"Oh, what a diligent child, of course that's fine, but…"
Professor Sprout placed a box of hazelnut chocolates in Sean's palm, then waved her wand.
The flowers, plants, and dirt clinging to Sean immediately vanished.
"Every year, some Young Wizards want to take root in the Greenhouse, but very few can endure the repetitive hard work for long."
Professor Sprout tilted her head slightly, a hint of teasing in her gentle eyes.
"I think I can tell you a story."
"Professor, can you tell it next time?"
Bruce, standing nearby, had already turned red, making Sean look at him with slight curiosity.
"Alright, Mr. Dickinson."
Professor Sprout's smile grew even warmer.
Leon and Pister, hiding behind the plant nursery, burst out laughing.
"Hey, hey, hey! You two!"
Senior Bruce seemed to have ripened completely.
"Oh, did I laugh? Sorry, I just can't help myself when I think of someone scrambling out of the Greenhouse…"
Leon laughed even louder.
"Pister, do you still remember his sleep talk?"
"Whomping Willow, Geranium, Save Me, Devil's Snare!"
The slightly plump Hufflepuff senior imitated him in a simple, honest way.
Everyone present chuckled softly, and the atmosphere became lighter.
"Alright, alright, I admit the Greenhouse is truly dangerous and charming, and of course, really tiring."
Senior Bruce raised his hands in surrender, saying helplessly.
"That's why very few Wizards can keep it up."
As he said this, he kept looking at Sean, his face full of seriousness.
"Mmm."
Sean responded.
"I want to try."
His voice was light, with an easily noticeable stubbornness… The Greenhouse has always been short-staffed. Compared to directly effective Spells, interesting and vivid Transfiguration, and the exhilarating Quidditch,
Herbology has always only attracted the hardworking Hufflepuffs.
However, even diligent and kind Hufflepuffs wouldn't stay rooted in the dirt forever,
let alone touch dangerous plants.
Therefore, Professor Sprout still agreed to Sean's request.
She looked at Sean with the same gaze as she did those once passionate Hufflepuffs.
There was some appreciation, some happiness, and also some helplessness about the potential future outcome.
In the corridor outside the Greenhouse.
A long, blue Quick-Quotes Quill floated in front of Sean. This was a magical alchemical creation.
As long as it was placed vertically on paper, the quill would automatically begin to take shorthand.
Sean only bought one, mainly to help him organize his thoughts and jot down inspirations.
Incidentally, the prices for stationery in the Wizarding World are truly not cheap. This quill alone cost Sean a full 10 Sickles.
But Sean still gritted his teeth and bought it.
No matter how hard things get, don't let learning suffer.
Sean thought.
[Step One: Understand the processing methods for all ingredients of Murtlap Essence]
The quill made a "rustling" sound on the parchment, and Sean also wrote down his current goal.
Professor Sprout had already agreed to his request.
Just now, Senior Bruce had demonstrated the key points for identifying and processing dried nettle for him.
Next time, perhaps he could inquire about the processing of other ingredients. He thought Professor Sprout should not refuse.
Once he understood the ingredient processing, the next step would be practice.
He couldn't learn about heat and stirring from books; he had to experience it himself.
But as long as he succeeded once, he could rely on the panel to grind.
The plan was feasible.
Sean put the quill into his bag, and Senior Bruce's teasing voice reached his ears.
"I remember in our first Herbology Class, distinguishing mature Dittany stumped a lot of Wizards,"
He looked at Sean taking notes with great interest.
"It seems you can show off your skills in the next Herbology Class.
Professor Sprout won't be stingy with extra points for Young Wizards who study ahead."
Extra points?
Sean didn't pay much attention.
Extra points wouldn't help him get a scholarship.
Professor McGonagall said that the criteria for scholarship evaluation were decided by the Principal, who would make a comprehensive decision based on his learning progress and Professor evaluations.
Headmaster Dumbledore was, of course, fair and wise.
Sean believed that as long as he met the standards, Headmaster Dumbledore would not be stingy with 600 Galleons.
It was also he who unhesitatingly approved his scholarship application.
If it were someone like Headmaster Black, Sean would have to grind the Azkaban three-piece set and borrow money from Dark Wizards.
Hogwarts Legacy left a deep impression on him.
There was a popular saying in it:
"Lord Voldemort is terrifying because he personally killed hundreds of people."
"Uh-huh, what about the next day?"
Sean's thoughts drifted a bit. In the orphanage, everyone was good at daydreaming.
When the panel wasn't activated yet and he could only lie weakly in bed, Sean was like that too.
At that time, he realized that some silences weren't about having nothing to say, but about no one caring.
All of this changed drastically after that Owl crashed through the leaky window.
Therefore, Sean cherished the opportunity to learn magic. Even if it was white trash, he would grind it into a legend.
"Oh, you probably haven't felt the importance of the House Cup yet,
but believe me, it's very important.
Although we don't mind the Great Hall at the annual feast being adorned with banners in the colors of other Houses,
Hufflepuff's yellow and black are clearly better looking, aren't they?"
Senior Bruce said, a look of longing on his face.
"Mmm."
Sean nodded, and only then did Senior Bruce notice that the Young Wizard beside him was a Ravenclaw.
He gave a dry laugh:
"Ha, I mean, blue and cyan are also very good."
"Yellow and black look very good."
Sean said seriously.
By then, there wasn't much time left until the first class of the afternoon. Sean placed the hazelnut chocolates in the senior's hand.
Then he turned into the staircase leading to the History of Magic classroom.
"Thank you, Senior Bruce, goodbye."
Only his faint voice remained in the corridor.
"A good Young Wizard. It's hard to imagine he's not a Hufflepuff."
Leon watched Sean's disappearing back, chuckling softly.
"I wonder who said: Professor Sprout…"
"Stop talking…"
Leon's face was filled with dark lines.
Mr. Pister, beside him, had his lips curved upwards, unperturbed… Leaving the Greenhouse, Sean had to consider how to combat Professor Binns's hypnosis.
Although the Shrieking Shack, with all its baseless rumors, had never been haunted,
Hogwarts was indeed the most haunted place in Britain.
There was no doubt about this point, because on these damp islands,
it was said that more ghosts could be seen or felt than anywhere else in the world.
In Harry Potter's world, ghosts are also called specters.
They are transparent, three-dimensional images of deceased Wizards who continue to exist in the world of the living.
Muggles cannot become ghosts after death, and no wise Wizard would choose to do so.
Only those Wizards who "died with unfulfilled wishes" refuse to enter the other world, whether due to fear, guilt, or attachment to the material world.
And Professor Binns, his attachment was to read textbooks.
Sean was sure.