"Professor Sprout."
When they reached the professor, Bruce—who had been loud and carefree the entire way—suddenly became unusually reserved.
"Oh, Bruce Dickinson, Leon Howard, Mr. Pister Jefferson. I'm so glad you all came to help."
Professor Sprout wore a hat patched so many times it looked like a quilt, and her smile was as warm as the sun.
"A new seedling? Child, it's lovely to meet you. What's your name?"
She set down the large shears she'd been using on Bubotuber tubers and bent down to look at Sean.
She didn't ask why he was there.
Instead, she removed her dirt-stained dragon-hide gloves and greeted him with a warmth reminiscent of that old lady who used to make generous donations to the orphanage.
Even if none of the money ever reached the orphans, Sean still couldn't help but respect her.
"Sean Green."
Sean found himself growing a bit shy as well.
"Mr. Green, I'm so glad you're here to help. Mr. Dickinson, could you take him to work on the mature plants?"
Professor Sprout gently pinched Sean's cheek, then cheerfully began assigning tasks.
"Mr. Howard, the weeds are all yours.
And Mr. Jefferson, I'd like you to sort out the dittany by growth stage. That'll be the first plant the new seedlings need to learn about."
"Yes, Professor."
Sean saw Bruce roll up his sleeves and answer softly, Leon replied "No problem,"
while Pister Howard seemed even more nervous than Bruce. His face flushed bright red as he nodded vigorously.
Sean thought, Professor Sprout must hold a very high place in the hearts of Hufflepuff students.
"I dare say, you'll have a hard time finding a professor more thoughtful than Professor Sprout. Every Hogwarts student is like one of her own children,"
Bruce said with a smile, his eyes gleaming.
"She's been voted Most Popular Professor for years in a row…
Anyway, let's take care of the mature plants first. Looks like we've got quite the task ahead!"
Sean nodded, and the two of them began weaving between the pumpkin-like plants, where several pots of dittany with purple-red petals were scattered about.
"First, let's collect all the mature dittany here. Hmm… do you know how to tell when dittany's ripe?"
Bruce handed Sean a small pair of shears while he began trimming a plant himself.
Sean shook his head. That hadn't been in any of the books.
"That's something you can't learn from books. I'll show you."
He leaned down and sniffed at a pot of dittany, then with a sharp snip, cut it cleanly.
"Mature dittany has a faint smell of goat. As it ripens, that smell grows stronger. Here, try smelling it."
Sean bent down and sniffed, noticing that the scent did vary between plants at different stages of growth.
The dittany Bruce picked had a noticeably richer goatish aroma.
Bruce grinned.
"Mature dittany increases the success rate of Invigoration Draughts. Immature dittany, on the other hand, can ruin the potion completely. And that—" he tapped the stalk with his shears "—is the charm of Herbology."
His words felt like opening a long-searched-for door for Sean.
Sean nodded and eagerly joined in gathering the mature dittany.
Like a pair of Nifflers hunting for treasure, the two moved among the pumpkin-like plants, sniffing here and checking there.
Sean's skill at identifying mature dittany improved steadily as they worked.
The difference between them was clear—Bruce, tall and dark-skinned, looked a bit like a groundhog as he worked.
Sean, with his sharp looks and agile movements, was more like a cat darting through tall grass.
"That should be enough. Let's process the dittany."
Bruce held up a sack full of the plants and waved for Sean to follow.
"Mm."
Sean stopped what he was doing and watched Bruce retrieve two silver knives and something that looked like a slotted spoon from a pile of hoes near the greenhouse wall.
"There are quite a few tricky parts to cutting dittany. In short, it's a three-step method. Watch closely."
Bruce spoke as he sliced a stalk into three segments, then used different degrees of chopping for each part—
the closer to the end, the finer the cut became. By the last section, he was even pressing it with the spoon-like tool to crush it completely.
"That's because dittany essence isn't evenly distributed, so you have to use different methods when processing it.
Want to give it a try?"
Sean nodded and took the tools from him.
[You have processed a dittany plant with Apprentice Level Skill. Proficiency +1]
The corners of Sean's lips curled upward involuntarily, and he worked even harder.
[You have processed a dittany plant with Apprentice Level Skill. Proficiency +1]
[You have processed a dittany plant with Apprentice Level Skill. Proficiency +1]
[You have processed a dittany plant with Apprentice Level Skill. Proficiency +1]
…
The sound of proficiency gains kept chiming as Sean's hands moved so quickly they were almost a blur.
"He looks like he's enjoying Herbology a bit too much." Bruce scratched his head, half amused, half exasperated. "Sean, Sean, listen to me—time to move on to the dried nettles."
He stopped Sean's enthusiastic cutting spree and led him, slightly impressed, to a patch of nettles.
He no longer had any doubts about Sean's passion for Herbology.
"Dried nettles—an ordinary plant, but once processed, it becomes an ingredient for magical potions. As for the process…"
…
Sean soaked up knowledge like a sponge.
[You have processed a nettle plant with Apprentice Level Skill. Proficiency +1]
[You have processed a nettle plant with Apprentice Level Skill. Proficiency +1]
Time trickled away like fine sand.
"Gentlemen, if I may—well done. Thank you for helping the new seedlings today."
Professor Sprout's voice interrupted Sean's work just as he finished processing the last nettle.
Pale blue sap dripped from it, proof that it had undergone a special soaking treatment.
Sean listened quietly to her words, then opened his panel.
[Herbology Cognition: Locked (27/90)]
[Note: Herbology Cognition proficiency includes the full range of skills, from plant identification to processing.]
Ninety points to unlock—that was the first time Sean had seen such a requirement.
It was like combining three apprentice-level proficiencies into one.
"Mr. Dickinson, Mr. Green—well done helping the seedlings identify those deceptively mature plants.
Mr. Howard, thank you for taking care of the weeds.
And Mr. Jefferson—oh, how should I praise you? Your dittany classifications were wonderfully precise."
Professor Sprout's smile was like the glow of a fireplace, warming everyone around her.
"Come, children, everyone gets a piece of hazelnut chocolate."
Sean heard Bruce let out a triumphant "Aha!" before quickly clapping a hand over his mouth.
Leon simply shook his head, while Pister gave a goofy grin, clearly still basking in the professor's praise.
They lined up and walked down the narrow path. The greenhouse now looked much tidier.
Most of the plants needing harvest had been taken care of by Bruce, and Sean had handled a fair number himself.
The weeds were gone, and even the dittany pots in the center were now neatly arranged according to growth stage.
When Sean reached Professor Sprout, he deliberately tore his gaze away from the delicious-looking hazelnut chocolate.
"Professor Sprout… could I come and help at other times too?"
He asked a little nervously.