I love Sean Biggerstaff.

~*Chapter Three*~

Divination Sucks  

            Angelina scurried up hundreds of stairs, not daring to pause. Professor Trelawney was sitting, half-cloaked in shadow as usual. She barely turned her head as Angelina climbed up the silver ladder, clutching her copy of Unfogging the Future under her arm. 

            "No need to show me a pass," Professor Trelawney said, "for I already know that you have been in the greenhouse, with a certain Hufflepuff…" Oliver shot Angelina an angry look as she sat down at the table next to him. Katie and Alicia were fighting to suppress their laughter. "Well, class," Professor Trelawney continued, waving her bejeweled hand, "this is your second to last year of Divination. Some of you have proved that you possess the Gift, but others I have foreseen will fail my class this year," here the professor looked deep into the crystal ball she sat in front of, "and next year also. But not to worry! All but one of you will pass all your N.E.W.T. tests next year. And the Weasley brothers, meet Filch in his office for your detention tonight…" her voice trailed off.

            "We will begin by reading the tea leaves, as usual," Professor said. "And then we shall move on to palmistry, then fire omens, and then crystal balls after"- The teacher was interrupted by Fred Weasley's hand shooting up into the air. He was almost standing on his seat, waving his hand back and forth. "Mr. Weasley?" Professor said, raising her eyebrows. Fred sat back down.

            "I was wondering if you knew who was going to win the Quidditch final," he said matter-of-factly. "Because if Slytherin wins…" Fred made a menacing gesture. Professor Trelawney looked at him for a moment over the rims of her enormous eyeglasses, and then she turned back to the class, ignoring his question. "You know what to do, now," Professor said. "Get a cup, come to me, and I will fill it. Then read the dregs using pages five and six of your texts, in pairs or groups of three, please."

             "Excellent," Fred hissed to Angelina. "Look what I've got!" He opened his bag and drew out a bottle of-

            "Madame Rosmerta's Alcoholic Butterbeer?" Angelina whispered. "Where the hell did you get that?"

            "Can't say," Fred said, getting up to get his cup filled. Angelina followed. When they came back to the table Fred poured a little bit of it into his cup. "Daresay this will make me a little tipsy!"

            "Tipsier than usual, you mean?" Alicia broke in, sitting next to Angelina, who was flanked on the other side by Katie.

            "Read mine first," Katie said. Alicia and Angelina bent over it.

            "Well, you've got a kind of sun…'Great happiness'," Alicia read from the book. "That's it, Katie, you've got very uninteresting dregs. All pooled up on the bottom like that…"

            Fred hopped out of his chair and grabbed the cup, squishing the dregs around with his finger. Then he peered at it for a moment and shrieked, clutching his heart and falling to the ground. Professor Trelawney appeared out of the shadows in her very annoying way and stepped between Angelina's chair and Fred's overturned one to get to the redheaded boy lying on the floor. "Fred?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

            "Haven't you already foreseen it?" someone said from the other end of the room. Professor ignored the student and waved her hand in front of Fred's eyes.

            Fred raised his hand. "I…can't say it…" he said in a hoarse voice. "Katie's cup…oh dear!" he pretended to wipe a tear from his eyes. "My dear…the Grim!" he said dramatically. George buried his face in his arms to stifle his laughter as Professor Trelawney stood up.

            "Detention, Fred Weasley!" she said. "And you too, George, for laughing at this horrible joke! The Grim is not funny! Meet me next Wednesday for your detention, in the Great Hall."

            "Professor, you can't do that!" Oliver said.

            "Why not, Mr. Wood?" Professor Trelawney challenged.

            Oliver stood up. Angelina shook her head at him from across the room and drew her finger across her throat. Oliver looked at her for a moment and then continued, "We have Quidditch practice that night!"

            This announcement came as a surprise to every member of the team. "We do?" Fred asked, still lying on the floor.

***

            "Well, that sucked," Alicia offered to break the silence. Oliver marched with a stony face with Fred one side and Angelina on he other.  Oliver said nothing. Angelina rested a comforting hand on his arm.

            "Wood," she said quietly, "it's just one practice!"

            Oliver exhaled but said nothing. Angelina patted his arm gently. "We'll still be starting earlier than all the other teams, if only by one day less- it won't make a difference. Trust me. Slytherin isn't starting until… I don't know when, but come on. We can start on Thursday."

            Oliver sighed again and looked at Angelina, a little smile on his face. Then they all went down the hall to Defense against the Dark Arts.