Ritual Beneath the Banyan Tree

The moonlight tonight is very dim, shyly hiding in the dark cloud bed, revealing only half of its face.

Beneath the dim, dappled, and strangely shaped shadows of the trees, a tall figure was chuckling wickedly.

But as the moonlight shone through the gaps in the branches, what was revealed was a kind, large face.

It was Hagrid, who was delighted that everything was in place.

His tall figure blocked the view of five flowerpots filled with black soil, a bottle of green liquid, and five relatively short figures in front of him.

"You should all be fine, right?" Hagrid said somewhat guiltily.

This was his first time being a teacher.

Although the entire process of becoming Arborsage has been successfully completed hundreds of times in Castelobruxo.

But Hagrid was still a little uneasy.

"No problem, we've chanted the spell over our Seeds hundreds of times." That was Ron.

"And we chant according to the pronunciation in the Magical Phonetics Chart." This was Neville.

"Harry checked this, so it's definitely fine," Ginny and Draco said in unison.

They all trusted Harry completely.

Harry, who was standing nearby, nodded in agreement. He sensed that they had successfully established a connection with the Seeds.

Although the magic threads were intermittent and seemed about to break, they became increasingly clear and unwavering.

"Alright," Hagrid rubbed his hands together and took a deep breath, "The only problem now is the Potions."

Hagrid held the glass bottle high, while his other hand fiddled with it in the air.

Surprisingly, the clouds obscuring the moon seemed to be parted by an invisible hand.

The bright moonlight began to filter through the branches and into the green liquid.

The liquid began to bubble, as if it were boiling.

The trees behind us began to rustle and their branches moved.

Under Hagrid's control, an invisible and intangible magic connected the moonlight, the trees, and the solution.

Golden specks gradually began to appear in the green liquid, as if a handful of gold sand had been sprinkled in.

"Now!" Harry reminded him.

As soon as he finished speaking, the five men plucked fresh hair with follicles from their own heads.

Insert it into the flowerpot from the roots.

The flowerpot trembled, and the liquid in the glass bottle in Hagrid's hand 'boiled' even more violently.

Seeing this, Hagrid yanked off the bottle cap, and a green liquid with a golden sheen automatically gushed out of the bottle.

The thin, almost invisible hair in the five flowerpots acted like a straw, with streams of liquid flowing into it from the tips, and the flowerpots gradually stopped vibrating.

The flowerpot returned to calm only after the last drop of liquid was poured in.

"Is that all?" Ron breathed a sigh of relief.

My hair!

"If I had known I'd use blood as a catalyst, I wouldn't have ended up like my father." Draco touched his scalp, thinking of his father, whose hairline was almost receding.

"Come on, Draco, even Ron didn't say anything," Ginny rolled her eyes.

The balding, middle-aged Arthur Weasley's children haven't said anything yet.

"Hmm! There is indeed one step missing." Hagrid casually put the empty glass bottle aside, put his hands together, and a Spark circle flashed around the Banyan Tree. "That's it."

Honestly, I almost forgot about the Goblin and other creatures that might break in after we left.

Hmm, let me think, what else?

"It should be alright now. You'll see the saplings sprouting first thing tomorrow morning."

"Hagrid, you're starting to look more and more like an Africa wizard. You're clapping your hands together for every spell!" Ron exclaimed.

"Wait, what if it rains tonight?"

I know that these flowerpots must stay with the medium—this Banyan Tree— before they sprout.

But we can build a rain shelter for this tree.

If rainwater really does affect the growth of the Contract Tree.

"I've gone to great lengths to offer my precious hair, I can't waste this opportunity!" Draco seemed to realize something was amiss at this point, "Well, these tree species are also very precious!"

That's why I'm like this!

Right!

It's not because of the hair!

"Draco," Hagrid shook his head with amusement. "Brazil is a rainforest, rainwater is the most common thing there. I did my homework beforehand. Unless you knock these flowerpots to the ground, or eat the Seeds (Hagrid looked at Ron), or burn them, rainwater won't affect the growth and germination of the Contract Tree at all."

"What do we do after these trees sprout?" Ginny looked at her trees.

She's still hoping to awaken some interesting abilities!

Can a long-lived tree like the Yew Wood really grow in a pot forever without being affected?

"Didn't I say that?" Hagrid stammered, frantically pulling out the notebook from his pocket and flipping through it.

I found it!

It is said here that the seedlings can be transplanted into the soil a month after they sprout.

"Harry, don't worry, I've already found you a spot in the Forbidden Forest!" Hagrid wiped away his cold sweat.

"The Forbidden Forest? That's really impressive. Everything that happens in the Forbidden Forest will be under your watchful eyes, Hagrid." Harry nodded.

He knew of Hagrid's mysterious connection to the Forbidden Forest.

Like last time when they went to look for Lupin's whereabouts, Hagrid was able to see Lupin in the cabin and communicate with Lupin.

Protecting a few trees in the Forbidden Forest was a simple matter for Hagrid.

"You mean literally—that nothing in the Forbidden Forest escapes Hagrid's eyes?" Neville asked, unaware of Hagrid's abilities.

Ever since he contemplated that strangely shaped sword, he has possessed a peculiar intuition and the power to see into people's hearts.

In the information Ryan gave, this is called "Sword Mind Clarity".

It represents a level of mastery achieved after mastering the skill.

And he had just 'understood' the meaning behind Harry's words.

"It's true. Hagrid probably also underwent a magical transformation and doesn't need these trees anymore."

He awakened several abilities.

Yes, extraordinary insight, but it seems to be limited to the Forbidden Forest; it's not so impressive outside.

It also has the ability to give life to inanimate objects.

That's how Hephaestus came to be.

But Dumbledore said it should not be used too often, unless it is only to give life temporarily to inanimate objects.

Because granting an object permanent life would consume a portion of its own magical energy.

It also has the power to control Care of Magical Creatures.

"Hagrid's Acromantula became much more obedient after Hagrid's metamorphosis," Ron said smugly.

It was as if it was him, not Hagrid, who had awakened.

"Is the transformation really that amazing?"

I don't know what power I will awaken.

"Yeah, if only I could fly!" Neville really believed Ron's guess.

They were completely unaware that Ron was simply Hagrid's right about his abilities.

Hagrid's transformation wasn't a magical metamorphosis; it was more akin to the awakening of his bloodline.

"Alright, it's so late, we should rest now."

My scalp needs proper sleep and care.

Isn't Harry's Holly Tree the shortest-lived?

Won't we find out in two or three years?

"Let's see what power Harry awakens." Draco touched his hair again.