User:Jack "BtR" Saxon/Sprout draft

"Tentacula. Devil's Snare. And Snargaluff pods... yes, I'd like to see the Death Eaters fighting those."

- Professor Sprout prior to the Battle of Hogwarts.

Professor Pomona Sprout (May 15th) was a squat little witch with fly-away grey hair who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the age of eleven. She was Sorted into Hufflepuff House and excelled at Herbology, likely attaining an O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. in the subject. Some time after her graduation, Sprout returned to Hogwarts, the school from which she had studied, and became the Professor of Herbology, replacing Herbert Beery, and was also the new Head of Hufflepuff House.

Professor Sprout opposed Lord Voldemort during the Second Wizarding War, though she did not join the Order of the Phoenix, led by Albus Dumbledore. In 1991, she took part in the protection of the Philosopher's Stone, as did six of her colleagues, and brewed the Mandrake Restorative Draught for those who were petrified in 1992 by Slytherin's Monster. She also opposed Dolores Umbridge and her reign over the school in 1995, which the rest of the staff were happy to join her in doing, voted for the school to remain open after the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, and assisted in ousting Severus Snape in 1998. Sprout took a group of students to the battlements during the Battle of Hogwarts and threw Devil's Snare and various other dangerous plants onto the invading Death Eaters. She survived the war and had retired by 2017, with Neville Longbottom replacing her.

Early Life
"Hmmm. Let's see... I know. Hufflepuff!"

- The Sorting Hat placing a student into Hufflepuff.

Pomona Sprout was born into a wizarding family of unknown degree and probably lived in the magical world. She presumably purchased her wand from Ollivander's Wand Shop at the age of eleven, prior to attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was Sorted into Hufflepuff House at the Sorting ceremony upon her arrival, sharing a dormitory with other Hufflepuff girls in the basement of the main castle. Sprout excelled at Herbology, which was probably taught by Professor Herbert Beery at the time, and likely achieved a high graded O.W.L. in the subject, maybe even scraping an N.E.W.T. aswell. She graduated in her seventh year and left the school for a little while, before returning in a few years time.

Earlier Years
"Four to a tray - there is a large supply of pots here - compost in the sacks over there - and be careful of the Venomous Tentacula, it's teething."

- Professor Sprout teaching a class.

At some point after her graduation, Sprout returned to Hogwarts and took up the post of Herbology Professor, aswell as Head of Hufflepuff House. She taught her classes in the greenhouses at the back of the castle and probably had an office elsewhere in the school.

Her lessons were noted to be almost always practical, with no pure-theoretical classes except in first year. Sprout taught the Severing Charm, Devil's Snare, Bluebell Flames and spiky bushes to her first years, Mandrakes and Abyssinian Shrivelfigs to second years, Puffapods to third years, Bubotubers to fourth years, Fanged Geraniums to O.W.L. students and Snargaluffs and Self-fertilizing Shrubs to sixth years.

The Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter
"Three times a weekthey went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learnt how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi and found out what they were used for."

- Sprout's routine with Harry Potter and the other first years.

Professor Sprout was teaching at Hogwarts during the 1991-1992 school year. Just before the start of the new school year, Albus Dumbledore trusted her to contribute to the defences of the Philosopher's Stone Chambers. Sprout, being the Herbology Professor, planted a large amount of Devil's Snare in her Chamber, which broke the fall of the one trying to get the Stone but also tried to kill them. The trick was to use fire or sunlight to force the Snare into retreat.

This year, Professor Sprout took on new students Leanne, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Megan Jones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Ernie Macmillan, Wayne Hopkins and Zacharias Smith into her House, Hufflepuff. She taught her first years three times a week in Greenhouse One, and taught them how to care for various herbs and fungi, aswell as the Severing Charm and Bluebell Flames, and lectured them on Devil's Snare. One of these first years was the famous Harry Potter, who Sprout was probably delighted to teach.

The Chamber of Secrets and Petrification
"As I understand it, Madam Sprout has a very healthy growth of Mandrake. When matured, a potion will be made which will revive Mrs. Norris."

- Albus Dumbledore consoling Argus Filch.

The following year, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley drove a bewitched car into the school's Whomping Willow. As the Herbology teacher, Professor Sprout was in charge of doctoring the damaged tree by wrapping bandages around the broken bandages. On the first day of term, Gilderoy Lockhart, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, gave her useless pointers and made out that he was a better Herbologist than her. Sprout was made unhappy further when Lockhart took Harry out of the lesson to speak to him. That day, she taught her second years how to re-pot a new growth of Mandrakes and Mandragora. She awarded twenty points to Gryffindor because of Hermione Granger's answers aswell.

After Mrs. Norris, the cat belonging to Argus Filch, the caretaker, was found petrified, Professor Dumbledore decided that they were to use a Mandrake Restorative Draught to cure her. Professor Sprout was put in charge of maturing her growth of Mandrakes until they could be chopped up, stewed and used by Potions Master Severus Snape for the draught. Sprout attended the Quidditch match between the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams, sat high up in the stands by Charms Master Filius Flitwick and Governor Lucius Malfoy. When second year Slytherin Draco Malfoy had an accident and came off of his broom, Sprout looked very shocked and worried, while Lucius looked ashamed.

By the end of the year, the Mandrake Restorative Draught was completed and administered to those who were petrified; Mrs. Norris, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Colin Creevey, Hermione Granger, Penelope Clearwater and Nearly Headless Nick. At the End-of-Term Feast, Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the school applauded Sprout and Poppy Pomfrey, the matron, for the Anti-Petrification Potion.

Cedric Diggory and The Triwizard Tournament
Professor Sprout was still teaching at the school during the 1994–1995 school year, despite the ordeal with Sirius Black the previous term. That year, the Triwizard Tournament was held at Hogwarts and one of the Triwizard Champions was sixth year Hufflepuff Cedric Diggory, whom Sprout was friendly with. Sprout taught her fourth years how to squeeze pus from Bubotubers during the first lesson of the year, and had to tell Seamus Finnigan that they were squeezing pus twice, because he thought he jeard otherwise. By the end of the lesson, each student had collected several pints, which Sprout gave to Madam Pomfrey since it could be used to remedy acne.

At some point early on in the school year, Professor Sprout told the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, "Alastor Moody", how good Neville Longbottom was at Herbology. Moody then gave Neville a book on plants and fungi called Magical Mediterranean Water Plants and Their Properties.

As Cedric was not the only Hogwarts Champion, Professor Sprout seemed to act coldly towards Harry Potter, who had mysteriously been entered into the Tournament. At the end of the year, when Cedric was found murdered, Sprout spoke with his parents; Amos Diggory and his wife, since she knew their son best as Head of his House. She attended the Cedric's Memorial Feast and believed Harry and Dumbledore's claims that Lord Voldemort had been reborn.

O.W.L.s and Dolores Umbridge
"The teachers were of course forbidden from mentioning the interview by Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six, but they found ways to express their feelings about it all the same. [For example,] Professor Sprout awarded Gryffindor twenty points when Harry passed her a watering can."

- Professor Sprout after Harry's interview in The Quibbler.