One Day They'll Know Your Name

The Names of Others - Pomona Sprout

AN - Little snippets from Harry's years at Hogwarts from the Professors' perspectives. First chapter will basically be a summary of the first few chapters of ODTKYN from Pomona Sprout's POV. This will be updated sporadically and probably not very often.

Pomona Sprout looked down at the parchment paper she was holding and double checked the address. Number 4 Privet Drive. She nodded and strode up to the front door, knocking briskly. A woman with a long neck and a face to match opened the door with a sickly sweet smile.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

Pomona frowned nearly imperceptibly but spoke normally. "Yes. I am Professor Sprout. I am looking for Harry Potter. Is he here?"

The woman scowled at the mention of young Mr. Potter and Pomona's frown deepened. Something was not right here and she was going to get to the bottom of it. "What has that good for nothing brat done now?"

Pomona paused for a moment, reeling in her anger at hearing anyone refer to a child as a 'good for nothing brat.' "He hasn't done anything except reply to our letter. May I speak with him?"

The woman's scowl was replaced by a confused frown. "Letter? What letter? We haven't gotten any letter." She looked around suspiciously and sighed. "Come in, I suppose. I'll go get the boy."

She directed Pomona to a seat in the living room and went upstairs for a moment, only to come back down and pause by the cupboard that Pomona had noticed briefly when she was ushered in. The woman was back in the living room before long and trying to keep her distracted from what was happening in the hall, but Pomona noticed the door open quietly and close a moment later, then the sound of water running in the washroom. Shortly afterward a short child with big green eyes and messy black hair crept into the room, pulling a chair in from the kitchen to sit on. He waited patiently for a lull in the frankly boring conversation she was having with the woman who had introduced herself as Petunia Dursley before clearing his throat to announce his presence. She turned toward him with a smile on her face.

"Hello, Mr. Potter. My name is Pomona Sprout. I am the Head of Hufflepuff House and the Herbology Professor at Hogwarts."

Mrs. Dursley broke in at that moment. "Hogwarts! How dare you speak of that vile school in my house! We were told to keep the boy from hearing of that world that killed my freak sister and her freak of a husband! Now you burst in here without a by your leave and just tell him everything?"

Pomona was seething. This was not a safe place for a magical child at all. He had probably been called freak for most of his life, not to mention the fact that Pomona had yet to hear Mrs. Dursley call the child by his name! Before she could make any scathing remarks to the vile woman, Harry spoke up.

"You said you were the Herbology teacher? Is that like plants? Aunt Petunia has a garden that she likes to tend. I help her out." The poor child sounded like he hadn't said a word in days. Pomona knew exactly what Harry was doing, but she let him distract her none the less. She doubted that any of his "help" had been voluntary, and she doubted even more that this woman had helped the child at all.

************

Harry had clearly enjoyed the cart ride, and while Pomona could barely keep her breakfast down, she enjoyed his pure childlike joy that she just knew he hadn't often felt. After knowing what those awful Muggles had done, she promised herself that young Harry's gift would be the best owl she could find. The poor child deserved something good for once. She ushered him quickly to the stores before dropping him off at Madam Malkin's for his robes and heading a few doors down to Eeylop's Owl Emporium to see if she could find a good owl. After searching for a few minutes she found a beautiful snowy owl. Inquiring told her that the owl was female, relatively rare, although not the most rare owl, and very well trained.

After purchasing the beautiful owl and enough feed to last the next month or two, Pomona went to wait outside Madam Malkin's. A few minutes later Harry emerged with a grin on his face and wearing new robes. The child's eyes fastened on the owl and she immediately handed the cage to him. "I also got her a good supply of treats that should last until you get to Hogwarts," Pomona mentioned offhandedly. "She's a snowy owl, and very well trained."

"She's beautiful," Harry breathed. "She'll need the perfect name. I'll find it after we're done shopping."

Pomona took one last look at her list and nodded. "We just have to get your wand now. Olivander's is just this way." She led the way to the shop, smiling softly as she heard Harry coo and chatter with his owl. She once again let Harry go into the shop on his own, as buying a wand was a personal experience and knowing a wand's core was unprofessional at best and hostile at worst unless you were close friends or family. When he came out, he looked pensive and kept glancing at his arm, where Pomona assumed he had placed a holster to store his wand.

"Come." Pomona kept her voice soft so as not to startle him and smiled when he glanced at her. "Let's find you a place to stay until school starts. You're not going back to those relatives of yours, not if I can help it." His wide smile made her smile grow as well, and she led him to the Leaky Cauldron.

The second she Floo'd to Hogwarts she made her way to the Headmaster's office. Barging in, she ignored his offers of a lemon drop or a chair and spat, "That child is never going back to those filthy people, Albus. Not if I have any say in the matter. And since I'm a Head of House, I have a say. Therefore the poor child is not returning to that house." She leaned away from his desk, standing straight. "That said, I need to write a letter to Madam Bones. Young Mr. Potter has requested the transcripts from his godfather's trial. He mentioned that some of the collected evidence was a little flimsy, and he made a good point while presenting it." Albus tried to speak but she spoke right over him. "Have a good day, Albus. Harry will not be returning to Petunia and Vernon Dursley. You have no right to demand it of him." With that, she walked out of his office and went to Minerva's to collect her next assignment for Muggleborn introductions.