It snowed again on Monday.
For Professor Sprout, the first class after the holidays, she was quite grateful for the somewhat biting morning wind.
The wind would quickly wake up the Little Wizards on their way to the Greenhouse.
At the fork in the road between the Greenhouse and the vegetable patch, Howl was talking to Sprout.
"How much longer until they mature?" Howl asked curiously.
Professor Sprout was wrapped in a thick coat, her boots still covered in mud and snow, a stark contrast to Howl in his off-white wool coat beside her.
"Probably until the end of the semester." Professor Sprout asked in a surprised tone, "Howl, do you really steep Mandrake in tea?"
"To be precise, it's a small Potion; I like the taste," Howl said.
Then, his gaze fell upon the Hogwarts Greenhouse.
"Oh, I see." Professor Sprout nodded, "Then when they mature, you can take as much as you want."
"No, it's fine. Let the apothecaries have them first; Hogwarts needs the money," Howl said, shaking his head in refusal.
Hearing this, Sprout laughed heartily, "No, no, Howl, the moment the holidays begin each year, the Greenhouse receives a flood of private purchase requests. I don't even know how many years it's been since Hogwarts last dealt with an apothecary."
As she spoke, she sighed with a smile, "Do you remember how many Mandrake you cultivated?"
"Uh, not that many, right?" Howl said, "A good batch was burned last year, and after the tubers were divided, even if there are some, there shouldn't be too many."
"Heavens, Howl." Sprout shook her head, "After this repotting, they will at least fill two Greenhouses."
As she spoke, she shrugged indifferently and looked at Howl, "So... take as much as you want. Besides, without you, these Mandrake would never have such a high survival rate after being divided.
Although I don't know how you did it, the current Mandrake truly surpasses Hogwarts' past yields."
"Alright..." Howl was also a bit speechless listening to her. He remembered he had only used a small trick specifically for dividing Mandrake.
Uh... it was visually a bit cruel, as Mandrake are humanoid.
"I didn't expect so many; you've worked hard caring for them."
"Hard?" Sprout smiled, looking at the children gradually approaching in the distance, and directed, "Today's class is in Greenhouse Three!"
Immediately, sounds rose and fell on the path.
"Professor, good morning."
"Professor, good morning."
The stream of children quickly passed the two of them. Only after they had all left did Sprout quietly say, "I haven't worked hard at all; after all, the children need practical lessons, don't they?"
Howl looked at the crowd heading towards the Greenhouse, suddenly understood what was about to happen, and also laughed. After bidding farewell to Sprout, he turned and left...
In Greenhouse Three, which smelled of damp earth and fertilizer and was much warmer than outside, the second-year Little Wizards quickly learned the content of today's class.
Repotting Mandrake.
"Alright, can someone tell me about the characteristics of Mandrake?" Professor Sprout asked once the earmuffs were distributed.
Hermione instinctively raised her hand. Sprout had just raised her hand to signal her to answer the question when she saw Hermione lower her hand again.
"Oh, what is this?" Sprout had never seen this scene.
Just then, Harry's hand went up beside her.
"Potter! You answer."
"Mandrake has many magical effects. It is itself a highly effective restorative herb and now plays a crucial role in many common Potions.
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