Pushing open the greenhouse door, Sean felt his heart race.
What if Professor Sprout wasn't here?
What if the professor had already dealt with the poisonous snake fangs?
What if…
The thought passed in an instant, and Sean cast it aside, because he saw the plump professor working diligently.
"Professor Sprout."
Sean jogged over, his voice tinged with excitement.
"Welcome, Mr. Green,"
Professor Sprout greeted him warmly.
"Follow me, today we have some special materials to handle."
Sean's jog turned into a brisk run, as if the professor might vanish if he slowed down.
A chubby witch said "Oh" and brushed aside the vines overhead for Sean.
Professor Sprout walked ahead lightly, leading Sean through the familiar patch of Bubble-Headed Snakes.
"The dear Bubble-Headed Snakes are about to mature. When the pink pods grow a bit bigger, the shiny beans will jump out.
We need to harvest them before they jump, or the greenhouse will be filled with flowering pods."
The professor pinched a pod, speaking with the joy of a bountiful harvest.
"Mr. Green, would you like to help with the picking?"
Sean gave a firm "Yes," and the two of them—a big wizard and a small one—arrived at the oak table.
Various snake fangs were laid out on top.
"Every year at this time, I help handle some materials… Ah, look at these snake fangs, so solid. Mr. Green, do you know the difference between them?"
Professor Sprout waved her wand, and several snake fangs hovered in front of Sean.
They were sharp and gleaming, and there did seem to be subtle differences.
"Poisonous fangs have small grooves," Sean said after carefully observing them.
"Exactly right," Professor Sprout said, a little surprised. "Keen observation." She finished speaking, and a mortar and pestle flew into Sean's hands. "Try grinding them, Mr. Green."
Sean didn't hesitate; grinding wasn't troublesome, especially since the wooden pestle in his hand seemed to possess some magic—
Sean guessed it was a crushing spell or something similar—which made his progress swift.
Professor Sprout watched Sean grind diligently, then waved her wand, and ten mortars and pestles on the table began to move on their own.
"For the Clear-Head Potion, we need to grind finer, but for the Scabious Potion, this size is just right."
As Professor Sprout finished speaking,
Sean stopped grinding, having completed ten portions of material.
Not too slow, he thought,
and then saw ten jars moving at once.
Hmm, wizards really are too versatile.
Sean didn't pay it much mind and focused on recording the grinding state of the fangs, carefully observing the difference between the powdered poisonous and non-poisonous fangs.
Unfortunately, he couldn't figure it out.
"Oh, Mr. Green."
Professor Sprout noticed his eyes almost pressed against the powder, smiling so widely her hat tilted slightly.
She waved her wand again, and the powders were sorted into glass bottles of different colors.
The poisonous snake fangs went into light red bottles, the non-poisonous into white.
Sean finally understood.
"The angle of the sunflowers tells me it's time for you to go, Mr. Green."
Professor Sprout gestured goodbye with her fingers.
Only then did Sean realize that an hour and a half had already passed.
He quickly bid the professor goodbye, quietly asking:
"Professor, can I come back this afternoon?"
"Of course, the greenhouse welcomes any child who loves nature."
So Sean pushed open the greenhouse door.
In the afternoon, Ravenclaws were going to attend the first Transfiguration class with the Gryffindors.
Not wanting to risk being transformed into a pocket watch or a map, he quickened his pace.
At the same time, he opened his panel:
[Herbology Cognition: Unlocked (59/90)]
[Apprentice-level Herb Knowledge, unlocks apprentice title in the herbology field]
Handling snake fangs didn't really count as herbology,
so Sean scrolled down.
[Floating Charm: Apprentice Level (4/300)]
[Cleanning Charm: Apprentice Level (70/300)]
[Lumos Spell: Beginner Level (19/900)]
Lumos was now at the beginner level.
Sean lit his wand—it shone much brighter than when he was at apprentice level, and casting it felt faster and easier.
To make it as bright as he had in the classroom, he would need to build up emotion, though success wasn't guaranteed.
In fact, he had tried in class but could no longer produce such a bright light.
The Transfiguration classroom was on the second floor of the castle, not far from Professor McGonagall's office.
Entering the classroom, he saw a short brown wooden table, with chairs behind it from the Golden Age of the Gryffindor dynasty.
Antiques—Hogwarts really was wealthy, Sean thought.
Then he saw Michael, looking conflicted, sitting beside a black-haired girl,
apparently debating whether to sit with Sean.
Sean shook his head and sat beside Hermione, who had a cage with squeaking mice next to her.
Even at desks meant for two, the seat next to her was always empty.
"Sean, do you see the tabby cat on the desk? She's so cute."
Sean looked up—a silver-gray tabby cat sat elegantly on the desk.
"Mm," Sean nodded.
As they spoke, a creaking sound came from behind.
It was Harry and Ron, hurriedly pushing open the door and bursting into the classroom.
By now, they were already three minutes late.
Hermione glanced back, then pursed her lips and shook her head.
"They made it. If they were late, Professor McGonagall's expression would be terrifying."
Ron said with relief.
Watching them hesitate to sit, Sean knew they couldn't escape.
The tabby cat leapt into the air, transforming into a tall witch.
She wore a deep green robe and tilted her head, staring at Ron as he spoke.
Ron's eyes widened, lips pressed tight, his expression seemed to say:
"Harry, do you think we'll survive this?"
"Impressive," Ron tried to bluff his way out.
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Weasley.
Perhaps I should turn you and Mr. Potter into a pocket watch,
so at least one of you would keep track of time?"
"We got lost."
"Then you could become a map. You don't need a map to find your seat, do you?"
Low laughter rippled through the classroom.
"Two points from Gryffindor,"
Professor McGonagall added.
Sean saw Hermione glance at Harry and Ron again, momentarily speechless.
Gryffindor's reputation was well earned, Sean thought.
"Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said sternly.
"Anyone who misbehaves in my class will be sent out and never allowed back in. I have warned you."
After speaking, she waved her wand,
and the desk in front of her transformed into a pig, wandering around the classroom before changing back.
The young wizards' eyes sparkled with excitement, eager to begin learning immediately.