Clearing out the "weeds" that had sprung up took John quite some time.
Thick fumes drifted above Silver Hand Manor. Inhaling them caused hallucinations, much like a powerful psychedelic drug.
"Tergeo!"
A small whirlwind rose from his wand, clearing away all the thick smoke.
John stood with his hands on his hips, looking at the garden's pitted ground. He really missed having a gardener here.
Most of the mutated plants had been removed. John collected those with special properties and dried them.
Silver Hand Manor became an enormous drying yard, with unheard-of plants spread out to bask in the sun.
Stormbreaker did not sit idle, either.
John used it to split some of the tough roots and stems, putting it to work as a herb-cutting knife.
By the time he finished, John had acquired over a hundred new potion ingredients.
"These things reproduce pretty quickly."
John looked at the fresh shoots sprouting beneath his feet. Their rampant growth gave them a tenacity that made them difficult to wipe out.
He thought he could send some to his Herbology professor, Pomona Sprout, for research.
She was an expert in Herbology, as well as a master who had personally cultivated many rare potion ingredients.
Even after retiring, Professor Sprout still tended Hogwarts' greenhouses. These things would interest her.
With that thought, John abandoned the idea of destroying all the mutated plants.
Perhaps the new varieties could yield unexpected results.
After packing some roots, stems, and fresh shoots into sturdy, sealed boxes, John sent them by owl delivery to Hogwarts and the Potions Department.
Far away at Hogwarts, Professor Sprout soon received this surprise.
She wrote back to John, saying these herbs had considerable research value and asking for permission to cultivate and observe them.
That had been John's intention all along. He