"Hey, you guys, we oughta be getting to the library soon," Arianne said through a spoonful of scrambled eggs.
"The LIBRARY?" Fred Weasley dropped his fork and made choking noises, pretending to faint.
"Why would we wanna go there?" George Weasley asked incredulously, looking at Arianne with a sidewise glance.
"Because," the golden-haired girl began in her thick Irish brogue, "we have that research project to do for McGonagall, and I'm in enough trouble with her already." Arianne cringed, thinking of the stunning lecture that she'd been given for turning a Slytherin girl into a pig.
Lee Jordan laughed. "Only you, Arianne, only you," he said, grinning.
The Weasley twins sighed. "Okay, okay, we'll go to the library."
Later that day, Arianne, Fred, George, and Lee trudged to the library, preparing for a looonnngg day of research. On the way to the Transfiguration section, Lee stopped and went over to a shelf of books. "Hey, check this out," he shouted, "old yearbooks!"
"Oooh," Arianne said, running over to the shelf. "Let's take a look at some of these."
Fred took a book off of the shelf. "This one's from about thirty years ago," he said. George took it from him and opened it up to the page where the Head Girl and Boy pictures were. The Head Girl was a drop-dead gorgeous Gryffindor girl with long black hair. "Wow, she's hot!" said George, whistling.
Arianne grabbed the book from him and read the name under the girl's picture. "I'll have to tell her you said that, George," she began, turning the page towards George so he could read it. "Oh my God, its McGonagall!" screamed George. Arianne, Lee, and Fred fell over laughing, while George pretended to throw up.
They looked through a couple more yearbooks, finding Snape's picture (what a laugh that was!), Hagrid's, even (gulp) Tom Riddle's. Finally, they came to the yearbook with the Weasley's parents in it.
"Look George, Mom..she's.."
"Thin!" finished George, laughing. They flipped through a few more pages, until they got to the "O" section. Arianne found the picture of her dad, Colin O'Riley, a chestnut-haired cheerful looking boy.
They turned to the front of the book, where the Head Girl and Boy were. Arianne put her hand on the page. "Stop," she said. She smiled slightly at the picture of the Head Girl, for it was a picture of her mother, Bridget MacClaren.
"Wow...she really looks like you, Ari," whispered Fred. Arianne didn't say anything. Finally, she snapped out of her reverie and put the book back on the shelf. "Let's get to work," she said, running to the Transfiguration section.
After finishing her research, Arianne wandered into the History of Magic section. One particular book caught her eye: Theories and Prophecies on the Downfall of the Dark Arts. She opened the book, coming to a page with the title: The Theory of the Elements. She read:
Quite possibly the most famous of the Dark Arts prophecies is that of the elements. It is said that when four wizards who possess the inner powers of earth, air, fire, and water combine, they shall cause the destruction of the Dark Arts. It is said that the first generation of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water was already partially destroyed by the Dark Lord. It was said to consist of:
Earth: James Potter
Air: Albus Dumbledore
Fire: Bridget MacClaren
Water: Unknown
The prophecy states that the second generation of the elements shall come and destroy the Dark Lord, but only if they join forces will he be fully vanquished.
Arianne shut the book, her eyes wide. Earth, Air, Fire, Water...her mother was part of that ancient prophetic circle....what if she was part of the second generation?
Before she could fully collect her thoughts, Fred, George, and Lee came over to her. "Hey Ari, you all right?" asked George, concern in his eyes.
"Yeah..yeah I'm fine," said Arianne. "C'mon, let's get outta here."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Aarrrghhh, midterms," Arianne groaned, heading up the stairs to Professor Trelawney's tower with Fred. "They're perfectly awful, especially Trelawney's."
Fred nodded. "You got that right...she must be calling us in one-by-one."
After what felt like an eternity, Professor Trelawney's silvery voice called, "O'Riley, Arianne!"
"Good luck!" called Fred as Arianne walked up the stairs. Professor Trelawney beckoned Arianne over to her.
"Please sit down, Miss O'Riley," she said, gesturing to an armchair. Arianne flopped down onto it, frowning. Professor Trelawney smiled brightly, and held her palm out. "All right, Miss O'Riley, what can you read from my palm?"
Arianne had no sooner opened her mouth to speak, when Professor Trelawney's hand became limp, and her eyes bore the expression of one in a deep, deep trance. In a strange, deep voice, she said:
Daughter of fire, your time is soon upon you,
Earth, air, fire and water will soon combine,
The Dark Lord is strong, but you are stronger,
The elements shall rise and overthrow all evil,
If they can survive the challenges ahead....
Take caution, child, take caution.....
Arianne's eyes were bulging out of her sockets when Professor Trelawney came out of her trance. "Now, now, where was I? I must have dropped off for a moment, do forgive me."
"But..what you said..the elements..earth, air, fire, water..the Dark Lord.."
"Are you feeling all right, my girl?"
"Yes, yes I'm fine.." Arianne's head was swimming. Daughter of fire...she must be part of the circle! A cold rush of fear swept through her. What if she never found the other three? What would she do?
She could recall no more of the Divination exam, and before she knew it, she was on her way out of Professor Trelawney's room. Fred grinned at her. "So, how'd it go?"
"I probably blew it," Ari laughed, trying to sound normal.
After Fred finished his exam, the two of them headed down the hall, back to Gryffindor tower. As she walked, Arianne pulled something out of her pocket. It was her favorite wizard card, the one of her mother. Smiling at the picture of Bridget, Arianne whispered, "I won't let you down, Mother, I promise."
"The LIBRARY?" Fred Weasley dropped his fork and made choking noises, pretending to faint.
"Why would we wanna go there?" George Weasley asked incredulously, looking at Arianne with a sidewise glance.
"Because," the golden-haired girl began in her thick Irish brogue, "we have that research project to do for McGonagall, and I'm in enough trouble with her already." Arianne cringed, thinking of the stunning lecture that she'd been given for turning a Slytherin girl into a pig.
Lee Jordan laughed. "Only you, Arianne, only you," he said, grinning.
The Weasley twins sighed. "Okay, okay, we'll go to the library."
Later that day, Arianne, Fred, George, and Lee trudged to the library, preparing for a looonnngg day of research. On the way to the Transfiguration section, Lee stopped and went over to a shelf of books. "Hey, check this out," he shouted, "old yearbooks!"
"Oooh," Arianne said, running over to the shelf. "Let's take a look at some of these."
Fred took a book off of the shelf. "This one's from about thirty years ago," he said. George took it from him and opened it up to the page where the Head Girl and Boy pictures were. The Head Girl was a drop-dead gorgeous Gryffindor girl with long black hair. "Wow, she's hot!" said George, whistling.
Arianne grabbed the book from him and read the name under the girl's picture. "I'll have to tell her you said that, George," she began, turning the page towards George so he could read it. "Oh my God, its McGonagall!" screamed George. Arianne, Lee, and Fred fell over laughing, while George pretended to throw up.
They looked through a couple more yearbooks, finding Snape's picture (what a laugh that was!), Hagrid's, even (gulp) Tom Riddle's. Finally, they came to the yearbook with the Weasley's parents in it.
"Look George, Mom..she's.."
"Thin!" finished George, laughing. They flipped through a few more pages, until they got to the "O" section. Arianne found the picture of her dad, Colin O'Riley, a chestnut-haired cheerful looking boy.
They turned to the front of the book, where the Head Girl and Boy were. Arianne put her hand on the page. "Stop," she said. She smiled slightly at the picture of the Head Girl, for it was a picture of her mother, Bridget MacClaren.
"Wow...she really looks like you, Ari," whispered Fred. Arianne didn't say anything. Finally, she snapped out of her reverie and put the book back on the shelf. "Let's get to work," she said, running to the Transfiguration section.
After finishing her research, Arianne wandered into the History of Magic section. One particular book caught her eye: Theories and Prophecies on the Downfall of the Dark Arts. She opened the book, coming to a page with the title: The Theory of the Elements. She read:
Quite possibly the most famous of the Dark Arts prophecies is that of the elements. It is said that when four wizards who possess the inner powers of earth, air, fire, and water combine, they shall cause the destruction of the Dark Arts. It is said that the first generation of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water was already partially destroyed by the Dark Lord. It was said to consist of:
Earth: James Potter
Air: Albus Dumbledore
Fire: Bridget MacClaren
Water: Unknown
The prophecy states that the second generation of the elements shall come and destroy the Dark Lord, but only if they join forces will he be fully vanquished.
Arianne shut the book, her eyes wide. Earth, Air, Fire, Water...her mother was part of that ancient prophetic circle....what if she was part of the second generation?
Before she could fully collect her thoughts, Fred, George, and Lee came over to her. "Hey Ari, you all right?" asked George, concern in his eyes.
"Yeah..yeah I'm fine," said Arianne. "C'mon, let's get outta here."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Aarrrghhh, midterms," Arianne groaned, heading up the stairs to Professor Trelawney's tower with Fred. "They're perfectly awful, especially Trelawney's."
Fred nodded. "You got that right...she must be calling us in one-by-one."
After what felt like an eternity, Professor Trelawney's silvery voice called, "O'Riley, Arianne!"
"Good luck!" called Fred as Arianne walked up the stairs. Professor Trelawney beckoned Arianne over to her.
"Please sit down, Miss O'Riley," she said, gesturing to an armchair. Arianne flopped down onto it, frowning. Professor Trelawney smiled brightly, and held her palm out. "All right, Miss O'Riley, what can you read from my palm?"
Arianne had no sooner opened her mouth to speak, when Professor Trelawney's hand became limp, and her eyes bore the expression of one in a deep, deep trance. In a strange, deep voice, she said:
Daughter of fire, your time is soon upon you,
Earth, air, fire and water will soon combine,
The Dark Lord is strong, but you are stronger,
The elements shall rise and overthrow all evil,
If they can survive the challenges ahead....
Take caution, child, take caution.....
Arianne's eyes were bulging out of her sockets when Professor Trelawney came out of her trance. "Now, now, where was I? I must have dropped off for a moment, do forgive me."
"But..what you said..the elements..earth, air, fire, water..the Dark Lord.."
"Are you feeling all right, my girl?"
"Yes, yes I'm fine.." Arianne's head was swimming. Daughter of fire...she must be part of the circle! A cold rush of fear swept through her. What if she never found the other three? What would she do?
She could recall no more of the Divination exam, and before she knew it, she was on her way out of Professor Trelawney's room. Fred grinned at her. "So, how'd it go?"
"I probably blew it," Ari laughed, trying to sound normal.
After Fred finished his exam, the two of them headed down the hall, back to Gryffindor tower. As she walked, Arianne pulled something out of her pocket. It was her favorite wizard card, the one of her mother. Smiling at the picture of Bridget, Arianne whispered, "I won't let you down, Mother, I promise."