As long as whatever he found wasn't of use to the nurse or Valenduris in the potions cabinet, Mason didn't see the harm in letting Quincy have a go at anything that expired in the greenhouses. He still couldn't quite gauge the Slytherin's specific interest in dissecting the plants themselves, but there had always been a scientific air about the fourth year.

"I would stay away altogether, I never quite know what happens when the lose one of their own and I respect that." Mason warned one final time about the bowtruckles. Mr. Smellie would either heed his advice or learn the hard way. There was always the fool around and find out method for consequences.

Mason considered the question before answering. "Not for a while, but in breeding plants it's common." Splicing different trees or seeing if two different varieties of a plant or flower could be crossed often needed a closer look at the basic anatomy of the plants themselves. "Trying to take superior specimens and see what makes them better, things of that nature." He hadn't thought about it in a while. "What is your interest, Mr. Smellie?"