Disclaimer. See in Part One.
Hidden Bridges
Ryoko Porter
Part Three
'By friendship you mean the greatest love, the greatest usefulness, the most open communication, the noblest sufferings, the severest truth, the heartiest counsel, and the greatest union of minds of which brave men and women are capable.'
Jeremy Taylor
'Harry!' Luna straightened herself from leaning on the wall to join her friends in walking to the next class. Since the last year, she always walked with them from whatever class they came from to the class they would share with Ravenclaws. This time it was Divination, which she made much more fun for the boys. 'So, how is the new teacher?'
'He's a smoking bastard!' Hermione cut in roughly. 'See you guys at lunch,' she called back as she hurried to her own next class.
'I like him,' Ron grinned. 'He said there wouldn't be any homework.' Ron admittedly liked any teacher that would promise that.
Luna looked again at the black-haired boy, smiling at the antics of their friends. Harry didn't need to say anything though. He just smirked at his most understanding friend and started off to the far away class.
Professor Trelawney peered deeply from her thick glasses at the fire before her. She had decided that it was fate for them to learn Smoke Reading this year. An ancient technique for one to see the timeline of the future, though what was to happen would be hazier.
'Now remember class; if the smoke is blue, years will pass before the fire's foretold fate will occur. But if the smoke is red, then beware, for it is within days to come!' the odd woman announced dramatically.
'What if your smoke is gray?' Ron grumbled to his friends as he stared at his small pot of fire. He and Harry still didn't buy into the whole class, but were compensated by the antics of Luna. She was a heavy believer, and made a fuss over the slightest thing.
'Ronald dear, you did not put in enough barley seeds. How do you expect to see anything without them?' Trelawney said suddenly from behind Ron. Then scuttling her way around the table, she went to see Harry's fire pot. She looked into his fire and the smoke swirling from it. 'Harry, your fate is very close. You should be wary.' Then she walked on to the next table, not even bothering to look upon Luna's pot.
'You know, I bet Snape would say that there is no show of the future. The barley must be like some kind of potion,' Ron sniffed as his smoke turned slightly green.
'And you would actually want ask Snape that kind of question?' Harry coughed discretely to hide his mirth. Luna just let herself giggle. And Ron flushed in annoyance.
'Hey your smoke is turning black! That means that you're future is upon you today,' Luna smiled excitedly as she leaned in to see what was in the fire. 'Is that you talking to Snape?' the odd girl observed, grinning like a joker.
Then Professor Trelawney had everyone turn their attention to a table with three Ravenclaws. One of the fires had no smoke, which she was pointing out to mean that the future was already upon the person. The girl looked a bit embarrassed as her "friend" sat laughing at her. 'I told you to get on birth control!'
'It looks gray to me,' Ron said quietly as he stared curiously at Harry's fire.
It was lunch when Harry and Ron, finally saw Hermione again. Luna joined the three Gryffindors at their table, as she always did for breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner. The Golden Quartet, always ready for another adventure.
'Trelawney predicted Harry's death again,' Luna told Hermione cheerfully.
'That crazy old bat,' Hermione muttered disdainfully as she continued to read her book. Everyone smiled at that. Luna had - since the year before, insisted upon telling Hermione the details of the one class that the studious girl would never take. It would drive the poor girl crazy, to the point of yelling at the grinning girl.
That was how the friendship of the two girls was though. Luna was nearly obsessed with getting a rise out of Hermione. The older girl always ready for an intelligent conversation. They were from the different ends of the spectrum, opposing each other in almost every way. Yet out of the bickering and stress, was a strong respect and friendship. Mainly due to Harry.
End Part 3.
AN. This chapter was more for fun and to establish the friendships a bit more. Please review.
Ryoko Porter