#8 - let's get dirty

His face probably visibly lit up when he spotted the Herbology professor and he hurried over to her.
His little run resembled more of a waddle with the pot held safely in front of his stomach.

Joe nodded earnestly when she said that it was a commitment to garden and it would mean to work. He was sure that he could do it. He would just have to spend some less time with his best friends or preferably get them to come garden with him.

“I‘m sure, Ma‘am. Back home in the old house my mum had a garden.“, he said, aware that professor Sprout had no way of knowing that.
“She would let me help with it. First I was only responsible for watering, when I was little. Later I could get some sheers too.“

Joe trailed off and smiled at the professor sheepishly. He wondered if he would have to beg with her the way he had had to beg with professor Snape to at least let him try to prove he was ready to work. But professor Sprout was always so nice!
“I‘d really like to use the greenhouse for gardening, please?“

Joe looked up at the professor when she said that she would like him to prove himself and nodded with eyes opened wide.
When she sprinkled water from her wand like it was a hose he became intrigued and smiled when she said that she would teach him the spell.
That seemed plenty useful! No need to run back and forth to get water in a can when he could just use magic.
Was this the test?

Joe put his pot down and fumbled his wand out of his robe so he could copy the wand motion from her. He repeated the motion a few times as they always did in Charms class before he really attempted any spell casting.
He nodded when she said he needed to consider the need for water and stepped closer to the plant.

Joe aimed at the plant and invisioned a small sprinkle of water coming from his wand as he did the wand motion.
"Aquamenti!", he said but nothing happened. Joe could feel heat rise into his face and ears at this.
It was one thing tonot immediatly succeed in Charms class but he did not know how much patience for spell-learners the Herbology professor would have.

He re-positioned himself to try again.
"Aquamenti!"
Nothing.
"Aquamenti! Aquamenti!"
Nothing.

"Aquamenti!"
A few drops of water fell onto the soil from the tip of his wand and Joe relaxed a little. So he was not a lost case at this after all.
He adjusted his grip on his wand and concentrated hard.
"Aquamenti!"

Joe grinned triumphantly up at professor Sprout when the small sprinkle he had invisioned finally emerged from his wand. He moved his wand around a little to dampen the soil around the plant before he was satisfied with the amount of water he had given the plant.

"Is that alright?"