A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts
Chapter 642: Transformation of Reality and Illusion - (2)

Professor Sprout maintained her untidy appearance, with disheveled hair peeking out from under a patched hat, and her clothes stained with mud—a stark contrast to the organized greenhouse.

"Felix!" she greeted warmly. "Mildred told me you need a total of 23 leaves of Mandrake, right?"

"Yes, that's correct," Felix replied, adding, "There's another matter, actually." However, Professor Sprout had already started moving towards the back of the greenhouse, wielding a pair of large scissors.

Excitedly, she said, "We should find some fresh leaves. Every few years, Mildred requests some for the students, but never this many—luckily, we have a few Mandrakes that need pruning; they've been growing for nearly four years."

Felix followed her to a designated area. Seven or eight fully mature Mandrakes stood lush and tall, almost the size of small shrubs, planted in pots as large as those Hagrid enchanted for pumpkins. He could distinctly hear the rhythmic snores emanating from them. "Keep it down; they're sleeping, and it can be dangerous if they wake up," Professor Sprout cautioned, lowering her voice as she skillfully maneuvered the giant scissors to cut two leaves with a crisp sound.

"Snap."

The leaves fell smoothly. Felix beckoned, and the Mandrake leaves twirled down into his hands. Professor Sprout moved to a different spot and repeated the process. "Don't pick too much from the same plant; they don't like it," she explained.

In no time, they had gathered the required leaves. Professor Sprout handed Felix a bag to store the Mandrake leaves. When everything was done, Felix approached, extending a hand and turning to Professor Sprout. "May I touch them?"

"Oh," Professor Sprout hesitated. "Their cries are lethal now; it's better not to wake them."

He rotated his wrist, and the massive pot levitated slowly, stopping in front of him. He could only see the upper half, as the rest was buried in the soil. Felix carefully examined it, his eyes catching the patterns resembling magical runes, and his magical thoughts expanded from him like ripples in a pond.

With a gentle flick of his fingers, the dark pot gradually changed to a lighter color, shimmering a few times until only rough outlines remained, as if Valen held a quill, sketching a three-dimensional drawing in the air.

Professor Sprout curiously observed from the side. She had never seen such magic before. However, the general consensus outside was that Felix Harp's magical abilities were close to Dumbledore's, which was why she didn't intervene.

In front of them, a solid mass of brown soil was held in an invisible force. Felix moved his fingers again, and under his magic, the magical transformation of the soil occurred. Layers of brown soil seemed to be repeatedly rubbed by an eraser, leaving blurry pencil-like traces in place, revealing the Mandrake plants inside.

Felix didn't know who first suggested that they looked like babies, but he thought they resembled tiny old men, grotesque with unknown spots. They slept undisturbed, curled into a ball with pointed little fists against their chests.

"I've never seen Mandrakes asleep before; it's beautiful," Professor Sprout said, showing a fascinated expression.

Felix gained a new appreciation for her aesthetic taste. He extended his hand, passing through the rough lines resembling a sketch, directly touching the Mandrake plant and its anthropomorphic face.

His magic seeped in gradually.

On the other side, Professor Sprout also reached out, gently caressing the Mandrake's root-like skin, softly chanting incantations.

Felix closed his eyes, intensely feeling his magic. Gradually, he sensed his magic dispersing, attaching to some lines with magical properties inside the Mandrake plant – unique wooden patterns.

In the early days of magical desolation, these magical lines were believed to be the origin of ancient runes. He captured some familiar shapes.

Opening his eyes, Professor Sprout was staring at him.

Felix clenched his fist, pulling back his arm abruptly. A pure blue grid, entirely composed of magic, trailed behind him. The chaotic shape resembled melted iron poured into an anthill. Yet, in Felix's eyes, it radiated a unique beauty.

His gaze now mirrored Professor Sprout's earlier fascination.

The magic-made grid expanded slowly. He dispersed most of the irrelevant magic, retaining only a small cluster resembling a crescent moon at the center. Under his delicate control, these magic strands underwent subtle changes, transforming from a rough appearance to crystal-like clusters. Soon, one of the crystal branches detached, turning into a shining ancient rune.

Professor Sprout stared wide-eyed. Thanks to Felix's relentless efforts over the past four years, most professors were familiar with the basics of ancient runes. Now, she could only associate one term—ancient magic, the ancient magic of Mandrakes' lethal cries.

More and more runic symbols took shape, falling off the main structure like tired birds into Felix's other hand, gradually piecing together a shape similar to a crescent moon, like the earlier magical lines.

But even Professor Sprout knew they were entirely different. She grew increasingly tense.

When only one-third of the magic remained in midair, it suddenly self-destructed, dissolving into mist-like magic. Professor Sprout, who was silently watching, subtly released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Unconsciously, a bead of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Seems like it's not quite there," Felix chuckled.

"Do you want to convert the Mandrake's innate abilities into magic?" Professor Sprout asked.

"I've been studying sound magic recently," Felix said slowly. "During the summer, I found some information at the Ilvermorny School library. Progress has been slow, so I thought I'd seek inspiration elsewhere..."

"Speaking of Ilvermorny, Felix, do you want to check on the snake-wood branches you brought back? It's growing nicely now."

"Sure..."

They walked towards another greenhouse, spotting Professor Babbling in the distance. "Keredy is preparing to release her research," Professor Sprout explained. "She seems to be planning to publish a dozen papers at once... I advised her to compile them into a book."

"I'm aware of that," Felix nodded. "Severus is also organizing related materials; maybe they've coordinated."

The snake-wood branches were thriving, wrist-thick and three to four feet tall. After a brief pause, Felix bid his farewell and strolled through the snowy landscape, reflecting on the greenhouse experience. Professor Sprout seemed startled, which wasn't surprising. Even Felix found the research results terrifying.

Converting the Mandrake's cries into genuine ancient magic was a true death knell. Destruction of cities and nations could occur in an instant. Felix hoped he would never have the opportunity to unleash its full power. Only he knew.

Ancient magic—no, the combination of ancient runes and memory magic—gradually revealed unparalleled power and potential, just like what he did with the Mandrake's flowerpot, blurring the line between reality and illusion with a mere thought.

If combined with soul magic and time magic in the future, what heights would he reach? He looked up at the sky, where the clouds seemed to transform into the face of Nicolas Flamel.

"Old man, I seem to sense the limitations you mentioned."

Felix shook his head, smiling. "Thinking about it is easier—at least I've got a solution to Lime's fuzzy little problem."

You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.

As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:

• Early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
• You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
• You Get Ad-free Chapters.
• Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.