Stinging Nettle

Thursday's sunlight streamed through the slightly grimy glass of Greenhouse Two, filling the air with the scent of damp earth and various plants.

Lucretia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

The smell reminded her of her time in the Crouch gardens before the start of term.

The morning dew, the freshly tilled soil, and the sweet fragrance of just-blooming flowers.

That sense of peace, of being surrounded by green life, had returned.

First-year students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff began to enter the greenhouse, dividing into two sides by house.

Professor Sprout was already standing by the central workbench, her hat slightly askew, her apron stained with various colors.

But Lucretia could feel a special aura about her, like a friend to plants.

The professor's voice was full of energy: "Good morning, children! Today we're going to meet a rather temperamental friend, the Stinging Nettle."

The professor waved her wand, and the cloth curtain on the workbench lifted on its own, revealing a row of green potted plants.

The students craned their necks to get a better look.

At first glance, the plants looked ordinary, but upon closer inspection, tiny spines glinted at the tips of their leaves.

As the students approached, the leaves began to tremble slightly, as if sensing a threat.

Professor Sprout clapped her hands: "Stinging Nettles may look ordinary on the surface, but they don't like to be touched casually, so be very careful when handling them! Who can tell me the main use of Stinging Nettles?"

Several students raised their hands, and Lucretia did too.

Professor Sprout smiled and called on her: "Miss Crouch?"

Lucretia recited from the textbook: "The extract from Stinging Nettle leaves is used to treat minor burns and is an essential ingredient in many soothing potions."

Professor Sprout nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, five points to Ravenclaw! Our task today is to trim the Stinging Nettles and collect the young leaves. Your movements should be gentle but firm; hesitation and backing down will make them more alert, and being too rough will provoke a counterattack. I don't imagine you want to end up in the Hospital Wing with your hands full of stings, do you?"

Emma shrank back behind Lucretia and Helena.

Professor Sprout demonstrated the correct harvesting method for everyone.

She held the stem lightly with her left hand and used a special silver pair of shears in her right to snip the leaves from the side, her movements fluid and unbroken.

"Now, in groups of three or four, let's get to work!"

The classroom became busy.

It wasn't long before the first gasp was heard.

A boy with brown hair quickly pulled his hand back, a small red rash appearing on his fingertip: "Ow! It stung me!"

This exclamation seemed to be a signal, and various sounds began to erupt throughout the greenhouse.

"Help!"

"Watch out!"

"It's moving!"

Professor Sprout hurried over: "Oh dear! Mr. Wilson, I said to be firm, not to shove your hand directly into its mouth!"

Lucretia, naturally, was in a group with Emma and Helena. However, one of her roommates was holding the shears stiffly, while the other was making a futile attempt to put on a second pair of gloves.

Helena grumbled, reluctantly holding up her hand to look at the potted plant assigned to their group: "My hives just cleared up, I hope I don't get any new injuries today."

More complaints and exclamations could already be heard in the greenhouse.

A Hufflepuff girl was shaking her hand after being stung, and two Ravenclaw boys simultaneously stepped back, nearly knocking over the workbench behind them. The plant in the next group even began to shake violently, as if protesting.

Emma's tone was clearly stalling: "Uh, so who wants to try first?"

Lucretia quietly observed the Stinging Nettle in front of her.

She carefully sensed the plant's emotions; it was really tense.

Lucretia picked up the silver shears and reassured Emma beside her: "I'll do it. It seems like as long as we do as the professor said, you can follow my movements."

Before she started, she specifically glanced at Professor Sprout's location.

The professor was busy helping other groups around the greenhouse and didn't notice them.

Lucretia approached the plant and held the stem as demonstrated on the blackboard.

The Stinging Nettle's leaves trembled the moment she touched them, and then... they quieted down.

She sensed the plant's nervous tension and whispered in her mind: It's okay, I won't hurt you.

The shears came down, and several young leaves were cleanly snipped off.

Throughout the process, the Stinging Nettle cooperated obediently.

Emma cautiously leaned closer: "Huh? Why is it so well-behaved? I saw the plants in the other groups shaking just now."

Lucretia smiled and stepped back: "Just lucky, I guess. Maybe the one we got is just more docile. Helena, do you want to try? Remember what the professor said, be fluid and don't hesitate."

Helena frowned as she took the shears: "If I get pricked, you're responsible for finding me some ointment."

But just as she was steeling herself to approach the plant, another cry of alarm rang out from nearby.

A Hufflepuff boy's sleeve had been snagged by a Stinging Nettle, and he began to flail his arm in panic, which only caused the plant to react more intensely.

His panic caused a chain reaction, and the plants around him began to shake violently.

"Careful!"

Emma quickly pulled Helena away, narrowly dodging an unknown object and several thorny leaves flying from the side.

Lucretia quickly held down her pot of Stinging Nettle, preventing it from being affected by the surrounding commotion.

Not far away, several other Ravenclaw girls took turns trying to approach their potted plants, but each time they were scared back by the leaves opening up in front of them.

Professor Sprout raised her voice, "Quiet! Everyone quiet! Remember my demonstration! Move smoothly! Miss Teman, please control your volume! Mr. York, stop it! Don't point your wand at the plants, it will only anger them!"

The worst was at the other end of the greenhouses.

A group of Hufflepuff students were at a loss around an exceptionally agitated Stinging Nettle.

The plant shook violently amidst their screams, leaves scattering everywhere.

The pot overturned, spilling black soil all over the ground.

In the soil, the Stinging Nettle's roots were still wriggling restlessly.

Helena's newfound courage vanished: "This is a mess. I'm starting to wonder if this class was specifically designed to torment new students."

"Then, then I'll try?"

Emma took a deep breath to encourage herself, but she was clearly nervous, her fingers trembling slightly.

The plant sensed her unease, its leaves immediately bristled, tiny thorns glinting.

Lucretia suggested softly, "Relax, imagine it's just a normal plant."

"It's not normal at all, it's fierce!"

Emma, with a pained expression, sent the scissors forward. In the spot where Lucretia had touched earlier, the Stinging Nettle's guard had lowered slightly, and she managed to cut off a leaf.

However, she was a bit nervous when she pulled her hand back and was lightly pricked.

"Oh, it's a little better than I imagined, like being cut by paper."

Seeing that Emma had also succeeded, Helena carefully completed her task.

Although she was pricked twice, it was much better than the dire state of many of her classmates around her. The remaining work was basically completed by Lucretia.

Their group progressed the fastest, and the leaves in their collection basket were the most intact.

Professor Sprout walked over to their group, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Seeing the neat leaves in the collection basket, her steps stopped.

"Making good progress! Miss Crouch, Miss Clark, and Miss Mills, your cooperation is excellent."

She bent down to examine the potted plant closely.

The Stinging Nettle remained quietly in place, its leaves neat, without the signs of disturbance seen in other groups.

Lucretia held her breath.

She remembered how Slughorn had noticed her unique cutting technique in Potions class.

But Professor Sprout simply nodded, "It seems you've found the knack for dealing with plants. Very good! Keep it up."

As soon as she finished speaking, screams rang out from not far away, and she hurried to help other groups.