"Ah, warm sunshine, a gentle breeze, and new sprouts..."
Professor Sprout spoke with enthusiasm and joy, her head tilted slightly.
The Young Wizards immediately focused all their attention on the stout Witch.
She wore a patched hat on her flowing hair, and her clothes were stained with quite a bit of soil.
"I heard—"
Michael spoke in a low voice,
"Professor Sprout is the most popular Professor at Hogwarts.
She is also the Dean of Hufflepuff. Asking her for help with any problem is never a bad choice."
Amidst the damp smell of soil and fertilizer, mixed with a rich floral fragrance, the Professor continued:
"Welcome to Herbology Class, where you'll learn how to cultivate these exotic plants and fungi and understand their uses."
She lightly touched a pink pod, and a shiny bean immediately popped out, opening into a vibrant flower.
A chorus of "Wows" instantly erupted.
"Is this magic?"
Michael muttered to himself, then suddenly thought of something.
"Sean, do you know..."
"It's the magical plant, Bubble-Pod. It appears on page sixty-two of 'one thousand magical herbs and fungi'.
Bubble-Pods grow plump pink pods containing shiny beans.
These beans bloom instantly upon contact with any solid object."
Anthony and Terry, who had perked up their ears, almost simultaneously jotted down Sean's explanation.
Michael, meanwhile, just said:
"Uh-huh, I knew it."
...The content Professor Sprout taught was no different from what Sean had learned the first time.
It's worth mentioning that whenever the plump Professor couldn't find someone to answer a question, Sean was always called upon.
"Does anyone know what this plant is?
Hmm, you, Mr. Green."
"Dittany, a plant with healing and restorative magic properties."
"Very correct. Ravenclaw, one point.
Now, can any Young Wizard tell me how we should process Dittany?
Oh, well, it seems no one knows. Then, Mr. Green?"
"Generally, Dittany is more effective when extracted into an essence, but eating it raw can also heal superficial wounds."
"Absolutely correct. Ravenclaw, one point.
Last question, what is the use of Dittany? How should it treat Werewolf bites?
My dear sprouts, think back carefully to your Defense Against the Dark Arts Class."
But unfortunately, the Professor's expectations were destined to be dashed, as no one could concentrate on Defense Against the Dark Arts Class.
Professor Quirrell's progress was also significantly behind; content that should have been covered in the first Defense Against the Dark Arts Class had only been stutteringly introduced by Professor Quirrell.
"Oh! What a pity... Then..."
"Wizards once used a mixture of Dittany and silver dust to treat Werewolf bites, to prevent victims from dying of excessive blood loss."
Sean's proficiency was heartbreaking.
"Perfect answer! Ravenclaw, two points!"
Professor Sprout scanned the Young Wizards with bowed heads. She wasn't discouraged at all, still enthusiastically leading the Young Wizards in processing herbs.
"Alright, sprouts, since you didn't learn this in Defense Against the Dark Arts Class, then don't zone out now..."
Professor Sprout had everyone take a pair of gloves, carefully observe the Dittany, and then continued to teach them how to process mature Dittany.
"Sean, you're not Professor Sprout's distant relative or something, are you?"
Michael suddenly asked in a low voice.
Sean shook his head.
"Are you the Professor's private... Mmm mmm mmm—"
Anthony clapped a hand over Michael's mouth. The brief loss of oxygen allowed his intelligence to regain the upper hand.
He scratched his head and put his hands together, making an apologetic gesture.
What a terrible imagination.
Sean shook his head speechlessly.
After teaching the processing of Dittany, the Professor added some knowledge about processing dried nettle.
This made Sean thoughtful.
The education in the magic world might not be as bad as imagined.
For example, in Defense Against the Dark Arts Class, they would learn about Dittany for treating Werewolf bites.
And in Herbology Class, it would not only cover knowledge of Dittany but also explain the identification and processing techniques of dried nettle, which are precisely the materials needed for brewing Murtlap Essence.
It seemed that Hogwarts' teaching system must have been meticulously designed.
Sean processed Dittany while thinking.
You have completely processed a Dittany to apprentice standards, proficiency +1
You have completely processed a Dittany to apprentice standards, proficiency +1
You have completely processed a Dittany to apprentice standards, proficiency +1
...Although his skills remained at the apprentice stage, he was much more at ease than the other Young Wizards.
Just like the difference between him and Senior Bruce.
After class, Professor Sprout assigned an open-ended assignment to distinguish mature Dittany.
As she left, the plump Professor even winked at Sean.
The corridor outside the Greenhouse.
Sean stopped next to a suit of armor.
In the portrait ahead, a lady in a ceremonial gown smiled and nodded at him, and he politely nodded back.
At the same time, he opened his panel:
Herbology Cognition: Unlocked (80/90)
By processing Dittany, Sean gained 21 proficiency.
Apprentice-level Herbology Cognition, can unlock the apprentice-level title in the Herbology field.
There was another Herbology Class this afternoon, and he would probably be able to unlock the title by then.
Oh, and his Herbology talent.
Sean knew what it would be almost without guessing.
It was like those difficult exams in his previous life.
The approximate grade would be known as soon as the test paper was received, with no suspense at all.
Oh, there was some.
Perhaps he was ordinary green, not white trash?
However, by observing the Greenhouse, Sean understood one thing:
Hogwarts was very rich.
The Professors at Hogwarts were even more hidden rich people.
He saw some dried nettle in the shade that had passed its maturity period and should have been processed, but hadn't been in time.
The Greenhouse was too big; they were placed individually under umbrella-sized plants.
Sean thought they must be for sale.
Perhaps he could ask Senior Bruce who was selling the herbs?
The Professor was always busy, and Senior Bruce had mentioned that it was all done by the Hufflepuffs.
Then maybe he could buy some in advance.
Although it would definitely be expensive,
There is no gain without effort.
Thinking this, Sean subconsciously took out his portable notebook.
His shorthand quill was taken out and put back in.
He simply quickened his steps towards the Great Hall for dinner.
Unexpectedly, Sean hadn't even reached the Great Hall when he was stopped by a mysterious-looking Justin.
"Oh, Sean, I know, but only a little bit.
I promise I didn't read any more, but coincidentally, I can help."
Justin said something that left Sean bewildered.