"Ah, warm sun, gentle breeze, and new buds sprouting..."
Professor Sprout tilted her head slightly, her voice brimming with enthusiasm and delight.
The young wizards instantly focused on the stout witch, her frizzy hair tucked under a patched hat, her robes speckled with soil.
"I hear—" Michael whispered, "Professor Sprout's the most popular teacher at Hogwarts. She's Head of Hufflepuff too. Asking her for help's never a bad idea."
Amid the damp scent of earth and fertilizer, laced with a heady floral aroma, the professor continued: "Welcome to Herbology, where we'll learn to cultivate these wondrous plants and fungi—and discover their uses."
She tapped a pink pod lightly, and a shiny bean popped out, blooming into a vibrant flower.
A chorus of "oohs" rippled through the greenhouse.
"Is that magic?" Michael muttered to himself, then something clicked. "Sean, do you know—"
"It's a Magical Bubble-Bean Pod, page sixty-two of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. The pod grows plump pink beans inside, all sparkly. The moment they touch anything solid, they flower."
Anthony and Terry, ears perked, jotted down Sean's explanation in unison. Michael just huffed, "Mm-hmm, knew it."
...
Professor Sprout's lesson matched what Sean had learned the first time around—nothing new there.
Notably, though, whenever the plump professor scanned for an answer and came up empty, her gaze landed on Sean.
"Anyone know what this plant is? Er... you, Mr. Green."
"Dittany—a plant with healing and restorative magical properties."
"Spot on! Ravenclaw, one point. Now, which young wizard can tell me how we ought to prepare dittany? Oh dear, looks like no takers... Mr. Green?"
"Typically, extracting it into an essence yields the best results, but eating it raw heals shallow wounds just fine."
"Absolutely correct—another point to Ravenclaw! One last question: dittany's effects? How should it treat a werewolf bite? My dear sprouts, think back to your Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons."
Sadly, her hopes were dashed—no one had paid proper attention in Quirrell's class, and the professor's pace was woefully slow. What should've been covered in the first lesson had only gotten a stuttering start.
"Oh! What a pity... Well then..."
"Wizards once used dittany mixed with silver powder to treat werewolf bites, preventing death from blood loss."
Sean's delivery was so practiced it was almost heartbreaking.
"Perfect answer—two points to Ravenclaw!"
Professor Sprout swept her eyes over the bowed heads, undeterred, her enthusiasm unflagging as she guided the students through prepping the herbs.
"Alright, sprouts—if you haven't covered this in Defence yet, no dozing off now..."
She had everyone don gloves, examine the dittany closely, then demonstrated handling mature plants.
"Sean, you wouldn't be some distant relative of Professor Sprout's, would you?"
Michael whispered out of the blue.
Sean shook his head.
"Or maybe her secret... mmmph—"
Anthony clapped a hand over Michael's mouth, the brief oxygen deprivation snapping some sense back into him.
He scratched his head, clasped his hands in apology.
What a rotten imagination.
Sean shook his head, speechless.
...
After finishing with dittany, the professor added a bit on preparing dried nettles.
It set Sean thinking: wizarding education wasn't as grim as he'd feared.
Take Defence Against the Dark Arts—learning about dittany for werewolf bites. And Herbology didn't just cover dittany; it delved into identifying and prepping dried nettles, key for brewing a basic antidote to common poisons.
Hogwarts' curriculum must be masterfully designed, intersections like these weaving the subjects together.
Sean pondered as he worked the dittany.
[You've fully prepared a dittany plant to apprentice standard. Proficiency +1]
[You've fully prepared a dittany plant to apprentice standard. Proficiency +1]
[You've fully prepared a dittany plant to apprentice standard. Proficiency +1]
...
His skills lingered at apprentice level, but he handled it with far more ease than the others.
Much like the gap between Bruce and himself.
Class ended with an open-ended assignment: distinguishing mature dittany.
As they filed out, the professor winked at Sean.
...
In the corridor outside the greenhouse.
Sean paused by a suit of armor.
Ahead, in her portrait, a lady in full dress robes smiled and nodded; he returned the polite gesture.
At the same time, he opened his system:
[Herbology Knowledge: Unlocked (80/90)]
Prepping dittany had netted him 21 proficiency.
[Apprentice-level Herbology Knowledge: Eligible to unlock Apprentice title in Herbology]
One more Herbology this afternoon—he'd unlock it then, no doubt.
Oh, and his Herbology talent...
No need to guess; Sean knew exactly what it'd be.
Like those brutal exams from his past life: the second you got the paper, you knew the score. No suspense.
Well, a sliver maybe.
Perhaps it was plain green—not white trash.
...
Observing the greenhouse had taught him one thing: Hogwarts was filthy rich. And its professors? Hidden tycoons.
He'd spotted dried nettles in the shade, past maturity and begging to be harvested—but untouched.
The greenhouse was massive; they huddled under umbrella-sized plants.
Sean figured they were for sale.
Maybe ask Bruce who handled the herb sales? Professors were swamped; Bruce had said Hufflepuffs managed it.
That way, he could snag some early.
Sure, it'd cost a fortune.
But no pain, no gain.
Lost in thought, Sean instinctively reached for his ever-present notebook.
His quick-quill self-inked just as quickly back into his bag.
His steps quickened toward the Great Hall for lunch.
Surprisingly, before he reached it, a beaming, mysterious Justin intercepted him.
"Oh, Sean—I figured it out, but just a bit. I swear I didn't peek further, but as it happens... I can help."
Justin's words left Sean utterly baffled.