Herbology Class, Harry's Enthusiasm

Herbology classroom.

Professor Sprout stood in the center and said in a gentle voice:

"Welcome, everyone, to Herbology."

"In this lesson, we'll be learning how to divide and transplant Dittany."

Lucien quickly found Dittany in his memory. It was a very common herb, used not only by wizards but also as medicine in the Muggle world.

The common use for Dittany was to mix it with Horklump Juice to brew a basic healing potion.

After Professor Sprout finished introducing Dittany's properties, she began explaining the transplanting technique and the points they needed to pay attention to.

Lucien listened with great interest.

He didn't know whether it was the newly acquired "Diligent Little Gardener" taking effect, but he grasped the herbology knowledge and cultivation techniques almost as soon as they were explained, quickly understanding the key points.

He could hardly wait to dig in the dirt and start farming!

"Dittany is very easy to grow. You only need to make sure the soil stays loose and soft, and that the roots and stems are buried down to the bottom of the pot..."

"Don't worry about not doing it well. Herbology is a subject that interacts with life. It naturally requires patience and constant experimentation."

Professor Sprout's encouragement made some of the young wizards less nervous.

"Children, you may begin!"

Lucien picked up a small hoe and dug through the soil in the flowerpot. When the soil had loosened to a certain degree, he stopped almost by instinct.

He took the Strengthening Solution beside him and poured it evenly into the flowerpot.

At the same time, he stirred the soil rhythmically with a trowel, letting the solution mix in thoroughly.

It was clearly his first attempt, yet Lucien found the process strangely familiar, as though he had already practiced it many times.

Mm, it seemed "Diligent Little Gardener" also came with a proficiency effect for herb cultivation, allowing him to get started quickly.

The smell was about right. Once he finished handling the Dittany plant and planted it in the soil, the solution would take effect at just the right level.

Lucien picked up the Dittany and first carefully observed how the roots and stems were tangled.

Then he began separating them.

His movements were gentle, and his fingers were very steady, without the slightest tremor.

Steady, but not slow.

Under Lucien's handling, the tangled roots and stems were soon separated.

Even the finest, softest rootlets suffered no damage at all.

He inserted the divided Dittany plant into the flowerpot, carefully covered it with soil, then pressed it down appropriately.

Whew—

Lucien let out a soft breath and raised his forearm to wipe the thin sweat from his forehead.

Honestly, growing vegetables was pretty fun.

"Well done, Grafton."

Sprout's gentle voice sounded from behind Lucien. She had noticed the young wizard's performance just now, but had patiently waited until he finished the transplant before praising him.

"Thank you for the compliment, Professor."

"Your technique is very practiced, and I can also tell that you're a very careful young wizard."

"Have you studied gardening or cultivation before?"

Sprout remembered that when they met at Flourish and Blotts, Professor McGonagall had been the one leading Lucien, so he should have come from a Muggle family. That was why she guessed he might have learned something related to gardening.

But Lucien shook his head.

"No, Professor. This is my first time coming into contact with plant cultivation."

Lucien's words made Sprout's eyes light up.

"Then that's very impressive. To reach this level on your first try."

"The roots and stems weren't damaged, the soil's firmness is right, and the solution's volatilization is just right as well."

"Grafton, you may be quite good at Herbology."

Lucien said modestly:

"I've read some books on Herbology, and when cultivating, I also get a bit of a feel for it."

"I'm very happy to be able to put that knowledge into practice in Herbology class."

Sprout clapped lightly and smiled softly.

"Steady and hardworking."

"If you came to Hufflepuff, I think you'd fit in very well too."

"Grafton is the first to complete the Dittany transplant. Five points to Ravenclaw!"

After saying that, Professor Sprout added one more thing to Lucien:

"I don't know if you'd be willing to help give your friends a few pointers?"

As she spoke, Sprout nodded toward Harry and Ron.

Harry was all right; he was just a little slow at separating the Dittany.

But the more Ron worked at it, the more tangled it became, and judging by the force he was using, if he kept going, he was probably going to snap it clean in half!

Lucien nodded.

"Of course. I'd be happy to help my friends."

Once Professor Sprout had gone farther away, Hermione seemed to deflate all at once and said helplessly, "Lucien, aside from being amazing at Charms, how do you even know so much about herb cultivation?"

Hermione had been a top student since she was little, the kind who never wanted to fall behind anyone in anything.

After coming into contact with the magical world, she had also worked herself hard.

She had diligently read magic books, practiced spells, and previewed herbology knowledge.

But she was always a huge step slower than Lucien.

Hermione felt as if she could only barely glimpse the shadow of Lucien's progress!

"Yeah, exactly, Lucien, how did you handle the Dittany so quickly? Don't tell me our Dittany is a different variety?"

Ron put down the Dittany and reached up to scratch his head.

But he had forgotten about the mud on his hands, and black smears appeared across his red hair.

Ron's question directly earned him an eye roll from Hermione.

"Weasley, don't ask such stupid questions. Also, you can wash your hair when we get back."

Harry shook his head. He really liked his best mate's warmth and humor, but he was helpless against the occasional flashes of "stupidity."

"It's not just Charms and Herbology, right? Since Lucien thinks Snape is pretty good, then he should be good at Potions too."

The moment he said this, Harry froze as if he had thought of something, and the movement of his hands separating the Dittany slowed as well.

Lucien spread his hands.

"I never set out to be that exceptional. I just took out too many loans, that's all."

Lucien's words left the three youngsters completely confused.

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Lucien understood.

Ah, the pleasures of this place were not something outsiders could understand.

But Harry suddenly became enthusiastic.

"Huh? You borrowed money?"

"Do you need me to help you? I still have a lot of Galleons in Gringotts!"

Harry's attitude left Lucien somewhat bewildered. He didn't understand why this kid had gotten so worked up.

Was this really a Gryffindor trait?

As Lucien saw it, if Hufflepuff was kindhearted loyalty, then Gryffindor was:

Brotherhood and honor!

Because you were my good brother, I would be good to you with all my heart.

Then Lucien felt that wasn't quite right. How long had they even known each other? There was no way his place in Harry's heart was that high.

It couldn't be that this kid was just foolish and rich, and liked playing the generous benefactor, could it?

In any case, what he was spending was the inheritance of a grandfather and father he had never met, so the child who sold his grandfather's fields felt no pain?

Skipping over that topic, Lucien began guiding the three youngsters in transplanting the Dittany.

The process was careful and well organized. Even Ron managed to complete the planting in the end, and there was even still some time left before class ended.

This made the three of them admire Lucien even more openly.

Not only did he learn quickly himself, even teaching others came quickly to him.

What kind of godlike classmate was this!

Soon, Herbology class came to a perfect end.

Not long after Lucien said goodbye to the three of them, Harry caught up to him alone.

"Lucien, do you have a moment?"

"Are you short on money?"

The two questions filled Lucien's eyes with suspicion, and he sized Harry up.

What exactly was this kid trying to do?

Lucien's strange gaze made Harry hesitate, but after a few seconds, he seemed to make up his mind and said, "Coach—oh no, Lucien, I want to learn Potions!"