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

Harry and Ron's hearts skipped a beat, then they both tried to console themselves.

"It shouldn't be that bad..." Harry muttered. "We're not exactly stupid after all. We definitely won't be the worst performers, right?"

But their fragile confidence was immediately tested.

"Susan Bones!"

Susan, looking visibly tense, stepped forward from among the badgers and walked onto the stage with measured steps.

"Lumos!"

Another remarkably fluent Lumos Charm blazed forth. Although it wasn't quite at Hannah's level of breaking through to Bronze Tier, it was still highly commendable.

The professors didn't award Susan additional points, but they offered enthusiastic applause. Susan breathed a visible sigh of relief and returned to her seat with lighter steps.

"I didn't embarrass Hufflepuff House, did I?" she asked breathlessly. "Honestly, I was terrified I'd forget the incantation completely. Fortunately, Hermione blessed me, so I didn't mess up."

Susan and Hannah, having completed their "execution," began chatting and laughing with obvious relief. Now they could watch the others' "suffering" process with detached interest.

"Terry Boot!"

"Mandy Brocklehurst!"

Two Ravenclaw eagles successively took the stage. Terry's Lumos Charm also reached Bronze Tier—clearly, over the past two weeks, the eagles who had previously lost first place were determined to redeem themselves.

This was a test proposed by Professor Flitwick himself. If Ravenclaw couldn't secure first place, or even place at all, it would be utterly humiliating for the House of wit and learning.

Professor Flitwick was beaming with joy. The diminutive professor practically bounced onto the judges' panel and awarded Terry three points with visible pride.

Next came the first Slytherin student—Millicent Bulstrode.

Compared to the previous students who had shown varying degrees of nervousness, Millicent appeared exceptionally calm and confident as she took the stage. She even performed an elegant, aristocratic bow to the professors at the judges' panel.

Then, with crystal-clear articulation and a refined accent, her incantation rang out:

"Lumos!"

A Lumos Charm far superior to everyone before blazed forth with brilliant intensity.

Ciel raised his eyebrows, unable to hide his surprise. If this were evaluated by his system, it would probably rate at Bronze approaching Silver Tier!

Millicent Bulstrode? A complete nobody with no scenes in the original story. In just these few days, how had her Lumos Charm improved so dramatically? Even Hermione might not be much stronger than her.

Snape immediately stood and applauded vigorously.

"Beautiful Lumos Charm—the most outstanding performance so far," he declared with obvious satisfaction. "You must have practiced with tremendous dedication. Millicent, you've earned five points for Slytherin."

Millicent walked off the stage with excitement and pride, basking in the cheers of her fellow serpents.

Harry and Ron's hearts plummeted to their very depths. So far, they hadn't witnessed any student with worse Lumos Charm skills than themselves. This realization filled them with dread.

Ron, pale-faced, was still forcing a weak smile. "It's okay, Harry. There are still Crabbe and Goyle. You know, it's practically a miracle they're even at Hogwarts. We surely can't be worse than them."

Such words provided Harry with fleeting comfort. But soon, even this small consolation vanished completely.

Crabbe and Goyle took the stage one after another. Their Lumos Charm skills certainly weren't exceptional, but they were far from as poor as Harry and Ron had desperately hoped. Among the students who had performed before, they could even be considered middle-tier—much better than Harry and Ron!

Now, sitting rigidly in their chairs, the two boys felt as if their souls were about to abandon their bodies entirely.

Harry's cheeks burned with mortification. When his turn came, everyone would look at him with expectant eyes, only to witness his clumsy, inadequate performance.

Merlin above, he thought desperately. This is true execution!

Harry felt a stab of regret. He shouldn't have been so completely absorbed in Quidditch training. The actual match was still far away—he should have devoted more time to practicing the Lumos Charm.

The performance of Slytherin's students caused universal astonishment. They were operating at a level almost entirely above the other three Houses.

Even Hermione began to feel genuinely uneasy. She had intended to secure first place this time, but now it seemed the competition for even the top three positions was intensely fierce. Slytherin still had many students who hadn't taken the stage yet.

The professors at the judges' panel were the first to notice something was fundamentally wrong. Even if Slytherin's students had practiced desperately over the past two weeks, this level of improvement was simply too dramatic. They seemed like completely different people from before.

How could such a transformation occur? Unless... some external force had taken effect.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows with knowing insight.

"Phosphorescent Draught?" he inquired mildly. "An obscure potion that can amplify Lumos Charm's magical power for a short duration? Severus, you were actually willing to spend so much time and energy brewing such potions for the students?"

The other House Heads expressed their surprise and indignation.

"Potions?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed. "Severus, you're helping them cheat! This is completely unfair!"

Snape responded with a disdainful expression that suggested he found their objections beneath contempt.

"The rules didn't explicitly state that students couldn't use potions, did they?" he replied coolly. "Moreover, potions are something Slytherin students frequently encounter and utilize. They'll employ such methods increasingly in the future—this is also part of Slytherin students' inherent strength. Not allowing Slytherin students to use potions—that would be truly unfair."

The House Heads found themselves somewhat speechless. This Lumos Charm final test had been designed to examine the students' dedicated efforts and improvement. Who would have deliberately added a rule prohibiting potion use?

Moreover, what Snape said actually made logical sense. Potions had always been Slytherin's traditional advantage. Using potions in various competitions was also deeply embedded in Slytherin tradition. Even when the Triwizard Tournament had been held, there had been Slytherin participants who achieved excellent results through strategic potion use.

They couldn't deny any of these historical precedents. Even Dumbledore didn't speak up in opposition to Snape's reasoning.

Professor Sprout, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick could only sigh inwardly with resignation. It seemed this examination's first place, and even the entire top three, might all be swept by Slytherin House. After gaining these substantial points, Slytherin would leap to the leading position in the House Cup with an astonishing margin.

Only Professor McGonagall still harbored a glimmer of hope. "Perhaps Hermione can at least secure a ranking," she murmured.

When Hermione took the stage, she didn't disappoint Professor McGonagall's expectations. Her Lumos Charm had truly reached Silver Tier in Ciel's system evaluation, temporarily leading the entire field with impressive mastery.

But this lead proved short-lived.

When Malfoy took the stage, his Lumos Charm level was actually somewhat higher than Hermione's, enhanced by the Phosphorescent Draught's effects. Combined with another suddenly explosive Slytherin student, the top three formed a situation where two Slytherins occupied the top two spots, with Hermione barely clinging to third place.

Fewer and fewer students remained who hadn't taken the stage. The possibility of dramatically changing the established rankings grew increasingly remote.

Many people pinned their remaining hopes on Harry Potter, the famous Boy Who Lived.

However, when Harry finally took the stage, although he managed a breakthrough under intense pressure and his Lumos Charm performed at a respectable middle-tier level, this was obviously far from the top three positions. It certainly couldn't challenge Malfoy's commanding first place.

After Harry's performance, the Slytherin contingent visibly relaxed, clearly feeling that victory was securely within their grasp.

Snape couldn't even suppress his triumphant smile at the judges' panel. "It seems this examination's reward will go to Malfoy," he said with obvious satisfaction.

Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick both felt deeply frustrated and didn't wish to speak.

But Professor Sprout snorted coldly with defiant confidence.

"What's the rush?" she declared firmly. "Ciel hasn't taken the stage yet."

The professors, including Dumbledore himself, were all visibly stunned by this statement.

Ciel? They thought collectively. That child whose magical talent was quite regrettable? Hadn't Sprout finally given up on his limited magical abilities?

Meaningful, questioning gazes turned toward Ciel, who remained sitting upright and composed in his seat, seemingly unaffected by the mounting pressure.

Just at that crucial moment:

"Ciel Sprout."

Ciel's name was called with clear authority.

He stood with fluid grace, stepped forward with quiet confidence, and walked onto the high platform under the intense scrutiny of the entire assembled school.

(End of Chapter)

***

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