Professor Sprout, the head of Hufflepuff and Hogwarts' Herbology teacher, was also, at times, Professor Snape's direct supplier.
She was a kind and friendly plump witch who always wore a warm smile, except when she discovered a serious mistake made by some Hufflepuff students during Herbology class. That usually meant a hefty dose of extra tutoring for the offenders.
At this moment, she looked unusually grim, surprising the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors alike. It was just the start of the day, so who on earth had angered this usually cheerful professor so badly?
Dew still clung to her, showing she had just come out from the greenhouse.
That made it easy to pinpoint the culprit, only the Hufflepuffs whom she had pulled in for extra lessons would be in the greenhouse so early. The others probably preferred to handle things in the office.
This instantly perked Allen up, who'd been feeling drained. He was genuinely curious to know who had pushed the professor's temper so far, after all, he wanted to avoid making such mistakes himself, not just to satisfy idle gossip. Look at his sincere expression!
Soon, all the students learned who the true culprit behind the professor's anger was, surprisingly, it was a first-year student.
How did they know?
Because Professor Sprout said so herself. With a helpless yet stern tone, the usually cheerful headmistress announced to the young wizards:
"Honestly, while I don't believe anyone else could have done this, I must remind all of you, Herbology is a course meant to teach you about various herbs and magical plants. It's a precise science, and we must classify plants accurately, not just guess based on their shape."
The students were a little stunned, this seemed to have little to do with them. Since the first class, they'd been learning to identify various herbs and understand their habits. Why did the professor feel the need to repeat herself?
"Therefore, I remind all young wizards, this is a greenhouse for magical plants, not a Muggle garden shed. These plants are absolutely not edible!"
"Not edible?", those words stirred a commotion among the students. Who had the guts to challenge these plants?
No one knew, and the professor didn't explain further. After gearing up with protective clothing, they entered the greenhouse in single file.
The plant introduced that day was quite famous, the Mandrake.
Known as the soul singer of the plant world, it resembled the legendary ginseng fruit, but without any of ginseng's life-extending powers. On the contrary, true to its nickname, its soul-wrenching scream could daze or even kill many people.
Allen and the others were tasked with a simple job that day, babysitting.
That meant taking care of these toxic little plants, much like tending irritable babies, transferring them from one stroller to another crib.
Unfortunately, these babies didn't like being moved.
They were unruly and some even had a nasty habit of biting, Fred got bitten.
Allen watched with interest as Fred, after putting the little troublemaker into a slightly larger pot, repeatedly patted it with a shovel. Allen swore Fred wished he could squash it.
The fresh soil soon spread across the students, making the chore dull and risky, with the threat of bites. Allen was the only one who felt a bit better, secretly zapping the little plants during their most rebellious moments. Of course, the shocks were harmless and wouldn't damage the herbs' medicinal properties.
As a famous saying from the renowned lightning mage goes: no matter the problem, just zap it, and it's fixed. Indeed, the stubborn Mandrakes were easily moved into another pot by Allen's discreet shocks.
Other students looked at Allen expectantly, but whether by the professor's orders or the example of that great mage, who reportedly now spent his days in St. Mungo's Hospital after a magical backlash during a lightning spell experiment, Allen was powerless.
Such accidents were common. Luna, the cool and independent Ravenclaw girl, had lost her mother in a magic experiment gone wrong.
Finally, drenched in sweat and covered in soil, with aching backs and weary legs, the students were relieved when the sweet sound of the end-of-class bell rang.
Grateful, they lined up to return Professor Sprout's earmuffs.
However, amid the noisy commotion, no one noticed a Mandrake plant, heavily buried under soil, start to tremble slightly, it was clearly unhappy with its cramped new home.
With a sharp crack, all the students turned their heads.
A flowerpot shattered on the ground, and a small, pale green figure crawled out from the shards and dirt. Clearly, this method of escape was not welcomed by the plant.
Under the amazed gazes of the young wizards, the little creature adjusted its glasses with both hands, and then, an ear-piercing scream echoed!
Professor Sprout's earmuffs were excellent, great sound insulation without overheating like others, a real quality product. But most students had already returned theirs.
So when the scream sounded, many could only cover their ears, except Allen.
Though his connection to Zyra's power didn't let him communicate with these newly conscious little plants, sensing their movements was no problem, which was why he dared to shock them without harming their medicinal qualities.
The moment the flowerpot hit the ground, Allen had already dashed out of the crowd, but, worn out from staying up late, his reaction was a fraction slow.
By the time he reached the spot, the little creature was singing loudly. Allen grabbed it quickly, zapped it with a corrective shock, and hurriedly buried it back in the scattered soil.
After all this, Allen felt the intense strain from his sleepless night combined with strenuous physical activity. Under the lure of the soul song, waves of drowsiness washed over him.
He'd planned to fight through it with sheer willpower, but then he suddenly remembered what the next class was.
Naturally, he gave up resisting.
And so, under the assault of the Mandrake's soulful cries, Allen, the one who'd just prevented a major teaching accident, fainted.
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