Enhancement complete, Leonard began planting a new specimen: mandrake.
He lifted his hand, and a black hole unfurled at his fingertips, dropping out a segment of vibrant root.
He buried the root in a pre-planned patch, applied Root Enhancement, watered it, and covered it with a layer of fertilizer.
Magical plants grew quickly in the wizarding world, and with a touch of spellwork, Leonard estimated this mandrake would reach maturity by winter.
[You planted a new magical plant. Current (4/5). You gained 20 Experience Points. Current: Advanced Plant Apprentice (331/700)]
After finishing his work and using up the last of the fertilizer, Leonard tidied up and decided to patrol the area.
Until the Bitterthorns fully matured, the garden relied mainly on the withered thorns around its borders for defense. Checking the traces in the vicinity also helped him gauge the garden's situation—whether it had been noticed by anything unwelcome.
He circled the perimeter, examining beast tracks and droppings left behind.
Finding nothing unusual, Leonard exhaled in relief.
The Botanical Garden was still fragile, and he had no intention of letting all his effort go to waste.
"If only I could transplant some mature magical plants," Leonard muttered, gazing at the hidden garden behind the withered thorns.
But that was easier said than done. Few people sold mature magical plants—especially the dangerous kinds whose very seeds were banned from trade.
Those were gold mines.
"Oh, right. I haven't tested my new talent yet." The thought struck him, reminding him of his [Plant Radar].
It allowed him to sense the locations of magical plants. Maybe he'd even spot some dangerous, fully-grown ones.
With that hope, Leonard activated [Plant Radar].
Invisible waves rippled outward, and wherever they passed, a gray-white outline filled his vision.
As the range expanded, he felt his perspective rise, as if from a god's-eye view, surveying a vast map centered on himself.
Scattered across the gray-white map were green points of light.
Behind him, in the Botanical Garden, dense clusters of green glowed brightly, while elsewhere they were sparse—the closest still hundreds of meters away.
"So it only shows positions, not species?" Leonard frowned, a little disappointed.
Still, he couldn't complain. Pinpointing exact locations was already a huge advantage—far better than stumbling around blindly or sitting idle waiting for Midgard to deliver plants.
Even so, staring at the glowing dots on the map, Leonard couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.
"I should have activated Plant Radar on the way here." He smacked his forehead. "That way I could've transplanted them as I went."
Activating it on the way back would be useless. Running back and forth like that would probably take until nightfall.
"Next time, remember this," Leonard muttered to himself with a sigh before casting a Disillusionment Charm and heading toward Hogwarts.
Since Plant Radar didn't interfere with his vision and even displayed a clear map, he left it running, eyes fixed on the glowing points as he walked.
He planned to take a look at any magical plants along the way. Even if he couldn't transplant them, at least he'd learn something new.
That said, he didn't hold out much hope of finding the kind of plant he truly wanted. If such dangerous species existed nearby, they'd likely have been dealt with long ago.
Before long, Leonard came across his first magical plant.
It was a Wiggentree, its branches crawling with Bowtruckle.
As described in A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, the Protector Tree—an enchanted Rowan—possessed warding properties, earning it the name Wiggentree.
Such magically infused trees were among the finest materials for wand-making.
Leonard lingered beneath the tree, studying the emerald-green, mantis-like creatures perched among its branches.
Bowtruckle were companion creatures to enchanted trees, serving as natural markers for wandmakers seeking wood suitable for wands.
They helped protect the trees by clearing away pests, making them beneficial allies. But they were notoriously short-tempered—anger them, and those sharp claws could gouge out a wizard's eyes in an instant.
Since they fell under the classification of Magical Creatures, Leonard couldn't count on them showing him any goodwill. Still, as long as they couldn't see him, he could probably snap off a branch unnoticed, right?
Not that he intended to. Leonard wasn't so deranged as to vandalize a tree for no reason. He had no interest in wand-making, so there was no need to damage it.
Transplanting a full-grown tree would be far too troublesome anyway. Seeds, however—that was another matter.
Rowan berries ripened between July and August, and these were already overripe, nearly spoiling.
That made it the perfect time to collect their seeds.
Leonard picked up several fallen berries, pried them open for seeds, and summoned a black hole at his side to swallow them up.
Anything that qualified as a seed could be stored in the Magical Seed Bag, making it convenient for later use.
Leaving the Bowtruckle—still oblivious to his presence—behind, Leonard adjusted his bearings to stay on the path toward Hogwarts while continuing to observe magical plants along the way.
As he had suspected earlier, the Forbidden Forest didn't contain that many magical plants, and most were of limited value.
Sneezewort, a mildly toxic ingredient used in Befuddlement Draught.
Knotgrass, harmless but essential for brewing Invisibility Potion.
And one unknown plant whose stems oozed a vivid green sap.
Though none matched his expectations, Leonard mentally cataloged each one, planning to transplant them into his botanical garden on future trips.
After all, the garden's long-term quest didn't specify which magical plants he had to grow. Naturally, he wouldn't pass up a single specimen.
Walking and stopping intermittently, he eventually reached the forest's outer edge.
Hogwarts lay ahead. On the map, he could even see the massive green cluster that marked the greenhouses. Unfortunately, those belonged to the school, and under normal circumstances, he had no way of acquiring them.
Just as he was about to deactivate the Plant Radar, something at the edge of the map caught his attention.
A massive cluster of dazzling green light.
Leonard froze, hand halfway through the motion to switch off the ability.
"That's Hogwarts," he muttered, frowning at the map. "But that direction isn't where the greenhouse is."
The greenhouses were located in the castle's southeast corner. Yet this new, much larger cluster of light was positioned to the southwest, south of the Great Hall itself.
What could possibly contain so many magical plants besides the greenhouse?
More importantly—the sheer spread of the green lights was staggering. From the map's perspective, it looked as though the Great Hall itself was buried beneath them.
...
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