Herbology Lesson One [Open to students]

[NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM]

Pottering around the room, as was his norm the tall figure of Professor Longbottom inspected the various stages of plant life he had growing in the greenhouse. His mind was only skittering on the outskirts of reality as he thought back to his own time as a student when, even with his beloved Herbology he had been unable to do the simplest of tasks. It was possibly this that made him go easy on some of the students who struggled. Some of his colleagues would prefer to push their students, forcing them out of their comfort zone and make them correct themselves. Had Madam Sprout done that with him he did not even know if he would have gotten any exam results beyond an "Acceptable". He truly had been a poor show of a student back in his day. Of course that was a long time gone. He was getting old. The war had passed. The generation he taught had not lived through the fear of never knowing one night to the next if you would be kidnapped or tortured. They truly were the lucky ones.

"Alright, lets get this started." he said to himself, straightening his collar and clearing his throat before he took his wand and waved it at the door of his classroom. He still got a thrill when a spell worked. He could remember agonising years with his grandmother before he got his own wand, making due with his fathers. Of course, the wand choosing the wizard it was all but impossible to use. It wasn't until his fourth year when he got his own wand that he found that he truly was a powerful wizard. 

Around the room, lining the many desks for his students to stand behind where an array of pots, pestal and morters, bags of fertiliser and some seeds. He smiled to himself, he would enjoy this class. It would be hands on, just what he liked.

He turned to the back wall of the greenhouse and using his wand he wrote on the large blackboard the subject of this particular lesson.

Dittany
The many uses of

"Right guys, get in we have alot to get through today!" He called outside of the classroom. He was very informal with his students. He forgot that he was old enough to be their father, old habits would die hard.