It would be easier now to get a total soil surround of the seedling during the transplant without exposing any roots at all.

I transplanted a whole clump last year when they were just putting out new shoots. Had them in a black pot for a week, just sitting there. This year they are thriving. This tells me hellebore might not be too fussy.

Hi Jennie,
If it is likely to get stepped on, why not try to dig around it carefully and then lift up the entire trowel full. The root doesn't go down very far when its that small and you shouldn't damage the root. If its H. x hybridus, then you should get lots more babies seeding around the mother plant next spring. I usually dig out baby hellebores when they have two true leaves and almost all of them make it.