Chapter 40. The Growth of the Tree of Wisdom
The second day of term.
Perhaps because of the change of environment, Adrian Wesson woke unusually early.
When he woke, the sky outside was pitch-black, the sparse stars still flickering faintly. The room was silent, with only the occasional hoot of an owl drifting in through the window.
Adrian sat up in bed and rubbed his temples; he still wasn't quite used to this new place.
Even so, it didn't affect what he intended to do next.
He bent down, groped beneath the bed, and pulled out a suitcase—the one he had left here when he'd come for his interview.
Adrian took the handle, lifted it lightly, then casually tossed it into the open space.
The suitcase flipped once in midair and landed with a soft thud. The smooth case rapidly expanded.
In just a few seconds, a door was standing upright in the middle of Adrian's room.
This was the spare door to Adrian's plantation.
He had already tested it: although Apparition didn't work at Hogwarts, his portal still did.
After all, it was made from a piece of mutated wood with the trait "Spatial Positioning," which had nothing whatsoever to do with Apparition.
Of course, this wasn't something he could let others know lightly. With this portal, Adrian could bring outsiders in and out of Hogwarts at will.
That was, without question, a threat.
And that kind of threat would directly affect Hogwarts' safety.
If Dumbledore found out, Adrian was sure he would never allow this door to remain at Hogwarts.
The door swung open without a sound. Adrian stepped through, and the view before his eyes changed.
For safety's sake, the entrance of this spare door had been set beneath his Whomping Willow.
If anyone else did come in…
Adrian could only hope the Whomping Willow would leave them in one piece.
Inside the plantation, it was as dark as outside; dawn had not yet broken.
At this hour, Lupin wasn't on duty either, so Adrian was currently the only person in the plantation.
In the distance, the Devil's Snare sensed Adrian's arrival and immediately stretched its tendrils towards him, swaying beside him like a delighted pet.
"Don't do that," Adrian said with a laugh, pushing away the Devil's Snare's tendril. "You want to go out with me? Not now. You'll have your chance later."
The Devil's Snare seemed dissatisfied and kept tugging at Adrian's hand with a tendril.
"All right, all right, I'll take you out once it's light," Adrian said helplessly, patting the 'head' of the tendril.
Ever since the Devil's Snare had acquired the trait of parasitism, it had taken a liking to the feeling. Every so often it would pester Adrian, hoping he would take it out for a walk.
It was no matter; to Adrian, this wasn't a bad thing.
It was even a layer of protection—if he were attacked, the Devil's Snare could help defend him.
Though the likelihood of an attack at Hogwarts was very small.
After soothing the Devil's Snare, Adrian walked over to stand before the Tree of Wisdom.
"Eldra."
[Name: Eldra (Tree of Wisdom)]
[Species: Oak]
[Level: 3]
[Traits: Object Analysis, Soul Link]
[Status: Growing (99%)]
…..
At last, the Tree of Wisdom's growth had reached its critical point.
But in Adrian's experience, whenever the Tree's progress bar reached ninety-nine per cent, it always needed some kind of catalyst to continue growing.
The first time had been in Adrian's fifth year, not long after his sister was injured—then the Tree of Wisdom gained the ability "Soul Link."
The second time was when Adrian returned to Britain after travelling around the world—then the Tree of Wisdom gained "Object Analysis."
As for the imminent third time, Adrian suspected it might have something to do with Harry.
Because the Tree of Wisdom's growth changed only when it was near Harry.
Of course, this was only Adrian's conjecture. He wasn't sure what exactly needed to be done to make the Tree continue to grow.
For now, all he could do was wait and see.
After confirming the Tree of Wisdom's status, Adrian made another circuit of the entire plantation.
This was to let all the plants be imbued with his magic.
Only then would these plants be affected by his "Mutation" ability.
…..
By the time Adrian returned to his office through the portal, it was already getting light.
The Devil's Snare had also got its wish and parasitised Adrian's body; a net-like pattern of the plant covered his arm.
Naturally, it was all hidden beneath his robes; no one could see a thing.
Adrian glanced again at the timetable he had hung on the wall and couldn't help letting out a sigh, feeling he seemed rather idle.
He only needed to teach three classes a week.
One class for the third years, one for the fourth years, and one for the fifth years.
And each class was taught to all four Houses together.
He finally understood why, back when Professor Kettleburn was teaching, he had so much time to study dragons.
Adrian had once seen Professor McGonagall's timetable—it was packed to the brim without a single free slot.
By comparison, his schedule could only be called idle to the point of fidgeting, even leaving him a little ashamed.
…Oh well. Idle is idle.
Seeing it was about time, Adrian left his office, planning to go to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Looking at the familiar portraits, suits of armour, and staircases nearby, Adrian couldn't help feeling a little nostalgic.
The Devil's Snare was clearly even more excited than Adrian.
Whenever they passed anything, its tendril would sneak out from beneath Adrian's robes, poking here and there like an overexcited child.
It soon stopped doing that.
As they passed a suit of armour, the greatsword in the armour's hands suddenly swung down; the sharp blade sliced clean through one of the Devil's Snare's tendrils.
Having learned its lesson, the Devil's Snare didn't dare approach the armour again.
At last Adrian stopped at a staircase, because the stairs before him had split into two.
Left, or right?
Adrian frowned, stumped—he remembered the stairs hadn't been like this in the past.
Just then, a translucent figure suddenly floated into view.
The Fat Friar.
The Hufflepuff House ghost, robed like a friar, short and plump.
"Go left, Professor Wesson," he said kindly.
As a Hufflepuff, Adrian was naturally very familiar with the Fat Friar, who embodied the House's signature friendliness and kindness.
Adrian knew he could take the Friar's advice—unlike Peeves, who couldn't get a truthful word out of his mouth.
"Thank you for the help, Fat Friar," Adrian said as he stepped onto the left-hand stair. He turned his head and remarked offhandedly, "Do you still remember me? I mean from before—about six or seven years ago—when I was a student here…"
"Of course! Don't be fooled by the fact that my brain's fake now—my memory is much better than it was when I was alive! Ha ha…" the Fat Friar said, breaking into laughter, apparently thinking he'd told a decent joke.
Adrian could only give an awkward chuckle in return.
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