"Shit."

"No No No No No."

"I knew this would happen to me."

"What is it?"

"I said if I took Professor Binn's class again, I'd kill myself."

"Well, I'll get you the hatchet."

Gracie looked up from her schedule and gave Ron a confusing stare.
"And who is Sibyll Trelawney?"

Ron let out a laugh, and pointed her in the direction of the staff table.
His finger landed on a thin, wild-haired woman talking in vivid detail with Professor McGonagall.

Her huge glasses enlarged her eyes, making her look rather like an insect. She wore gauzy, spangled shawls
and an endless supply of bangles, beads and rings.

"She teaches Divination." Ron replied, returning to his porridge.

"Hermione's favourite subject." Harry teased, tugging at Hermione's frizzy hair.

She winced at her name being mentioned but didn't look up from her large, rather dull-looking book.

"Well, I think she looks rather interesting." Kira mumbled, in between bites of muffin.

"Yeah..Loads of fun."

Ron rolled his eyes and went back to his schedule.

Gracie giggled and took a sip of orange juice but something at the staff table caught her eye.

"Who is that man there?" she whispered to Harry.
"Him?"
"Yeah."

Kira looked up to where Harry and Gracie were pointing and noticed a tall, scruffy man, in his late thirties.

His hair was messy and his face looked tired.

His clothes were shabby and torn in some spots, but he managed to keep himself together, looking rather handsome.

"That is Professor Lupin."

"The werewolf?" Kira burst out, spitting bits of muffin onto the table.

"Yeah. He resigned after his first year teaching here, but came back for protection against the Death Eaters."

Harry's voice had faded slowly, mushing itself together. All Gracie could seem to hear was Professor Lupin's heartbeat.

He was so far away and yet, he was right on top of her, breathing down her neck.

He turned slowly towards her, studied her for a moment then went back to talking with Dumbledore.

She knew at once, as an animal instict, she needed to get closer to him.

-------------

"Now, if you would turn your books to page 434, we can begin..."

Already, the academic year was off to a foul start.
Potions dumped five pages of bookwork onto their laps, and Herbology proved interesting when half the class (including Gracie, Kira, George and Ginny) began to break out in large, purple, puss-filled bumps, a side-effect to the shrivelfigs they had been dissecting.

Now, landed in Arithmacy, time seemed to come to a complete halt.

Gracie's head had become a weight, pulling her down through the table.

Kira found entertainment in passing notes back and forth with Fred, while Harry and Ron we're discussing Quidditch tryouts.

"They are this afternoon, you know."
"Yeah. I can't wait."

--------------

Gracie stood at the end of the Quidditch Pitch, shading her eyes with her hand, as she looked up into the sky overhead.

Kira had grabbed the Quaffle, and soared past Draco Malfoy, and lauched it into the center ring.

"Excellent Ms. Cassidy!" Madame Hooch shouted from her broomstick, her finger set atop a hand timer.
"A record-breaking score!"

Kira grinned and soared up to Fred's broom, nudging him with her fist.

"I suppose I am a natural at the game."
He laughed and kicked her broom, playfully knocking it away.
"Yeah. A natural loser."
------------

"Miss Gracelyn Badeau."
Gracie looked over to Madame Hooch, and quickly mounted her broom.

She shot up through the low hanging clouds, and stopped inches away from Ron.
"Ready?"
"Born Ready."

Madame Hooch's whistle rung into her ears, triggering her broom to accelerate.

Cedric Diggory rushed after the Quaffle, bashing into Angelina Johnston, knocking her from her broom.
He scooped the ball into his arms, circled the stands, then pushed it into Gracie's hand.

She tucked it beneath her arm, and made her way to the rings.

She was suddenly cut off by Draco Malfoy, who had stopped his broom, causing Gracie to swerve wildly.

Luckily, she regained her balance and sunk the ball into the left hoop.

Her broom came to a halt over The Forbidden Forest's tangled trees.

Cheers erupted around her, but she didn't hear them. Her eyes widened. It was here.
She let out a blood-curtling scream and fell from her broom to the muddy ground below.

-------------

"Wake up, you."
Gracie's eyes had become two rocks, making it nearly impossible for her eyes to open.
"Wh-Wha--Happen?" she scrambeld out, clutching at her side.
"You fell."

"No shit, Ron. I think she knows that much."

"Yeah. Why did you fall, then?"
It suddenly came back to her. The image. In the forest.

She bolted up out of bed, nearly knocking heads with Kira.
"What's wrong?" Kira questioned, grabbing at Gracie's arms.

A look of pure horror rushed over her face.

"The...Mark."
"What mark?"
"In the forest. The trees.."

"Have you gone insane?"

"No one else saw it?"

Harry pushed through Kira and placed his hands on Gracie's shoulders.
"The Dark Mark?"
Gracie nodded.

"He's coming back."