Chapter 248: Chatting in the Second Greenhouse

"By the way, Henry, do you know how Hagrid is doing lately?" Professor Sprout asked.

Anthony calmly took a small plate of carrot cake: "Just like he usually does...What's the matter, Pomona?"

"When I passed by today, I found that the chickens in the chicken shed were very hungry." Professor Sprout said, "I was worried that he was sick and forgot to feed the chickens."

"Maybe I just forgot," Anthony said, taking two more buns.

Professor McGonagall agreed: "I would never say that Hagrid has bad intentions, but we have to admit that he is indeed a little careless." She watched Anthony continue to pile a kind of saltine biscuit decorated with oats and nuts into the saucer, " Have you had lunch, Henry?"

"No." Anthony said, "I was reading in the library and lost track of time."

"What book?" Professor Sprout asked curiously.

"Illegal publications on the dark arts, I guess?" Anthony said, "A new batch of books have arrived in the restricted area, but I dare say you already know about it. The Ministry of Magic seemed to be cracking down on items related to the dark arts, and the shops in Diagon Alley were all After being searched, Flourishes and Blotts Bookstore was no exception - they did find a lot of dark magic books that were difficult to deal with, so they donated them to the library."

"Ah, search for dark magic items." Professor Sprout said clearly, "I know about this. Some people want to bring the "Protection of Muggles Act" into effect as soon as possible, some people want to crack down on their opponents, and some people want to Some want to fish in troubled waters and make some gold galleons.”

"No matter what, it's not a bad thing to search for dark magic items." Anthony said, "I remember the clerk at Flourish and Blotts told me that the Ministry of Magic searched particularly carefully this time."

"The search was particularly careful in Diagon Alley," Professor Sprout corrected. "As far as I know, they only spent less than an hour at Borgin-Bock's."

"Bogin Bork," said Professor McGonagall disgustedly. "There is nothing innocent in his shop. I suspect that the counters and floor tiles are tainted with the stench of dark magic."

Anthony asked in confusion: "Is there any grudge between the Ministry of Magic and Diagon Alley? Why target Diagon Alley?"

"No, it's not for Diagon Alley." Professor Sprout explained. "I think it's all due to the fact that there are so many things in Knockturn Alley. They didn't hide those things well before the search, so Someone paid a large sum of money to let the Ministry of Magic seize Diagon Alley and investigate it carefully, which bought them a few more days." She took a sip of tea and added with some dissatisfaction, "Anyway, people don't have to worry about being in Diagon Alley. Lane found something."

"But they still found it," Anthony said. "I heard that Flourish and Blotts was fined a lot of money, and that they were going to be inspected again after Christmas to prove that they had done... the so-called ' improve'."

"And Borgin Bork passed the search successfully? How strange, I'm not surprised at all." Professor McGonagall said, letting a few pistachio shells crawl on the table like turtles and bringing her a biscuit. , and helped her dip the biscuits into the tea.

Professor McGonagall said: "I heard Umbridge was in charge of the search, Pomona?"

Professor Sprout hesitated and said, "Yes. She made Barabo very angry - Barabo is the owner of the herbal shop in Diagon Alley, and she and I have a good relationship." She explained to Anthony After a sentence, he continued to talk to Professor McGonagall, "Barabo said that the woman made her men rummage for a long time, and accused Barabo of the dust on the ground that the herbs he sold were not clean, and that she deliberately made the buyers sick or failed to brew the potion. I will continue to come here to buy herbal medicine..."

She shook her head: "Before she left, the woman agreed to her men's request and let them take away Barabo's beautiful herbal hoe, saying that it was too delicate to be in this small shop. stuff - for Merlin's sake, there's no herbalist who doesn't want her approval, and there's no potionist who hasn't used the herbs she sells. !”

"Sounds like what Umbridge would do." Professor McGonagall said, frowning slightly, "Because of her and the people at the Ministry of Magic, I am always worried about what will happen at Caredi - Any news, Pomona?"

"No." Professor Sprout said, laughing. "You know, Minerva, I just hear all kinds of rumors very easily. I swear I don't have any strange magic or intelligence network."

Professor McGonagall shook her head and smiled: "Okay. I guess I'm just too worried." She glanced at Anthony's plate, "Tea, Henry?"

"Not yet, thank you, Minerva," Anthony said, taking another biscuit.

…

When Anthony took the tea from Professor Sprout, he was finally able to lean back comfortably on the grass stems, feeling the leaves slowly curling up and closing around him, as if he was lying in a hammock.

"This is really good," he said. "Maybe I will come to the second greenhouse more often. What is this herb called?"

"Giant curly carnivorous plant," Professor Sprout said.

Anthony sat up.

"What?"

Professor Sprout leaned into the carnivorous grass and repeated with a smile: "Giant curly carnivorous grass. For small animals-such as small birds or weasels-their curls can be fatal, especially when they When curled, it emits an odor that relaxes prey, making it impossible for small animals to escape. For larger animals..." She gestured to the three people sitting at the tea table, "Their leaves cannot be made larger. The animals are completely wrapped up. Besides, we are stronger and can break free more easily. As long as you don't stupidly sleep in it, they can't do anything to you."

Professor McGonagall added: "But they are still more dangerous to lower-grade students, so Pomona planted them in the second greenhouse instead of the first or third greenhouse."

"It's relatively dangerous." Professor Sprout reassured Anthony (who was glaring at the blades of grass trying to surround him), "I'm about to let the sixth grade students try to touch them. Mature mandrakes. Crying can kill, and immature mandrake can make people faint. They are still taught in second years, and no herb is too dangerous as long as you have the right protection."

"In other words, herbal medicines can become very dangerous without the proper protection," Anthony said.

"Yes," Professor Sprout agreed. "Like all other magic."

Professor McGonagall agreed: "You need to find the right method, otherwise magic can become something very dangerous... Speaking of which, Pomona, I deducted five points from Justin Finch-Fletchley the day before yesterday."

"Oh, I noticed the house hourglass," Professor Sprout said. "I originally thought it was Severus who deducted points, but then I heard they had some trouble with Transfiguration."

"Fin-Fletchley said he must have confused Transfiguration with the Expansion Charm, but the result was a classroom full of beetles as tall as a man. Ernie MacMillan rushed out of the classroom and Hannah Abbott burst into tears." Professor McGonagall said sternly, "Since Gilderoy's Cornish Elf, no professor has had such ridiculous things happen in his class! After I made them smaller again, at least half of the students were unwilling to continue using them. Practiced.”

Professor Sprout said soothingly: "Okay, Minerva. In the Herbology class last week, a student almost poured dragon manure on the feet of the person next to him, and the two of them got into a quarrel because of this. "

Her example didn't seem to make Professor McGonagall any happier.

"Kenneth Toller and Angelina Johnson, I know." Professor McGonagall said with a straight face. They are all fourth year Gryffindor students.

Professor Sprout said, "I heard you helped Toller adopt a dog, Henry?"

"Ah, yes." Anthony said, "A white, energetic puppy should be kept in his own home now. It is said that he will receive puppy photos from his parents from time to time."

"Oh, little white dog." Professor Sprout said affectionately, "It's so cute."

"Mr. Toler seems to think so too." Anthony said with satisfaction, "I think they all like their adopted pets. This is good."

"You also helped to adopt Miss Midgan's cat, right?" Professor Sprout said.

Anthony laughed: "Yeah. Did anyone complain about that?"

"A few, but not much," Professor Sprout said. "What I'm trying to say is that Midgan loved it madly. She begged Poppy to help cure the three-legged cat, and finally Poppy Bi had to agree to give her a try. If it wasn't allowed, I guess Midgen would have taken her Catherine III anywhere." (Note 1)

"Her... what?" Anthony asked.

"Ekaterina III." Professor Sprout said, "I heard that this cat was originally called Miss, but Midgen felt that the name was inferior to Mrs. Norris and was not worthy of her cat at all. So I went to the library and searched for a long time before deciding what my cat should be called.”

Professor McGonagall looked at Anthony's expression, and a smile finally flashed across his tense face: "Tell me there is no such person as Catherine III in history, Henry."

"I...I don't know." Anthony said, "Did she consult Professor Binns before choosing the name?"

"I guess not," said Professor Sprout. "It doesn't matter. There are more than a dozen Alexanders or Peters--and Henrys--in the world." She smiled at Anthony. "It doesn't matter if there's one more Catherine. ”

At this moment, the greenhouse door was pushed open again. Professor Sprout glanced over and said, "Severus! Tea?"

"Of course," Snape said, striding over and sitting on the stool. The giant curly carnivorous plants tentatively tried to surround him. Snape impatiently tapped the grass blades beside him with his wand, and the carnivorous plants stopped as stiffly as stone statues.

Professor Sprout poured him a cup of tea, and Anthony pushed the tea in front of him in the direction of Snape - while he was eating biscuits one after another, Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout both The tea was pushed in front of him, so that now all the snacks on the tea table were pointed at Anthony.

Snape unceremoniously took a biscuit and promptly destroyed it.

"You haven't had lunch either, Severus?" Professor Sprout asked worriedly.

"What should I say?" Snape said, taking a long breath from his nose, "Because too many students think it's a good idea to bury their heads in the snow, the school hospital is already overwhelmed. So while some people are lying in the school hospital wasting beds, enjoying care and muttering complaints, the potion professor has to put down his research and spend time brewing basic potions such as stimulants - yes, Pomona, I don't have time for lunch."

"Have another piece of cake, Severus." Professor Sprout said.

"By the way, Minerva, Gryffindor just lost fifteen points." Snape said.

Professor McGonagall frowned and asked sternly, "Why again, Severus?"

"Potter, Weasley and Granger tried to sneak into the hospital wing with bad intentions." Snape said, with a smug tone, "It's a pity, Minerva, Potter still doesn't seem to have learned how to follow the rules."

"Mr. Potter obviously wants to enter the hospital wing to visit Sirius Black!" Professor Sprout said reproachfully, "Severus, you are so unkind."

Snape lowered his head: "Thank you." He ate the second piece of cake, and his particularly bad temper seemed to gradually disappear from him.

"By the way, what time is it now?" Professor McGonagall said, "Caridi should be back."

"She should have been back a long time ago." Professor Sprout also sounded worried, "I hope nothing happened to her, or to Ms. Bones."

Anthony said: "Don't worry, maybe she decides to fly back on her broom. Maybe in the next second-"

The door of the greenhouse opened again, and Professor Bubbage walked in.

"——she came back." Anthony said.

"Caridi!" Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall stood up at the same time. Professor Bubbage came over, her delicate and heavy wizard robes were cold from outside, and her face was a little tired.

"The sentence has been commuted." She said, sitting on the stool, pulling off her gloves and throwing them on the table, "After arguing all day... Peter Pettigrew said he was willing to give out the location of the You-Know-Who wand, Fudge was tempted, Crouch was also tempted - in fact, almost everyone was tempted. It's even hard for me to say that I wasn't tempted. The sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment in Azkaban."

Note 1: According to English habits, "Catherine II" should actually be "Catherine II", but I personally like this Russian translation very much, so this tortoiseshell cat is called "Catherine III".