The Hufflepuff's Stand: Pomona Sprout
A/N: Although Minerva McGonagall is my favorite character and I always considered myself a Ravenclaw, I was sorted into Hufflepuff when I got into Pottermore. Since Pottermore is JKR's creation and JKR is the boss, I am now an official Hufflepuff. Therefore, I have taken special care of this chapter. One that I did not expect to feel so connected to, but yet, I did. So here you go, all you Hufflepuffs out there. Here is Professor Pomona Sprout's Stand.
September first usually brought smiles and joy to the castle. Hogwarts was always happy to see Her students again and all of the teachers who worked there were always eager to greet their young charges. However, this year, a different feeling loomed over the castle. The grounds were quiet and a cloudy haze was hanging over the lake.
Pomona Sprout walked nervously into the Great Hall for the start of term feast. She had hardly seen any of her colleagues since that fateful staff meeting a few weeks ago. She had run into Poppy when she moved in and bumped into Filius yesterday, but everyone seemed to fear the unknown this year was doomed to bring. While it was not unusual for her to hardly see some of the Professors, such as Rolanda or Sibyl, before the start of term, it was completely unheard of for she and Minerva to not see each other.
Minerva and Pomona had known each other since their own schooling and had remained the closest of friends throughout the years. And it was Minerva she was worried about now. A true Gryffindor, Minerva was known for her unwavering loyalties and courage, but also for a raging temper that was known to get her in trouble. Trouble, it seemed, had come to Hogwarts without disguise. Trouble was Severus Snape, Alecto, and Amycus Carrow. Trouble was, well, You-Know-Who. And trouble was at Hogwarts.
As her thoughts turned to That Man, that man who had betrayed them all, she sucked in a breath as she stepped into the Great Hall. The breath was let out as she saw that His chair was empty. A smile almost graced her face when she saw Minerva sitting at the table, speaking softly with Poppy. Filius was there, as were Horace, Septima, and Aurora. It seemed Bathsheba, Sibyl, and Rolanda had yet to arrive. Bathsheba and Rolanda were notorious for being late and Sibyl was her own special case as it was.
All seemed normal and Pomona tried to put a bit of pep in her step, but as she continued toward the staff table, that familiar sense of gloom returned to her. Looking up she realized why. The ceiling of the Great Hall was a dark grey and the candles were hanging hauntingly across the lifeless ceiling. The banners of the four esteemed houses hung limply above their respected tables; there was no shine in their colors and no sparkle in their crests.
Hogwarts was crying. The stone walls were aching and the candles were barely lit. Hogwarts could feel their pain; She was crying out for help. Pomona had only taught under Albus Dumbledore as Headmaster and he had always brought life to the castle and joy to the people within her walls. As Pomona walked to her seat at the head table, she wondered if this Hogwarts was a reflection of the new Headmaster's soul.
Filius smiled weakly at her as she sat down next to him. "I take it you've noticed." There was no doubt he was speaking of the ceiling.
"We all feel the same way." Filius turned to look down the table sadly. Minerva and Poppy's conversation, she could see now, was more out of habit then actual any interest in what the other witch was saying. Horace was staring down at his wand which he was rolling around on his fingertips. Pomona's heart reached out for the elder Slytherin. She knew he felt alienated by the other Professors, given he was the only Slytherin on the staff.
"Horace, how are you feeling?"
"Hm? Ah, just well, just well, my dear." He painted a painful smile on his face before turning his attention back to his wand. She noticed Minerva and Poppy stopped their talking when she spoke to the Head of Slytherin and give her an odd look. Filius was also glancing at her nervously.
Anger swelled within her breast. How dare they? How could they be so supportive of each other and fail to reach out to Horace? Not only had he taught half the table, he had never showed an inkling of support for the Dark Arts. The poor old man had come out of retirement as a favor for Albus and now the very people he had come back to help were turning their backs on him.
"Well, I am going to need your list of ingredients so I can get started in the greenhouses." He nodded again, but did not reply. "And I expect to see you for tea tomorrow."
"Tea?" Horace looked up in surprise. Before any more could be said Alecto and Amycus Carrow entered the Hall laughing loudly with each other. Before Pomona turned her attention to the new additions, she caught Minerva's eye. With a piercing glare that could give the stern Transfiguration Professor a run for her money, Pomona silently berated her friend for her treatment of Horace. A guilty look passed briefly over Minerva's emerald eyes, but faded into anger as the Carrows drew near.
"Shouldn't one of you be greeting the first years?" Minerva snapped at the two new Deputies. Everyone at the table flinched as the twin's laughter died and they glared at the older witch.
"I don't know why they can't just come in with the rest of the little kiddies," said Alecto.
"Because they aren't sorted yet," replied Minerva irritably. She stood up and walked around the table. Amycus drew his wand with a sneer and Alecto called out at her.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"If you aren't going to fetch the first years, then I will." Minerva was halfway across the hall by the time Alecto caught up with her. Amycus had his arms crossed, but had not bothered to chase her down.
"Isn't that the Deputy's job?"
"Yes, it is, but you just made it quite clear you were not going to do it, so I'm relieving you of the duty." Minerva, a tall woman to begin with, had about three inches on Amycus, but Alecto was built more like a man than her brother and stood eye to eye with the Transfiguration Mistress. Magic cracked and one could only assume it was Minerva's anger that caused it, but exactly what would have transpired between the two alpha females was cut short by the entrance of one Severus Snape.
The Headmaster took one look at the seething women and rolled his eyes. "Professor McGonagall, please take your seat. Madame Carrow, your chair is to my right. I expect you to be sitting there by the time I get to the table. Professor Carrow, please go attend to the first years. The other students will be here momentarily."
Pomona saw Filius reach for his wand under the table and silently touched her pocket where her wand resided. While the small man next to her was a dueling enthusiast, Pomona preferred to stay out of such conflict. However, if Minerva had any intention of taking on the Carrows and That Man, then she figured she ought to even the odds. To her surprise, and relief, Minerva gave That Man a final look and returned to her place at the table.
Alecto looked rather put out, but did as he said and Amycus reluctantly left the Great Hall in search of the first years. Pomona's heart clenched as He sat down in Albus' seat. She had seen many a student of hers that had turned to the Dark Side over the years. Only a handful in her own House, something she very proud of, but she taught a number of dark wizards and witches over the years, including the three that were occupying the table. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a deep breath. The sound of hundreds of feet brought her eyes open to her students. She gave a pleasant smile at her hesitant Hufflepuffs who were looking at her for guidance.
-BREAK-
Students were skirting around the doorway of the Staff Room when Pomona made her way down the hall. They were whispering and glancing uneasily at the closed door. As she drew closer, it was apparent why. Albeit muffled, a great deal of shouting and yelling could be heard coming from the Staff Room. Smiling at the passing students, Pomona slipped in the door and what she saw shocked her.
The majority of the staff was standing around the room yelling at each other. Several were pointing accusing fingers and others had their wands drawn. Minerva, Rolanda, Filius, and Horace were in the thick of it all and she knew them well enough to know they were the cause of the uproar. It seemed they were taking sides because Minerva and Rolanda were standing up against Filius and Horace. Bathsheba was in the middle of the four, wand drawn, trying to separate them. Of course it didn't help that Aurora and Septima were shouting as well. Poppy was close to tears about the entire thing.
They were so involved in the argument that none of them noticed her entrance. Raising her wand in frustration, she let out a loud bang with purple sparks. Complete silence fell over the room, though it was clear tempers were raging high. Letting out a deep sigh, the usually calm and patient Hufflepuff let her colleagues have it.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU THINKING? Do you realize that everyone can hear you down this corridor? You are scaring the children. I take that back- you are acting like children. You are grown adults who should know better than to be fighting with each other. Minerva, keep your mouth shut," she snapped as her friend made a motion to intervene. "I have never been more embarrassed of all of you! Now, Bathsheba, since you seem to be the only person in here who hasn't completely lost their head, would you care to explain what is going on?"
The elder woman sighed and Pomona noticed how exhausted she looked. Bathsheba Babbling had been teaching Ancient Runes at Hogwarts for so long, she looked ancient herself. With a shaking voice Bathsheba replied, "Tempers have just run dry, m'dear. They all have a different opinion on how to fix this school and they are at each other's throats for a change."
"Fix this school?" Pomona's eyes flashed dangerously in Minerva, Filius, and Horace's direction. "What exactly is wrong with it? And Minerva you have permission to speak now."
"There are Death Eaters taking over and our students are suffering," exclaimed the Transfiguration Mistress. "Are we just supposed to stand by and watch it happen?"
"It is our job to protect them!" said Rolanda joining in.
Filius glared at her and retorted, "But without risking our own jobs. We cannot protect them if there is no one left here at Hogwarts!" Pomona could see this was the heart of the argument and held up her wand with a bang once more as the others began to shout again.
"Rolanda is right; it is our job to protect our students. However," she said a little louder as Rolanda began to look smug, "Filius has a valid point. We cannot act rashly."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" muttered Aurora. The rest of the people in the room had years on the young Astronomy teacher and Pomona knew she was looking for her elder colleagues for guidance. Seeing Aurora's words were about to spark another debate, she interrupted quickly.
"Firstly, we are not going to argue. That is exactly what they want." Her eyes were dark with determination as the staff watched her. Usually the gentle Hufflepuff was not known for being outspoken. "We are stronger as a team; no dark force can penetrate us as long as we stick together. There are three of them and nine of us standing here now. You-Know-Who gets stronger every time we fight with one another. Right now you are making fools of us."
The rest of the staff began looking ashamed of themselves. Several began making their way to various chairs and couches as she continued her speech.
"Secondly, we are going to do everything within our power to help our students. However, this may mean there are some things we cannot help with. We cannot stop the Carrows from serving them awful detentions. But we can find ways to stop them from getting caught." Words flowed easily from her mouth and she felt herself standing taller with every sentence. "And third, our students need to know we are on their side. They are feeling so alone in the world right now. They are separated from their families and they are in the dark to what is going on in the outside world. We need to be their support system and we cannot do that if we are arguing amongst ourselves. Do I make myself clear?"
A gradual murmuring filled the room as the rest of the staff took in her stern words. Many had tears in their eyes and others had true admiration written on their faces. Poppy leapt up from her seat to wrap Pomona in a hug.
"Thank you, Pomona," said Minerva quietly. The two long-time friends stared at each other with understanding. "I believe we all deserved that."
Filius was quick to act on Pomona's words and he said, "Minerva, you have led this school through thick and thin and I believe we need a leader in all of this. You are the sole connection to the Order of the Phoenix and we are going to need all the help we can get."
"I second that," followed Horace meeting Minerva's thick gaze. "Pomona is right, we are acting like children."
"Horace, you always act like a child," joked Rolanda and a full laughter filled the room.
The atmosphere had changed greatly and much to Pomona's relief, the staff had returned to their roots. They were, in fact, some of the brightest witches and wizards of their field. If You-Know-Who had anything to fear, it was the staff at Hogwarts. Bathsheba spoke up sparking an idea of a plan of action to support the students. Rolanda wanted a way to resist the Carrows and Septima had suggested 'killing with kindness'. It was a valid idea: the two evil twins would not know what to do if the staff was not openly resisting them. Minerva
They remained in the Staff Room until the wee hours of the morning. With their minds all working as one, they laid out a plan to hold the school together.
-BREAK-
The sun was streaming through the glass of Greenhouse Two in the early light of a Saturday morning as Pomona struggled to get the last of her pruning done. Some plants did not respond well to being trimmed in the heat of the day, so she had been working long before the sun was supposed to rise so she could tend to the most temperamental of her precious plants. The month of November was coming to an end and her famous Hufflepuff patience was already wearing thin.
The Carrows were making everyone's life miserable. The children were being interrogated for the slightest offenses and the teachers were being scrutinized at every turn. She never thought she would actually prefer to work with the likes of Dolores Umbridge, but the Death Eater twins were making Hogwarts everyone's person Hell. And That Man. All He did was roam around like an overgrown bat or lock himself in Albus Dumbledore's office. It infuriated her to no end.
Therefore, she spent long hours in the comfort of her greenhouses. It was the one thing You-Know-Who had yet to take from her. Here, she could pour out her frustration and sorrow into mending and nurturing the life around her. As the Herbology Professor, she had always felt at home in her greenhouses, but now she came here as an escape; when she felt as if she was going to break under the pressure, she found herself digging in the mulch. It was the best therapy, she found.
The last time she had spent so much time among her plants was when Cedric Diggory had been murdered. Pomona could never forget the look of pain on Amos and Ellen Diggory when she tried to explain to them what happened on that dreadful night. She had actually spent the night sleeping on the floor with her Hufflepuffs; they had been so scared and sad, she just could not leave them alone. Every hour after that, when she was not attending to her students, she was here- pouring out her sorrow to the only thing she knew.
Pomona did find that more students were willing to come to talk to her here instead of her office within the school. She guessed it was because they felt that the Carrow's reach did not extend the large, haunting doors of Hogwarts. Here, just like her, they found comfort in the calm and quiet and they would pour their worries out to her. At first, it had been first and second year Hufflepuffs being led by their older housemates that came to her with their problems. She was quick to dry their tears and relieve their fears. And, while she could not make promises to when this dreadful time would be over, she opened her door to them at any time.
Then, the strangest thing happened. Her Hufflepuffs began bringing her young Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. Not that in years past, she had not found herself counseling a student of another house, but it was rare. Minerva and Filius were always more than capable of soothing a shy or troubled first or second year child. At first, she did not ask questions to why they chose to come to her with their troubles. However, when their numbers grew, she asked one of her second year Hufflepuffs why it seemed everyone was coming to her, the Hufflepuff Head of House, instead of their own.
The young girl had a simple answer: they felt as if they were letting their Head of House down. The Gryffindors feared that the strong, independent, brave Professor McGonagall would see their fears as a weakness. Ravenclaws feared there was a flaw in their logic and that the ever busy Professor Flitwick had more important things to worry about, as there was so much for him to worry about. The child had admitted she did not know why they felt like Professors McGonagall and Flitwick could not help them, but she said they did know that Professor Sprout's door was always open.
The current situation had caused each Professor to fall back on their own defenses to protect themselves from the harm this war could cost them. Minerva had become more defiant and stern. Pomona had known Minerva since their schooling, so she knew this was her way of protecting those dear to her. Minerva created a wall of strength and would lash out at anyone who threatened her. Of course, Pomona knew her friend did not mean to keep her students out as well, but it was a natural defense. One that she could not change. Filius, on the other hand, had a more reserved character. Instead of outwardly fighting like his colleague, he had become more reserved than ever. Some days Pomona wondered if she had even heard him speak all day. He was doing his best to stand between his students and harm and this caused his Ravenclaws to fear bothering him with trifle things. Again, it was foolishness, but the children were just trying to please their teachers.
Footsteps approaching the greenhouse pulled Pomona from her thoughts. Brushing off her hands, she placed a gentle kiss one the large leaf of the plant she had been trimming and turned to the doorway to see who was visiting her so early on a Saturday. Much to her surprise, instead of a first or second year child, a nearly grown man was standing at her doorway looking very determined.
"Mr. Longbottom, I must say I'm surprised to see you." Neville Longbottom had been a great surprise to her. Not just in natural ability he had shown over the years for Herbology, but for the leader he had become in just three short months.
"Hello, Professor." He nodded at her and picked up a rake by the door. Last year, before Albus' death, Neville spent many hours helping her in the greenhouses, but she had not seen him this year. With a smile, she grabbed a second rake and motioned toward the mulch in the back of the greenhouse. Silently, the young man started working. Pomona knew he would tell her why he was here when he felt like it. Right now, he needed the same therapy she did.
They worked side by side for hours in silence. By the time Neville spoke, they had finished cleaning Greenhouses Two, Four, and Five. His face was red and he was covered in sweat, dirt, and other unspeakables, but she could see he was much more relaxed.
"Professor, I have a favor to ask."
"Oh?"
"I have a feeling that at some point the Carrows may want to get rid of me," he said and while Pomona did not care for the term 'get rid of', she did not interrupt. "I don't expect this to happen until after the holidays, but let's face it, I haven't made their life very easy and I don't plan on backing down."
"What can I do to help, Mr. Longbottom?"
"I've been stealing from your greenhouses." The statement was blunt, but she could sense that he was ashamed about his actions.
"I know." Her answer seemed to shock him more than his revelation shocked her. "I thought it was you."
"I'm sorry, Professor, but we needed something to help heal…" He trailed off, his dark eyes looking at her wearily. "I've been making murtlap, but it hasn't been enough. We needed dittany, nettles, and other stuff for making potions that could be used for medical purposes."
"Are you asking for my permission for you to keep stealing them?"
"No, I know what the plants look like and what kind does what. I'm asking you to help the others once I'm gone." Neville had a point. Most of her students did not the difference between a Flitterbloom and Devil's Snare and that could be a deadly mistake. "They already know how to make the potions they need, but they are going to need someone to give them the ingredients."
"Tell them to come to me, Mr. Longbottom." A look of pure relief passed over his face at her words. He grinned and set down his rake.
"Thank you, Professor. I ought to be getting back now. Don't want the Carrows to think I'm up to something." With those words, he trotted back off towards the castle. Pomona gave a small sigh. It was going to be a long year.
Pomona knew what she had to do though. Every day was a battle for those children. Even the ones that had become adults right before her eyes. Someday, they would be free of the hands that tortured them. Someday, You-Know-Who would fall. Someday, a Hufflepuff will avenge Cedric Diggory and stand side by side their Gryffindor and Ravenclaw counterparts. Hufflepuffs were true to their roots and when it came to it, unafraid of toil. Hufflepuffs were patient and Pomona knew that they could withstand the heartache the world was handing them now. They were strong and loyal and someday, they would help lead the fight.
Someday, Pomona Sprout would be able to return to her more reserved and calm nature; she would be able to sit quietly in the back ground. But for now, she had to stand up for her students. She had to take a stand for good in this fight against evil. And that stand was between You-Know-Who and her students.
