bacchusnovels Chapter 123 The Stinky Little Mud Seed
Chapter 123 The Stinky Little Mud Seed
Chapter 123 The Stinky Little Mud Seed (A 5000-word chapter!)
This is a handsome owl.
At least that's what Sean thinks.
He bought the owl from a magical creature shop called "Magical Zoo" that he passed by on his last trip to Diagon Alley—the shop was located across from Florin Fortischus Ice Cream Shop.
When he pushed open the door of this magical creature shop, he found the store filled with pet cages.
The shop was very cramped, noisy, and smelly. Every inch of the walls was covered with cages, and it sold all kinds of animals—raccoons, fire crabs, very clever sleek black mice, owls, crows, cats of various colors, fluffy animals, deformed rabbits, and so on.
The witch working behind the counter, wearing thick black glasses, immediately brightened up when she saw Sean appear.
She enthusiastically recommended the owl to Sean and took two hundred Galleons from his purse. Although the price was high, the owl looked excellent.
Its feathers are smooth and full, each one shimmering with a moonlit silver-gray.
Moreover, it is fast, has a long range, and only needs a little bread crumb for 100 kilometers.
All things considered, this owl is excellent value for money.
Sean opened the office window, and the owl immediately flew lightly into the room. Its wings made almost no sound. After circling gracefully in the air a few times, it placed the package it was carrying in its beak on Sean's desk and then flew away with a "whoosh."
Sean guessed that it might have something urgent to attend to.
Last night, when I sent it to Diagon Alley to place an order, it was busy cuddling with a beautiful female owl.
Sean opened the package and saw that it contained a high-end gift box.
The lace lingerie set he ordered for Tonks has arrived. (End of Chapter 120)
For Hermione
Without Professor Sean's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, life has lost a lot of its fun.
She felt that the other courses were far too easy for her.
But if she had to choose the simplest course, it would be Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration course.
Professor McGonagall asked her to turn a beetle into a button, and she succeeded on her first try.
As she wondered why Professor McGonagall would give such a simple test, she inadvertently spotted Harry standing in the front row.
She watched as he spent ages trying to train the beetle's body, but the beetle kept running around the table, dodging the wand, and he couldn't light it no matter what he did.
Ron, sitting next to Harry, was even more unlucky. His wand had been broken a few days earlier when he passed the Whomping Willow, so he borrowed some magic tape to repair it, but it seemed to be beyond repair, crackling and sparking from time to time.
Every time Ron tried to transform the beetle, he was immediately enveloped in a thick, gray, rotten-egg-smelling smoke.
He couldn't see clearly, so he moved his elbow haphazardly and crushed the beetle. He had to ask for another one.
Hermione noticed that Professor McGonagall's expression was not very happy.
But it's strange.
Perhaps because she had spent so much time in Professor Sean's office last semester, she was inevitably influenced by him to some extent, and she always felt that Professor McGonagall was doing something wrong.
Or rather, the wizarding world is not right.
Those wand merchants charge exorbitant fees, forcing poor wizards like Ron to use secondhand wands, and even continue using them when they break. This transforms the conflict between impoverished wizards and pure-blood families who control vast resources into a conflict between teachers and students. Perhaps Professor Sean would say that if he were here?
Hermione thought with some uncertainty.
Even for some poor young wizards, Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic provide them with some basic benefits.
For example, measures such as tuition fee reductions and tuition fee reductions are implemented, but these are still not enough.
If any of the young wizards broke their wand like Ron, or accidentally lost or had their wand stolen, they would find themselves in the same predicament as Ron.
These young wizards themselves have no earning power, not to mention some like Shaun who came from Muggle orphanages.
In conclusion, regardless of the conflicts between different social classes, as a professor...
After finishing her Transfiguration class, Hermione went to the dining hall.
She noticed Ron looking rather sullen, so she handed him a beautiful pair of buttons that she had made from a beetle. Ron didn't appreciate it; instead, he seemed even angrier.
Although she didn't understand why this was happening, it didn't stop her from reading Lockhart's "Sailing with Vampires"—because their first class that afternoon was Defense Against the Dark Arts.
After reading Lockhart's book, she took out a crumpled piece of paper from the pocket of her skirt and wrote something on it.
When it was time for afternoon classes, it was time to start.
Hermione saw Harry, who had already entered the classroom, so she sat down next to him and took out seven Lockhart's "textbooks" from her lap and arranged them neatly on the table.
After all the students were seated, Lockhart walked in and cleared his throat loudly to calm the noise in the classroom.
Then he gracefully picked up Neville Longbottom's copy of "Walking with Trolls," holding the book aloft, his confident eyes on the cover particularly striking.
“Me,” he said, pointing to himself in the photo, his eyes twinkling mischievously, “Giddro Lockhart, a third-class Sergeant of the Order of Merlin, an honorary member of the Defense Against the Dark Arts, and a five-time winner of The Wizarding Weekly’s Most Charming Smile Award—but please remember, I do not ward off evil with my smile.”
He looked around expectantly, hoping the students would burst into laughter, but all he received in response were scattered, faint smiles.
"I see you've all bought my complete works—great! I think we should start with a little quiz today. Don't be afraid—it's just to see how well you read and how much you've understood—"
The young wizards present were already used to this.
Because Professor Sean always started each semester with a quiz as his unique way of opening the new semester, they thought Lockhart was just copying him.
After distributing the exam papers, Lockhart returned to the podium and announced, "You have thirty minutes. Begin now!"
Hermione looked at the test paper and read aloud:
1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?
2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?
3. What do you think is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?
And so on, filling three whole pages, with the last question being:
54. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday? What would be his ideal birthday present?
It seems quite simple.
All the questions on the test paper could be found exactly in the seven books Hermione read over the summer.
This was much simpler than Professor Sean's exam—after Sean's first class in the morning, she went to her former "colleague," Senior Sister Qiu Zhang, and asked for a copy of Professor Sean's exam.
The crumpled paper at noon contained the original questions from the exam.
Although she has the book "100,000 Whys" at home, she can't quite remember some of the answers.
She planned to ask Senior Qiu Zhang for the test answers again in the afternoon. She heard that after that class, Sean distributed the book "Ten Whys" that he brought, and the appendix of the book contained the complete answers to the test questions.
Although Hermione was thinking this, her hands didn't stop moving at all.
She finished the question in about fifteen minutes.
Fifteen minutes later, Lockhart collected the test papers and looked through them in front of the whole class.
"Alas, it's such a pity—it seems few people remember that my favorite color is lilac. I explicitly mentioned this in 'A Year with the Tibetan Yeti.'"
Lockhart paused, sighed, and continued with a regretful expression.
"A few more students, you need to carefully study 'Wandering with Werewolves'—in Chapter Twelve, I clearly state that my most desired birthday gift is harmonious coexistence between the magical and non-magical worlds—and of course, I won't refuse a large bottle of Ogden Fire Whisky!"
After saying that, Lockhart winked at the students again.
Ron now stared at him with distrust, while Simon Finigan and Dean Thomas in front of him were laughing silently, their bodies trembling.
Hermione was listening intently when Lockhart suddenly mentioned her name, startling her.
"—However, Miss Hermione Granger knew precisely my secret ambition to rid the world of evil."
And my passion for selling personal hair care lines—what a clever girl! In fact—" Lockhart flipped her test paper, "Full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?"
Hermione raised one hand, trembling.
"Fantastic!" Lockhart said with a satisfied smile. "Excellent! Gryffindor gets another ten points for this! Now, next we will—" Lockhart slowly bent down, pulled out a large cage covered with a tarpaulin from behind the podium, and solemnly placed it on the table.
"Now, everyone must be extra careful! My mission is to teach you how to defend against the most evil being in the magical world!"
"In this classroom, you will face the most terrifying things. But please remember, as long as I am here,
You are absolutely safe. My only request is that you remain calm.” Lockhart’s tone was very serious.
Hermione stared curiously at the mysterious cage.
Lockhart gently placed his hand on the cover, a gesture that immediately silenced Dean and Seamus, who had been laughing and joking, while Neville, sitting in the front row, unconsciously shrank back.
"I must ask you, no matter what happens, do not scream," Lockhart warned in a low voice. "That might enrage them!"
The whole class held their breath, watching Lockhart slowly lift the cover.
"Look," he announced dramatically, "this is a Cornish elf that has just been captured."
Seamus Finigan couldn't help but laugh out loud; clearly, he didn't think these little things were that scary. "What's wrong?" Lockhart asked Seamus with a smile.
"Well, they're not actually that dangerous, are they?" Simon laughed so hard he could barely breathe.
"Don't be so sure!" Lockhart corrected him, shaking his finger in dissatisfaction. "These little guys are very cunning."
Its destructive power should not be underestimated!
These little sprites are dark blue-green, about eight inches tall, with small, pointed faces, and their sharp voices sound like a bunch of budgerigars arguing.
Once freed from their cages, they immediately start chattering incessantly, jumping up and down inside, and making all sorts of funny faces at people nearby.
"Alright," Lockhart announced loudly, "now let's see how you deal with these little rascals!" With that, he opened the cage door.
Immediately, chaos erupted in the classroom. The elves scattered like rockets, two of them even grabbing Neville by the ears and lifting him up.
Several others rushed out of the windows, leaving shattered glass scattered across the back of the classroom. The remaining sprites wreaked havoc inside, their destructive power comparable to that of an out-of-control rhinoceros.
Ink bottles were thrown everywhere, books and papers were torn to shreds, pictures on the walls were ripped down, trash cans were overturned, and schoolbags and textbooks flew out of the broken windows.
A few minutes later, half the class had hidden under the desks, while Neville swung around on the chandelier, dodging the little sprites that were flying around.
"Come, everyone, quickly gather them together! Don't be afraid, they're just little elves!" Lockhart shouted, trying to calm the chaotic situation.
He rolled up his sleeves, raised his wand high, and chanted, "Peschipxie Pestnomi!"
However, his spells seemed to have no effect on the elves. One elf even bravely snatched Lockhart's wand and threw it out the window.
Lockhart gasped in surprise and quickly hid under the lectern to avoid further embarrassment and danger.
At that very moment, the chandelier, unable to support Neville's weight, crashed down, nearly hitting Lockhart.
The bell rang promptly, and the students rushed out of the classroom as if fleeing a battlefield.
In the ensuing silence, Lockhart cautiously peeked out, his gaze falling on Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were preparing to leave.
He quickly tidied his appearance to maintain as much professorial dignity as possible, and then said to them:
"Ah, you three, could you do me a favor and catch those little elves that are still in the classroom and put them back in their cages?"
:
After saying that, he quickly walked out of the classroom, closed the door behind him, and left the chaotic scene to the three of them.
"Can you trust him?" Ron said angrily, his ear being bitten hard by a little elf, causing him excruciating pain.
"I think he just wants to give us some opportunities for practical training," Hermione tried to convince herself.
The reason she convinced herself was that she absolutely could not allow such a person to be ranked alongside her Professor Sean.
It is also unacceptable that such a person could replace his most respected Professor Sean to give him a Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
She cleverly cast a freezing spell, successfully freezing the two sprites, and then easily stuffed them back into the cage.
"A practical exercise?" Harry tried to catch a house-elf, but it nimbly dodged his grasp and playfully stuck its tongue out at him. "Hermione, I don't think he has any idea what he's doing."
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Hermione retorted. “You’ve all read his books; you should know the amazing feats he accomplished—”
"That's just his own explanation," Ron muttered discontentedly, clearly doubting Lockhart's true abilities.
Although she said she was asking three people to help, Hermione was the only one who actually caught the elves and put them back in their cages. By the time she finished doing all of this, dinner time was almost over.
So she could only go back to her dormitory and take a shower, using spiritual nourishment to combat her physical hunger.
The next morning, Hermione woke up exceptionally early.
Because she couldn't resist eating the cafeteria bread anymore. Last night, when she was reading late into the night, she almost ate the book in front of her, thinking it was bread.
When she arrived at the dining hall and found Ron eating there, she learned that Harry had gone to the Quidditch pitch early that morning to practice Quidditch.
So, being kind-hearted, she decided to bring some breakfast for Harry as well.
Click—that was the first sound Hermione heard as she entered the Quidditch arena.
Hermione looked towards the stands and saw a young wizard sitting in the top row, holding a camera.
One photo after another was taken, and in the empty stadium, the sound of the shutter was strangely amplified.
She knew him; his name was Colin.
He is a die-hard Harry Potter fan.
But before Colin could stop taking pictures, an unexpected situation suddenly occurred.
A group of Slytherin students dressed in green robes confidently stepped onto the pitch, each holding a gleaming flying broomstick.
Seeing this, Wood was filled with shock and anger. He roared in a low voice, "How is this possible! I booked the entire stadium for today! We have to kick them out!"
Enraged, Wood lunged at the ground, his anger so intense that he stumbled upon landing.
He wobbled as he stepped off the broom.
Harry, Fred, and George followed closely behind, landing one after another.
"Flint!" Wood roared at the Slytherin captain, "This is our practice time! We came here early on purpose! Please leave!"
Marcus Flint, a burly man, returned Wood's sly gaze and replied, "This field is quite wide, Wood."
At that moment, Aria, Angelina, and Katie also rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
There were no girls in the Slytherin team; they stood in a row, all staring at the Gryffindor team members with provocative expressions.
"But I did book the entire stadium!" Wood emphasized loudly.
Flint remained unmoved, saying casually, "But I have a note personally signed by Professor Snape. Professor Snape authorized the Slytherin team to use the Quidditch pitch today for Seekers' training."
Wood's anger subsided slightly, and his attention was drawn to Flint's words: "You've added a new Seeker?"
"That's right." From behind the six tall team members, a smaller boy appeared, a smug smile on his pale face. It was Draco Malfoy.
Fred looked at Draco with disgust: "Lucius Malfoy's son?"
Upon hearing this, the Slytherin players laughed even more unrestrainedly.
Draco boasted smugly, "That's right, and my father has sponsored a generous gift for the Slytherin team, which you'll soon see."
The Gryffindor players seemed frozen in place for a moment, Malfoy's smile was so bright, his usually indifferent eyes now almost narrowed to slits.
"Oh, look at this," Flint said sarcastically, "it seems someone has come uninvited."
Hermione and Ron, who had just arrived, slowly walked over from the lawn, wanting to find out what had happened.
"What happened?" Ron asked Harry, puzzled. "Why aren't you training? What's he doing here?"
Ron's gaze lingered on Malfoy, who was putting on the Slytherin Quidditch team uniform, and a look of shock crossed his face.
"I'm Weasley, Slytherin's new Seeker," Malfoy announced triumphantly. "Weren't you all just admiring those flying broomsticks my dad bought for our team?"
Ron stared in disbelief at the seven gleaming, high-end brooms before him.
"Pretty good, isn't it?" Malfoy said with a hint of sarcasm. "However, perhaps the Gryffindor team can find some gold to buy some new brooms. You could consider selling those old sweeping stars; I think the museum might be interested in them."
The Slytherin members then erupted in a raucous jeer.
"At least every member of Gryffindor got in based on merit, not money," Hermione retorted without holding back, her voice sharp and firm.
Malfoy's smug expression instantly dimmed at Hermione's words.
"Nobody asked for your opinion, you stinking little mud-blood!" he roared angrily.
But no sooner had he finished speaking than a familiar voice came from the stands...
(PS: Next up is the Narcissa and Hermione storyline)