HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

"This is the 'perfect experimental material' you were talking about?" the twins said in unison.

The three stood at the edge of the safe zone, looking towards the giant "Hit-and-Beat Willow" not far away.

"Hmm." Lyra gestured for the two to come forward and pick samples without changing her expression, just like she had gestured for them to steal the mandrakes that Professor Sprout was growing in the greenhouse that afternoon.

twin:"......"

No, this is a Whomping Willow! It can easily defeat Hagrid, the half-giant! You're comparing it to a mandrake in a greenhouse?

"Hurry up!" The black-haired girl even stomped her foot impatiently, urging the two of them on.

Fine.

Boys are all a bit of a show-off, how can they say no in front of pretty girls, even if they are their best friends or sisters?

Fred tentatively extended one toe first—

Whoosh!

The next second, the willow branch lashed out fiercely, leaving a deep dent where Fred's toes had landed—if Fred hadn't pulled back quickly, his right toes would probably have been smashed into a pulp by now.

Two identical red-haired boys stared silently at the crack beneath their feet, their faces bearing the same expression of fear.

“Dude, at least mandrake can be used as a powerful restorative agent and as an antidote for our human transformation products. What do you want to do with this willow tree that only hits people?” George tried to dissuade Lyra from her crazy idea.

Although they wouldn't mind avenging the beating the young lady received yesterday, they also needed to act within their capabilities and realistically assess the disparity between themselves and the enemy...

"Hmph, in the far East, the mysterious Eastern doctors can use the bark, roots, branches, and leaves of willow trees to make medicine—" Leila said with an arrogant look at you uncultured bumpkins.

"...So you plan to turn the 'Strike Willow' into a medicinal herb?"

“I think either way is fine. We can process them into medicinal herbs and sell them to potion shops to earn money, which can then be deposited into our new product development fund. Or we can cultivate new varieties; willow trees are very easy to grow.” Lyra had given it serious thought. “Actually, I think making them into small potted plants would be quite nice. A miniature potted plant that likes to attack anything that touches it—I think someone would definitely like that—”

It sounds pretty good. To be fair, this "Hit-and-Beat Willow" is indeed quite precious, a rare magical plant that is not commonly seen, and I've never heard of ordinary wizards cultivating it in their homes.

The three were determined to develop new prank products and open a joke shop, but they all had limited funds. However, they couldn't cut corners on product development and experimentation, so they had to find other ways. They often sneaked into the Forbidden Forest to gather potion ingredients, or occasionally skimmed some wool from the school greenhouse—which is why they sent Professor Sprout a thank-you card every Christmas. Of course, the real reason for their gratitude remained hidden in their hearts.

Okay, this is a good opportunity to take advantage of the deals.

The twins exchanged a glance and reached an agreement.

However, we need to plan how to collect them carefully, since the Willow of the Beating Man has a very high combat power and is extremely agile.

The three people split into two groups: one group acted as bait to attract the attention of the willow tree, while the other group took the opportunity to collect samples.

The three of them struggled for most of the night, switching groups back and forth—either they discovered someone secretly picking samples among the willows, or the willows attacked indiscriminately from the very beginning. They simply couldn't collect any samples.

Finally, as dawn broke, the three had to give up for the time being. They returned to their dormitory, looking disheveled and exhausted, hoping to get a short nap before class the next day.

*

The next morning, Leila didn't hear the alarm at all; it was her roommate Angelina who woke her up.

As soon as Angelina turned around, Lyra, who had been wide awake and saying she was awake just a second ago, slid back onto the bed like a sardine in a can. In the end, Angelina had to call on Arya to help, and the two of them forcibly dragged Lyra out of bed and watched her get dressed and wash up—otherwise, she would fall asleep on the spot in a second if no one was watching her.

George and Fred, on the other side, were in the same situation, only being violently woken up by their roommate, Lee. The three night owls drifted around like ghosts all day, attracting the secret attention of many people.

While having dinner in the auditorium, Leila felt that the day had passed in a daze, and she couldn't remember what classes she had attended. When she opened her notebook, she found it was full of scribbles, and she didn't recognize a single word.

Lyra glanced at the twins, who weren't doing much better. It seemed she couldn't count on them; she'd have to ask Angelina and Aria for the homework.

Speaking of which, Lyra felt that her popularity had inexplicably improved this semester, especially in Gryffindor, where more people greeted her every day. It was as if the subtle isolation some girls had previously felt had disappeared.

Even when Leila first enrolled, her outstanding appearance attracted everyone's attention, especially since she also excelled in her classes—all factors that made her popular.

But Lyra soon became inseparable from the energetic and mischievous twins, always sticking together. When she was alone, she wouldn't interact with others, only taking walks by the lake, making her difficult to approach. Thus, although Lyra won first place in the anonymous Hogwarts poll and was elected Gryffindor's most beautiful girl because of her stunning looks, she was also judged as arrogant and aloof because she had few friends.

Being a high-and-mighty beauty in everyone's eyes wouldn't have been a problem, but when she was in her third year, Lyra White, the most beautiful girl in Gryffindor, actually started dating Leslie Foley, a prefect in Slytherin! And she openly announced it to the entire Hogwarts community! It was absolutely shocking and stunned all the teachers and students.

It's important to know that Gryffindor and Slytherin have a long-standing feud, a tradition that began with two of the school's founding four leaders: Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin. Originally close friends, their differing ideologies led to a falling out, with Slytherin even leaving the school, and the two never seeing each other again.

For centuries afterward, whether by coincidence or simply due to personality clashes, the students of the two houses rarely got along, often clashing whenever they met. This was especially true after the era of the Voidman; not only did Gryffindor become Slytherin's adversary, but the other two houses were also not very friendly towards Slytherin.

Against this backdrop, Lyra, a Gryffindor, falls in love with a Slytherin, and none of the four houses in the school are friendly about it.

Gryffindors considered Lyra White a traitor to their house; Slytherin thought she had corrupted their pure-blood family; Hufflepuff thought she might be as evil as Slytherin; and Ravenclaw thought she was a Muggle who hadn't figured out the basic rules of survival in the wizarding world.