Willow, inevitably, was not allowed to go to bed until far past midnight. Of course, early in the morning, she woke up around her usual time of six, and there was no amount of exhaustion that would make her go back to sleep. Willow frustratedly threw off her covers and got herself moving. After rinsing off her face, she quietly slipped out of her dormitory and into the secret room. McGonagall had taken the liberty to transfer her creatures from the train to the room- with the help of house elves, of course. Willow grinned from ear to ear when she stepped through the wall, sunlight already warming the area where Griffin and Phoebe were curled up together in a makeshift nest. She gently stepped on a few pebbles to alert them to her presence. Griffin groggily lifted his head blinked sleep out of his eyes.
"Hey, buddy!" Willow whispered, kneeling down next to him. "Good morning! Wakey, wakey!"
Phoebe groaned and rolled off of Griffin, laying face-down on the soft ground. Willow laughed, rolling her over and tickling her belly, which got her to finally wake up.
"Are you ticklish? Is someone ticklish?" Willow giggled, Phoebe going crazy trying to shake her off. "What's the matter? Does Phoebe have tickle spots? Yeah, Phoebe has tickle spots!"
Phoebe was finally rescued by a slightly jealous Griffin, who barged in and sat directly between Willow and the demiguise. Willow rolled her eyes and began petting him instead, making sure not to touch his sore spots. He was growing super fast and his body, just like humans, was struggling to keep up at times.
"You're just a big jelly bean, aren't you?" Griffin cocked his head at Willow, as if he was almost offended. "Okay, yeah, you pretend you're not jealous, but that doesn't make it true. You're a big attention hog." Griffin flapped his wings. "Yeah, you're still a pretty boy! Your adult feathers are coming in so nicely! You're not a baby anymore!"
Griffin pranced around, enjoying the praise. He flapped his now-darker brown wings and puffed out his chest. Phoebe simply climbed on top of Willow to watch him. The demiguise always appeared to be judging Griffin, but Willow wondered if she was just imagining it. Nonetheless, when Griffin reared up, pretending to be tough, she chattered at him in a sort of reprimanding way. Griffin tossed his head and swiped her with his wing. Phoebe gave up and crossed her arms to pout. Willow sighed and watched as Griffin continued to strut around the forested area, purposely flashing his wings and talons in Phoebe's direction. Leave it to her creatures to form a love-hate friendship, she thought.
Willow passed the rest of the time until breakfast playing with her creatures. Griffin got lots of treats for performing his commands well, but he was beginning to act like a teenager in that he would randomly refuse to listen, strutting around instead. Every once in a while, Willow would tease Griffin for this by shape-shifting into a griffin, performing the command herself, then pretending to eat the treat. Griffin begrudgingly dropped the superior attitude and behaved. Before she knew it, Willow looked at her watch, cursed loudly, and sprinted through the corridors towards the Great Hall. Almost everyone was already there. Willow took a seat across from Harry, unfortunately giving her a perfect view of Draco's impression of Harry's fainting spell across the room.
"That imbecile will get what's coming to him today, mark my words," she growled.
Harry sighed. "It still won't do any good, knowing him. The worst part is he never even saw me faint, so he's making it all up. George said he came running into their cabin."
Willow snorted. "More like sprinting for his life. I'm never going to let him forget that."
Harry half-smiled. "You should have taken a picture."
"If I could have, I would have, and my life would be a thousand percent better." Willow remembered what Draco had told her on the carriage ride. "Do you know anything about this Sirius Black character? Draco thought I knew, then wouldn't tell me when he realized I didn't have a clue who he was, you know, being the little git he is."
"All I know is he's after me. No one has filled me in on the rest."
"So we're both in the dark?"
"Per usual," Harry said gloomily. "At least the situation let me get away with a literal blow-up this summer with the Dursleys. I accidentally blew up my Aunt Marge, but Fudge is so scared I'm going to drop dead that he let it go and reversed her memory."
Willow spat out a tiny bit of her chocolate milk into her cup. "You what? Harry, that's pretty awesome."
"I know. She's horrible, so it serves her right. If only she would have remembered it...maybe she wouldn't set her dog on me anytime soon."
"Wow. Cruel woman. Karma seems to be working very quickly lately, doesn't it?"
Harry nodded. "I hope it catches up to Sirius Black so he doesn't catch me. I'm sick an tired of everyone tiptoeing around me, acting like I need a wall of knights surrounding me at all times. Sirius Black is not going to murder me. Dumbledore wouldn't let anyone come into Hogwarts if didn't want them here."
"So you're not scared of him?" Willow paused in thought. "Honestly, I'm not either. I don't get all this hype over an Azkaban escapee. High-security Muggle prisoners escape all the time. What's so different about this guy? He doesn't even have a wand right now."
"Exactly! The odds are stacked up so far against him it's nearly impossible that he'll come within ten kilometers of me."
"You're right. Don't pay attention to all the extra security, Harry. Sirius Black will be back where he belongs before we know it."
Professor McGonagall swept by, passing out course schedules for the year one by one. Willow picked hers up and grimaced, the reality of how much homework she was about to have setting in. She and Harry exchanged a disgusted look.
"Great, more classes," Willow groaned. "And we've got three with Slytherin- Potions, History of Magic, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. How are we expected to survive Draco's pestering this much? Oh, and he's in Care of Magical Creatures, too...Lovely year we're going to have. At least we're getting the first Divination class out of the way this morning."
"I'm just dying to go there," Harry said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
The warning bell tolled, and the Great Hall emptied quickly. Willow packed up all of her belongings and turned to go when someone caught her eye. It was Lisa, struggling to carry all her textbooks in her bag, but not because they were heavy. Her eyes were gaunt and bloodshot, her nails appeared off-colour, almost yellow, and she looked as if someone had vacuumed the strength right out of her body. Willow noticed for the first time how much thinner she'd gotten over the Summer Holidays. Was she sick? Willow tried to reach her, but the tide of students hurrying to find their first class carried her away, and she lost sight of the short blonde. She only hoped that Lisa would feel better soon.
Cypress and Oliver found their way to Willow through the crowd, then the entirety of the third-year Gryffindors, and Willow ended up leading everyone through the castle to Divination. Apparently, word had gotten out that she was the only witch with a sense of direction. Willow had a miniature heart attack when she thought she'd taken a wrong turn towards the West, but she'd taken the correct corridor and was still heading North. A handful of people had joined their parade through the castle as they went along. Willow finally climbed up the longest spiral staircase in what seemed like the world, and they arrived at last in the North Tower. She set her bag down on the landing while they waited for their teacher to call them inside.
"That- was a really- long walk," Sam panted, pretending to collapse on the floor.
"Oh, get up, you big baby, Mum will be furious if you have dirt on your robes half of the term," Sally scolded.
Sam groaned. "But I'll brush it off by then..." He got up and leaned against the wall. "Fine. I'll figure out another way to be lazy. Maybe I'll levitate myself through the halls next time."
"With your brains, I'd say we're safe from that for a good while," Sally said.
"Hey!"
Thankfully, a trapdoor above them opened just as the last few stragglers arrived for class. Willow giggled at Harry's surprised expression as a ladder descended at his feet. He, Ron, and Hermione appeared as though they'd just arrived, covered in a glistening sheen of sweat. She should have thought to find them before she took off, too. Willow shrugged it off and climbed the ladder after Cypress and Oliver.
Immediately upon arriving inside the classroom, Willow was hit with a wall of sickly-sweet perfume. There was no natural light inside the classroom, only red-shaded lamps, casting ominous shadows across the plush furniture. Willow decided to sit at one of the tables so that the hard chairs might keep her from sinking into the oblivion this other-worldly class seemed to be. Her gut twisted with a nauseating sensation. She may have made a mistake by signing up for this class.
As others began filing into the array of furniture, Willow noticed that her senses were vibrating and causing general mayhem within her head. She wished the dumb sugary smell would go away to lessen her headache, but when she thought about it, that was probably the least powerful cause. There was some sort of supernatural disturbance in this North Tower. It made sense, given that Divination was all about looking into the future, but Willow wondered how on Earth she was going to survive this class with her powers driving her nuts.
Hey, Cebba, is there anything you can do about this? Willow asked, rubbing her forehead.
Unfortunately, no, because this is simply a passing storm. It seems that your powers are acting up to show you something. I normally can tell what it is, but this time they have a mind of their own.
Well, let me know when it's happening, because I wasn't looking forward to a migraine on my first day.
Willow nearly toppled out of her seat when a loud smash split the quiet air. The lesson had already started, and Neville hadn't managed a single minute without breaking something. Apparently, the professor was having them use tea cups. Willow leaned over to Cypress and whispered, "Hey, what was the professor's name?"
"You weren't paying attention? Wow, that's a first for you. Should I tell you what you missed? No, I'm lazy today, and it's your fault, you can figure it out yourself."
"You're lazy every day," Willow sighed dramatically. She turned to her other side and asked Dean, "What's the professor's name?"
"Oh, Professor Trelawney," Dean replied. "We need to get tea from her to read the dregs, too."
"Thank you, Dean."
"No problem."
Willow, her face breaking into a smug expression, turned back to Cypress, who was gaping at her as though offended. "See, was that so hard? You didn't even have to move your mouth that much."
Cypress scoffed. "Oh, come on, Dean ruined the fun!"
Willow rolled her eyes. "Yes, it's entirely Dean's fault for being a good person. Come on, let's go figure out how soon our lives are going to be cut short by some maniac."
The three each grabbed pink or blue teacups, then went to the professor's armchair to receive some tea. Willow's headache only increased when she neared Professor Trelawney. Her bug-eyed glasses and thin frame were enough to throw off her depth perception, too, and Willow felt like her head was pounding more than ever before. Professor Trelawney poured her a steaming hot cup of tea and Willow scurried away as fast as she could. Thankfully, when she sat back down at her table, the perfumed scent of the fireplace was farther away, and she was able to massage her head a little bit to ease the pain.
When her headache lessened, Willow opened up her textbook, Unfogging the Future. She accidentally burnt her tongue on her tea (even though she'd done it a thousand times before and never learned from it), cursed quietly, and finished it as fast as she could. Willow swirled around the dregs in the bottom and turned the cup upside down to drain the remaining tea. When it was finished, she reproachfully gazed into her cup, trying to make out some of the symbols in it, but not sure if she wanted to know.
Willow, something is happening, Cebba suddenly said, making Willow jump nearly a foot in the air. I can't control it. Your powers are reacting to something in the atmosphere, and I have no idea what it's going to do.
Well, don't sound so concerned! That's not very comforting! Willow said, placing her tea cup farther away from her just in case.
What would you rather me do? Lie? You're the last person to do that to, Willow.
True. I'm rather difficult like that. Willow glanced around, her headache increasing beyond fathomable pain. I have a bad feeling about this. Should I get out of here?
YES, you big dummy!
Okay, okay, I'm go-
Willow never got to finish her sentence. The pain suddenly vanished from her head. Willow had a single moment to breathe, panic rising in her chest, then she was gone.
Her body fell from her chair, but Willow wasn't there realistically. She found herself standing next to Harry, frozen, unable to move, but still able to see what was in his cup- the Grim. He'd gotten the death omen. Willow hardly believed it, but if her powers were making her have an out-of-body experience, it must be important. Was it true, then? Harry could die! Willow tried to move her arm to knock the cup over, hoping to shatter the image, but she was rooted to the spot, and no one could see her. Professor Trelawney picked up Harry's cup and screamed, attracting the entire class to his and Ron's table. Someone walked through Willow. She gasped and spluttered, the bone-chilling sensation worse than walking through a real ghost. Was she going to be stuck this way forever?
Then, with the blink of an eye, she was in another room. The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was decorated much more modestly this year, more for the students than the professor. Willow was stuck on the landing that led to the professor's office. She tried to remember the new professor's name, but nothing rang a bell. Her body jolted when the door opened, which unfortunately meant her stomach wrenching itself, since her body couldn't move. The professor stepped out of his office. Willow noticed for the first time the scars that criss-crossed his face, the bags under his eyes, and the limp he walked with. She'd missed a lot of observations on the train. He must have been like this since the day before, when his wolf-ghost saved them. Had he gotten into a duel? He appeared as though he could fall over dead at any moment.
Willow gasped as she was suddenly whisked away again, this time to the dungeons, where Snape was brewing a nasty sort of potion. It was stormy grey and appeared to actually be storming. Smoke rolled off of it as Snape stirred it, a livid sort of expression on his face. He slammed the stirring ladle down and stomped into his office. Willow could see he was writing something down. Was it a journal of sorts? Maybe a potion record? Whatever it was, it seemed to be the cause of his irritation, as he broke several quills scribbling down a few sentences.
Snape suddenly stood up, snapped his head in her direction, and walked straight towards her. Willow's heart stopped. He'd found her! But Snape passed directly through her, angrily stirring the cauldron again, peering inside to make sure its contents were correct. Willow's chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to calm herself from the horrible sensation. As she regained her ability to breath, Snape cast the journal aside- directly into Willow's view. She fought with herself, knowing full well that reading someone's personal journal was an appalling violation of privacy, but she wondered if she was meant to read it, because why else would her powers show her this? Then Willow's eyes, seemingly of their own accord, traced their way down the journal and read its contents. She gasped when she finished.
See how reacts to potion.
Sirius Black animagus. He's helping into castle.
Turn into Dumbledore if all goes well.
What on Earth was Snape planning, Willow wondered? Was he trying to poison someone with the potion? What was this about Sirius Black and an animagus? Who's helping who into the castle? And what was this about turning someone into Dumbledore if some sort of meeting goes well? What kind of meeting ended in turning someone into the Headmaster?
Willow didn't get a chance to know, because the moment she asked her last question, her body was whisked away, back to the Divination classroom at last. She was on the floor, shoulder bruised, and head scrambled with electrical signals. The whole ordeal was so confusing, she had no idea what was going on. No one had even noticed her falling out of her chair. Willow tried to get up, but the signals were so strong in her head that her body wouldn't respond. She laid on the floor, rubbing her head, but nothing would get rid of the buzzing warning signs. Willow didn't care what was going on at that point. She just wanted class to be over so she could go to sleep and get rid of her headache...
Suddenly, a voice boomed in her head, and it was most definitely not Cebba's. This one seemed old, ancient, and very powerful, beyond anything Willow had ever experienced in her life- beyond anything she would probably ever experience. She covered her ears, but nothing could dull the thundering voice in her head.
The One born of powers
Will in eleven year's time
Receive the burden of the coming war
When the full moon rises high
She will fight and frolic
Never succumb to fate
But friends, family, lovers, and besides
These lives she will most certainly suffocate
Unless she follows the descendant
Of Hogwarts' great
The trail blazing of a life born of joy
Is the path she shall take
Once arrived at the house
That once knew no lie
A great challenge awaits her
Of whether the betrayer will die
Then she will carry on wings
Of fiery pain
A swift and just punishment
To those whose judgement has maimed
At last she will reach
Her final destination
One of great discovery
And buried secrets that awaits her
In her final moments
She will take a fateful breath
To decide the most difficult matter
And her loved ones' lifespans may reset
She may spare her loved ones
But for how long no one can say
If she succeeds in her task, they are immune only until
They jump into the fray
Great triumph and tragedy
Are all in store
Either could be the result
Of the One's coming war
The voice finally faded away. Cold sweat dripped down Willow's nose and plunked onto the floor. She placed a hand to her chest, shock slowing reality from slapping her in the face. Willow took several deep breaths, struggling to breathe like she'd just finished a four hundred meter dash. What was that? Some sort of prophecy? Was it for her? It was definitely for her. Why else would it be talking about the One with powers for a war?
Willow? Willow! Why can't you hear me? Please tell me you haven't gone brain-dead!
No, I'm still here, unfortunately for you. Cebba, what was that?
There was a long pause of silence in which no voice entered Willow's mind. All she could hear was the rattling of her own struggling lungs. Then, at length, Cebba replied, You weren't supposed to know about that just yet.
Well, that certainly clears things up. What was that?
Uh...a prophecy?
I know that, dummy, but what is it about? What did it all mean?
If Cebba had been visible, Willow would have seen her flinch. It means that there's a lot ahead of you. Lots of trials and tests and loads of rubbish that I didn't want you worrying about at thirteen years of age. Yes, I do care about you, enough to not want you tearing your hair out over a war that's several years away.
So...do you know what's going on with this prophecy, then? Willow asked, finally regaining enough strength to climb into her chair.
Cebba paused. Unfortunately, yes, but just the beginning part of it. The first six lines are talking about you getting your powers and all that, it's a burden all right, blah, blah, blah, you're as stubborn and bullheaded as they come, blah, blah, blah, but the seventh line is where it gets dark. Willow...I'm not sure how to tell you this without you flipping out.
Willow's stomach clenched. Cebba, what is it?
Willow...I'm so sorry, but...if you don't complete this entire prophecy, your family, your friends, even your magical creatures...they're going to...they're going to die.
Willow stood up so suddenly that her chair crashed backwards. You're joking. This is all some sick joke.
It's not, Willow. If you don't do this...they're all going to die.
The gravity of the situation came crashing in. Willow ran her fingers through her hair, panic rising in her chest, squeezing out the remaining air in it. She felt her breaths coming faster and faster. Her friends were going to die. Her family was going to die. Everyone was going to die, and because of her. She was going to snuff out so many lives just because she existed. Willow began to hyperventilate as images of her family, friends, and creatures dying unwittingly flooded her mind.
Willow? There's a way to stop it, I can-
How long have you known? Willow interrupted. Answer me, now!
I- I'm going to be perfectly honest with you, Willow. I've known since the beginning. I didn't tell you because-
You wanted to leave me in the dark? "Protect me" from the truth? Allow me to have my first real friendships for a few years only to let them be ripped away? You had no right to keep this from me! Because of you, my friends are going to die, Cebba! How in the hell did you ever think this was going to work out okay?
Willow, I've always looked out for your best interests-
"Don't talk to me!" Willow shouted out loud, drawing a few peoples' attention.
I promise, I'll help you fix this-
"This is all your fault! I never want to talk to you again! NEVER!"
Before anyone could stop her, Willow ran to the ladder, clambered down it, and descended the stairs faster than humanly possible. Tears threatened to fall as her legs carried her farther and farther away from that stupid tower where everything felt like it was trying to suffocate her. She didn't stop when she saw the "Out of Order" sign on the girls' bathroom. Willow busted down the door and collapsed against the nearest sink, her arms trembling to support her weight while holding onto the rim. She threw water all over her face. She coughed and spluttered, slowly convincing herself to calm down. Crying about the situation wouldn't help anything. She had to be in the right state of mind to fix this.
"Oh? What's this? Another intruder?" a familiarly annoying voice hiccuped.
Willow whipped around, fury suddenly exploding within her. "SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOU FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF RIGHT NOW, MYRTLE! MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE ALL GOING TO DIE, AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO FEEL SORRY FOR, MYRTLE? STUDENTS BULLYING YOU? MY ENTIRE LIFE IS GOING TO BE RIPPED AWAY FROM ME, AND THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT!"
Myrtle instantly burst into tears. "I hate you! Go use someone else's bathroom!"
"What are you going to do about it, Myrtle? Walk right through me? You're already dead!" Willow screamed.
Myrtle sobbed and attempted to drown herself in the nearest toilet, her echoing cries making Willow even more miserable than before. She banged her fists on the wall, anger vanishing in the space of a second, drained of all emotions. Her friends were going to die. How much time did she have before they passed away? It didn't matter, she realized, because all she was ever going to see when she looked at them now was a ghost. Willow sank to her knees. Why did this always have to happen? Why did her friends have to suffer? Why couldn't it be her that would die in their place?
Willow, please, there's a way to stop this- Cebba began.
I told you to go away, Cebba, Willow thought, her gaze hardening.
But I don't want you to do this to yourself, it's extremely unhealthy for you to react like this!
Cebba, if I wanted your help with my health, especially my mental health, I would ask for it. Right now, I'm asking for you to leave me alone. I'm not killing myself.
That's not what I'm-
I don't care what you have to say right now! You've said enough.
There was a long pause before Cebba spoke again. Finally, she sighed and said, Tell me when you're ready, then. I'll be waiting.
Willow's heart sank as she felt Cebba shifting within her so that Willow would not feel her presence or hear her voice. She suddenly realized how empty it felt without the ghostly woman's spirit constantly prodding her and keeping her company. Willow almost regretted her words, but immediately shook her head to clear it. She'd made her choice. Cebba should have told her sooner that her friends would die. If she'd known, Willow wouldn't have made so many friends, wouldn't have gotten so close with so many people. She might have been lonely, but at least no one would have had to die because of her!
Willow's heart stopped when she remembered just how many friends she had: her Gryffindor Sisters, the majority of the Weasleys, the Gryffindor boys, Oliver, Cypress, the Ravenclaw girls, Paige, and Draco. She leaned back against the wall and squeezed her eyes tight, trying to shut out the images tormenting her brain. Her friends weren't dying yet. They were fine, they had to be! But her brain kept flicking from situation to situation, every possibility for her friends to get murdered or worse flashing before her mind's eye. Cold sweat dripped down Willow's forehead once more. She struggled to breathe, her chest rising and falling too rapidly for the proper amount of oxygen to circulate. What could she do? There was no solution jumping to mind. But her friends were doomed to die! There had to be something!
"Willow? Willow!" a voice called, seemingly far away. A blurry figure kneeled in front of her. "Talk to me! Please tell me you aren't dying!"
"Hey, if you've poisoned yourself or something, you've got to tell me now, or I won't get back to the lab in time to grab you an antidote, so hurry up," another voice said.
Willow shook her head, closing her eyes to block out the blurry outlines. What was happening to her? Was she dying from an overreaction to the news? Would that stop her friends from dying? Willow's mind was so scrambled, she couldn't form another coherent thought. All she could do was sink further and further into oblivion, heart shattering from the horrible scenes playing out, her mind so far cracked that it seemed nothing could reboot it...
WHACK!
Willow gasped and spluttered, her eyes and brain suddenly able to focus once again. Kneeling in front of her were two of her best friends. Cypress had his hand poised, ready to strike, and Oliver had buried his face in Cypress's shoulder. Both of them sighed with relief when she looked at them.
"Good, you're not dying," Cypress said.
"Willow! Don't ever scare me like that again!" Oliver cried, flinging his arms around her neck. Willow weakly hugged him back. "We thought something horrible was happening when you ran out of class, so we looked all over for you, then Cypress remembered that everyone runs here when they want to be alone, and we found you sitting here, looking like you'd- you'd- "
"I'm not killing myself anytime soon- or ever. I promise," Willow said, rubbing his back. "I just- I was having an argument. With Cebba. It was kind of alarming, but we've sorted it out now, and I'm fine. How did you snap me out of that, by the way?"
Cypress smirked. "I got to slap you in the face. It was awesome."
Willow scoffed. "Congratulations. I bet you've been wanting to do that since the day you met me."
"Oh, I've been dreaming of that since the first time you did something incredibly Gryffindor-ish, also known as stupid," Cypress said. "I think I feel a little remorse, but the future ruler of the world can't have remorse, so I'll put that cause down as pain from my hand."
Willow rolled her eyes. "Alright, I get it, you don't want me to die since I'm semi-useful. I'll stay alive a little bit longer for your sake."
"A little longer? You have to live until you're at least ninety!" Oliver squeaked fearfully.
"You know what I mean," Willow sighed. She checked her watch and jumped to her feet. "Merlin's beard, class starts in two minutes! We've got to get out of here!"
"Wait, you never told us what was happening between you and Ceb- " Cypress started.
"I'll tell you later!" Willow lied, hurriedly washing off her face and combing her fingers through her hair. "See you guys later! Thank you so much for coming after me! Love you guys! Please tell your professor that it's my fault you're late!"
Before they could stop her, Willow burst out of Myrtle's bathroom, sprinted down the corridors, crashed into a suit of armor, and finally made it to the Transfiguration classroom, only a few bruises on her shoulder. Professor McGonagall was just about to begin the lesson and peered at Willow suspiciously from behind her brown-framed glasses. Willow sucked in a breath, hoping to God she wasn't about to get detention. McGonagall simply pursed her lips and shook her head, though, and began the lesson on animagi straight away. Willow tried her best to not breathe heavily and disrupt class. It turned out that it wasn't necessary, however, as everyone was still brooding over their previous class with Professor Trelawney. Willow gave up and face-planted into her desk, letting her exhausted body and mind rest for a moment.
"Hey, are you dying again?" a voice whispered.
Willow groaned. "Yes."
"On a scale of zero to infinity, how dumb was the thing you did this time?"
Willow sighed. "For once, I didn't do anything."
Mandy nodded sarcastically. "Yes, because Willow Guerrero is known for passing up the chance to run after trolls, attack evil two-faced teachers, sprint into the Forbidden Forest for no reason whatsoever, and attempt to get murdered by former Death Eaters."
"I'm serious! I actually didn't do anything this time!" Willow protested.
Sue and Lisa exchanged a glance with Mandy, then all three looked at Willow with an expression that might as well have shouted what they were thinking, it was so clear. Willow slumped in her chair.
"It wasn't my fault, but I think running out of Divination was, but Professor Trelawney didn't even see me, so...it's a good question of whether or not it was stupid."
"Willow! You ran out of class?" Lisa gasped.
"You could get serious detention for that!" Sue warned.
"Hey, I was dealing with a very difficult situation, and for your information, class ended early, like, five minutes after I left!" Willow said. "Besides, I had a massive migraine from the classroom's smell. I had to get out of there."
Mandy glanced at Willow suspiciously. "What do you mean by difficult situation?"
Willow's blood froze. "Uh...nothing I need to share."
"I call B.S. on that, even from three desks away," Sam whisper-shouted from the back of the class. "Seriously, Willow, you can't have your moral of not running away from your problems if you keep running away from yourself."
"That's not...physically possible?" Willow said, brain going into overdrive to think of a convincing lie.
"Willow! You're going to tell us what happened right now, or we're forcing it out of you in any way necessary!" Sally threatened.
At long last, a light bulb went off in Willow's head. She assumed the most hollow voice she could to make her story stick. "Fine, but be warned, it's kind of disturbing. When we were reading tea leaves in Divination, Professor Trelawney came over to read Harry's cup. She literally screamed. Apparently, Harry had the Grim, some sort of black dog that haunts graveyards. It foretells...death."
Lisa and Sue clapped their hands to their mouths. Mandy and the Smith twins blinked in surprise. "You're joking!"
Willow shook her head gravely, heart doing a happy dance as they ate up the partially true story. "I'm not. Harry's been foretold to die, and I didn't handle it very well, so I ran off. Cypress and Oliver had to find me and remind me to go to my next class, which is why I ended up running here. Now I'm exhausted and already want to go back to bed."
Lisa gently put her hand on Willow's shoulder. "I'm really sorry that had to happen to you, Willow. No one should have to learn that their friend will die, even if the prediction might be false. It can be scary, I'm sure. We're all here if you need us."
Willow nodded, internally flinching as her stomach decided to reenact Lucius's blade puncturing it. "Thanks. I think I'm pretty much over it, but I'll let you guys know if I need something."
"In translation, we'll corner you when you need something," Sam said.
Willow half-smiled. "Yeah, that's a more accurate way of putting it."
"Miss Guerrero, are you done with your conversation, or am I still interrupting?" Professor McGonagall said with an eerie calm, making Willow jump.
"I'm done, Professor, sorry!"
Professor McGonagall nodded and went back to the lesson. Raising her eyebrows and gesturing towards the front of the room, Willow and her friends all simultaneously decided to pay attention before they lost three hundred house points. The lesson continued in rather content silence, Professor McGonagall's voice the only one filling the space, informing them about animagi and their special abilities. Willow nearly choked on her own air when she realized there were hardly any to exist except for those at Uagadou. She seriously doubted the Ministry would be okay with her ability to transform into any animal or magical creature at will without their supervision. Biting her lip, Willow wrote a small note to her dad and tucked it into her pocket. She got the sense that she shouldn't reveal her powers to the world, of course, but how much trouble would she get in now compared to the storm that would descend on her after accidental damage was done and she was discovered? Hopefully she could get away with staying under the radar for now, but knowing herself, she'd accidentally tumble directly into the Ministry's spotlight.
Willow was glad when lunch came. She instantly threw her textbooks into her bag and rushed out the door, leaving the majority of her guilt back in the classroom. After a hasty bout of roast beef sandwiches and potatoes, she remembered she'd forgotten her Monster Book of Monsters and ran upstairs to grab it. When she pulled it out of her trunk, however, she realized with a pang of horror that she'd never tightened the strap around it. One of her t-shirts had been completely torn to shreds by the crazed book. Willow leapt backwards as it darted for her shoes, growling and snapping around her toes as she backed away. Deciding that this wasn't going anywhere, she surprised the book by diving on it, which did the trick to keep its mouth from chomping her robes. Willow reached for the belt hanging off her dresser. As she did so, her leg brushed the spine of the book. It whimpered and calmed down for a second. Furrowing her brow, Willow touched the spine again. The book quivered and even made a noise that resembled a purr. Thinking she was probably going insane, she carefully shifted her weight onto the floor and stroked the spine of the book. It suddenly flopped open to page one. Willow raised her eyebrows.
"That was...something," she said.
Checking her watch, Willow suddenly closed her book and tucked it tightly under her arm, running out of the dormitories at a fast pace. If there was one class she couldn't be late to, it was Care of Magical Creatures. She couldn't do that to Hagrid! Willow managed to make it across the castle, onto the grounds, and to the edge of the Forbidden Forest where Hagrid's hut stood in record time. A small crowd was already gathered there. Willow grimaced when she recognized one of her classmates.
"Great, we've got Blonde Brickhead and the Two Buffoons," Mandy muttered, sauntering up next to her. "Just what I wanted to start my year off in what's probably going to be the least boring class."
Willow sighed. "Let's keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't sabotage Hagrid, okay?"
Mandy smirked. "Just give me the word, and he'll wish he'd never been born."
Not sure whether to be terrified or comforted, Willow gathered with the rest of their class at Hagrid's hut, then followed the burly teacher around the perimeter of the Forbidden Forest and into a paddock she'd never seen before. She got distracted by her book tearing at her robes, already having forgotten to be calm again. Willow struggled with it until she managed to stroke its furry spine again. When she looked up, Mandy was glaring daggers at Draco, Harry, Ron, and Hermione seemed utterly furious and were muttering among themselves, and the rest of the Gryffindors shifted uncomfortably, some obviously torn between anger and exasperation.
"Um...what did I miss?" Willow whispered.
"Only that stupid blonde idiot trying to ruin Hagrid's mood," Cypress said, smoothly slotting in next to her and Mandy. "Yes, my hair may be the same colour as his, and they say our hair colour is notoriously dumb, but we all know mine's golden blonde. The rest of them are idiots."
"Well, you're a potions genius, so you can't be part of that stereotype anyway," Oliver remarked, appearing from behind Cypress.
Cypress grinned. "Yeah, I am a genius, aren't I?" Mandy snorted. "See, even the Metamorphagus agrees!"
Mandy rolled her eyes. "Don't let your ego grow too big, Cypress. I'd be more than happy to shrink it down to size."
"Oh, you won't have to, I'll have conquered the world by then."
"We'll see about that."
"Ooh, what's that?" Oliver squealed, pointing to the far side of the paddock.
Willow clapped a hand to her mouth. A handful of some of the most beautiful creatures she had ever seen were running towards them, all roped together by Hagrid. Her dad had told her stories when she was young of these magnificent magical creatures. She couldn't remember the exact stories, but the moral was always the same: appearances are deceiving. The hippogriffs bounding towards them were armed with claws and muscles galore, as were most magical creatures, but when Willow really looked at them, their bodies were sleek, powerful, and majestic, and their eyes were a gorgeous orange. These hippogriffs were like any others, with the head of an eagle and the body of a horse. Willow couldn't stop staring at the black specimen. Its feathers were jet black, not even a hint of dark grey daring to show itself. Its claws appeared metallic, its fur coat gleamed in the sunlight, and its eyes stood out so brightly against its midnight hue.
"Now that is how you pull off a dark look," Cypress commented.
"Shh! I'm trying to listen to Hagrid!" Mandy shushed.
"Yeah, right, Mandy actually listening to a professor," Cypress said sarcastically, grinning at an exasperated Mandy. "You never pay attention, and I mean never."
Mandy smirked. "Your voice is annoying, but I do happen to pay attention, if only when it interests me. Right now, I want to know how I can become best friends with that hippogriff to ask him how he manages to protect his feathers from fading."
Cypress scoffed. "My voice can't be annoying, or you wouldn't listen to it so often."
Mandy sighed. "Just shut up and pay attention so we don't get sliced into a million hippogriff treats."
The four of them fell silent. Willow tried to pay attention, but after a minute of silence, her brain returned to the events leading up to her breakdown, replaying it over and over, trying to process and make sense of it all. The more she heard the terrifying prophecy, the more paranoid she became. It echoed over and over in her mind until her ears were helpless to it. Willow couldn't stand being helpless. She'd had nightmares of being unable to move, trapped, beyond reach of her friends, unable to protect them because she couldn't stand on her own two feet. The prophecy wouldn't leave her alone, bouncing from eardrum to eardrum like a pinball. She couldn't stop it no matter how hard she strained her brain to focus.
The One born of powers...Receive the burden of the coming war...Never succumb to fate...These lives she will most certainly suffocate...
"Willow, you in there?" Mandy said, suddenly snapping Willow out of her trance. "We're going to meet our new hippogriff buddy. You coming, or no?"
"What? Oh, yeah, sorry, I'm coming."
Willow approached the paddock and climbed over the fence, helping Oliver over as well. She looked on in a daze at her friends as they bowed before the hippogriff. What was wrong with her? The prophecy wasn't going anywhere, so why was she thinking about it so much? Why was she letting it affect her so much? She should be tougher, Willow thought. She should be much tougher than this. She should be trying to figure out how to fix the situation, not moping around about it! But...how could she when every time she looked at her friends, she could practically feel their souls slipping away? Was she just imagining that? Was she being melodramatic?
"Willow, it's your turn!" Oliver said, smiling triumphantly next to Cypress.
Willow internally cussed at herself. She'd have time to brood and be a moody teenager later. "Oh, right! I'll try this."
Glancing up, Willow sized up the jet-black hippogriff. He was a marvel to look at. His body was proportional, the size of him was enough to turn heads, and his muscles rippled underneath his feathers and fur. Willow slowly sank into a bow and tried to slow her blinking. Unsurprisingly, the hippogriff lowered himself into what was the equivalent of a bow as well. Willow grinned and gently stroked his feathers, staring into his blazing orange eyes, reading the world of emotion within it. She liked this hippogriff. He wasn't at all terrifying to her, simply another fluffy pet she would probably end up naming and falling in love with. She even wondered if he would like Griffin. The moody griffin would need a playmate soon.
All of a sudden, a scream split the air. Willow's thoughts dissipated as soon as they had come. She collapsed to her knees, hands over her ears. Her eardrums finally stopped ringing enough for her to hear the sound of her hammering heart. That scream, that blood-curdling scream, it had sounded so similar to something, so similar to something Willow was still trying to forget. She clutched her chest and forced herself to take deep breaths. This couldn't happen right now. She couldn't break down. Not at Hagrid's first class. She couldn't ruin his teaching career.
Judging by the student he was carrying up to the castle, however, it appeared as though someone had beat her to that. None other than Draco Malfoy was swinging limply in Hagrid's burly arms, a gash clearly from the claws of a hippogriff trailing blood down his arm. Willow's fear morphed into anger quicker than she could blink. She marched up to the group of Slytherins following Hagrid up towards the castle, walking furiously within their ranks and listening intently to their mutterings.
"-can't believe he let that happen- "
"-place is becoming a dump- "
"-should be fired for that- "
Willow flexed her fists. How dare they say those things about Hagrid? It's not like it was his fault that Draco Malfoy has a grudge against anyone that isn't pureblood and is a decent human being! The whisperings were really beginning to piss Willow off by the time they reached the Entrance Hall. All the stress of the day piled up into one big cauldron that was beginning to boil over...
"Well, at least no one died," Mandy said, walking up behind Willow, making her leap a foot in the air. "I mean, we could have easily- "
"I'll be right back," Willow interrupted quickly, suddenly breaking into a run in the opposite direction.
The anger was already gone. In its place was something Willow had never experienced before, a weird accumulation of something she'd never wanted to discover. Her chest rose and fell far too fast, hindering her run. Willow collapsed next to the wall only a short ways beyond the Entrance Hall, sweat pouring down her shirt, confusion and panic setting in all at once. What was going on? Why was she breaking down? Why did Mandy's words drill her in the gut so hard? How could the prophecy have this tight of a hold on her already?
"Willow? What's wrong?" Mandy said, rounding the corner. "I was just joking about us dying, we didn't even come close- "
"Stop! Stop saying that!" Willow said, her mind and body physically hurting.
"Willow, I'm just joking, no one's dying- "
"Please, for the love of God, shut up!" Willow shouted.
Mandy stared at her, face frozen in shock. Willow got up and sprinted away before Mandy could stop her. She blindly tore through corridors and hallways until she couldn't run anymore. Lungs burning with the effort, Willow struggled to breathe, and her throat tightened the more she panicked. Her hand shot out to steady herself on the wall.
It's fine, you're fine, they're all fine, no one's dying, Willow told herself over and over. NO ONE IS DYING.
But no matter how hard she tried, she knew deep down, there was no convincing herself otherwise. The prophecy was real. This was happening in real life.
And her friends were going to die, all because of her.