Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Pomona Sprout

Overview
Pomona Sprout is the Herbology professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She is also the Head of Hufflepuff House.

According to a note posted on the Author's web site, Pomona Sprout's birthday is 15 May.

Philosopher's Stone
Harry finds that he has Professor Sprout for Herbology. He is learning how to care for the herbs and fungi that are used in magic, and their properties.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione learn from Hagrid that one of the enchantments guarding the Philosopher's Stone was put in place by Professor Sprout. When they go through the trap door, they find that her contribution is a large Devil's Snare plant, which traps Harry and Ron. Hermione manages to conjure fire to force it to retreat and free them.

Chamber of Secrets
Professor Sprout, somewhat the worse for wear, enters our story being trailed by Professor Lockhart; it seems Lockhart has been giving her pointers regarding the first aid she is providing for the Whomping Willow, which Harry and Ron had driven into the night before. It does not seem that the pointers were much use; Professor Sprout seems somewhat disgruntled when she arrives, and her mood is not lightened when Lockhart asks to speak privately with Harry for a moment.

Once Harry returns to the greenhouse, he finds that Professor Sprout is giving instructions on the repotting of young Mandrake plants.

The mandrake plants prove necessary over the course of the book as students and others are petrified by an apparently unknown monster. We hear that Professor Sprout has canceled one class in the dead of winter because she needs to fit winter clothing on the Mandrakes and doesn't trust anyone else to help; and over the course of the year we hear about how the Mandrakes are growing and maturing.

Finally, at the end of the year, Professor McGonagall announces that Professor Sprout has informed her that the Mandrakes are ready and the potion to revive the petrified students will be administered that evening.

Prisoner of Azkaban
Though we know that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are still taking Herbology, we see relatively little of Professor Sprout in this book. We first see Professor Sprout during a Herbology lesson telling Ron Weasley to be careful after he accidentally drops a pile of beans on the greenhouse floor. We also see her at the Christmas feast, along with Harry, Ron, and a very few of the teachers who have elected to remain at Hogwarts over the Christmas break.

Goblet of Fire
Professor Sprout starts the year by telling the students that they will be squeezing pus from Bubotubers.

The first Defence Against the Dark Arts class, taught by Professor Moody, leaves Neville Longbottom severely shaken. Moody asks Neville back to his office for tea, and while he is there, tells him that Professor Sprout has spoken highly of his abilities in Herbology. Moody also gives him a book, Magical Mediterranean Water-Plants and Their Properties.

At the end of the book, Cedric Diggory is murdered by Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail). It is mentioned that Professor Sprout, as head of Cedric's house, is speaking with his parents.

Order of the Phoenix
Like so many of the other teachers, Sprout lectures them on importance of OWLs, and assigns an essay. Harry is beginning to wonder where he will find time for all the homework he has been assigned.

The weather in the autumn is absolutely dreadful; it is mentioned at one point that the rain on the greenhouse roofs nearly drowns out the lecture.

We see Professor Sprout reading the Prophet at breakfast, when the news of the mass breakout from Azkaban is published. Shortly, we see a conversation between Harry and Susan Bones in Herbology; and Sprout is mentioned as being in conference with Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick, apparently concerning this news article, some days later.

Shortly after Harry's interview is published in the Quibbler, Professor Sprout, rewarding him for his bravery in speaking out, awards Gryffindor house twenty points when he hands her a watering can.

As time for the exams comes close, one of the major topics for conversation is revising (or studying) and other ways of attempting to ensure success in the exams. Harry is listening to Ernie's recitation of how many hours a week he is studying, and is thankful when Sprout opens the greenhouse door for them, cutting Ernie off.

Half-Blood Prince
When Harry, Ron, and Hermione are harvesting Snargaluff pods, Professor Sprout chides them for being slow; it seems that while they are still strapping on their protective gear (and talking), Neville has already harvested his first pod. The Trio's first pod bounces free while they are trying to open it, and rebounds off the glass roof of the greenhouse, knocking Professor Sprout's battered hat off.

When Harry, with the assistance of Felix Felicis potion, is trying to recover a particular memory from Professor Slughorn, he feels impelled to go past the greenhouses. There, he sees Professors Slughorn and Sprout harvesting leaves of some plant for Slughorn's third year Potions class, and talking about how they are most effective when collected at twilight.

Professor Sprout, as head of Hufflepuff house, is present at the meeting of the heads of house at the end of the book, along with Professor McGonagall (as head of Gryffindor and acting Headmaster), Professor Slughorn (as head of Slytherin), Professor Flitwick (as head of Ravenclaw), Hagrid, and Harry. She has little to say at the meeting, but is in favour of the school remaining open.

Deathly Hallows
Pomona Sprout, as the head of Hufflepuff house, is one of the Heads of House that Professor McGonagall summons when she decides to oust the current Headmaster, Professor Snape, and defend Hogwarts against the Death Eaters so that Harry can locate the final Horcrux. Professor Sprout is present when Snape makes his escape, and is in the Great Hall, with the Hufflepuffs, when McGonagall announces the evacuation of the under-age wizards.

We see Professor Sprout acting to defend Hogwarts against the Death Eaters attack. She is one of the teachers assigned to the battlements, and with the help of Neville among others, we see her carrying various magical plants to the tops of the towers to throw down upon the enemy.

Strengths
Professor Sprout is a master herbologist and may have had some skill in dueling as she fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and survived. Assisted by Neville Longbottom, who became Herbology professor after her, she used her knowledge of plants to attack the Death Eaters.

Questions

 * 1) Why isn't Professor Sprout in the Order of the Phoenix?