Yay, another chapter! My sister is rather annoyed with me for the way I put the Chamber of Secrets story into The First Step as it means that Dobby won't be in it until later but she was a little happier when I told her of my plans for him...
Please R&R!
Chapter Four
I settled back into life at Hogwarts fairly quickly, though this year there were a few changes. We had taken on extra subjects and the first class of the day was Divination. I immediately began to regret taking it.
It wasn't just because I could hear Professor Trelawney desperately trying to think up lies to make it seem like she made more predictions than she really did. No, the subject itself is a whole lot of guesswork.
Professor Trelawney started by saying to Aidan, "Is your mother quite well?"
"I think so."
She 'hmm'ed patronisingly, "I wouldn't be so sure," and Aidan looked stricken.
She then turned to Sishi. "How about yours?"
"We're twins, Professor." Sishi replied, eyebrows raised and, flustered, Professor Trelawney turned to the next table, drawing her shawl about her.
Starting violently when she reached our table, she started stammering. "My dear girl…I have foreseen…you poor child…you are surrounded by the aura of death!"
Several students glanced fearfully at me but the four of us merely raised a brow. Later, she predicted that 'around Halloween we will lose one of our number forever' and the class looked sympathetically at our table. Clay and Omi looked unsure of what to believe but Raimundo and I could barely control our laughter.
The rest of the class was rather subdued when we trooped into Transfiguration but Raimundo and I were laughing hysterically and had been since we left Trelawney's classroom. I think the rest of the class thought we were in shock.
After ten minutes of a distracted class and Raimundo sporadically breaking out into chuckles and I giggles, Professor McGonagall stood before the class, hands twitching as if she longed to place them on her hips. "What on Earth has gotten into my third-years today?"
Sarah tentatively raised her hand. "Please Professor, we've just had our first Divination lesson and-"
Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes. "Of course. So, which one of will be dying this year?"
The class looked astonished but it set Raimundo and I off again. "Me, Professor." I managed, my stomach beginning to hurt.
"It is Professor Trelawney's way of welcoming a new class – predicting someone's death." The bell rang for lunch and Professor McGonagall called out over the shuffling of bags and scraping of chairs, "Ten inches on the spell and its effects and uses. Oh, and Miss Tohomiko, dying will not excuse you." I grinned as I left.
After lunch, we headed down to Hagrid's Hut for Care of Magical Creatures. "I'm just saying, maybe you should be a little more careful this year."
"Come on, Clay, you heard her thoughts – she was making it up!" Raimundo scoffed.
"Yeah, but some were real." Clay argued back.
"If you ask me, Divination is a rather woolly discipline – a whole lot of guesswork. Now, Ancient Runes – that's a fascinating subject."
"Hang on. Ancient Runes is on at the same time as Divination – you'd have to be in two places at once!"
"Don't be silly, Raimundo." I scoffed. "How could anyone be in two places at once?" I was worried that he would figure it out but he seemed to accept it. Phew.
Beside Hagrid's Hut he was waiting to take us into the forest for a 'really interesting lesson'. Stopping at a small clearing, he made some sort of call and a Hippogriff flew down and landed beside him. "Say hello to Buckbeak. Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid announced proudly and I agreed. I had never seen a Hippogriff outside of books before.
"Uh, Hagrid, what exactly is that?"
"That, Clay, is a Hippogriff. Very intelligent creatures, and very proud too. You do not want to insult a Hippogriff." Hagrid warned. "Who wants to come and pet him?"
Everyone but the four of us took a large step back. I stepped forward, eager to see one up close. "Ah, Kimiko. Alright, come a little closer – stop there. Now, bow slowly, keeping eye contact." I followed Hagrid's instructions and soon Buckbeak bowed back and allowed me to stroke his beak. "Well done! I reckon he'll let you ride him now."
"What?" I asked flatly and turned to protest, only to find myself several feet from the ground. "Hey! Hagrid!" I could hear Raimundo's sniggering as I continued to yell, feet flailing, and I shot him a glare as Hagrid placed me on Buckbeak's back with a warning not to pull out any of his feathers and slapped his flank. Buckbeak charged forward and into the sky and, as soon as I was in the air, I relaxed. It had always had that effect on me.
When Buckbeak landed back in the clearing I slid off to applause from my fellow Gryffindors. "Well done! How am I doing on my first day?" Hagrid asked in an undertone.
"Brilliant, Professor!" He grinned widely, blushing.
Several students emitted squeaks of protest and I turned to see Jack Spicer pushing his way through the crowd of students, scowling. …Or at least, attempting to… "You're not dangerous at all, are you? You great ugly brute!" He sneered.
"No!" Hagrid and I shouted.
Buckbeak reared and swiped at Jack with his front claws, who dropped to the ground, whimpering, "It's killed me!"
"Calm down, it's just a scratch." Raimundo rolled his eyes.
Hagrid lifted Jack and ran off towards the castle.
"Idiot." I muttered darkly, collecting my bag, books and robes with jerky movements to vent my frustration. "Hagrid warned us that they're proud creatures and not to insult them." The Gryffindors murmured their agreement as I stormed out of the forest, the boys exchanging glances before hurrying to catch up with me.
Our first Defence lesson with Professor Lupin a few days later went much better.
Spicer had his arm in a sling and was constantly complaining of the pain – the idiot doesn't feel anything! It's completely healed – I checked! – and muttering darkly about how his father was going to make 'the oaf and his bloody chicken' pay.
Professor Lupin led us to the Staff Room where there was a boggart – the creature we were studying – in the wardrobe. Professor Snape was in there and he left reluctantly, making a snide remark about Aidan's abilities as he went.
"Right, so who can tell me what a boggart is? Miss Tohomiko?"
I lowered my hand as I answered. "Boggarts are shape shifters – they change into whatever a person fears most."
"Yes, that's what makes them so terrifying." Not to mention difficult to beat. "The incantation is 'riddikulus'." We recited it until all could pronounce it properly. "Alright, you first, Aidan. What is it you fear most?"
"Professor Snape." He mumbled.
Professor Lupin chuckled. "He frightens all." The rest of the class chuckled at that. "Now, when that boggart comes out, here is what I want you to do." He leant in and whispered so quietly that even the four of us couldn't hear it.
"Ready?" Aidan nodded and Professor Lupin opened the wardrobe.
Professor Snape stalked out and fixed his trademark glare on Aidan. "R-riddikulus!"
Snape stumbled backwards as a floral print dress appeared on him, a sunhat on his head and a bag over his shoulder. The class roared with laughter.
"Oh!" Sishi gasped, her jaw dropping open in recognition.
"What is it?" I whispered.
"It's our mother's clothes!" She whispered back and we both dissolved into giggles.
Professor Lupin had told Aidan to imagine Professor Snape in his mother's clothes! I think Fernando and Ricardo are going to have a new favourite teacher by the end of the year!
One by one the class faced the boggart as it transformed itself into their worst fears: for Omi – a squirrel, for Raimundo – a jellyfish, for Clay – his grandmother trying to kiss him. She had chased him around the classroom for a good minute before Clay pulled himself together, stopped yelling and cast the spell. Raimundo and I were on the floor in stitches.
Thank God we don't have Defence with the Slytherins!
When it was my turn, Professor Lupin called the boggart to himself with a panicked look on his face. It turned into what looked like the moon…a full moon… After he cast the spell, he called out, "You finish it, Aidan."
Aidan stepped forward and raised his wand. "Riddikulus." As the class exploded into laughter once again, the boggart disappeared in a puff of smoke.
We finished the class then and went down to dinner but I was a little disappointed that Professor Lupin hadn't let me have a go at the boggart. Did he think I couldn't handle it?
