Chapter Ninety: Career Advice

Daphne was curious how her first lesson with Firenze would be. The centaurs hadn't been particularly keen on teaching her when she'd gone to visit them, so she couldn't imagine Firenze's decision to teach an actual class in school had gone over well with them.

The classroom they used for the class had been transformed into what looked like a forest clearing, in the middle of which stood Firenze.

"Daphne Greengrass," he said when he spotted her and he held out his hand, which she shook.

"And Harry Potter, one about whom the stars appear to say a great many things…" He shook Harry's hand as well. The rest of the class seemed to find this quite impressive.

When the door was closed, Firenze gestured around the room. "Professor Dumbledore has kindly arranged this classroom for us in imitation of my natural habitat. I would have preferred to teach you in the Forbidden Forest, which was — until Monday — my home…but this is not possible."

"Bane wasn't happy you came to teach, then?" Daphne asked.

"No, Daphne Greengrass, he was not. Nor were the others. My herd has banished me for my betrayal."

"Why did you agree, anyway? Didn't you tell me that most humans simply don't have the gift?"

"I believe that my presence here is necessary, Daphne Greengrass, though I am uncertain as to why. The signs I have read, through many methods, appear to point here. The others believe that I am too hasty, too connected to the here and now, and not impartial enough."

Firenze looked around the class once again. "What your classmate is saying is true. Most humans lack the gift to See. Worse, they often seek to impose trivial meanings on everything, obscuring the true messages being shared. When we centaurs gaze at the stars…"

He gestured with his hand, and the light in the classroom dimmed, resembling the evening sky by twilight. Amazed gasps went through the class.

"…we observe the movements of the planets and stars over time, which may reveal glimpses of the future…"

"Professor Trelawney did Astrology with us!" Parvati said excitedly, raising her right hand in front of her so that it stuck up in the air as she lay on her back. "Mars causes accidents and burns and things like that, and when it makes an angle to Saturn, like now, that means that people need to be extra careful when handling hot things–"

"That is human nonsense," Firenze said calmly, and Daphne grinned to herself while Parvati, Lavender, and some others looked scandalized. "Trivial hurts, tiny human accidents…These are of no more significance than the scurryings of ants to the wide universe, and are unaffected by planetary movements. Unraveling the stars is very difficult and takes many years of practice to those not inherently sensitive to it, and only very few are.

"In this classroom, there is but one of whom I am certain she can See the messages of the stars, and the method she uses can be neither taught nor learned, even by centaurs.

"I will attempt to teach you the process by which you may, eventually, be able to see and interpret signs, both in the stars and in the fumes of certain herbs, but it is likely you will fail to see anything. Do not be discouraged. It takes many years to learn, and even longer to interpret correctly if you do not have the gift."

Firenze looked at Daphne. "You will be able to see the signs in the smoke. I shall help you to interpret them to the best of my ability. Have you learned how to shift your focus in emptiness?"

Daphne shook her head. "Not yet. I have a book, however, written by a Seer, for Seers. If it's alright with you, I'd like to keep studying it so I can learn how to do it…What exactly do the fumes show?"

"The centaurs use the fumes of sage and mallowsweet when we seek a timeframe for events we have seen in the stars. It is necessary for your focus in emptiness to be on the event itself, and the fumes will guide you."

"Someone told me crystal balls evolved from practices like that," Daphne said, remembering what Elizabeth had told her.

"It has, yet the crystal ball was invented by humans, who, in their search for clarity, often do more harm than good. The images of future events one receives in a crystal ball are among the clearest it's possible to receive, this is true. However, while the events are clear, their timeframe is not always so.

"Originally, the fumes and flames gave both events, and an indication of when these events would take place. Thus, they could be given context, allowing one to further their understanding of the world around them. That is what Divination is meant for. Humans, in their hubris, seek only to use the knowledge for personal gain, petty victories.

"We centaurs, however, are impartial. We observe. We learn. We abide by what the future holds because everything has its place, and it is not up to us to disturb that balance."

"And yet," Daphne said, "the future we see can be changed."

Firenze inclined his head. "But should it be, Daphne Greengrass?"

Firenze's question remained stuck in Daphne's head for a good while afterward. Of course, she wanted to change the future where Harry died. Now that she knew it was possible, she was determined to pull it off.

Knowing when the event would take place would at least tell her Harry wouldn't be likely to die before that moment, but it also wouldn't help her to avert the vision. And what if, somehow, attempting to change that particular future led to Harry dying sooner than he otherwise would have?

Even so, she felt she had to keep practicing shifting her focus in emptiness, even if it ended up being just for her Occlumency, but that was still easier said than done.

So, frustrated with her own lack of progress, she threw herself into the Order meetings with more and more dedication. They'd finally begun practicing Patronuses, and to Daphne's elation, her skill at Charms and large number of happy thoughts involving Harry and Ginny made her one of the first to be successful at casting it.

Her Patronus wasn't anywhere near as large as Harry's, but she loved it all the same. It was a fox, which bounded through the Room of Requirement happily, with Daphne following it with her eyes. She knew it wouldn't be anywhere near as easy to summon if Dementors showed up for real, but for the time being she was satisfied.

That joy was to be short-lived, however, as only a few days later, Umbridge finally did what Daphne had feared she would do, and gone completely off her rocker, and clearly, she hadn't been the only one.

Breakfast that morning had been disturbed by the arrival of Umbridge, Fudge, Kingsley Shacklebolt, another Auror, and Percy Weasley in the Great Hall. They had marched over to the staff table, where an unconcerned Dumbledore had received them and escorted them to his office.

It wasn't long after that a new Educational Decree appeared, Number Twenty-eight, accompanied by rumors of just what had happened in Dumbledore's office.

Daphne, Harry, and the others heard the real story from Sirius, via the two-way mirror Harry had received from him before returning to school.

Umbridge, fed up with Dumbledore going behind her back on several occasions, had fabricated a claim that he was actively working against the Ministry and had attempted to have him arrested for it.

While Dumbledore had, of course, managed to evade capture, Umbridge had achieved her real goal with the new decree: becoming Headmistress of Hogwarts.

Her first order of business had been to appoint Malfoy and several of his lackeys as an Inquisitorial Squad, who had power even over the prefects, and who served as her enforcers.

Umbridge seemed to have decided that, with Dumbledore gone, Harry was her main enemy within the school, and Daphne could understand why, since Dumbledore and Harry had been the main targets of the Ministry's smear campaign.

So, in a bid to discover Dumbledore's whereabouts, Umbridge had attempted to interrogate Harry by using Veritaserum. Harry, of course, had known better than to drink anything she offered — and might even have been able to resist the Veritaserum with Occlumency if he hadn't — and so Umbridge hadn't managed to get anything out of him.

She hadn't gotten much of a chance, regardless, because Fred and George had decided that without Dumbledore, they no longer had a reason to stay in school at all, and would cause as much mayhem as they could before leaving.

First, they set off enchanted fireworks in the school, which were impervious to such mundane things as Stunners and Vanishing spells, meaning the fireworks were free to fly around the school all afternoon. The other teachers gleefully used Educational Decree Number Twenty-six to claim they lacked the authority to deal with the fireworks themselves, forcing Umbridge to run all across the school to clear things up, at which she failed spectacularly.

In retaliation for this, the blood quill was immediately reinstated as a method of punishment, and it wasn't long before many students could be seen walking around with bandaged hands. With Umbridge now supported by some of the less scrupulous students, in addition to Filch, Order meetings became a lot more difficult to organize. There was a tension building within Hogwarts, and it was only a matter of time before it would come to a head.

But despite the tension being so thick you could cut it with a knife, Daphne still had to study for her O.W.L.s, and she still wasn't making any progress with her Occlumency and Divination, despite many long conversations with Pythia.

The Easter holidays, then, didn't feel very festive to Daphne, nor to the other fifth-years. At least she, Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron could still study together. More and more, they were gravitating toward the Room of Requirement for their sessions, because no one would disturb them there.

Near the end of the holidays, a notice appeared in the common rooms that all fifth-years would have a career advice session with their Head of House, adding to their worries.

"Do any of you have an idea of what you'd like to do?" Daphne asked as she browsed through a stack of leaflets and pamphlets that night in the Room of Requirement.

"I thought about becoming an Auror," Harry said. "Though I suspect your mum would kill me if I didn't play professional Quidditch at least for a while, which I fully intend to do."

Daphne grinned at him. "What about you?" she asked Hermione and Ron, with a sideways look at Ginny as well, though she wouldn't have to think of anything for another year.

"Not Healing, anyway," Ron said, looking at the qualifications.

"Why not Muggle liaison?" Hermione asked with a frown. "You only need an O.W.L. in Muggle Studies and 'enthusiasm, patience, and a good sense of fun'."

"Yeah, well, that stuff's written by the Ministry, isn't it?" Daphne asked with a shake of her head. "They'd have done well to actually take Muggle Studies, then maybe they'd realize that Muggles are, y'know, people, not amusing oddities. I mean, even Nott knows that, and he's a pureblood supremacist…"

"So what would you like to do?" Ginny asked.

Daphne shrugged. "I don't know. I…I never gave it a thought, honestly. I mean, I don't really need to work," she said uncomfortably. "Mum had her Quidditch career, and Dad was always interested in the secrets of magic itself, which is why he works so much with the Department of Mysteries. Me…I don't know what I like. Not enough to make it my job, anyway. Maybe I just need to find something that matches with my best subjects…Let's see…Charms, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts…"

She grinned at Harry when she mentioned that one.

"Divination?" Hermione suggested.

Daphne resolutely shook her head. "No. I don't care if I have a talent for it. I don't want to make it my job, unless I can shift my focus in emptiness at will and learn more control over it. I don't want to risk seeing horrible things in someone's future." She sighed and shook her head. "I guess it doesn't matter much…I'll make something up when I talk to Snape."

The Monday after the holidays, Daphne headed down to Snape's office after her final class of the day.

"Have a seat, Miss Greengrass," Snape said when she entered. "As you will have seen on the notice, this conversation is intended to help you pick the subjects you want to continue into your N.E.W.T. years and which ones might be useful to your career after you graduate. Have you given any thought to your future profession?"

"I…talked about it with my friends, but I honestly don't have any ideas," Daphne said.

She'd intended to make something up, like she'd told Harry and the others, but now, put on the spot, she decided she might as well admit to not having a clue. It wasn't like this conversation was graded, anyway.

"You are far from the only one," Snape said. "Determining a future career path is difficult at any age, let alone at your age. Many witches and wizards spend some time traveling and seeing the world before deciding on a career. Given your background, this is certainly an option for you, as money will not be an obstacle. That does, of course, raise the question of which subjects you intend to take next year."

"I was thinking my best ones, mainly," Daphne said. "Your grades are mostly around the 'Exceeds Expectations' level, so most teachers will accept you in their classes. Should you wish to continue Potions, however, you will need to get an 'Outstanding' on your O.W.L.. I accept only the best students into my class. While I believe you can reach that grade, you will have to work hard to pull it off."

He paused for a moment, seemingly thinking about something. "If I were to offer a suggestion, I would suggest looking in the direction of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. You have a strong sense of justice and are skilled at many of the required subjects. Of course, that will require the Ministry itself to be less…obstinate…by the time you graduate. As it is now, your efforts would be wasted."

"So…like an Auror or a Hit Wizard?" Daphne asked. She knew there were many other functions within the Department, but none of those sounded very exciting. And if Harry wanted to be an Auror too, well, then maybe it would be fun to work with him.

"Those would seem to be the most suitable to your talents, yes. If you intend to become an Auror, however, you should work on your Herbology. It is currently only at 'Acceptable', which would be too low to enter into the N.E.W.T. class."

Daphne sighed. "Is there something I could take instead?" she asked. "I really don't care for Herbology."

Before Snape could answer, however, there was a commotion in the hallway outside, and Daphne could vaguely hear Malfoy shouting something, though she couldn't hear what he said. She exchanged a glance with Snape, and without saying another word both of them got up and left the office, following Malfoy and the people he was with out of the dungeons, and into the crowded entrance hall.

Snape easily pushed and commanded his way through the crowd to get through the front, and Daphne stayed close behind him to sneak along. It didn't surprise her much that Fred and George, holding their brooms in their hand, were the center of attention, but what happened next did.

"So," Umbridge said, looking down on Fred and George from the stairs ahead. "You think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"

Daphne suppressed a chuckle. She'd have go and check that out later.

"Pretty amusing, yeah," Fred said, looking at Umbridge without any sign of alarm at being caught.

Filch now came running up, elbowing his way through the crowd, looking exceptionally gleeful. "I've got the form, Headmistress," he said, waving a piece of parchment. "I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting…Oh, let me do it now…"

"Very good, Argus," Umbridge said. "You two," she went on, gazing down at Fred and George, "are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."

"You know what?" Fred said, unimpressed. "I don't think we are."

He turned to George. "George, I think we've outgrown full-time education."

"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," George replied lightly.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" Fred asked.

"Definitely," George said.

And before Umbridge could make a move in their direction, both of them mounted their brooms.

"We won't be seeing you," Fred said.

"Yeah, don't bother keeping in touch," George added.

Fred looked around at the crowd, all of whom had gone silent. "If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, our new premises!" he said in a loud voice.

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," George said, pointing at Umbridge.

"STOP THEM!" Umbridge shrieked, but it was too late.

As the Inquisitorial Squad closed in, Fred and George kicked off from the floor and rose fifteen feet into the air.

Fred looked across the hall, where Peeves was bobbing up and down at the same height. "Give her hell from us, Peeves."

And to Daphne's great surprised, Peeves swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute, as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from the students below and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious sunset.

It's everyone's favorite, a compressed setup chapter. I've actually run out of buffer chapters at this point, so I'm a bit more rushed than usual. I'm also skipping huge sections of the book that simply aren't relevant in my plot, so we're quickly heading for this year's climax. With a bit of luck, I'll be able to extend my chapter supply a bit over the weekend, because the upcoming chapters will be much more plot-relevant again.

On a sidenote, the book makes a big deal about the Inquisitorial Squad being able to dock points, saying that Prefects can't do this…but in Chamber of Secrets, Percy does exactly that when he catches them coming out of Myrtle's bathroom. In my fic, Prefects have also been docking points the entire time, so I'm going to ignore that particular page.

The books also make it clear that Accio and Depulso work on living beings (as Trevor is Summoned several times, as is Hermione's bullfrog when practicing Silencio, and Flitwick is whizzing resignedly past when Neville misses the pillow and hits him during Banishing practice), despite this supposedly not being the case, so those spells might well end up being used on humans further down the line, probably with a repetition of this AN to go along with them.