The Hufflepuff Artist (The Four Maidens of Hogwarts #2)

Chapter Five

A/N - Hope you all enjoy! :)

Cait clenched the note she'd received from Umbridge, twiddling it in her fingers as she exited the castle. The outside autumn wind put her at ease slightly as she made her way towards the greenhouses, where Professor Sprout's office was.

The last time she was in her office was in fifth year, when they had a short career consultation meeting to discuss what Cait wanted to do after Hogwarts, mainly to see if there were any specific classes she needed to take.

Before she knew it, she was already at the greenhouses. Maneuvering her way through the growing vines, she gave a knock on her door. Cait pursed her lips, suddenly hearing Professor Sprout's humming.

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here, Miss Gibbons?" She exclaimed.

"H-Hi, Professor Sprout. I was told to give you this." Cait hesitantly offered her the note, with Umbridge's seal in plain sight. She watched as Professor Sprout's bright smile slowly faltered as she opened it and began to read.

"Why don't you come sit down." Professor Sprout gestured her inside, guiding Cait to a seat. "Would you like to explain what happened?" She continued on, her tone kind and welcoming.

"Well," Cait began. "Professor Umbridge said things about J-Jade that I didn't particularly like, and like an idiot I stood up and ran my mouth off." Frankly, Cait didn't regret what she said to defend Jade, but she would have never talked back to a teacher like that a year ago. "This is my first ever detention. I don't know what to expect."

She didn't notice her hands were fidgeting so much until Professor Sprout laid a comforting hand on hers. "Miss Gibbons, I assure you, receiving a detention does not make you any less than any other student here. Even I got detention when I went to Hogwarts." She smiled. "You spoke your mind, and that takes a lot of heart." Professor Sprout glanced at the note again, furrowing her eyebrows slightly.

Cait nodded, withdrawing her hands from Professor Sprout's desk to rest them on her laps instead. It was obvious what was said during Defense Against the Dark Arts class had no effect on Umbridge. Her mind was set, and she wasn't open to anything anyone had to say during class.

"One week detention for speaking your mind is a bit extreme. I cannot override her decision, but I want to advise you to watch yourself around Professor Umbridge in the future. I prefer if we don't find out what she would do for second infractions. Alright?"

"Yes, Professor." Cait replied softly.

Professor Sprout smiled, her inviting eyes twinkling. "While you're still here, was there anything else you would like to discuss?"

Cait sighed, trying to gather her thoughts together. People have asked her if she was doing alright, but not if she wanted to talk about things. She hadn't expected Professor Sprout to suddenly ask that, but she didn't feel like she could bottle things up anymore.

"I feel like my life is just... going all wrong. This is my last year. My girlfriend isn't here. My best friend is Head Boy this year and he probably has a lot of responsibilities, and he's dating someone now so I don't want to bother him with my troubles too much. N.E.W.T. exams are this year. I just got detention, and I'm... scared of what'll happen after I graduate. It's just a lot."

Cait let all the words tumble out. She felt safe telling Professor Sprout. It just felt certain that their conversation about this wasn't going to spread to the student body. Her shoulders immediately felt lighter, as though a weight had been lifted, though her chest still felt a bit tight admitting everything making her feel pressured out loud.