Hijinks in the Hufflepuff Common Room

Tap, tap… taptaptap.

Pomona Sprout watched as the barrel she had rhythmically tapped on shifted in order to reveal a passage in the wall behind it. As she made her way up the earthy slope, she inhaled the comforting scents that immediately surrounded her. She smiled broadly – a facial feature that happened without conscious thought whenever she entered this room – as she entered the low ceilinged, yet cozy room that was bathed in a warm light from the glowing orb that mimicked the sun hovering up at the peak of the rounded ceiling. Plant life adorn the walls and even the ceiling, some of it moving of its own accord and making the room feel like it had a life of its own.

Classes had ended for the day and the nip of winter had set in, meaning that the Hufflepuff common room was quite full that evening. Pomona cheerfully greeted students as she passed through, finding her way to the far side of the common room where a table that she suspected was purposely left open for her was situated.

She sat, quickly spreading out the rolls of parchment that she had been carrying, sorting them into her own form of organized chaos across the table. Without much thought, she pulled out her wand and waved it, causing the fire in the pit in the middle of the room to send off more warmth, smiling to herself at the appreciative murmurs that arose from the students who hadn't been able to claim a spot close to the fire. Then she pulled out a quill and began the process of grading her third year students' essays.

She did know that this behavior was a bit peculiar for a professor. None of the other Head of Houses spent much time in the common room, milling about with their students. She didn't really understand that logic though. She would much rather grade papers in an active atmosphere, surrounded by the antics of her students rather than locked away and isolated in her too quiet office.

This common room had been her home during the seven years she had spent as a student at Hogwarts. She had returned to not only teach but also be the Head of Hufflepuff House only a few years after she had graduated. This room was her home, it was where she felt the most in her element, even the greenhouses falling to a close second compared to the Hufflepuff common room.

She smiled warmly at a group of her first years who kept shooting her unsure glances. She knew that it was a bit intimidating for them to feel like they were constantly under the watch of their Head of House. But she also knew that the nervousness would subside with time as they realized that she was not there as a professor, (though she would never turn away a student who approached her wanting academic help). It was understood by her students that she was not there to keep an eye on them or be an authority figure. In turn, she understood that this was ultimately the students' space, and she was merely a visitor. This was a balance that had worked well for her throughout entire tenure as Head of Hufflepuff House.

She knew the older students would have told the first years as much, but it still usually took a few months for them to really find it in them to relax. However, that was to be expected, after all this was a big adjustment for them in many aspects.

Pomona had only graded two essays when he was distracted by a commotion nearby.

"Are you sure you belong with us? Don't you have your own common room to study in?" Patrick Bagby was hovering over a small group that was clustered in one of the coveted spots near the hearth of the fire pit.

"Oh, sod off, Bagby, mind your own business," Hannah Abbott shot back with a glare.

Pomona shifted, mostly out of curiosity, but when she caught sight of Neville Longbottom of all people, she realized that she should have guessed what was going on. Hufflepuffs were generally much less strict about allowing students from other Houses into their common room as long as they were accompanied by a Hufflepuff student. It wasn't the first time Hannah had brought Neville into the common room, and Pomona had to admit that the lad fit in well when he shed his Gryffindor attire. She often marveled at the idea that he hadn't been Sorted into her House all those years ago. He often enjoyed questioning her about Herbology topics, seemingly charmingly oblivious to the fact that he was in the wrong common room.

Also, judging by the way that Hannah sat unnecessarily close to him most of the time, she had her own motivations for inviting him into their common room. And Pomona was constantly entertained by Neville's cluelessness over the situation.

Content to let any perfects around sort out any attempt to escalate the issue, Pomona went back to grading her essays.

She hadn't even gotten through half of the next essay before the next disturbance.

"Periculum!"

There were several shouts of surprise as the common room was suddenly brightened by a red light accompanied by a loud bang. Pomona herself knocked several rolls of parchment to the floor as she jumped in surprise. The smell of smoke caused her to jump to her feet – further scattering the parchment on the table – but several seventh years were already sending jets of water up to the ceiling to put out the fires that had started in the vines of the plants that decorated the common room.

As the crisis was adverted, all eyes turned to a third year girl, her eyes as big as saucers and face slightly pale.

"I… I'm sorry," Irene Denholm murmured. "I was just… I didn't know it was going to do that."

Heidi Macavoy, a sixth year, walked over to her. "That's why we don't test out new spells in a crowded common room, Irene, especially if we don't know exactly what they're supposed to do." Her tone was kind but firm.

Irene nodded almost frantically.

As everyone took deep breaths and went back to what they were doing, Pomona carefully gathered the rolls of parchment from the floor, having to sort out her organizational system as everything had shifted.

She had just sorted out the essays and was getting back to the one she had been in the middle of grading, when a couple was passing by close to her table.

"We've got to work on our Herbology homework, Ern," Susan Bones said, her arm looped around Ernie McMillan's arm. The two had been going steady for a few weeks now. "I thought maybe you could help me."

"Why does everyone think I'd be good at Herbology?" Ernie said with exasperation. "I hate plants; they're so… green."

Pomona didn't glance up from the parchment as she spoke. "Not all plants are green, Mr. McMillan," she informed him mildly.

Ernie did a double take and as Pomona glanced up at him, an amused smirk quirking her lips involuntarily, she could see that suddenly he was flushed with embarrassment. Even Susan let go of his arm and stepped slightly back, looking startled.

"I, uh…" Ernie stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. "S-sorry professor. I, uh, I didn't see you there."

Pomona smiled. "That's alright, Mr. McMillan," she assured him. "I understand Herbology isn't for everyone."

"Come on, Ernie," Susan said, grabbing Ernie's arm and starting to lead him away. "Neville's here. I'm sure he'll help us."

"Doesn't that bloke know that he has his own common room?" Ernie mumbled, but followed all the same.

Pomona's evening carried on much that same way, with one distraction after another. By the time she exited the common room in order to return to her room for some much needed sleep, she was only halfway through the essays that she needed to have graded. She supposed she would have to get up early and work through some more during breakfast.

But even with that thought, she smiled. Given the chance, she would have done the same thing tonight all over again. There was no place she would have rather been.

Grand Battle Prompts

Dialogue Prompts:

"Are you sure you belong with us?" (3)

"Why does everyone think I'd be good at Herbology? I hate plants; they're so… green." (5)

Word Prompts:

Element (1)

Vine (1)

Peculiar (1)

Hearth (1)

Character Prompts:

Susan Bones (1)

Pomona Sprout (2)

Pairing Prompts:

Hannah Abbott/ Neville Longbottom (3)

Ernie McMillan/ Susan Bones (3)

Spell Prompts:

Periculum (4)

Total Points: 25