Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 69: Staying

The corridor outside the greenhouse.

The lady in the evening gown tilted her head, curiously observing the three Hufflepuffs passing by.

Would you like some gingerbread?

Pister suddenly pulled several sugar cookies wrapped in tin foil from his bag.

Bruce quickly moved ten meters away from him:
“Sometimes I feel like you have no sense of taste, Pister. We’ve been processing galangal powder for three days, and the smell is making me a little nauseous. How can you still eat gingerbread?”

"good."

Leon ate a piece with a calm expression.
"And that's smell... you idiot."

Bruce suddenly looked dazed, then murmured:

"So, I spent three days dealing with pungent galangal powder with two guys who have no sense of smell, and I was the only one suffering?!"

He seemed to remember something, his expression became excited, and he spoke rapidly:
"What curse?"

"Transparent Bubble Head Spell".

Leon's expression remained unchanged.

"I told you two you looked a bit overwhelmed these past few days, Merlin, you two didn't even tell me, just watched me suffer!"

Bruce jumped up instantly.

But Leon and Pistols looked at him with perfectly normal expressions:
"If you hadn't put itching powder in our hats and inside last week..."

"Hehe, stop talking, I was wrong."

……

"It's the same old routine again. Before the fourth week is up, the greenhouse is deserted again."

Bruce said it as if it were a casual remark,
"But I always have this feeling that someone is coming back?"

He moved closer to Leon, who was holding a book, and Pistols, who was holding a potted plant:

"Want to make a bet?"

"No gambling."

Leon glanced at him.

"Are you afraid?"

Bruce held his nose high.

Knowing he'd be nagged all day if he didn't agree, Leon sighed.

"What are you gambling?"

"I bet there will be one more Ravenclaw assistant in the greenhouse from today onwards."

"bet?"

"Hogsmeade Zhou, do me a favor!"

"make a deal."

Watching Bruce leave with a triumphant "Aha!", Leon sighed again at Pistol.

"It seems we have an extra thing to do this week in Hogsmeade..."

Pister nodded, holding the potted plant, but his honest smile grew even more somber.

……

The air in the greenhouse is filled with the fresh scent of damp soil and plant sap all year round.

Sunlight streamed through the crystal glass dome, creating a bright and soft halo that evenly bathed each leaf.

The portly Professor Sprout is giving a lecture:
"Ginger is a plant root with a pungent aroma; it is also an ingredient used in the making of magical potions."

It can be used not only to make anti-swelling agents, but also often to make brain-boosting agents, beauty potions, etc.

In other uses, ginger can be used to make foods such as ginger axolotl crackers and gingerbread.

The young wizards stared intently at Professor Sprout, who was showing the students all the ginger roots on the planting shelves.

"Ginger salamander cookies come from such a strange thing?"

Sheehan heard a Slytherin say this.

Following Professor Sprout's instructions, the young wizards processed the ginger root. Afterward, the professor immediately led them to learn about another plant—

A shriveled, pearly-white bean that looks like an enlarged mistletoe berry. "Okay, can anyone tell me what it is?"

Professor Sprout smiled gently, and the Slytherins and Ravenclaws began to flip through their textbooks.

Philida Spohr's "A Thousand Wonderful Herbs and Mushrooms" was the primary textbook consulted.

Although the witch died in 1408, her book, "A Thousand Magical Herbs and Mushrooms," was still one of the textbooks at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as of 1997.

If Sheen remembers correctly, there is a portrait of her in the principal's office.

"So……"

Seeing that several Ravenclaws were looking in one direction, Professor Sprout also spotted Sheehan in the crowd.

"Sleepy Beans. They have many magical properties and are also an ingredient for making magical potions."

It should be noted that directly consuming the silvery liquid squeezed from the sleep-inducing beans can erase a person's memory.

Sheen felt that this scene was particularly familiar.

The herbalism class ended amidst a commotion, and the greenhouse became chaotic once again.

Some soil was scattered on the path, and occasionally footprints of varying depths could be seen.

Professor Sprout watched as the young wizards filed out; usually, several Hufflepuffs would stream in at this time.
But now it's empty.

Just as the owl hooted as it flew over the greenhouse, a little wizard had somehow slipped up to the professor's wide skirt.

"Professor, can I stay and help?"

Sheen carried a pair of gloves, his emerald green eyes sparkling.

"Of course, my dear Mr. Green, do you remember? The greenhouse welcomes every child who loves nature."

Professor Sprout's smile was deeper than ever.

Some children cannot be sent away; they are born to belong to nature.

"Come on, child, let's tidy up the greenhouse together. Afterwards, you'll have to learn how to process galangal."

Professor Sprout remained enthusiastic.

Cleaning the greenhouse increases proficiency in the Cleansing Spell, and processing galangal increases proficiency in Herbal Knowledge.

So, another reason why Sheen was so enthusiastic was:

Galangal powder is one of the ingredients for making anti-swelling medicine, and tonight, Sheen plans to brew this potion.

……

It goes without saying how wealthy the professors at Hogwarts are, and if there were a contest for the richest professor, Professor Snape would certainly be a strong contender.

This can be seen from the precious potion ingredients—such as African tree snake skin and gill stalks.

This is also part of the reason why Sheen is working hard to learn potion-making, besides his thirst for magical knowledge. After all, it is the most profitable and fastest way for him to get in touch with right now.

Sometimes he wondered if Professor Snape had some kind of Unfailing Extension Charm in his robes, otherwise how could he have an inexhaustible supply of Galleons?

Good materials would ensure a more stable learning process for Shinn, but Shinn's learning is always unstable.
Just like how he recently lost his laptop.

A notebook that an ordinary junior wizard can use for a semester won't last more than three weeks with him.

Learning herbal processing is a prerequisite for brewing better potions and accumulating wealth.

Think about it, there are so many kinds of potions and herbs, and the most premium ones—like Felix Felicis—can sell for hundreds of Galleons, and they're still hard to find.

The panel then kept refreshing:

[You have successfully processed a galangal plant to the standards of an apprentice; skill level +1]

[You have successfully processed a galangal plant to the standards of an apprentice; skill level +1]

……

As the sun set and we left the greenhouse, the panel refreshed again:

Herbal Knowledge: Apprentice Level (59/900)

[Advanced: Basic herbal knowledge, unlocking entry-level titles in the field of herbal medicine]

By processing plants such as galangal, Sheen gained a full 33 points of proficiency.

Outside the greenhouse, in the corridor that Sheen had to pass through, three figures slowly emerged.

(End of this chapter)