Chapter 272: Professor Sprout's Dream
"What am I going to do with you…"
In a corner of Hogwarts' third greenhouse, Professor Pomona Sprout stood with a small trowel in hand, frowning at a cluster of clearly ailing Allure Flowers.
It had been overcast for several days, and winter was a poor season for growing such plants. These blossoms were already starting to wilt.
They had been pollinated and had set seed, but letting them shrivel like this still felt like a waste.
After all, Allure Flowers were one of the main ingredients in love potions, which remained among the most popular brews on the market. Their price was anything but low.
Should she give them a stronger restorative draught, force their growth back on track?
If she used something that aggressive, their magical potency would almost certainly weaken. They would never fetch top price again.
Sprout weighed the choice, hesitation written across her face.
Just then, a stream of water arced through the air in front of her and fell neatly onto the wilting blossoms.
As the water touched the petals, the drooping flowers stirred, then slowly opened again. Within seconds, they looked no different from healthy plants.
Startled, Sprout turned sharply and found a young girl standing behind her, a huge, potato-shaped creature cradled in her arms, with a bright smile on her face.
"Hello. You must be Professor Sprout, right?"
"I am. And you would be…" Sprout studied the girl's fine features for a moment, then ventured, "Sothia?"
She'd never met the girl, only heard of her, but restoring plants with a mere trickle of water was the sort of thing only a spring nymph was said to manage.
"That's me." Sothia nodded, confirming her guess.
Sprout set her tools aside. A warm, kindly smile softened her face.
"Here to see Evans, are you?"
This time, Sothia shook her head.
"Nope."
She giggled and pulled a letter from her cloak, waving it lightly.
After a glance at the contents, Sprout's expression cleared, and she chuckled. "So that's why Albus slipped off to France the other day. He was delivering this to you, was he?"
"Not entirely," Sothia said quickly. "Professor Dumbledore had business with Madame Maxime. He only came to give me the letter afterwards."
She stroked the big potato in her arms and turned her attention to the greenhouse.
Inside, countless magical plants were grouped into carefully planned sections according to their habits. Different species were interwoven, complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses, allowing each plant's properties to flourish to the fullest.
Sothia had a garden full of rare and wondrous plants most people had never heard of, but even she had to admit Sprout's care and organisation were more meticulous—and more professional—than her own.
And it wasn't just about helping things grow. Laid out like this, the greenhouse could become a nightmare for any wizard foolish enough to try storming Hogwarts.
"This is Mirage Scent Grass, isn't it? How did it get this big?" She poked a golden leaf beside her, eyes shining with curiosity.
The plant was exceedingly rare. She only had two clumps in her own garden, and both spent every day looking half-dead no matter what she tried.
Yet the specimen before her was nearly as tall as a maturing Goldtree.
"I just used a few tricks to help it along," Sprout said, sounding very pleased with herself. She scraped at the soil beneath the Mirage Scent Grass and exposed several Galleons buried underneath.
"In ancient times, Mirage Scent Grass was used as a form of wizarding currency. It shares some magical resonance with Galleons."
"By using that resonance and the right spells, you can activate dormant magic nodes inside the plant."
Sothia listened, then nodded thoughtfully. "If that's true, could it have some kind of affinity with Goldtrees as well?"
Sprout's eyebrows rose. She glanced across the greenhouse at the cluster of Goldtrees, pinched her chin, and slowly nodded.
"That's a possibility I hadn't considered. It's worth testing."
"That said, studying how they interact won't be easy work."
Time passed unnoticed as the two plant masters sank deeper into their discussion. From Mirage Scent Grass, they moved on to other specimens in the greenhouse, chatting away like old friends reunited.
They were in the middle of debating breeding techniques for Devil's Snare when Sothia happened to glimpse the sky outside, and her expression changed.
"Oh no. I've done it again. I'm sure Professor McGonagall told me to come to the Great Hall early. She wanted to go over something before the feast."
Still talking, she hurriedly said her goodbyes, hugged her big potato closer, and transformed into a stream of water that flowed swiftly toward the castle.
"See you next time, Professor Sprout. I'll come back when I've got time and we can talk more!"
"Yes. Until next time."
Smiling, Sprout waved until the water slipped through the main doors of the school. Then she turned back to survey her greenhouse.
The Allure Flowers that had been wilting before were now fully revived. Several other plants that had been showing minor problems looked perfectly healthy again.
Remembering the legends about spring nymphs, Sprout sighed softly.
"If only I were one of them."
Children of clear water, spring nymphs were born with an innate affinity for both flowing water and plants. With cases like the Allure Flowers, anything Sprout tried ran the risk of dulling their properties. A nymph, on the other hand, could bring them back to full strength with a few murmured words.
That kind of gift was enough to make any Herbologist green with envy.
Even if she ignored the raw boost they could give to plant growth, simply being able to tend every plant through water alone was the sort of thing that drove plant-mad witches and wizards to dream.
If she had such a gift, Hogwarts would have more than a few greenhouses scattered around the edge of the castle. She would see magical plants spread to every inch of ground around the school. Not just Hogwarts—she would blanket the entire Scottish Highlands, perhaps all of Britain, with strange and wonderful life of her own cultivation.
For a moment, she let herself picture that world. Then she shook her head with a rueful smile and picked up her trowel again.
Enough daydreaming. Time to check the rest.
There was still a while before the feast. She might as well see whether any other plants were starting to show the same sort of problems as the Allure Flowers.
With that girl around, she thought, the next six months might be a little easier.
The thought put new lightness in her steps. Her smile returned, wider than before.
Sothia might not be her assistant, but calling her in for help now and then… surely that would be all right.