บท 31: Professor Sprout

...

In a professor's dormitory...

"Master, I don't understand why you are so interested in Grindelwald," Quirrell muttered nervously. "His father—"

"It's not your place to question me!" A cold, venomous voice interrupted him, reverberating through Quirrell's mind.

Immediately, excruciating pain surged through his body, sending him crashing to the ground. He writhed in agony, scraping his fingers raw against the cold stone floor.

"Master, I beg your forgiveness! I was wrong, please—"

"Let today be the last time you question my orders," Voldemort's raspy voice hissed from the back of Quirrell's head, full of malice.

Quirrell's body quivered as he fought to stand, clutching the wall for support, his robes drenched in sweat. "When is the next Defense Against the Dark Arts class with him?" Voldemort asked sharply.

"Who?" Quirrell asked before realizing his mistake. His breath caught as pain once again gripped him.

"I... I understand, Master! Grindelwald's next class is the day after tomorrow!"

"The day after tomorrow... Prepare the potion. I will test his abilities myself. Do not fail me." Voldemort's voice was low and dangerous.

"Yes, Master! I will make the preparations," Quirrell said, trembling. His mind raced with plans to carry out Voldemort's orders, desperate to please his dark master.

...

Back in the Slytherin dormitory...

Dyroth was lying in bed, the sound of the system's prompt ringing in his mind.

[Ding! Achievement unlocked: "Night Walker.]

[Reward: 50 achievement points.]

"At least the achievement points make this trouble worthwhile," Dyroth muttered to himself. The memory of his near encounter with Voldemort sent a chill through him. The fact that Voldemort had used Legilimency was alarming. It showed how much stronger he was.

"I need to be more careful," Dyroth thought. "The days of easy-going Hogwarts life are over."

The encounter with Quirrell had put him on high alert. He knew now that Voldemort had taken an interest in him. His own magic power wasn't enough to handle such threats—not yet. He needed to grow stronger, fast. "I can't afford to be careless anymore."

With these thoughts swirling in his head, Dyroth formulated a plan to accelerate his growth before finally drifting off to sleep.

...

The next day...

Still feeling tired from last night, Dyroth dragged himself into the Great Hall. As soon as he sat down, he overheard students talking about the upcoming joint Herbology class. Due to the injuries from the previous day's Potions class, all four houses were scheduled to attend Herbology together.

Hermione practically skipped over to him, her excitement bubbling over. "Come on, Dyroth! It's our first class together!" she exclaimed, pulling him toward the greenhouses.

Inside the Herbology classroom, the earthy scent of soil and fertilizer hung thick in the air. Professor Sprout stood at the front, wearing her signature khaki robes and patched hat, smiling warmly at the students.

"Quiet down, everyone!" Professor Sprout called out. "I know you're excited about your first lesson together, but let's focus. Today, we will start with a special plant."

She wheeled out a large box from the corner of the classroom, and the students craned their necks to see. Inside, dark green vines writhed and swayed like living tendrils.

"Now, can anyone tell me what plant this is?" she asked.

Hermione's hand shot up instantly. "Miss Granger?" Professor Sprout nodded.

"It's a crab claw plant, Professor!"

"A crab claw, yes..." Professor Sprout smiled. "But can anyone else offer a different answer?" Her gaze fell on Dyroth, her eyes glinting with expectation. "Mr. Grindelwald?"

Dyroth studied the vines carefully, noting their long, dark tendrils and the way they seemed to recoil slightly from the sunlight streaming in through the window. "It looks like a crab claw plant, but..."

He walked to the window and pulled back the curtains, letting in more sunlight. Immediately, the tendrils recoiled, shrinking away from the light and curling tightly in the corner of the box. "No," Dyroth said confidently. "This is a devil's snare, disguised as a crab claw plant."

Professor Sprout beamed. "Excellent observation, Mr. Grindelwald! Five points to Slytherin!"

Hermione, standing beside him, looked momentarily deflated but quickly regained her composure. "Humph! You may have gotten this one, but I won't lose next time!" she huffed playfully, nudging him.

The class continued, with Professor Sprout explaining the dangers of devil's snare and how to deal with it. She praised Dyroth for his quick thinking and careful observation, using him as an example for the rest of the class.

Later, she moved on to the next plant. Hermione was quick to raise her hand before anyone else had the chance. "It's a bubotuber, Professor! The pus is useful for curing acne!"

"Excellent answer, Miss Granger! Five points to Ravenclaw!"

And so the lesson went on, with Hermione and Dyroth taking turns answering every question. By the end of the class, Professor Sprout couldn't help but chuckle. "If this were a test, both Miss Granger and Mr. Grindelwald would receive an Outstanding!" she said with admiration.

(Outstanding was one of the three passing grades, out of six grades overall, in the Ordinary Wizarding Levels, Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, and Wizards' Ordinary Magic and Basic Aptitude Tests. It was the highest mark possible, immediately above 'Exceeds Expectations')

As the students packed up their things, Dyroth noticed Harry had barely paid attention throughout the lesson. He sighed quietly. "You could feed him everything, and he'd still refuse to chew,"

Dyroth thought. Without Hermione's help, Harry's future seemed more uncertain than ever.