A/N: Thank you reviewers :) Your comments are always appreciated!
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Chapter 2
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With the candlelight being the only source of light, the ceiling of the Great Hall was of a dull, velvety black with heavy clouds looming in the background. Once or twice during the dinner, the fake ceiling was illuminated by transient sparks of blinding white light and all the chatters in the Hall died away almost instantaneously. The students looked up at the sky in unison and the teaching staffs were seen interchanging pointed looks with each other.
Some of the students glanced sideways at their copies of the Evening Prophet which had been distributed halfway through the dinner thoughtfully; unless some unlucky fellows received the Ministry's notification of the losses of their families, they could only find out whether the source of blinding white light was from a hovering Dark Mark from the Daily Prophet to be delivered tomorrow in the morning. The animated chatters in the Hall scattered remarkably after the students glanced up at the ceiling for the second time that night. But the Slytherins' table was less influenced by the ominous sparks than those of the other houses.
"Nope, I wasn't living in Bulgaria. I have been living in Rumania ever since I was born," Stefan Tsepeth, the seventh year transfer student from Drumstrang was saying to Lucius Malfoy and Eric Avery in accented English. "Of course it'd better if I go to a magical institution in Rumania, but there just isn't any good and decent one. And Drumstrang is so famous a school that I sincerely wanted to attend despite the geographical distance…"
"So where do your parents…" Lucius began but Tsepeth cut him short. "My parents died when I was one." Tsepeth stated.
"I am sorry to hear that," said Avery, sounding not at all sympathetic.
Rainzzi Delanuit peeked at Stefan Tsepeth from the corners of her eyes from time to time, but ever so strangely, almost with hostility. It was not like she held anything against Stefan Tsepesh; in fact, she didn't even have any reason to, for he seemed to be a very cultivated and talkative fellow. She couldn't quite comprehend from where the hard feeling stemmed but something about him was just not right. And it was weird that, given he had just been transferred from Drumstrang and sorted into Slytherin on the previous night, she already thought that he somehow looked familiar. He gave her an impression of someone she had once been acquainted in her earlier childhood but had never met for a second time.
As she continued to stare at Tsepeth, she caught the eyes of Rabastan Lestrange, who looked bored by the conversation between Lucius's gang and the ex-Drumstrang. Rainzzi managed to force a little smile at his grimace before she turned away and stared with a sudden interest at the food that Narcissa had shoved to her. She forked the lasagna which she had been toying with and then put it down on the plate again for several times. Rainzzi shook her head as Alecto Carrow and Vanessa Yaxley motioned to leave the Hall.
"Cissy," Rainzzi said to Narcissa thoughtfully once Carrow and Yaxley were out of earshot. "Do you think Bellatrix was in love with Princeps?"
The question seemed to have taken Narcissa by surprise. "Yes, of course she was. Bella had been dating your brother for almost two years before she broke up with him," replied Narcissa matter-of-factly.
"I noticed that Bellatrix did not attend Princeps's funeral," stated Rainzzi in a barely audible whisper. "Even Andromeda came to the funeral after your parents left."
"They had a hard time when they broke up for the last time I suppose," Narcissa put down the butterbeer mug and took a deep breath. "As I told you, she locked herself up in her bedroom for three days in a row, not eating and talking to anyone at all. A few days later she emerged from her bedroom and the first thing that she said to my parents was to accept the Lestranges's proposal. I think she really loved him but she hated him equally as much too."
Rainzzi glanced at Narcissa quietly as she considered Narcissa's words. Princeps had spoken very little of Bella lately, but Rainzzi knew that he had maintained a complicated relationship with Bella through the years after their last breakup. It wasn't until she was engaged to Rodolphus Lestrange one year ago that their relationship turned sour. Princeps and Rainzzi had attended Bellatrix and Rodolphus's wedding banquet together then and Princeps had had a private word with Bella in the bridal room. Despite the pleasant smile Princeps had worn throughout the function, Rainzzi couldn't help noticing her brother's uncharacteristically harsh demeanor in the days to ensue.
"Do you think Bellatrix has become a death eater?" said Rainzzi with a harassed expression after a long pause.
With the Dark Lord rising consistently in power and gaining popularity within the pureblood community, there were rumors the descendents of quite a number of respectable wizarding names had made their ways to the inner circle of the Death Eaters. Fanatical of the ideology of purification of the wizarding race and prodigious in abilities, Bellatrix Lestrange would not surprise anyone if she was revealed to be one of the most devoted supporters of the Dark Lord.
Rainzzi would not care if Bella was a Death Eater but she had suspected all along that it was Bellatrix's identity as a Death Eater and Princeps's identity as an Auror that had caused the ultimate breakup. Even though Princeps never mentioned Bella ever again after her wedding day, Rainzzi felt angry at Bellatrix Lestrange for antagonizing her brother in his late days.
"I honestly don't know. Between Bella, Meda and me, that's a taboo, you know." Narcissa looked at her cautiously. "So any news on the investigation from the Chief?"
Rainzzi shook her head shortly. "I didn't hear a word from him since I returned to Hogwarts. I suppose rebuilding his prestige within the Ministry is of a much higher priority than keeping in touch with his daughter."
"The Chief" was the nickname that Rainzzi and Narcissa used among themselves to refer to William Delanuit, Rainzzi's father who worked in the Ministry of Magic as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
The sudden death of Princeps Delanuit, who had been a rising talent in the Auror Office, in July had come as a heavy blow to both the Chief and the Auror Office. In such times of wars and disorder, deaths were not astonishing in themselves. However, although every sign of the field where Princeps's dead body was located pointed to the conclusion that he was killed with dark magic, the body was peculiarly free from the Dark Mark when it was found. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was eager to shatter the conspiracy theories that had emerged following the high-profile death of a prominent member of their Auror Office, but so far investigation of the motives behind the tragic event and identification of the murderer had been unsuccessful.
Rainzzi hugged her arms protectively as her mind drifted off to the moments when the Chief held her tight in an embrace, stroking her hair and patting her back as she cried in his chest after Princeps's funeral. They shared a bedtime chat on the balcony on that night, smiling and crying together in reminisces of their time with Princeps. But the scarce demonstration of fatherly love diminished on the following day when the Chief returned to office.
Narcissa patted on the back of her hand as Rainzzi blinked away the moist in her eyes. "Let's go," said Rainzzi as she became aware of the glances of several fifth-year Slytherins.
As they made their way to the entrance of the Great Hall, Rainzzi shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her cloak and stared determinedly ahead, letting a strand of hair falling into one of her eyes to avoid direct eye contact. But she was soon yanked out of her mental solitary as someone from behind bumped into her shoulder almost premeditatedly and strode to the entrance ahead of them.
She looked up in irritation and found herself meeting Sirius Black's backward glance. A flicker of recognition passed between them and quickly transpired.
James kicked open the door to the heavily scented and fogged Divination Classroom and strode inside with Sirius on his side. Expecting Professor Evangeline to welcome them with predictions of them dying in the queerest ways, Sirius interchanged a questioning look with James as they took note of the solemn atmosphere in the classroom.
James swept a fair stock of teapots onto the floor intentionally as they made their way to the back of the classroom but Professor Evangeline didn't seem to have noticed their arrivals. She was too busy fixing Stefan Tsepeth in an intense stare with her magnified eyes behind her inch-think glasses and the rest of the students followed the aged professor's glance. "Pardon me, Mr…"
"Tsepeth," the Drumstrang transfer student answered politely.
"Pardon me, Mr. Tsepeth?" Evangeline said as Sirius and James settled in the armchairs besides Remus and Peter.
"What's happening?" James asked Remus curiously. But Remus silenced him.
"Can you divine which of us will be the next one to die?" Tsepeth looked back at Evangeline innocently as he repeated his question.
"Gentleman, I can see that you're clearly ungifted in this context." Evangeline looked almost offended but her complexion brightened up at the student's uncommon display of genuine interest. "Now I ask you all, what will you do if you're told that you're divined to die in a week?"
"Do all it takes to prevent it from happening, of course," Lily spoke up matter-of-factly, glancing across the classroom for agreements. Sirius grinned when James caught her eyes by giving her the thumbs-up but she just threw him a furrow.
Evangeline shook her head and turned her attention to the Slytherin boys who had been mocking the psychical tone in Evangeline's voice and sneering among themselves. "Mr. Malfoy?"
For a moment it looked as though Lucius Malfoy, who narrowed his eyes distastefully, wasn't going to respond but Evangeline waited. "I won't give a damn," snapped Malfoy eventually, looking away as Evangeline's stare intensified.
"Complete denial," concluded Evangeline briefly. Sirius's glance followed the aged professor as she approached the tables where the Ravenclaw girls were seated in the front. "What about you, Miss Bonham?"
"I suppose there's nothing I could do. Is there?" said Constance Bonham solemnly. Sirius observed as Bonham shifted uncomfortably under Evangeline's stare. The Revanclaw girl clearly wanted to avoid direct eye contact with Evangeline as rumors had it that the thick spectacles that made up Evangeline's glasses were actually two crystal balls, such that when she glanced through the spectacles, she could actually see past the present form of the target to their futures.
"Miss Bonham's response reflects the most common answer – to do nothing based on the belief that nothing can be done to change the future," said Evangeline, then surprisingly she shook her head yet again. "In such cases the prophecy may fall as a self-fulfilling one."
"A self-fulfilling prophecy?" murmured James with a perplexed expression.
"Depending on the subject's reception of the prophecy made, the same prophecy can see a variety of different ends," Evangeline continued dreamily, once she reached the podium. "And this is where the paradox of Divination lies. If a strong-willed person can change the divined future, how can you ever prove that the divination is a real one and the divined future will otherwise come true if he does nothing to change it? Conversely, if the divined future does come true for a die-hard believer, how can you prove that the believer hasn't fallen into the trap of a self-fulfilling prophecy by sub-consciously feeding back to the prophecy?"
Sirius sat back in his chair and glanced heavenwards, deep in his thoughts. How would he face a prophecy of death? At the first thought, he regarded Lily's answer as the only answer for all truly Gryffindors – to do all it takes to change the future for the better. But at a second thought, he also saw senses in Evangeline's words about self-fulfilling prophecies.
"Divination is truly a profound magical study, an art." Sirius looked up as Evangline raised her voice and clapped her hands, clashing the ancient bangles she was wearing together as she did, to summon an official-looking piece of parchment. "Last year, the Wizarding Education Department has proposed to abandon the Divination curriculum because the subject is 'losing its grip' as some intellectuals called it, which I think is the most irresponsible and unreasonable action. Luckily, it has been objected. But the N.E.W.T. Divination practical examination was largely reformed, and thus would be a bit different this year…"
Evangeline came to a halt at the Marauders' table and carelessly put down the parchment, which, as Sirius observed, was a name list.
"In addition to the usual practical exam in next June, you'll also have to be paired in two and do a project throughout the semester. The dictated theme of the project is Astrology, which we've covered last year. Together with your partner, you'll be assigned to a famous wizard or witch and will be given a picture of the planet positions taken when the person is born and another picture at their death; all you have to do is to explain and analyze how the particular positions of the planets and stars influenced their lives and achievements…Some of these wizards and witches had allegedly learnt of the astrological predictions that have been made of them. For these cases, you should also study if such predictions have in some way or other shaped their later lives."
All the names were already sorted by alphabetical order and were written in black solid ink. Sirius found his name at the top of the list, right below the name of his cousin. James stared at it in concentration, and with a surreptitious smirk all the content was altered as he snapped his fingers.
As Evangeline took up the parchment, an unmistakable mist of surprise flogged her eyes for a second, but she wouldn't let her perplexity last long. "I knew you would try to change it, Mr. Potter," said Evangeline cheerfully. James growled in desperation as Evangeline began reading names in random.
"Lily Evans and Stefan Tsepeth –
"James Potter and Lucius Malfoy –
"Narcissa Black and Constance Bonham –
"Sirius Black and Rainzzi Delanuit…"
The Divination textbook which Rainzzi Delanuit had been flipping through idly slipped from her hands but she managed to catch the book before it hit the marble floor. Sirius watched as she exchanged a furrow with Narcissa as Narcissa growled under her breath, "A bloody half-blood Ravenclaw."
"Now, go to your partner when I distribute the photos to you," said Professor Evangeline, disregarding the indignant grumbles from nearly every student.
"Totally your cup of tea," murmured Rainzzi ironically as Constance Bonham made her way to the Slytherin girls with every sign of reluctance. Sirius caught the stare of his partner as Rainzzi scanned the classroom dispassionately. With the slightest motion of his hand, he motioned her to a vacant table on his side.
Sirius leaned forward and stopped her as Rainzzi reached for the adjacent chair.
"You could ask for a regrouping if the challenge of working with me is too much for you," Sirius said aggressively. "No hard feeling I promise you."
"Don't overstate yourself," Rainzzi said frostily, eyeing the vacant chair which then sprang forward from Sirius's grip on its accord, "nothing appears to me as less of a challenge than you do."
His mouth nearly twitching into a smile, Sirius observed her appearance in profile as she sat down and snatched the picture from the Professor. As James had fairly commented, although Rainzzi Delanuit was not stunning in the same way as Pureblood Narcissa, she was good-looking in an approachable way with a mild sense of supremacy that went well with her cool countenance. But something about her had changed since he last saw her in close-up. Her eyes, which he used to describe as a rare mix of sapphire and turquoise, had turned into an unlively shade of blue. Sirius observed in amusement as her expression turned from one of coolness to irritation when she became conscious of his attention.
"Delanuit, what would you do if you're divined to die in a few days?" Sirius asked conversationally.
"What would you do if you were the subject of the prophecy, Black?" Rainzzi looked sideward at him.
Sirius had considered the questions when Evangeline boasted about the beauty of Divination. "I suppose I wouldn't want to be told about the content of prophecy if I have a choice. I prefer maintaining the uncertainties to knowing about the future in advance because it will confine my actions. I wouldn't run the risk of being manipulated by Fate." Sirius shrugged. "Now tell me what you would do."
Rainzzi had obviously considered the same question. "I think I would try to make my death worthy."
Sirius raised his brows in sheer curiosity but she had already turned her attention back to the picture.
Gone were the days when Rainzzi and Sirius could talk about almost everything. They had been acquainted at an early stage of childhood through Bellatrix and Princeps at around the same time as Rainzzi was introduced to Narcissa. Having both been raised in ancient renowned pureblood wizarding families, their perception of the general wizarding world had been very much biased and contained by their limited access to the wizarding population at large.
They were young and innocent then. Rainzzi had admired him for his brilliance and his courage to speak up and Sirius had in turn demonstrated a fondness of Rainzzi for her decency to the inferiors.
They had begun schooling at Hogwarts at the same time as Narcissa. Although Sirius wasn't as enthused about Slytherin as the rest of his family, it came as a surprise to everyone when Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor.
In the beginning, Sirius could still talk to her openly about how ridiculous his parents were to write to Dumbledore to demand a resorting for him. They were both careful not to touch upon topics that might trigger inter-house conflicts of interests. But Sirius took pride in his identity as a Gryffindor and his demeanor turned patronizing as time went on. Their friendship was undermined eventually as Rainzzi turned distant in her behavior too and unintentionally drew closer to her fellows of the same house. However, despite their ostensible enmity, they both managed to treat each other with respect in the rare occasions when they must interact.
At one point during their discussion, Narcissa glanced over and interchanged a grimace with Rainzzi and wrinkled her nose at Sirius. The rest of the lesson passed in peace with their sparse, scholarly conversation. Sirius appeared amicable and Rainzzi eventually relaxed. But still, neither of them had made any personal references to suggest that they had ever been friends.
"Seems we've to see a lot of each other this year," Sirius stated at the end of the lesson.
"I'm not grateful for that," Rainzzi said at once.
Sirius smirked at her sarcasm. "Anyway, grateful or not, meet me on Friday night in the library," he said, collecting his books.
Rainzzi looked at him unsurely, "What don't we quickly get this over with? We can divide the work and work on it separately."
"Meet me on Friday night in the library," repeated Sirius dismissively, "See you."
A/N: PLEASE REVIEW and let me know what you think of the chapter, please!