Hogwarts Card System Chapter 153

Chapter 154: The Amazing Plants of the Zen Garden

Hermione’s “unpresentable state” meant that collective activities were naturally put on hold for the next few days.

Ted spent most of his days at the Hospital Wing, chatting with Hermione while studying magic.

Because of Hermione, he suddenly got an inspiration to research a “transformation spell.”

After three days of research, referencing Animagus transformation, Druid shapeshifting, D&D transmutation spells, and Azeroth’s Polymorph, he created a simple and rudimentary transformation spell.

Ted grandly named it “Beauty Transformation Spell”!

This magic could temporarily alter the caster, making simple, minor transformations according to their will.

It couldn’t turn a person into an animal or an object; it could only make fine adjustments.

To put it plainly, it was a temporary “makeup and Photoshop magic”!

It could whiten skin, slim faces, enlarge eyes! Create double eyelids, cover freckles, dullness, and eye bags.

A five-point woman could become a seven-point woman with this, as long as the technique was skillful!

Ted experimented dozens of times on Ansu’s snack lab rats, and even cast it a few times on the hairless long-tailed thieving monkey and himself, before finally using it on Hermione – helping her Photoshop away the cat fur on her face, revealing her clean, fair skin.

Hermione looked in the mirror, touching her face in surprise. The fur was indeed gone!

“Wait!” She looked in the mirror and touched the top of her head. “Why are my two cat ears still there?”

Ted blinked and quickly explained, “This is just a temporary transformation spell, and its effects are limited. Magic is a manifestation of the inner self, blah blah blah… so the cat ears remained. It’s okay, just wear a hat!”

Ted handed her a white wide-brimmed ladies’ hat that could cover both ears.

Hermione: You came well-prepared, didn’t you?

Ted: My cat-stroking technique is special; even McGonagall tried it and said it was good!

One could only say that furry fascination is an ancient human preference, deeply ingrained.

For example, Journey to the West – a story about a handsome man taking four furries on a journey to the West.

Madam Pomfrey was full of praise for the magic Ted developed. After using it once, she was overjoyed – her crow’s feet vanished, and she looked like she was back in her twenties or thirties!

Because of this, Hermione was barely able to leave the Hospital Wing.

Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor dormitory.

Jerry looked at Ron, who had just returned from outside, with an incredulous expression – he had actually gone to the library to read during the holidays!

Jerry: “You’re acting weird!”

Ron rolled his eyes at him: “Can’t I have some ambition?!”

Jerry quickly apologized: “Sorry, buddy, you know I didn’t mean it that way. Your grades have improved a lot recently, and that’s inseparable from your hard work. I should learn from you~”

Ron rolled his eyes again: “Learn from me and break your wand, right?”

…

Most of the Christmas holidays had passed, and January arrived quickly.

Ted opened his eyes, and lo and behold, it was a tunnel.

“Ding~ Talent [Otherworldly Knowledge (Gold)] triggered, discovering [Zen Garden Plant Cultivation Techniques (Green)].”

[Zen Garden Plant Cultivation Techniques (Green)] records Crazy Dave’s cultivation experience with the strange plants in his backyard. Requires 320 experience to redeem.

“Zen Garden?! It’s Plants vs. Zombies.”

Don’t even mention it, the Peashooters and such are really quite interesting.

Bought it!

Ted learned how Crazy Dave discovered and cultivated these strange plants, eventually turning them into weapons against zombies.

This included the mutation screening of ordinary plants, the evolutionary cultivation of mutated plants, and how to combine them to enhance their effects, and so on.

Ted’s Herbology even leveled up because of this, reaching Herbology Level 2.

Well, it was mainly because it was too low before. He hadn’t spent much time in that area.

A person’s energy is limited after all. Ted hadn’t seriously studied Herbology, nor did he aspire to become a Biting Cabbage Master or a Mandrake Master. So Herbology had never really leveled up.

He hadn’t expected it to level up by accident this time.

But he truly didn’t have that much time to research Herbology anymore.

Now, magic, spells, transfiguration, dark arts, alchemy… too many things were waiting for him to research and learn.

He didn’t even have time to research projects like magical creature bloodlines, for which he already had sufficient knowledge reserves, let alone Herbology.

He had even obtained otherworldly knowledge about Pokémon cultivation during the summer holidays.

Now he felt like his research projects were starting to pile up.

With his own strength, he probably couldn’t digest all valuable otherworldly knowledge; he needed to find helpers.

For magic, he could still count on Hermione, but for Herbology and magical plants, he could only see if Neville was up to the task.

Hmm, he’d take some time to write down this introductory knowledge and claim he discovered it from Lady Ravenclaw’s legacy.

Ah, praise the Lady~

…

“Neville, this booklet about magical plants, I found it by accident. You know I’m not very interested in Herbology, so you take it and study it, see if you can produce the seeds mentioned in the book!”

Ted handed the thin, handwritten booklet to Neville.

“Produce seeds?” Neville took the booklet, puzzled, and flipped through a few pages, his mouth agape.

Neville: “What kind of trick is this? Magical plant seeds can even be induced to mutate?”

A new world slowly opened its doors to the Boy Who Lived~

In the following days, Neville became engrossed in this path.

He spent all his free time in the greenhouse, accumulating a large number of seeds and flowerbeds, trying the methods in the booklet repeatedly. There were results, but they were negligible, only proving a certain authenticity of the booklet, but how to cultivate those magical plants from the book remained a distant prospect.

However, he piqued the curiosity of the horned boy, Goof. The two became good friends, and Goof Oasis’s Herbology expertise was much higher. He gave many pointers on Herbology knowledge and even found many strange seeds to add to the experiment.

It was said that the Horned race was naturally close to the earth, possessing extraordinary talent for architecture and Herbology.

Their main income also came from cultivating herbs.

This was also why Professor Sprout particularly valued Goof Oasis.

Neville found Ted and said he wanted to invite Goof Oasis to research together. Ted naturally agreed.

Some otherworldly knowledge had to be kept in his own hands, but he couldn’t hold onto everything tightly.

Learning to share and making many friends, that was true vision.

However, Ted had no time to concern himself with how Neville and his friends were turning Hogwarts into an agricultural magic institute; he also had very important research underway.

Last summer, in July, Ted obtained the otherworldly knowledge [Pokémon Cultivation Manual (Green)].

This item was not simple; it involved a wide range of categories, especially since it could be linked to Professor Quirrell’s research on magical bloodlines.

Ted had not delved deeply into it, as his primary goal remained magic, with everything else taking a backseat.

But a while ago, he changed his mind.

Because of a quest reward.

[Forbidden Books Are the Essence of the Library, Ya (Red)] was a red-quality quest.

However, the difficulty of this quest for other students might take several years to complete, because not only did you have to secretly sneak into the Restricted Section to steal books, but you also had to read them all. But for Ted, it was too easy.

And the reward card given by this quest was an item.

[Dark Stone (Red)]

Item Card

A strange gem containing mysterious dark power that can evolve magical creatures.

Note: It couldn’t be any darker.

This item was a rhombic multifaceted black crystalline stone, about the size of a walnut.

When it first materialized, the terrifying dark fluctuations startled even Ted.

If Ted hadn’t been habitually cautious and taken this thing out in the Ravenclaw Secret Chamber for safety, it might have alarmed Dumbledore.

That would have been bad; he wouldn’t have been able to explain. It might even have been confiscated!

Dumbledore: Mr. Epiphany, please explain, what is this dark thing, like a Horcrux? Where did you get it?

Ted: Headmaster, let me quibble…

Dumbledore: Azkaban~

And the reason Ted began to study the knowledge he had planned to temporarily shelve after obtaining this item was because he knew what it was.

This was an item that could evolve Pokémon.

However, it wasn’t for all Pokémon; it had to be for dark-type ones. Otherwise, it would be hard to say.

And the [Pokémon Cultivation Manual (Green)] contained knowledge about Murkrow’s cultivation and evolution.

Now Ted had obtained the Dark Stone.

He couldn’t help but look at Ansu, his eyes shining…

Ansu: Why are you looking at me? Don’t scare me!

Ansu had been having a tough time lately. Not only did he not get to eat his rat strips, but he was also fed strange magical materials that tasted awful.

Ted designed four plans, and after experimenting on the magical lab rat he created and the long-tailed thieving monkey, he confirmed that two of the plans were more reliable.

Long-tailed Thieving Monkey: Let me die first!

Magical Lab Rat: I’m not full yet~

Ted had no time for them; now it was time for the most crucial step. This couldn’t be done in the castle anymore, so Ted decided to go to the Forbidden Forest, where he had the conditions to implement his plan.

On Friday afternoon, Ted went to find Hagrid. In the sky above, Ansu soared freely…

(End of chapter)