Harry Potter: Don't Touch the Badger's Plants

In Ciel's field of vision, above the Elber tree that seemed to hang upside down in the air, a line of text was flickering.

[Successfully planting Elber tree grants rewards—Flight Ability Enhancement (Bronze Tier), Levitation Charm Deduction Extremely Minor Enhancement (Black Iron Tier)]

"Just successfully planting it can actually provide Bronze-Tier rewards?"

Burning intensity spread through Ciel's eyes. Based on his previous experience, this meant that when the Elber tree matured, it could provide at least Silver-Tier rewards. Equivalent to Guardian Trees, Blood Jade, and mutated Piranha Algae.

This was the fourth magical plant he'd seen that could provide Silver-Tier rewards!

The only thing that made Ciel feel somewhat regretful was that the main reward the Elber tree could provide was Flight Ability Enhancement. This reward couldn't be said to be useless. For Quidditch players, this reward would definitely be something to obtain at any cost. It just didn't have that much use for Ciel.

However, upon reflection, he realized that in magical world combat, aerial battles made up a significant proportion. The most typical example was the battle that erupted on Harry Potter's coming-of-age day in the original story. The entire battle took place in the air, with unprecedented scale.

If he ever encountered similar situations, having stronger flight abilities wouldn't be a disadvantage.

Ciel's gaze fell on the other reward. "Levitation Charm Deduction Extremely Minor Enhancement?"

His heart stirred slightly. "Could this reward enhance my ability to deduce other spells from the Levitation Charm?"

Ciel immediately thought of the research topic he'd had no clues about before. If he waited for the Elber tree to mature, this reward should reach Bronze Tier. Might it be possible to complete it?

After a moment, Ciel still shook his head slightly. "Bronze-Tier enhancement would probably still be quite weak. If I were a genius in spells, a little assistance providing inspiration might allow me to solve difficult problems in one go. But I'm not. This small enhancement would still be difficult."

He paused, considering the implications. "However, seeing another magical plant with Silver-Tier rewards is already very lucky... I can't ask for too much."

Just then, Professor Flitwick also explained the special characteristics of the Elber tree to everyone with some pride.

"This magical plant is as light as a feather. It doesn't root in soil, but needs to root in high-altitude cloud layers. The higher the cloud layer it roots in, the healthier and stronger it becomes."

Professor Flitwick's eyes grew distant with memory. "Back then, Earl Elber discovered the Elber tree hidden in cloud layers at a thousand meters high during a flying carpet accident. Using this opportunity, he created the Levitation Charm."

Professor Flitwick looked at his collected Elber tree again. "However, you needn't worry. Over all these years, I've been preserving it with special magic. Although it hasn't rooted in high altitude and is still an initial-stage seedling, this state can be preserved for a very long time. If someone is lucky enough to obtain it, they could even pass it down to their descendants..."

Professor Flitwick's playful comment made the students in the classroom laugh.

Ciel took a deep breath. Because after Professor Flitwick introduced the Elber tree's special habit of preferring to root at high altitudes, he saw another line of text appear after the reward information above the Elber tree.

[Due to the Elber tree's special characteristics]

[The currently displayed rewards are what the Elber tree can provide at its current altitude]

[As the Elber tree's altitude increases, the reward level will gradually improve]

In that instant, Ciel's pupils contracted. The shock in his heart was indescribable. He almost blurted out a curse in the classroom.

After a long while, Ciel's turbulent emotions finally gradually calmed. "This means that as long as I provide this Elber tree with higher altitudes to root in, the level of rewards it can provide will keep increasing! Silver Tier is just the baseline, Gold Tier would be commonplace. Even directly providing Platinum or Diamond-Tier rewards wouldn't be impossible!"

This was the plant that could provide the most rewards Ciel had seen in his dozen-plus years since crossing into the Harry Potter world. The rewards from just this one plant alone were astonishing enough. Truly worthy of being a species on the verge of extinction, according to Professor Flitwick.

And if he could find methods to propagate Elber trees in the future—like cutting or grafting to create an entire Elber tree forest...

Ciel suddenly clenched his fists. No matter what, he was determined to obtain this Elber tree!

Coincidentally, Malfoy had the same thought at this moment. This was a Charms master's treasured collection. It could even make a Herbology master repeatedly request it. This showed how precious it was.

If he could obtain it, even his father would be very pleased. Moreover, this would serve as a commemoration. A commemoration of trampling that bastard Ciel Sprout underfoot today!

Malfoy felt eager to try. He was confident about surpassing Ciel this time. Besides believing Ciel had mixed giant blood and would have difficulty using the Levitation Charm, he naturally had his own confidence.

Last night he had already previewed the Levitation Charm lesson. He had even successfully cast the Levitation Charm several times through his own exploration. Although he couldn't say he was very skilled, as long as he performed normally, he would definitely be the fastest to cast the Levitation Charm in this class.

The Elber tree was his!

Malfoy's gaze burned intensely as he stared at Professor Flitwick, waiting for him to announce they could begin practicing. Then he would seize the Elber tree.

Not just Malfoy, many young wizards looked at Professor Flitwick with the same longing eyes.

Professor Flitwick showed a satisfied expression and drew out his words. "Now then, let me see who can win this Elber tree. Practice begins NOW!"

The moment Professor Flitwick announced the start of practice, a confident smile appeared at the corner of Malfoy's mouth. The key points for casting the Levitation Charm simultaneously surfaced in his mind.

"Pronunciation needs to be full. The wrist must be relaxed and flexible. Wand traces a gentle spiral ascending trajectory. End with a quick upward flick of the wrist. Also need to imagine magic acting on the object like airflow lifting a feather."

All the key points flashed through Malfoy's mind in an extremely short time. At this moment, Malfoy felt terrifyingly confident. He waved his wand.

But the next second, Ciel's crisp and decisive voice rang out as he recited the incantation.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Then the desk in front of Ciel immediately floated in the air like a feather. Not only that, but a gleam flashed in Ciel's eyes. His wand flicked again. Another desk floated up.

This was precisely the characteristic that only Bronze-Tier mastery of the Levitation Charm possessed. After one casting, he could make two objects float consecutively for a short time!

At this point, only one second had truly passed since Professor Flitwick announced the start of practice.

Everyone looked at this scene with bewildered faces. Malfoy also stood there stunned. He could hardly believe his eyes.

What had he just seen? Ciel's Levitation Charm! Why could Ciel levitate two desks at once? How many times had he secretly practiced in private? Why was he so skilled?

Even Professor Flitwick was stunned for a moment. "Ah…this…uh…"

Then he came to his senses and showed an expression of amazement. "Well then. The competition for the Elber tree is already over. I think no one's performance could be more deserving of winning the Elber tree than Ciel's. What a beautiful Levitation Charm! Five points to Hufflepuff!"

With Professor Flitwick's announcement, the little badgers immediately erupted in cheers.

Hannah, Susan, and other little badgers who had particularly good relationships with Ciel breathed sighs of relief, their faces flushed red with excitement as they looked at the still-stunned Malfoy and mocked without courtesy:

"Who was it that said mixed giants couldn't learn the Levitation Charm and Ciel would definitely expose himself? Now Ciel was the fastest to use the Levitation Charm and used it better than everyone else. What do you have to say now!"

Malfoy's face alternated between green and white.

At this time, Ciel couldn't be bothered with these petty conflicts between young wizards. Even if the sky fell, nothing was more important than the Elber tree.

He quickly walked to the podium and carefully received the bottle containing the Elber tree seedling from Professor Flitwick.

Seeing his performance, Professor Flitwick nodded with satisfaction. "Merlin above, for this Elber tree, she pesters me several times every year! Now Pomona has finally gotten her wish. Ciel, Pomona will definitely be overjoyed! She'll be proud of you. Keep working hard."

Ciel felt warmth in his heart. He had thought so. In the original story's Levitation Charm classroom, there was no content about Elber trees. This was probably something Professor Flitwick had brought out specifically for him. Just like the rewards given during that previous Lumos Charm test.

Ciel solemnly bowed to Professor Flitwick. "Professor. Thank you."

Professor Flitwick seemed a bit at a loss, stroking his beard and letting out hearty laughter.

Then, as if remembering something, he said to Ciel, "By the way, Ciel. Although your Levitation Charm was used beautifully, there are still some flaws."

Ciel also calmed his excitement over the Elber tree. He focused his mind and listened seriously to Professor Flitwick's guidance. If he slacked off even in this, it would not only waste the Charms master's instruction but also show disrespect to Professor Flitwick.

After listening for a moment, Ciel showed a reverent expression and nodded repeatedly. Professor Flitwick's guidance was crisp and to the point, hitting the mark directly. It immediately gave Ciel a feeling of seeing through clouds to blue sky.

On the system panel, the Bronze-Tier luster of the Levitation Charm became less illusory and ethereal. Obviously much more solid than before.

Ciel simply took this opportunity to pour out all the doubts he had after reading the Half-Blood Prince's notes, as well as some areas he hadn't fully grasped, to Professor Flitwick.

This surprised even Professor Flitwick. He looked at Ciel in amazement, extremely surprised in his heart.

"This child, he can already engage with such magical problems? Compared to when school started, he's completely transformed. His magical perception has undergone qualitative change. His understanding of magic, even Hermione Granger from Gryffindor is far inferior. This proves how hardworking and intelligent he is."

The joy of encountering a promising student spread through Professor Flitwick's heart. He held nothing back and discussed these problems with Ciel.

This left the other young wizards in the classroom dumbfounded. What were Ciel and Professor Flitwick talking about? Each word seemed understandable individually. But combined together, how did it become incomprehensible?

Hannah's mouth hung wide open as she made an exaggerated exclamation. "Merlin above! If someone says Ciel is a mixed giant, wouldn't that make us mixed trolls, stupid beyond a hundred miles!"

Malfoy immediately felt as if he'd been slapped. His face burned with embarrassment. Indescribable feelings of defeat surged in his heart. He couldn't accept it. He, a pure-blood noble, was being left far behind by Ciel. He couldn't even understand what Ciel was saying!

At this time, the bell finally rang, temporarily interrupting the discussion between Professor Flitwick and Ciel.

Professor Flitwick felt somewhat unsatisfied. "Ciel. If you have questions in this area, you can come to my office anytime."

Ciel nodded and thanked Professor Flitwick again. His eyes also sparkled with joy. That brief exchange had resolved most of his confusion.

On the system panel, the flickering luster on various spells with dramatically improved mastery became increasingly solid. This also elevated his respect for Professor Flitwick even further.

A teacher is one who transmits knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts. Some advisors from his previous life who only made students work on corporate projects and run errands for reimbursements and package pickups were simply an insult to the word "professor" compared to Professor Flitwick!

Then Ciel carefully held the Elber tree and turned to leave the Charms classroom. His heartbeat also began accelerating rapidly.

His gaze fell toward the high sky. If the Elber tree were planted at ten thousand meters altitude, what level would the rewards reach?

Perhaps there was a slight chance to impact Diamond-Tier rewards!

[Chapter Complete]

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