"Oh, what a hardworking child. Of course you may—but…"
Professor Sprout placed a box of hazelnut chocolates into Sean's hands and flicked her wand.
The dirt and grass stains covering his robes vanished instantly.
"Every year, a few seedlings hope to take root in the greenhouses…
but very few manage to endure the repetitive, exhausting labor."
Her head tilted slightly, warm eyes sparkling with amusement.
"I suppose I could tell you a story—"
"Professor, maybe… next time?"
Bruce's face had already turned a brilliant shade of red, making Sean glance at him curiously.
"Very well, Mr. Dickinson."
Professor Sprout's smile softened even further.
From behind the shrubbery, Leon and Pister burst into laughter.
"Hey! You two!"
Bruce looked like a tomato left too long in the sun.
"Oh, did we laugh? Forgive us. It's just—
whenever I remember someone crawling out of the greenhouse sobbing, I lose control…"
Leon doubled over, wheezing.
"Pister, do you remember what he mumbled in his sleep?"
"'Punching beans… geraniums… help… Devil's Snare!'"
Pister imitated dramatically, his voice thick with faux desperation.
The group erupted into gentle laughter, and the tense atmosphere melted away.
"Alright, alright! I admit it—the greenhouse is dangerous and fascinating.
And exhausting. Really exhausting."
Bruce raised both hands in surrender, though his grin still lingered.
"So, yes—very few can stick with it."
He looked straight at Sean, sincerity replacing humor.
"Mm," Sean replied softly.
"I want to try."
His voice was quiet, but stubborn determination clung to every syllable.
The greenhouse was always short-staffed.
Compared to the flash of Charms, the thrill of Transfiguration, or the roar of Quidditch,
Herbology's muddy hands and grueling work appealed mostly to hard-working Hufflepuffs.
Even they rarely stayed long—
especially when dangerous plants came into play.
And so Professor Sprout granted Sean's request.
Her expression held admiration, happiness, and a hint of the resigned worry of someone who had seen many seedlings bloom brightly—then wither away.
Outside the greenhouse
A long blue Quick-Quotes Quill floated at Sean's side—a clever alchemical tool that could take dictation at incredible speed.
He had bought only one, using ten precious Sickles.
Expensive—but necessary.
A student may suffer hardship, but learning must never suffer.
Sean thought.
The quill scratched rapidly across the parchment:
[Step One: Learn all ingredient-preparation methods for the Boil-Cure Potion]
Professor Sprout had already agreed to let him return.
Bruce had demonstrated how to identify and prepare dried nettles.
Next time, Sean could ask about the other ingredients.
Sprout would surely be willing to teach.
Once ingredient preparation was mastered, the rest would be practice.
Fire control, stirring techniques—those were things books couldn't teach.
He would have to feel his way through them.
But if he could succeed even once, his panel would let him grind the rest into perfection.
The plan was sound.
He tucked the quill away just as Bruce spoke teasingly behind him.
"I remember our first Herbology lesson—half the students completely failed at identifying mature Dittany."
He watched Sean scribbling notes with interest.
"Looks like you'll shine in the next class. Professor Sprout always rewards early learners."
Reward? Points didn't matter much to Sean.
Points wouldn't earn him the scholarship.
Professor McGonagall had explained that the criteria would be set by the Headmaster,
judged by academic progress and professors' evaluations.
Dumbledore was wise and fair—
Sean believed that if he met the standard, the Headmaster would not hesitate to award the six hundred Galleons.
After all, Dumbledore had approved his request without hesitation.
If Hogwarts were still under Headmaster Black, Sean would probably be grinding the Azkaban Prison Set just to finance his studies through a dark wizard loan.
He remembered the quote from Hogwarts Legacy:
"Voldemort is terrifying because he once killed hundreds with his own hands."
"Mm-hmm. And what about the next day?"
His mind drifted.
Everyone at the orphanage was good at drifting away mentally.
Back before his system activated, when he was too weak even to sit up, Sean would stare blankly at the ceiling.
He learned that silence can mean not that you have nothing to say—only that no one cares to listen.
Then—
an owl shattered the rotten window, and everything changed.
So now, Sean clung to magic fiercely.
Even if he was trash, he would grind himself into legend.
"Oh, you first-years don't understand the House Cup yet," Bruce continued, voice animated.
"But trust me—it matters. We don't mind another flag hanging in the Great Hall at the Year-End Feast…
but really, black and yellow looks so much better, doesn't it?"
Sean nodded seriously.
Bruce blinked. Only now did he remember Sean was a Ravenclaw.
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem—I mean, blue and bronze are also great."
"Black and yellow are beautiful."
Sean said it earnestly.
Bruce stared, speechless.
With only minutes before his next class, Sean gently pressed the chocolate box into Bruce's hand and darted toward the stairway leading to History of Magic.
"Thank you, Senior Bruce. See you later."
His voice echoed faintly down the hall.
"What a good kid. Hard to believe he isn't a Hufflepuff."
Leon murmured with a small smile, watching Sean disappear around the corner.
"And who was it earlier who said: 'Professor Sprout—'"
"Stop—just stop—"
Bruce groaned, face collapsing in agony.
Pister simply grinned.
He'd grown used to it.
Leaving the greenhouse behind, Sean turned his thoughts toward the next obstacle—
surviving Professor Binns' legendary sleep-inducing lectures.
Though the Shrieking Shack's stories were all nonsense,
Hogwarts was the most haunted location in Britain.
And in this world, ghosts—spectral forms of deceased witches and wizards—lingered among the living.
Muggles could not become ghosts, nor would any sensible wizard choose such a fate.
Only those who refused to move on—bound by guilt, fear, or obsession—remained behind.
And Binns? His obsession was… reading textbooks aloud.
Sean was certain of it.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon