Mistaken Lives

Mistaken Lives

~Leaping Toadstools~ (Ch. 1)

"No! No!"

She lifted a gloved hand against her forehead in exasperation as she chased after the speckled plants. "Come here, my little dears."

Talking to your plants was, as Professor Sorel Sprout had learned, the best remedy for misbehaving plants. Muggles simply did not know the half of it.

Several of the dozen Leaping Toadstools stopped immediately at the words, not noting her tried tone. Sorel stooped to the ruddy floor of the greenhouse and pulled off a glove. She carefully scooped each of the five still plants into the glass jar that levitated in the air just in front of her.

With a 'pop', a brass cover appeared and tightened itself around the jar's mouth. She touched the side of the jar gingerly, and looked through the glass with an undying affection.

"You'll grow in there. No doubt, my little fungi."

With a rush of air, the jar flew towards the shelf at the far end of the green house, beyond the rows of student tables and potted plants, to sit on a quickly caving wooden shelf.

"Must have Filius teach me that repairing charm again," she muttered.

Standing at full height once more, she surveyed the greenhouse for signs of the remaining Leaping Toadstools.

"Safe to come in, Professor?"

"Yes," Sprout murmured hastily, not wanting to lose concentration. The woman thought she spotted a speckled top in the far corner, just behind the seeding Mandrakes.

She shook her head when the image did not reappear and turned to see who had entered her greenhouse.

Her mouth immediately fell into a frown. A student stood in the doorway, fighting his hands into a rather small pair of gardening gloves.

Those were her gloves. And it was summer break.

'What is he doing here?'

She'd just opened her mouth to scold the boy when her sight fixed on his jutted chin. In an eccentric matter, her hands rose to her wispy gray hair. She seemed about to tear it from her scalp.

"Cedric?"

The boy looked up; his handsome features twisted into an expression of concern. She suspected her own expression and tone were quite enough to evoke reasonable concern from anybody at the moment, even Severus Snape.

He set the gloves back on the table and ignored the fact that they landed on top a newly compiled bit of Abyssinian Shrivelfig. For once, so did she.

He ran a hand through his brown hair before he stepped forward and narrowed his gray eyes at her. Nearly a head taller than her, it was easy to forget who was whose superior.

Sprout tossed off her one remaining glove. She stepped forward and embraced the boy in a hug. She clutched Cedric tightly, as if none of him were real, and at his black school robes, which sported a Head Boy badge right underneath the Hufflepuff badge.

"Professor? Are you quite all right?"

She felt his hand hover by her back and land with a reassuring pat. She buried her face into the front of his robes, sobbing as she asked, "What's your name, boy?"

"Professor Sprout, it's me, Cedric Diggory."

"Cedric."

She felt his hand pat her on the back once more, and when she lifted her head she saw that he wore an expression of fright.

She blinked back tears and ran the back of her hand against her cheek, wiping away the tracks that the escaped tears had made. She sniffled, much like she has as a child, and rolled back the left sleeve of her green work robes.

The woman inspected the skin on her left hand, lined and spotted with time, and pinched a fold of skin between her thumb and pointer finger. Frowning, she pressed harder.

She stomped the green house floor with her yellow Wellingtons, as she pursed her lips, closed her eyes, and pinched her arm as hard as she could.

After a moment of suspended silence, she wearily opened just one eye. A sob escaped from between her tight lips. There was no sign of the boy she thought she had seen in the entrance of the green house. The professor lifted her other eyelid, only to confirm what her better eye had already told her. Her knees buckled and she nearly fell backwards. Perhaps she would have fallen, had it not been for the hand that suddenly assisted her in standing.

"Professor, perhaps we should get you to Madame Pomfrey."

The hand pressed gently against her back and softly prodded her forward.

Shuffling her feet, since she couldn't move much faster, she stepped out into the summertime glow outside, craning her neck to look behind her.

Cedric was there with a strained smile and his eyes searching the grounds ahead. In a worried fashion, he opened his mouth to say something. Instead, he closed it again and smiled once more.

Unable to blink or let her eyes wander, for fear that he may not be there when she opened her eyes again, she blindly reached back to grab a hold of his hand, clenching it tightly in her own.

He looked straight ahead and continued pressing against her back, gently pushing her forward. As they passed the lake, he turned his head to stare at it for a moment. He paled.

She jumped, suddenly startled from her stupor, and ashamed of herself. "Cedric... are you... all right?"

He nodded and urged her up the front steps of the Hogwarts castle.

The muscles in her neck stiff, she turned and faced forward as they went past the Entrance Hall and up its staircase. When Cedric began to lead her down the second hall, she tightened her hand around his and stepped from his grip. They stopped at the stone statue of a Griffin, leading to the headmaster's office. She murmured the password "house points" and stepped onto the spiraling staircase.

As she stepped into the headmaster's office, she looked behind, surprised that Cedric was still there. She grinned as she watched Cedric survey the splendor and many trinkets of the headmaster's office. Albus had gathered several more curious objects since Cedric had been here last.

Albus, his bifocals perched at the end of his nose, peered down at a long scroll of parchment that sat upon his desk. His white beard twisted down from his wizened face and sat on the desk alongside his feet, wearing red and blue striped socks. Without looking up, he greeted his colleague with a warm "Sorel."

Suddenly flushing with excitement, she said breathlessly, "I've brought Cedric with me, Albus."

Albus nodded, his eyes continuing to skim the contents of the parchment. "How pleasant. Take a seat, the both of you."

The headmaster waved his hand at two wooden chairs just before his desk.

Shifting from foot to foot, not understanding why his Head of House was acting so strangely, Cedric stepped past her and sat in the chair to the right, after he pulled out the other. He leaned forward, and in a respectful tone said, "Thank you, sir."

Puzzlement crossed the headmaster's features for a moment, but before he could lift his head, Sorel raced to the chair alongside Cedric's and leaned over Albus's desk.

"Albus, Cedric did die. Didn't he?"

Cedric stiffened. His puzzled face drew a blank. Albus lifted his head. His blue eyes focused only on Sorel's green ones.

"That's right."

Slowly, he turned his head.

Moons and suns rose and fell during the time that the two elderly professors sat, staring at their deceased student, who was now seated in front of them as if nothing had happened.

Albus reached out and grabbed the boy's arm. "Who are you?"

His eyes wide, he replied confidently, "Cedric Diggory, Headmaster."

Albus Dumbledore, Chief Wizard, Supreme Mugwump, and vanquisher of the dark wizard Grindelwald, looked as if he were about to pass out.

"Cedric, what is the last thing you remember?"

"I was just heading to the greenhouse, for the first of my extra lessons."

Albus sputtered, forgetting to let go of Cedric's arm before he sat back, leaving Cedric to pull it from him.

"He doesn't remember, Sorel."

She was absolutely radiant with smiles.

"So, it's really him Albus?"

She was perched at the very edge of her seat, ready to smother her former student in more overwhelming hugs.

Cedric couldn't have worn an expression of more confusion, but both ignored this. Albus took off his bifocals and rubbed them with a bit of loose fabric from his orange robes. He lowered his feet, reached for the top drawer of his desk, and pulled out another piece of parchment.

Before he unfolded it, Albus asked, "Are you familiar with an enchanted maps, Sorel?"

She nodded, though she was, in fact, not. He seemed to sense this, and as he spread it out on his desk he went on to explain.

"An enchanted map will show you everyone who is currently in the place of the map." He paused.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

"Headmaster!"

Albus chortled. "No worries, Professor. Here..."

He pushed the parchment forward, and she stared in awe at the many lines and dots on the page. Before her thoughts were interrupted, she wondered why the ones labeled Minerva and Severus were in such close proximity.

Albus pointed at a square near the middle of the page.

"This is my office. The dots show just who is in it."

As she dipped her nose to focus on it, so did Albus and Cedric.

The three dots were labeled as follows: Sorel Sprout, Albus Dumbledore, and Cedric Diggory.

Albus blanched. Cedric grinned at the handy bit of parchment, and Sorel looked up to each with a questioning gaze.

Albus nodded and stood.

"I'll fetch his parents."

He stepped past them both, took a handful of green powder from the vase atop a fire place, and stepped into it. His voice was lost in the green flames as he disappeared.

As Sorel began to cry, her tears dropped on the enchanted map and left several water marks. Ignoring the message of "Sod off, you great cry baby!" that was proclaimed across the castle's rooms, she turned to Cedric.

"Welcome back, Mr. Diggory."