointed meeting with Quirrell.
So he stood and spoke to Madam Pomfrey.
"Madam, I had a bit of an accident earlier. I don't seem to have any visible injuries, but I'd feel safer if you checked me over."
Hermione nodded repeatedly behind him.
She hurried to tell Madam Pomfrey how Devero had nearly crashed into a tree while riding his Flying Broom.
When she heard what had happened,
Madam Pomfrey's eyebrows shot up.
She drew her wand.
As she did, she muttered under her breath,
"I told Professor Dumbledore long ago. How could they let first-years take part in such a dangerous class? That's the third one today. What if something had happened..."
As she spoke,
she flicked her wand.
"Clear and Revealing!"
A wave of energy surged from the tip of Madam Pomfrey's wand.
It immediately enveloped Devero from head to toe.
Devero suddenly felt as if he were in a massage parlor.
It was as though someone were massaging his whole body.
A moment later, the energy faded.
Madam Pomfrey's expression softened slightly.
"Alexander, luckily, you're not injured."
Devero thanked Madam Pomfrey.
The corner of his mouth curled upward.
[Ding!]
[New spell added to the library!]
Devero took a look.
[Spell Library: Injury and Illness Detection Charm (Beginner)]
Great!
He'd learned another obscure spell!
"But you should still be cautious. Come back tomorrow afternoon for another checkup, understood?"
Devero nodded quickly.
He'd be more than happy to watch Madam Pomfrey cast spells a few more times.
He suspected hardly anyone else knew this spell besides her.
Turning around,
Devero walked over to Neville's bed.
"Neville, here's the thing I borrowed from you earlier."
As he spoke,
he tapped Eld's raised back with his wand.
Eld's eyes suddenly flew open.
His mouth gaped wide.
Under the astonished gazes of the other three,
Devero reached into Eld's mouth and felt around.
He pulled out Neville's wand.
Then he handed it to Neville.
"I found a special place for it. It definitely didn't touch any slime."
Devero said with a smile.
Neville took his wand from Devero, dumbfounded.
Ron rubbed his eyes vigorously.
He wondered if he were hallucinating.
Had Devero's toad really just spat out Neville's wand?
"Devero, your toad... How did you do that?"
Hermione asked in astonishment.
"Huh? Eld? He's a sort of Fantastic Beast. He can store lots of things in his stomach. Didn't I tell you that before?"
Devero asked, puzzled.
But when he thought about it,
maybe he really hadn't.
He was about to tell them more about Eld's origins and such.
But when he looked down at his watch,
he realized he was in trouble!
The time he had arranged to meet Professor Quirrell was almost here.
He had to leave right away!
"Sorry! I still have something to discuss with Professor Quirrell, so I'll go ahead. I'll tell you about Eld later!"
With that, Devero hurried out.
The three of them were left looking astonished.
"Devero!"
Just as Devero was hurrying toward Professor Quirrell's office,
a voice called from behind him.
He turned around.
It was Hermione!
She was gasping for breath.
She had clearly run all the way over.
"What's wrong, Hermione? Is something the matter? I already had Madam Pomfrey examine me."
Devero assumed Hermione wanted him to stay in the hospital wing for observation or something.
"It's not that, Devero..."
Hermione panted,
staring at him in astonishment.
"Neville's wand was with you just now, which means..."
Hermione didn't finish her sentence.
Devero winked at her.
"That's right. Keep it a secret for me, okay~"
Then he left without looking back.
"T-That's against the school rules!"
Hermione stamped her foot angrily behind him.
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