Professor, May I Grow Something Here?

"That's it?"

Fred leaned over from Gerald's other side. "I thought you had some peculiar fetish."

"At your age, what on earth goes through your head?"

"You really want to learn?" George asked.

"Of course. I'm quite interested in this sort of thing, but I never had access to it before. You know, before the summer holidays, I didn't even know what magic was."

Fred nodded.

"No problem. Leave it to us."

George added from beside him, "But let's get one thing straight first. Alchemy isn't Charms. It's not something where you say a spell and immediately see results. It's going to be very dull at first, ten times duller than brewing the Cure for Boils in Potions Class."

"I know. I'm not afraid of a little boredom."

"Then that makes things easy. We'll finally have another real helper," Fred said, casting a sidelong glance at the bleary-eyed Lee Jordan.

"What are you looking at me for? Alchemy just isn't something normal people can learn," Lee Jordan said helplessly. Then, as though realizing something, he added, "Of course, Boss Gerald and you two aren't exactly normal people."

"You can't imagine the joys of alchemy."

After leaving the Room of Requirement, the four of them quickened their pace toward the dormitory.

By the time they reached the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, the Fat Lady was already asleep.

Fred had to call out "Dragon's claw" several times before she blearily opened her eyes.

"You four blasted little brats again. Don't you ever sleep?" the Fat Lady grumbled as she swung her portrait aside, revealing the entrance.

When they returned to the dormitory, Kenneth was already sprawled across his bed, half his covers hanging off.

Gerald tucked them back around him as he passed. Kenneth mumbled something in his sleep that none of them could make out.

After washing up, the four of them each climbed into bed.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Gerald woke to the sound of rain.

He pulled back his bed curtains and glanced outside. The sky was gray, and the rain was light but steady, pattering softly against the windowpanes.

The clouds hung so low that they almost brushed the castle towers.

He checked his timetable. There was only one Herbology lesson that morning, at nine with Hufflepuff, so he still had plenty of time.

As usual, he was the first to get up. After washing up, he went to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Before leaving, he picked up an umbrella from his bedside table. Grandpa Henry had specifically tucked it into his suitcase before term began.

"It rains every day up in Scotland. You're bound to need it."

What he didn't know, of course, was that his roommates had collectively decided never to comment on his early-rising habits again. It wasn't as though their comments made any difference.

After breakfast, he opened his umbrella and crossed the vegetable patch and greenhouse grounds behind the castle, heading toward Greenhouse One.

When Gerald entered the greenhouse, he discovered that someone was already there.

Cedric Diggory.

He stood in front of the second row of planting benches, bits of soil clinging to his school robes. Clearly, he had already been helping Professor Sprout for some time.

Seeing Gerald push open the door, Cedric looked up with a gentle smile.

"Good morning, Green."

"Good morning, Cedric."

Gerald walked over to the planting bench beside him, propped his umbrella in a corner, and turned his attention to the flowerpots in front of him.

Several rather unremarkable green plants grew in the pots. He quickly recognized them as dittany.

The sap of this plant was a basic ingredient in most healing potions.

He had gathered it countless times in games in his previous life and had also seen pictures in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.

But this was his first time seeing the real thing.

"You're here early. Is Professor Sprout not here yet?"

"I'm used to getting up early. The professor's mixing fertilizer in the storeroom out back, so she asked me to help loosen the soil first." Cedric pointed at the row of pots on the planting bench, their soil already loosened, then suddenly asked, "I heard you had a duel in Dark Magic Defence class yesterday? Everyone in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor is talking about it. They say you blasted a Slytherin straight out of the classroom."

"He called me a Mudblood first."

Gerald had a good impression of Cedric, so he didn't bother beating around the bush.

"That really was nasty of him. You're certainly impressive, though. I'm pretty average at spells."

Average? You're going to be the best in Hufflepuff.

"Trust me, you'll be an incredible wizard someday. A true Champion."

"Thank you, Green."

Cedric smiled. Just then, the greenhouse door opened, and other students began filing in.

Most were Hufflepuffs, with only a handful of Gryffindors.

Fred, George, and Lee Jordan rushed in just in time, rain clinging to their hair and large patches of their robe hems soaked through.

Professor Sprout hurried out of the storeroom at the back of the greenhouse.

She was a short, plump witch with a round face and a healthy, sun-browned complexion.

Her cuffs and knees were covered in soil. She looked less like a professor and more like a countrywoman who had just finished harvesting vegetables.

"Good morning, everyone! What lovely rain. I love teaching in weather like this. The plants grow so beautifully."

Professor Sprout's voice was loud and warm.

"As we all know, Herbology is a fundamental subject for wizards. Many potions require herbal ingredients, and a solid grounding in Herbology will help you with Potions, Charms, and even defence against dark magic. Today, we'll be learning about dittany and bubotubers."

She lifted two pots from the planting bench in front of her. One held several bright green dittany plants.

The other contained a dark gray tuber covered in warty bumps.

The bubotuber quivered slightly in its pot, giving off a pungent smell. Gerald could smell it from two rows of planting benches away and instinctively took a small step back.

"Dittany is one of the most common healing magical plants. Its sap can speed up wound healing and is the main ingredient used to produce essence of dittany."

Professor Sprout returned the dittany pot to its place, then lifted the foul-smelling tuber again.

"Bubotuber pus, meanwhile, is the most effective treatment for acne, although its smell is admittedly rather unpleasant. Of course, today we'll only be learning how to grow and harvest dittany. Bubotubers are still far too dangerous for you."

Smiling, Professor Sprout set the pot down and began her explanation.

She explained everything in detail, from dittany's light requirements to controlling its moisture levels.

Her hands never rested. As she spoke, she demonstrated with a trowel and scissors, her movements crisp and efficient.

When it was time for practical work, Gerald put on his Dragonhide Gloves and picked up a dittany seedling from the planting bench.

But what really interested him now wasn't dittany.

Spirit plants were also a commonly used aid in immortal cultivation.

Some spirit plants could be used in medicines, others to lay formations, and some were weapons in their own right.

The Divine Firmament Five-Elements Heavenly Thunder Art didn't seem to contain any methods for cultivating spirit plants.

Could he use methods for growing magical plants to cultivate spirit herbs and spirit plants instead?

If it works, wouldn't I have all the spirit herbs I could ever need?

When Professor Sprout told everyone to practice on their own, Gerald raised his hand and called out to her.

Professor Sprout turned toward him, her trowel still raised in midair.

"Mr. Green, do you have a question?"

"Professor, may I grow something here?"