Pushing open the door to the greenhouse, Sean felt his heart rate definitely quicken.
What if Professor Sprout wasn't there?
What if the professor had already finished processing the venomous snake fangs?
What if...
The thought flashed through his mind, only to be cast aside by Sean the next instant,
because he saw the plump professor working diligently.
"Professor Sprout."
Sean trotted over, his voice betraying a hint of agitation.
"Welcome, Mr. Green,"
Professor Sprout greeted Sean kindly,
"Come with me; we have some special materials to process today."
Sean’s trot turned into a brisk walk, as if Professor Sprout might vanish if he were even a moment too slow.
The plump witch let out an "Oh" and brushed aside the vines hanging above Sean’s head.
Professor Sprout walked briskly in front,
leading Sean through the familiar patch of Bubotubers.
"The dear Bubotubers are about to ripen. When the pink pods grow a bit larger, the shiny beans will pop out.
We must harvest them before the beans jump out, otherwise, the greenhouse will be filled with Bubotuber flowers."
The professor squeezed a pod, speaking with the joy of a bountiful harvest.
"Mr. Green, would you like to help harvest them?"
Sean gave a heavy "Mm," and the two wizards, one large and one small, arrived at the oak table.
Various snake fangs were laid out upon it.
"I help process some materials at this time every year...
Ah, look at these snake fangs, truly sturdy. Mr. Green, do you know the difference between them?"
Professor Sprout waved her wand, and several snake fangs hovered in front of Sean.
They were sharp and pointed, glinting with a cold light, and they did indeed seem to have some differences.
"The venomous snake fangs have small grooves inside."
Sean observed the fangs carefully for a moment before speaking.
"Exactly right,"
Professor Sprout said, looking somewhat surprised,
"Keen observation."
As she spoke, a mortar and pestle flew into Sean’s hands.
"Try grinding this, Mr. Green."
Sean did not hesitate. Grinding was not a troublesome task,
especially since the pestle in his hand seemed to possess some kind of magic—
Sean guessed it was something like a crushing charm—which made his progress very fast.
Professor Sprout watched Sean grinding earnestly, then waved her wand,
and the ten mortars and pestles on the table all began to move.
"For a Wit-Sharpening Potion, we need to grind it finer, but for a Boil-Cure Potion, this size is just about right."
As Professor Sprout finished speaking,
Sean stopped grinding; he had already finished processing ten portions of material.
It shouldn't be considered too slow,
Sean thought,
and then he saw the ten mortars moving in unison.
Well, wizards really are too all-encompassing.
Sean didn't pay it much mind, turning instead to carefully note the texture of the ground snake fangs and observing the difference between the powders of the venomous and non-venomous fangs.
Regrettably, he couldn't find any.
"Oh, Mr. Green."
Professor Sprout saw his eyes were practically glued to the powder and laughed so hard her hat went slightly askew.
She waved her wand again, and the powders were deposited into glass bottles of different colors;
the venomous snake fang powder went into a pale red bottle, while the non-venomous went into a white one.
Sean suddenly understood.
"The angle of the sunflowers tells me it’s time for you to go, Mr. Green."
Professor Sprout tapped her five fingers back and forth, making a gesture of farewell.
Only then did Sean realize an hour and a half had passed.
He quickly said goodbye to the professor, only whispering a final question
"Professor, can I come back this afternoon?"
"Of course, the greenhouse welcomes every child who loves nature."
And so, Sean pushed open the greenhouse door.
In the afternoon, Ravenclaw had their first Transfiguration class together with Gryffindor.
He didn't want to be turned into a pocket watch or a map or something, so he quickened his pace.
In passing, he opened his panel
【Herbology Cognition: Unlocked (59/90)】
【Apprentice-level Herbology Cognition, can unlock the Apprentice-level title in the field of Herbology】
Processing snake fangs really couldn't count as Herbology,
Sean continued to look down.
【Levitation Charm: Apprentice-level (4/300)】
【Cleaning Charm: Apprentice-level (70/300)】
【Lumos: Entry-level (19/900)】
Lumos had reached the entry level.
Sean lit his wand; it was much brighter than when he was at the apprentice level,
and it was cast faster and more easily.
As for making it as bright as it was in the classroom before, he would have to brew up the right emotions,
though success wasn't guaranteed.
In fact, Sean had tried in the classroom, but he could never produce that bright a light again.
The Transfiguration classroom was on the second floor of the castle, not far from Professor McGonagall's office.
Entering the classroom, what met his eyes was a rather long brown wooden table, behind which were chairs from the Plantagenet era.
They were antiques.
Hogwarts is truly wealthy,
Sean thought.
Then he saw Michael looking conflicted, sitting next to a black-haired girl,
debating whether or not to sit with Sean.
Sean shook his head and sat down next to Hermione, who had a cage beside her with a squeaking rat inside.
Even though the desks were for two, the seat next to her was always empty.
"Sean, did you see the tabby cat on the desk? She’s really cute."
Sean looked up; a silver-gray tabby cat was sitting regally on the desk.
"Mm."
Sean nodded.
As they were speaking, they heard a "creak" from behind.
It was Harry and Ron, who had burst into the classroom in a panic.
By now, they were already three minutes late.
Hermione looked back, then shook her head with a pout.
"We made it. If we were late, Professor McGonagall’s expression would be enough to scare someone to death,"
Ron said, feeling lucky.
Watching the two of them hesitate to take their seats, Sean knew they couldn't escape it.
The tabby cat leaped, transforming into a tall witch.
She was wearing deep green robes and was tilting her head, staring at the talking Ron.
Ron’s eyes widened, his lips pressed tight, his expression clearly saying
"Harry, do you think we’ll survive this?"
"That was brilliant."
Ron tried to bluff his way through.
"Thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley.
Perhaps I should turn you and Mr. Potter into a pocket watch?
That way, at least one of you might be on time?"
"We got lost."
"Then perhaps a map? I trust you don't need a map to find your seats?"
A ripple of suppressed laughter broke out in the classroom.
"Two points from Gryffindor,"
Professor McGonagall added.
Sean saw Hermione glance at Harry and Ron, speechless.
Gryffindor lives up to its reputation,
Sean thought.
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts,"
Professor McGonagall said sternly.
"Anyone behaving mischievously in my class will be asked to leave and never return. I have warned you."
After she finished speaking, Professor McGonagall waved her wand,
and the desk in front of her turned into a pig, which walked around the classroom before turning back into a desk.
The young wizards’ eyes shone with excitement, eager to start learning immediately.
(End of chapter)