~Flashback~
Hermione was awoken by a knock on the door of her dormitory. She looked around the room to see that, all of the beds had been abandoned by her room mates.
'That's strange...' she thought to herself, "I'm usually the first one up."
The knocking intensifies. She pulled herself out of bed and made her way to the door. Upon opening it, she was surprised to see Lucifer stood on the other side.
"Lucifer? How did you even get up here?"
"Can I come in?" he asked, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.
"I guess." Hermione closed the door behind him as he sat himself down on her bed. He gestured for her to join him by patting the covers next to him. She willingly took the seat.
"Hermione... I've been thinking," Lucifer began a little nervously, "For a while now, I've had these feelings..."
Was this really happening, was Lucifer going to confess to her?!
"W-w-what are th-those f-feelings about?!" Hermione asked while stuttering, just like Professor Quirrell once did.
"Well, here's the thing... they're about you. Hermione I think that, I'm in love with you."
She didn't know what to say any more, Hermione just stared into his eyes for a second, before placing her hand on his.
"I'm in love with you too..." She closed her eyes and leaned forward as Lucifer did the same.
Their lips crashed together.
Lucifer cupped Hermione's cheek and deepened the kiss. He pushed her down onto the bed and climbed on top of her, but then he pulled away and looked deep into her eyes.
All Hermione wanted right now was to be lost in his Dark Abyss like eyes, this was what she wanted.
"Hermione..."
"Yeaaaah..." she dragged out the word.
"Hermione..."
"What? 'Fufu!" Hermione giggled while holding onto his hand.
"Hermione!"
She jerked awake and was met with the face of Lavender Brown.
Who just sighed in disbelief, to see Hermione's blank look, she only had to call her name three times!
"Wake up! You're going to be late for class!" Lavender yelled at her, "It's near 6:20 already!"
"Huh....then, why are you up so early?" She asked, while rubbing her face, then titled her head to wake herself up, but thought back to the dream she was just having, Hermione really wanted to go back!
"Of course, I have to do make-up and stuff!"
But Hermione ignored her voice, She just felt like Alice and that was her Wonderland. She pulled herself out of bed, for real this time, and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day.
"Ugh! These curls are so annoying..."
xxxxx
"So, Herbology?"
"Uh...I think we have C-Charms, first!"
"No, look here....it said Herbology?"
"R-really? We should move faster then!"
The four of them walked out of the Castle together, crossed the vegetable patch, and made for the Greenhouses, where the magical plants were kept.
Unfortunately, for Hermione, who was just fed by Lucifer, caused her to remember that dream, and it's really hard to talk when it's to the boy you've been having romantic dreams about, even made her to stutter over words and say the wrong things.
"I swear, if that 'Tentacula' tries anything this year, I'm scorching it. It has it out for me badly, and I don't know why," Hermione said as they neared the Greenhouses.
The rest of the class was already there waiting on Professor Sprout, Hermione wondered why she was late. They had just gotten with the rest of their classmates when they saw her striding into view from across the lawn.
She looked annoyed, and that was probably because she was being accompanied by Gilderoy Lockhart.
Harry didn't take that as a good sign.
He noticed that she was carrying an arm full of bandages. He looked to the direction she was coming from and saw a tree with branches in slings.
.....
The Whomping Willow had an extraordinary sensitivity to magic, and Lucifer wondered if it could be used as a substitute for several ingredients in "WhatsApp" project, thereby lowering the overall cost.
At present, producing one Spatial Magic Chatbook cost about two hundred Galleons and that was after "Ainz" had lent him a hand.
In the beginning, when he first attempted to make them, each Chatbook cost over three hundred and fifty Galleons---excluding the 'hefty labor' fees charged by alchemists.
Two hundred Galleons was an amount many wizarding families could still afford. But to the stubborn, old-fashioned wizarding world, spending that amount to change their way of communication was clearly unrealistic.
After all, how much did an owl cost to keep? A year's worth of feed wouldn't even exceed two Galleons.
Lucifer had a vision: only if the cost dropped below 'fifty' Galleons could the Chatbook truly have a foothold in the market. Ideally, he hoped to bring it down to under twenty.
Besides the 'substitute' of that extraordinary magic, was a decade needed to be left alone in place where the potency of it was greater.
He'd started now, and will get proper finished products several years later from today's time. Probably when his year batchmate's were out job hunting in the Ministry, further studies, open their own business'.
....And if the Whomping Willow really worked as a replacement material, overall cost might plummet by nearly a thousand Galleons in total.
If not, then he would just complete his wife Lady Ramiris's request to grow a tree like that in her own Tempest.
When Professor Sprout heard his idea, she frowned slightly. The boy had asked to request a chat for a moment, and because it was him, she relented with a curious look.
"But... most of the Whomping Willow's branches and extracts were requisitioned by Professor Snape. The rest I've 'kept back are already in use'."
"In Professor Snape's hands, then." Lucifer did not look disappointed. In fact, he seemed delighted.
"Thank you, Professor. I'll just go straight to him 'later and ask'."
To ask favors of others meant owing them--but to ask Snape? That was something he could do with full confidence.
Professor Sprout thought the two of them must have a good relationship, so requesting a few things wouldn't be an issue. She smiled faintly and waved Lucifer back into the greenhouse.
If Snape himself had heard her assumption, he would have roared, "Who the hell has a good relationship with him?!"
"What did you talk about with her?"
"The Whomping Willow... I can't believe you two crashed into it," Lucifer came back, where Hermione had reserved his position, and whispered to the boys incredulous.
Professor Sprout was a squat little Witch who wore a patched hat over her flyaway hair; there was usually a large amount of earth on her clothes and under her fingernails.
Gilderoy Lockhart, however, was immaculate in sweeping robes of turquoise, his golden hair shining under a perfectly positioned turquoise hat with gold trimming.
"Oh, hello there!" He called towards them, beaming around at assembled students, "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is! I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels."
"Then why don't you handle this tentacula. It has it out badly for me. And, after dealing with so many exotic plants, you would know what to do with it, right?" It was Hermione who dared to challenge the professor, said everything sarcastically.
Gaining many surprised looks from random people, that Hermione would talk back to a teacher like that.
But, Gilderoy did not have the slightest clue of what a Tentacula was, so he just left the class silently around the corner.
"Forgive her professor, she's just angry for those unruly hair...Ow." Lucifer cried in a mocking pain, when Hermione pinched on his arm tightly, even glared for doing worse.
"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" Professor Sprout said, who was looking more disgruntled and not at all her usual cheerful self when she got closer.
Her face was tight, and grim, as though something had deeply unsettled her.
Only, Hermione was a bit happy now because the Tentacula was in Greenhouse One, meaning she didn't have to deal with it this year.
She would swear....that thing 'hated herspecifically' for some reason.
There was a murmur of interest; they had only ever worked in a Greenhouse 1 before, Greenhouse 3 housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door.
Harry could feel his sense of smell being assaulted by the damp earth and fertilizer mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella-sized flowers dangling from the ceiling.
He steeled his senses and followed them inside, but Lockhart spoke up just before he got out of earshot.
"Harry! I've been wanting a word - you don't mind if he's a couple of minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?"
Harry looked at Professor Sprout and saw a scowl of deep loathing.
She did mind, but Lockhart didn't seem to care as he closed the Greenhouse door in her face, "That was horribly rude of him."
Professor Sprout seemed to be patiently awaiting Harry's return to class as she stood behind a trestle bench in the center of greenhouse, which had about twenty pairs of different colored earmuffs lying on the bench, and she wasn't saying a word.
It was a good four minutes before he finally opened the door.
When Harry slowed to a halt in between Ron and Hermione, she began her class, "We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?"
Lucifer and Hermione both raised their hands, telling them both to answer, she did first, "Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative. It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."
"And the Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is, however, an incredibly dangerous plant, because the cry of an adult Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it," Lucifer answered after her.
"Most impressive, both of you take Ten Points each for Gryffindor! Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young, so they won't be killing with their screams, you will, however, be rendered out- of-commission for a few hours," she pointed to a row of deep trays as she spoke, and everyone shuffled forward for a better look.
"Good to know you weren't just zoning out into my face, whilst we studied those," Lucifer grinned at Hermione, but to his surprise this caused her to go pink.
A hundred or so tufty little plants, purplish green in color, were growing there in rows.
He was about to... quickly grab a pair of blue earmuffs, but Hermione who had most of her attention to his movements, she was somehow the quickest; she snatched a pair of soft, bright pink earmuffs and turned back toward him with a grin.
"Heehee!"
The mischievous girl placed them firmly on his head. A few Hufflepuff' girls noticed and giggled behind their hands.
Lucifer helplessly poked Hermione's forehead with a finger, but he didn't take the earmuffs off.
"...I suggest you all follow his example and take a pair for yourselves. Make sure that when you put them on, they are completely and properly over your entire ear. I will give a thumbs up when it is safe to take them off. Right, earmuffs on!"
Professor Sprout put on the pink, fluffy pair over her own ears, rolled up her sleeves, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled hard.
Lucifer smiled amusingly at the infant looking Mandrake as it screamed bloody murder at just having been yanked out of its earthy soil.
It had pail green, mottled skin.
Professor Sprout took a large plant pot from under the table and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying it in dark, damp compost until only the green tufts of leaves were sticking out.
She dusted off her hands and gave them all the thumbs up.
They removed their earmuffs to hear her speak, "As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill you yet, but as I said earlier, you will be out for a few hours if you do hear it, and... I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, so I suggest you keep your earmuffs tightly in place the rest of class. I will direct your attention when it is time to pack up. "
"Four or five to a tray, there is a large supply of pots here, so no need to worry about not having enough for every group. Compost is in the sacks over there, Oh---- and I had to move the Tentacula into Greenhouse three because it was becoming unruly with the other plants."
"What!?" Hermione said in a distressed voice.
"I'm sorry, Miss Granger, I know how much trouble it gave you last year," Professor Sprout apologized to her. but it was of little comfort as she put her earmuffs on.
They were joined at their table by a Hufflepuff, but Lucifer didn't bother taking his earmuffs off until he saw him shaking the hands of the other two, "And you're Lucifer Morningstar, the best magically inclined student to ever attend Hogwarts, according to Dumbledore. But, your ability with a wand is well--known among the others in our year," the Hufflepuff said, extending his hand towards him.
Lucifer accepted it, "And who are you?"
"Ah, must not have heard me, I'm Justin Finch-Fletchley," Justin said with a robotic face, but Lucifer didn't bother to shake his hand.
"You are the bat guy. Sorry, I don't pay attention to Random Npc's." That's what he said to the Hufflepuff' boy, then even moved his face away, not worth his time.
"Npc?" he was confused.
"Ignore him!" Hermione said, while smacking Lucifer on the butt causing nearby students to look at her, her face grew even more pink at being caught, "Look, what happened!"
"It's not my fault...." But she grabbed his shoulders to move away from this weird Hufflepuff.
Lucifer ignored rest of conversation as he started waving towards Hannah Abbott on the side.
It caused Hermione to grab his arm and put his fingers in Mandrake's mouth to stop his flirting.
If they were either Parvati, or Padma, she would have acted as though she hadn't seen a thing. She didn't consider those girls a threat in the slightest--especially since she'd heard Lucifer's less-than-flattering opinions of certain "customs from the East."
Even now, the thought made her shudder. Lucifer had to apply more force to first remove his fingers out than to pull the plant out, and when he did, it began kicking and screaming.
So he tried to put it into another, bigger pot, but it didn't want to go in either.
Lucifer was now yelling, "I'm trying to help you here!" But no one heard him and he was sure the Mandrake didn't care. With more force, he got it repotted.
"Ahh!"
Hannah Abbott cried out, her face twisting. A juvenile 'Mandrake' had clamped its teeth down on her finger. Despite its infant form, its bite was surprisingly powerful.
"Stupefy." Lucifer reacted instantly. A flash of red light struck the Mandrake baby, and it slumped unconscious, eyes rolling back. Blood welled from the deep indentations in Hannah's finger where its teeth had pierced her skin.
Hermione had medical bandages with her, but she wasn't sure if Mandrake bites were venomous. She looked at Lucifer, who gave her cruel stare, saying 'if you didn't know, why put mine earlier?'
She lowered her in shame, suddenly feeling guilty for acting without thinking. No wonder, she ended up in Gryffindor'.
Only when, Lucifer tapped her shoulder, and nodded did she begin wrapping Hannah's hand.
Compared to most Gryffindor', he and Hermione truly were outliers, almost a breath of fresh air in their house's reputation.
After that incident, she grew too frightened to handle the Mandrakes directly. She stuck to preparing the compost, while Lucifer took over the transplanting.
Any Mandrake that resisted, he stunned with a 'quick jinx' before firmly pushing it into its new pot. 'Ugly little things, he thought, 'worse than spoiled brats.'
By the end, their group had repotted twenty Mandrakes-far more than any other. Professor Sprout was delighted, awarding both houses ten points each.
"Mr. Morningstar, I must say, your repotting technique is remarkably skilled. Have you worked with Mandrakes before?"
"Yes, Professor," Lucifer answered smoothly, "I spent some time with Mr. Scamander over the summer, working with 'mature Mandrakes' to put them out for cutting deals procured by Herbologists. I thought those were ugly....enough-but the infants are 'worse."
'Herbology shops in America required Mandrakes, and contacted Newt's wife to grow some-- for their brewing needs of "Night-Blooming Resuscitation Draught"—a highly coveted potion used to reverse magical curses, awaken victims of sleep-spells, or restore souls that have been inadvertently fractured by dark hexes.'
Chronos-Drafting: 'The scream of the Mandrake is captured in enchanted vessels and sold to time-brewers, who use its sonic frequency to speed up plant maturation or reverse localized aging.'
Dreamweaving: 'The roots are boiled into a viscous ink used by "Oneiromancers" (dream-seers). This allows them to enter and navigate the subconscious memories of their clients safely.'
Botanical Warding: 'Whole, silenced Mandrakes are suspended upside down in the windows of underground magical sanctuaries. Their roots act as an invisible radar, vibrating violently whenever an invisible or shape-shifted intruder approaches.'
They 'normally' took long months to mature, but Tina knew that mixing 'Mooncalfmanure' with Dittany-infused soil would accelerate their growth.
She'd already transformed their entire Dorset barnhouse into a makeshift, enchanted greenhouse, working under heavy 'Silencing charms' to stifle the constant, deafening cries of the maturing seedlings.
The American buyers arrived via an unauthorized Portkey, loaded the entire harvest into magically expanded trunks, and paid Mrs. Scamander in heavy bags of gleaming gold Galleons on the spot.
The profit was unprecedented, securing enough funds to finance Newt's creature-rescue expeditions for the next decade.
The barnhouse was now completely stripped bare, leaving nothing but empty pots, scattered soil, and an eerie, lingering silence where the screaming roots used to be.
Just hours after the final sale, a local 'Ilvermorny Professor' arrived desperately needing a single Mandrake to save a poisoned student, but Tina and Newt literally did not have a single leaf left.
Professor Sprout wasn't offended by his comment. On the contrary, her eyes lit up with excitement at his earlier words. She looked at him with the awe of a fangirl meeting her idol.
"You... you actually met Mr. Scamander?!"
Lucifer nodded, "Yes. I visited him in America this summer. Stayed with him for more than half a month."
"And how is he? Is his health alright?" Every Hufflepuff revered Newt Scamander. Even their Head of House was no exception.
His expression turned solemn, "Very well. Still walks with vigor. I could hardly keep up with him...Professor, I even brought back several of his signed books. I'll bring 'one for you next lesson."
"Oh, how kind! Thank you, Mr. Morningstar." Professor Sprout beamed, practically glowing with delight.
She told him that if he ever needed materials or ran into difficulties, he was welcome to come to her at any time. She even gave him several branches of the 'Whomping Willow-taken' from her own carefully rationed supply.
xxxxxx
Professor Flitwick was by far the most indulgent of the teachers. He didn't demand summer homework on the very first lesson. Instead, he told them to turn it in by Friday.
Many students sighed with relief.
This class didn't introduce any new spells either---just a review of last term's charms, sitting on desks alone.
After all, some students hadn't touched their wands all summer; teaching brand-new material now would only "confuse" them further.
Bored, Lucifer lazily practiced the TwistSpell, but the wand came back flicking at his own chest, 'Shit!'
"Ahehaha.... Pvhmm."
"Mr. Morningstar, is something amusing?" Professor Flitwick had appeared before him at some point, watching Lucifer sit there grinning to himself.
At last, curiosity got the better of him. He snapped back to reality and quickly shook his head.
"Nothing, professor. I just accidentally hit myself with a hehe, Laughing Spell." He gave his wand a playful flick and instantly, Hermione Granger, sitting in front, burst out giggling uncontrollably.
Watching her laugh like a fool, Harry and Ron cracked up as well. Soon the laughter spread contagiously through the classroom, until finally even Professor Flitwick himself was chuckling in defeat.
The lesson ended in waves of laughter, and students from both houses hurried off toward the Great Hall for lunch.
1 Extra Chapter - 150 Power Stone's!
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Author's Note
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It is also mentioned in the bio.
Bonus Up to Chapter 90 has already been posted there.
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