Chapter 25: 25: The Intersection of Magic Disciplines

“Ah, warm sun, a gentle breeze, and new sprouts once again...”

Professor Sprout spoke with a smile, her voice brimming with enthusiasm and joy as she tilted her head slightly.

The young wizards immediately turned their full attention to the stout witch. A patched hat sat atop her flowing hair, and her clothes were stained with quite a bit of soil.

“I heard—” Michael whispered, “that Professor Sprout is the most popular professor at Hogwarts. She is also the Head of Hufflepuff; if you ever run into trouble, asking her for help is never a bad choice.”

Amidst the scent of damp earth and fertilizer, mingled with a rich floral fragrance, the professor continued

“Welcome, everyone, to Herbology class. You will learn how to cultivate these extraordinary plants and fungi and understand their uses.”

She gave a pink pod a gentle tap, and a shiny bean immediately popped out, blooming into a vibrant flower.

A chorus of "wows" erupted instantly.

“Is that magic?” Michael muttered to himself. He suddenly thought of something. “Sean, do you know...”

“It’s a Bubble Pod, a magical plant. It appears on page sixty-two of *One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi*. Bubble Pods grow plump, pink pods filled with shiny beans. Once these beans come into contact with a solid object, they bloom immediately.”

Anthony and Terry, who had been listening intently, practically recorded Sean's explanation in unison. Michael simply remarked, “Hmm, I figured as much.”

...

The content Professor Sprout taught was identical to what Sean had learned the first time. It was worth noting that whenever the plump professor couldn't find anyone to answer a question, Sean was always called upon.

“Does anyone know what plant this is? Hmm, you try, Mr. Green.”

“Valerian. A plant with healing and restorative magical properties.”

“Very correct. Five points to Ravenclaw. Now, can any young wizard tell me how we should handle Valerian? Oh well, it seems no one knows. How about you, Mr. Green?”

“Generally speaking, Valerian is more effective when extracted into an essence, but eating it raw can also heal superficial wounds.”

“Perfectly correct. Five points to Ravenclaw. One last question: the use of Valerian? How should it be used to treat a werewolf bite? My dear sprouts, think carefully about your Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons.”

Unfortunately, the professor's expectations were destined to fall short, for no one could focus on Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Quirrell's progress was significantly lagging; the material that should have been completed in the first lesson had only been stammeringly introduced by him.

“Oh! What a pity... well then...”

“Wizards used to use a mixture of Valerian and silver powder to treat werewolf bites to prevent the victim from dying of blood loss.” Sean answered with a proficiency that was almost painful to witness.

“A perfect answer! Ten points to Ravenclaw!”

Professor Sprout scanned the circle of students with lowered heads. She was not discouraged in the slightest, continuing to lead the students in handling herbs with her usual enthusiasm. “Alright, sprouts, since you didn't learn it in Defense Against the Dark Arts, make sure you don't daydream now...”

Professor Sprout had everyone take a pair of gloves to carefully observe the Valerian, then proceeded to teach how to process mature Valerian.

“Sean, are you perhaps a distant relative of Professor Sprout or something?” Michael suddenly whispered.

Sean shook his head.

“Are you the professor's pri—mmph mmph!”

Anthony clamped a hand over Michael's mouth. The brief loss of oxygen seemed to allow his intelligence to regain control. He scratched his head and pressed his hands together in an apologetic gesture.

*What a terrible imagination,* Sean thought, shaking his head speechlessly.

After teaching the processing of Valerian, the professor added some knowledge regarding the processing of dried nettles. This left Sean lost in thought.

Magical education might not be as disastrous as he had imagined. For instance, in Defense Against the Dark Arts, one would learn about Valerian for treating werewolf bites; meanwhile, in Herbology, one would not only learn about Valerian but also the identification and processing techniques for dried nettles—which happened to be a required ingredient for brewing Scabrous Potion.

*It seems the teaching system at Hogwarts must be meticulously designed,* Sean thought while processing the Valerian.

【You have fully processed a Valerian plant to the standard of an Apprentice. Proficiency +1】 【You have fully processed a Valerian plant to the standard of an Apprentice. Proficiency +1】 【You have fully processed a Valerian plant to the standard of an Apprentice. Proficiency +1】 ...

Even though his skill remained at the Apprentice level, he was far more composed than the other students. It was much like the difference between him and Senior Bruce.

After class, Professor Sprout assigned an open-ended homework task to distinguish mature Valerian. As she left, the plump professor even gave Sean a wink.

In the corridor outside the greenhouse, Sean paused beside a suit of armor. In the portrait ahead, a lady in a ceremonial gown nodded at him with a smile, and he nodded back politely.

At the same time, he opened his panel

【Herbology Cognition: Unlocked (80/90)】

Through processing Valerian, Sean had gained 21 proficiency points.

【Apprentice-level Herbology Cognition: Can unlock the Apprentice title in the field of Herbology】

There was another Herbology class this afternoon; surely by then, he would be able to unlock the title. Oh, and then there was his Herbology talent. He didn't even need to guess what it would be. It was like those difficult exams in his previous life—as soon as the results came out, the outcome was obvious, leaving no suspense.

Well, there was some suspense. Perhaps he was "Common Green" rather than "White Trash"?

However, by observing the greenhouse, Sean realized one thing: Hogwarts was very wealthy, and the professors were even more like hidden millionaires. He noticed some dried nettles in the shade that had already passed their peak maturity and should have been processed, but hadn't been. The greenhouse was too large; they were placed individually beneath plants as large as umbrellas.

Sean thought they were likely meant to be sold. Perhaps he could ask Senior Bruce who was in charge of selling the herbs? The professor was always busy, but Bruce had once mentioned that these tasks were all handled by Hufflepuffs. If so, perhaps he could buy some in advance. Although it would certainly be expensive, there is no harvest without investment.

Lost in thought, Sean instinctively reached for his notebook, but pulled his shorthand quill back immediately after taking it out. His pace quickened as he headed toward the Great Hall for dinner.

Unexpectedly, before Sean even reached the Hall, he was intercepted by a mysterious-looking Justin.

“Oh, Sean, I know! But I only know a little bit. I promise I didn't look at anything more, but by chance, I can help.”

Justin said something that left Sean completely bewildered.