"Ow."
Neville covered the wound on his face and let out a wail.
"It's only Dittany." Simon Finnigan held the small bottle in his hand. "Don't be such a girl—"
"Ahem." Pomona gave a light cough.
Simon stopped talking and continued applying the medicine to Neville.
Pomona shook her head where they could not see. Dittany was the Potions Club's new subject, and the wound on Neville's face had been there for some time. He had gotten it during the last Herbology class while taking a seed pod from a Bubotuber. At the time, Ron and Harry's table had "twice" bounced a seed pod into the back of her head.
The pain was secondary. The important thing was that the seeds inside the pod might have burrowed into her brain. Since entering sixth year, they had begun handling genuinely dangerous magical plants, yet Harry, Ron, and even Hermione had been terribly distracted. The entire class, they had been discussing something they considered more important than safety: the Slug Club.
They could have finished discussing it outside the greenhouse before coming in. Bubotubers not only had explosive seeds, but also thorny vines. Pomona would not fail anyone in Herbology, but few students ever earned an O. If these esteemed ladies and gentlemen remembered, poor Professor Sprout had taught them the Severing Charm for pruning plants. There was no need for them to battle Bubotubers with gardening shears.
Neville had remembered to use his wand, but his weak magic had little effect on the Bubotuber. He had risked injury to become the first to obtain a pod.
Dean Thomas thought Neville's actions had been completely unnecessary. It was only a Herbology class, not even an exam. Simon might have helped Neville apply the medicine because, ever since Dean and Ginny had begun