Jay Morris

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just the gremlins in my head.

"Chapter 15: The Seer"

Harry and Ron sat in Professor Trelawney's classroom, humid as usual. She was going over something about death prophecies, as usual whenever she was having a good day, when she suddenly asked Ron a question.

"Sorry Professor Trelawney?" Ron stammered. He hadn't been paying attention as his mind was as misty as the room.

"You weren't listening to my lecture were you? I don't suppose you can even repeat my question can you Mr. Weasley?" Her eyes were shielded by a glare on her glasses from a slit in the curtains.

"No ma'am."

"Five points from Gryffindor, and you still have to answer the question. What does a black animal most often represent in a prophecy?"

"Death?"
"Good. Now, please pay attention."

After another hour of Trelawney's babbling, Harry and Ron were walking to meet Hermione in Transfiguration when he felt a slight tap on the shoulder. He turned around to find a timid-looking Lavender Brown.

"Um Harry, can I talk to you?" she asked. Her voice was strained as though she had to fight to make it resinate.

"Sure, go ahead."

Lavender glanced at Ron, and then at Hermione who was coming up the hallway. "Can we talk privately?"

Harry turned to Ron, and with only a look Ron understood. He ran off to talk to Hermione, and get them out of earshot.

"Okay Lavender. Go ahead."

Lavender cleared her throat. "I heard this rumor that you like me, and I wanted to know if it was true?"

"Liked you as in 'girlfriend' like you?"

Lavender was getting more fidgety and nervous with every word Harry spoke. "Yes."

"No, I don't like you like that. I think you're very nice, and very attractive; but I just don't have romantic thoughts about you. I think of you as a friend."

"You consider me as a friend?"

"Sure."

"But not as a 'girlfriend'?"

"No."

"I just wanted to get that straight. I didn't want to embarrass you in front" Lavender went stiff as a board, and her eyes blanked out. When her voice returned to her it seemed mystical, and as though it echoed through Harry.

"THE WAR HAS BEGUN. THE DRAGON AND THE PHOENIX WILL FIGHT FOR POWER, AND THE HOUSE WILL BE DIVIDED. THE DEAD SHALL THEN LIVE, AND THE LIVING BE AS THOUGH DEAD." After Lavender had stopped, she collapsed on the floor, and Harry was on his knees. Another riddled prophecy for him to figure out, and now he had to get Lavender to the Hospital Wing. And to top this all off, they were having a test today in Transfiguration. Huffing to himself, he picked up a fainted Lavender, and carried her to Madam Pomfrey.

After Transfiguration class, Hermione, Ron, Draco, and Ginny met him in the Hospital Wing. Harry was talking to Dumbledore when they came in.

"Was there anything else Harry?"

"No sir."

"Very well. Thank you Harry. Madam Pomfrey appreciates your promptness. Lavender wasn't quite ready for that experience, and needs to rest a while."

"Yes sir."

Just after Dumbledore left the room, a loud slap pierced what silence there was in the Hospital Wing.

"What did you do to her?" an enraged Ginny asked.

"What do you mean?"

"How could you?!" Ginny ran out of the Hospital Wing with her hands over her eyes.

"What did I do?" Harry asked.

"That's what I'd like to know," Ron said threateningly.

"I don't understand."

"Harry, look at the facts. You didn't go to Transfiguration to talk to Lavender, and now she's in the Hospital Wing needing a lot of sleep. And Dumbledore himself said she wasn't ready for some experience she had while she was with you. Put two and two together, it's not that difficult to figure out what they're talking about," Hermione said. Draco was sitting down, keeping his mouth shut.

"I'm still getting a blank. Would you just tell me what you're talking about?"

"Are you cheating on Ginny?" Draco said. "That's what they're talking about."

"Oh! No, I'm not cheating on Ginny. Lavender wanted to know if I 'liked her' liked her, and then went into a prophetic state, and fainted after that. I've been here because the Ministry wanted to get the prophecy out of my brain, and then Dumbledore wanted to know everything about it."

"And how are we supposed to know that's for real?" Ron asked. His wand was in his hand, and a dangerous look in his eye. Draco was looking at Hermione with a bewildered look, not knowing Harry well enough to judge for himself. He was also looking for a sign meaning he might need to intervene between Ron and Harry.

"By asking me," a voice said.

"Lavender. You're awake," Hermione said.

"Yes. Harry's telling the truth. I had heard from, somebody, that Harry liked me, and I wanted to know. Then my memory goes blank, and the Ministry of Magic says I said all this." Lavender handed Hermione a piece of paper, and reached for a cup of pumpkin juice. Hermione read it to herself, and then looked at Harry. "Does this make any sense to you, Harry?"

"Not in any way, shape, or form. I can pick out my meanings but that's it."

"Well, what does it say love?" Draco asked. He had sat down again, and was tying his shoe when she started reading.

"'The war has begun. The dragon and the phoenix will fight for power, and the house will be divided. The dead shall then live, and the living be as though dead.' I'm guessing the dragon and phoenix are Voldemort and Dumbledore?" Hermione asked, looking at Harry.

"That was my assumption. The first part about the war was easy enough to get, but it's after the dragon and phoenix part that it gets confusing. What house will be divided. Who, or what, is the dead that will live? And how can you come back from the dead?"

"Unless, you're not really dead," Draco said.

"I don't follow you," Lavender said.

"Well there are fates worse than death; and well, being in a place like Azkaban would be one of those. And if someone escaped from a fate like that they would be considered as being brought back to life."

"And the reverse be done for the living. But, we still have no idea of what 'the house will be divided' means," Ron said. He had relaxed a little bit, but he wondered how long it was going to be before Ginny was willing to accept the truth, and not her own version of it.

"Well, maybe we can talk to Devine about it tomorrow. But right now, I need to go talk to Ginny, and straighten out the facts about what happened."

"Don't bother Harry," Draco said with a smug grin. "I got your back. I made her listen to our conversation. She asked me to tell you to meet her in the common room so she can apologize for going off on you." Hermione playfully hit his arm, and got an even more playful kiss in return.

"Did you all forget I'm sitting here? I have had feelings for Harry too you know?" Lavender had tears in her eyes.

"You're on your own for this one mate," Draco said. He herded Hermione and Ron out of the room, and then looked at Harry and gave a thumbs up.

"How long have you like me Lavender?" Harry asked.

"Since first year. Every time you beat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, I loved you. Every time I watched you play Quidditch, I loved you more. Every time I saw you at all, I loved you even more."

"I have no responce to that." Harry was right. He was in love with Ginny, and she him. And now he finds out that Lavender has had a crush on him since their first year. "Is it me, or my image that you love?"

"Both. A great wizard, means a great man. And you are very attractive Harry."

"Thank you," and in a lower voice "I think."

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"What do you think of me? Am I hot, boring, a stupid blonde?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I want to marry you Harry." Lavender was serious. Harry could see it in her tear filled eyes. She had their life planned out, and it was her perfect dream.

"I don't love you. I just don't know what else to say that I haven't already said."

"Fine. Go be with your girlfriend. Remember, she wants to apologize." Lavender put her head back and closed her eyes. Harry looked at her and felt bad. He had hurt her, and he felt somewhat guilty.

"Sorry Lavender."

After he closed the door behind him, she opened her eyes, and muttered, "It's a little late for sorry Potter."

N/A: Yes I'm being evil with this now. The unexpected is always fun as a writer. Please, please, people review this stuff. Even if you just say "Here's a review shut up already", tell me. It gets boring with only a few comments.