Chapter Nineteen; Knight of Wands
What with the O.W.L exams fast approaching, the fifth years were now being subjected to endless practise exams and revision classes. The following morning Professor Flitwick had the Gryffindors demonstrating all the charms that they'd learnt so far that year. Professor McGonagall wasn't any easier on them, scrutinising their efforts at transforming a plain cauldron into a fancy crystal cut bowl.
Over lunch, the fifth years revived a little over the meat pies and mixed vegetables. Hermione was speed-reading her Arithmancy textbook while Ron and Harry skimmed through Unfogging The Future, trying to prepare for their individual practise exams with Professor Trelawney.
'I can't remember what half of these mean,' Ron groaned, shuffling his Tarot pack. 'Suppose we're adlibbing our way through again?'
'Only if the Minor Arcana cards turn up,' Harry said, turning the cards over in his hands
'I'm sure you'll do fine,' Hermione assured them as she finished eating, stuffing her book back into her bag. 'I'll see you two later, okay?' And she hurried off.
Harry and Ron traipsed up to the seventh floor and sat on the landing with the rest of the class, testing one another on the cards as Professor Trelawney called them one by one up to the classroom.
First Lavender was called, then ten minutes later she returned and Parvati disappeared up the ladder, followed by Dean, Neville, then Ron. Seamus and Harry gave up on last minute cramming to play a discreet game of Gobstones while they waited.
Ron finally slid back down the ladder, a sly grin on his face.
'Once again I fall back on the Divination Standby, oh how it serves me well,' he said dramatically, seemingly very pleased with himself.
'You couldn't remember anything, could you?' said Harry.
'Nope.' Ron didn't seem bothered. 'Just babble on about doom and gloom and you're home free. Besides, it's only the mock exam; I'll worry about the real one when it comes. Listen, I've got that stupid essay for Snape to finish so I'm heading down to the library. I'll see you later, okay?'
'Seamus Finnigan,' called the misty voice above their heads.
With a resigned sigh, Seamus scooped up his cards and clambered up the ladder as Ron left. Harry sat gazing out of the window at the forest below.
About ten minutes later, Seamus climbed back down the ladder, gave Harry the thumbs up, mouthing 'good luck' and left down the nearest staircase.
'Harry Potter,' came Professor Trelawney's voice.
Grimly, Harry grabbed his Tarot pack and climbed up the silvery ladder.
The classroom was dark and gloomy but for the space immediately in front of the roaring blue fire where Professor Trelawney sat at a large table draped with a black silk cloth, waiting for him. Bangles shining in the light of the flickering flames, she gestured silently to the empty seat opposite her.
Harry sat down, his palms sweating a little. He picked up his Tarot pack and shuffled them. Professor Trelawney watched as he dealt twelve cards in a large circular spread, face down, onto the table.
'Now, my dear, interpret each card, one at a time. There's no hurry. Let the cards speak to you.' she said softly.
As much as Harry really wanted to get this over and done with, he restrained himself from rushing the reading. Besides, the fumes from the fire were making him feel drowsy. He reached for the first card.
'The first represents the enquirer,' he said, turning it over. Strength. 'It shows ... um ... more than physical strength but also a ... err ... strength of character,' he said slowly.
Professor Trelawney nodded. 'Which would certainly apply to you, my dear. An excellent card to begin with. Please continue.'
The second card was the Eight of Cups, reversed. Harry frowned. He couldn't remember what that one meant. He sat for a few moments, staring at it, trying to remember. Finally a vague answer came to mind.
'There are ... um ... problems with ... talking to others ... about problems.' he finished lamely.
Professor Trelawney, however, accepted it.
'Yes, indeed. It would be advised, my child, that whatever problems you have with others should be discussed calmly, without causing arguments that would only make the problem worse.'
Bit late for that, Harry thought bitterly, thinking of Sirius.
The next card would revolve around home life. The Wheel of Fortune, right way up. That one was easy.
'A sudden change for the better in the near future.' Harry said swiftly, quoting the entry in Unfogging the Future. A change for the better would be impossible as far as the Dursleys were concerned but it wasn't as though the reading was particularly accurate anyway.
Card number four stood for love and romance. Harry grimaced as he reached for it. Please, don't be the Lovers. Please, don't be the Lovers. Please, don't-
Thankfully, it wasn't The Lovers card. Instead it was The Moon card in the reversed position.
'Deception,' said Harry, feeling the hatred for Professor Torr surge through him. 'Lies, trickery, misleading intentions. Just a doomed relationship. There's no honesty there at all. He can't trust her, she's evil!'
'Oh, that's wonderful!'
Harry snapped out of his riff to stare at Professor Trelawney.
'Such feeling!' A proud smile shone on her face. 'Very well interpreted, my dear. That's marvellous!' She started to make some very rapid notes on her parchment.
Harry bit his tongue. He was still venting about Sirius and Professor Torr without meaning to. Well, at least it looked like he'd get some decent marks on his exam. He glared stonily at the card. How irritatingly accurate it seemed. But still, coincidence. Right?
Moving swiftly on Harry flipped over the next card. Seven of Wands. Definite improvement there.
'I think that might reflect the recent Quidditch match. 'Risks that pay off', we won, no problem.'
Professor Trelawney nodded and gestured to the next card. Obediently Harry turned it over to show The Knight of Wands.
'Okay, this one represents ... someone ... that I know. Um ... he probably has a fiery nature.' Once again quoting the book, Harry felt that this tallied with Sirius rather well. But of course he wasn't about to mention that to Professor Trelawney, so he deliberately kept it vague.
The next card also seemed to follow the Sirius theme. The Three of Swords reversed.
Professor Trelawney gave a tragic sigh. 'It would appear that you have quarrelled with this person, a result of a misunderstanding?' she asked carefully.
Glumly, Harry nodded. The card portrayed a large heart, pierced by three swords, a large crack in the heart was visible, a few drops of blood falling from it. To Harry the swords looked as though they were about to strike him straight through the chest and stab him in the heart. Not that it would hurt as much as Sirius' words had done.
'May I suggest, my dear, that you try to resolve this ... misunderstanding … calmly, reasonably. It won't do to get the Knight's temper up, I'm sure.'
Harry sorely wanted to tell her to sod off and mind her own business, but stopped himself just in time. To avoid answering, he moved onto the next card.
Temperance.
At which point Harry admitted that he couldn't recall the meaning of this card. Professor Trelawney obliged with an explanation.
'This card is particularly encouraging, my dear. Clearly you believe that your views are correct, which, I daresay, caused your dispute with the Knight. Your patience will pay off eventually if you choose to talk your problems over diplomatically.'
Talk the problem over? Fair enough, generally good advice, but he'd already tried that and the whole thing had backfired causing an even bigger gap between him and Sirius. He wasn't exactly in a hurry to try that again. Although, when he thought about it, Harry really wanted to talk to his godfather. He missed him. And he did promise Remus that he'd talk to Sirius soon.
Almost automatically Harry flipped over the next card, which was The High Priestess. His mind went blank again.
Professor Trelawney was visibly disappointed, given that his reading of the Moon card in particular had been very well explained. Nevertheless, she talked him through it.
'You are searching for the truth, but bear in mind that the Priestess is advising you to keep an open mind. She is also indicating that you should follow your instincts. You'll know when it is time for you to act.'
Luckily the next card was The Page of Wands, one that Harry could recall.
'The Page normally represents a close friend. Someone who won't let me down,' he said fondly, thinking of Ron. 'The card can also mean that someone will deliver good news in the near future.'
That seemed to win him some good points as Professor Trelawney jotted down some more notes on her parchment.
With only two cards left, Harry wondered if the Death card would show up. It had in all the other spreads he'd done. But the next card turned out to be The Tower, which was just as unwelcome. Mainly because Professor Trelawney immediately got that sympathetic look plastered all over her face. Her eyes blinked rapidly, her lip quivered and the hand holding the quill shook slightly as she tried to compose herself. Plus she appeared to have forgotten that Harry was supposed to be the one reading the cards because she launched into her doom and gloom reverie.
'Events of cataclysmal proportions is soon to erupt into being, bringing destruction and ruin! Oh, my poor child!' Her luminous eyes gazed tragically at him, reflecting the dancing flames. 'Beware of this perilous ordeal that awaits you! I fear that nothing can be done to prevent it!'
Harry sighed, and then remembered another note about The Tower card that he'd read somewhere.
'Since the card is the right way up, does that not mean I'll get through it? Or at least learn from the experience?
Professor Trelawney continued to gaze forlornly at Harry, as if she hadn't heard him. Feeling a little unnerved Harry dropped his gaze to the final card that would give insight to the outcome.
He reached for it.
The Judgement. The end of one course of events to make way for the new. But would this be a good or bad sign?
Harry bluffed his way through that one, figuring that if he made if sound like the 'perilous ordeal' would result with his death, like she no doubt expected, he'd get some more good marks.
With the exam finally over, Professor Trelawney dismissed him and Harry gratefully left, descending the silver ladder and headed off down the corridor, back to Gryffindor Tower, thoroughly relived. It had definitely gone better than his exam with the crystal ball in his third year.
Even though the reading could hardly be considered accurate, it did get Harry thinking. He really did need to talk to Sirius and sort out this mess. The High Priestess sounded encouraging: follow your instincts, that's what he'd been doing from the start and had been perfectly right to do so according to the cards.
Harry stopped and looked out of the corridor window. The view was amazing, with the sun dropping below the horizon, the sky streaked with pink and yellow, highlighting the forest and mountains. Harry wondered if Sirius was watching it too. Was he thinking about his godson at all? It was stupid really, if you thought about it. Harry loved Sirius more than anyone in the world, he was the father he never knew. And Sirius cared a great deal for Harry anyone could see that. He escaped Azkaban just so he could watch over Harry and protect him. Sirius had lived off rats for crying out loud! All of this, he'd done for Harry.
So how on Earth had Tia come between them? No, not Tia. Allison. Sirius' ex-girlfriend from sixth year. But why? Why? This still wasn't making any sense! Why would anyone go through the trouble of altering their appearance so drastically, adopt a false name and get back with an old boyfriend?
Grimacing with frustration, Harry stared out of the window, praying that any moment now, everything would just fall into place and make perfect sense.
No such luck. Forcing himself to concentrate, Harry went over it again. So far the only possible answer they'd come up with was that Allison was Professor Torr. But assuming that was true, why had she come back? Did she even truly love Sirius? Had she simply undergone this drastic change for him, disguising herself so that he wouldn't recognise her and risk being rejected all over again?
In a twisted way, it did make a sad kind of sense.
Leaning against the windowsill, Harry felt the cold talisman rub against his chest. Reaching down the front of his robes, Harry pulled it out, staring at it. Sirius had told him that Remus, Dumbledore and Arabella had worked on it, so he had no reason to doubt the protective spell bound to it. But if there was indeed a tracking spell on it as well, that meant that Professor Torr could locate him whenever she wanted too. Track him down wherever he was. Harry gave an involuntary shudder.
Harry shot a look up and down the corridor as if expecting to see Allison peeking round a corner, watching him. It really gave him the creeps.
But what was her agenda? What could she possibly gain from all this? What did Sirius have that was of any use to her? Really, the only thing that made any sense was … Potter, you idiot!
Harry could have punched himself in the head. How thick could you get? Getting into a relationship with his godfather and taking the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts? What's the connection? Harry. And who well and truly wanted Harry at least sixty feet under?
Three guesses and the first two don't count.
'She's one of them. She has to be!'
Harry set off again, trying not to run flat out, but hurrying just the same, his mind buzzing. He'd wanted everything to make sense, but now that he did he wasn't thrilled with his answer.
Something was going to happen, and soon.
You'll know when it's time to act, that's what Professor Trelawney had said. She's right, Harry thought grimly as he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. I do know.
The time to act is now.
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To Be Continued
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Please review
All comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated
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Author's Notes
Just prior to posting this chapter, I was thrilled to see on my stats that I'd received my 100th review!! I'm so happy!! *screams delightedly* Unfortunately it's not showing on the review page; so thank you to that reviewer, who ever you are! I will leave a response to your comments at the end of the next chapter for you. ^_^ Thanks for really making my day!
Elbereth94 – Ah ha, bits and pieces coming together now, not all making perfect sense, but it's getting there. *claps hands over ears* Wow, not so loud! Harry will get to speak to Sirius very soon, but will he come to his senses? *shakes head* Sorry, not saying a word! ^_^ I don't want to spoil it!
Lil Lupin – I've been trying desperately to come up with a title for the Sirius fic; I think I've got one but I'm not sure if it'll fit. I'll have to decide when I've finished the whole thing. Until then I'm afraid it's stuck as SF. ^_^ 'Show Not Your Fear' is looking great! I'm trying to read several chapters every day so I'll soon be demanding updates!
Evol norgara – Don't worry about it. So long as you enjoyed the chapter. ^_^ Unfortunately it'll still be a few more chapters until more light is shed on Professor Torr. I only hope it'll all make sense! Hey, of course it matters! If you can't tell the difference between the balls, how can you like Quidditch? Or call yourself a fan of Harry Potter?! (I absolutely loved the Quidditch scenes in the films; I kept watching the first one over and over when I got it on video.) ^_^
Evil spapple pie – Oh, I didn't realise you were in Australia as well! That is so cool to think I'm being read on the other side of the world. Wow. Just so you know, I'm in the U.K. In the middle of England to be more precise. Ooo, improvement on the 'dots' there, nice. ^_^
Hhhm, still confused as to her motive? It may help if you try to forget about the notion of 'revenge' for a minute. Have another look at Remus' description of how she was when she dating Sirius, see if you get any ideas; vague or not! Damn it, I can't just come out and say what's what! Nothing to stop me trying to drop hints, of course!
Von – LOL, yeah I love a good angst-y fic too. Sorry, another 'trans' chapter as you put it; still, look on the bright side! Chapter 20 and onwards, the pace really picks up. I know this chapter may have seemed a bit dull as well but there are important bits and pieces here in the reading; I'm not saying which however! My lips are sealed. *shuts mouth*
MorganD – There you are! 'Envious compliments', huh? *grins* I wasn't too sure about trying to narrate a Quidditch match, but if at least person likes it, I can't be doing too badly, can I? ^_^ I felt I had to include a Quidditch match for the simple reason it is part of the life at Hogwarts, having the Inter-House matches spaced throughout the year. It's been a while since the last one. My second reason for including one was quite simply; without it, that chapter would have been much too short for my liking. I don't like leaving chapters too short. Yes, okay, this chapter here isn't very long at all but this part just had to sit on its own; it won't sit well with the two on either side of it. On the other hand, the post-match party enabled Harry, Ron and Hermione to sneak out without causing suspicion, claiming that they were going for more food. But now I've thought about it, it is a little blunt. Hhhm, I'll have to watch out for that in future.
Tia was in her private quarters asleep at the time – yes, she was on her own! Sirius was in Hogsmeade still. And no, he did not go to the match. *mutters to self* I forgot to mention that when I rewrote this part. I should have included it, my mistake.
Interesting question; I like to think that they all move differently to one another. Might have to check with JK Rowling to be sure. ^_^
I never thought of that! And that's a good point, I suppose other potions could be made with the same ingredients. Hhm, maybe I should have had them find a recipe or something. And you may want to ask me that question again after a few chapters … with a bit of luck that love/passion spell stuff will be sorted out a bit later. Just hang in there!
Phew, this is a long reply.
Yep, Allison needed more background, that was definitely missing from the first fic. Making a tad more sense now? Hope so. You know, that is a good question, how did Lily get along with the rest of the Marauders? I do have a vague notion of how she could have, but that would have to be part of another fic that I hope to get round to writing sometime in the future; a full length Marauder fic! Unfortunately, it's kinda at the bottom of my 'fics to write' list, on which there are currently two others, plus a songfic that I've been meaning to write for I don't know how long!
As you can see, we just had a Sybil chapter! I liked writing that one, gave me an excuse to have my Tarot cards out all over the place trying to work out the reading for Harry! ^_^
See you next time!
~Voltora~