That night, I dream again.
This time, I'm not inside my desolate house. Instead, I'm floating in the air above my neighborhood. I have no broom. I'm simply floating, weightless.
Nor am I alone. Jacob's hand grips mine. "Look, Celena," he says, pointing down towards the ground. "There's Mr. Martin with his dog. And there's Mum."
I look at the ground, so far below. The people look like ants, but I can make out Mr. Martin holding the leash of a snarling white dog. His dog, Milkyway, is small and fluffy and couldn't look less menacing, but somehow she's decided that she's the ruler of the neighborhood.
Was. Milkyway died a few months ago, not long before I started at Hogwarts. Her presence is the proof that I'm not looking down on the real world, but a past one, the one I miss so much.
"When are you coming home, Jacob?" I ask suddenly, and my voice is that of the little kid I used to be.
"Whenever you find me," Jacob says. He turns his head away, but not before I see the tears in his eyes. "I'm trapped. I need your help."
"I'll find you," I promise, but when I look at my brother again, he's gone, faded into the clouds.
I wake in a familiar place, near Professor Dumbledore's office.
Without even thinking about it, I creep in the direction of the door Filch and Professor Snape were discussing. If nothing else, I can see how it's being guarded.
This part of the castle is dark, but I don't dare light my wand. In the darkness, I can just make out a small silhouette near the door. Mrs. Norris. Of course. Although a cat doesn't seem like the best guard at first glance, Mrs. Norris can quickly fetch reinforcements in the form of Filch and maybe Professor Snape.
I slip away before Mrs. Norris can notice me. Jacob said he's trapped and needs my help. I have to get behind that door, but it's going to require planning.
Good thing I'm a Ravenclaw.
I catch Rowan before she can walk to the Great Hall for breakfast. "Rowan, I need to talk to you. Here."
"All right." Rowan stops. "Is it about your punishment? What is it?"
"I'm supposed to help Hagrid. I have to go down there after breakfast, actually, but-"
"That doesn't sound so bad," Rowan interrupts. "Do you think I can come?"
"I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to crash detentions," I laugh. "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." I describe my dream and Filch and Snape's conversation.
"Are you sure your dream wasn't just... a dream?" Rowan asks with a frown. "You miss your brother, so it's natural that you would want a way to find him."
"It felt way more real than a dream." Inside, though, my conviction wavers. What if Rowan is right, and I'm just imagining things?
Suddenly Rowan disappears, and I find myself floating in the air again. This time I'm above Hogwarts. The air is cold, the lake frozen over. It could be a normal day.
Except that ice is creeping up Hogwarts as well. At first it expands slowly, spreading around the bottom floor. Then it quickens its pace, spreading faster and faster until it encases the entire castle in a giant ice cube.
There's no one on the grounds. They're all still in the castle. Trapped. Freezing.
"Celena!" I become aware that Rowan is calling my name, though I have no idea how long she's been doing so.
My breathing is rapid. I do my best to slow it. "I had a vision," I gasp. "Ice encasing all of Hogwarts."
Rowan looks worried now. "Come see me after your detention. I know where you need to go."
"All right," I agree, before Rowan, guided as much by her stomach as by her clever mind and kind heart, pulls me to the Great Hall for breakfast.
After I've finished with breakfast, I leave Rowan and Alana and walk outside. I find the small hut where the groundskeeper lives. I wonder who built it, and how many groundskeepers lived in it before Hagrid.
I stop in front of the door. Should I knock? I raise my hand and knock on the door, triggering an explosion of barking inside the hut. The sound reminds me of Milkyway, although the barks aren't quite the same pitch.
I hear the sound of footsteps, and then the door opens. A black puppy bounds past Hagrid and starts jumping on my legs.
"Back, Fang," Hagrid says, pulling the puppy away. "Sorry abou' tha', Celena."
"It's alright." I bend over and scratch behind Fang's ears. "You're a handsome boy."
Fang rolls over, exposing his belly. "You're good with animals," Hagrid says. "Tha's jus' what I need."
I straighten. "What exactly are we doing? Professor Snape didn't say."
"There are a lotta magical creatures aroun' here, so you and I are goin' ter be lookin' after 'em," Hagrid explains. "Go outside ter the pumpkin patch. We'll start there."
I follow his instructions. The pumpkins are much larger than normal pumpkins, and I wonder what makes them so big.
Hagrid lifts one of the leaves on a pumpkin, revealing a cluster of tiny white dots. "These are fairy eggs," he explains. "We raise a bunch of 'em for Professor Snape's classes. They're right vain creatures, an' it's abou' time to start decoratin' fer Christmas, so we'll be lurin' some up ter the castle fer Professor Flitwick."
"How do you do that?" I ask. I try to remember if I know anything about fairies, but nothing comes to mind.
"Usually I jus' use a whole bunch of mirrors. They're so intent on admirin' their reflections that they fly right where I want 'em to," Hagrid explains, handing me a leather bag identical to the one he's holding. I open it and see that it's full of small mirrors.
"On'y problem is if you don' have enough mirrors, they'll start fightin'," Hagrid continues. "Tha's why I always try ter have some extras. Come on. This way." He walks towards another section of his garden, his long stride eating up the distance with ease. I have to run to keep up.
I stop when I see a small creature hovering in the air in front of us. It's maybe four inches tall, with shimmering, multicolored wings. "It's wings are beautiful," I say.
The fairy buzzes happily. "Now show it a mirror," Hagrid instructs. I open the bag and place a mirror in the palm of my hand.
Buzz buzz. The fairy hovers over the mirror, staring at its reflection and stroking its hair.
"Now back up slowly towards the castle. Not that slow." I walk backwards with the fairy following me. "Bring it ter the Great Hall. I'm goin' to find another one," Hagrid says before heading back to his garden.
Finally, the fairy and I reach the Great Hall. A dozen Christmas trees are already set up. Hagrid brought them up yesterday.
"Over here, Miss Serantos." I walk towards Professor Flitwick, towards a tree that's already been hung with garlands. "Hang the mirror on a branch."
I use a small red ribbon to hang the mirror on the tree like an ornament. The fairy positions itself nearby with a pleased buzz.
Hagrid comes in and hangs his mirror on a higher branch. It's odd to see something so small and fragile in his large hand.
I don't think the fairies have stopped admiring their reflections since we first showed them the mirrors. Is there anything in the world more vain than a fairy?
When Hagrid and I have finished with the fairies, I meet Rowan outside the entrance to the common room. "So, where did you want to go?" I ask.
"This way," Rowan answers mysteriously. "I got directions from Caleb earlier."
I realize that I haven't spoken to Caleb in weeks, but it feels like he's present in my life nonetheless. A shadow, flitting just out of sight.
We pass a portrait of a little knight with a plump pony. "Draw and fight, you cowards!" The knight shouts, waving a painted sword with so much enthusiasm that he loses his balance and falls on his back. I struggle to hold back laughter, and feel bad for doing so.
"Here." Rowan stops and points upwards at a trapdoor in the ceiling. A small plaque on the door is engraved with the words Sybil Trelawney, Divination teacher.
"How do we get up there?" I ask Rowan.
"Well, Caleb said that there was a ladder, but I suppose Professor Trelawney only lowers it if she's expecting company," Rowan says. Her eyes brighten as she pulls a book from her bag. Only Rowan would carry books around on a weekend.
Rowan throws the book upwards. It hits the trapdoor with an audible thump.
Rowan catches the book, and we wait for a response. "Think I should try again?" Rowan asks when none is forthcoming.
"Maybe," I say. Rowan throws her book at the trapdoor again. The noise is audible to us, but does Professor Trelawney notice it?
Finally, the trapdoor opens, and a silver ladder descends. Rowan motions for me to go up first, so I do.
The room isn't small, but it's made claustrophobic by the clutter of tables, the oppressive heat, and the dim, reddish light. At the front of the room is a large chair with wings on the back, occupied by a woman I can only assume is Professor Trelawney. She's a skinny woman, with a shawl wrapped around her neck and large glasses magnifying her eyes. She's draped in countless pieces of jewelry, shiny necklaces and bangles. "Welcome, welcome," she says in a dreamy voice. "First-years, I see, yet here you are. Eager to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future, yes?"
"Actually, we're here because Celena had a vision," Rowan corrects.
Professor Trelawney adjusts her glasses and examines me. "Yes... I perceive a great aura around you," she says thoughtfully. "You are very open to the universe. Visions only come to those who are willing to recieve them."
Rowan fidgets impatiently. "But what does it mean?"
"Ice symbolizes the absence of love, difficult and unexplored territory. Your vision can be taken quite literally, but the deeper you look, the more meanings you will find."
"That's it?" Rowan sounds unimpressed.
"You will forgive me, my dear, but you have no future in the field of Divination. You are not open enough, and my guidance can only take you so far. Your friend understands." Professor Trelawney's voice loses none of its misty quality. She is not being rude to Rowan, simply stating a fact.
The absence of love. Difficult and unexplored territory. I do know my vision meant. Literally, it shows the danger that could come. The locked room must be the start of the ice I saw. But it means more than that, especially when coupled with Jacob's words. It's the sign that confirms that my path is the right one.
As soon as we've descended from Trelawney's tower, I squeeze Rowan's hand. "We're getting inside that room," I whisper.
"One way or another."