Charlie decided to return to his dorm first.
Walking into the Hufflepuff common room, Charlie skillfully slipped into his undetectable extension trunk.
Inside the cave in the hilly region.
Judy was stealthily approaching Norbert.
While Norbert was sleeping, he stole two pieces of gold from the pile Norbert was pressing down on.
Then he quickly stuffed them into his large stomach pouch.
Satisfied, his eyes narrowed into two crescent moons.
But when he looked up, Norbert had opened his large eyes and was looking at him teasingly.
Judy froze in place, then turned to run.
But his short legs were no match for Norbert, who grabbed him.
Holding him by his hind legs, Norbert shook him up and down.
All the supplies Judy had painstakingly accumulated in his belly fell out.
Soon, Norbert saw that nothing more could be shaken out and gently tossed Judy out of the cave.
Judy landed with a splat at the cave entrance and began cursing at the cave.
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
His curses were quite foul.
Just then, Charlie entered the trunk, and Judy, as if finding a patron, rushed towards Charlie.
Norbert had been proudly listening to Judy's ranting, but then it suddenly stopped.
So he poked his head out of the cave, saw Charlie, and immediately dashed over.
Judy had just reached Charlie and was chirping something.
Before Charlie could listen closely, he was pushed aside by Norbert's butt.
Looking at the two beasts, who seemed like a family, Charlie was very pleased.
"Norbert, Judy, you two go play over there."
Charlie pointed to the other end of the trunk.
Norbert nodded in a human-like manner.
Judy wanted to say something more but was covered by Norbert's paw and taken away.
With the two beasts no longer bothering him, Charlie found the large pile of Whomping Willow branches he had picked up yesterday.
These branches varied in thickness; the thickest was as wide as an arm, and the thinnest was about thumb-thick.
Charlie chose a medium-thick branch and found a suitable spot near the trunk's entrance.
"This is it."
He stuck the branch into the ground, then squatted down and placed his palm on the branch.
Taking a deep breath, Charlie began to try injecting magic into the branch.
magic flowed from his palm, slowly permeating along the branch's grain.
Surprisingly, the magic entered very smoothly, without encountering any resistance.
"Huh?"
Charlie blinked, a bit puzzled.
"Didn't they say the Whomping Willow resists external magic? How did it go in so easily?"
"Under the heavens, there is no land that is not the King's; within the four seas, there are no subjects who are not the King's. The Whomping Willow naturally submits to Your Majesty."
The system's voice sounded in his mind, full of flattery.
Charlie rolled his eyes.
"Speak plainly, less flattery."
"Yes, Your Majesty! Your Majesty's magic, refined by the system, is the most righteous and peaceful magic in the world. This is the mark of an emperor, and even the Whomping Willow will not reject such magic."
Charlie nodded. A foolish monarch was still a monarch.
Continuing to inject magic, Charlie could feel the changes inside the branch.
The originally dry branch began to show vitality, and its internal magic channels were reactivated.
A few minutes later, tender green buds began to sprout from the tip of the branch.
"It worked!"
Charlie excitedly looked at the small bud; although it was only the size of a grain of rice, it was indeed alive.
However, the growth speed was not fast, far from Professor Sprout's technique of growing a thick vine in the blink of an eye.
Charlie stroked his chin, analyzing the reason.
He estimated that Professor Sprout's magic often entered the Venomous Tentacula, making her very familiar with its structure.
In fact, those Venomous Tentacula had long taken on the Professor's form.
As for him, it was his first time injecting magic into a Whomping Willow, and despite having a Herbology talent of Level 7, it was normal for the first attempt to be slow.
Understanding this, Charlie was no longer anxious.
He had plenty of time anyway; he could take it slowly.
He picked up a second branch, planted it nearby, and continued to inject magic.
Time passed by, minute by minute, and Charlie was completely immersed in the joy of gardening.
Watching dry branches regain vitality under the nourishment of his magic, the sense of accomplishment was overwhelming.
He even skipped lunch in the Great Hall, instead having Billy deliver a sandwich.
The sandwich was quick to eat; he finished it in a minute and continued gardening.
Charlie felt his dormant gardening genes were about to awaken.
Norbert lay on the ground, watching Charlie work, his dragon eyes full of curiosity.
Judy lay on Norbert's head; he had given up struggling.
Occasionally, he would scratch Norbert's scales with his small paws, treating Norbert as a mobile massage chair, which was his last means of revenge.
One person and two beasts spent the entire afternoon like this.
As class time approached in the afternoon, Charlie looked at his results.
A row of tender green buds lined up neatly near the trunk's entrance, looking vibrant under the magical light.
However, he had only planted half of the branches; there was still a large pile waiting to be processed.
"Looks like I'll have to work overtime tonight."
Charlie stretched.
He stood up, brushed the dirt from his hands, then turned to look at Norbert and Judy.
"You two listen carefully, do not approach this area."
Charlie pointed to the row of small buds.
"These little guys are still very fragile. If you step on them and break them, I'll confiscate all your gold."
Norbert nodded quickly, indicating he understood.
Judy, however, remained motionless. Laughable, it was as if he had gold to be confiscated.
Charlie crawled out of the trunk and patted the dirt off his robes.
The time was just right; it was time for Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
He tidied his robes and walked towards the classroom.
Although Lockhart seemed unreliable, it wasn't a bad thing for Charlie.
Charlie wouldn't pay serious attention in class anyway, and the more unreliable he was, the easier it was for Charlie to slack off.
Many people were already seated in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
This class was shared by Hufflepuff and Slytherin.
As soon as Charlie entered, he saw Lockhart sitting at the podium.
The fellow was wrapped in bandages, with his left arm in a sling, but he seemed to be in good spirits.
Wizards' physical fitness was indeed formidable; after being so badly thrashed by the Whomping Willow in the morning, he could still teach class normally now.
Lockhart saw Charlie enter, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across his face.
Charlie had witnessed his embarrassing scene that morning, and even Lockhart's thick skin couldn't quite handle it.
"Cough, cough." Lockhart cleared his throat, trying to maintain an elegant posture.
Charlie scanned the classroom and sat down in the back row next to Ernie Justin.
These two had also been led by Charlie from the front row to the back row.
Just then, Malfoy suddenly stood up from the Slytherin side and quickly walked over to Charlie.
"Charlie, can I sit here?"
Malfoy pointed to the empty seat next to Charlie, a fawning smile on his face.
The person originally sitting next to Malfoy was a girl who looked like a poodle.
At this moment, she looked bewildered, with a hint of hostility towards Charlie.
Charlie nodded, allowing Malfoy to sit beside him.
Malfoy, having achieved his goal, sat upright next to Charlie.
This made Charlie very curious; when had Malfoy become so serious?
This diligent appearance was as if he had been possessed by Hermione.
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