Author's note. Pansy/Neville is an unusual sort of ship, although I know there are people on here that like it. I'm actually writing this because of a challenge madam-pyro set me. This is one of those not very great first chapters that are needed to set up the premise of the fic. I beg you to stay with it, it gets juicy, and updates should be fairly often because I'm on uni holidays right now :D Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Characters belong to the goddess, J.K. Rowling
Professor Sprout hurried across the vegetable patch towards the greenhouse, from which shouting voices echoed.
"Well, look who got a spine! Too bad you'll end up just like them one day!" a girl shrieked.
Upon entering the room, the scene the Professor witnessed made her jaw drop. Pansy Parkinson and Neville Longbottom were standing in the middle of the space, wands raised and faces glowing red and furious. The rest of the Herbology class was huddled at the back, looking fearful. The biggest shock, however, was thestate of the greenhouse. It was utterly trashed. Pots and containers that had held plants were broken, leaving the plats scattered over the ground. Many had been stripped of foliage, or had branches torn off. Several glass panels of the roof and sides had been smashed. Chunks of the benches and indeed, the floor, were missing. Professor Sproud had left the room for fifteen minutes at the most, having been to the Hospital Wing for assistance with a remedy.
"Expelliarmus!" Sprout shouted, and the wands flew out of Pansy and Neville's hands. Both turned to the teacher in surprise.
"P-Professor.." Neville stuttered.
Sprout glared at both students.
"I suggest you explain yourselves immediately"
"Longbottom started it!" Pansy spat out.
"Miss Parkinson! I would expect such a thing from a seven-year-old, not a seventeen-year-old!" Sprout hissed. She turned to Neville, who was one of her favourite students, as he was one of the few that showed any passion for the subject.
"Now Neville, what happened here?" she asked, hoping for a rational explanation.
"Well Professor, I accidentally dropped Pansy's Fanged Fern. It was an accident" he stressed.
"Bull" Pansy muttered under her breath. Sprout glared at her again.
"That doesn't explain why anyone destroyed the greenhouse, Neville"
"Well, when I dropped it, Pansy went off at me," Neville glanced at Pansy, who was staring at him with hatred, "and I apologized, but she kept on going. And she err" (he swallowed) "said some horrible things about my parents".
Several students, still at the far end of the room, nodded in agreement.
"And so you what, Neville? Started a brawl with a girl?" Sprout accused him. Neville flushed a deeper shade of red.
"Er, no Professor. I tried to jinx her. And then she tried to jinx me. And then, um…" he simply gestured to the chaos of the classroom.
"Right". Sprout was severely disappointed in him. "Pansy, does that correspond with your story?"
"He dropped my plant on purpose, Professor! He hates me, he hates my plant"
"Yes, well, it did try and bite me" Neville said quietly.
"Alright, enough of that! Will you two please follow me to my office? The rest of you, uh, class dismissed" she said, flustered, and marched out of the greenhouse.
Pansy and Neville, throwing more stormy glances at eachother, left simultaneously, until reaching the door, where both attempted to pass at the same time. Pansy growled and Neville, mock-gentlemanly, stepped back allowing Pansy to storm a few paces ahead of him all the way to Sprout's office. They found her seated her desk, furious expression still etched on her face.
"Sit" she ordered, gesturing to two chairs in front of the desk. They did so promptly.
"Now. Usually if we find students fighting, we send them to their Heads of House to be disciplined. However, this is a special case. Not only have you broken school rules, but you've put that greenhouse in ruins. Because that's predominantly a 7th Year Herbology room, you've places quite a bit of your classmates' NEWT work in danger, which is incredibly unfair of you. I can fix the glass of the greenhouse, but you must make amends for your actions. So, you will first apologise to the class for your incredibly immature behaviour-"
"But-" Pansy started.
"She-" Neville protested.
"- and that's exactly what I'm talking about! You've obviously let a petty misunderstanding get way out of hand. So, firstly you will apologise. And secondly, you will spend three hours every night, for as long as it takes, to put that room back in order and ensure that every plant housed within is returned to the best of health" she finished.
"But Professor Sprout, we have so much work to do already, the NEWTS are only a few months away!" Neville pleaded.
"And that's exactly why your classmates shouldn't have to suffer just because you two couldn't control yourselves. You'll just have to find a way to do your other work as well," she turned to Pansy, "and you Miss Parkinson, will not be finding a way out of this. No excuse notes from Professor Snape, and no getting Longbottom here to do all the work for you, although I highly doubt he'd let you". Pansy simply pouted.
"Well, I suggest you go to lunch. I'll fix the windows tonight. At 5pm tomorrow, you will go to the greenhouse and begin your work. Understood?"
Both nodded. Neither had ever seen Sprout in such a temper. She was usually cheerful, if a bit scatty.
"Okay, get out of my sight. By the way, just because I am giving out the punishment does not mean Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall will not be told of your behaviour".
"Yes Professor" said Neville as he stood from his seat. While still pulsing with anger from what Pansy had said about his parents, his stomach was sinking. He dreaded what McGonagall would say if Sprout were to tell her. Even more, he dreaded what would happen if McGonagall were to write and owl to his grandmother and tell her of the fight. He could already imagine getting a Howler at breakfast.
They both rushed out of the office and headed toward the Great Hall. Pansy strode away towards the Slytherin table, and Ginny rushed up to Neville.
"What happened? Seamus told me you got into a big fight with that foul pansy Parkinson in Herbology!" she said nervously. Neville sighed.
"Let me tell you about it…"
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