AN: You guys know the drill, this is the next chap, I don't own Harry Potter, this makes me very sad because this means that Hermione will most likely end up with Ron (shudder). Stephanie is my character though so...that's a form of comfort.
Oh by the way, I was gonna write Hagrid's dialog like it appears in the book, but I'll be damned if that wasn't a grammatical nightmare! So just pretend that Hagrid's talking like he normally does.
Chapter 3
Hermione felt wonderful. The aches in her arm and head were gone, Professor McGonagall had given her a brand new Time-Turner, and she was waiting at the breakfast table for Stephanie to show up. She tried to cover her excitement by reading the morning post, but her eyes continuously drifted to the massive doors of the Great Hall.
"Hermione, are you even listening to me?!" Ginny yelled, dragging Hermione out of her thoughts.
"Of course I am Ginny!" Hermione lied.
"Well, you took the news about me moving to Alaska and becoming a nude dancer surprisingly well." Ginny replied, but Hermione was gone again.
"That's nice Ginny." Hermione replied distantly, then the words finally registered. "Wait, WHAT?!"
"Good to see that you're still among the living." Ginny muttered as she rolled her eyes.
"That's not funny Ginny! Ron would have a fit!" Hermione scolded.
"Relax mother, it was just a test to see if you were paying attention! You seem a bit off today Hermione. You haven't yelled at Ron, corrected Harry, or made any comments about the new schedules. Are you feeling okay? Is your head still bothering you?" Ginny asked, trying to find the root of the problem in true Weasley fashion, ask randomly until you get a "yes".
"I'm fine and my head is alright. I've just been a bit…distracted." Hermione replied as she once again scanned the Great Hall. Ginny's eyebrow raised, but she quickly figured out the riddle.
"Are you looking for Stephanie?" Ginny asked, a knowing smile spreading across her face.
"What?! Of course not!" Hermione firmly said, but her blush gave her away.
"Awwwwww! I think that Hermione's got a crush!" Ginny teased.
"I do not!" Hermione said.
"Oh come on Hermione! There's nothing wrong with a bit of hero worship! Personally, I think that it's good for a person." Ginny said, her own eyes drifting to Harry, who was animatedly chatting with Ron about Quidditch.
"I do not have a crush." Hermione affirmed.
"Okay Hermione, whatever you say." Ginny replied with a knowing smile. At that moment, Stephanie sat down at the table across from the two girls.
"Hey Hermione! Hey Ginny!" She said as she gracefully sat and grabbed a plate.
"Hi Stephanie!" Ginny replied.
"Good morning Stephanie." Came Hermione's shyer reply. Stephanie filled her plate with bacon, toast, and scrambled eggs before grabbing a fork and hungrily attacking her breakfast.
"OI! STEPHANIE!" Two shouts rang out from another end of the long table. Soon, Fred and George were both seating on one side of Stephanie. They both clapped a hand on Stephanie's shoulders and began speaking in turns.
"Good to see ya!"
"How've you been?"
"How did things go in the states?"
"Ya break any hearts?"
"Ya break any laws?"
"What did you do in the states anyway?" Stephanie grinned all through the questioning.
"It's good to see ya'll too! I've been fine, things went well, of course I broke some hearts, I broke way more laws, and what I left to do is absolutely NTK." Stephanie replied without missing a beat.
"NTK?" George asked, looking confused.
"Need To Know. Meaning that ya'll don't need to know!" Stephanie replied with a smirk. Fred and George faked being struck in the chest.
"Ouch!"
"The poisoned tongue strikes yet again!"
"We'd better go get some antidote George!"
"Right you are Fred!"
"Bye Stephanie!"
"Don't go running off again!"
With that, they both made their hasty retreat. Stephanie shook her head and chuckled as she refocused on the plate of food before her. A few minutes later, the plate was empty.
"Wow, I've never seen food vanish that quickly! Even around my house!" Ginny said, obviously impressed. Stephanie smiled and shrugged.
"I was hungry, it happens often! Have they handed out the new schedules yet?" Stephanie asked. Hermione reached into her robes and pulled out Stephanie's schedule.
"Here you go. I saved it for you." She said as Stephanie gratefully took the schedule, allowing her fingertips to linger on Hermione's hand longer than necessary.
"Thanks Hermione!" Stephanie said. Hermione looked down, blushing and smiling.
"You're quite welcome Stephanie." She muttered bashfully. Ginny observed the exchange with an amused expression.
Hmm, this seems to be a little more than just hero worship. Ginny mused as she sat back and munched on a piece of toast. Just then, Hagrid came up to the table. He had a smile on his face and a dead polecat swinging from one massive hand.
"Hermione! I didn't see you yesterday! Wait a min-STEPHANIE!" The polecat fell to the floor and Stephanie was lifted off of the bench.
"Oh boy." Was all she could say before Hagrid clutched her tightly to his chest.
"Oh Stephanie! You've been gone so long! I was beginning to think you'd never be back!" He yelled gleefully as he hugged Stephanie fiercely.
"G-Good to…see…you too…Hagrid." She gasped out as Hagrid held tightly to her. Hermione laughed at the spectacle, before finally showing Stephanie some mercy.
"Hagrid? I think that Stephanie is going to run out of air soon." Hermione politely interjected.
"Oh! Sorry 'bout that Stephanie!" Hagrid apologized as he plopped Stephanie's small form down on the bench. Stephanie shook it off with a grin.
"It's okay Hagrid. I'm happy to see that you're doing alright! And congratulations on that teaching job! Care of Magical Creatures seems like it's made for you!" Stephanie said. Hermione started at this news.
"You got the Care of Magical Creatures position?! Congratulations Hagrid! I'm only sorry that I wasn't there last night when it was announced." Hermione finished with a look of shame. Hagrid smiled and clapped a massive hand on her delicate shoulder.
"It's alright Hermione. From what I understand, you were awfully preoccupied last night. You feeling alright this morning? Facing down a dementor and returning the next day is no small feat." Hagrid said, worried but obviously impressed.
"Thanks Hagrid, but I'm alright." Hermione assured. Hagrid looked a bit unsure.
"Well, if you're certain." He said. Stephanie picked that moment to lend Hermione a helping hand.
"She's fine Hagrid, she's a real fighter! She's good to go to your class today." Stephanie reported, giving Hagrid one of her dazzling smiles as a token of assurance.
"Well…alright! I can't wait to see you all in my first ever class! Be ready though, you will all be facing something that I bet you've never seen before! Oh, you're all going to love it! Imagine, me a teacher…" Hagrid trailed off as he picked the dead polecat back up and strolled off, still swinging the dead cat in his hand.
"Oh man, if Hagrid's that excited about it then I think that we should all be worried." Ron said, worry evident on his face.
"Oh come on Ron! This is Hagrid we're talking about." Stephanie assured.
"I know, that's why I'm worried." Ron muttered as he pushed his sausages around on his plate.
"Where the hell is the bloody Divination classroom!" Hermione sighed as she, Harry, and Ron searched in vain for their first class of the day.
"Blimey Hermione! I don't think I've ever heard you curse before!" Ron whispered with a look of pure shock.
"Well I'm sorry! When I get mad I just can't fight the urge!" Hermione growled as she looked around for some indication of where the classroom was.
"Wait a tick, if you're just now getting mad, what have you been for the past two years?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
"Irritated. Now I'm just plain frustrated!" Hermione growled. Luckily for the trio, Stephanie picked that minute to show up.
"Hey ya'll! You three seem lost." Stephanie observed as she noticed Hermione's disheveled appearance and Ron and Harry's lost looks.
"We are lost!" The trio replied with one voice.
"Divination?" Stephanie asked.
"Divination." The trio confirmed. Stephanie nodded her head.
"Thought so. Okay then, follow me! Please refrain from asking questions until the end of the tour, do not wander too far from the herd, and please no flash photography!" She joked as she led them along the corridor. Soon, they came to a spiral staircase. They quickly climbed up and around until Harry, Ron, and Hermione began to feel dizzy. Finally, they reached a landing with a trapdoor in the ceiling.
"Here we are! 'Sybil Trelawney, Divination teacher,'" Stephanie said, reading the brass plaque on the trapdoor. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked around the landing, noticing that the rest of the class was standing around looking confused.
"So…how're we going to get up there?" Harry asked. On cue, the trapdoor swung open and a silver ladder came down and stopped at Stephanie's feet. Everyone was silent. Stephanie looked around expectantly before turning back to the ladder with a shrug.
"Ladies first, I guess." She said as she climbed up the ladder. It wasn't long before Hermione followed Stephanie, then the rest of the class followed suit.
"So just where is this Professor Trelawney?" Hermione asked as her eyes scanned the shadowy classroom. Stephanie stood there, just looking bored.
"She should be making her grand entrance right about…"
"Welcome."
"…now." Stephanie sighed and turned to her left, where the misty voice originated.
"How nice to see you in the physical world at last." Professor Trelawney said as she glided out of the shadows. Everyone looked at each other with raised eyebrows, but Stephanie looked utterly bored to tears.
"Sit, my children, sit." Everyone sat down in a seat. Stephanie, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat around the same small table.
"Welcome to Divination." Professor Trelawney said as she sat in a winged armchair in front of the fire. "My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before."
"Here we go." Stephanie sighed.
"I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye." Trelawney then said.
To the amazement of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Stephanie had mouthed right along with Trelawney's last sentence. The rest of the class pondered on Trelawney's strange statement, but the trio was more focused on how Stephanie knew exactly what that strange statement was going to be. Trelawney then turned her attention to Stephanie.
"Why, Ms. Byrd! How wonderful it is to see that you did, in fact, not die a fiery death in the states!" Trelawney said, shocking everyone in the room.
"What a horrid thing to say!" Hermione shrilly scolded. Harry and Ron's eyebrows flew up. Hermione never talked to teachers like that!
"It's okay Hermione, don't have an ulcer." Stephanie joked as she unconsciously rubbed her left shoulder. "It's good to see you too, Professor." She then replied dryly.
"Oh, child! My visions are rarely wrong…"
"Not according to my experience." Stephanie muttered, but Trelawney seemed to pay no attention to her.
"…but I thank the fates that I was wrong in this case!" Trelawney continued, milking this for all that she could get.
"Yeah, it's great to still be among the living." Stephanie replied, desperately wanting a change in the subject. Unfortunately, Lavender Brown wasn't willing to let the topic drop.
"You predicted Stephanie's death?!" She asked, as bewildered as the rest of the class. Trelawney nodded with a dramatic sigh.
"Oh yes, and what an awful prediction it was! The deserted city, the burning, the screams, and there stood Stephanie, ever courageous in the face of all of that death!" Trelawney said as she stood and dramatically told of her vision.
The students gasped collectively. Death?! What had Stephanie faced in the states?! Hermione looked to Stephanie, expecting some kind of joke or a sarcastic remark. Instead, Stephanie was silent and deathly pale. The look of utter seriousness on her face unnerved Hermione to no end. She merely sat there, staring down at her hands.
"Yet, the unmistakable shadows of fear just barely skimmed her features." Trelawney continued. This time, Stephanie did speak.
"Stop it." Stephanie whispered in a voice that made Hermione tremble.
"Then, out of nowhere, a great burst of fire shot forth from-"
"ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!" Stephanie screamed, slamming her fists onto the rickety table. Everyone became silent as Stephanie and Trelawney stared each other down. Hermione watched the exchange before deciding to be merciful to both of them.
"…Professor…" Hermione began uncertainly. "Since the vision did not take place, wouldn't it be ill-advised to dwell on said vision?" She finished, nervously looking from Stephanie to Trelawney.
"…I agree." Stephanie said, slowly and eerily calmly. Trelawney nodded and sat back down.
"Yes, no need to awaken sleeping dogs." She acquiesced. Hermione nervously placed a hand on Stephanie's still clenched fist.
Throughout the lesson, Hermione noticed how jumpy Stephanie was. She wasn't her usual joking self, instead she was serious and somewhat wary of Trelawney. Finally, the lesson was over, and not a moment too soon. Stephanie was through the trapdoor well before most of the class had started putting their books away.
Hermione hurried after Stephanie, Ron and Harry trailing close behind. Soon, they caught up with the older witch. They found her leaning against the wall, visibly shaken. Hermione approached her cautiously and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Stephanie, I'm certain that you didn't want anyone to hear about what happened to you these past two years. Frankly, I don't think that it's anybody's business. I just want you to know that we understand your desire for privacy and we won't judge you based on your past. But, if you ever want to talk, I want you to know that I'll always be there to listen." Hermione assured, her hand never leaving its position on her shoulder.
"So will I." Harry chimed in.
"Yeah, me too." Ron agreed.
Stephanie smiled at them, knowing that she had found three good friends in the "Golden Trio".
AN: I originally had a different plan for this chapter, but things changed. I hope you guys liked it, because it's 1:36 AM and I have decided to forgo sleep in favor of finishing this chapter. Okay, I'm tired now...eyelids drooping...can't...supress...the yawn! (Yawn) Review...pl-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
