In the weeks that followed, Kael visited the Room of Requirement almost every day. Besides tending to the new Devil's Snare, he also had to constantly keep an eye on the Chomping Cabbage.
Once they reached maturation, they could temporarily break free from the confines of the soil, wandering around with their broad outer leaves.
However, Kael wasn't too worried about this since, as long as they weren't provoked by any creatures, the Chomping Cabbage wouldn't easily leave their comfortable earth.
Kael was more concerned about them randomly spitting seeds.
Once matured, the Chomping Cabbage could eject their seeds at any time, with the distance entirely dependent on their mood—sometimes reaching hundreds of meters away.
The Room of Requirement isn't particularly big, so if these seeds took root near the Moonstruck Beast or Devil's Snare, it would be troublesome.
The Chomping Cabbage is a plant that's very difficult to transplant, especially in its sprouting stage. Any slight change in its surroundings could cause it to wither immediately.
Only a master botanist like Professor Sprout could accomplish such a highly technical and experienced-demanding task.
Kael was still not there yet, so he could only use the most basic method—collecting the seeds before they sprouted and planting them in a suitable place.
After toiling for over a month, by the Easter holiday, the Room of Requirement housed five Chomping Cabbages.
Two matured ones and three newly sprouted ones.
After confirming there were no missed seeds, Kael felt a lot more relaxed. At least he didn't need to visit the Room of Requirement daily anymore.
However, Cedric was getting busier, and not just him; all the Hufflepuff Quidditch players were in the same situation.
Harris's demands on them were stricter than ever, and even after the heavy snow followed by continuous rainy days, his enthusiasm for training didn't wane a bit.
Yet, no one had any complaints.
If they won the next game against Slytherin, their total score would surpass Gryffindor's, becoming the top-scoring house.
Then, all they needed was one final victory, or to not be overtaken by other houses, to become the champions and bring the Quidditch Cup to Hufflepuff.
For that final victory, every team member turned into a training fanatic, barely wanting to leave the Quidditch Pitch.
Of course, Gryffindor was pretty much the same.
But Slytherin seemed to be throwing in the towel, training as usual each day, then disbanding right on time without staying a second longer.
This was not surprising since they needed to beat Hufflepuff by three hundred points in the next match to have a shot at the championship.
But that was clearly unrealistic; if it were Ravenclaw's giving-away-points team, there might be a chance.
In the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class that morning, Kael, while eagerly anticipating tomorrow's match, took notes on the various treatments for werewolf bites.
"Remember, a mixture of Dittany and Silver Powder can only seal the wound; it can't stop the transformation into a werewolf."
Professor Oren said sternly from the podium, "If you're not absolutely confident, the best method when encountering a werewolf is to run, as fast as you can. Choose charms that create obstacles to buy time for your escape, instead of trying to attack them.
Sometimes, having a broomstick at hand is a great habit; it just might save your life at a crucial moment."
After these notes, Professor Oren transformed the podium into a werewolf with a Transfiguration Spell, then invited the young wizards to come forward for practical training.
While queuing, Conna sidled up to Kael and whispered, "Do you happen to have any rat poison?"
"Rat poison?"
Kael blinked and said, "What, has Poke fallen out of favor?
But even if that's the case, there's no need to kill it—you could just give it to Percy; Scabbers is in need of a wife."
"What are you thinking? I would never give away Poke."
Conna pushed Kael lightly, annoyed. "I mean a potion for treating rats; Poke's been sick lately, not lively at all."
"Sick?" Kael frowned, "Have you given it rat tonic on time?"
Conna nodded, "Of course, I've fed it on schedule every month, never missed once."
"That shouldn't be the case." Kael scratched his head in confusion, "Did I buy fake ingredients?"
The rat tonic he sold to Conna wasn't the syrup kind from Diagon Alley stores but a special tonic Newt developed for Murtlaps.
For an ordinary field rat, this stuff is about as good as the "Spring of Life." A small bottle a month should ensure a healthy life until a natural death.
"You're sure it's sick?" Kael asked again.
"For sure, it was even sneezing last night." Conna thought for a moment, "I suspect it's related to the heavy rain during the Flying Class a few days ago; everyone in our dorm caught a cold then."
"It's possible…"
Kael looked at the few people left in front of them and moved with Conna to the back of the line.
"I do know a formula for rat medicine, but I'm missing some Potion Materials."
Kael rubbed his fingers together, thinking for a while before saying, "How about this: tonight give Poke a bottle of rat tonic first.
If that doesn't work, after tomorrow's Quidditch match, I'll send an owl to Hogsmeade to get it."
After a pause, Kael suddenly asked, "By the way, have you lost any Galleons lately… Sickles and Knuts count too?"
"Not since that handbag you gave me." Conna wondered, "Why?"
"Nothing." Kael laughed, "Just wanted to see if you could afford it."
"Uh… is it expensive?" Conna, pulling out the pink handbag, asked nervously, "I only have a few Galleons left."
"That's enough." Kael said, "They're all common materials, just a few Sickles worth."
Conna patted her chest, breathing a sigh of relief, "Phew—that's good."
While they talked, the number of young wizards in front of them dwindled, and soon it was their turn for practical training.
The young wizards didn't know many charms, so against the "werewolf" controlled by Professor Oren, they had virtually no ability to resist and were captured in seconds.
Was it not quick?
Conna held out for a minute before succumbing to the "wolf's kiss."
Kael was the last one.
But unlike the others, he didn't run immediately; instead, he quickly drew his wand, pointing in the direction of the classroom door.
"Summoning Charm for the broomstick."
A few seconds later, an old-fashioned Comet broom crashed through the classroom door, soaring into the air with Kael flying around the room.
"The correct answer… If you were a bit more attentive, you'd have noticed I put the broom by the door ahead of time. Even if you couldn't use the Summoning Charm, you'd have enough time to open the door and grab it."
Professor Oren appeared somewhat disappointed, dispelling the Transfiguration Spell on the podium as he said loudly, "Ten points to Hufflepuff!"