Chapter 73: This Really Is Hogwarts
Ron Weasley, who should have been one of the main characters, inexplicably became a minor subplot.
It was an accident. Leonard hadn't expected the two of them to clash over a rat. One could only say that the Chosen One, Harry, was just too straightforward.
"This is Hermione Granger, and this is Neville Longbottom," Leonard introduced the two to Harry. After a pause, he turned to Hermione and Neville. "This is Harry Potter. I imagine you know who he is."
"Harry Potter?" Hermione's eyes lit up. "It's an honor to meet you."
She stepped forward, shook Harry's hand, and said, "I've heard about you—you defeated Voldemort!"
Leonard raised an eyebrow, while Neville's face went pale.
Speaking Voldemort's name aloud was taboo among wizards, but Hermione, raised in a muggle family, didn't care.
It was a bad habit. Leonard suspected that Harry's later tendency to call Voldemort by name came not only from youthful defiance, but also from Hermione's example.
Not that it had anything to do with him. The more they said it, the better—let Voldemort keep his eyes on them instead of Leonard.
After some small talk, Hermione showed Harry her Mending Charm. She didn't say anything directly, but her tone and attitude left Harry feeling slightly irritated.
"It's just a Mending Charm," he thought. "I can do that too. The only problem is that fixing my glasses is tricky—once I take them off, I can't see, and it makes casting spells difficult."
"Anyway, let's keep looking for the toad," Hermione said as she stood. "Neville's really anxious. Harry, are you coming?"
Harry glanced at Leonard, then nodded. "I'll come too."
Neville looked uneasy with the sudden help, though deep down he was happy.
But Leonard, having already met Harry and witnessed his quarrel with Ron Weasley, had no intention of running around with them.
"I've got a good idea, Hermione. Have you heard of the Summoning Charm?" Leonard asked.
Hermione shook her head, puzzled. Her knowledge came entirely from textbooks and books that didn't cover spells. The Summoning Charm wasn't taught until fourth year, so of course she hadn't heard of it.
"It's a spell that lets you summon objects to yourself. I suggest you find an upperclassman for help," Leonard said lazily from his seat.
"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Hermione groaned, feeling foolish for asking around so much.
"Just remembered," Leonard replied bluntly.
"Well, if it works, it'll make things a lot easier," Hermione muttered as she led Neville off to find an upperclassman. Harry grinned and sat down, ready to share his stories with Leonard.
Leonard looked up at Harry's smiling face.
"Shut up and read."
"...Oh." Though Leonard's tone wasn't harsh, Harry felt an undeniable pressure that made him obey.
How enviable. Leonard seemed both talented and commanding. If Harry had even half of that presence, he wouldn't be afraid of the Dursleys anymore.
Lowering his head, Harry obediently opened his book.
Across from him, Leonard thought:
He'd accidentally slipped into the way he spoke to werewolf wizards.
Never mind. Read.
Leonard lowered his gaze back to the Dangerous Magical Plants Atlas he'd bought from Midgard.
One plant in particular caught his interest.
The Venomous Tentacula—a dangerous magical plant with a will of its own, actively hunting nearby prey.
It secreted venom. Its tentacles carried paralyzing toxins, while its tender leaves concealed compound leaves that bristled with spikes, resembling a mouth full of fangs.
The poison coating those leaves was lethal. A single bite meant certain death, far too quick for any antidote.
It was the most aggressive magical plant Leonard had ever read about—capable of capturing, killing, and burying a dragon on the spot. That made him eager to see what an enhanced Venomous Tentacula might be like.
Hogwarts' greenhouses housed one. In Harry Potter's sixth year, Potions Master Horace Slughorn had even sneaked in to steal its leaves.
A single leaf was worth ten Galleons.
Though the leaves could be sold, Venomous Tentacula seeds were classified as Category C restricted items, impossible to buy through normal channels. But a werewolf wizard would surely have his ways.
Before Leonard had left Knockturn Alley, Midgard had already begun using her men to take over certain trades there, with restricted goods making up the bulk of it.
Leonard figured he'd have Venomous Tentacula seeds in hand before Christmas.
Staring at the plant's illustration in the book, Leonard's thoughts drifted. He was already planning how to start his own garden once he reached Hogwarts.
The carriage stayed quiet until nightfall. Hermione and Neville still hadn't returned, and Harry, seeing Leonard engrossed in his book, didn't dare break the silence.
It went on like that until the train slowed, gradually pulling into a shabby old station.
"Leonard, we're here." Harry glanced uneasily out the window at the dim, shabby station.
"Oh, then let's go." Leonard stood, put his book away, and followed the crowd off the train.
As soon as they stepped down, the older Hogwarts students gathered together and headed toward the station exit, leaving the first-years behind, staring around the worn-down platform in confusion.
Then a huge figure came lurching forward, holding up an oil lamp and calling out in a gruff voice, "First-years, this way! Follow me!"
"It's Hagrid!" Harry whispered excitedly. "Leonard, remember? He's the one who took me to the Leaky Cauldron."
"I remember. Hard to forget." Leonard nodded and followed the line of students moving toward the light of Hagrid's lamp.
Next came the Hogwarts tradition: first-years retracing the path once taken by the school's founders, traveling across the water to reach the castle.
Under the moonlight, the ancient castle stood gleaming in the distance. Leonard fixed his attention on the compass within his mind.
The needle pointed straight at Hogwarts.
That was where the second relic lay.
"So it really is Hogwarts," Leonard murmured to himself, eyes full of curiosity.
How had this castle, with both the Chamber of Secrets and ancient magical ruins hidden beneath it, managed to stand so firmly for centuries?
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