Professor Binns drifted through the wall, his head emerging first, then the rest of his body.
The moment he appeared, the classroom temperature dropped a few degrees.
Sean noticed that several candles at the front flickered and turned a faint shade of blue.
"Emeric was a short-lived but exceedingly cruel Dark wizard. He was eventually slain by his rival, Egbert, in a particularly bloody duel…"
Professor Binns began lecturing at once, without so much as a greeting or a roll call. As a ghost, he seemed unconcerned with such details.
"Ulric the Oddball was an eccentric medieval wizard, most famous for wearing a jellyfish as a hat… He once spent the night in a room with no fewer than fifty Augurey birds.
During one especially damp winter, after hearing their mournful cries, Ulric became convinced he had died and turned into a ghost. He promptly attempted to walk through the wall of his own house an action which, according to his biographer, Radolphus Pittiman, resulted in a ten-day concussion…"
Professor Binns' voice rose and fell oddly, full of unnatural pauses and lingering syllables, giving it an uncanny rhythm.
"I heard say "
Michael, seated beside Sean, mimicked the tone perfectly, making Sean tilt his head in amusement.
From the back row, Anthony stopped taking notes, and even Terry looked up from the strange rune he had been sketching. They all knew Michael, the most sociable among them, always had a new story ready.
"Professor Binns was a teacher here ages ago," Michael whispered conspiratorially. "One day, the old professor fell asleep in front of the staffroom fire.
When he woke up, he simply rose, walked straight into his next lesson and left his body behind!"
His vivid storytelling drew wide eyes from Terry, who breathed, "Whoa…" Anthony raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Enchanted cauldrons that stir themselves… Now that would be useful," Michael added slyly, making the others stifle their laughter.
"…invented by Gaspard Shingleton in the late twentieth century…"
Professor Binns' voice droned through the classroom, echoing strangely against the stone walls. Nearly every young wizard was drifting. Some whispered to their neighbours, others had simply given up and dozed off at their desks.
Sean, who had already memorised the entire History of Magic textbook, kept taking notes earnestly.
He noticed something peculiar: Western magical history seemed oddly fragmented. Professor Binns preferred anecdotes about famous figures and half-confirmed legends, while important events like the invention of the self-stirring cauldron were mentioned only in passing, tied to the people who had created them.
The lectures lacked logical flow. Sean wasn't sure whether this was due to the nature of magical history itself… or simply a consequence of Binns' having lost his sense of structure after death.
Still, even from these scattered tales, Sean began to tease out a pattern.
For history, there was always a method that worked: order.
He wrote furiously, scratching out notes until, by the time Binns droned his last sentence, Sean had already turned his parchment sideways and drawn a neat timeline connecting all the scattered details.
Michael leaned over curiously and froze.
"Merlin, Sean, you're a genius," he whispered. For the first time, the disjointed facts suddenly made sense to him.
Sean hardly looked up. He only nodded, thinking this should be enough to secure an "Outstanding" grade.
The moment class ended, the drowsy students stirred awake as though on cue. Professor Binns drifted out through the wall, and chatter immediately filled the air.
"Sean, want to play backgammon with us?" Michael asked brightly.
"No."
Sean was curious he had never even heard of the game but his thoughts were already fixed on the greenhouse.
"…Alright," Michael sighed, pursing his lips as he watched Sean walk away.
Following Bruce's advice, Sean stopped in front of the first greenhouse.
The towering dome gleamed under the sunlight, reflecting sky and drifting clouds. The heavy wooden frame looked weathered but solid, its dark green paint peeling in places to reveal the darker wood beneath.
When he pushed the door open, a rush of warm, damp, life-filled air enveloped him at once.
Professor Sprout flicked her wand with practiced ease, and the muddy path cleared itself in an instant.
"Mr. Green, you've arrived just in time. Please help me tidy up this mess," she said warmly, handing him a small shovel before bending over to plant a black-and-red specimen deeper into the soil of the greenhouse bed.
Sean glanced around.
The long planting table was cluttered with little puddles, scattered flecks of greenery, and sticky traces of plant matter like the dark green, slimy fragments of lovage he remembered from his textbook.
"Scourgify!"
He pronounced the spell carefully, flicking his wand the way he had practised.
[You cast the Cleaning Charm at apprentice standard. Proficiency +1.]
In the blink of an eye, the tabletop in front of him gleamed spotlessly clean.
Encouraged, Sean focused harder, repeating the incantation again and again.
"Scourgify!"
[You cast the Cleaning Charm at apprentice standard. Proficiency +1.]
[You cast the Cleaning Charm at apprentice standard. Proficiency +1.]
[You cast the Cleaning Charm at novice standard. Proficiency +3.]
On and on he went, wand rising and falling, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Professor Sprout watched the little Ravenclaw, her eyes crinkling at the edges. What a hardworking young sprout, she thought, her face soft with pride.
At last, before exhaustion could overtake him, Sean stepped back. The greenhouse was spotless.
With another flick of her wand, Professor Sprout summoned a glass of honey lemonade, which floated gently into his hand.
"Drink some honey water and rest a bit, Mr. Green."
Sean accepted it gratefully, taking in the gleaming rows of tidy planting tables. A quiet satisfaction welled up inside him not only at the shining greenhouse, but at the tally rising before his mind's eye:
[Cleaning Charm proficiency +66.]
[Name: Sean Green]
[Identity: Wizard]
[Titles: Spell Novice, Transfiguration Apprentice]
[Levitation Charm: Apprentice (4/300)]
[Lumos: Apprentice (1/300)]
[Scouring Charm: Apprentice (70/300)]
[Transfiguration: Apprentice (3/900)]
[Herbology Knowledge: Unlocked (27/90)]
[Advancement: Three beginner-level spells eligible for Novice title in Spellcraft]
[Advancement: Entry-level Transfiguration eligible for Novice title in Transfiguration]
[Wizard Talent]
Spellcraft: Green
Transfiguration: Lavender
Compared with only a few days ago, the difference was astonishing.
Sean took a sip of honey lemonade. The sweetness bloomed across his tongue, making him close his eyes with a sigh of contentment. Delicious. A hundred times better than the thin, bitter black tea back at the orphanage.
He slipped his wand away and settled onto the stool Professor Sprout had conjured for him. Yet his thoughts didn't rest.
Doing odd jobs is fine, but what I really need to focus on now is learning how to handle herbs properly.
"Professor, may I help with the herbs?"
The words tumbled out before he could second-guess himself.
Professor Sprout, who had just turned toward the far end of the oak worktable, paused and blinked in surprise.
"Why, of course why not?" she said warmly.
Sean set aside his glass at once and hurried after the stout professor, eager to seize the opportunity.