Chapter 9

Pernicious Prophecies


"It is a curious twist that the coming events of our lives may at once be unavoidable, while at the same time are entirely unknowable."

General (ret.) Jigme Dorji Wengshuk


Harriet should have known that the start to her third year as a Hogwarts student would not go as smoothly as she hoped. The trouble began at around two in the morning, when a cacophony of hissing, spitting, shouting, and squeaking roused the entire dormitory. The source of the commotion was soon revealed to be Crookshanks who had made a renewed attack on Scabbers while everyone slept.

In the end, a disgruntled Hermione was forced to put Crookshanks outside the dormitory for the rest of the night. Even then, sleep was not to be had. Crookshanks yowled outside the door for a while, crying to be let back in until Ginny took pity on them all and took Crookshanks.

They had only slept perhaps another hour when the next major disturbance occurred. A series of ear-splitting bangs shook the whole of Gryffindor tower. The noises then triggered an apparent relapse in some of the American students' night-terror attacks, including Rachel.

And so Harriet found herself spending her very first morning helping AJ and Tori calm Rachel down. They finally could stop when Rachel woke up and realized what had happened. Her face went red with shame and she rolled over, hugging her pillow tight. The other girls all looked at each other awkwardly and decided to leave Rachel alone and followed the sounds of voices down the stairs to the common room.

The entirety of the scene was a bit staggering. Confused and disgruntled Gryffindors were crowded around the foot of the boys' staircase. Kieran and Marcus were sitting on the bottom step and Kieran was attempting to stop Marcus' eyebrow from bleeding. Marcus meanwhile kept asking if Jackson was okay. Nearby, Dean and Seamus were looking venomous and glaring at Jackson who was standing in a corner staring at the floor. Harriet couldn't tell if the look on his face was shame or anger.

It did not take much detective work to figure out what had happened. Percy was bellowing at Jackson at the top of his voice. However, the reason for Percy yelling was not just anger. He also had to yell to be heard over AJ who was yelling at Percy in turn for yelling at Jackson.

From what Harriet was hearing, Jackson had experienced a night-terror of his own. However, instead of just screaming, it seemed Jackson had grabbed his wand and fired off a spell into the middle of the room which bounced around a few times before exploding. One of the objects it bounced off of was Marcus' head.

"SO RECKLESS! WHO KEEPS THEIR WAND UNDER THEIR PILLOW THESE DAYS?!"

"Where's Neville?" Hermione asked looking around. Harriet glanced around and realized she was right; Neville was nowhere to be seen.

"COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE!"

"Apparently he's still trapped in his bed," Parvati said over Percy's yells, sounding slightly amused. "His bed collapsed on top of him when the spell exploded. I guess a couple fourth year boys are trying to free him—"

"HE COULDN'T HELP IT! NONE OF THEM CAN WHEN IT HAPPENS!"

The situation was only diffused by the arrival of Professor McGonagall. "What on earth happened here? Weasley, report!" Professor McGonagall snapped.

Percy scowled. "It was Lee, Professor! He blew up the third-year boys' dormitory, nearly took out Van De Lakk's eye and Longbottom's still trapped in his bed!"

Professor McGonagall's beady-eyes swept back and forth between Percy and Jackson. "What happened, Lee?"

Jackson hung his head, looking even more ashamed of himself. Somehow, Harriet felt he wasn't ashamed about being in trouble. He seemed more like he was ashamed it had happened at all. Percy scowled at Professor McGonagall behind her back, clearly upset that his word was not being accepted outright.

"I… had a… nightmare or something and I guess I just… sorry…" he mumbled.

Professor McGonagall looked at him for a moment. As always, Harriet wasn't sure whether Professor McGonagall was going to be understanding, or begin shouting at him. She had the uncanny ability to make it look as though anyone she turned her gaze upon was in trouble.

"I see. Well, Lee, maybe in the future you can sleep with your wand a bit further away from your bed to prevent this from happening again?"

"Y-yes, Professor," Jackson muttered, not meeting her eyes.

"Now then, you boys get back upstairs to assist Longbottom and clean up the mess. Van De Lakk, let's get you to the hospital wing to get that cut cleaned and closed."

"Yes, Professor," Marcus said and got to his feet.

Professor McGonagall turned and led Marcus from the room while Dean and Seamus looked even angrier now that they had to help clean up a mess they had not created. Percy swooped about, shooing everyone back to their dormitories.

"Nothing to see, move along now! You can all still get another couple hours of sleep before classes begin."

"Big puffed-up grouse," AJ grumbled as she and the rest of the girls made their way up the stairs. "Who does he think he is? Yelling at Jackson like that. So he had an attack? He should be used to that by now. Now that he's all mister big-tough Head Boy he's gotten even worse."

AJ didn't bother keeping her thoughts to herself despite Ronnie's presence, although Harriet was sure that AJ was too mad to even realize Ronnie was there. However, Ronnie seemed to share AJ's sentiments.

"You're telling me?" Ronnie growled. "I had to put up with him all summer."

As they re-entered their dormitory, Harriet saw that Rachel had drawn her bed curtains shut. Harriet was sure Rachel was sulking. She grimaced as she looked at the closed curtains. She wanted to comfort Rachel again, but supposed it would only make things worse to keep bringing it up. However, Lavender broke Harriet's attention off Rachel.

"Wait… where's Basheera?"

Harriet looked around and realized she was right; Basheera was nowhere to be seen. By the looks of it, she had been left sometime before the mayhem started. She had even made her bed.

"You know, she wasn't in here when…" Tori started to say but broke off, glancing at Rachel's bed, "when the explosion happened."

"She's probably praying," Hermione said in a matter-of-fact tone as she climbed back into bed.

"Prayin'?" AJ asked. "Why's she gotta go somewheres else for that?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "She's Muslim. It's part of their faith. They pray five times a day, and they have a ritual they go through before and during each prayer."

"Ohhhhh," AJ said thoughtfully. "Back home we just went once ev'ry Sunday."

"How come you don't anymore?" Lavender asked.

AJ gave her a quizzical look. "Ya'll see many churches 'round here?"

"Oh, yeah, good point," Lavender said rubbing her chin.

"B'sides, it was mostly Dad who wanted us tah go," AJ went on, her voice going a bit quieter. "'Spect our preacher woulda called in an exercism if he'da known what Mom and the rest of us kids were."

"Is it that bad?" Parvati asked.

AJ shrugged. "Not all places. Like two uh the girls who wound up in Hufflepuff, Jenny Thomas and Haley Burns, their church was raisin' them up to be healers. They didn't really know it came from magic, but they'da probably saw it as a divine gift anyway. Church is kinda… weird… back home."

Harriet pondered this. No one spoke for a while after that. Harriet did not fall asleep again. Instead she simply lay on her back until finally it was time to head down to breakfast. However, even this was not the end of their awkward moments. They returned to the common room and found Jackson in trouble with Percy once again.

"You are completely out of uniform, Lee!"

"Oh what now?!" AJ growled as they left the stairs. Sure enough, Jackson was wearing entirely normal clothes. Well, almost normal. Mostly, he looked like he had just walked out of—

"Oy, get a load of the Milkybar kid," Dean Thomas taunted from the fireplace where he had been sitting and talking with Seamus. By his tone, the comment was clearly meant to wound, however, it did not have quite the effect he had hoped for.

"Milky-what now?" Jackson asked as he inspected his jeans, white shirt, leather vest and cowboy boots.

Jackson, being American, clearly had no idea who the Milkybar Kid was, and neither did most of the other American students. Then there were the majority of the Gryffindor students who came from at least Half-Blood families, and so did not grow up with exposure to Muggle products and advertising.

Harriet, having grown up around Dudley, knew exactly what Milkybars were and who the Milkybar kid was, but she didn't find the comparison funny at all. And so all Dean got out of the taunt was a few titters here and there and a swat up the back of the head from the fifth year (now sixth year) girl Colin Creevey had taken a fancy too the previous year. Dean turned to glare and protest but after seeing how much taller than him she was, he balked and simply stared at the floor. Colin smirked at him from nearby.

"It doesn't matter," Percy interjected, drawing Harriet's attention back to the scene. "You are out of uniform, Lee. Get back upstairs and change at once."

"But I thought they said we only had to wear it for classes?" Lee replied. "Aren't we just going to breakfast now?"

"Yes, and thereafter you go straight to your classes," Percy snapped and pointed. "Now change at once or it's a detention!"

"You're seriously going to give a detention to the new kid just because he misinterpreted something?" came Marcus' surly voice from the portrait hole.

The room went quiet. Everyone remembered all too well the constant battles between Percy and Marcus the previous year. Apparently, that trend was going to continue given the look of indignation on Marcus' face as he stomped over. He still had a small white bandage covering half his right eyebrow.

"Come on Perce, you've made it to Head Boy, do you really need to milk your power around here even more?" Marcus demanded crossing his arms.

"Th-that's-that's completely out of order, Van De Lakk!" Percy stammered, clearly caught off guard by that particular attack.

"Besides, if anyone here should be mad at him it's probably me—well—and Neville," Marcus said giving a nod in Neville's direction "but neither of us blame him. And then after you spent all last year getting in the way of people from other houses mingling all the while you were sneaking around—"

"That's detention!" Percy said, cutting Marcus off with an air of finality. "And a report to Professor McGonagall recommending taking twenty points from Gryffindor!"

Marcus glowered, as did a great many of the other students. Jackson was giving Marcus a look that was at once apologetic, and grateful. Harriet glanced around the room. Students were starting to move awkwardly toward the portrait hole. Others were giving Percy dirty looks as he turned and stormed off through the portrait hole.

Ronnie put a comforting hand on Marcus' shoulder and at first he looked inclined to shrug it off, but he didn't.

"Let's just go down to breakfast," Hermione suggested, trying to sound casual.

"You lot go, I'm gonna check on Jackson," Marcus said and stomped off up the stairs to the boys dormitory.

Ronnie grimaced but Harriet hooked an arm in hers and together, she, Hermione, Ronnie and Kieran made their way down to breakfast. No one spoke the whole way. As they entered the Great Hall the first thing they saw was Pansy Parkinson and Pixie Fanfarró doing ridiculous impressions of fainting while the Slytherins surrounding them all burst out laughing.

"Just ignore them," Hermione said in a lofty tone as they made their way to the Gryffindor Table.

"Beware Potter, beware!" Pixie shouted after her.

"The Dementors are coming! Coming for youuuuuuuu!" Pansy shrieked.

"Ignore them ignore them ignore them," Hermione continued to hiss. As they reached the Gryffindor table Harriet saw Basheera was already there, sitting with Scott and Dora who had come over from their tables. Nearby Harriet saw Fred and George who were huddled in deep conversation with Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and Erica Quoy.

They steered towards Basheera, Scott and Dora who smiled in greeting.

"Good morning," Basheera said as they sat down around her.

"Morning," Kieran said cheerfully.

"Well you missed an interesting morning," Ronnie said rolling her eyes.

Dora glanced at the group of whispering fifth years. "So we heard…"

"What were they teasing you about?" Basheera asked Harriet, nodding towards the Slytherin table.

Harriet blushed. "Oh, it's nothing, just those Dementor things searched the train yesterday and I sort of… well…"

"Oh, that is not very nice…" Basheera said looking genuinely sympathetic.

"No, it's not," Angelina growled, having overheard them. "Those two little cows weren't all that brave about the search either, they came running into our compartment," she went on nodding towards the other fifth-years.

"That little runt Malfoy was with them too," George added.

"Yeah, just about wet himself," Fred agreed.

"Didn't feel too great myself," George said. "Ruddy terrible, those Dementors."

"They sort of freeze you from the inside out, don't they?" said Fred.

"You know, you all keep telling me about how great the Hogwarts Express is and how I'm missing out on all the fun but I don't know, this isn't really helping your case in my mind," Erica said, her the corners of her mouth twitching as the other fifth years rolled their eyes.

"Still, we'll wipe those smiles off their faces come the first Quidditch match," Fred said, grinning hungrily.

Harriet smiled. The first match of every year was Slytherin versus Gryffindor, and Harriet had never lost to the Slytherins yet.

"So, were you really praying?" Ronnie asked bluntly, changing the subject.

Basheera seemed taken aback but not offended. Hermione closed her eyes and Dora groaned loudly.

"I… I was… yes…" Basheera said recovering.

"Sorry just kinda new to me, never heard of that before so—"

"Oh, it is fine," Basheera said, smiling again. "Yes, I know it is not common in our world for people to hold on to their old beliefs. But I do not seem them as conflicting."

Harriet nodded but did not get time to digest this information as more outbursts from the Slytherin table drew everyone's attention.

"Good lord, Van de Lakk, what the devil happened to you? So hope you don't get a scar from that! I don't think Hogwarts is big enough for two puffed-up, scar-headed Gryffindors, do you?" Draco Malfoy asked looking around at his surrounding gang who all broke out laughing.

Harriet looked at the door. Marcus, Jackson, AJ, Rachel and Tori had arrived. Marcus glared and his hands curled into fists. Jackson actually seemed to reach for his wand but stopped when another voice shouted from the Gryffindor table.

It was Fred. "Puffed up?" he called getting to his feet so Malfoy could see him. "Seems to me someone who stopped You-Know-Who and has won every Quidditch match she's played in has earned the right to think a little highly of themselves. What about you then? Last I checked you were a runty little ferret whose only claim to fame is your ancestors' money, just like your dad, and his dad, and so on—"

"ENOUGH!" shouted Professor McGonagall who was on her feet, glaring back and forth between the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables. "I will not have the Great Hall become the site of another free-for-all! Sit down and eat your food, everyone!"

The Great Hall suddenly went very quiet. Marcus and the rest awkwardly made their way to the Gryffindor table and sat. As the sound of clinking plates and soft muttering resumed Dora leaned over towards Fred.

"Nice one… wish I'd thought of that," she said under her breath.

Fred gave her a smile then winked at Harriet. "Well someone had to say it for everyone to hear, some of us are just quicker than others."

Dora rolled her eyes.

"How's your eyebrow?" Ronnie asked Marcus.

"Oh, yeah, it's fine," Marcus said. "Might be a mark, but there was one there anyway. No harm done. Just might be a bit bigger now is all."

"Well I for one," said a new voice Harriet didn't recognize right away, "think he was very brave standing up to the Head Boy like that."

Harriet turned to see it was Nanette Sinistra who had just walked up to the table with her fellow first-year girls. Emma was at the back of the group, but gave a rare smile as she saw Dora and quickly moved to sit with her sister and the two began chatting rapidly in French. Harriet assumed Dora was asking Emma about her first night.

"Oh, thank's Nanette," Marcus said, blushing a little as Nanette beamed down at him.

"You're welcome. I just think you did the House proud standing up against injustice like that."

Marcus's face went even redder. Harriet noted Ronnie's was getting redder as well, but her expression was much different than Marcus'. Nanette simply smiled and moved on with her other new friends to sit further down the table.

George cleared his throat and leaned over Fred, holding out a stack of parchment to them. "Oh, here you lot are, your new time-tables."

Marcus took them and passed them around.

"Oh good, we'll have some new subjects today," Hermione said excitedly. "Ooh Arithmancy first thing, wonderful."

"What? No it isn't. We have Divination first, don't we?" Ronnie asked studying her timetable carefully.

"Oh, y-you're right, silly me," Hermione said and quickly stuffed her timetable into her bag.

Ronnie raised an eyebrow in bemusement while Scott and Dora both gave Hermione very shrewd looks. Harriet felt as confused as Ronnie looked but diverted her attention to Hagrid who had just entered the Great Hall and made his way to the staff table, passing them on the way.

"All righ' you lot?" He asked beaming as he paused. "Yer gonna be in mah first ever lesson this afternoon, right after lunch! Not half excited I don't mind tellin' yeh, had something pretty good planned but now got summut even better for you all. Right Lee?" Hagrid asked, giving Jackson a knowing wink.

Jackson flushed and swallowed but nodded.

Hagrid chuckled. "Hope it goes alright… me a teacher… can you believe it?" Hagrid turned and continued on to the staff table.

Everyone turned to look at Jackson, but he was clearly ignoring them all.

"I take it you're not going to fill us in on what the "better" plan is?" Dora asked.

"Nope," Jackson replied curtly taking a bite of eggs.

AJ grinned to herself. Harriet fished around for something else to ask. "So, um, how do you like Hogwarts so far?"

"Oh, it's fine," Jackson said. "You know, outside the obvious."

He nodded towards Percy who was currently at the Ravenclaw table with his girlfriend, Penelope.

"Try living with him," Ronnie grumbled.

Jackson laughed. "Touché!"

Harriet smiled. She felt good seeing him laugh and smile, it was good to know he could after all he'd been through.

"So, is it true," Dora asked. "You don't remember the attack at all?"

Jackson's smile faltered and AJ gave Dora a burning look.

"Come on, can't ya'll just leave him alone about that?" AJ asked but Jackson shrugged.

"I… I remember bits and pieces of it… I mean… I remember the Secessionists taking over the town, I remember the Unionists marching in, but after that, nothing."

"Nothing?" Rachel asked.

Jackson shook his head. "Nothing… not till I sort of woke up in the middle of nowhere and that's when Epeius' herd found me."

"You know, I'm curious about that. Of all the names you could have given him, what made you pick Epeius?" Scott asked.

Jackson blinked at him as though he didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

"Well it's just such a formal, different name, isn't it?"

Jackson shrugged. "No idea, I didn't name him."

"Then who did?" Hermione asked.

Jackson looked down at the table and started shovelling bacon onto his plate. "You'd have to ask him."

Harriet and her friends all looked at each other. Confusion was written over everyone's face. Ronnie looked at Jackson as though she wanted to press the subject but the dangerous look on AJ's face seemed to quell her interest.

"So Rachel," Hermione asked, changing the subject. "I know it's a touchy subject too, but have you heard from your brothers at all this summer?"

To their surprise, Rachel actually smiled. "Oh yeah, I just got letters from both of them."

Harriet noted how Rachel said "both" instead of "all." The youngest of Rachel's brothers, Sean, was fighting for the Secessionists, and Rachel had only ever mentioned him once the previous year when she had come to Harriet for help in pre-emptively fighting off a panic attack in the middle of the night.

"How are they?" Kieran asked.

"Aaron's okay. It sounds like the war's starting to wear on him. His commanding officer was killed over the summer so he's been commanding his company ever since even though he's only a lieutenant. He didn't seem like himself..." Rachel trailed off. "Crazy to think about, like, my brother, in command of a whole company, he's only twenty. He said they might promote him soon to captain even."

Marcus whistled. Rachel gave another little smile.

"Blaine's okay too. He's a non-combatant though, like I think he's a mail-clerk. He keeps talking about feeling useless, but I don't know… I feel worried enough with one brother in harm's way, let alone two…"

An awkward silence followed. Harriet didn't know what to say and focused on her breakfast. However, she did happen to catch a glimpse of Jackson. His face was taught, his hands clenched on his fork and knife and his eyes were boring into Rachel though she didn't notice, having turned to talk to Erica. It wasn't a threatening look; it didn't even look like his eyes were in focus.

"Well better eat up, those of us heading to Divination got a long way to go, it's all the way at the top of North Tower," Ronnie said, distracting Harriet.

"Good luck, let us know how it goes," Kieran said, smiling.

Of her main group of friends, only Harriet, Ronnie and Hermione had signed up for Divination, and so it was only those three who began making their way across the castle towards North Tower. Fortunately they were joined by Rachel and Tori who had also signed up for Divination. As Rachel and Tori both knew the way to North Tower, they made good time. However, it still was quite the trek, up winding staircases and down long corridors that Harriet had never taken before.

"You two sure there isn't a shortcut?" Harriet asked, breathing heavily.

"Yes, we're sure," Tori said smiling back at her.

"We told you, we know the way to the tower by heart—" Rachel started to say but broke off and suddenly curtsied at a portrait and began speaking in a refined, fluttery voice. "Oh, good morning to you, Sir Cadogan! How goes the defence of the realm?"

Harriet blinked and looked at the portrait Rachel had curtsied to. In the portrait was a squat, diminutive knight in a full suit of armour glaring at a dapple-grey pony that was grazing lazily. There were bits of grass and sod stuck to the knight's armour in odd places, and Harriet was sure he had just fallen off the horse. He turned at the sound of Rachel's voice and jumped in surprise but his face broke into a wide grin and he bowed.

"Good morning to you my dear gentle ladies! And how are you Lady Kane and Lady Hoffman, and who might I enquire are your charming friends?"

Rachel barely held back a giggle as she gestured to Harriet, Ronnie and Hermione. "This, my brave knight, is Lady Potter, Lady Weasley, and Lady Granger."

"Weasley!" Sir Cadogan gasped and actually got down on one knee as he bowed to Ronnie. "A proud family you come from my dear! A proud family indeed! My most dearest friend is from your noble house!"

"Oh, i-is he?" Ronnie asked, taken aback.

"Yes indeed, my dear young lady, and I dare say you do your noble line proudly," Sir Cadogan said. "The loveliness of your flaming red hair speaks openly of the fire in your soul."

Ronnie's face went red as her hair. Sir Cadogan smiled around at them all. "Now my dear ladies, how may I be of service to you?"

"Well it is ever so good we have run into you, dear knight," Rachel said, still in her fluttery voice. "We are on our way to the North Tower—"

"Say no more my dear young maiden! I shall escort you forthwith! Onwards!" Sir Cadogan shouted and drew his sword, which was too long for him and nearly toppled him over. He then tried and failed to mount his pony and instead cried out: "Oh foot then my gentle ladies! ON! ON!"

And before anyone could say anything more he turned and ran off into the neighbouring portrait.

Harriet blinked. "What just—?"

"Come on!" Rachel said excitedly and started running off after Sir Cadogan.

Tori smiled and ran off too. Harriet, Ronnie and Hermione all looked at each other before they started running too.

"Is it just me or did that bloke just call me pretty?" Ronnie asked.

"Yeah, that's how I interpreted it," Rachel replied.

Ronnie beamed and they kept going. Harriet looked around at the other girls as they ran. Rachel didn't look the least bit tired as she led the group. Ronnie looked only slightly more winded than Rachel did, but not by much. Tori looked as winded as Harriet felt, but to Harriet's surprise, despite carrying twice as many books Hermione also seemed to be handling the run well. Harriet again remembered noticing how Hermione had seemed so much more fit after this past summer and vowed to remember to ask her about it.

Finally, they stopped halfway up a long spiral staircase leading to the top of what they knew to be North Tower. They stopped here as apparently there were no further portraits for Sir Cadogan to lead them through. They thanked him, all doing their best to act ladylike and grateful before Sir Cadogan bowed and clanked back off to his portrait.

"You know? Didn't you two already know the way?" Ronnie asked Tori and Rachel. "Was any of that necessary?"

"Not really, but it was fun," Rachel replied, giggling.

"You kinda have to act like that around Sir Cadogan anyway," Tori said, catching her breath as they continued up the stairs. "He's sort of really into that whole being a knight thing."

They finally reached the top landing. There was a good portion of the class there already. By the looks of it, most of Gryffindor house's third years had signed up for it. Harriet remembered Scott teasing her over the summer, telling her most people took Divination because it was "easy." Harriet didn't know, she had only picked it because Ronnie had picked it.

However, it became very clear very quickly that not all picked it because it was easy. Parvati and Lavender looked beside themselves with excitement for the class to start.

"Just imagine all the things we're going to learn!"

"Omigosh, the future, we're going to learn how to see the future!"

"I know!"

Dean, Seamus and Neville were looking at Parvati and Lavender with dumbstruck faces.

"So… where's the classroom?" Hermione asked, looking around.

Rachel gave a superior smirk, the same kind Ronnie so often gave, and pointed at the ceiling. Harriet, Hermione and Ronnie all looked up. There was a trap-door in the ceiling with a small brass plaque that read: Sybill Trelawney, Divination Teacher.

"So… how do we get in?" Seamus asked.

The moment he asked, the trap-door swung open and a thin, silver ladder lowered to the floor.

"After you," Dean said prodding Seamus in the back.

Seamus rolled his eyes but climbed the ladder. Everyone followed one-by-one until finally Harriet made it up into the room. It was by far the strangest classroom she had ever been in; in fact, it didn't look like a classroom at all. It looked like someone had tried to set up a tea-shop inside their attic. It was filled with almost two dozen small, circular tables crammed in between plump, chintz armchairs and poufs. The curtains were closed over the windows and the lamps hanging from the ceiling were draped in red scarves which gave the room a reddish hue.

Furthermore, it was quite warm, sweat already starting to form on Neville's forehead as the class began to sit down. There was a blazing fire going in the fireplace that was heating a large copper kettle, the steam from which smelled perfumed. There was a cupboard full of pink and blue teacups and shelves ran all along the circular walls were full of odd items such as feathers, candles, playing cards, ragged old playing card packs, dozens of silvery crystal balls and countless teapots.

"Welcome," a soft, misty voice said, causing Harriet to jump as she went to sit down in one of the arm chairs.

The class turned as one to see Professor Trelawney step into the middle of the room, finally illuminated by the light of the fire and the hanging, shrouded lamps. She was very thin, wearing long, green robes and a spangled shawl. She wore so many necklaces Harriet was surprised she could support the weight, and she had large glasses which made her eyes appear twice their natural size.

"How nice to see you all in the physical world at last," Professor Trelawney said.

Harriet was still too taken aback to respond. She had never seen this woman before, not even at the meeting last spring when Professor McGonagall had called all the staff to discuss the revelation that Slytherin's Monster was a basilisk. This puzzled Harriet. If Professor Trelawney was the divination teacher, shouldn't she have seen the attacks coming and known what the monster was already and who the attack was?

"Welcome to Divination," Professor Trelawney continued, having taken a seat of her own in the largest, winged armchair next to the fire. "My name is Professor Trelawney. I doubt many, if any, of you have seen me before. It is very rare that I descend into the raucousness of the main school, the chaotic nature clouds my inner-eye, you see?"

Harriet and Ronnie looked at each other. Hermione was looking at Professor Trelawney with a dumbstruck expression.

"Now, perhaps it would be best to give you all a short introduction into the nature of this course. Many people take this class believing it to be 'easy.' This could not be farther from the truth. Indeed, quite the opposite, divination is by far the most difficult branch of all the magical arts."

Harriet swallowed. Hermione was now chewing her lip in thought as she watched Professor Trelawney.

"I would also point out, that if you do not possess the natural Sight, the essence and aura necessary to be a Seer, there is very little I can teach you. This is not a class one can learn by simply burying their nose in a book."

At this, the entire class all swivelled in their seats to look at Hermione. Hermione was now wide-eyed, looking as though Professor Trelawney had just slapped her.

"You dear?" Professor Trelawney said pointing at Neville who squeaked in shock and nearly fell off his pouf. "How is your grandmother?"

"Uh, she's fine, I think," Neville replied. "Do you know her?"

"No, but I wouldn't be so sure that she is so well, my dear. You should send her a letter as soon as you can," Professor Trelawney said. Neville whimpered.

"We will simply be working on the basics this year. This is, what one might call, the make-or-break, year, where we separate the gifted from the mundane. Today we will begin with reading tea-leaves, but then will move on to palmistry—oh and dear?" Professor Trelawney shot at Parvati, "beware those with sandy-hair."

Parvati shot a nervous look at Seamus Finnigan and edged away from him slightly. Seamus glowered.

"After palmistry, we shall work on fire omens before proceeding to crystal balls. That may be delayed however as there will be a rash of flu in February which will cause me to lose my voice."

"But there's always a rash of flu right after the holidays," Hermione hissed just loud enough for Harriet and Ronnie to hear her.

Harriet blinked and realized that was true. She turned her attention back to Professor Trelawney.

"And finally, around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever."

The class went dead silent at this announcement. Professor Trelawney did not seem to notice as she turned on Lavender who flinched.

"I wonder dear, could you pass me that largest silver teapot just there over your head?"

Lavender let out a sigh of relief before turning to fetch the teapot off the shelf on the wall behind her.

"Thank you dear. Oh, and that thing you're dreading? It will happen on Friday the 15th of October."

Lavender whimpered.

"Now, if you could all please pair up and each take a teacup from the shelf, come to me and I will fill them from my teapot. Sit at your tables and drink the tea until only the dregs remain. Once the tea has been drunk, swill the dregs around three times anti-clockwise with the left hand, place upside down on the saucer and allow the rest of the tea to drain from the cup and the dregs. Once that is completed, turn your teacup right-way up again, and hand it to your partner to interpret. The guide to interpreting the patterns can be found on pages five and six of Unfogging the Future. I shall move amongst you assisting as needed."

The class rose but she quickly caught Neville by the arm. "Oh, my dear, after you've broken your first cup, would you please be sure to select another blue-patterned one? I'm rather attached to the pink."

Professor Trelawney's prediction about Neville's first tea-cup came true within a minute. She reminded him to pick a blue one as finally Harriet and Ronnie made it back to their seats and sat. Hermione, meanwhile, went to join Neville. The two girls drank the piping hot tea as fast as they could, eager to start. They followed the rest of Professor Trelawney's instructions and finally Harriet had a go at interpreting Ronnie's tea leaves.

"Well… first thing I'm seeing is—"

"You mean besides loads of soggy brown stuff?" Dean whispered. Harriet didn't really want to, having never quite got on with Dean, but she sniggered nonetheless.

"Broaden your minds, my dears! Allow your eyes to see past the mundane and the physical!"

Harriet gave her head a shake. The heat and the heavy perfume had made her drowsy.

"Okay, let's see… you've got a sort of… wonky… cross… I think… ummmmm," she consulted the textbook. "Which means 'trials and suffering,' well that's no fun."

"Yeah not really," Ronnie muttered. "Anything else?"

"Well… this one looks kind of like the sun," Harriet said. "Which means… 'great happiness,' so… I guess you're going to suffer but in the end you'll be very happy… unless it means you're going to be happy but then suffer… or… be happy and suffer…"

"Think your inner-eye needs to look in Miss Momori's eye-glass maker too," Ronnie teased and Harriet giggled.

"Okay, do mine now!" Harriet said, excitedly.

"Okay," Ronnie said studying closely. "Well… I see a blob that, to me anyway, looks like a bowler hat. Maybe you'll work for the Ministry or something… I don't know, there's no bowler hat in the book."

Ronnie twisted the cup. "But here it looks like an acorn…"

"Great, I'm a squirrel," Harriet muttered making Ronnie snort.

"Shut up, shut up," Ronnie hissed glancing at Professor Trelawney. "No, the book has an acorn, it means 'a windfall, unexpected gold,' well that's handy."

"Oooo maybe it'll be enough for a Firebolt?" Harriet grinned.

Ronnie rolled her eyes. "And now there's this thing here… it sort of looks like an animal… it… it kind of looks like a dog—"

"Let me see that cup my dear," Professor Trelawney asked.

Harriet and Ronnie both jumped realizing Professor Trelawney was standing over them, holding out a hand to Ronnie. The whole class went very quiet and watched on with interest as Professor Trelawney inspected Harriet's cup.

"The falcon… you have a deadly enemy it seems, my dear."

"Well everyone knows that," Hermione hissed. Professor Trelawney looked at Hermione, blinking slowly.

"Well, they do…" Hermione said. "Everyone knows about Harriet and You-Know-Who."

"Indeed my dear, but that is not the point of the exercise, is it?" Professor Trelawney countered. "That does not change the symbol in the tea-leaves, nor its meaning, does it?"

"N-no… well… I guess not," Hermione muttered.

The whole class was staring at Hermione. None of them had ever heard her speak out against a teacher like that.

Professor Trelawney returned her attention to the tea-cup. "The club… and attack… dear, dear, this is not a very happy cup is it?"

"I… I thought that was an acorn," Ronnie muttered sheepishly.

"Ah and there is the skull. There is danger in your path my dear," Professor Trelawney went on. Harriet shivered when Professor Trelawney gave the cup another turn and let out a terrible scream. Neville fell off his pouf, knocking over and smashing his second teacup.

"Oh no… oh no… oh this is terrible," Professor Trelawney said as she made her way on shaky knees to her arm chair, sinking into it and resting a trembling hand on her heart.

"What is it, Professor?" Seamus asked eagerly.

"I… I shouldn't say… it is kinder not to…"

"Not say what?" Lavender pressed.

"My dear girl… you have… the Grim!"

Parvati, Ronnie, Neville and Seamus all gasped. Dean, Lavender, Tori and Rachel however looked confused while Hermione looked sceptical. Harriet however blinked as the word triggered something in her memory. She had heard that name before.

"What's the Grim?" Dean asked, nervously.

Professor Trelawney looked at him incredulously. "It is the giant, spectral, black dog that haunts church yards! It is an ill omen, an evil omen! The worst omen of… death!"

At the words black dog Harriet knew where she had heard the name 'grim' before. While running with Professor Howe and Doctor Watkins after their escape from Privet Drive, they had seen the massive black dog following them, and Professor Howe had called it a Gurt Dog, not a Grim. He had also said: "Many say that Black Dogs are ill omens, but they're mostly misunderstood. They're big and scary so people like to attach dark names to them: Barguist, the Grim, Gytrash, Padfoot."

"I don't think it looks like a Grim," Hermione said coolly.

Professor Trelawney's face was full of dislike as she looked up at Hermione. "Do please forgive my saying so, dear, but alas I perceive very little receptivity to the vibrations of the timelines within you."

"But, how do you really know it's a death omen?" Harriet asked. "I saw a big black dog this summer with… well… some friends. They said Black Dogs have many names, including the Grim, but they aren't actually bad."

Professor Trelawney now looked at Harriet with something like dislike. "And who were these 'friends' to question the delicate workings of the future and prophecy?"

Harriet glared. "Actually, it was Professor Sherrod Howe."

The class all looked at Harriet. Some faces were confused, while others showed awe, or shock, or disbelief.

"You seriously met with Sherrod Howe… the Sherrod Howe?" Parvati asked, her eyes wide.

"Well… yeah, I mean I met him before. I met him in Professor Dumbledore's office last year during the attacks. Anyway we were sort of, uh, traveling, and we saw one following us. He said it was a Gurt Dog and they protect travellers and children, and he told it that I was safe and it wasn't going to be needed, so it left."

The class was now staring at Harriet with wide-eyed fascination. Professor Trelawney looked even more irritable that no one was taking her sighting of a Grim in Harriet's teacup very seriously.

"Professor Howe is adept at a great many things, my dear, but I cannot speak as to his talents as a Seer, I have heard none of them. The book clearly states that symbol is the Grim, and the Grim means Death. You are going to want to watch yourself, my dear, this does not bode well. While I hope your friend is right, what happens in the physical realm has no bearing on what I have seen. Class dismissed for the day."

The class went about packing up for their next class in a sombre mood. Harriet could tell some were eager to ask more about her encounter with Sherrod Howe. Others, notably Ronnie, were still looking worried. Hermione meanwhile was looking furious.

"What utter rubbish!" Hermione declared the moment her feet touched the floor of the landing below.

Harriet didn't respond, merely sped up to get away from any further questions as they made their way to Transfiguration. Her mind was whirling. Who was right? Was it Professor Howe, or Professor Trelawney? Professor Howe certainly seemed much more authoritative. Professor Trelawney had seemed to get a little too much enjoyment out of being mysterious and vague. But what if Professor Howe had just said that about the black dog so Harriet wouldn't panic? Cornelius Fudge had said not to trust him.

Harriet shook her head. They arrived just in time for Transfiguration and Harriet quickly moved to sit with Kieran and Marcus who were waiting.

"How was—you okay?" Kieran asked, noticing the look on the three girls' faces.

"Well, aside from Professor Trelawney just told her she was going to die, yeah she's fine," Hermione said. Her voice was dripping with irony.

"Oh, okay yeah that's not so fun," Marcus said. At that moment, Professor McGonagall entered the room and the class fell silent.

Harriet couldn't focus. She kept going over Professor Howe's words. He had said it was actually a good omen, and when he told the dog it wasn't needed, it really had left. Though it had seemed reluctant to do so…

"Potter!"

Harriet jumped and looked up at Professor McGonagall who was standing over her, giving Harriet her trademark stare that made Harriet feel very, very small.

"What is with you today?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Harriet spluttered. Hermione raised her hand.

"Please, Professor, we were just having our first Divination class, and we were reading tealeaves and—"

"Oh of course, of course," Professor McGonagall said, sounding exasperated and actually removing her glasses, rubbing her eyes. "Let me guess, she saw the Grim in your cup, didn't she, Potter?"

Harriet blinked and nodded.

"I'll have you know, Potter, that Professor Trelawney has predicted the death of at least one student a year since she started at this school twelve years ago. Take a wild guess at how many have died?"

"I would guess none," Jackson said from the back of the room.

"That is correct, Lee," Professor McGonagall said without looking at him. "Seeing death omens is Professor Trelawney's favourite way to start a new class. I try and never speak ill of my colleagues, but needless to say I cannot very well teach my classes with my students terrified over false notions of their impending dooms. And so, since you appear in rather good health, I do hope you don't mind if I don't let you off homework today. It should go without saying that if you die, I will not require you to hand it in."

Quite a few students laughed at this, Harriet included. Professor McGonagall returned to her lecture, which today was Animagi. Harriet continued to smile, and joined in eagerly with the class as they applauded when Professor McGonagall turned herself into a tabby-cat and back again. However, as Harriet looked around, clearly not everyone was reassured. Ronnie was still avoiding Harriet's eye.

Most of the class was talking excitedly after Transfiguration, no longer about death omens, but about animagi. Harriet was surprised to see that it was Marcus and Kieran who seemed the most excited by the concept of animagi, and were talking excitedly with each other about what kinds of animals they would turn into if they could. Marcus wanted to turn into a falcon like his own falcon, Adal, so they could finally fly together. Kieran was less decisive, and just knew he wanted to turn into something else.

Harriet continued to smile as they made their way down to lunch. She had decided who to believe. She would continue to believe Professor Howe. He was a bit mad, a bit dashing, and very clever. And somehow, deep down, Harriet knew that of everyone she had ever met, Professor Sherrod Howe would never lie to her.