In the afternoon, there was a Magic Potion Class with Hufflepuff, and Vid was still partnered with Theo. They stood in the corner, with Leian and a Hufflepuff boy next to them.
Michael and Padma were in the front.
Vid saw Padma initially ignoring Michael, but after he whispered a few words and secretly handed something to her, the girl turned her anger into joy.
So that's how it is...
Vid secretly shook his head.
It's not strange for Michael to like Padma, but he also likes other pretty girls. They made up today, but they're bound to argue sooner or later.
But matters of the heart are like drinking water; only those involved know if it's warm or cold. Perhaps they are the type of pair who bicker as a form of affection?
Vid didn't think much more of it and went to the storage cabinet at the back with Theo to fetch the materials needed for class.
Looking at the dark cabinet, he suddenly remembered something and reached in to fiddle around, finding two tattered copies of "Advanced Potion Making" at the very bottom.
"What's this?" Theo asked.
"Seems like old textbooks used by students."
Vid said as he casually flipped through one.
One of them had its blank spaces filled with dense writing in a small, ugly script, even in the gaps between the text, making it hard to decipher.
Vid casually stuffed it into his bag and put the other textbook, which had fewer notes, back.
While brewing the potion, Theo seemed hesitant to speak, as if he had some concerns.
"After dinner, we're going to the eighth floor of the castle," Vid said in a low voice.
Theo's eyes immediately lit up.
...
When Theo saw the Room of Requirement, despite being from a wizard family, he was extremely surprised. Seeing the disappearing cabinet afterward left him even more dumbfounded.
"Is this the disappearing cabinet in the castle?" Theo asked, "I heard it seems to be broken."
"I fixed it," Vid said. "I was supposed to do an experiment today with Remus... Oh, Remus Lupin, he's my tutor... but I have to go serve detention with Professor Sprout now..."
Theo nodded, "Then I'll handle the experiment... How do I contact that Mr. Lupin?"
Vid tore out the friendship book to contact Remus and gave it to Theo, also explaining some precautions.
Seeing it was close to nine o'clock, Vid left immediately. He had just reached the second greenhouse entrance when Professor Sprout arrived.
"Herbology is the foundation of magic potions. Transfiguration, Divination, and Alchemy also often involve the application of herbs."
"However, talented wizard apprentices often only focus on the medicinal or poisonous effects of herbs, ignoring other uses..."
As she opened the greenhouse, Professor Sprout said:
"But those unnoticed parts are often the foundation of plant life. For instance..."
The moist air surged in, with various green plants interwoven, forming a vibrant tapestry.
Professor Sprout smiled and asked him, "Vid, do you know how plants germinate?"
...
Detention... or rather, a tutorial ended, and Vid left the greenhouse with an inexplicable sense of awe.
He held in his hand a seed Professor Sprout had given him.
It was just an ordinary dandelion.
Its parent plant had been cultivated with many magical plants, so this seed also carried a faint magical power.
This power wouldn't turn it into a true magical plant, nor would it have any special effects, only making it a bit stronger during its growth period compared to its kind.
That was the original idea.
But now, the dandelion seed sprouted in Vid's palm, growing, its leaves unfurling.
Without water or soil, the small yellow flowers quickly bloomed and wilted within seconds, turning into fluffy white balls.
The wind blew, the dandelion seeds drifted with the wind, and the withered stems and leaves seemed to turn to dust, leaving only one seed to leisurely fall back into Vid's palm.
The process repeated, as if someone pressed fast-forward on a video.
[Life...]
Vid mused over this ordinary yet extraordinary word, feeling a vague enlightenment within.
Not just herbs, but even Animagus... and Biological Alchemy... he gained some insights.
...
With some time before curfew, Vid first went to the Room of Requirement.
Theo was indeed still there, but he didn't look happy; instead, he seemed troubled.
Hearing the door open, he turned his head and sighed, "Vid, the experiment wasn't successful."
"What happened?" Vid was taken aback and walked over to ask.
He looked closely and saw that the magic pattern circuits on the disappearing cabinet remained intact without any flaws.
"I don't know why it's hit or miss."
In front of Theo lay a parchment, listing every item transmitted and whether each attempt was successful or not.
"We conducted fifty experiments in total, thirty-seven successes and thirteen failures, nearly one or two failures every five tries."
The details on Theo's paper were thorough. Vid noticed that the frequency of failure didn't increase with the magical power of the object, making it completely random.
"However, the good news is that even if it fails, the transmitted items or creatures aren't damaged, just trapped in the cabinet for a while."
Theo looked at Vid and softly asked, "Is there something else not repaired? Maybe we can ask that Professor Morry."
Vid shook his head, "I'm sure it's fixed. I even made some improvements based on Mr. Scamander's method... However..."
He said with a hint of defeat, "Perhaps there's something I haven't discovered, or maybe they're not compatible very well... If I can't find the issue myself, I'll have to consult the professor..."
Perhaps we must restore all the magic to its original state?
But Newt's method would undoubtedly be better; it doesn't rely on a protagonist's aura; Vid could conclude this from his knowledge of magic.
He repeatedly observed the disappearing cabinet but still couldn't pinpoint the problem.
Seeking Morry's guidance was an option, but if possible, Vid didn't want to do that.
Just as ordinary school students wouldn't go and ask teachers—what pose looks coolest when skipping class over the wall.
Theo, seeing Vid's contemplative demeanor, didn't understand what Vid could see from the black cabinet, but stayed by his side quietly, thinking over the night's experiment to see if any patterns could be deduced.
Soon, he noticed an issue.
"Vid," Theo spoke, "you said you improved this disappearing cabinet..."
"Yes," Vid sighed in response.
"Then..." Theo hesitated, unsure if his guess was correct, "Did you also improve the other cabinet?"
Vid suddenly turned to look at him, then knocked his own head forcefully.
"I can't believe I was so dumb... Theo, you're a genius!"
He finally realized why it had been failing!