Binns appeared from the wall, his head emerging first, then his entire body. As soon as he appeared, the classroom temperature dropped noticeably. Shawn noticed that near the front of the classroom, a small portion of the candle flames turned blue.
"Emeric was a short-lived but extremely vicious Dark wizard. He was killed by his opponent Egbert in an exceptionally bloody duel..." Professor Binns began lecturing as soon as he entered the classroom, with no opening remarks or roll call. As a ghost, he didn't care about such things.
"Uric the Oddball was an ancient eccentric wizard. He became famous for such feats as wearing jellyfish on his head like a hat... He once slept in a room with no fewer than fifty Augureys. In a particularly damp winter, Uric, upon hearing the Augurey's cries, became convinced he had died and become a ghost. Uric then attempted to walk through the walls of his own house. The consequence of this action was what biographer Radolphus Pittiman described as 'a ten-day concussion'..."
Professor Binns's voice always carried inexplicable pauses and drawn-out endings, sounding distinctly odd.
"I've—heard—" Michael beside him suddenly spoke, perfectly imitating Professor Binns's distinctive tone.
Anthony in the back row stopped taking notes, and Terry also stopped examining the oddly shaped runestone in his hand. Even Shawn turned his head slightly. The socially well-connected Michael always had interesting information—all three of them knew it.
"Professor Binns was a Hogwarts professor long, long ago. One day, this elderly professor teaching History of Magic fell asleep in front of the fireplace in the staff room. When he woke up, he went directly to his next class, but he left his body behind!" Michael described this scene vividly.
Terry said quietly, "Blimey!"
Anthony also raised his eyebrows.
"Self-stirring cauldron, a type of cauldron enchanted to automatically stir potions. Invented by Gaspard Shingleton in the late twentieth century..." Professor Binns's voice droned on in the classroom. Almost all the students were distracted. Some whispered amongst themselves, whilst others simply laid their heads down to sleep.
Having memorised the entire History of Magic textbook, Shawn took notes carefully. He found that Western magical history didn't seem particularly continuous. Professor Binns mostly described people's deeds and confirmed legends. As for important events, like the self-stirring cauldron, they all appeared alongside people.
Professor Binns's lectures had no particularly clear logic—whether this was because magical history was inherently like this, or because he'd lost logical ability after becoming a ghost, was unclear. But even in these scattered events, Shawn still identified a clear pattern. For history subjects, there was always one useful method.
He wrote furiously. After Professor Binns finished his last sentence, Shawn turned the parchment sideways. Michael beside him curiously leant over to look. He discovered that in Shawn's notes, a timeline clearly connected all the key dates.
"Merlin's beard, Shawn, you're brilliant," Michael murmured. He found that those obscure pieces of knowledge could actually be remembered this way.
Shawn paid no attention. He nodded slightly, thinking this should achieve Outstanding. As soon as class ended, the students automatically awakened. After Professor Binns left, everyone chattered as they walked out of the classroom.
"Shawn, fancy playing wizard chess together?" Michael enthusiastically invited Shawn.
"No, thanks." Shawn was somewhat curious about this game he'd never heard of, but he had to go to the greenhouse.
"All right." Michael pouted, watching Shawn walk away.
Following Bruce's reminder, Shawn stopped in front of the first building. The towering dome gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting the sky and passing clouds. The heavy wooden frame looked ancient and sturdy. The dark green paint had peeled in places, revealing weathered wood underneath.
When the wooden door opened, warm, humid air full of life immediately rushed over him. Professor Sprout was waving her wand. Her movements were practised—in the blink of an eye, the muddy path was cleaned.
"Mr Green, you've come at just the right time. Please help clean up the debris." Professor Sprout spoke whilst picking up a small trowel and placing a black-red plant deeper in the greenhouse.
Shawn looked carefully. The long planting table was already somewhat messy, with small dirt pits, splashed water stains, and some scattered plant debris—like the dark green, sticky dittany fragments described in the book.
"Scour—g—ify!" Shawn accurately recited the incantation and waved his wand, applying the technique he'd practised.
[You practised the Scouring Charm once at Apprentice standard, Proficiency +1]
The next moment, a small section of planting table before Shawn was cleaned. Shawn concentrated and began waving his wand repeatedly. "Scour—g—ify!"
[You practised the Scouring Charm once at Apprentice standard, Proficiency +1]
[You practised the Scouring Charm once at Apprentice standard, Proficiency +1]
[You practised the Scouring Charm once at Entry standard, Proficiency +3]
What a dedicated young student, Professor Sprout thought, watching the young wizard working diligently, her face radiating a warm smile.
Before collapsing from exhaustion, Shawn completed cleaning the greenhouse. Professor Sprout waved her wand, and a cup of honey lemon water floated into Shawn's hand. "Have some honey water and rest a while, Mr Green."
Shawn looked at the now clean and fresh planting table with a sense of accomplishment. Of course, most of his satisfaction came from the Scouring Charm gaining sixty-six proficiency points.
[Name: Shawn Green]
[Identity: Wizard]
[Titles: Charms Novice, Transfiguration Apprentice]
[Proficiency]
[Levitation Charm: Apprentice Level (4/300)]
[Lumos: Apprentice Level (1/300)]
[Scouring Charm: Apprentice Level (70/300)]
[Transfiguration: Apprentice Level (3/900)]
[Herbology Recognition: Locked (27/90)]
[Advancement: Three Entry-level charms can unlock Entry-level title in Charms domain.]
[Advancement: Entry-level Transfiguration can unlock Entry-level title in Transfiguration domain.]
[Wizard Talent]
[Charms: Green]
[Transfiguration: Light Purple]
Compared to a few days ago, the changes were remarkable. Shawn took a sip of honey lemon water. The honey bloomed on his taste buds, so sweet his eyes narrowed. Delicious. A hundred times better than the bitter black tea at the orphanage.
Shawn put away his wand and sat on the small stool Professor Sprout summoned. A thought occurred to him: although doing odd jobs would work, the current priority was learning herb processing.
"Professor, can I process herbs with you?" Shawn quickly spoke up, causing Professor Sprout, who was about to walk to the oak table at the other end, to pause slightly.
"Welcome. I mean, why not?" Professor Sprout blinked. Shawn didn't even finish his honey lemon water, hurrying to follow the cheerful professor.