The Boy Who Wanted to Live

Professor Sprout

Harry followed his professor into a humble sitting room that looked almost like a muggle Therapist's office. The walls were a soft pink and she had a powder blue sofa in the middle of the round office. Harry wiped at his eyes and sniffled as he observed the motherly room. The walls had portraits of kittens and puppies hanging around them and a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff above a cheery little fireplace. There was also a plump armchair nearby with a purple knitted blanket hung over the back of it and a wooden coffee table sitting on top of a green fuzzy carpet. Harry's head hurt a little at all the random colours in the room and yet he felt like the room wouldn't make sense without them- although dearest reader, the themeless room makes little sense anyways with the strange amount of glass pigs that sat in random places and potted plants that were levitating through the air above where they stood.  

"Please Harry, take a seat and I will be with you in a moment." Professor Sprout said in a cheerful voice, turning towards a small kitchenette and beginning to pull out an odd assortment of bowls and pans. 

Harry looked around the room in wonder and fear. A small bird nearby chirped in a cage that looked like the one in that Looney Tune's (TM) show that Dudley used to watch on Saturday mornings. There was also a curious animal crawling across the floor. 

"Woah," Harry said leaning forward to pet it. 

"Oh, that's Harold, dear. He is a real life Honey-Badger, which as you know Harry is the symbol of our dear Helga herself" Professor Sprout said proudly, gesturing to the portrait on the wall. 

"Cadence has GOT to get me one of these" Harry said to himself petting the fluffy creature. 

Sprout turned around startled and smiled softly at the boy. 

"Credence?" She asked quietly, hoping that she had heard incorrectly as every wizarding family knew that to name a child Credence would bring bad luck. 

"Cadence," Harry corrected, looking up at the woman before his eyes widened as he realised his slip up. 

"Who is Cadence?" Professor Sprout asked, leaning on the counter.

"Nobody!" Harry replied much faster than he had meant to "uhh....  h-he's j-just my uhh.... Goldfish. Y-yeah my goldfish!" Harry said unconvincingly. 

Professor Sprout chuckled and smiled at the child in amusement. 

"Your goldfish huh?" she asked, shaking her head. 

"uhh Y-Yeah" Harry replied, standing up from where he was kneeling. 

"Alright well I don't think your goldfish is going to buy you a honey-badger. They are very hard to take care of and you won't have the time." She said not unkindly. 

"Oh, that's alright," Harry said, smiling "Newt will take care of him when my and Cay aren't around." 

"Newt Scamander?" Professor Sprout said surprised. 

Ugh! Good job Harry! Why don't you just tell her that you are living with them for crying out loud? Harry mentally scolded himself before looking at her confused. 

"Noooo? Who's he? Newt's my dog. He ate one once. It was totally wicked!" Harry lied, quite convincingly too. 

Professor Sprout relaxed slightly and accepted this reasoning. She could accept that Harry had a secret friend named Cadence, as he lived with muggles and probably just didn't want anyone to know he had a muggle friend. Newt the dog though? ehhhhhhh not beyond reasoning but a tiny bit fishy. Goldfishy. (heh heh i'm a nerd) She walked over to the armchair and sat down to talk to Harry for a bit. Harry nervously sat down on the couch.