There were so many plants on the right side of the greenhouse.
That was Sean's first thought.
And they were packed in, big and vigorous.
That was his second.
So he stuck close behind the plump professor—just in case one careless step and she vanished into the sea of leaves.
Professor Sprout walked lightly between two rows of benches with a trowel in hand, sometimes pinching a leaf, sometimes sniffing a blossom.
"This is the Puffapod section. Once we get past here, we'll reach the place where we can really show our stuff."
Her voice was loud without being noisy—oddly reassuring.
Puffapods?
Sean peered at the vines of varying thickness. Fat pink pods hung from them, bright seeds glinting inside. He'd read about them: their seeds bloom the instant they touch solid matter.
"These Puffapods will ripen soon. When they do, these benches will be full of Bouncing Bulbs…"
Sprout explained enthusiastically. Light danced in Sean's green eyes.
Maybe the greenhouse lighting was a bit too bright, or maybe a kid watching this intently was simply hard to dislike, but Sprout's steps turned even sprightlier.
Wonderful… new sprouts always bring new hope.
That was what Professor Sprout loved to see most.
"Over here, child—let's process these daisies."
She stopped at a wide, sturdy worktable, the middle stained dark by plant sap and soil.
Sean hurried over as she pulled several pots of daisies from beneath the bench. If they differed from ornamental ones, it was in their thicker roots—and the price: twenty stems for one Galleon in Diagon Alley.
Terrifyingly expensive.
"Eyes on the work. Watch closely. For yellow daisies, cut in three inches below the petals…"
Sprout's knife flashed; milky sap welled from the root and she caught it neatly in a glass vial.
"Only this time of year can you harvest daisy sap. Don't cut too deep, or the dear things won't grow properly after. Too shallow, and the sap won't meet the standard for Shrinking Solution."
She finished the careful explanation, then flicked her wand; a small knife and a glass vial landed on the table in front of Sean.
"Your turn, Mr. Green."
He nodded and took up the tools.
"The angle's off, Mr. Green—tilt a bit more…"
"Too gentle, Mr. Green—be bolder…"
"Oh, Mr. Green, stop—wrong spot…"
Time slipped by on the back of Sean's mistakes.
He quickly realized he might not have a natural knack for Herbology, either.
On his fifteenth failure, brow furrowed in thought, a gentle voice came at his side:
"Discovering you lack talent yet still picking up the trowel—that's where Herbology begins."
Sean looked up. Sprout's face was warm and deep as sunlight.
And so—
Until the big shadow she cast began to lean with the setting light, Sean gradually grasped the essentials: pressure, angle, placement—all crucial. Miss any one and the panel wouldn't tick up.
[You processed one daisy at Apprentice standard. Proficiency +1]
The chime was music to his ears. Once he had the right method, his drive spiked.
[You processed one daisy at Apprentice standard. Proficiency +1]
[You processed one daisy at Novice standard. Proficiency +3]
…
The sun slanted. Thirty pots of daisies lay neatly stacked. Sean wiped the sweat from his fringe; his eyes shone as brightly as the Herbology professor's beside him.
"Excellent work, Mr. Green." Sprout clapped lightly; nothing pleased her more than watching a seedling grow strong. "Off to dinner with you—and take this."
She tucked a piece of candied jackfruit into his arms, and the bell went clang—dinnertime. Hogwarts' meal hours are fixed; miss it and you go hungry. Some students asked friends to save them a plate; Sean obviously hadn't planned ahead.
Going hungry at Hogwarts—that would be awful.
With that thought, he hurriedly thanked Professor Sprout and headed for the Hall. If his body were stronger, he'd have run.
"Next time we'll handle something special," Sprout called as he left.
Sean glanced at the dark-stained table piled with toothlike objects. He guessed… venomous snake fangs?
…
After the Great Hall's dazzling spread, Justin was getting scolded by Hermione—for failing to notice that he also had Herbology that afternoon, with Gryffindor no less. When Miss Granger saw him in Greenhouse One, she just about exploded.
"Did you do that on purpose?!"
"My bad…"
Locked in battle with Hungarian goulash, Sean missed Justin's pleading look. He gulped pumpkin juice and glanced at the day's gains.
[Herbology Insight: Locked (59/90)]
Processing daisies had earned him a full 33 proficiency.
[Apprentice-level Herbology Insight unlocks the Apprentice title in the Herbology domain]
He was close—one final push and he could unlock the title today if he used the remaining time well.
As for that pile of "teeth," a closer look convinced him they were venomous snake fangs. He didn't know why Professor Sprout wanted them processed, but it matched his needs perfectly: the Cure for Boils requires venomous fangs.
As soon as the "battle" ended, Sean left the Hall, so quickly Justin and Hermione didn't have time to react.
"Sean! …Sigh, he's fast. I was going to ask him to hit the library with us. He might crack our 'mature asphodel' problem. Honestly, I've no idea how to write the Herbology essay."
Justin drooped a little. Magic was harder than he'd thought. Sprout had told them to just do their best, but—well—Hufflepuffs want to make their Head proud.
"I'm not sure he could help—but Hogwarts Library has thousands of books. We'll find the answer," Hermione said, shaking her head, exasperated but confident.