House: Ravenclaw
Category: Standard
Year: 3
Prompt: [Negative] Professor Dumbledore/Professor Sprout
Word Count: 887
The Betting Game
It was rather odd, Dumbledore thought, the way Pomona Sprout was looking at him from across the Head's table. Something about that gaze seemed sly, almost as if she was up to something. He gazed back expectantly, and, pushing his glasses up his nose, raised a thin eyebrow questioningly.
Professor Sprout, having been caught out, momentarily turned a deep shade of pink, before standing up decidedly. Pushing her plate away, she swept out the hall, but not before passing Dumbledore's table, pausing slightly, and dropping a note into his tomato soup.
Using his spoon, he fished it out, distastefully. Fortunately, it had landed word-side up so he was able to read it without any further hassle.
The parchment had only four words.
'I propose a bet.'
Dumbledore pinched the bridge of his nose dejectedly and sighed. Pomona and her bets. He had been doing this for long enough to know one thing. Pomona never lost. He didn't want to lose his money, but on the other hand, Pomona would never let him live it down if he declined.
That evening, when Dumbledore got up to get his mug of hot chocolate with the marshmallows and whipped cream, he paused outside Pomona's room, then knocked quite loudly.
"Oh hello Albus!" the professor said, after sticking her head around the door. "Why don't you come in? Cup of tea?"
"It's a little late for that, don't you think?" Dumbledore said mildly. "Besides, I have my hot chocolate here thank you."
He held up his mug before returning to the matter at hand.
"So, another bet, Pomona."
"Indeed, Albus. I suppose you're here to discuss the terms?"
"You know me too well." He sighed, knowing full well what he'd got himself into.
"James Potter and Lily Evans."
"Pomona!"
"What? You know as well as I do that it's bound to happen at some point!"
"As does the rest of the teaching staff."
"I know. Flitwick's just placed his." She pulled out a leather-bound pocket book. "He thinks it'll be just after Valentine's Day."
Dumbledore pondered for a moment. "No, it'll be later than that I reckon."
"Aha! So you do want to bet."
"I never said I didn't! It just seems unwise to bet over students' dating lives."
"So you're going to pull out? I didn't expect the great Albus Dumbledore to be a coward." Pomona stared him down proudly.
Dumbledore looked at her icily. "Of course I'm not!"
"So…"
"Not this Valentine's day. Just after the next one, before the end of February."
"Great." The Professor smiled sweetly. "And how much can I put you down for?"
"Fifty galleons."
Pomona's eyes lit up. "Well, it's on, I guess!" She held out her hand for Dumbledore to shake, but he ignored it and walked away sipping his hot chocolate.
Oh it was on.
.
Well over a year later and things were looking good. Well, not in general – after all there was a war to be fought but that's another story. Dumbledore and Professor Sprout were the only two left in the bet, and the two of them had become very competitive. To make matters even more tense, Pomona had conveniently betted just before Valentine's day. Dumbledore was sure she'd done it out of spite, to rub it in his face that he never won bets.
James and Lily were showing every sign of getting together. They'd become close friends at the beginning of their seventh year, and it was clear to see they both adored each other.
Now though, it was time to play the waiting game. January passed quicker than usual,
Dumbledore thought, and all too soon, it was almost time. Pomona had bet on any time between the 1st and the 13th of February, as Dumbledore had said including an actual Holiday was an unfair advantage.
It was nerve-wracking to sit through the first half of February watching the two get closer (Pomona tried her level best to try and push the two together), but, after an agonizingly slow wait came Valentine's day.
If the two could just hold off for one day longer…
And hold off they did. Dumbledore almost whooped out loud when Lily sheepishly gave James a kiss good morning at breakfast on the 15th February, to much surprise from their friends.
He turned to Sprout good-naturedly, unable to fight off the grin on his face.
"Well, Pomona, it seems to me I have won."
"Is that so?" the sly look was back. "Well it seems to me you'd better fact check."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Well, how do you know for sure they got together today? It could have been last night, or, you know," she smiled widely. "Some time before February."
Dumbledore stood up swiftly, nearly knocking over a teapot and hurried down to the Gryffindor table."
"My! Young James and Lily, what a pleasant surprise. It seems congratulations are in order.
However, if you don't mind, what is the exact date the two of you got together?
The two looked at each other in surprise, but Lily answered. "Uh… the night before Valentines day I think? But Professor why –," she looked at him in surprise as he stalked towards the head table where Professor Sprout seemed to be finding something very funny.
Dumbledore sat down with his head in his hands.
He was never betting with Pomona Sprout again.