"Ah, warm sun, gentle breeze, and new students again..." Professor Sprout tilted her head slightly, speaking with enthusiasm and joy.
The young wizards immediately focused all their attention on this stocky witch. She wore a patched hat over her flowing hair, and her clothes were covered with quite a bit of dirt.
"I heard—" Michael spoke quietly. "Professor Sprout is the most popular professor at Hogwarts. She's also the Head of Hufflepuff House. When encountering any problem, seeking help from this professor is never a bad choice."
Amid a smell of damp soil and fertilizer mixed with rich floral fragrance, the professor continued, "Welcome everyone to Herbology, to learn how to cultivate these strange plants and fungi and understand their uses."
She lightly tapped a pink pod, and a shiny bean immediately jumped down, blooming into a vibrant flower. Instantly there was a chorus of "Wow—"
"Is this magic?" Michael murmured to himself. He suddenly thought of something. "Shawn, do you know..."
"It's the magical plant Bubotuber. It appears on page sixty-two of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. Bubotuber pods grow plump pink pods containing shiny beans. These beans bloom immediately upon contact with solid objects."
Anthony and Terry, who had pricked up their ears, almost simultaneously wrote down Shawn's explanation. Michael just said, "Mm-hmm, I figured."
What Professor Sprout taught was no different from what Shawn had learned the first time. Worth mentioning was that whenever the plump professor couldn't find someone to answer questions, Shawn was always called upon.
"Does anyone know what plant this is? Well, you then, Mr. Green."
"Dittany, a plant with healing and restorative magical properties."
"Completely correct. One point to Ravenclaw. Now, which young wizard can tell me how we should process dittany? Oh well, it seems no one knows, so Mr. Green?"
"Generally speaking, dittany extracted as essence has more outstanding therapeutic effects, but eating it raw can also heal shallow wounds."
"Completely correct. One point to Ravenclaw. Last question—what is dittany's function? How should it treat werewolf bites? My dear students, think carefully about your Defense Against the Dark Arts class."
But unfortunately, the professor's hope was destined to be dashed, because no one could focus on Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor Quirrell's progress was also significantly behind. The content that should have been completed in the first Defense class, Professor Quirrell had only stuttered through the beginning.
"Oh! What a shame... then..."
"Wizards have used a mixture of dittany and silver powder to treat werewolf bites to prevent victims from dying of excessive blood loss."
Shawn was practiced to a heartbreaking degree.
"Perfect answer! Two points to Ravenclaw!" Professor Sprout swept over the young wizards with lowered heads. She wasn't discouraged at all and still enthusiastically led them in processing herbs. "Well, students, since you haven't learned this in Defense Against the Dark Arts, then don't space out for what comes next..."
Professor Sprout had everyone take a pair of gloves, carefully observe the dittany, and then continued teaching how to process mature dittany.
"Shawn, you're not some distant relative of Professor Sprout, are you?" Michael suddenly asked quietly.
Shawn shook his head.
"Could you be the professor's priv—mmph—" Anthony clapped his hand over Michael's mouth. The brief oxygen deprivation also allowed his IQ to reclaim the high ground. He scratched his head, pressed his palms together, and made an apologetic gesture.
What a terrible imagination, Shawn thought, shaking his head.
After teaching dittany processing, the professor supplemented some knowledge about dried nettle processing. This made Shawn thoughtful. Magical education might not be as bad as imagined.
For example, Defense Against the Dark Arts would learn about dittany for treating werewolf bites. And Herbology not only covered dittany knowledge but also explained dried nettle identification and processing techniques—precisely the materials needed for brewing the Cure for Boils. Looking at it this way, Hogwarts' teaching system must have been carefully designed.
Shawn thought about this while processing dittany.
[You completely processed one dittany plant at Apprentice standard, Proficiency +1]
[You completely processed one dittany plant at Apprentice standard, Proficiency +1]
[You completely processed one dittany plant at Apprentice standard, Proficiency +1]
Although his technique remained at the Apprentice stage, he was much more at ease than the other young wizards. Just like the difference between him and Bruce.
After class, Professor Sprout assigned open-ended homework on distinguishing mature dittany. Before leaving, the plump professor even winked at Shawn.
The corridor outside the greenhouse— Shawn stopped beside a suit of armor. Ahead in a portrait, a lady in a ceremonial gown smiled and nodded at him. He politely nodded back. At the same time, he opened the panel:
[Herbology Recognition: Locked (80/90)]
Through processing dittany, Shawn gained twenty-one proficiency points.
[Apprentice-level Herbology Recognition can unlock Apprentice-level title in Herbology domain.]
There was still one Herbology class this afternoon. Presumably by then, he could unlock the title. Oh, and his Herbology talent. Without even guessing, Shawn knew what it would be. Just like those difficult exams in his previous life—as soon as you got the test paper, the grade came out roughly, with no suspense at all.
Oh, there was still some. Perhaps he was ordinary green, not white?
However, observing the greenhouse, Shawn understood one thing: Hogwarts was very wealthy. The professors at Hogwarts were hidden tycoons. He saw those dried nettles in the shade. Some had passed their mature period and should have been processed but hadn't been handled in time.
The greenhouse was too large. They were placed alone beneath umbrella-sized plants. Shawn thought they should be for sale. Perhaps he could ask Bruce, who was selling the herbs? The professor was always busy. Bruce had once mentioned this was all done by Hufflepuffs. That way he might be able to buy some in advance. Although it would definitely be expensive, without investment, there was no gain.
Thinking this way, Shawn subconsciously took out his portable notebook. He had just taken out his Quick-Quotes Quill when he put it back. His steps toward the Great Hall for a meal just quickened.
Unexpectedly, before Shawn reached the Great Hall, he was intercepted by a mysterious-looking Justin.
"Oh, Shawn, I know about it, but only a little bit. I promise I didn't read more content, but coincidentally, I can help." Justin said something that left Shawn completely baffled.