{Chapter 10}
Winter Blue and the Grim
Trixi visited Draco once a day, checking to see how he was doing. She made sure he got everything he needed for his arm, obnoxiously reminding Madam Pomfrey about his pain reliever and wound healing potions.
"Now, child, I have been doing this since before your father was your age. I know exactly how to do my job!" the woman had scolded Trixi after the second day of Trixi's annoying reminders. "And if you don't stop bothering me, I'll ban you from visitation rights!"
"Sorry, Madam." Trixi had giggled. She knew the mediwitch was used to pestering friends and family when students were healing in the hospital wing. Trixi had witnessed enough of it herself the last couple of days.
Draco was rough around the edges, but that didn't bother Trixi too much. It wasn't like she was new to insults against Harry Potter; Professor Snape and Draco could have an interesting match to see which of the two hated him more. Draco seemed to had forgiven (or maybe forgotten) that she'd upset him last week. The subject never came up though, and Trixi wasn't about to open a can of worms.
There was only one other person sharing the hospital wing with Draco during breakfast on Tuesday. Kian Coven. He sat on the edge of a bed, looking dreadfully green and sick.
She smiled and waved slightly when their eyes met. He didn't return her smile nor her wave, instead looking away with a scowl on his face.
"How are you feeling today?" She asked Draco as she approached him.
"A bit better. Your father gave me a stronger potion."
"Don't get used to that." Trixi warned him.
Draco scoffed. "You're not the only one who knows potions, Trixi."
"But you would be surprised on how many people don't know."
"Not really." he argued. "People are stupid, which is not surprising to me at all."
Madam Pomfrey then entered the room, Professor Snape stalking behind her carrying two cases of potions.
"Sorry for the wait, Mr. Coven, I had no more of the Stomach Settler. It's the most used potion during the first couple weeks of a new term." She chuckled at this.
"Yes, quite a few people act like starving savages when they see the buffet that is served here. They eat more than they can hold, much like hogs would." Professor Snape then walked into one of Madam Pomfrey's potion storage rooms to deposit his load.
"Thank you, Severus." Madam Pomfrey smiled when he came back out.
"Not at all, Poppy." Snape tilted his head in departure. He took a moment to glance at his daughter before exiting the infirmary.
"You and Snape had a fight?" Draco inquired, noticing neither of them addressed the other.
"More like still fighting..." Trixi's eyes were locked in on the door he just went through. "He's still upset that I'm a Gryffindor."
"Rightfully so, I would say." Draco said with an ugly look. "It's nearly as bad as being a blood traitor."
"I don't understand this whole problem with being a Gryffindor!" Trixi snapped.
"Don't do that, Trixi." He shuddered. "It's like I'm getting yelled at by a squeaky, miniature Snape."
She burst out in giggles then. She found the thought of a tiny copy of her father with a girly voice very amusing.
"There's nothing wrong with him wanting you in our House." Draco told her when she had settled down. "By the sounds of it, you aren't fitting in with the Gryffindors anyway. They don't want you but we do, Trixi."
"That Kuden boy doesn't like me." Trixi pointed out.
"Kuden is a brainless git! You're a thousand times better than him."
Trixi's face turned a bit red with the compliment. She was no pure-blood, and she was pretty sure Draco knew that too. Blood status was everything to the Malfoys. What he just said was... Astonishing.
"Don't let anyone hear you say that." She whispered to him.
"Why not?"
"I don't think compliments are your thing, Draco." She told him seriously.
"Not many people deserve them." he said. "Anyway, he's going to be in a lot of detention with Snape if he doesn't boil down. I have never been in a detention with your father," Draco smiled smugly at this. "but I know it's as bad as Filch catching you out of bed."
"Have you ever been caught out of bed?" She asked worriedly.
"Not by Filch, thankfully. I don't make a habit of it though. Filch likes the idea of corporal punishment. He'd be dumb to lay a hand on me, what with my Father and all, but he does scare most of the students, and has made a bucket load of threats."
Trixi's eyes grew. "He hits kids?"
"If he were allowed, he would do that and then some." Draco said. "He's not thick enough to do it, though. He would probably get fired for it. Maybe even sent to Azkaban."
Either way, the caretaker sounded very scary, and she was going to stay out of his way.
/*/
Professor Lupin taught the class how to properly counter attacks that day. After the lesson, Trixi realized a pattern in the teaching, giving her a clue on which spells would be taught to them next. The teacher was probably going to introduce them to a specific creature soon.
"How do you know this?" Thomas asked as they stepped into the library.
"I've fought one before. They are really tricky creatures. The spells we're learning in DADA are good spells against them." she whispered quietly and searched for a book that would help Thomas understand the creature more.
"Freaky looking little things, aren't they?" Thomas grimaced when he saw a picture of one
Trixi nodded in agreement.
At lunch, Trixi nibbled on her meal as she worked with the transfiguration spell. Thomas was off eating with Neil, who had invited him over to the Hufflepuff table. Last Trixi knew, the two were talking about some Muggle TV program.
The Three Nasties were making jokes on her inability to turn her match into a needle. They gloated about being ahead of Trixi in the skill. Pete and Royland sat back, laughing at the "comments".
"Really?" a girl squeaked, making Trixi look up as a group passed where she sat at the Gryffindor table.
Trixi watched four students -three girls and a boy- take their seats side by side and dish themselves some dinner. They looked like they were in their Second or Third year.
The boy nodded.
"When is Harry supposed to die then?" A girl with reddish blond hair looked carefully at Harry who sat with Ron and Hermione much further away up the Gryffindor table.
What? Harry's going to die?!
She listened to their conversation intently now.
"Don't know. Everyone's worried though." The boy said. "You know with Sirius Black and all."
A dark skinned girl with braided black hair scoffed. "You do realize everyone dies, right? Besides, Divination is utter rubbish. I heard Professor McGonagall say so."
The boy shrugged. "He got the Grim sign and a murderer is out to get him, it doesn't take a genius to add the two together."
"Funny thing about Divination." A new voice said. "It can be taken way out of all proportion."
It was the Ravenclaw boy that had been worried about Kian the other day. What was his name...?
Augur...
That's right. What was he doing by their table though? Ravenclaws sat near the Slytherins.
"Oh, yeah?" The Gryffindor boy questioned. "And how would you know that?"
Augur grinned smugly. "Trelawney is a goof. Not completely useless, but she's a bit nutty. Well, when you work in that field, it's hard not to be. Exaggeration is not something to overlook with her."
"You're a first year, aren't you? How would you know any of this?" The dark skinned girl asked, almost accusing him of doing something wrong.
Augur laughed and shook his head, as if the answer was obvious. "You wouldn't believe how many secrets there are under the roof of Hogwarts. So many, a book would have to be this big-" Argur held out his hands to create a near three foot gap "-if you were to write about them. Maybe even bigger."
"And you know 'em all?" The Gryffindor boy raised his eyebrows.
"Of course not!" Augur grinned widely. "But I do discover a new one everyday. For example, today I learned that for every thirty feet of corridor, there is a brick in the wall that will play a different musical tone if you it tap twice with your wand."
"What would be the point in that?" The Gryffindor boy asked.
Augur shrugged. "Maybe it's a way to guide yourself around the castle to avoid getting lost."
"That makes no sense." One of the girls said. "By the time you found out about it, you would know your way around the castle already!"
"The person who charmed the bricks may have gotten lost easily." Trixi spoke up. "It may not have been charmed for the whole school to use, otherwise, why would it be hidden? It was probably meant only for the Charmer's use."
Argur turned to Trixi. "Well hello again, Trixangela!" Their eyes met. Augur had wintery, blue eyes. Strange eyes... Eyes, Trixi realized, that she could get lost in if she looked into them too long.
"Hello..." she said politely after looking away, forgetting to correct him on what he should call her. She heard him chuckle.
Kian came up to them then. He looked much better than when Trixi had seen him in the hospital wing. His face had more colour to it, and he looked stronger. He still looked unhappy, though.
"Augur, let's go sit down." He said. His voice was somewhat high, like Professor Flitwick's or that of a dwarf's.
"Kian, how many secrets in Hogwarts do you know?" Augur asked.
"Come on, Augur, not now." Kian said with a sigh. "Not everyone needs to know everything." he eyes scanned the group of students.
"It's fun, Kian. Go on, humour them!"
"Fine!" Kian muttered. "Which numbers would you like me to share? Hogwarts the building, the people and ghosts in Hogwarts, or everything combined?"
"How about just the building?"
"That I know of, there at 926 secrets that the building itself holds." Kian said without a thought.
"Yeah right!" The Gryffindor boy didn't believe him.
"How do you know so many of them?" Pete, who had been listening quietly, curiously asked.
Kian gave him a cold look. "Some of us find research much more useful than playing imbecilic card games."
"Now, now, Kian, he did not intend to insult you." Augur tapped his friend's shoulder. "From books, diaries, and people sharing their own secrets, of course!" He answered.
"And actually using the senses you were born with." Kian cut in with a growl.
"I mean, we all know secrets are meant to be spread around, am I right?" Augur winked. "Anyway, don't anyone worry about Harry Potter. Why, I'm sure he has many years of life to go." he said brightly.
"Are you done now, Augur?" Kian asked impatiently. "Can we go eat?"
"Nice talking with you lot," the outspoken Ravenclaw said before leading his friend to their table to eat.
"That boy is a bit interesting." One of the girls commented.
"And not a bad looker either." The dark skinned girl looked toward the Ravenclaws. "Did you see his eyes?" She sighed dreamily. "I've never seen eyes so blue."
"Focus, Desilva!" The boy gave her a playful push.
After History of Magic that day, Trixi followed Augur out of the classroom. He stopped abruptly and turned on her, and Trixi quickly took a step back. He was nearly a foot taller than her, and with his huge size he intimidated her a little. "Trixangela." He greeted her with a grin. "What is it that you want?"
Kian, who tagged along with Augur like a puppy, crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "This is what happens, Augur! Now everyone is going to bother us!"
"I'll meet you down at the library." Augur told his fellow Ravenclaw.
Kian scowled and stalked off.
"That's my cousin. Born only five days apart, we are." he informed Trixi. "Our fathers are brothers. He's a good guy, he's just a bit..." he paused with a frown. "Reserved, I guess. So you wanted to ask me a question?"
"What you said about the Grim, is that really true? Is... my... Harry's not going to die, is he?" she asked in a whisper, afraid of the answer.
He laughed. "Most everyone dies, Trixangela; being immortal is extremely rare."
"This is not a laughing matter!" She said crossly. "Now please give me a real answer!"
"The one in the Great Hall wasn't good enough for you?"
Trixi softened. "I just want to be sure." She said quietly.
Augur leaned up against the wall of the corridor. "What I said earlier was true. I do not make statements based on guesswork."
"Harry is safe then?"
The boy grinned slyly. "Why would you think I would know that?"
"You seemed so sure..."
"I am sure." He said pointedly. "I am sure that Trelawney fabricates regularly during Divination."
"But how do you know it's not for real this time?"
Augur giggled and shook his head. "Some of us know much more than others, Trixangela." He then tapped her head twice before walking off to the library.
Glaring at his back, Trixi smoothed her hair where he had touched her. "Don't touch my hair!" She shouted at him.
With his back still to her, he lifted an arm in a wave. She could hear him laughing with amusement.
That boy was very annoying.
