0205 Changes

Words : 1770 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

The next morning, after a night of careful consideration, Remus finally came to his conclusion and agreed to accept Dumbledore's invitation. In fact, this outcome fell well within Adrian's expectations. When morning arrived and they met in the plantation, Adrian said to Remus. "A wise choice, my friend, tending to plants here, while peaceful, truly buried your talents beneath routine tasks." Seeing Adrian's supportive attitude and complete lack of resentment or disappointment, Remus couldn't help but release a sigh of relief. "If this had been even a month ago, I might not have found the courage to agree," He admitted honestly, "But that purification potion you gave me has given me confidence in my ability to work safely in a school environment. At the very least, I no longer have to lie awake nights terrified of accidentally attacking innocent students when I transform into my werewolf form." Adrian nodded thoughtfully, though privately he felt that even without the benefit of his purification potion, Remus wouldn't need to lose sleep over such concerns. After all, Hogwarts still had one of the most skilled Potions Masters in all of Britain. Brewing Wolfsbane Potion was no challenge for Snape. As for the cost of the rare materials required, Remus wouldn't need to worry about such financial burdens either. Dumbledore had always been generous when it came to supporting his staff's unique needs. The effect of Wolfsbane Potion on werewolves wasn't significantly different from Adrian's purification potion in terms of maintaining human consciousness during transformation. However, the purification potion was permanent in nature, while Wolfsbane Potion needed to be taken monthly. Additionally, Wolfsbane was infamously foul-tasting, apparently tasting so bitter and foul that it could make even a mountain troll retch. Adding sugar or honey to improve the flavor would neutralize its effectiveness, leaving the drinker with nothing but an expensive, disgusting drink. "Then it's completely settled," Adrian said, reaching across the small table to pat Remus's shoulder. "If you're willing and your schedule permits, you're absolutely welcome to continue working here until the summer holidays officially end. There's no need to rush your departure." Remus shook his head with a gentle smile, his gaze drifting through the window to observe Dobby's figure carefully watering the Devil's Snare. "Having Dobby here is more than sufficient for all the plantation's needs," Remus said with simple honesty. "He's proven himself far more capable than I ever was at managing the day-to-day operations. I would only be redundant now." Late July brought sweltering heat to the American East Coast, where glass buildings reflected the blazing sun like mirrors, creating shimmering heat waves that danced above the streets. Adrian stood beside his sister's hospital bed in the Tiamorison General Hospital. Just this morning, the Tree of Wisdom had finally completed its purification of the previous fragment of Voldemort's soul. This particular purification process had required an exceptionally long time, but the results were immediately apparent in the unusually crystal-clear quality of the produced leaves. Adrian gently placed the leaf containing purified soul power against his sister's pale forehead. Like the previous two healing attempts, the moment the magical leaf made contact with Ariana's skin, it immediately transformed into a stream of light that penetrated directly into her brow. However, despite the soul power successfully entering Ariana's body and the magical energy clearly taking effect, she still showed no visible signs of awakening consciousness. Her eyes remained peacefully closed. [Soul Integrity: 80%] When this information from the Tree of Wisdom reached Adrian's consciousness, his anxiously racing heart finally began to settle into a more normal rhythm. It seemed that the soul power contained within Tom Riddle's diary had been somewhat larger than that within Ravenclaw's diadem. Perhaps this difference occurred because when Voldemort first tried the process of splitting his soul, he had been inexperienced and heavy-handed, and accidentally severed a larger portion than he had originally intended. Regardless of the reasons, his sister's soul repair had made truly significant advancement. Perhaps with just two more of Voldemort's Horcruxes successfully purified and processed, he would finally be able to complete the soul restoration. At that moment, Ariana would probably open her eyes and return to the world of the living. Adrian's heart overflowed with overwhelming hope. Since Dobby was managing all operations at the plantation with his typical thoroughness and dedication, Adrian decided to stay with his parents in America for several days before returning to his responsibilities in Britain. When Adrian finally arrived back at his shop, he barely had time to set down his traveling suitcase before Dobby came hurrying toward him. "Master Adrian, sir!" It called out urgently, his large ears drooping with anxiety, "Dobby... Dobby thinks he might have caused terrible, terrible trouble!" Without warning, the distressed elf began frantically banging his head against the floor. Even though Dobby was no longer bound as anyone's servant and had been granted his freedom, certain ingrained habits of house-elf behavior still forced him toward self-punishment when he believed he had failed in his duties. Seeing this distressing display, Adrian immediately rushed forward and gently stopped his behavior. "Dobby, stop that at once! Tell me what happened—calmly and clearly." Only then did the trembling house-elf lift his head, using the back of his small hand to wipe away tears that had begun forming in his eyes. "That... that special tree—Dobby didn't take proper care of it, and now something strange has happened!" "Tree?" Adrian asked with growing confusion, his mind immediately jumping to the Tree of Wisdom. "What exactly are you talking about?" Without waiting for a more detailed explanation, Adrian strode quickly through the transportation portal that connected his shop to the plantation. Upon emerging into the plantation, the scene he first saw made him stop dead in his tracks. The Tree of Wisdom, which had carefully disguised as an ordinary oak tree, had now completely shed its camouflage. Green light flowed through every branch and leaf covering the entire tree and it continuously emanated a faint pressure. What surprised him even more was the steady stream of silvery-white mist that flowed continuously from every part of the Tree of Wisdom like ethereal waterfalls. This supernatural mist had already filled nearly the entire plantation area. Rather than dissipating or settling, the mist showed clear signs of continued expansion. "Dobby, what exactly did you do?" Adrian couldn't help but look at Dobby. Dobby tremblingly shook its head. "Dobby... Dobby just wanted to fertilize the tree, but Dobby hadn't even touched it when it just..." Hearing this explanation, Adrian turned his attention back to the transformed Tree of Wisdom. Dobby, despite his good intentions, almost certainly hadn't actually done anything to cause this change. Therefore, this spectacular transformation was obviously not the result of any external interference. At that moment, the silvery-white mist emanating from the Tree of Wisdom had spread far enough to reach Adrian's feet. "Eldra?" Adrian called out, attempting to establish mental communication with the Tree of Wisdom as he had done countless times before. However, the Tree of Wisdom seemed to have suddenly fallen into silence, and did not respond to his mental queries. Seeing this, Adrian had no choice but to walk to the Tree of Wisdom and observe it carefully. At this point, Adrian had almost buried his entire body in the mist. Strangely, this mist didn't obstruct his vision at all. Moreover, the silvery-white mist didn't cause him any physical discomfort or magical interference. Instead of the irritation or unease he might have expected from unknown magical emanations, the mist made him feel unexpectedly warm and comfortable, like being wrapped in a favorite blanket on a cold winter evening. As Adrian carefully examined his surroundings and tried to understand what was happening, an unexpected development suddenly occurred that changed everything. The mist, which had been flowing randomly throughout the plantation, suddenly seemed to respond to some invisible signal or attraction. All of it began moving toward Adrian. Adrian's first instinct was to back off immediately. But just as he was preparing to step back, the Tree of Wisdom's familiar voice finally reached his consciousness. [Do not resist, sir.] Adrian calmed down. He knew the Tree of Wisdom would never harm him. This silvery-white mist, whatever its true nature, undoubtedly held secrets. Sure enough, after the Tree of Wisdom's reassuring words reached him, the mist began to slowly merge into his body. A gentle wave of pleasure and happiness suddenly emerged in his heart. T This made Adrian involuntarily freeze in place. He suddenly recalled many happy things: receiving his Hogwarts letter for the first time, using magic for the first time, the first time... When the last wisp of silver mist was absorbed, the plantation returned to normal, and the Tree of Wisdom once again donned the disguise of an ordinary oak tree. "Eldra," he called out mentally, eager to understand what had just happened. [Name: Eldra (Tree of Wisdom)] [Species: Oak Tree] [Level: 6] [Traits: Object Analysis, Soul Link, Soul Purification, Energy Amplification, Ravenclaw's Wisdom, Guardian] [Status: Growing (0%)] Indeed, as Adrian had suspected, the Tree of Wisdom had successfully evolved to level 6 and gained a new trait—Guardian. The silvery-white mist from before was probably caused by this trait. Adrian suddenly realized that the mist had been very similar to something else. It was like an unformed Patronus. Most wizards' Patronuses, before taking shape, existed in this silvery mist form. Combined with the intensely pleasant, joyful feelings the mist had generated within him, Adrian became absolutely certain that the Tree of Wisdom's new "Guardian" ability was related to the Patronus Charm. Immediately, Adrian drew his wand and waved it gently. "Expecto Patronum!" As the spell took effect, an unprecedented torrent of silver light erupted from his wand tip with explosive force. From this extraordinary glow, a massive silver oak tree began to rise from the ground beneath his feet. The phantom tree grew to cover almost the entire visible sky. A silvery-white hedgehog darted through the canopy, and in the flickering silver light, the hedgehog nimbly climbed down the branches, finally landing lightly on Adrian's shoulder and affectionately nuzzling his cheek. Adrian smiled as he watched this scene. It seemed his Patronus Charm had undergone a small change. He finally knew where the white mist he had absorbed had gone. ________________ You can read more chapters on: /IamLuis

0205 Changes

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