Inside the potted plant shop that evening.
Alaric Thorn was undergoing questioning. As a law-abiding citizen—at least on paper—he was perfectly willing to cooperate with the Ministry of Magic's investigators. Besides, Alaric knew that as long as the Chinese Chomping Cabbage hadn't been seen by any Muggles, the Ministry would likely not make things difficult for him.
"Name."
"Alaric Thorn."
"Occupation."
"I am currently teaching at Hogwarts."
"Regarding the incident at your residence...?"
"...Simply an experimental mishap."
"It wasn't caused by some sort of magical creature?"
"No."
After a round of questioning, the Ministry investigator had filled an entire page with notes. Because Alaric was so cooperative, the investigation proceeded with unusual efficiency.
"Er... Mr. Thorn? Are you truly a professor at Hogwarts?" he asked suddenly, looking up from his parchment.
Alaric nodded. "Is there a problem?"
"No," the man shook his head, offering a small smile. "It's just that I've never seen a professor quite as young as you."
"In fact, I'm a new hire starting this year," Alaric said easily, his tone relaxed.
The investigator arched an eyebrow. "A new professor, eh?" He looked down at his records. "Let's see... which subject are you teaching?"
"Care of Magical Creatures," Alaric replied casually.
The investigator finished his final note, added a flourish at the bottom, and stood up from his chair.
"The investigation is concluded, Mr. Thorn," he announced.
Alaric was a bit taken aback. Was that it? "Just like that? Is there anything else I need to do?" he asked cautiously.
"Well..." the investigator explained, "Technically, you were suspected of breeding dangerous creatures. However, as you can see, I haven't found a single prohibited beast on the premises. And," he gave Alaric a knowing wink, "we trust you, Mr. Thorn. After all, you are a Hogwarts professor."
So, the title carries that much weight? Alaric mused silently. It seemed the social standing of a Hogwarts faculty member was quite substantial in the wizarding world.
"Right then, sir," the investigator said, pulling on his traveling cloak and heading for the door. "I'll be off. If you feel like it, you can drop by the Ministry tomorrow to sign a formal statement. But if you don't, it's no great loss."
With that, he hurried out into the twilight.
Alaric had no intention of looking for trouble by showing up at the Ministry voluntarily. That would be walking straight into the lion's den; after all, his list of illegal activities was far from short. Private ownership of a dragon alone would be enough to earn him a one-way ticket to Azkaban. Still, he felt confident that even if the Ministry suspected him, they would never find the evidence hidden within his plantation.
Once the investigator was gone, Alaric pulled his silver pocket watch—Harry's gift—and checked the time. It was six o'clock. Seeing how quickly the investigator had fled, Alaric guessed the man was simply desperate to clock out for the day.
Harry had left the Chomping Cabbage in Alaric's care before heading home, terrified that it might undergo another spontaneous growth spurt. If the Dursleys' house were to be torn apart by a giant vegetable, it wouldn't be nearly as easy to fix. Harry didn't have Alaric's skill with a wand, after all.
Alaric turned his gaze to the cabbage sitting on the counter. It seemed to have recovered some of its vitality, no longer looking as wilted as it had immediately after the transformation.
As Alaric approached, the cabbage instantly snapped its mouth open. He knew exactly what it wanted: more Dragon Dung compost. Unfortunately, Alaric's supply of the high-grade mixture was nearly exhausted.
"I didn't prepare nearly enough of the good stuff for a bottomless pit like you," Alaric muttered, retrieving some standard magical fertilizer from his stores. "You'll have to make do with this for now."
When Alaric shoveled the standard fertilizer into its mouth, the cabbage looked distinctly unimpressed.
Cough! Cough-cough!
It chewed a few times before spatting the fertilizer back out onto the counter, letting out a series of dry, hacking coughs as if it were offended by the quality.
"Getting picky, are we?" Alaric's brow twitched. "Keep complaining and you won't get fed at all."
Sensing Alaric's genuine irritation, the cabbage immediately ceased its coughing. It realized who held the trowel. It went back to absorbing the standard fertilizer, albeit with less enthusiasm. Once it had taken in enough nutrients, it returned to its normal state.
"Can you control your size at will now?" Alaric asked.
The cabbage wobbled up and down in a clear nod. A faint black aura shimmered around it once more, and its body began to swell. This time, the growth was controlled and steady. It seemed the initial outburst had been due to a lack of familiarity with the new ability.
"Stop!"
When the cabbage reached about half a meter in height, Alaric called it off. At that size, it was already intimidating enough to give anyone pause.
To test its current biting force, Alaric retrieved a block of refined steel from his warehouse—a high-quality piece he'd sourced from the black market, crafted with genuine goblin-work techniques. He placed it in front of the cabbage.
The cabbage remained still, staring blankly at the metal.
"What are you waiting for? Bite it," Alaric prodded.
"..."
The cabbage gave him a look that clearly asked if he was serious. Eventually, under Alaric's insistence, it lunged. With a sickening crack, the cabbage managed to leave a deep, distinct set of tooth marks in the steel, though it lost one of its own teeth in the process.
Having exerted itself, the cabbage's mana flickered out, and it returned to its original size.
"Impressive," Alaric murmured.
The hardness of that goblin-steel was legendary. That a plant's teeth could even mar the surface was staggering. While the cabbage "whimpered" over its lost tooth, Alaric pacified it with a small vial of specialized growth serum.
Once the plant was settled, Alaric retrieved the fallen tooth and handed it to the Tree of Wisdom for analysis.
Eldra.
Item: Chinese Chomping Cabbage Tooth
Trait: Giantism
It was as he suspected: the biological material harvested from the mutated plant retained the "Giantism" trait. Using these teeth, Alaric could potentially brew a specific growth draught to grant other plants the same ability.
Of course, such a transfer would depend on the compatibility of the target plant, something that could only be determined through trial and error. Fortunately, the cabbage's teeth were regenerative. As long as he kept it fed, Alaric had an infinite supply of testing material.
It might require the cabbage to make a few small sacrifices for the sake of science, but Alaric was confident it wouldn't mind—as long as the snacks kept coming.