Professor Pomona Sprout

Professor Pomona Sprout was a witch who worked as the Head of Hufflepuff House and the Herbology professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A cheerful and kind-hearted teacher, she was an expert in the field of magical plants and fungi, possessing an unparalleled knowledge of their properties and uses. Professor Sprout was steadfastly loyal to Albus Dumbledore and an opponent of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Her expertise proved crucial on several occasions, most notably when she cultivated Mandrakes to cure the victims of the Basilisk and later when she used dangerous magical plants as weapons during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Professor Sprout's early life and her own years at Hogwarts are not detailed in the primary novels. Her career as the Herbology teacher was well-established by the time Harry Potter began his education. During Harry's first year, Professor Sprout taught his class how to handle various plants, including providing a crucial lesson on Devil's Snare that would later help Hermione Granger save her friends from the plant guarding the Philosopher's Stone. She was also shown to be a fair Head of House, awarding points to students like Neville Longbottom for their efforts in her class. In Harry's second year, Professor Sprout played a vital role in the school's response to the attacks from the Chamber of Secrets. After several students were Petrified by the Basilisk, she and Madam Pomfrey concluded that a Mandrake Restorative Draught was the only cure. She guided the second-year students, including Harry, in the delicate and dangerous task of re-potting the screaming Mandrake seedlings, which she successfully nurtured to maturity to create the antidote. Throughout the Triwizard Tournament in Harry's fourth year, Professor Sprout maintained her belief in Harry's integrity. She spoke kindly with the parents of fellow Champion Cedric Diggory and was shocked and saddened by his murder. During Dolores Umbridge's tenure as High Inquisitor, Professor Sprout made her disdain for the Ministry of Magic's interference clear. In a small act of defiance, she awarded Harry twenty points for the simple act of passing her a watering can, a gesture of solidarity that greatly annoyed Umbridge. Following the death of Albus Dumbledore, Professor Sprout was adamant that Hogwarts should remain open, arguing it was what Dumbledore would have wanted and that it was a beacon of hope against Lord Voldemort. She attended Dumbledore's funeral, looking impeccably clean for once, a mark of her deep respect for the late Headmaster. In the final confrontation against Voldemort's forces, Professor Sprout bravely participated in the Battle of Hogwarts. Alongside Neville Longbottom and other students, she took to the castle's battlements, using her knowledge of dangerous flora to weaponize Mandrakes, Venomous Tentaculas, and Snargaluff pods against the invading Death Eaters.

Professor Sprout is described as a stout little witch with a dumpy figure. She typically has flyaway grey hair and wears a patched, battered hat. Her hands and clothes are almost always covered in dirt from her work in the Greenhouses. She embodies the key traits of Hufflepuff House: loyalty, fairness, and hard work. She is consistently cheerful, patient, and encouraging towards her students, particularly Neville Longbottom, whose talent in Herbology she fostered. Despite her gentle and good-natured demeanor, Professor Sprout possessed a core of immense bravery and a strong moral compass. She did not hesitate to stand up to Dolores Umbridge or to fight fiercely to defend her students and school during the Battle of Hogwarts.

• Herbology: Professor Sprout's defining skill was her world-class expertise in Herbology. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of magical plants, from the mundane to the exceptionally dangerous. She was skilled in handling creatures and plants like the Fanged Geranium, Venomous Tentacula, and Devil's Snare. Her ability to cultivate Mandrakes to maturity was essential to saving the lives of those Petrified in 1992-1993.
• Dueling: As a participant and survivor of the Battle of Hogwarts, Professor Sprout was a competent and brave combatant, though her preferred method of fighting involved using her Herbological knowledge rather than conventional dueling spells.
• Teaching: She was a skilled and effective teacher, capable of making a complex subject accessible and fostering talent in students like Neville Longbottom.

• Wand: Professor Sprout owned a wand, but its length, wood, and core material are unknown.
• Greenhouses: As the Herbology Mistress, she had authority over all the Hogwarts greenhouses and the vast collection of magical plants within.
• Gardening Equipment: She was always seen with various gardening tools, dragon-dung compost, and her signature patched hat.

• Colleagues: Professor Sprout maintained warm and professional relationships with most of her fellow teachers, particularly Minerva McGonagall and Filius Flitwick, with whom she shared a deep-seated loyalty to Hogwarts and Albus Dumbledore. She harbored a strong dislike for Dolores Umbridge and her authoritarian methods.
• Neville Longbottom: Professor Sprout had a particularly significant and positive relationship with Neville. Recognizing his natural aptitude for Herbology, a subject in which he excelled, she consistently encouraged him. Her mentorship was instrumental in building Neville's confidence.
• Hufflepuff House: As the Head of Hufflepuff, she was responsible for the well-being of its students, including Cedric Diggory, Nymphadora Tonks, Hannah Abbott, and Susan Bones. She was a fair and just Head of House.

• Pomona: In Roman mythology, Pomona is the goddess of fruitful abundance, gardens, and orchards. Her name is a direct reference to Professor Sprout's role and expertise in the cultivation of plants.
• Sprout: This surname directly refers to the new growth of a plant, further cementing her connection to the field of Herbology.

• In the film adaptations of the *Harry Potter* series, Professor Sprout is portrayed by actress Miriam Margolyes. She appears in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
• According to supplemental information, Professor Sprout eventually retired from her post at Hogwarts. She was succeeded as the Herbology professor by her former protégé, Neville Longbottom (Pottermore).
• On the Pottermore website, it is stated that Professor Sprout was sorted into Hufflepuff House during her own time as a student at Hogwarts (Pottermore).