Post by Hogwarts Duo on Dec 21, 2006 9:21:26 GMT -5
Sprout’s Surprise
Written for Osusprinks (Laura) as her Secret Santa gift! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Summary: Pomona Sprout finds something unexpected in one of her greenhouses.
Professor Sprout walked into her rooms, tired after a weary day. Her fourth year classes had been unruly during a very hazardous pruning lesson and as a result several students had been required to make a trip to the hospital wing to receive the antidote to the poisonous fronds they were clipping. Madam Pomfrey had come to see Pomona herself and had boisterously shared her displeasure with all that had transpired. The herbology professor had told the stern woman that all necessary precautions had been taken but she did not believe the mediwitch had come away with a more favorable picture of her. Poppy was new to Hogwarts and Pomona was sure that the woman would calm down a bit after seeing to the multitude of injuries sustained during each and every week. As it stood now however, Professor Sprout had a long way to go before making friends with the newest addition to the staff.
She slowly trudged her way to her bedroom and shrugged off her dirt covered robes and quickly charmed them to dance over to the basket in the corner where all her outer robes were stored after a day of teaching. The elves would clean them as best they could and then return them to her wardrobe nearly as good as new on the following day. Unfortunately, she feared that today’s tear down the sleeve of the left arm would be unmendable which was a shame since the deep brown color was her favorite, after all it showed the fewest number of dirt stains.
She removed her favorite hat and gently placed it on a rack in the corner. It was old and patched in too many places to count but it had been a gift from a mentor and friend and no one could talk her into wearing anything else. Beyond the sentimental attachment she had developed for it, she readily pointed out that the hat also had several charms which warded off messy spills, grasping vines and sharp leaves. No matter that the charms were not the best, due to the beating the material obviously took, Pomona claimed to have never found a better one on the market. Or perhaps, as she might one day admit to herself, she had never really looked as she should and that the hat was simply a member of her family.
In the loo, the herbology professor wiped off her face and washed her hands of the accumulation of grime from the day. Still, her nails were jagged and a bit of dirt lingered underneath no matter how much she scrubbed. She studied herself in the mirror and noticed a leaf imbedded in her hair and patiently removed it looking to see if it could be salvaged. Unfortunately it had already started to wither so she cast a drying spell and moved to her sitting room to add it to her collection.
Pomona lugged the heavy book from its place on a shelf where she kept dried and preserved specimens of leaves and flowers. After jotting down the species and apparent age of the leaf she closed the enormous tome and levitated it back to its place. Sitting in her favorite chair with a happy smile on her face she picked up the most recent copy of Herbology Today and flipped to the article Charms to Ward Off Prickly Thorns.
She had been reading for no more than five minutes when an annoying buzz sounded from a shelf to her right. Pomona looked over to see which alarm had sounded and jumped out of her seat and summoned her heavy winter robes with a speed and grace that would have caused most of the staff and student body to turn their heads in surprise.
Pomona’s chosen field required many skills, many of which were overlooked by those who were not interested in plant life. Speed and grace may not be the top of the list, however, in order to avoid being bitten by a fanged geranium one had to move rapidly and Pomona was proud to say that she had never sustained a serious injury in her tenure as a herbologist. As she moved toward the door, she cursed the leprechaun who had been making her nights so unpredictable.
She raced down the stairs, toward her greenhouses and specifically to the plant which was the root cause of her current troubles. The Aureus Silva, commonly known as the potogold bush, was a rare find and Pomona had not hesitated in adding it to her collection. The Headmaster had even offered to help purchase it with school money if she submitted a form listing the benefits to Hogwarts for housing the plant. She had not hesitated in doing as he requested and thus found herself with a very healthy and vibrant specimen at nearly no personal cost to her.
The bush was her current pride and joy, though she loved all of her leafy friends. The plant received its name due to its glowing, gold colored leaves. From a distance the plant could easily be mistaken for a cauldron overflowing with gold. Hence her current issues. Nearly a month ago a leprechaun had tried to take off with the plant and Pomona had just happened to walk in during the thievery. Her surprise at seeing a leprechaun in Scotland of all places had caused her to miss her opportunity to capture him. After the creature had botched another attempt at taking her prized plant, Pomona had been required to erect wards and a warning system.
She had recently extended her wards to alert her when the particular greenhouse was breached rather than just when the pot was disturbed in hopes of catching the creature before it was able to escape. It was with this thought in her mind that she slowed down as she reached the door and removed her wand from an inner pocket. Easing the glass entrance open, she moved inside as silently as possible. A rustle, perhaps of clothing, and a high giggle had her searching her way in the dark toward the far corner. The plant, which rested in the middle, looked undisturbed and she gave a silent sigh of relief. Pomona walked past the glowing plant toward the intruder, who was about to get a very unpleasant surprise if she had her way of things.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Albus could tell by the look on Minerva’s face that her nearly non-existent patience was wearing thin, almost as thin as the line her lips were making on her stern face. He smiled apologetically at her as he set yet another bit of parchment in the rather high stack on his desk. “I’m sorry, my dear. You know I never asked for this to happen and it’s the same way ever year.”
A raven colored eyebrow shot up to meet the matching hairline as her head snapped up to meet his gaze. “Indeed it is and you’d think I’d be accustomed to this by now,” she huffed. It was more out of frustration at her own inability to accept the situation. “But it is hard sitting here watching you answering all those owls from those other women, some of whom are barely of legal age. I never would have thought of throwing myself at someone like these shameless hussies seem to be doing!”
Albus returned the quill to the purple inkwell and pushed back from his desk with a smile on his face. For years now, he and Minerva had been happily married and each year around this time it was the same thing. Albus would receive hundreds of offers to spend the holidays with a wizarding family, many of them hoping to introduce him to some eligible witch in their family in the hopes of sparking a romantic union between the two. Some women actually wrote to him expressing their displeasure that such a handsome man should have to spend so many cold and lonely nights alone. One or two of them over the years had even volunteered to warm his nights as well as his sheets. Those were the witches Minerva had vowed to keep an eye on should they ever cross paths.
Minerva watched keenly as the man she had given her heart to so many years ago knelt in front of her, taking her much smaller hands in his. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I know I shouldn’t be jealous, especially since I have you and they don’t. And I don’t blame them one bit for wanting to spend time with you or even falling in lust with you. You are the most handsome, eligible bachelor in the wizarding world, at least according to that rag the Daily Prophet.”
“Maybe I am handsome and maybe I’m not. Either way I don’t care and I’m certainly not eligible, though it may seem like it to everyone else. All I care about is you and I am sorry about all of this mess,” he said waving his hand in the direction of his desk. “I answer the owls because it keeps them guessing and in a sense keeps you safe. And maybe part of me wants to answer them because I feel flattered.” He kissed the back of each of her hands then gave them a tender squeeze, knowing she would understand his motives better than anyone.
She smiled and leaned forward, resting her head against his. “Can we please just get out of here and forget about these bloody letters for a bit? I’d like a few minutes of peace and quiet with you before bedtime and I know if we stay here I will only grow more stressed. Unless of course you’d like for me to answer a few of your more amorous or persistent letters…then I’d be more than happy to stay and take my frustrations out on those unsuspecting women!”
He laughed softly then closed the remaining distance between them, pressing his lemony lips to hers softly. “That won’t be necessary, my darling wife. I think perhaps a stroll up to the astronomy tower is in order, wouldn’t you agree?”
Several leisurely moments later found Albus and Minerva at the top of the highest spire of the castle, doing a bit of star gazing in between warm kisses and cuddles. Minerva’s mood had lightened and her face no longer showed the signs of irritation and aggravation caused by Albus’ admirers. In fact, she had grown more playful and amorous once out of the confines of their rooms and was well on her way to seducing her husband when a flock of owls arrived, landing on the wall and hooting incessantly.
Minerva groaned audibly and pulled back from Albus’ lips, immediately unhappy at the interruption. One look at the various birds and it was evident that it was more letters for him to read and answer and looking back into his face, she could see his irritation as well.
“I am sorry but if we don’t take the scrolls, they won’t leave us alone.” Together they untied the bits of parchment from each owl and gave them a treat for doing their intended job, though Minerva was less than happy with a few of them for nipping her fingers. As the last bird flew away, happy to have a sherbet lemon in his beak, Albus banished the letters back to his desk and grabbed Minerva’s hand. “Come with me. I know a place where we can go without being disturbed. Maybe then we can finish what you started here,” he said playfully as he patted her bottom.
Minerva did not miss the twinkle in his eyes or the lust filled tone of his voice and knew that before they returned to their rooms, he would have done great and wonderful things to alter her mood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Lumos,” Pomona shouted, pointing her wand toward the corner where the noise had emanated.
The herbology professor stumbled back in surprise when it was not a leprechaun which was reveled but rather the Headmaster and Deputy, springing apart and both flushed. She looked at each with astonishment etched on her face. There had been rumors but she never believed them. She was not one to take part in idle gossip, though she made an exception a few times a year when the witches of Hogwarts gathered together.
“I am very sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t realize…I thought it was the leprechaun causing mischief again.”
Pomona lowered her wand so the light would not be shining directly in their faces. She admired and respected both of the people in front of her. She even considered herself a friend of Minerva’s. She wasn’t sure what to say but knew that keeping her silence would be the best course of action. Her house had always been good at dealing with awkward situations.
“It is us who should apologize, Professor Sprout,” the Headmaster said. “We should not have intruded on your space. I do hope our being here is not an inconvenience.”
“Of course not sir,” she replied. “I will just be on my way.”
Minerva gave her a tentative smile as Pomona backed away and headed toward the door, her ears catching snippets of rustling robes. As she started to step outside she took a moment to turn around and give a farewell.
“And Headmaster, I do hope you have a lovely evening. I am sure that in the morning I shall not even recall having met you or Minerva in the greenhouse.”
As Pomona walked back to her rooms to pick up where she left off in her article, she could not rid the smile off her face. Though no one would ever know, not by her admission anyways, that Albus and Minerva were seeing each other, she couldn’t help but feel pleased by the pair. They made an excellent team and both deserved more happiness than could ever be given. If it meant finding it in each other’s arms who was she to judge. Now if only Albus would hire a nice man who had an interest in plants.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As soon as Minerva heard the greenhouse door clicking shut, she burst into a fit of giggles. “Did you see her face? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone as dumbstruck and surprised in all my life,” she laughed as she began to fasten her robes.
“I have…and her name is Minerva. I thought you were nearly going to jump out of your skin when she pointed her wand in our faces. And I must say you did show your Gryffindor bravery, my dear. I never suspected you as an exhibitionist but you managed to surprise even me,” he winked.
Minerva wrinkled her nose and cast him a questioning glare, clearly not following his train of thought. She could tell there was something she was missing but knowing him, he would make her wait a minute or two before sharing his amusement.
“How quickly my work is forgotten,” he mused dramatically. “I thought I had you nearly on the brink of ecstasy but apparently not.” She shook her head and tried to alter her thoughts in such a way that she might pick up on his hints. It wasn’t until his warm hand slipped up her body and cupped her exposed breast that she gave a quick gasp.
“Oh Albus! Do you think she….Why didn’t you…She saw everything…” she cried out, burying her face in her hands. The embarrassment of being caught was one thing, but having another professor see her exposed was an entirely different story. Immediately, Minerva began to tug at her robes and smooth back her hair, visibly flustered and shaken. She tried to stand up but Albus wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her into his lap.
“And just where do you think you’re going? There’s no use in worrying about this. It was dark and I’m sure all she saw was our little snogging session. I doubt seriously that she saw anything more than us kissing and certainly she was too surprised to notice your current state of undress.” He felt her starting to relax in his arms. “And to further allay your fears, I dare say that my hand was covering your lovely breast so the only thing she could have seen was the back of my hand.”
Minerva sent up a silent prayer, thanking the deities for Sprout’s timing. If she’d arrived a few minutes earlier, she would have seen Albus’ lips hovering over her exposed chest rather than his hand. “Don’t you think it’s time we go back inside? You have work to do and being caught once in a night is more than enough for me.”
He chuckled softly into the side of her neck, something he knew would break her concentration, especially as he began to nibble his way towards her ear and the sensitive spot just below it. “Madam Sprout isn’t coming back here, now that she knows we’re here,” he reassured her, tracing the shell of her ear with his talented tongue. “As soon as she left, I placed wards to keep us hidden and the greenhouse safe from intruders,” he added before skimming his lips down the side of her neck and against her collarbone. “Now, are you sure you want to return to our rooms, with all the interruptions and owls and…”
His stream of words was cut short by Minerva’s soft moan. “Albus, stop talking and kiss me,” she demanded urgently.
True to her word, the following morning, Madam Sprout greeted the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress with the same regard as always. Though both looked for it, they were unable to find even the slightest hint of knowing in her eyes or expressions, for which they were both grateful. But to Albus and Minerva, that evening would forever remain the night when Madam Sprout was giving the surprise of her life.
The End.
Thank god, Pomona is such a dear and didn't mention it anymore.
