Chapter 16: Daisy Processing

The plants on the right side of the greenhouse were numerous,

that was Wizard Sean’s first thought,

dense and robust as well.

That was Wizard Sean’s second thought.

So he stuck closely behind Professor Sprout,

afraid that if he blinked, she might vanish into the thick green foliage and disappear.

Professor Sprout, wielding a shovel, walked briskly between two rows of plant racks,

occasionally pinching the leaves of the plants,

sniffing their petals.

“This is the Bubblepod area; once we pass through, we’ll reach the place where we can really get to work.”

Professor Sprout’s voice was loud, yet not harsh—instead, it was comforting.

Bubblepods?

Wizard Sean studied the thick, uneven vines, noticing plump pink pods hanging from them,

each filled with glittering seeds.

He had read about this magical plant in books; the seeds were said to bloom instantly upon contact with any solid object.

“These bubblepods will mature soon; after that, these racks will be filled with jumping bulbs…”

Professor Sprout explained enthusiastically to Wizard Sean,

whose emerald eyes sparkled.

Perhaps it was the greenhouse’s overly bright light, or perhaps the young wizard’s earnest gaze truly made one feel fond.

Professor Sprout’s steps grew even lighter.

How wonderful… new sprouts always bring new hope.

That was what Professor Sprout most wanted to see.

“Come here, child; let’s tend to these daisies.”

Professor Sprout stopped before a wooden table, a broad, sturdy platform,

its center darkened by plant sap and soil.

Wizard Sean stepped forward and saw Professor Sprout pulling several pots of daisies from beneath the table.

If one had to say how they differed from mere ornamental flowers, it was that their roots were thicker.

And if you bought them in Diagon Alley, twenty of them cost one Jin Jin Jialong.

Unbelievably expensive.

“Don’t get distracted; watch closely—cut the yellow daisies three inches below the petals…”

Professor Sprout swiftly sliced the daisies, releasing a milky white sap,

which she neatly collected in a glass vial.

“Only at this time of year can we harvest the sap from daisies;

the cut mustn’t be too deep, or it will harm the plant’s future growth;

nor too shallow, or the sap won’t meet the standard for shrinking potion.”

The professor explained in detail, then waved her wand—a small knife and a glass vial landed on the wooden table before Wizard Sean.

“Try it, Mr. Green.”

Wizard Sean nodded and picked up the tools.

“Wrong angle, Mr. Green; tilt it a bit more…”

“Too light, Mr. Green; be bolder…”

“Oh, Mr. Green, don’t cut! Wrong spot…”

Time slipped away quickly through Wizard Sean’s mistakes.

Wizard Sean quickly realized he had no talent for Herbology.

As he frowned slightly, contemplating his fifteenth failure,

a gentle voice spoke beside him:

“Recognizing you have no talent, yet still picking up the hoe—that’s the beginning of Herbology.”

Wizard Sean looked up; Professor Sprout’s face was as warm and deep as sunlight.

And so,

until Professor Sprout’s large shadow slanted across the floor, Wizard Sean gradually mastered the essence of handling daisies.

Force, angle, and position all mattered—any slight error meant no increase in the panel’s proficiency.

【You have fully processed a daisy to apprentice standard, proficiency +1】

The panel’s prompt sounded like heavenly music; after mastering the correct method, Wizard Sean’s drive became terrifyingly intense.

【You have fully processed a daisy to apprentice standard, proficiency +1】

【You have fully processed a daisy to beginner standard, proficiency +3】

…

The sun slanted; thirty pots of daisies were neatly stacked. Wizard Sean wiped sweat from his hairline,

his eyes as bright as the Herbology professor’s beside him.

“Well done, Mr. Green,”

Professor Sprout clapped lightly—nothing pleased her more than witnessing a young sprout thrive,

“Go have dinner now. Oh, and take this.”

Wizard Sean was handed a piece of pineapple candy, and at the same moment, he heard the clang of a bell—dinner had begun.

Hogwarts’ meal times were fixed; if you missed them, you went hungry.

Of course, some young wizards would ask friends to bring them food, but Wizard Sean clearly hadn’t made such arrangements.

Going hungry at Hogwarts was unthinkable.

Wizard Sean thought this, then quickly bid farewell to Professor Sprout and headed for the Great Hall,

and if his body were stronger, he would have run.

“Next time, we’ll handle some special materials.”

As Wizard Sean left, Professor Sprout said this,

and Wizard Sean saw a pile of tooth-like objects on the dark wooden table—he guessed these might be them?

…

Behind the lavish spread in the Great Hall,

Jia Jia Siting was being scolded by Hermione, because he hadn’t realized he had Herbology that afternoon—alongside Gryffindor,

so when Hermione spotted him in Greenhouse One,

Miss Granger instantly bristled.

“Did you do this on purpose?!”

“I’m sorry…”

Wizard Sean was struggling with Hungarian goulash and didn’t notice Jia Jia Siting’s pleading look.

Soon, he sipped pumpkin juice while checking his gains.

【Herbology Knowledge: Locked (59/90)】

By processing daisies, Wizard Sean gained a full 33 proficiency points.

【Apprentice-level Herbology Knowledge: Unlock Apprentice-level Herbology Title】

The title activation was within reach—if he used the remaining time wisely, he might activate it today.

And those tooth-like objects—Wizard Sean compared them carefully and realized they were venomous snake fangs.

Though he didn’t know why Professor Sprout was processing them,

they perfectly matched Wizard Sean’s needs.

One ingredient for brewing acne potion was venomous snake fangs.

As soon as the meal ended, Wizard Sean left the Great Hall,

leaving Jia Jia Siting and Hermione momentarily stunned.

“Wizard Sean!

Ah, he left so fast,

I wanted to ask him to come to the library with me,

maybe he could help us figure out how to distinguish mature white moss,

honestly, I have no idea how to write a Herbology essay.”

Jia Jia Siting was discouraged—magic was harder than he’d imagined,

even though Professor Sprout told them to do their best, as a Hufflepuff, who didn’t want to please and earn praise from the professor?

“I’m not sure,

but Hogwarts Library holds tens of thousands of books—we’ll find the answer.”

Hermione sighed, but her confidence remained firm.