Precognition
Chapter 5: New Troubles, Same Timeline
The next morning
-Hermione Granger
Boys! I can never and will never understand them! How can they be so… dull-witted that talking to a wall sounds like a reasonable thing to do! Even with all that McGonagall had said, they still would believe that Harry would put his name in willingly… Of course that even through all the explanation and all the logic that she had brought forward, they would still go and congratulate him as if Harry wanted the bloody attention! Now I got to worry about both of them meaning I can't even take the time to use this break to study!
Of course they wouldn't listen! I mean, what was I going to expect?! Especially from Ron this morning! Could he act civilized and be reasoned with? No, of course not! Instead, Ron gives me an ultimatum to which I HAVE to choose a side!? Not only that! He had the audacity to believe that I would IMMEDIATELY choose his side and not even consider Harry at all! And in typical Ron fashion, without even attempting to listen to me, I now have the indignity to have to play mediator for him…
Of course, Harry does what Harry does best when it comes to these kinds of situations. He takes all the responsibility, never backs down from it and holds it as if the moment he would let go, it would be his own personal failure… I don't know whether I should applaud or curse his tenacity to other people's responsibility!? It's not his fault that Ron is being a complete tw-… jerk at the moment.
I could hear footsteps behind me as I shook my head, an attempt to shake the multitude of thoughts in my head as I turned to see Ginny quickly walking towards me as I gave her a wave. She gave a small wave back as she walked up.
"H-Hey Hermione… H-have you… Um… D-Did you…" She panted, taking a moment to catch her breath as I tilted my head to the side.
"Don't tell me Ron did something rash…" I asked flatly, the first thought going through my head as I knew his temperament. Ginny, however, shook her head as she finally stood up a bit straighter.
"Why would… Oh right…" She clued in as she gave a small frown before seemingly disregarding whatever she was thinking about. "Sorry… Have you seen Harry? Apparently, Colin has been looking for him and can't seem to find him."
"He's not anywhere in the school? I think he should be in Muggle Studies right now…" I asked as Ginny immediately shook her head again.
"No… Apparently, Professor Burbage had let him go early from Muggle Studies after he requested it so…." She trailed as Hermione put a hand on her chin. Knowing Harry, and the current status of things, he would be looking somewhere to be secluded as to give him time to think but also somewhere where he could be doing something.
"Have you checked the Owlery?" I asked, stopping short of explaining why. I figured by now that Harry would have written to Sirius and even if he didn't, it was a lowball question to make sure Harry wasn't trying to shell up again and was at least trying to open up to someone else.
"Yeah… Hedwig is still there although one of the Ravenclaws told me that he was sending off a letter with one of the school owls."
Ah… So he did write a letter to Sirius most likely… That's at least a step in the right direction…
"Hmm… What about the Quidditch Field or the Lake? Maybe he's out there…" I suggested as Ginny's eyes lit up as she realized her mistake.
"Ah! Why didn't I think of that? I should have checked there first. I feel so stupid!" She said, as I reached an arm up on her shoulder.
"No you aren't." I said immediately as Ginny gave me a small smile of acknowledgement. "Come on, let's go get him."
I started to walk away as we both walked in relative silence. We passed students who were wearing badges, similar to the S.P.E.W badges she made that had the written tag "Support Cedric Diggory – The Real Hogwarts Champion!" to which the tag would spin suddenly to a mock picture of Harry's deflating face as it then tag "Potter Stinks".
…
WAIT! Those are my-…
"You have to be joking…" I dryly said, as Ginny seemed to squint and then frown as she also noticed the offending material. The problem wasn't the fact the material was the thing, granted; I bet that Malfoy had some form of hand in this… It's the fact that it seemed that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students were also wearing the offending badge.
Students seem to be nonchalant about it, seemingly wearing it as if it was a part of the norm as they simply kept at their conversations. I sighed heavily to myself as I saw what had become of my badges; "I thought people were actually taking my issue more seriously…"
Ginny looked wholly unimpressed as she gave me a comforting look as we made it towards the hallway to the Field. Unfortunately, the way there was also littered with those offending badges as it became more apparent that it was going to the norm to find a group of students who were wearing the badges.
"Merlin, I thought it was just the Slytherins… I was sure it was just some baseless rumor Malfoy was running around about Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw… I would have never imagined Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw stooping to their level." Ginny dryly added, only after we had turned the corner and made sure that no one else was within hearing distance to her comment.
"Is everyone using my badges for this purpose now?" I asked as Ginny gave a moment of thought before answering.
"Mostly everyone, you have your few that aren't following along but looks like to be the majority…" She answered, giving a soft sigh as we got closer to the field. "I can't imagine how Harry is feeling…"
Or thinking… I added mentally to myself. "Right, what was with the rush of finding Harry anyways?"
"Uh… It's about the tournament from what Colin told me. Something about inspecting their wands?..." She trailed off as I had to follow her eyes to then have my own eyes bulge in shock at the spectacle that was unfolding. Flying way above us was what I could only assume was Harry flying on his broom… Well, it was less of flying and more of a BLOODY SPECTACLE!
"What the blazes is he doing?!" I hissed. Flying shouldn't even be the right word for what I was watching; a better word would be pure insanity. The speed that he was moving on his broom was far faster than I had ever seen before, as I could barely make it out although Ginny seemed to be able to track him as he seemed to be chasing something.
"He's definitely chasing the snitch…. No way! Is that the Mueller-Hoop Gambit?" Ginny stated in awe as I was more looking in disbelief. We watched as Harry seemed to be rounding the backs of the Hoops at quite a fast pace. He seemed to be aiming just through the hoops as I nervously watched as he got closer and closer to the hoop. It seemed as if the snitch was going through the hoops as his momentum sped up.
"Isn't that really-… Merlin's Beard!" I exclaimed as we both watched him let go from his broom. It looked as if he just pushed the broom just below the hoop itself as he began to soar through it. The broom itself kept moving forward, zipping just underneath the hoop railing as he soared gracefully through the left most hoop. With arms stretched out, I could only watch as it seemed his left arm grabbed something as he began to slowly fall; that was until his right arm grabbed the broom although both himself and the broom immediately dipped downwards.
Hanging on with just one hand and going down with a momentum of speed, it seemed that he was going to crash. However, he pivoted his body so that he was upside down and then rolled himself back right side up before pulling the broom up. It was only at this moment that I had realized I was holding my breath as I gave a long sigh of relief as Ginny and I watched him land.
"Holy shit!" I heard Ginny say next to me as I gave her a hard look. She immediately noticed and gave a cough as she followed; "I mean… Wow…"
"Wow indeed." I repeated dryly as we made our way to the middle of the field as I gave a wave towards Harry. It took him a few moments, mostly I think that he was basking in whatever glory boys like to think about when they do stupid stunts like that, before he finally noticed us and said;
"Oh! Hey Hermione! Hey Ginny! What's up?" He asked, kneeling down as he opened what looked to be the Quidditch Chest that held all the different balls. The chest gave a couple of jumps, seeing as how the bludgers were still contained.
"Might I ask what the world were you doing?" I asked dryly as Harry seemed to look up and gave a small shrug.
"Wanted to go out and fly a bit on the broom… To clear my mind." He answered, a bit too nonchalant for my taste as I opened my mouth to speak when…
"Harry! That was so awesome! How did you find the Mueller-Hoop Gambit?" Ginny gushed; almost hopping up and down from the excitement that I thought was pure recklessness as Harry scratched his head.
"Found it in one of the Quidditch Strategy for Seekers Manuals. Thought it be something cool to try out…" Harry said.
"Your take-off was so good and the catch at the end! How long were you practicing?" She asked excitedly.
"Not that long… Three weeks at most… I think I messed up the transition as I think my foot hit the hoop…" Harry stated. Typical of him to play it down which Ginny was having none of it.
"You looked bloody amazing! The broom-hoop-broom transition looked so clean! That was like… semi-pro stuff you did!" She continued as I gave her a small ribbing as I could see that Harry was taken it in with a smile but in the typical style of being uncomfortable with praise.
"Ginny... Any more praise and you might humble Harry into the ground…" I teased as Ginny seemed to realize what she was doing and I could easily see her go immediately red in the face. "Anyways, Ginny here has something you need to know."
"I do?..." She said, taking a moment from my deadpan stare to register what I meant. "Oh right!... Umm… Bagman said that all Champions are needed to go to the Second Floor. I think you need to get your picture taken."
"Great… Fan-f… Ugh…" Just be looking at Harry, I could visualize the inner groaning to himself as his face looked like he sucked a sour lemon as he did a very poor job in concealing what was his growing distaste to the situation. Ginny seem to give an apologetic look as she too noticed his displeasure.
"It can't be that bad, could it?" Ginny said, giving me a look as if I had something to say that could help rectify the situation. To be honest, I don't think there was… Harry hated the attention and especially how he has been; it was almost like he was allergic to it.
"Don't you try and jinx it." Harry commented dryly as Ginny gave a small, yet visible wince from his snarky response as I merely rolled my eyes. Stepping beside him, I gave him a hefty push as I pulled my wand and levitated the box up.
"Come on you! Stop moping and hurry up! Faster you get there, faster you get it over with!" I said, watching as Harry gave a visible mouth of 'Ow!' I saw he was about to protest, his eyes lying towards the Quidditch chest.
"I got the box. Just be quick about changing. I don't want to be wasting my break any more than I have too!" I stated, interrupting whatever protest he was about to give as he gave a soft huff before making his way to the Gryffindor change rooms.
"If you don't hurry up, don't think I won't come in and curse you to move faster!" I finally added as that seemed to be the final nail in the coffin. Whatever protest was left was given in his sluggish movement as I rolled my eyes. Ginny, I could hear, was giggling silently behind me as I gave her a quizzical look before she shrugged her shoulders.
"Mother Hen Hermione…" She simply stated, before going back to giggling to my response as I could only give her a dead-pan stare. I wasn't going to validate that remark as I huffed to myself. Why was Harry like this sometimes? He could be so mature and intelligent and other times… He could be just a stubborn child…
Boys… I will never understand them…
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-Harry Potter
So you know that line that says that the 'first few days' after the whole Goblet of Fire were bad… Yeah, I was a bit too optimistic to think the 'worse' was just those damn badges and snide remarks. You know, similar to how the movie would go… However, what I should have expected (and had stupidly forgotten) was the vindication teenagers were willing to go for their 'school' identity.
To be frank, it was fucking miserable; For Beauxbatons and Drumstrang, the hostility was… ironically the most understandable but they were still foreign guests in a foreign school. Most of their hostility was the more of the face value of it; a cold shoulder there, a dirty look here, an entitled gossip loud enough I could hear the insults sprinkled in over there.
Yet, it was not as bad as those from Hogwarts. This was the only thought in my head as I felt a hard pinch and the following pain that seared from my arm as I blinked to see Hermione giving me her worried look.
"Harry! What's going on?" She asked as I gave a look around. What in the-… How fast did we get-… Where-…
"Um… Where's Ginny?" I asked dumbly, a partial slip as my thoughts left my mouth before I could really stop myself as Hermione gave a small huff.
"Weren't you listening? She left a few minutes ago to not be late for her next class with Moody…" She stated although that didn't stop her from looking around before nudging me into an empty classroom. The force behind it has always been and will always be a lot stronger than you might think. She was a bloody force when it came to what she wanted.
"Seriously though…" She said, shutting the door behind us as she gave me a worried look. "What is going on?"
Okay… That tone of voice really got to stop reminding me of my mother because she nails that down to a tee. Well, fuck it! Might as well get her opinion on this matter, at least I can do her that much…
"No, I'm not fu-…. It's hard Hermione." I said, holding my tongue from my natural obscenities as she gave me a soft look. A hip slid to her side as she quickly put down her books before patting a seat next to her. I gave her a raised brow as I couldn't help but ask;
"Aren't you going to be late? We only got-…" "No, you stay right where you are! Your sanity is more important and we are going to talk about this right here, right now! Now sit down before I hex you into the chair!" She immediately countered which I couldn't help but look surprised from the sudden change in language. So I did what any sane man did when a woman asked them to do something… You do it.
We sat next to each other as Hermione sat a bit straighter, looking right at me as she asked;
"How bad is it? And be straight with me…" She said. Sometimes, one forgets how good of a friend Hermione was especially when it came to mental support during this time.
"Bad is an understatement… What part you want to know? The new level of ostracization or every student, except those in Gryffindor, hates me… although our house isn't that great as well." I dryly stated as I could only give a derisive laugh as I continued.
"I thought it was only going to be bad with Beauxbatons and Drumstrang. I didn't think they would be so… so… so fucking petty about it." I turned around, flailing a fist onto a desk as I could feel the pain sear into it but I could also see a small indent from the power as I tried to calm myself.
"The badges I get! That was probably Malfoy's 'cunning' idea and he's known for being the King of Petty, so that's a given. But Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs!... And their 'pranks!' They aren't even funny nor original, they are just plain stupid!"
What do I mean by 'pranks?' I THOUGHT it was going to be small time stuff like gum in the hair, stealing books and what not, you know simple things but with a sprinkle of magic because who wouldn't want to see someone open a book and then have a howler scream 'Bloody Mary'.
"I heard about the water prank from Fred and George. They were not happy about it being labeled as a prank..." Hermione mused as I gave her a scoff.
"It's not a prank Hermione! It was a fucking attack. No one in their right mind puts a sealed pressure spell inside a bottle and then tries to pass it on without thinking it was not going to hurt someone. I was just not stupid enough to open it and it was only by sure dumb luck a first year came by that it even happened. Thank the lucky stars that I was there to deflect it and not watch a First Year end up with a dislocated fucking shoulder!" I yelled, the anger rising more and more.
"I can't believe that they give me a water bomb, and then have the audacity to disclaim it. They literally almost crippled a First Year! Even after that, they wouldn't even acknowledge the stupidity! At least Professor McGonagall saw through it but what they got was merely a slap on the wrist!
Another fist slammed into the desk, I could hear a snap coming from the power as I continued; "It's so bloody infuriating that somehow, I am getting an ounce of sympathy from Snape! Snape! Of all people giving me sympathy! What universe am I living in?!"
Hermione, on the other hand, had to quickly stand up as she began to watch desks around her begin to levitate slowly as she walked up to me. She put a soft look and a hand on my shoulder as her tone got much softer;
"Harry… Take a couple breathes for me." She said as she was like soothing water to my ears. The ringing silently calmed itself as I gave a couple of breaths before continuing.
"I-I… just don't get it Hermione..." Hermione was giving me this look, the 'motherly look', that mixture of sympathy, empathy and worry that she was well known for. However, what I could not make it was that spark in her eye as she gave a moment of thought, deep I might had, to herself.
"Fuck them!" Yeah, I thought so-… Wait…
"Excuse me? Did you just-…" She gave me a dead serious look as the realization of what she said sank in.
"Exactly! Fuck them…" She said, almost as I would get it. Look! Hermione, if anything, is never crass. Intelligent snark has always been her thing so for her to be so… blunt was jaw-dropping. She folded her arms as she continued.
"Look, Harry… They are nothing compared to you. They sit in their groups, hiding as you literally take on the world. If there is anything to say to them, it is just that. You are nothing, if not better than all of them! You study harder! You work harder! You are anything but what they say and you are most certainly not what they claim… So yeah, fuck them."
There was a brief moment of pause as I had to let what she said sink in… And to be honest, it was fucking amazing and nothing more came out of my mouth than laughter. Full-blown elated laughter as I couldn't help but realize that was most 'un-Hermione', yet Hermione answer: Rarely as she been both crass, yet still true and straight to the point. It seemed she had realized her answer and began to laugh along with me as it took us another few moments before we could finally get our act together.
"Tha-… Thanks Hermione." Wiping a tear from my eye, I had to catch my breath as we both leaned on the desk. "I really needed that…"
"To be honest, it felt pretty good." She said, although she was still covering her mouth. She was able to be a bit better, giggling silently as she waved a bit of her hair over her shoulder. She gave a moment to herself before recovering to her normal calmness.
"How did you end up at the Field? I thought you had Burbage…" She said as I gave her a knowing look.
"It was her idea. She saw that I still needed some space and the Ravenclaws were being wholly frustrating to the point I was about to hex them all, damn the amount of detentions I would be given…"
"Harry... You know that doesn't help…" She trailed as I clicked my tongue.
"Just because I said it, doesn't mean I'm going to do it…" I attempted to reassure her as she gave it a moment of thought before seemingly letting it go. I knew that she was trying to make sure that I wasn't going to pull a 'Ron', but at this moment, just give me the opportunity to imagine it.
"So I assume that-…" "Yes I did finish it. Although technically, I don't actually have to do it because of the fun perk of being a Champion..." My interruption was met with what stare she was about to give me as I raised my hands in acknowledge. "Again, I didn't say I was going to abuse it…"
"You better not Mr. Potter. Your grades have been excellent so far…" The dry tone of McGonagall ran between us as both of us immediately wheeled on the spot to see the Professor with her arms folded as we both realized her presence.
"Um… May I ask how much you heard Professor?" I asked sheepishly as she simply folded her arms and gave me the most unique of a neutral stare.
"Enough to know..." She said, tilting her head towards Hermione as I swear I could hear the quietest of 'eep' escape from her lips. "I believe you have class Ms. Granger, it would be dreadful if you are late…"
God damn it… I could only watch as Hermione gave me a small side glance before grabbing her stuff and quickly making her way out the classroom as the stare from McGonagall trail behind her before it was only myself and the Professor. Reading McGonagall was like trying to read Latin; I had no bloody clue…
"So… um… Ah… What can I help you with Professor?" I asked as timidly as I could.
"You're late." Wow… She really isn't having any of it… Great… Flat chance I could squeeze out of it by the look she was giving, yeah… No, I wasn't going anywhere as I gave a sigh. I simply followed to the door, only for a hand to land on my shoulder.
"Mr. Potter." She said, waiting for me to give her a glance before softening her look for the briefest of moments. "I know you are stressed but I want you to know that… I understand. Please don't hesitate to talk to me if there is anything you need."
I blinked a couple of times, the words sinking in as she simply gave me a nod and then walked in front without uttering another word. Well… That's an interesting turn and I would have put more thought into it if wasn't for the-… Holy! That is about more reporters than I thought… Here I was thinking all I had to avoid the whole Rita thing was show up insanely late…
Mr. Potter! Mr. Potter! Mr Potter!
And... Here comes the following chanting as I could see reporters turn their immediate attention away from the other three Champions as they rushed me.
"How did you get into the tournament?"
"Are you looking forward to competing?"
"Do you think your age is a severe detriment to the tournament?"
"How are you planning to get ready for the tournament?"
What in the-... I had half the mind to immediately bring my wand out to hex them all but Dumbledore seemed to step in front as his presence halted the advance.
"Now, now… Young Harry has never done this type of interview so bombarding him with questions will end you with nothing... It seems we are already behind schedule. I think a couple questions will suffice." He mediated as looks can easily tell that no one was happy with his comment but no one was going to really object to THE Headmaster Dumbledore.
"Please limit to the tournament only and also remember, even though Harry is a champion, he is still a minor." I was sort of hoping Dumbledore would bail me out but it looks like that wasn't going to be the case. I could immediately see reporters' hands raised as some even attempted to vie for Dumbledore's attention as Dumbledore pointed at one of the many obscured raised hands.
"Rita Skeeter. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Mr. Potter..." Well…. Fuck. I only gave a silent, yet forced smile as I could see her quill begin to move on its own. "Now, I speak for most of us but we would like to know how you were able to trick the 'great' Albus Dumbledore and his age line?"
How does she do that with her voice? Never mind… At least this should be quite simple to-…
"Ah… Ms… Skeeter..." Dumbledore interrupted as I gave him a quick glance. I didn't even know Dumbledore could sound so… calm, yet annoyed at the same time. "I believed that I have already told you, as well as everyone else that Young Harry's participation was a loophole found within the Goblet of Fire AND that he has had nothing to do with his entering of his name as per our current investigation…"
"Ah… Professor Dumbledore."She sweetly replied. "There is no need to be so sour… I simply wanted his opinion…"
Damn… With the few shaking heads of tentative agreement that were following Rita's word, I think I might have underestimated her "journalistic" talents.
"I believe that his 'side' has nothing to do with the current tournament at hand. It is an internal affair and investigations are being done as we speak." Dumbledore said as Rita clicked her tongue.
"Ah, but Professor… Are you saying that you are not one that seeks the truth?… All we wish for is his side of the story…" Rita immediately replied, smug grin on her face as she felt as if she had gotten the last word. Well, that was until I saw that glint in his eyes.
"Indeed I am. But this is about Harry and the tournament… However, if you wish to be so inclined on the specific topic of the truth you seek, I will simply take over the interview from here…"
Okay… That was… Did he do that in the book? I knew that Dumbledore was a political player but damn! That was one smooth way of threatening to end an interview without explicitly stating so…
"Mr. Potter!" My eyes simply drew onto what looked to be a small and stocky looking woman as she waved for apparent attention. The awkward pause had drawn her out as she began to ask her attention once she had noticed my gaze fall upon her. "Annie Langham of the Daily Prophet! How do you feel your chances are considering the age gap between yourself and the other competitors?"
"Uh… Well… I am more on the side of trying to survive than noting my actual chances. I can't deny that their age might have some benefits but I think I am more than capable to catch up." I immediately replied. At least I wouldn't have to point as Dumbledore pointed to another reporter, some man in the way corner of the group.
"Mr. Potter! Would you be able to elaborate on how you are going to plan to win the tournament?"
"I am not too sure at the moment…" I answered quickly. By their looks, it was not one that they wanted but I, for one, wasn't going to let everyone know on my daily regime… Well, maybe Dumbledore because its-..
"Mr. Potter! Some of your teachers state you have a constant need for attention. Any comments?"
I just gave the crowd a simple stare and rolled my eyes… "If I wanted attention, wouldn't it been logical for me to get an interview as soon as possible?"
My rhetoric question seemed to get a few chuckles and a few nods as I could see Dumbledore raise his hands up.
"I think we have time for one more. Apologies but we are behind schedule…" He stated clearly.
"Harry… Last question!" Rita's voice cut through as I did my best but to not wince. Damn… I was hoping that she was reprimanded enough to go away but alas… One could hope. "How do you feel in being Hogwarts Champion?"
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"I don't know." I shrugged and pointed to where I saw Cedric was sitting. "Ask Cedric, he's the Hogwarts Champion."
I simply turned and then left the area without another word. I could easily see the small smirk on Dumbledore's face as he walked next to me as the reporters were quickly whisked away.
"Very well done… Are you sure that was your first interview?" He asked softly, as he began to fish something out of his pocket. He chuckled to himself before finding what looked to be some candy wrapped in thin paper, as well as a small piece of parchment. Quickly unwrapped and popping it into his mouth, he simply passed the parchment to me which read;
"Hagrid asked you to come by his hut late evening on the 22nd for some tea… And to bring a cloak… It will be chilly…"
Then off the Headmaster went as he walked towards Maxime and Karkaroff, leaving me to my thoughts as one nagging thought was coming to my mind. It was an invisible fear and one that I was hoping that my "insertion" did not change but tonight would cement whether my fear was a certain reality.
"Hey Harry…" Cedric's voice rang as I almost jumped from my spot as I realized that Cedric was looking at me. "Could you tell me why the reporters have been looking at me for the past few minutes…"
I gave him an initially confused look. That was until I looked at the reporters that were being waved away and then realized what my question had implied…
"Well…"
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Two weeks later: Nov 21st, 1994
I think… I am going to have to give Cedric some sort of "I'm Sorry" gift now. Considering his exasperated look and his look of dread at what I had unleashed on him, I probably should let him know about 'tonight'. That being said: Color me surprised for that comment about Cedric being the school representative working absolute wonders on journalistic perception.
I should have expected this kind of shift due to the clutching claws of sensationalism but nothing could have surprised me more than how instantaneous reporters were willing to jump on… anything. My comment had led the journalist arrow straight towards Cedric; and considering Cedric's excellent academic record, reputation as a model student and his physical appearance made him a magnet for those 'burning questions'.
This came with the added bonus that the reporters were now all over the titular 'Golden-Boy' of which that credit is all Rita Skeeter. I wasn't too sure if the moniker was a slight aimed towards me but I could care less considering the lack of attention I was currently receiving. If it meant less press for me, it also meant that I had more freedom to do what I wanted without the repercussions of being… watched.
…
Huh… Now that I think about it… Wasn't I suppose to do something else other than meeting Hagrid tonight… Hmm… I think-… No, I got it! I might need to come up with some sort of plan to deal with Rita's animagus ability. Mostly due to the fact I didn't want her 'attention' (just like how 'Moody' was trying) and she was more than willing to… Bah! That's a problem for future me…
Right now, I was trying to navigate my way through the very dimly lit grounds… Scratch that, it's just fucking black out here. The only real way that I know I wasn't going to fall through a hole was that Hagrid's cabin was shining, literally. The only other source of light came from the Beauxbatons carriage of which was a lot bigger than I had originally thought. It was almost two to three times larger than what I think a normal carriage would be.
Regardless, it made walking to Hagrid's door almost bearable as I managed to find the steps up and quickly knocked on the front door. A hustle and bustle stirred from inside as I could hear the shuffling of feet as the door opened and out came Hagrid's head as he whispered;
"You there, Harry?"
Quickly sliding into the Cabin, I pulled the cloak off my head as I said; "Yeah, I got your note, but you wouldn't tell me anything until tonight. What's going on?"
"Got summat interesting for yeh." Hagrid said, although he was no longer looking at me but a makeshift mirror of which he was combing… attempting to comb his hair… He actually looks excited… So excited that I could literally feel it exude from him. My eyes followed until I realized that this was the part-… Wow…
I think he was dressing in what he assumed was an all-black suit… was more like a slightly less, furry black coat and pants of which the coat had an oversized, shriveled artichoke which, I think, was the attempt of a nice flower. While his hair… was combed somewhat nicely although the multitude of broken combs showed the fight he must have had to ensure his hair stayed combed back. I think he was applying his version of hair gel although it reeked more like axle grease as he patted himself down before re-opening the door.
"Come with me, keep alon', and most importantly, keep yerself covered with the Cloak." He said, and then immediately strolled out the door. Fang seemed to lift his head for the briefest of moments before putting it back down again. I had to quickly shuffle, putting the cloak back on my head as I followed Hagrid… Walking predictably over to the Beauxbatons carriage.
Even if I wanted to put a word in, I wasn't given any time as he walked up to the door with golden stairs that had two crossed, golden wands and gave three hard knocks. It took a few moments but the door immediately opened, blasted by a fragrance of… pasteries?... as Madame Maxime stepped out, wearing a thick coat that had a silk shawl that wrapped around her shoulders.
"Bong…sewer Madame." Hagrid said, his attempt at French was… okay as he gave a bright and beaming look as he took her hand as she graciously stepped down from the golden steps as the two began to converse, walking ahead of me at a speed that meant I had to, more-or-less, jog to keep up.
As we began to make our way through the forest via a path that was illuminated by the moonlight, I couldn't help but become more nervous: Nervous at what I might see… Nervous at what I might not see… A part of me really wanted to ask Hagrid what we were going to find just to get rid of this tension but, then again, I wasn't technically suppose to be here.
And as we got to that area, when I couldn't see the lake and the castle was just barely out of sight is when Hagrid and Maxime stopped. Then I saw it… the bonfires, the potpourri of sounds as men and women shouting, running and talking as my eyes took in the sights… Then narrowed as I realized what I was seeing in front of me. How it was both awesome and terrifying as my thoughts literally melted out of me… Yet, if there was anything that could sum up all my feelings, all my worries and all my fears, there was a single word.
FUCK!
-Meanwhile
Sirius hated waiting… He hated that he was stuck in this rancor, damp and wet cave that he was literally stuck to at the moment. He hated the powerless of it all… He hated that he is a wizard and yet, he couldn't show it out of fear someone smart might notice and cause an uproar in finding him, the fugitive.
He hated that he could never sleep in the same place. He hated that he could never relax and had to be on the constant run or the consistent paranoia of thinking he might be caught and thrown back in Azkaban again… If there was one thing Sirius hated more than all these thoughts… The only thing that easily tops these things had to be a meet with Snivellus.
To be honest, he was surprised that Snivellus even had the thought capacity to be discrete. He had been giving a simple message by Snivellus to meet and he initially balked at it. It was only that the meeting was pertaining to Harry that it was really the only binding thing that even had Sirius consider this meet in the first place.
More importantly, he wanted… needed to see his grandson as quickly as possible. It was already bad enough that he was unable to send him any letters, even worse that he didn't really know what he could do considering Harry's position except give him token advice. It wasn't like he was any true position to help Harry at the moment either.
From the entrance of the cave, he could hear footsteps echo downwards as Sirius immediately reached down for his wand and then quickly stepping back into the shadows of the cave. He began to hold his breath, waiting to get some form of visual confirmation and then act accordingly. That was until the entrance was illuminated and the very drawl words of "Lumos!" was sounded.
Standing a few feet in, was a wet and disheveled looking Sniviellus of which he was as pleased of the arrangement as Sirius of which Sirius held back clicking his tongue audibly and instead, held his… reservations to his mind.
"I know you are here, Padfoot. Come on out and let us get this over with quickly." The snippy voice of Sniviellus drawled through the cave as Sirius took a moment before stepping into Sniviellus' view.
"My apologies Snivellus… But it is not like I have the luxury of being warm and cozy." Sirius snapped in return as he could see Snivellus' face scrunch into his signature 'Sniffle' face.
"Gods! Why Dumbledore even sees in you, I will never understand…" Snivellus muttered, but it was loud enough for Sirius to hear. However, whatever he was about to say was canned as Snivellus pulled a crumpled piece of parchment and quickly waved his wand. The parchment soared towards Sirius, only giving him a brief moment to catch it out of the air as Sirius could not hold back his disdain.
"My goodness, your manners are still impeccable…" Sirius muttered, but loud enough to get that frowned reaction as Sirius quickly opened the parchment. His eyes settled on the writing… It was definitely the Headmaster's… Then his eyes stopped, glaring at the offending line as he looked up and gritted his teeth.
"You can't be serious?" Was all Sirius asked as Snivellus looked at him and gave a simple shrug.
"This was the Headmaster's idea and he said that he wanted you… and I have also given one to Moony as well."
Dumbledore couldn't be serious… No the man was always serious… Then all Sirius could do was simply laugh at the situation. Snape, for his part, didn't react nor say anything as he simply waited for Sirius to allow the brevity of the situation to come together as Sirius took those moments to get himself back. He simply shook his head, before standing the straightest he had been in the past year he had been on the run and asked;
"So… What are we waiting for? It's been a while since I been back at Hogwarts."
A/N: To be frank; I thought this to be dead when I was trying to write this chapter as I was doing a grind that nuked my passion of writing. However, my passion to write again has come up and I have attempted to press forward with this story without trying to outright nuke it into writer's graveyard. That being said; Thanks to all that have taken the time to read my story. But most sincerely, thanks to those that have stuck around to wait for a chapter that I had deemed dead for a while. Hope you have a great day!
A/N(2): Also, I realize that Clairvoyance as a title is awfully misleading (especially for the kind of story I am wanting to represent), so I have changed the title to hopefully have the image of the story be less misleading and basically be more upfront that this is an attempt of what I think should define this kind of SI Genre