Back in the greenhouse, Professor Sprout, wearing her patched and mud-stained yellow apron, clapped her hands to quiet everyone, her round face beaming with smiles.
Just as they were about to speak, Ron and Harry burst through the greenhouse door, panting heavily.
Their hair was disheveled, and their school uniforms were askew.
"I'm so sorry, Professor Sprout! We're lost--"
Ron, clutching his knees, was panting heavily, while Harry looked embarrassed, fearing a scolding.
Professor Sprout turned his head, his round face showing no sign of reproach. Instead, he smiled and shook the small water bottle in his hand, jokingly saying:
"Oh, look at these two little scatterbrained ones, you've finally arrived! The Hogwarts stairs are acting up again, aren't they? Quickly find a place to stand, or the Mandrake will be crying for me first."
The two breathed a sigh of relief, their faces flushed, and quickly slipped into the line, drawing soft chuckles from those around them.
Professor Sprout only began the lesson after everyone had taken their positions.
"Alright, alright, children, gather around! Today we're going to learn about Mandrake, also called Mandrake Root, a very useful but dangerous magical plant..."
After explaining some points and asking some questions, Professor Sprout began the practical session.
She first held up a pair of thick, furry earmuffs:
"The first step, and the most important one—you must wear your earmuffs tightly! The cry of an adult Mandrake is deadly enough, and even a seedling can cry you unconscious! Do you understand?"
Professor Sprout clapped his hands. "Alright, everyone take a pair of earmuffs, these are lifesavers!"
As soon as the words were spoken, a group of students immediately swarmed around, frantically grabbing for a pair of thick, comfortable, and soundproof earmuffs.
Draco, quick as a flash, easily snatched two pairs of decent-quality earmuffs, stuffed them into his pocket, and calmly retreated.
Before Harry and Ron could even reach out, the good earmuffs had already been snatched up.
By the time they touched them, only two sets of the most ordinary, thin, and loose defective products remained on the table.
The two exchanged a glance, looking helpless, and could only make do with picking it up.
Seeing that everyone had received their ear covers, Professor Sprout nodded in satisfaction, then solemnly repeated his instructions:
"Remember this: no one is allowed to remove their earmuffs before I do! If the Mandrake cries, you won't be able to afford the consequences!"
The students nodded vigorously, Sprout continued, "Put them on properly!"
"After you've put them on, you can talk to each other to test if you can hear each other. Once you've confirmed that it's soundproof, then we can begin."
Draco reached out and gently placed one of the good earmuffs on her head, carefully adjusting its position to cover her ears completely.
Hermione reached out, stood on tiptoe, and gently helped him put on the earmuffs, smoothing out the edges.
Hermione leaned closer to Draco and whispered, "Can you hear me?"
Draco spoke to her, his voice low. "You probably can't hear me."
The two looked at each other and shook their heads together.
The soundproofing is perfect; you can barely hear the other person speaking.
Still half asleep, Ron fumbled to put the earmuffs on his head, but he put them on backwards again, covering his eyes and causing a burst of laughter from those around him.
With no external sound coming in, the laughter quickly stopped. Professor Sprout removed his earmuffs, and the students followed suit before he continued his demonstration.
"The second step is to gently grasp the Mandrake and pull it steadily and vertically upwards. Do not shake or pull; the movement should be decisive."
"After pulling them out, immediately put them in the nearby calming stone basin, and they will stop crying."
She demonstrated once, her movements practiced and gentle. The little Mandrake only whimpered once before being obediently placed in the pot, remaining silent.
"The third step is to observe the root morphology, record the number of leaves, then gently replant it, cover it with soil, and cover it with a black cloth."
"Note: Your ears must remain in the earmuffs at all times!"
After the professor finished speaking, he smiled and told everyone to put their earmuffs back on, "Now, work in pairs and begin! Remember, safety first!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone dispersed.
Draco first showed Hermione the Mandrake leaf, reaching out and firmly grasping it before gently lifting it upwards.
Instead of crying, the little seedling opened its round little eyes and gently rubbed its roots against his fingertips.
This scene was witnessed by Professor Sprout, who was on patrol. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded excitedly, gesturing to the students around her.
Although it was impossible to hear what she was saying through the earmuffs, everyone understood from her constant thumbs-up gestures and smile.
Draco has done something incredible again.
Hermione looked at the docile Mandrake with a smile in her eyes, and with a mix of pride and helplessness, she reached out and tapped Draco's arm, signaling him to stop playing around and hurry up and finish the steps.
Draco obediently placed the Mandrake into the calming pot, and the Mandrake remained unusually quiet throughout.
As for Ron and Harry's group, the moment the black cloth was lifted, the Mandrake burst into a loud "waa," startling Ron so much that his hand trembled and he almost dumped the entire pot of soil on Harry.
Seeing the peaceful scene on Draco's side, and then comparing it to the chaos on his own, Ron stomped his feet in anger, his face full of resentment.
Draco noticed his expression, merely curled his lips slightly, pointed to his own head, and nearly made Ron jump up and down in anger.
Hermione then successfully completed the experiment.
After Olivia finished, it was Neville's turn. He was so nervous that his palms were sweating. He stared at his Mandrake, hesitating to start, but finally mustered up the courage to try.
Many people still couldn't do it, and as class was about to end, Sprout gestured for everyone to take off their earmuffs.
Everyone took off their earmuffs, and were instantly overwhelmed by a chorus of complaints.
"It's so noisy! My earmuffs are no good, they're making my ears almost deaf!"
My Mandrake almost bit me!
" Draco's plant is so well-behaved!"
Professor Sprout glanced around the crowd, his gaze landing gently on Draco, and raised his voice with a smile:
"Since none of you have much experience yet, shall we have Draco demonstrate first? That way, you'll all be able to do even better next lesson."
Hermione was the first to react, proudly leading the way in clapping loudly. She secretly thought to herself: I haven't done it perfectly yet, I still need to learn more from him.
When Lavender, Parvati, and their roommates saw this, they immediately joined in with enthusiastic clapping, and the applause quickly became lively.
A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd, and all eyes immediately turned to Draco.
Draco stepped forward calmly amidst applause, put on his earmuffs, and remained composed.
Professor Sprout stood to the side, looking at him expectantly.
Draco reached out and lifted the black cloth off the ceramic pot again, firmly grasping the Mandrake leaf.
Everyone around held their breath.
Just a gentle pull!
Mandrake successfully removed the Draco without crying, making a fuss, or struggling.
Instead, she quietly rubbed her fingers like a little baby.
The entire room fell silent instantly.