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Harry Potter: The Last Scion of Sprout - 249
🕑 Added 2025-09-19 19:48:14 +0000 UTCChapter 249: Undercurrents, Treachery, and Shadow Verification
Looking at the name "Ed" in Aunt Sprout's letter, Ciel remembered something important.
According to Eugene, the house-elf from the Charman family, the knowledge of using Dark Arts Transfiguration to modify plant seeds that the late Bogie Charman had learnt came from a wizard named Ed in Knockturn Alley.
Back then, Ciel had realised this Ed was already way ahead of him on combining Dark Arts Transfiguration with Herbology. Light-years ahead, actually.
This path was crucial to him. If he could learn something from it, then improving plants like the Goldfish Plant and Margaret might actually become possible. The difficulty of boosting his magical perception and strength would drop significantly.
Originally, he'd planned to use the Malfoy family's connections to track down this Ed when the time was right. He hadn't expected to hear about Ed here.
Whether these two Eds were the same person... Ciel's eyes flickered with thought.
"There aren't many herbologists in the magical world to begin with. Even fewer who could reach that level of mastery." He tapped the letter against his palm. "The chances of them having the same name? Pretty slim."
"Most likely, he's the Ed I'm looking for."
Meanwhile, owl wings fluttered across the country as examination notifications landed in eager hands. Herbology apprentices who'd been waiting anxiously tore open their letters from the International Herbology Association.
A round-faced, chubby girl clutched her envelope, determination blazing in her eyes.
"Eight years." Her voice cracked slightly. "Eight consecutive years of failing formal examinations. Still stuck calling myself a herbology apprentice instead of a proper herbologist."
She'd once been something of a prodigy among her peers. That felt like a lifetime ago.
"But this time's different. I've prepared for another whole year. I can do this. I have to."
She ripped open the envelope eagerly, scanning the participant list. Her face broke into a smile.
"Excellent! Several of those monsters passed last year and the year before." She actually laughed out loud. "Without those competitors, who can compare with me in qualifications? In strength? Even background?"
"My mentor will definitely pull out all the stops to get me through this year. This is it! Who can beat me now? Who'd even dare try?"
Her laughter died as her gaze hit the final lines:
Recommended by Master Pomona Sprout, Charles Sprout (age 11) is permitted to participate in this examination.
The girl's expression froze. Her fingers twisted together nervously.
"Young Sprout? Master Sprout's nephew?" Her voice went flat. "This is bad. His background's even better than mine."
She felt no jealousy, only envy. Eight years of setbacks had taught her to recognise reality. She'd long abandoned dreams of making her academic mark through effort alone. Now she just hoped to pass and earn enough to make a living.
If she could latch onto someone with connections like Charles... that'd be wonderful.
"Now there are only four spots left. Please, no more surprises." She looked at the next name:
By special invitation of the International Herbology Association, Mr Ed will also participate in this examination.
Her eyes went wide. Despair washed over her face.
"Ed? That Ed who just published in a top journal? Made breakthrough contributions to ancient plant cultivation research? Received congratulatory letters from masters across the field?"
"He's taking the examination too? I have to compete against him?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Am I even qualified to be in the same room?"
Similar reactions echoed across the magical world. After all, there was only one examination per year, with just five spots available. The competition was already brutal.
If two spots were locked up this year, it'd be hell-level difficulty for everyone else.
Many apprentices eyed Charles's name with calculation. Ed's spot was definitely untouchable, but Charles might not be impossible to beat. He was only eleven, after all. Many suspected his published Lumos Charm thesis was mainly Professor Sprout's work.
Even with Professor Sprout's recommendation, if his performance was poor enough during the examination, she couldn't force him to pass. Right?
Maybe they still had hope for Charles's spot? In normal years, they'd never consider it, but this year's competition was simply too fierce. They had to try picking on the soft target.
In a cramped, narrow house in Knockturn Alley, thick bloody smells mixed with pungent herbal odors. A thin, pale hand with clearly visible blue veins emerged from under a hood, opening the letter.
Seeing that the examination location had changed from Paris to London, soft breathing came from beneath the hood.
"Excellent." The voice was cultured but cold. "The research funding from Bogie Charman's nearly exhausted."
"My identity can't see light. I can't get research funding or sponsorship. Don't even dare let those herbology masters know my real surname."
"I was worried about scraping together travel money for Paris. This makes everything easier."
Pale fingers gripped the letter tightly, as if years of dreams were finally within reach.
"Publishing that paper was just the beginning. I'll pass the association's examination with overwhelming force, win the Youth Award, and become famous in the herbology world."
"Someday, I'll stand at the pinnacle above all masters. Wash away the family's shame and controversy. Restore our honour."
Ed Robins's voice grew more intense under the hood. "The Robins family's been hidden in the magical world too long. I'm sick of this life."
"I want the Robins surname to appear openly in the herbology world again!"
Lost in churning emotions, Ed barely glanced at the other examination participants mentioned in the letter. They seemed unworthy of his attention.
Only when he spotted the Sprout surname did his gaze linger, sarcasm creeping into his voice.
"Sending an eleven-year-old to take the formal examination." He snorted. "The Sprout family's really fallen."
Then he completely dismissed the examination list. All trash. Nothing worth noting.
Meanwhile, in what seemed like an underground space shrouded in darkness, a grotesque hand wrapped in bloody vines held the same letter. Flesh had nearly fused with the tendrils, creating something barely human.
Withered fingers stroked Ed's name repeatedly as excited, hoarse voices echoed in the underground chamber:
"No mistake. That paper's feeling... Ed, you can hide your surname all you want. I know you're from the Robins family."
"Another talented member. The Robins family's rare gift, bloodline inheritance, using flesh to cultivate magical herbs, even affecting ancient plants."
The voice revealed obvious greed: "After centuries, it's finally appeared in the magical world again."
"Merlin still favours me. The last Robins family talent gave me remarkable fame and centuries of undying life."
"And you'll achieve my herbological greatness. Like Nicolas Flamel, I'll obtain eternal life!"
Excessive excitement caused bloody spikes to burst from the vines, shredding the letter instantly. Only the part with Ed's name remained intact.
Throughout this, the grotesque being never glanced at anyone else on the list besides Ed, including Ciel. In his view, everyone else bundled together wasn't worth a single hair of Ed's.
This altered examination and its various unusual arrangements hinted at extraordinary undercurrents behind the scenes. But for now, Ciel knew nothing of this brewing treachery.
After guessing Ed was the wizard he'd been seeking, Ciel took a deep breath, gradually calming himself.
Regardless, there was still time before the herbologist examination. When that moment came, he'd naturally see Ed's true face.
Before then, he had plenty of work waiting. He couldn't let this matter disrupt other progress.
He temporarily set aside the examination, refusing to let it mess with his rhythm, and focused on his own affairs instead.
After checking various greenhouse tasks, Ciel nodded with satisfaction. Everything was proceeding smoothly. Completion was just a matter of time.
"Now there's only one matter without any clues."
He took out the small box from Nicolas Flamel. Once it had contained the Philosopher's Stone, but now it held a shadow flower composed entirely of shadow magic.
Looking at the box, particularly the Diamond-level reward radiance emanating from within, his eyes flickered strangely.
He'd felt that the special world Nicolas Flamel mentioned for planting this shadow flower might be the world filled with shadow magic he'd once entered through Shadow Thorn.
Various matters had kept him busy these past days, but he hadn't forgotten. This was a Diamond-level reward, after all. He hadn't received many of those yet. Each one brought leaps in his strength.
Moreover, this shadow flower's reward was shadow magic affinity that could indirectly improve his talent. For someone who'd always struggled with poor magical talent, this was exactly what he needed.
Now that he finally had free time, he took another deep breath.
"This matter... it's time."
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