Hogwarts: I'm Really a Model Wizard

They didn't discuss Professor Quirrell for long.

Cedric told them that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor before Oren was even worse than Quirrell.

When Cedric had first entered Hogwarts, he was a new student filled with dreams and endless admiration for the school.

But this wonderful feeling lasted less than two days. During their Defense Against the Dark Arts class, their professor used teaching as an excuse to freely cast malicious curses on students.

Slug-vomiting Charm, Horn Tongue Hex, Hair Loss Curse, Jelly-Legs Curse, Skull-Swelling Curse... He had experienced all of these.

Although the professor would promptly remove the negative effects after each spell, causing no substantial physical harm, the feeling of being cursed was extremely unpleasant.

Especially the Skull-Swelling Curse — that dizzy, disorienting sensation remained vivid in Cedric's memory to this day.

Moreover, the professor would divide the class by house, forcing students to duel each other with nasty curses. Every Defense Against the Dark Arts class was torture for Cedric, often taking several days to recover from.

Fortunately, this ordeal didn't last long. According to Cedric, at Halloween, a group of fully armed people stormed into Hogwarts and took that professor away.

Initially, everyone thought he was a malicious dark wizard. It wasn't until a few days later that they learned from the Daily Prophet that the person was actually an escaped patient from St. Mungo's Hospital.

And from the Mental Injuries Ward, no less…

After Cedric finished speaking, Kyle and Kanna stared at him in disbelief.

"It's true." Cedric said, seeing their unconvinced looks. He spread his hands and added, "If you don't believe me, you can ask the Weasley brothers — they know too."

Kyle shook his head, silently feeling sorry for Cedric and the twins. Indeed, anyone who dared to apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position at Hogwarts was no ordinary person.

With Cedric's experience as a comparison, Professor Quirrell's classes suddenly didn't seem so bad anymore.

By the afternoon, when they attended Herbology class, the magical Greenhouse Three made them completely forget about the matter. This place was truly a paradise for magical plants.

Mandrake, Venomous Tentacula, Snargaluff... all these plants they had only heard of before were right here before their eyes.

"Today we'll be repotting Mandrakes." Professor Sprout said. She pointed to a row of deep trays nearby and asked, "Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?"

Cho, who was in class with them, was the first to raise her hand.

"Mandrake is a powerful restorative." She said without hesitation, "It's used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."

"Excellent, ten points to Ravenclaw." Professor Sprout said, "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes, but it is also dangerous. Can anyone tell me why?"

"Hearing the cry of the Mandrake is fatal." A boy standing in the middle blurted out.

"Precisely, another ten points to Ravenclaw." Professor Sprout said.

At the same time, she looked at Kyle with some regret.

This child was just too honest — raising your hand in class isn't enough; it's better to speak out directly... just like that Ravenclaw boy just did. What a shame to miss such a rare opportunity to earn points.

Just as she was thinking this, Professor Sprout suddenly noticed that Kyle hadn't lowered his hand.

"Oh, Kyle, do you have something to add?" Professor Sprout asked.

"Yes, Professor." Kyle said, "Besides its cry, dried Mandrake leaves are also very dangerous to Animagi."

"Yes, you're not wrong about that."

Professor Sprout nodded, but then quickly shook her head.

"However, it's not as dangerous as you might think." She explained. "In fact, dried Mandrake leaves have a very weak effect on Animagi. Only prolonged consumption while in animal form would cause irreversible consequences.

By prolonged... I mean at least three years. If the wizard returns to human form during this period, those adverse effects would be instantly eliminated.

Besides, there aren't many Animagi in the wizarding world to begin with — the Ministry's registry lists only seven people in total. As far as I know, none of them like to remain in animal form for extended periods, let alone eat Mandrake leaves.

Therefore, although Mandrake leaves do affect Animagi, the probability of this happening is actually very small.Apart from that greedy Barnabas a hundred years ago, there hasn't been a second recorded case in the wizarding world."

"Is that so?" Kyle nodded thoughtfully, "I overthought it then."

"No, I'd say you've read a lot of books." Professor Sprout said with a smile, "I believe only one very obscure herbology book mentioned this. What was it called again?"

"'Medieval Herbology Selections'." Kyle said, "I saw it at Mr. Scamander's place."

"Yes, that's the book." Professor Sprout smiled, "Everyone knows Mr. Scamander as an outstanding magizoologist, but few know he's also a master herbologist. Ten points to Hufflepuff."

She then clapped her hands and addressed everyone.

"This is extra knowledge — just good to know. You don't need to deliberately memorize it."

Afterward, she pointed again to the row of deep trays and began explaining the precautions for repotting Mandrakes.

"Four to a tray, and remember, wear your earmuffs properly." Professor Sprout cautioned, "Although the Mandrakes here are still very young and their cries won't be fatal, they can knock you out for several hours.

I'm sure none of you wants to miss the first day of school, so everyone must wear their earmuffs while working. When it's time to clean up, I'll find a way to get your attention."

With earmuffs on, repotting Mandrakes wasn't particularly difficult. You just had to be careful not to put any part of your body near its mouth.

Although Mandrakes didn't have teeth, they had a layer of hard cartilage in their mouths, and getting bitten was quite painful.

Kyle grabbed a tuft of leaves and skillfully pulled the Mandrake out. The little creature immediately started screaming at the top of its lungs, twisting its pale green body as it yelled.

It was making much more noise than those handled by others, seeming particularly resistant to him.

"I just plucked a few of your leaves, what's the big deal, stingy!" Kyle muttered to himself as he casually took out a large flowerpot from under the table and stuffed the Mandrake into it.

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