A little girl skipped out of her house, paying no attention to the screams of her parents who forbade her from walking out into the garden. She knew that neither of them would come and actually stop her. They would eventually go back to doing the thing that had made her run to her garden in the first place: fighting.
It was a daily occurrence in the Sprout household. Therefore, Pomona had found her own ways to adapt to it. Being a shy child, she did not have any close friends to confide in. Instead, she had her garden. Tending to it made her calmer. She felt as if she was in another world, that was far away from her troubles.
Her mother did not approve of her spending those long hours in the gardens and then returning late at night. But there was little Philippa Sprout could do to prevent it. Pomona was usually a sweet girl. However, she was not incapable of holding her own when she needed to.
When she had been younger, it had hurt her that none of her family appreciated or participated in the activitything she loved most. But now, she was glad that they did not even bother to visit her when she was working with her plants.
She most certainly did not want that. If they would not let her have her freedom in her house, then she could at least have it in her garden, which was more homely then the house itself.
Why? Because she had a secret and she knew that they would immediately put a stop to it if they knew. She smiled at the thought, and turned back to the old, grey building. They were probably still shouting their heads off at each other. None of them seemed to be near. Satisfied, she turned back to the shrubbery at the far end of the garden and began to call out.
"Terran, are you there? I need to speak to you," she said. At the sound of her voice, a small creature rushed out of the bushes where it had made its home. The jarvey ran through the tall grass to reach Pomona.
"Stupid name," the creature said as soon as he got close enough. Pomona knew that he did not mean it as an insult. Not many in the wizarding world liked the jarveys. It was said that they were mean and dangerous, but she refused to accept second hand opinions. She thought it was unfair to not give them a chance, simply based on a few people's experiences. So she had decided to try to be kind and gentle when she had found an injured Terran in her garden, all those months ago. She had not been disappointed with her decision.
"Hello!" the girl smiled. The rodent looked up at her. "Hello, hello."
Pomona picked him up. "They're fighting again," she said, nodding towards the house. It was a regular incident, and both of them were used to it.
"Meanies," came the squeaky reply. A frown had appeared on his face. He looked at the mansion and snapped its jaw shut in an aggressive gesture. Pomona smiled sadly and shook her head.
"That won't help and you know it. "
Pomona took a deep breath and sighed. She really did wish there was something she could do, or Terran could. But unfortunately, it was not so.
She decided she did not want to dwell on sad things. She just wanted to spend time with her friend.
"Come on," she told him, laying down a hand down to carry him. He climbed on, and was carried thus, to her tulips.
"Aren't they lovely?" she asked, gesturing to the colourful display. She was proud of her little tulip patch. And Terran seemed to agree with her.
Before she could take him towards the herbs, however, he slidpped off of her hands and ran away. She was used to this. He had a habit of disappearing and reappearing as and when he wanted. She knew he would be back soon, so she set about to trimming the rose bushes by herself.
True to his nature, Terran returned soon. But much to the surprise of Pomona, he was carrying something in his mouth. As he drew closer, she realised it was a small Jasmine flower. She furrowed her brows in confusion. He looked up to her as if offering the flower, and she felt compelled to take it. It was a fallen flower, she realised. He had not plucked it. He would never hurt her garden, after all.
She pinned it to her short hair. "I'll treasure it forever," she promised. The jarvey smiled back.
Years later, she found her childhood journal. To her own surprise, she remembered the wards she had used to lock it.
"Old habits die hard," she muttered to herself. But there was a smile on her face as she said it.
She began to flip through the yellowed pages. There were memories in there. She was glad she had not thrown it away, over the years. Just as she closed it and was moving to put it on her shelf, something fluttered to the ground.
When Pomona caught sight of what it was, she felt the tears well up in her eyes. She immediately picked it up.
It was the flower, now flattened between the pages of the book, and having turned a light cream, from the pure white. But it was so much more than that. It was a symbol of her love for plants. Most of all, it was the only token she had of her first true friend. He was the only one who had ever stood up for her, even if she regretted the consequences of his doing so. He had saved her. She had found acceptance and love in her family, but she had lost him. In her opinion, it was not a fair trade, but she could not change the past.
So she clutched the flower close to herself and thanked him, yet again.
Author's Notes: This is written for the QLFC season 6 Round 6.
Team: Chudley Cannons
Position: Beater 2
Optional prompts used: (creature) jarvey, (colour) cream