A/N: House: Hufflepuff | Category: Themed | Prompt: Professor Sprout | Word Count: 636
Pomona Sprout's soft, tuneless humming filled the greenhouse as she sat tending to her plants. The sun was shining down cheerily, its light dancing off the bright green leaves of the freshly planted Mandrakes. She cast a quick cooling charm over herself to counteract the beads of sweat that were quickly forming on her neck. While she enjoyed the sunny weather, it could make the heat of the greenhouse quite unbearable at times.
Her thoughts drifted beyond the greenhouse and settled on the cozy little cottage in England where she had lived what felt like a lifetime ago. She still remembered with vivid clarity the fresh, clean smell of lavender and linen that greeted her upon entry, the soft blue of the walls, and the life and love that had filled it and made it home. Bittersweet memories played out in her mind: the gentle embrace of her husband after a tiring day, laughter that filled the house as they cooked together, quiet evenings spent reading in the small study, warm hands caressing the slight swell of her rapidly growing stomach, the promise of love and family that had hung almost tangibly in the air.
Tears stung in her eyes and her breath hitched as she thought about all that she had lost. It wasn't often that she allowed her thoughts to stray to such upsetting subjects, but she couldn't stop the flow of memories or the aching in her chest. For she also remembered quite clearly the raw and vicious pain that came with the halted growth of her stomach and the broken promise that it represented. She remembered the emptiness and the suffocating grief when, not long after, she lost her husband and their beloved cottage had ceased to be a home.
She sucked in another unsteady breath and wiped at the tears lingering in the corners of her eyes as she cast about in her mind for more positive thoughts. She was far from unhappy with her life at Hogwarts—in fact, it had saved her in many ways. It had become her home—her colleagues had become akin to family, and she had found a distinct pleasure and purpose in teaching. Her many years at Hogwarts had been incredibly healing, and for that she would always be grateful. Still, she could not help the creeping loneliness that tugged at her heart from time to time.
A hesitant knock tore her from her thoughts and she mentally shook herself before looking up.
"Professor Sprout?" Neville stood at the greenhouse entrance, his slackened fist still resting on the door frame.
"Oh! Yes—quite sorry, dear. It must have slipped my mind that you would be coming soon." Pomona gestured to the stool across from her. "Sit, sit!"
Neville smiled and hurried to join her. "How are the Mandrakes doing?"
"They're coming along very nicely. Almost at the teenage phase, so there will be quite a bit of work to be done, but I think we'll do just fine," she replied contentedly. "Now, tell me about this special plant of yours."
She smiled fondly at Neville as he launched into a discussion about his Mimbulus Mimbletonia. It was rare that she felt such a strong connection to a student. Of course, she cared for all her students, but she had a definite soft spot for the shy boy who had become her mentee and quiet companion. She had been more than happy to take him under her wing when he had requested it, but she had not foreseen the nearly maternal affection that she would come to feel for him. Neither of them had much in the way of real family, but she was beginning to realize that there were different kinds of family, and that perhaps she was not as alone as she thought.