A Major Classroom Disaster

"Robin Sear, your body clock clearly hasn't adjusted yet. You're a full three minutes late. I could have covered a great deal of Herbology in those three minutes."

The speaker was a short, slightly plump witch with golden curls tucked under a hole-riddled knitted hat. She looked dusty all over, her clothes covered in soil.

"Sorry, something urgent held me up. It won't happen again, Professor Sprout. Could I take a few minutes of your time after class to catch up on what I missed?"

"No need. I haven't started the lesson proper yet. Pick a flowerpot and stand beside it!"

Having too many Galleons wasn't always a good thing. Now they'd made him late for his very first class. Luo Bin glanced around. The only open spot was beside Salasha Forgini.

"Robin, hurry up! We have a lot to cover today, and the schedule is tight!"

Professor Sprout urged him on.

Luo Bin sighed and walked over to Salasha. Once everyone was in place, Professor Sprout raised her voice. "Today, we're going to repot Mandrakes. You've had your second-year textbooks for a few days now. Can anyone tell me about their properties?"

Hermione's hand shot up. She craned her neck and blinked eagerly, trying to catch the professor's attention.

Before Professor Sprout could call on her, Salasha said without expression, "Mandrake, also known as Eggplant Ginseng, has a root that looks remarkably like a human baby. When removed from its pot and soil, it cries like an infant. The sound can cause dizziness and unconsciousness, or even kill. The calmer a Mandrake is, the less it cries and the closer it is to maturity. Once the red spots on its face have all peeled away, it can be used in potions to restore people who have been transformed or