Herbology Class

Harry never expected that his intuition would be correct.

For a while afterward, Lupin even started avoiding them.

He seemed to know that Tonks had asked Harry and the others for help.

Lupin, who always makes time to attend the Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor match on Saturday, was nowhere to be seen.

They considered following him, but Lupin's mobility, honed through Fenrir Greyback, far exceeded their expectations.

Even Harry couldn't catch up with him; often, he would see his back one second and then disappear the next.

After all, Harry's body-modifying magic primarily enhances lifespan and the exploitation of heart magic.

Fred and George, who were caught multiple times after Filch's brief disappearance for half a month, also deeply understood this.

Filch's mobility, combined with his familiarity with the secret passages of Hogwarts, made him a nightmare for all the students at Hogwarts who broke the school rules.

They also tried to write to Sirius, but it was clear that Sirius was on Lupin's side.

"You are too young. Lupin's decision was correct," Sirius replied in his letter.

"They're all bastards!"

"What do they take a girl's feelings for?!" Ginny and Lavender, who had unknowingly become very close, said, holding hands.

They glared at Harry and Ron as if they were the ones who had done it.

"I can actually understand Lupin."

"Voldemort is about to be resurrected, so it's not a good time for him to make any promises," Ron said privately when Ginny and Lavender were not around.

But Ginny somehow found out about this.

Harry's innocent face.

"And what about our mothers?"

"During the First Wizarding War, our mother married our father." Ginny was very angry at the time.

So much so that even Lavender had to ignore Ron for almost a week, just for Ginny's sake.

In this eerie atmosphere, summer quietly arrived around the castle. The sky and the lake both turned into a pale blue with a purplish glow, and flowers as large as cabbages bloomed in the greenhouse.

In Herbology, Professor Sprout assigned everyone to prune Abyssinian Shrivelfig.

Harry was carrying some dry branches and placing them on top of the compost pile when he came face to face with Draco.

"Hi, Harry."

"Have you seen Lupin recently?" Draco greeted him.

Tonks, who saw him as a lifeline, wrote to him frequently.

He had to resort to other excuses. "It's related to Voldemort's disappearance of Azkaban. Lupin has been busy with that lately."

However, for some reason, Tonks, Auror, made contact with Mad-Eye Moody, Auror who had retired many years ago and was also a member of the Order of the Order of the Phoenix.

In her last letter, she seemed to have already learned something.

He hasn't received a letter from Tonks for a week now.

You should know that before this, he received it almost every day.

Harry shook his head.

Draco came over and worked on the same fig tree as Harry and Ron.

"Perhaps we shouldn't have gotten involved in this in the first place," Harry said, breaking off a dry branch. "Maybe Tonks thinks we're unreliable and wants to join the Order of the Phoenix through Moody."

"I think that's very likely. Lupin can avoid us, but he can't avoid the Order of the Phoenix's gatherings."

"And Tonks also agreed to the conditions for joining the Order of the Phoenix —after all, she's an Auror with a clean family background." Ron accidentally tore off an Abyssinian Shrivelfig.

"I said, is this edible?" Ron cautiously looked in Professor Sprout's direction.

He didn't want to lose points. This kind-looking woman didn't seem so amiable when facing her lovely plants.

"The Shrivelfig is a magical plant, and the best specimens grow in Abyssinia."

"The flowers of the Shrivelfig grow inside the fruit and are purple, just like the fruit itself. It is a deciduous plant that loses its leaves in autumn, leaving only bare branches in winter. However, thanks to its strong root system, this plant can survive even in snowy weather."

"Its leaves have medicinal properties. After peeling the fig fruit, a purple liquid is produced, which can be used to make Potions such as Shrinking Solution." Harry poked Ron with a withered branch.

"I'm asking if it's edible?" Ron whispered, not wanting to be discovered.

Because of some Hufflepuff students who liked to pick plants to take home for supper, Professor Sprout would always check on them with some unknown magic.

No matter how deeply you hide the fruit or flower, she can always find its trace.

And if you accidentally tear off this fruit and leave it in a corner, you'll be penalized several days later when you come to Herbology thinking you've got it all figured out.

Eating them is said to be the only way to avoid being discovered.

Dudley did just that; he once escaped punishment by swallowing Flobberworm Mucus alive.

"You still don't like Potions Class," Draco said, pursing his lips.

"There are also Herbology."

"This year in our Herbology, we learned about four kinds of plant Venomous Tentacula (mentioned): Mandrake, Flobberworm Mucus, and Abyssinian Shrivelfig."

"If you pay attention, Professor Sprout will always subtly remind you which plants are not edible."

"Like the Flobberworm Mucus, which is one of the main ingredients of the Baruffio's Brain Elixir, the Abyssinian Shrivelfig, which is one of the main ingredients of the Shrinking Solution, can also be eaten."

"It tastes pretty good." Harry shrugged.

"Ugh! This tastes good!" Ron, who was about to swallow it whole, chewed it a bit after Harry's words, and made a face.

"You idiot!"

"You really didn't listen to the lecture."

"Sprout's exact words were, 'The dried figs taste quite good, but the juice—I dare say you'll regret tasting it!'" Draco grinned.

Ron's foolishness undoubtedly helped him escape the anxiety of not receiving Tonks' letter.

"Wait, Harry, what did you say?"

"Why didn't you remind me sooner!" Ron said, looking annoyed.

"What do you mean, 'remind you'?" Even Harry sometimes couldn't understand Ron's thought process.

"Shrinking Solution - can shrink the drinker or transform them into a younger form."

"Old witches often risk shrinking to become younger by drinking it."

"Baruffio's Brain Elixir – a drug that makes you smarter for a period of time after you drink it, and even after the effects wear off, your thinking will still be slightly enhanced."

"Why didn't you remind me that the plants we're learning about in Herbology this year are so important!"

"These are all Galleons!" Ron said, his face full of bitterness and regret.

Draco and Harry looked at each other, unsure of what to say.