"Emerald Vine, called the King of the Jungle. Its leaves gleam like jade, it climbs trees as it grows, and it only appears in the dampest places. Powerful magical creatures often guard the areas where it thrives. This herb not only reduces inflammation and fights infection, it can also temporarily heighten a wizard's magical activity and adaptability to magic. It is the primer for Druidic shapeshifting..."
Isabella spoke with easy confidence. Just as she had promised at the start, the entire lesson was essentially an introduction to herbs. The students listened lightly, and before they knew it, the bell rang.
"As a professor, I still have to assign a little homework."
She smiled. A groan swept the room. No one had expected an assignment.
"Choose any one of the plants I introduced today and write a paper about it. More than eight inches in length."
Then she added, "Mr. Riddle, may I borrow a bit of your precious free time?"
Tom did not know what she wanted, but he nodded and handed his books to Daphne to take back for him.
Snape shot Tom a look and made a subtle hand sign. Tom understood at once.
The basilisk.
When the last student had filed out, Isabella smiled. "Mr. Riddle, your feat of slaying a basilisk alone caused quite a stir even at Castelobruxo."
"A stir or a joke?" Tom chuckled, unconcerned. "Miss Voray figured I was just courting attention. That is why she came at me."
"To be honest, at first I did not believe it either."
Isabella was frank. "In our records, every time a basilisk appears, terrible sacrifices are required to destroy it. The hide is as good as a permanent Shield Charm, and the deadliest threat is the eyes. Your achievement sounded too implausible.
"Once I arrived at Hogwarts, however, every professor and student I spoke to had seen it with their own eyes. I will not question needlessly. Wizards are, after all, the people of miracles."
Tom almost wanted to call Cassandra in to take notes on what charm looked like. It felt good to be praised, but he kept his head.
"Professor Camado, you did not bring up the basilisk just to flatter me, did you?"
"You are perceptive." Isabella smiled with pressed lips. "To be blunt, I, or rather Castelobruxo, need basilisk materials."
"For what purpose?" Tom asked.
"To brew a Druidic elixir for transforming into a basilisk." Isabella was open. "Castelobruxo has found a ruin filled with dangerous serpents and many traps and mechanisms tied to snakes. If we had a basilisk druid, exploration would go far more smoothly."
"What is inside?"
She gave an apologetic look. "I am sorry. Work on the ruin is currently stalled. I do not know the details."
"Fair." Tom nodded. He would treat what she volunteered as true and nothing more. "What can you offer in return? Galleons, potions, herbs?"
"Whatever we can do, we will meet your terms," Isabella said quickly.
"What if I want the Druidic shapeshifting method and the supporting potion recipes?"
Isabella blinked, then nodded without hesitation. "No problem."
Her ready agreement made Tom suspect she meant to palm him off with fakes. Seeing his doubt, Isabella explained with a smile, "We graduate many students every year. Plenty learn Druidic shapeshifting. The rare part is not the instructions and spells, but the materials."
"Then I want ten full sets of materials as well," Tom said at once.
Isabella still agreed. They arranged to trade after lunch tomorrow at the Astronomy Tower. Tom would provide five hundred pounds of basilisk flesh and blood in exchange for ten material sets and the corresponding knowledge.
Leaving the Potions office, Tom was still mulling over the ruin Isabella had mentioned. She had not told the whole truth. Even if the Druidic methods and recipes were not rare, they were still Castelobruxo's specialty. To hand them over so lightly meant that ruin mattered a great deal to her school.
Should he go take a look?
The thought flickered and died. He had far too little information. The Amazon rainforest was thirty times the size of Britain. Calling it a needle in the sea would not be wrong.
Why not wait for Castelobruxo to retrieve something first, then offer a fair price for it, or take a more direct approach after there was something tangible to target? That would be easier.
...
In the Great Hall, Tom slipped into his usual seat, only to hear a soft huff from across the table. He looked up. Cassandra. His brow lifted.
"Why are you sitting here?"
She turned her head. "Are the benches assigned? Your classmates took my usual spot. I am sitting here instead of there."
Tom glanced down the table and saw Nott and Zabini chatting with two Ilvermorny students. He let Cassandra be and went back to his thoughts. He did not notice the subtle shift in the Hall's atmosphere.
Today was another public dueling class. The Ilvermorny and Castelobruxo students had been notified early and were itching to test themselves against Hogwarts.
At the high table, the air was charged as well. Frank shot Rouse a taunting look. "Wilkinson, I hope you truly taught Hogwarts something. If they lose too badly, it will embarrass Ilvermorny."
Rouse's mouth was no softer. "At least I am better than the last two Defense professors. Right, Dumbledore?"
Dumbledore: …