"Professor Sprout."
As they approached, Bruce so carefree along the way suddenly grew serious.
"Oh, Bruce Dickinson, Leon Howard, Mr. Piester Jefferson I'm very glad you could come and help."
Professor Sprout wore a patched hat, and her smile was as warm as the sunshine spilling over the glass panes above.
"And a new face! Lovely to meet you, dear. What's your name?"
She set down the shears she had been using to trim a batch of Bubo tubers and leaned forward to look kindly at Sean.
She did not ask why he was there. Instead, she peeled off her mud-caked dragon-hide gloves, her manner every bit as welcoming as the kindly women who had sometimes come to donate at the orphanage.
Though none of that money had ever reached the children, it hadn't stopped Sean from admiring their generosity.
"Sean Green."
Sean ducked his head, suddenly shy.
"Mr. Green, I'm delighted to have your help. Mr. Dickinson, please take him along to handle the mature plants."
Professor Sprout gave Sean's cheek a gentle pinch before briskly assigning tasks.
"Mr. Howard, I'll leave the weeds to you. And Mr. Jefferson, I'd like you to sort the dill into its various growth stages that will be the very first plant our new shoots learn about."
"Yes, Professor," they chorused.
Sean noticed Bruce quietly rolling up his sleeves with a determined nod, while Leon answered cheerfully that it was no problem. Piester, however, seemed even more bashful than Bruce; his face flushed red as he bobbed his head in silence.
It was clear, Sean thought, that Professor Sprout held a special place in the hearts of these Hufflepuff seniors.
"I daresay you won't find a professor more caring than Professor Sprout," Bruce whispered with a grin, eyes shining.
"She treats every Hogwarts student as though they were her own child. She's been voted the most popular professor for years running…
Now come on let's get to the mature plants. It looks like a big job!"
Sean nodded, and the two of them wove their way among the pumpkin-shaped plants, between which sat pots of white-flowered herbs with purple-red petals.
"First, let's collect the ripe white mulberry here. Do you know how to tell when it's ready?"
Bruce handed Sean a small pair of scissors as he bent to snip one himself.
Sean shook his head. That detail wasn't in the textbook.
"This is something you won't learn from books. Let me show you."
Bruce leaned closer to a pot of white mulberry, inhaled deeply, and with a quick snip, clipped the stem cleanly.
"Daisian carries a faint mutton-like smell, which grows stronger as it ripens. Go on try it."
Sean bent closer. Sure enough, the plants at different stages gave off different scents. The one Bruce had chosen carried a noticeably stronger sheepish odour.
Bruce grinned.
"Mature white mulberry improves the success rate of Invigoration Draughts. Use it too soon, and the potion's far more likely to fail. That's the beauty of Herbology small differences make all the difference."
His words opened a door Sean had been searching for.
Nodding firmly, Sean joined him in the task, and soon they were scouring the greenhouse like treasure-hunters, noses to the leaves, carefully seeking out the ripest plants.
The more he worked, the sharper Sean's sense for the differences became.
Bruce, tall and broad with his darker skin, bent and moved like an industrious groundhog. Sean, smaller and quicker, darted between the leaves like a cat prowling through the undergrowth.
"Nearly done. Now let's process the mulberry."
Bruce hefted a sack of the picked herbs and beckoned Sean over.
"Mm."
Sean followed as Bruce retrieved two silver knives and a sieve-like instrument from where the gardening tools were stacked outside the greenhouse.
"There are tricks to preparing white mulberry. Generally, we use what's called the three-cut method. Watch carefully."
With deft movements, Bruce divided a stalk into three sections, then used a different technique on each part. The middle section he chopped neatly, the upper part he sliced into fine pieces, and the lower portion he crushed through the sieve-like tool until it became a mash.
"This is because the plant's active compounds are distributed differently across its structure. Each part must be processed in its own way. Want to try?"
Sean nodded and took up the tools, eager to learn.
You have successfully processed a dittany plant to apprentice standard. Proficiency +1.
The corners of Sean's mouth curved upwards before he even realised, and he redoubled his efforts.
You have successfully processed a dittany plant to apprentice standard. Proficiency +1.
You have successfully processed a dittany plant to apprentice standard. Proficiency +1.
You have successfully processed a dittany plant to apprentice standard. Proficiency +1.
…
The messages kept flashing in his mind like rising panels, and his hands were moving so fast they were nearly a blur.
"He looks like he's enjoying Herbology a little too much," Bruce muttered, scratching his head with a mix of amusement and helplessness.
"Sean, Sean, listen to me it's time to move on to the dried nettles."
Bruce stopped him from cutting any further and led him over to a bed of nettles, still eyeing him with a hint of admiration. He no longer questioned Sean's sudden passion for Herbology.
"Dried nettle may look ordinary, but once properly prepared, it's an essential potion ingredient. As for the processing…"
…
Sean absorbed every word like a sponge, determined to soak up as much knowledge as possible.
You have successfully processed a nettle to apprentice standard. Proficiency +1.
You have successfully processed a nettle to apprentice standard. Proficiency +1.
Time slipped away like fine grains of sand.
"Everyone, listen here you've all done excellent work. Thank you for helping the new shoots."
Professor Sprout's voice broke through Sean's concentration just as he finished his last nettle. Blue-green sap dripped steadily from the stalk, proof it had been treated with the proper soaking method.
Sean listened quietly, then opened his panel.
Herbology Knowledge: Unlocked (27/90)
Note: Herbology proficiency includes the complete cycle of skills identification, preparation, and processing.
Ninety points to unlock that was the first time Sean had seen such a number. It was like three apprentice proficiencies combined into one.
"Mr. Dickinson, you and Mr. Green successfully helped collect the deceptively ripe herbs.
Mr. Howard, you've done a fine job clearing the weeds…"
"Mr. Jefferson oh, I cannot praise you enough for your meticulous and accurate classification of the white mulberry."
Professor Sprout's smile glowed like firelight in a hearth, warming everyone around her.
"Come along, children. I've got hazelnut chocolate for you."
Sean heard Bruce let out an involuntary "Aha!" before clapping a hand over his mouth. Leon only shook his head, while Piester beamed innocently, still lost in the glow of the professor's praise.
They walked together down the narrow path, and the greenhouse looked simpler and fresher than it had when they arrived.
Most of the harvesting had been handled by Bruce, with Sean taking on a smaller portion. The weeds were gone, and even the pots of white peonies in the centre had been neatly arranged according to their stages of growth.
As Sean drew nearer to Professor Sprout, he forced his gaze away from the tempting squares of hazelnut chocolate in her hand.
"Professor Sprout… may I come and help again another time?"
The question slipped out awkwardly, but his eyes were steady.