It was the Monday after the first Hogsmeade visit after the Triwizard Champions had been selected and the fourth year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs had just entered Greenhouse Three for a Herbology lesson.
However, Professor Sprout found herself distracted from magical plants when Ernie MacMillan and Hannah Abbott, the two most popular and prominent Hufflepuffs of the year, entered Greenhouse Three.
Professor Sprout noticed that both Ernie and Hannah were wearing badges on their robes.
At the nanosecond that Ernie and Hannah had walked into Greenhouse Three, their badges had luminous red writing on them that said "Support Cedric Diggory. The REAL Hogwarts Champion."
Professor Sprout then noticed Ernie and Hannah glance over at Harry before pressing their right hands to their badges.
As Ernie's and Hannah's hands touched their badges, the badges flashed and the wording on the badges changed to read "POTTER STINKS!"
As head of Hufflepuff House, Professor Sprout knew she needed to step in.
"Mr., Macmillan, Miss Abbott, " piped up Professor Sprout in a very sharp voice, "Where did you get those badges?"
"Draco Malfoy made these badges and has been giving them out to any students who will accept them, " explained Ernie, "Hannah and I happened to run into Draco at The Three Broomsticks and he offered each of us one badge, which we both accepted."
"I didn't know you two were friendly with Draco, " said Professor Sprout frostily.
"We aren't, " said Hannah quickly, "He wasn't even that nice to us when he gave us the badges. All the same, we weren't about to turn down badges that represented both supporting a Hufflepuff and opposing his enemy."
"That's right, " agreed Ernie fiercely, "Hufflepuff is supposed to the house of loyalty and wearing these badges is our way of showing our loyalty to our champion, Cedric Diggory."
"Hufflepuff IS supposed to be the house of loyalty, " said Professor Sprout fiercely, "But it's also supposed to be the house of friendship, fairness, decency, and acceptance. Mr. Potter, have you seen these badges before?"
"Yes, " answered Harry wearily, "I saw all the Slytherins wearing them in Potions class last week. Then, when I went to Hogsmeade, many students were wearing them. I happened to see Ernie and Hannah at a table in The Three Broomsticks swapping chocolate frog cards. They were both wearing the badges then."
"How did that make you feel, Mr. Potter?" asked Professor Sprout matter of factly.
"I won't pretend it didn't sting a little, but I understand it even if I don't like it, " replied Harry uncomfortably, "Right now, Hufflepuffs, Ernie and Hannah included, have their own champion to support. "
"It is possible to support one person without demeaning another, " said Professor Sprout firmly, "Mr. MacMillan and Miss Abbott, by wearing these demeaning badges, you are failing to live up to the values and mores of Hufflepuff House. By wearing these badges, you are representing Hufflepuff House in a manner that is completely inconsistent with our core values and beliefs. Wearing a badge saying that a person "stinks" goes completely and utterly against our values of friendship, fairness, decency, and acceptance. And even referring to Cedric as the "real" Hogwarts champion is a backhanded insult to Mr. Potter. "
Ernie and Hannah said nothing.
"Look, you can and should support Cedric in the Triwizard Tournament, " said Professor Sprout calmly to Ernie and Hannah, "Cheer him on on task days, chant his name at the events, personally tell him you're rooting for him and that you're behind him 100%. But the badges must go. DO support Cedric. But don't demean and insult Mr. Potter while you're doing so. May I ask if you know if any other Hufflepuffs are wearing these badges?"
"Most of the older Hufflepuffs are wearing them, " confirmed Ernie.
"In that case, " said Professor Sprout clearly, "I shall go the common room tonight and talk to the whole house about why we should NOT be wearing these badges. "
Sure enough, when Professor Sprout entered the Hufflepuff Common Room later that night after dinner, almost every fifth through seventh year Hufflepuff was wearing one of the badges, all flashing in their luminous red between Support Cedric Diggory. The REAL Hogwarts Champion and POTTER STINKS! In fact, Cedric Diggory himself was one of the very few older Hufflepuffs NOT wearing one of the badges. More than a few younger students were badged up as well.
"Attention, " said Professor Sprout clearly, "I have something to discuss with you lot. "
There was a tent of surprise in the room. Professor Sprout did not normally address them like this.
"I'll cut to the chase, " said Professor Sprout irritably, "The wearing of degrading badges that say that a person "STINKS!" is an extremely poor reflection upon Hufflepuff House as it goes against everything we stand for."
"We're the house of loyalty, " piped up Megan Jones, pointing at her badge, "We're showing loyalty to Cedric by wearing these badges."
"There are ways to display that loyalty without tearing down another person, " interjected Professor Sprout, " To show your loyalty to Cedric, cheer him on on task days, chant his name at the events, personally tell him you're rooting for him and that you're behind him 100%. But wearing these damn badges is going against our core Hufflepuff values of friendship, decency, fairness, and acceptance. "
Turning to Ernie, Professor Sprout said clearly, "Mr. Macmillan, how would you feel if you were in Mr. Potter's position and had to see everyone wearing badges that read, "MACMILLIAN STINKS!"
There were a few tense minutes and a few tense nanoseconds of silence before Ernie said quietly, "You're right, Professor Sprout."
"Sometimes you have to look at things from the other point of view, " said Professor Sprout, "I applaud your loyalty to and support of Cedric. I will be the biggest Cedric Diggory fan and supporter throughout the Triwizard Tournament. But you should express that in only a pro Cedric way with no reference to being against another person."
"Look, Professor Sprout, " admitted Ernie, "We were wrong to wear these badges."
"We should have been more skeptical of something Draco Malfoy wanted to give us, " mused Hannah.
"I would talk to Professor Snape about the Slytherins wearing these blasted badges, but I know it won't do any good. Professor Snape always lets his snakes get away with anything and everything. But I'm going to make sure that my house isn't going to continue down this road."
Professor Sprout now raised her wand and cried, "Accio badges!"
Incredibly, every badge being worm in the Hufflepuff common room flew off its wearer and into Professor Sprout's hands.
Professor Sprout then walked over to the fireplace and threw all the badges into the fire.
"Fair warning, " said Professor Sprout as she watched the badges burn in the fire, "If I see badges like this or anything similar being worn by Hufflepuffs again in the future, it will result in punishments ranging from detention to the loss of Hogsmeade privileges."
Professor Sprout fell silent and so did the whole room.
Every badge wearer expect for Zacharias Smith now saw the error of his or her way.
Professor Sprout was highly respected by the Hufflepuffs and her voice carried a lot of weight.
When Ernie and Hannah admitted they were wrong, it really sank in on some of the others that they'd messed up. As prominent and popular members of Hufflepuff who were exactly fourth years, Ernie's and Hannah's voices carried weight with both students younger than them and students older than them.
In the ensuing weeks, the badge wearing became mostly limited to the Slytherins.
Ernie and Hannah apologized to Harry for wearing the badges in their next Herbology lesson and of course Harry forgave them and told them not to worry about it. Harry totally understood the idea that the Hufflepuffs would support their own champion.
Meanwhile, the only Hufflepuff to continue to wear a badge after Professor Sprout's speech was Zacharias Smith, who easily obtained a replacement for his burnt badge from Draco Malfoy.
Zacharias ended up getting a detention and he continued to wear a badge afterwards, resulting in Professor Sprout banning him from the pre Christmas Hogsmeade visit.
But all other Hufflepuffs had acknowledged that they been in the wrong to wear the badges in the first place.
Professor Sprout's message had gotten through to most Hufflepuffs.