Harry Potter

and the

Oracle of Four Seasons

Chapter 11

The Oracle of Four Seasons

by Ri-kun

"Are you sure it was Malfoy, Harry?"

Harry huddled deeper into his robes as the crisp, early winter wind blew freshly across their faces. The temperature had dropped yet again, waking everyone in Gryffindor tower up on Halloween morning to a case of the severe shivers. Everyone had been looking forward to going down to Hogsmeade, especially with all the talk of it being cancelled. Each time Harry had turned around, someone had a new story about how they'd overheard one of the professor's talking. Only when McGonagal came up and made the official announcement that the trip was on did people relax.

All except for Harry, of course. "I didn't see Malfoy's face," he admitted. "It looked like Malfoy, and whoever it was had bandages on his arm, but I'm sure it had to be him."

Harry hesitated before continuing. "Crabbe was with him."

Ginny and Neville both turned at the same time. "Crabbe?"

"Crabbe was in the match, Harry," Ginny told him, carefully. "We all saw him there. The whole school watched him play. Very badly, I might add! He kept falling off his broom the whole time, and once nearly charged straight into me. That happened just before you caught the Snitch..."

"I know!" he told her. "Look, I'll understand if neither of you believe me." Ron and Hermione certainly didn't, he thought silently.

"None of us are saying we don't believe you," Neville told him at once. "If you say Crabbe was up in the clouds with you, then that's what happened. It's just..."

"Really weird," Ginny finished for him. "But, that's not new when it comes to Malfoy. He may have found some way to make a copy of him. I'm sure there are Dark magic spells that can do something like that."

"Daddy says it happens in the Ministry all the time."

Luna, who had been silent up until now, looked over at Harry blankly and went on. "They're always making copies of wizards down in the Department of Mysteries. It's a part of their forced slave labor trade. The copies are grown from cabbages and turnip leaves, then stewed inside a covered cauldron for ten weeks before being put to work."

"I wouldn't put it past them," Neville muttered.

"It's possible," Ginny mused. Both Neville and she sounded as though they were taking Luna's theory seriously. Of course, given Harry's recent encounters with the Minister of Magic, it didn't seem quite as far-fetched as it once might have.

"What I think," Ginny went off after a moment. "Malfoy may have gotten his hands on a bit of Polyjuice Potion from Snape's private stores. He wouldn't even have to steal it; Snape would let Malfoy have as much as he wanted, and not asked questions."

Harry nodded. "That I'd believe before anything else."

They were getting close to Hogsmeade now. The town didn't seem nearly as cheerful as it usually looked. Almost at once, Harry saw that a number of shops were closed down and boarded up, abandoned. Very few people were lingering around on the streets, and the students brave enough to risk the trip were heading off for shelter immediately. Ginny seemed to be looking for something, meanwhile. Harry opened his mouth to ask her, but saw as she waved towards two figures standing in front of one such emptied shop.

"Fred! George!" she called out.

The flame-haired twins looked up towards them and called out at once, to Harry in particular. Cheered at the sight of them, Harry wandered over to where they stood alongside Ginny. Fred winked at Ginny once before giving her a quick hug, followed by George.

"Lovely to see you, Ginny," Fred grinned. "Hope Harry's been doing his job of keeping the other boys at bay."

"Glad we caught you here, Harry," George added. "We were hoping to run into our chief investor."

"What's up?" he wondered, smiling wryly.

"We need to talk a little business." Fred gestured to the closed shop behind them. "You recognize this place?"

Harry looked at it for a moment, and the two shops sandwiched beside it. "This used to be Zonko's, right?"

"Right you are, Harry! Old man Zonko decided to pack things up and split for parts unknown about a month or two ago, just before school started. George and I were thinking of opening up a second shop here in Hogsmeade. It would give students closer access during the school year."

"Business is going good, then," he noted, cocking an eyebrow.

"Smashingly. We wanted your input, since you helped make all of this possible."

"Fred and I took the liberty of handling all the legalities for you," George explained. "Seems we could easily buy the place from Zonko dirt-cheap, but the difficult part would be tracking him down. Seems he's vanished from sight, and no one will tell us where he's gone off to. Luckily, dear old Dad knows somebody in the Ministry records department. He put us in touch, and we've got proof of several documents that state a non-residential property can be claimed if it is abandoned for a period of twelve months."

"The place will need renovations by then, of course. But we're figuring come the first Hogsmeade visit of next year, you'll be witnessing the grand opening of the second Weasley's Wizard Wheezes shop."

"It's brilliant!" Harry chuckled. He could already picture it in his head so clearly.

"So, we have your go-ahead, then?" Fred asked, pointedly.

"Of course."

"Good discussing it with you, Harry." George made a swooping gesture rather like he was an escort for the govenor. "Now, we've got lots of work to do, and you have people waiting for you out in the cold."

"We'll be seeing you during the holiday," Fred added. "Mum's insisted we all get together this year. You'll be along, of course."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," he promised, heading back towards Neville and Luna, who were standing idly in front of one of the few open shops. Ginny followed, keeping step with him while pulling her coat up even further.

"Looks like Fred and George are moving up," he commented. "Your Mum must be thrilled."

"So long as they keep making money," Ginny agreed.

"Who keeps making money?" Luna asked, unassumingly.

"Ginny's older brothers," he explained. "The twins. They're thinking of moving a joke shop here in Hogsmeade over where Zonko's used to be."

"I remember them," Luna nodded. "They played on Gryffindor's Quidditch team, as Beaters."

"Right."

"They were very good. Most people liked them. I think they played better than the Creevey brothers."

"Yeah, they did." Harry tried not to laugh too much. Luna was one again dispensing random facts for no obvious reason. Harry was growing accustomed to it, though. Neither Neville nor Ginny seemed bothered by it, so why should he?

"Could we go somewhere warm?" Ginny asked suddenly. "My hands are freezing. I almost wish we hadn't come out today."

"Here," Harry offered, holding his own hands out. "My hands are warm."

"We could go to the Three Broomsticks?" Neville suggested.

"Can't," Ginny said through chattering teeth. The wind was starting to get worse. "Madame Rosmerta disappeared two weeks ago. I overheard Professor McGonagal saying to Flitwick the other day. No one's reported it in the Daily Prophet, but they're thinking she could be dead. The Three Broomsticks has been closed down until they locate her."

"Honeydukes?"

"I never go into Honeydukes," Luna stated, looking off down the street absentmindedly. "Breathing in too much sugary air makes you a magnet for Wurkspats."

"The Shrieking Shack?" Neville tried next.

Nobody seemed to like that idea much, either. The only other place Harry could think of was the tea shop, where he'd spent a distasterous first (and only) date with Cho Chang the previous year. Harry wanted to avoid that place at all costs, so he kept silent as a fresh north wind came barreling down the street.

"Let's head up the street a little bit," he suggested, finally. "If there's nothing else open, we'll just head back."

It was turning out to be a miserable first Hogsmeade visit. Harry couldn't remember it being this cold during the winter months when snow blanketed everything in sight. There was a bitter chill to the wind; it cut into Harry's exposed cheeks like a sharp knife. To his surprise, Ginny hadn't let go of his hands the whole time. Harry didn't pull away from her, however, as her hands were still frigid. He'd smartly kept his tucked away inside the folds of his pockets where his wand rested. The odds of something bad happening to him while he was still so close to the castle seemed small, yet Harry wasn't about to take the risk. There had been far too many close calls this past year, especially over this last summer.

Thinking about the summer made Harry flinch, and the memories sank in deeper than the pain of the wind hitting him in the face. Much to his own regret, he pulled away from Ginny then and stuffed his hands back inside his robe. He had not heard one word of Rayne except for the letter she'd sent. He had left the window open each night, despite how much colder it was getting. These days, he woke up to find someone having closed it at some point during the night. It left him feeling panicked, yet it would have been simple for any owl to find him. If something were wrong, Rayne would have send word by now, asking for his help.

Ideally, anyway.

Assuming, of course, she still thought of him. Since the dream in the Prefect's bathroom, Harry had devoted as much time as he could spare thinking about Rayne, wondering where she could be. It had been maddening enough when Sirius was alive, worrying about whether the Ministry had caught him. At least, back then, Voldemort hadn't returned yet. Rayne was in far more trouble than he, if what Yuzuho had said was true.

He managed to calm himself each time by remembering that Rayne was far more capable than the average witch or wizard. She had spent her whole life traveling the world, learning new spells and secrets to ensure her survival. If anyone could stay one step ahead of the magical community, it was her. This helped calm his fears somewhat, but it didn't stop Harry from thinking about her.

Typically, he found himself lost in thought, and didn't realize that everyone else had stopped several paces back. Harry looked around, surprised to find himself alone, with Ginny calling him from behind. Embarassed, Harry jogged back to where the others now stood, keeping his head low the whole time as yet another fresh gust of icy wind hit him in the back.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I was..."

"Let's go in there!" Ginny said quickly, pointing off to the side.

Harry followed the direction of her finger, and saw a large tree sitting off on the side of the road just a few feet away from the edge of Hogsmeade's main street. At first, he couldn't figure out what Ginny meant. It was only a large oak tree. Granted, it had survived remarkably well against the elements, specifically the severe cold that had come through. Neville and Luna were already walking towards it, though, followed quickly by Ginny. Harry was just about to ask what they were doing, but as he drew closer, he could see it for himself.

The tree had a door at the base of it's trunk, big enough for a full grown man and then some to step through. It looked very old, like something from a different time, and the crack at the bottom revealed light shining on the other side. Neville reached it first, and opened the door far enough to let Luna in first. Twin statues sat on either side near the tangled mess of roots. Harry didn't recognize them as he stepped inside, but they rather looked to him like a strange sort of dog. Only, the tale looked like it belonged on a raccoon.

The warmth coming from the inside made him forget about everything else. The room was very well-lit, and much bigger than the exterior of the tree suggested. Even with all his experience in the magical world so far, Harry was still left stunned. For once, everyone else fell right along in line with him, though perhaps more because of what lay farther in.

The room was quartered up into four areas. A narrow pathway seperated them, crisscrossing down the middle and leading around the walls in a circle. Chairs and tables covered each section, along with what looked like a few plush sofas. There were people sitting around, drinking great mugs of steaming broth and laughing. All around them, servers dressed in elaborate clothing went from one table to the next, either to bring more drinks or check to see if anyone required something else. One thing that registered with Harry was that the servers were all girls, and that they looked very beautiful. He felt a lurch in his stomach, and worried that they might be veela.

Several patrons eyed them with each step they took, as though bespelled. Neville, while taking note of this, didn't seem especially beset. Harry decided it was safe to come in, and quit polishing his glasses. To their right was the area that held the least number of people in it. Harry opened his mouth to suggest they sit over there, but then the reason why it was unoccupied became apparent. Abruptly, it was snowing!

Snow was falling on the inside of the building. Harry looked up at the ceiling to make sure it wasn't an illusion like in the Great Hall. The snow certainly looked real, though the rafters gave no clue as to how it was coming down. A couple, obviously taken by surprise at the onset of weather, jumped to their feet and headed off to another part of the bar. It was indeed some sort of a pub. Harry had figured out that much, at least. In the area up ahead to the left, it had started raining. The tables, however, all held umbrellas on them in the center, which automatically opened up to provide cover from the light rain.

Standing in the center of the room, he could feel the heat coming from the region next to that. The air was hot and dry, almost the way an ideal summer day would seem. Something rustled off to the side in the last section. It rattled, making Harry jump slightly, but it turned out to be dried leaves. All four areas had pillars in them, and he noticed now how something was growing out of them all. In one place, there were bright flowers of all shapes and sizes. In the second, it was vines and pine needles. The area with the leaves on the floor had more hanging just barely. Every few minutes, some of them would fall to the floor, creating a kaleidoscope of reds and golds and browns. The snow had picked up in the last part, going from a few flurries to a full-blown storm.

"It's amazing!" Ginny cried out.

Luna looked overjoyed, as well. She kept turning in the same spot, looking around at the room with wide-eyed wonder. "Let's go sit down," Harry suggested, pointing in front of him. "Preferably somewhere warm."

No one had any objections. Luna did stop for a moment as they passed one of the pillars, putting her hand up against it for a moment. Whatever she was doing seemed to please her, because Harry saw a smile of pure contentment spread over her face for a moment just as she let go. The pine needles there seemed to rattle as she walked past, but otherwise, nothing odd occured.

One of the girls Harry recognized from serving drinks earlier approached the moment they sat down. "Welcome to the Four Seasons!" she said in a fake, cheery voice. "Can I get you anything?"

She was looking directly at Harry while asking this. "Uhhh, a butterbeer please?"

"Sure thing," she nodded, not looking away. "Anything else?"

Ginny seemed to find this especially funny. He could see she was pretending to look over a small, folded pamplet containing a list of drinks to conceal her snickering. A number of people were staring openly at them now. Harry suddenly wished they hadn't come here. Only the thought of braving the icy cold wind outside kept him in his seat.

"No, thank you," he stated, hoping she would get the message.

"Okay, fine. If you need anything, though, just let me know. Anyone else?"

Everyone but Luna ordered the same thing; she wanted something called an Icy Creme Frostmint, which supposedly cleared the mind of any errant thoughts belonging to someone else. Even after the girl left, people didn't stop staring. There weren't just Hogwarts students in here, though at least half the room consisted of them. Word had apparently traveled about this place already.

"You'd think they would find somewhere else to look," he grumbled.

"They can't help looking, Harry," Ginny replied, giving his hand a squeeze. "You've gotten a lot more facinating. People are bound to want to know what the deal is."

"They're probably interested in your new haircut," Luna spoke up, staring openly where his scar was. "You've never shown off your scar to anyone before. It's a nice change from the last time."

"I'm not..." he began, then made himself stop. "Sorry, I just never thought of it as showing off before. The haircut wasn't really my idea, but I liked it that way, and it just seemed like the sort of thing to do."

"Sorry about hitting you with that spell the other day," Neville added, chargrined.

"I like it this way," Harry insisted. "And if it shows off my scar more, then so be it. I just wish people didn't stare so much."

"It's because girls want to stare at you." Luna said this without looking up at him. She had found a spot on the table and was staring at it keenly. "You're beautiful."

Harry swallowed, but a hand gripped his shoulder before he could think of something to say.

"I've been waiting for you, young man."

Harry turned around to see an elder woman. For a moment, it was as though his eyes couldn't focus correctly. It took several seconds of blinking before things came back into view, and even then, it was as though he was only vaguely registering the person in front of him. Whoever it was gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze once before letting go. Only then was he able to see her properly.

Her hair was lying about her shoulders like a cape, drifting all the way down her back in waves of dirty gray. She was very short; Harry guessed she would only come up to maybe his chin, and her face had an odd sort of look to it. He realized she reminded him of one of the statues he'd seen outside framing the doors of the pub. The round face was watching him patiently as he took her in, with wide eyes that gave her a naturally bemused expression. She pursed her lips for a moment, making them look like some kind of beak.

"Who... who are you?" he asked without thinking.

"They call me the Oracle," she answered at once in a plain voice. "This is my new pub; the Four Seasons. I was wondering when you would be gracing us all with your presence, young Harry Potter."

Harry blinked. "Would you mind if I sit down?" she asked.

Luna sat straight up and scooted her seat closer to Neville, making room for her. The Oracle watched her do this with a blank expression for a moment, before removing a chair from another table. The Ravenclaw student who'd been reaching for it looked up to glare angrily, but the moment their eyes met, she backed away as though shocked by something. The strange woman calling herself the Oracle drew out a small box from somewhere inside her robes and lay it on the table, then. Taking a seat, she looked on as Luna observed it carefully.

"They're quite powerful, aren't they?" she noted, speaking only to Luna then. "You could learn to master them yourself, if you really wanted to."

Luna didn't respond to the strange statement, but didn't take her eyes away as the Oracle opened the box up and removed it's contents. Harry saw they were a deck of cards, which the Oracle began shuffling through expertly.

"This is your first time coming here," she said, looking across at all of them. "Standard service for a first-time customer. Anything after this, you have to pay for it. Who wants to go first?"

They all looked at one another. "Those are tarot cards, right?" Nevill bravely asked.

The Oracle nodded, still shuffling. "You're a sharp one." It didn't sound like she meant it as an insult. "You can be the first, then."

Neville looked as though he didn't like the idea much, but stayed in his seat as the Oracle spread the cards out in an arc on the table. From the deck, she drew first three cards, laying them in the table's center two across from each other and one above, like a pyramid. The top card, when she flipped it over, looked like some kind of king. A lump formed in Harry's throat, then, refusing his attempts to swallow it down. His mouth felt dry all of a sudden.

"Destiny has been kind to you," the Oracle said, staring at the card as though she saw something they didn't. "The weight around your shoulders is considerably lighter, but you will still be needed in the coming battle. Are you prepared to accept this?"

Neville looked at the card uncertainly. "I... don't know."

The Oracle just nodded, as if that were a perfectly good answer, and flipped the second card. "Your past is full of dark clouds and uncertainty. You were being groomed for a role that was never yours to assume. But you shouldn't let that concern you. Someday, she will see you for who you truly are, one way or the other."

The last card. "You should know, there is a task for you to perform suited only for someone with your abilities. Never forget that."

Next, she looked over towards Luna, who was waiting patiently. The Oracle reached out with one hand, expectantly. Luna placed her own hand in it after a moment's hesitation, and allowed it to be held over the cards still spread out.

"Choose," was all the Oracle said.

Luna hesitated, then reached down for one laying at the far end of the deck near Harry. He didn't see which one Luna had drawn, but the Oracle nodded approvingly at her choice and motioned for her to do it again. When Luna drew a second card, she frowned slightly, as though surprised what she saw there. The last card Luna drew, one from the middle, made the Oracle laugh, gasping like a dog.

"That was good," she wheezed, giving Luna a gentle pat on the arm. "Very good, girl. You'll make a fine one."

Luna smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes, and lay the cards back down. The Oracle scooped them all up in her hands then and began shuffling once more. She kept her eyes focused on Ginny the whole time, who was waiting almost expectantly. Harry, meanwhile, wasn't sure what to make of this. At first, he had assumed the Oracle was just another phoney like Trelawney, full of spook and atmosphere, using fortune-telling as a gimick to attract customers. No one else in the pub seemed to be paying them any attention now, though. It was like they didn't notice any of them were sitting at the table.

The Oracle, meanwhile, was already dealing out cards in front of Ginny. She placed five there as opposed to three, all in the shape of a diamond, with the fifth one in the center. This was the one she turned over first, giving Ginny a hard look as she did so.

"What you want requires a terrible risk," she said softly, gazing deeply into Ginny's eyes. "There are no ways out afterward, and you may not survive the encounter regardless. You have already taken the steps to approach this challenge, but it would be wise for you to consider whether this is what you really, truly want."

By the look on her face, Ginny was as confused as Harry. The Oracle didn't wait for her to ask what she meant, though, and continued flipping over cards. First, the two on the sides, which had scenes of night and day on them. Harry glanced first at the sun, then the moon, and waited for the Oracle to explain. When she remained silent, he looked up at Neville and Luna for some sign that either one of them knew what was happening. The air around them felt charged, thick with unseen tension. The noise from the pub had drifted off to the point that it felt like they were the only people left.

"I suppose you're more capable than I first gave you credit, girl. But then, you're used to people underestimating you by now. Do whatever you think is best with your life. No matter what some others think, this is all that matters."

Then, she turned over the top card, and handed it to Ginny. "You have a power that hasn't been awakened yet. Learn how to use it, because it might just save your life."

The Oracle raised up the bottom card with it, and Harry saw it had the word 'Love' printed on at the bottom. "That's how you will know," the Oracle told her. "This will be the sign for you when the time is right."

Harry was hanging by the edge of his seat without really knowing why. No one said a word as the Oracle stood up out of her chair, taking the cards with her in one swoop of her hand.

"There are few second chances in life," she told each of them. "What you do with it is entirely up to you. But, if it will help, I can at least offer you something a little more to your ages. And don't worry! This one will be only half-price."