Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter, I'm not making money with this story, etc. And I know absolutely nothing about interpreting dreams; they're way beyond my realm of understanding. However my dream dictionary tells me I have battle wounds…right…
Let me know what y'all think!
Harry found his good mood continuing the next day, despite the fact he had divination lessons. Professor Trelawney had resumed her habit of predicting Harry's death and Harry and Ron found that class more boring than ever. They took their seats near the window at the back of the classroom and prepared themselves for another mind numbing lesson on numerology. Professor Trelawney, however, had other plans.
"We have finished our time on the powers of numerology." She announced in her usual misty sounding voice. "We will be spending the next several week on the study of dreams." Harry looked up, astounded. He had never once come across anything he studied in Divination that could be used in real life. And now they were going to study dreams? It was almost too good to be true.
"The guide on page 187 of your books will help you interpret the meaning behind your dreams. Mr. Potter," Professor Trelawney's voice and the rustling of paper brought Harry back to reality. He groaned, knowing what was coming. "Tell me, have any of your dreams lately dealt with death?"
Glancing quickly at a page on dreams and then at Ron, Harry replied, "Actually, the dream I had last night had a snake in it."
"A snake!" Professor Trelawney looked appalled. She blinked at Harry several times from behind her large glasses. Harry couldn't help noticing how the glasses magnified her eyes numerous times, giving her the appearance of a funny sort of bug. He managed to stifle a laugh and ignored the glares from both Lavender and Parvati, who had been watching Professor Trelawney with awe.
"A snake." She repeated, shaking her veiled head. "My poor boy, I fear great tragedy will soon find you. The snake is an omen."
"That's odd." Ron interrupted loudly. "It says here," he smirked, pointing to the text in Harry's open book, "that snakes symbolize the ability to transcend into higher level of consciousness or areas of knowledge that exist outside of perceived time and space. Where does it say anything about a great tragedy?" He asked, flipping through the pages of Harry's book.
"Why-" Professor Trelawney started. Ron looked up and blinked innocently at her while Harry tried his hardest not to laugh out loud.
"Class dismissed." Professor Trelawney finally sputtered, glaring at Harry and Ron. Harry held his breath until he stepped off the ladder from the classroom and then burst out laughing, Ron right behind him.
"That was great!" Ron leaned against the wall, shaking from laughter. "I've never seen her get so flustered!"
They stopped laughing as Lavender and Parvati walked by them, each glaring fiercely but refusing to say a word. Harry and Ron watched the girls' backs grow smaller as they walked down the corridor and burst out laughing again.
Harry overslept the next morning and when he finally reached the Great Hall for breakfast, he found it surprisingly quiet.
"What's going on?" he asked Ron and Hermione who were discussing something in the Daily Prophet as he slid in to a seat across from them. Hermione handed him the paper which he took as he grabbed a piece of toast.
"Another Muggle village was destroyed." Ron told him before he could read the headline on the front page. "The whole village burned down again. This time the Muggles think lightning hit a house and started it." Harry stared at the picture on the front page where three Ministry representatives were sifting through the charred remains of a house.
Harry looked up from the paper and his eyes drifted to the Ravenclaw table. He locked eyes with Cho who had a worried expression on her face. Harry raised his eyebrows at her in question and she nodded. Suddenly a hand obstructed his view.
"Harry?" Ron waved his hand in front of Harry's face. "You there?"
"Yeah." Harry replied uncomfortably, taking a bite out of another piece of toast.
"Well, the Ministry had better figure out who's behind this and get it stopped." Hermione said vehemently. "C'mon," she said as she practically pushed herself away from the table, "we don't want to be late for Moody's class."
Since Dumbledore had cancelled Potions lessons, all the students had Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons four times a week. Dumbledore had a different demeanor while he was teaching; his eyes still twinkled, but he worked the students hard. Professor Moody's lessons were less difficult than Professor Dumbledore's, but Moody was a little bit scary. Harry felt a little bit better knowing he was the real Moody, but this Moody didn't favor any students. On the plus side, the Gryffindors had Moody's classes with the Slytherins, and Professor Moody didn't let Malfoy get away with anything.
Harry, Ron and Hermione left their lessons with an assignment to write a three-foot essay on ways to repel or block advanced hexes, but Harry's mind was not on his homework. When they reached the Great Hall, Harry scanned the Ravenclaw table, but saw no sign of Cho. Turning to Hermione and Ron, he said, "I've got something to take care of; I'll catch up with you later." Before he could see their confused faces, he ran out of the Great Hall and up the stairs.
Harry sprinted to the library and found Cho waiting for him at the table at the far end of the library.
"When was it?" he asked, sliding into the chair across from her.
"Two nights ago. It was exactly as the paper described it. It was dark, except for lightning from the storm. In one flash of lightning I saw was a cat. It chased something across the road and disappeared behind a house. Then a light went on in one of the Muggle homes and two seconds later, lightning hit it. The entire house was in flames within a few seconds and then the rest of the village went with it."
Harry hadn't read the article in the Daily Prophet and was surprised at Cho's description. It sounded very much like the last fire except the part about the light.
"Oh!" Cho's startled voice echoed through the silent library. "Something just hit my foot!" She ducked her head under the table. Harry did the same and saw a pink tail dart into a small hole in the wall next to the table.
"It was just a rat." Cho straightened up, smiling sheepishly. "I'm not sure what I thought it was. I'm just a little high strung lately."
Harry nodded as a thought struck him.
"Are you taking Divination?" he asked her. If she was, she would already know what Harry was going to be studying about dreams.
But Cho shook her head. "I started to, but I thought it was an awful waste of magic. I could never get the hang of it; I barely made it through a month and then dropped it for Care of Magical Creatures."
For the first time in his wizard education, Harry found himself looking forward to studying Divination.
R/R!