AN: I do not own Harry Potter or the Wizarding World Universe.

For the first term, there are only two POVs - Harry and Pomona. The professor will remain a POV for the entire length of the writing, however, the number of chapters she is in will fluctuate between books. I would like to clarify that she is here to add to the story and give you, the reader, some backstory from a more adult view of the world. Harry will become more aware and attentive to the greater wizarding world as he ages; however, there are things that must be addressed that only could come from an adult. That... and, let's be real, Pomona Sprout from the movies or books would never allow one of her badgers to deal with something as serious as what Harry displays alone.

Chapter 5

Pomona Sprout slowly sat in her chair in the Staff Room and looked at the empty chairs. They were still waiting on a few professors. Her gaze fell on Filius Flitwick and then to Albus Dumbledore's empty chair. The Headmaster had been acting oddly. She felt she knew people and the best way to understand someone was by watching their actions, not their words. Pomona respected the old, powerful wizard, but there were things that he hid from them. It was his prerogative as a Headmaster, but she couldn't help but consider him responsible for one of her charges.

Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived. In her House of all places. She loved her badgers, but Harry was… well, his parents had been Gryffindors. His grandparents, at least on his father's side, were a Gryffindor and a Slytherin. There was nothing average about the boy. Not that her badgers were average by any means. Most excelled in the areas they were interested in. However, she knew the other Houses overshadowed them by their nature of being unique.

Ravenclaws fought tooth and nail for the best marks or whatever goal they set for themselves. Not all were academic-focused, but the vast majority were. In many ways, Ravenclaws allowed logic to fuel their decisions. In her opinion, Filius Flitwick was a perfect example of an outstanding Head of House. Out of all of the Heads of House, she felt he did the most for his charges. It was one of the reasons she'd had a short but intense relationship with the wizard.

Slytherins were cunning, goal-oriented, and self-serving. They did what must be done to achieve their ambitions. Many skirted the lines of what is lawful and outright saw rules and laws as mere guidelines. That, of course, was not all of Severus' snakes, but many were. He directed them and set an example.

Gryffindors were loud, brash, brave, and, at the same time, emotion-driven. Strong traits, all trapped together in a tower. It was a wonder the place still stood, especially with the Weasley twins. Gryffindors excelled at what they did, but their focus was almost always on an immediate goal, not a long-term one.

Her own house was often considered the cast-offs of the others. However, she disagreed. Each of her badgers had qualities of the other Houses. Many of them were prideful, highly intelligent, cunning, or any number of qualities that the other founders would have identified. What set them apart is that those qualities did not override their other attributes. Balance. Loyalty, Hard Work, Patience, Fairness, Modesty, and a Just heart were all the hallmarks of a great Hufflepuff.

It also meant that the other side of the Galleon was true. There were successful badgers who were cunning, didn't mind skirting the rules, and were boastful. However, they might be loyal and hard-working. There wasn't a perfect formula for the presumed best student for each House.

Yet one name bothered her more than any other had in many years. Harry Potter.

She didn't know how and why, but he was clearly damaged. It had been a week since he'd started at Hogwarts, and at first, she thought he'd sneaked out of the Common Room to explore at night. No, she almost wished that were the case. Potter slept under his bed. He didn't speak unless forced to, which she would be having words with Severus about.

All of that wasn't great, but Harry's habit of storing food in his trunk, wardrobe, and nightstand showed signs of something much worse. That pattern spoke of neglect or out-and-out abuse. She'd seen it before, which is why she would also have strong words with Albus whenever he decided to show up for the weekly meeting.

Minerva, Severus, Albus, and Aurora entered the Staff Room nearly together. Pomona saw the look Filius gave Albus. She knew the look well. He was unhappy about something but was too polite to air his grievance.

"Thank you for coming," Albus said with a smile. He looked around the round table at all the professors. "It has been quite the start of term. Shall we begin with our elective studies?" They all knew Quirinus was in Hogsmede dealing with a family issue, or so he claimed. There was likely little the man could include in their discussion.

Pomona listened and took notes on her badgers. She was the only one to do so. It upset her that even Filius didn't focus on gently helping his charges by listening to the elective professors. The only one that didn't have anything constructive to add was Trelawney.

After nearly an hour, Albus released the professors should they wish to leave. Septima and Bathsheda stayed while the rest left.

"Now, let's start with the seventh-years," Albus said.

"Merriweather is having trouble juggling her Head Girl duties along with her N.E.W.T. studies," Minerva revealed. "She is behind on two assignments already."

Pomona nodded and marked that she would need to talk to her charge. This was likely because she was trying to plan and work together with the Prefects on their duties. She would rise to the occasion as she had every term.

"Galveston can't seem to find his motivation to continue Potions," Severus told Filius.

"His mother's death."

"Yes… well… one less to teach," the Potion Master sneered. Filius did not rise to the bait.

It was early in the term, and no one else had anything to report. Albus moved to the sixth-year students. After an hour, they got to the subject that everyone was waiting on.

"Harry Potter," Albus said softly as if he didn't want to bring it up.

"What a disappointment," Severus sneered. "He could have been a Gryffindor, just not a Hufflepuff."

"That is quite enough," Pomona snapped. "You attacked him in your Potions class. I have eleven witnesses who say you threatened him and had a meltdown when he didn't answer you. You then docked twenty points for defiance. If that happens again, I will bring this up with the School Governors."

Albus' face shifted to something she couldn't quite decipher. Her colleagues seemed shocked by her outburst.

Severus' face reddened. "The boy is just like his father," he spat.

"No, I dare say he is not like James or Lily Potter," Filius said sharply. Everyone looked at him. His eyes went to Albus, not Severus. "Let the boy learn at his own pace," he said hotly.

Pomona knew how fiery Filius was when something angered, saddened, or upset him. It was part of being half-goblin. His emotions ran in extremes, only controlled by a frighteningly brilliant mind. If he was this angry, he knew something everyone else didn't.

"He is doing remarkably well," Albus said smoothly.

Minerva snorted, and Severus shook his head. "The boy doesn't speak to anyone. He'll smile, nod, or sometimes even shrug rather than speak. He can talk because he whispers incantations," the Deputy Headmistress said shortly. Pomona wasn't sure what was going on. Minerva loved Lily and even had a good relationship with Potter's father, even if it was because James remained in trouble all the time.

"Yes, it took a professor pushing a student down and threatening more House points for him to answer questions," Pomona interjected, glaring at Severus. He seemed wholly unaffected by her glare. "Maybe I should do the same for Draco." That got his attention. "Should I make his life difficult, Mr. Godfather?"

Severus' mouth opened before closing it slowly. He eyed her.

"We are not here to attack each other's students," Albus said in the uncomfortable silence.

"Then why is it acceptable for someone to single out and attack my badger? From a professor, no less? A Head of House who his snakes look up to? No, Albus. This is unacceptable behavior for any educator," she challenged.

"As… I understand it, Pomona. Severus asked Mr. Potter a question, and he shook his head, indicating he didn't know. In fact, he has done so in every class for all of the professors here."

Filius smirked. She almost missed it.

"When Severus questioned Mr. Potter further, he continued to use non-verbal communication. As a professor, he can demand a respectful answer, not…"

"Not what, Albus? So, when Severus doesn't get an answer, he gets in the boy's face and yells at him. Two people said he shoved Potter over. One of them is a Ravenclaw. Potter made no move to get up; he just lay on his back while a professor stood over him and yelled down at him to answer the question. That is an aggravated attack. You cannot defend that," she challenged.

Albus looked at Severus, who had a blank look on his face.

"I see. It seems that… well… what is done is done. Potter is not doing well in his classes after this… incident, then?" the Headmaster asked as he looked around the room.

"I have only had him once," Aurora added with a shrug.

Minerva grimaced. "His essay homework is… not where I would want him to be, but this is the first week."

"Mr. Potter has exceeded all my expectations," Filius said simply. They all looked at him. His chin lifted, and he looked back at all of them evenly.

"Disappointment," Severus added as if his input meant anything significant.

They all looked at her. "His essays… indeed need some work," she admitted grimly. The two homework assignments he'd had so far were Acceptable if she were being generous. Nothing was outright wrong; there wasn't enough information, and he used many filler words to meet the page requirement.

"It seems that we will need to continue to watch," Albus said slowly as he looked around the table. "I understand there is another student who is excelling in all areas?"

"Hermione Granger," Minerva said brightly.

Pomona fought back a grimace. The child wanted to outshine all of her peers. She should have been with Filius. Severus sneered, and even Filius' lips pursed. Granger was strong-willed and driven to prove herself.

They talked about a few of the other first years before Albus dismissed them. She caught Filius' eye and gestured with her head. He saw her and seemed to consider her request. After a moment, he nodded.

Ten minutes later, they stood on the parapet off the sixth floor. It was a good place to talk without being overheard. "You know something," she said softly.

"Yes."

Pomona pursed her lips. "Why does he sleep under his bed?"

Filius winced and took a deep breath. He looked through the cross-shaped hole in the crenelations. She waited in silence for a few minutes before he decided to speak. "Mr. Potter…" he said before trailing off. "I do not know if it is my place to speak of it," he admitted after a moment.

"Are… are we talking Fowler bad… or more like Higgs?" she asked softly with a glance around.

"I…" Filius said with a grimace. "Albus bungled this... badly. I spoke with him... well. It could be worse than both. These were Muggles that raised him and knew what he was, Pomona."

A shiver went down her spine. The Boy-Who-Lived, raised by people that hated wizards? She thought he was with a family Albus trusted, not Muggles. They stood in silence.

"He sleeps under his bed?" Filius asked quietly. "Do the others in his dormitory know?"

"Somehow, Potter has kept it a secret from them. He is either at the Great Hall, in class, or hidden behind the dormitory's privacy curtain. I had to ask the Fat Friar to check on him to ensure he wasn't sneaking out at night. We thought he had the first night of term."

Filius was quiet for several minutes. "You have a few options," he said softly. "You can let him choose when and how he interacts with the other students. Likely, he will open up in time. He's astute; he just never wants to show it. I saw some of it when we got his books in Diagon Alley. I feel bad," he continued with a sigh. "I asked him to consider Ravenclaw. The first day, he approached me and apologized. He said the Hat didn't think he would be a good fit in my House." Filius shook his head. "I disagree, but that's neither here nor there."

Pomona blinked. Was Filius serious? He never did that. Potter had impressed him in some way that they all weren't seeing. "He speaks to you. I know a few of my badgers say you are the only one."

"Likely out of…" he trailed off with a shake of his head. "Likely because I took him away from what he was dealing with. There is something else I want you to pay close attention to. Watch him around the others, especially their moods. I thought I caught a glimpse of it, but… Potter is very aware of those around him. Do not show anger. If you want to talk to him, be open, honest, and patient above all else. Thankfully, he's in the right House for that. I can't imagine what would happen if he were with the Gryffindors or the Slytherins."

"There is one more thing," he said after a few minutes of silence between them. "His reluctance to speak is likely… a decision, even if not conscious, to have control over something. Potter was not given much choice in anything, I fear. It is also a small sign of defiance that would otherwise likely have been welcome."

Pomona didn't like what that might mean at all. She couldn't get much more out of Filius and thanked her friend and coworker. She promised to get him some chocolate as a thank you. Filius had a sweet tooth twice his size.