"Sean! Sean!"
A familiar voice made Sean pause.
In the corridor outside the greenhouse, the evening sunlight spilled in, making the young wizard by the Gothic stained glass look even more handsome.
"Bruce."
Sean nodded, giving a greeting, and was about to continue toward the greenhouse.
"You're going to visit Professor Sprout, right? I suggest you go back. The professor went to Greenhouse Three, and first-year students aren't allowed in there."
After the reminder, Bruce held his book, waiting for Sean's response.
"…Thanks for the warning."
Sean stopped in place, a bit lost in thought.
If Professor Sprout weren't around, based on his own knowledge of herbs, he would struggle even with basic identification, let alone proper handling.
And he didn't even know which herbs he was supposed to work with.
"You really are obsessed with magical plants…"
Seeing Sean's eyes dim from longing, Bruce felt as if he had committed an unforgivable crime. He closed his book helplessly.
"Usually, Professor Sprout only stays in Greenhouse Three for a while. After tomorrow's class, you should be able to find her in Greenhouse One."
After he said this, Sean's eyes immediately brightened, and he nodded seriously.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Oh, right, here, take this."
Sean looked puzzled. A shadow flickered, and a piece of cheese appeared in his hand.
"Dragon cheese. Although the 'Magic Cheese for You' book has revised the method for dragon cheese, I still think the original version tastes better. Many people agree."
Bruce crossed his arms and smiled.
"Trading snacks is a Hufflepuff tradition. Even though you're in Ravenclaw, who cares?"
While Sean was examining the cheese, Bruce strode away decisively.
Sean heard soft voices coming from the end of the corridor.
"I think the new version tastes better."
"Agreed."
"Pist, Leon! You heretics! Don't make me angry just after I finished showing off!"
"He thinks he's so handsome…"
"Leon, this time it seems…"
"Fine, Pist, you're right.
I mean, well done, that's very Hufflepuff. Bruce, you're impressive."
…
New version, original version?
Sean guessed it was like the dispute over salty tofu pudding versus sweet tofu pudding in his previous life. Luckily, he liked spicy food.
Sean glanced at the sky and decided to do something he had been wanting to do for a while.
That was to go to the Hogwarts library.
Think about it—Hogwarts had thousands of books, and they were free!
Just that fact alone made Sean, who normally spent a fortune on books, drool.
Not to mention, he could also complete his assignments there.
Properly completing assignments would likely be part of how Headmaster Dumbledore evaluated students.
The Hogwarts library was located on the second floor of the castle, with thousands of bookshelves holding tens of thousands of books.
It was divided into three sections:
One was the general section.
Here, Sean saw countless bookshelves, like a dense forest, stretching out in all directions as far as the eye could see, fading into darkness.
They weren't perfectly uniform; some shelves were uneven in height.
Some even required a creaking ladder to reach the top.
Some students sat scattered around the heavy oak tables in the middle, heads buried in their studies.
Their faces were illuminated by floating magical crystal balls on the tables. Quills scratched quickly across parchment, producing a soft rustling sound.
Sean strained his eyes but still couldn't see the Restricted Section at the back of the library. That was a legendary place—Voldemort had found Secrets of Advanced Dark Magic there and turned himself into a brainless lunatic.
The trio had found Most Potent Potions there and brewed Polyjuice. It was truly a treasure trove.
The third area was called the Invisibility Section, containing most books on invisibility spells.
Sean had no idea how to find them.
He thought about this while slinging his small bag over his shoulder to find a place to sit, and then he noticed Justin silently waving at him.
"Sean! Over here!" (lip movements)
Sean quickly walked toward Justin and Hermione.
"Where did you go? You disappear every time after meals."
Hermione lifted her face; her concern unintentionally came out as a question.
"The greenhouse."
Sean answered casually, not paying it much mind.
"Oh, I mean… okay. Do you know how to tell when a dittany is mature?"
Hermione seemed to realize her tone was harsh. She wanted to make up for it but didn't know how, and finally blurted out her question subconsciously.
"Dittany has a faint mutton smell. When they mature, the smell becomes stronger."
Sean repeated what Bruce had told him. It felt strange, almost as if he had inherited something.
"You knew it!"
Hermione covered her mouth. She had asked casually, never expecting Sean to actually know.
'Is this what you got from the greenhouse?'
Sean nodded. Sort of.
'I knew it!'
Justin acted even prouder than Sean, making Hermione blush slightly.
"But I memorized the entire first-year textbook, and it didn't describe any of this."
Hermione's ears tinged pink as she asked quietly.
"Mm, I memorized it too. It really doesn't say anything."
Sean agreed completely.
"Oh my, you memorized it too!"
Hermione covered her mouth again, carefully peeking out from behind a thick brown book.
She looked around, seeing Madam Pince lecturing a young wizard, completely unaware of them, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Her eyes sparkled as if she had found a kindred spirit.
"I was helping Professor Sprout with herbs. A Hufflepuff senior told me."
Sean said this, then took out Magical History and some parchment, deciding to start with his Magical History assignment.
Hermione and Justin exchanged a glance, both clearly thinking, "Huh?"
If Professor Binns hadn't mistaken inches for feet, the homework wouldn't have been much.
Unfortunately, the professor was apparently a bit confused, so Sean and the others ended up with an assignment one foot long.
Almost a third of a meter.
The first-year students rushing out at the end of class didn't seem to notice the severity of the situation. But soon, Sean glimpsed Michael and others at the second-row oak table already wearing looks of agony.
"Three feet! Even if I maximize spacing and font size, I can't finish this!"
Sean heard a loud shout, and the others in the library looked at Michael with pity.
Michael finally covered his mouth, but it was too late.
Madam Pince stormed over, her shoes thudding sharply on the floor.
Sean stood his book upright, silently paying his respects, and went to gather books for his essay.
The essay seemed extensive, but for Sean, it was nothing.
"Modern Magical History," three Galleons;
"Important Magical Events of the 20th Century," four Galleons;
"Directory of Contemporary Famous Wizards," five Galleons…"
Sean tried to pick the more expensive books. Expensive didn't necessarily mean better, but they were definitely costly.
Once, Sean couldn't afford them.
Now, he could handle them for free.