Inside a professor's dormitory.
"Master, I don't understand why you are interested in Grindelwald."
"You know, his father is..."
"What I do is none of your business!"
A chilling voice entered Quirrell's mind.
The next second, intense pain swept through his entire body.
Quirrell fell to the ground with a thud.
He kept wailing.
His ten fingers were bloody and mangled from being rubbed against the ground!
"Master, I was wrong, please forgive your loyal servant!"
"I hope what happened today is the last time!"
A hoarse warning came from behind him.
A few minutes later, Quirrell slowly stood up, leaning against the wall.
His clothes were soaked with sweat.
When is the nearest Defense Against the Dark Arts class for him?
"Who?" Quirrell didn't react.
He asked it instinctively.
As a result, the suffocating pain struck again.
"I understand, Master! The nearest class to Grindelwald is the day after tomorrow!"
"The day after tomorrow..." Voldemort pondered for a moment, then said, "Prepare the potion in advance. I want to personally test his talent the day after tomorrow. Do you understand?"
"Understood!" Quirrell nodded hastily.
"He and the acolytes behind him can become my perfect tools. If you do this well, you will have done a great job."
"At that time, I will impart all the magical knowledge you desire to you."
"Thank you for your kindness, Master!"
...
Back in the dormitory.
As Argus lay in bed, a system notification sounded in his mind.
[Congratulations, host, on completing your nighttime tour and earning the achievement: Night Walker]
[Achievement Point Reward: 50]
"Thank goodness there was an achievement reward, otherwise we would have really lost out big time!"
Argus carefully considered his next course of action.
When Voldemort encountered Quirrell today, he used Legilimency on him.
His ability to use complex magic proves that his condition is not too bad.
It's much better than when they were stealing Harry's Philosopher's Stone.
If Voldemort had been able to use Legilimency back then, he wouldn't have been unable to find the Philosopher's Stone that Harry had hidden in his pocket.
Although he didn't have a direct confrontation with him tonight, he still managed to attract his attention.
We must be extra careful in the upcoming Defense Against the Dark Arts class and in our actions at Hogwarts.
"Strength! I'm still not strong enough!"
Argus sighed softly.
He is currently in an extremely awkward situation.
Too young, resulting in insufficient magical power.
Although he possesses a large number of spells, he has very little combat experience.
Not as good as the best, but better than the worst!
"We need to accelerate the pace of improving our strength."
He felt a deep sense of crisis after only two days at Hogwarts.
Having devised a series of plans to enhance his strength in his mind, Argus fell into a deep sleep.
The next day.
He arrived at Hogwarts Great Hall with a groggy head.
He had just sat down when he received the news.
Due to the large number of injuries sustained by Gryffindor and Slytherin students in Potions class yesterday, Herbology class will be conducted today by all four houses.
This made our know-it-all very happy.
This was her first time attending class with Argus.
They skipped and hopped along, pulling each other along, to the Herbology classroom.
The air was thick with the smell of soil mixed with fertilizer.
Professor Sprout was wearing an earth-yellow robe with patches on her hat.
She smiled broadly at everyone.
"Quiet down, little wizards."
"I know you're excited because it's your first time having class with so many classmates, but there will be plenty of time for you to interact in the future."
"Let's first take a look at the plants we're going to learn about today."
"Step back a little, little wizards."
Professor Sprout pulled a box from the corner and opened it.
A clump of dark green plants was swaying its long tentacles inside the box.
"Now, can anyone tell me what kind of plant this is?"
Hermione glanced at Argus and excitedly raised her hand.
"Miss Granger."
"It's a Christmas cactus, Professor!"
"Schlumbergera truncata…" Professor Sprout nodded.
Are there any other answers?
Seeing that no one spoke, she was somewhat disappointed.
She then looked at Argus with a hint of anticipation.
"Mr. Grindelwald, what kind of plant do you think this is?"
Argus observed carefully: "Long, dense tentacles, dark green vines."
"This is indeed a characteristic of the Christmas cactus."
"So, you also think this is a Christmas cactus?"
"No!" Argus walked to the window and suddenly pulled back the curtains.
The dazzling sunlight shone into the box, and the tentacles that had been swaying violently just moments before suddenly contracted.
They quickly hid in a corner of the box.
It kept tumbling.
"Schlumbergera don't fear sunlight. Clearly, this is a Devil's Snare disguised as a Christmas cactus."
"Very good, Mr. Grindelwald!"
Professor Sprout couldn't stop smiling.
"For your keen observation and profound knowledge."
"Slytherin gets five points!"
Then she looked at the dejected Hermione.
"Miss Granger also has a pretty good grasp of the textbook."
"Because of your studiousness, Ravenclaw gets three extra points!"
Hermione, unconvinced, pouted and leaned against Argus, saying defiantly, "Hmph! Just you wait!"
"Next time, I definitely won't lose to you!"
Professor Sprout waved her wand and drew the curtains.
The Devil's Snare felt the stimulation disappear and slowly relaxed.
"Devil's Snare is a dangerous vine that, under certain circumstances, can disguise itself as a Christmas cactus."
"A mature Devil's Snare can extend tendrils to entangle any approaching enemy. It is very powerful, and people often get injured because they mistake it for a Christmas cactus."
Even death!
"The way to deal with it is also very simple!"
"Mr. Grindelwald's behavior just now is a good example."
"Devil's Snares prefer dark and damp environments; strong light or fire can drive them away."
Professor Sprout explained in great detail, thoroughly analyzing the characteristics of the Devil's Snare, methods of dealing with it, and its natural enemies.
Argus noticed, however, that Harry had somehow drifted off into a trance.
He didn't hear a thing being said!
He shook his head inwardly.
"Even when we feed you food, you won't chew it."
"Without Hermione's help, let's see how you pass Professor Sprout's test in the future."
Because of the dangers of the Devil's Snare, after explaining the knowledge points about the Devil's Snare, Professor Sprout demonstrated to everyone how to deal with it.
She then put it away and took out the next plant.
Hermione immediately became excited and raised her hand high before Professor Sprout could ask her any questions.
Thankfully, this wasn't Snape's class, otherwise, he would have definitely made a few sarcastic remarks to Hermione.
"Miss Granger, please tell us."
"This is a Bubotuber, Professor! The pus is very effective in treating acne!"
"Very good answer, Miss Granger!"
"Does anyone recognize this plant, Mr. Grindelwald?"
"Bouncing Bulb, Professor."
"And this plant, Miss Granger?"
"It's Valerian Root!"
The rest of the time almost became a two-person show between Hermione and Argus.
The two could answer questions fluently about plants that many young wizards had never even heard of.
As if on purpose, every time Professor Sprout called Hermione, the next time it would be Argus.
After most of the class was over, she couldn't help but sigh.
"If today's lesson were an exam, I would definitely give you both a big O!"