Chapter 23

Hermonie sat in the back of Tomes and Scrolls at an ancient-looking wooden table. Stacks of books flanked her on either side, five or six tall. In between them she sat, feverishly scribbling on a piece of parchment with her quill.

She stopped a moment to stretch. Arching her back and rotating her shoulders, she felt a vertebrae pop somewhere between her scapula and she gently winced. She inhaled deeply and the smell of aged books and paper brought a smile to her face before it quickly became a yawn.

Hermione opened her eyes in time to see Sam Winchester walk through the door of the shop.

Sam entered and was instantly taken with the place. Bookshelves overflowing with books and rolled up scrolls. Old wooden filing cabinets stuffed with lore and spells he wagered. The old wizard behind the counter nodded to him in greeting, and Sam returned the gesture.

He spied Hermione in the back of the store but pretended not to notice. Instead he headed down an aisle and browsed the bookshelves. Interesting titles and subject matter with no rhyme or reason to where they were placed on the shelves. Merpeople: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Language and Customs, You and Your Owl, Quidditch Through the Ages, a stack of old issues of Witch Weekly. Sam looked at the next shelf. Chadwick's Charms, Jinxes for the Jinxed, Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks, Cooking the Muggle Way. Sam chuckled.

He reached up and retrieved a book that was under a pile of rolled up parchment. The front of the book was covered in a layer of thick dust. Sam blew the dust off the cover and instantly regretted doing so as it created a huge cloud which made him sputter and cough. He wiped off the rest of the dust with his sleeve and read the title. Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablasky.

"It's rubbish." said a female voice off to the left of him. He turned to see Hermione standing a few feet away. Sam mused at how she was able to get so close without him hearing her approach, especially with the creaky old floorboards beneath their feet.

"Oh!" Sam said quickly. "This?" he put it back on the shelf and started wiping his dusty hands on his jeans. "It's nothing."

"You don't believe in that nonsense, do you?" she asked. "I think the whole concept of Divination is just so . . . so . . ."

"Woolly?" Sam offered, recalling Hermione's phrasing from the book.

"It's exactly that!" she said relieved.

"You know, on the surface Professor Trelawney may seem eccentric, but she does have her merits. You shouldn't be so quick to judge her."

Hermione thought a moment. "I understand that she is . . . eccentric, but her theatrics in the classroom are unnecessary and have half of the students in a frenzy that something disastrous lurks around every corner. All the doom and gloom is simply exhausting."

Sam laughed. "Yeah, I can see what you mean." He took a step closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "But for what it's worth, she is right about a lot of important things. Even if the rest of it is guesswork and smoke and mirrors. Even the best Seers in the world don't see the future all the time. Between you, me, and the bookshelf, Trelawney lives in constant fear of losing her job. She's got to make it interesting between true predictions. She was right about a lot of things. The prophecy about Harry, for one."

"And what about Professor Winchester . . . erm. . . the other one that is?"

Sam tilted his head quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Well," she began, "Today is Halloween, is it not?"

"Of course."

"Trelawney gave him a prediction in class as well. She said he would get answers today." she snarked. "I highly doubt that will even happen!"

Sam knew what she was getting at. "Actually, Hermione, it did happen."

Hermione's mouth dropped open but no words came out.

"That prediction was surprisingly accurate. It was meant for both my brother and I, and we were together when it happened. I was there."

"But, but, that could have meant anything!" she protested.

"Well, no, this was very specific." he laughed nervously.

Hermione's curiosity piqued and her eyes narrowed as she prepared to probe for answers.

"What answers did you get exactly?"

"That is a little hard to explain. It's. . . " Sam thought about how much information he should actually divulge. Dumbledore's warnings echoed in his head. He decided the best course of action was to lie. "I. . . I have The Sight too."

"Oh, for goodness sake!" Hermione scoffed and she began to turn away.

He was losing her. He had to change tactics quickly. "There is a reason I gave you that book!"

She stopped and turned back toward him. Got her! He thought.

"What reason would that be?" she said almost defiantly.

"Trust me when I say, the subject matter will be most useful to you this year."

'Why? I didn't see it in the syllabus."

Sam took a step closer to her and lowered his voice. "Because it's not in the 's a little closer to home than that."

Once again Hermione's eyes narrowed on Sam. She was weighing her thoughts against her beliefs and even she didn't know which was winning.

"Alright." she said slowly and began thinking out loud. "If you are really gifted with "The Sight", and you are going out of your way to drop hints at me, obviously you think something is going to happen."

Sam nodded.

"As you are a Professor, I have no choice but to listen to your lectures. I, as the student, must take what you teach to heart so that I might learn something. It now seems that I have two Divination professors while I'd rather have none at all."

"I'm not here to teach you Divination."

"What are you here to teach, exactly?" she asked suspiciously.

"Muggle Sports!" Sam smiled brightly hoping to change her mood. "I am also the assistant Quidditch coach now! My brother and I have just purchased a great deal of sporting equipment today. As soon as the winter snow thaws and the new semester starts there will be physical education in the curriculum."

"Ah, I see." Hermione said less than enthused. "It's not compulsory is it?"

"Nope! It's not mandatory, just extra credit courses. Of course you'll know all about extra credit courses." Sam blatantly cracked.

Hermione's mouth once again dropped open.

That one had landed. Nobody but Dumbledore and Minerva knew she had the Time Turner.

"H-How did you -" Hermione stuttered.

"I told you. I know things." he reassured her.

"Okay, so you know things, that doesn't prove anything! You could have overheard something!"

Sam could tell she wouldn't be satisfied by an indefinite answer. "Fine. What do I have to do to convince you?"

Hermione seemed a bit taken aback with Sam's eagerness to prove himself. "Why are you telling me all this? Why does it matter so much if I believe you or not?"

"Because, whether you believe it or not, my brother and I are here to help you and your friends."

Hermione's brow wrinkled. "What help could we possibly need?"

Sam knew he would have to tell her something big in order for her to trust him. Against his better judgement, he was going to do it. He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was in earshot and he leaned in closer to her to whisper in her ear. "Your cat, Crookshanks is part Kneazle. He is able to tell who is untrustworthy. Even if they are . . . in a different form."

Hermione gasped and took a big step back, her hands clasped over her mouth.

Sam stood tall. "You are to tell nobody of this. Do you understand?' Not even Ron or Harry.''

She hesitated, then nodded in agreeance. "Wh- Who is it?"

"I can say no more." Sam said in order to sound a bit more mystical. "It is never good to know too much about one's own destiny. I've said too much already." Even he had to admit what he just said came out far cheesier than he would have liked it to sound. Sam put on his best sympathetic expression. "But when it does happen, and it will, you need to be brave. The important thing is not to panic. It will all work out in the end."

Hermione gulped. "Let's just say for a moment that I believe you. How does the book you gave me enter into it?"

Sam knew she would not let it go until she was satisfied. What else could I tell her? he thought. He sighed heavily. "Look, Ms. Granger. I know you have no real reason to trust me. But I give you my word that my brother and I are here to keep you three safe. Nothing is going to hurt you. Not on our watch."

Hermione looked down at the creaky old floor. "Alright." she said with a sly expression. She quickly looked him directly in the face and locked eyes with him. "What extra classes am I taking?" she said unexpectedly.

"Divination and Muggle Studies." Sam said without flinching.

Hermione faltered. "Okay." She took a breath. "My wand core?"

"Dragon heart string."

Her eyes narrowed and she redoubled her efforts.

"Middle name?"

"Jean."

"Parents?"

"Dentists."

Her jaw dropped. "Tell me something that nobody knows!"

Sam leaned closer to her and in a low, cool voice replied, "Last year you half polijuiced yourself into Millicent Bullstrode's cat."

Hermione's eyes went wide as Sam stood tall again. He saw the look on her face and he knew he had finally struck gold.

"Sssshhh." Sam said putting a finger to his lips. "It's okay. Your secret is safe with me. Speaking of which, please don't tell anyone about my Sight. It'll draw a lot of unwanted attention."

She nodded in agreeance but added, "You could surely make a better Divination Professor than Trelawney."

"I'm not here to take anyone's job, I'm just here to help. But hey, look! It's about time to gather everyone up and start heading back to the school. So, if you have anything you need to pack up, now's the time."

Hermione still looked baffled but agreed and trotted off to the old table in the back where she began to stack all her parchments and shove them into her bag. She moved all the books she had stacked on the table to a rolling cart for re-shelving and joined Sam at the door to the shop.

They both waved to the old Wizard behind the counter and left the shop together.