Blood Ties
Part 4
Rating, summary and such are same as before.
Note 1: Thank you Joahn for beta reading the story! Also, thanks all the wonderful reviews! You guys are the best:)
Buffy and Xander were sitting at the same table in the Divination classroom that looked more like a small cafe than a classroom, each with a book and a finished cup of tea in front of them. Next to them were Harry and Ron, who were staring at the professor at the front of the class curiously.
"Welcome, my children." The Divination professor said. "In this room you shall explore the noble art of Divination;" She exclaimed, her eyes scanning the students through the three-inch thick glasses on her nose. "In this room you shall discover if you possess the sight!" She stood up from the chair and crashed into the small table in front of her. Everyone in the room laughed.
"I think she's the only one who doesn't have the 'sight' in this room." Xander whispered, and Buffy giggled immediately.
The professor quickly steadied herself. "I'm Professor Sibyl Trelawney; and together, we shall cast ourselves into the future!"
"Sounds like a cheesy salesman." Buffy commanded again.
"The first term we will be devoted to the art of reading tea leaves so please, pick up the cup and give it to the person opposite you." Everyone in the class exchanged cups. "You see, truth lies within the patterns of the leaves, but first," the professor moved towards Buffy and stopped in front of her. "You must broaden your minds!" She put her hands onto Buffy's head, holding it like a ball. "First, you must look beyond!" She suddenly held up her arms and pointed at the ceiling. Every one's heads immediately followed her hands, only to find a very old ceiling in front of their eyes.
"What is this rubbish!"
Harry and Ron spun around, startled when they saw Hermione sitting behind them with Willow. "Where did you come from?" Ron's eyes widened at the pair, surprised as he couldn't remember seeing the pair earlier.
"Door?" Willow supplied.
"We've been here all the time." Hermione rolled her eyes, before flashing a knowing smile at the Slytherin redhead.
"You boy," Professor Trelawney moved towards Neville Longbottom. "Is your grandmother quite well?"
"I-I think so." Neville answered nervously.
"Don't be so sure about that." The professor said. "Here. Give me his cup." Neville's partner quickly handed over Neville's cup. The professor examined it for a second, before putting it back on the table. "Oh dear." She exclaimed and moved away without another word. Neville quickly picked the cup up and looked into it, worried.
"Broaden your mind... Oh. OH!" The professor halted in front of Ron, surprising the redhead. "Oh! Your aura is pouncing! Are you in the beyond? I think you are. Come. Come and see."
Ron blinked. "S-sure." He quickly opened his textbook and started looking for the patterns he saw in the cup. "There's sort of crooky cross?" He looked into the book. "That means you're going to have 'trials and suffering'... and... um... there's a thing that could be the sun, and that means 'happiness'... so um..." Ron looked back up at the professor. "You're going to suffer, but you're going to be happy about it?"
Willow's hands shot up and covered her mouth, trying to shove down the giggle in her throat, while Hermione merely sat there and rolled her eyes again.
"Give me the cup." Ron handed Professor Trelawney the cup. Suddenly, the professor jumped back as if she had been touched by fire. Harry's hands shot out and caught the cup before it hit the floor. "M-m-my dear," Trelawney blinked in fear. "Y-you have the grim!"
"The green?" Buffy blinked.
"The grim." Xander corrected and frowned. "What's a grim?"
"The grim." Willow said quietly from behind. "It is among the darkest omen in the world: the omen... of death."
Harry swallowed, looking down at the cup fearfully.
After the Divination class, Willow skipped her lunch, and headed straight for Hagrid. "Hagrid!" She smiled when she saw Hagrid picking up several dead ferrets from the hooks outside the pumpkin field.
"Willow." Hagrid's face brightened. "What 'yer doing here?"
"Just came by to see if you needed any help. I'm going to have your class after lunch." Willow replied. "Oh, and thank you for not telling Professor McGonagall that I had come here without an escort."
Hagrid nodded, but the smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a more serious look. "Yer be careful, ha? Yer in big trouble if the Minis'er found out."
Willow nodded. "So, um... where's Buckbeak?" She looked around.
"Yer see him la' in class." Willow pouted, and gave Hagrid her puppy look. Hagrid laughed. "C'mon."
After lunch, the gang left the castle and walked towards Hagrid's hut for the Care of Magical Creatures class. "You don't think that grim thing has anything to do with Sirius Black, do you?" Ron asked, walking next to Xander.
"Honestly, Ron," Hermione said from behind. "If you ask me Divination seems very woolly. Now, Ancient Runes - that's a fantastic subject."
"Ancient Runes?" Buffy blinked. "Exactly how many classes are you taking this year?"
Hermione shrugged. "A few."
"Hang on." Ron halted and turned towards Hermione. "That's not possible! Ancient Runes is almost the same time as Divination! You'd have to be in two classes at once!"
"Don't be silly, Ron." Hermione waved her hand a little before walking passed the redhead. "How can anyone be in two classes at once?"
"Maybe if you cut yourself into half and produced another Hermione?" Xander asked, and the others immediately turned towards him, sending him strange looks. "You know? Like worms? You cut it in half and it grows another part to become another whole worm?" The others were still staring at him. "What?"
"Ah. Professor Trelawney must have successfully broadened your mind then." Buffy petted on Xander's shoulder and laughed, before following Hermione towards Hagrid's hut.
"What?"
"C'mon now, get closer!" Hagrid called from in front of his hut as the students approached. "Go' a real treat for yeh today! A great lesson!" He smiled at the students. "Everyone here?"
Hermione moved towards the half-giant. "Willow's not here yet."
"Willow's is taking this class too?" Harry asked, and received a shrugged from Buffy.
"Oh. She's already 'here." Hagrid smiled. "Follow me!" He called, and the groups of students started following Hagrid into the forest. After several minutes, the students reached a clearing with stone fences around a meter high surrounding it. "Now, you lot, quit chat'ering. Gather 'round the fence, and open your books to page 49."
"And how do we do that?" Draco snorted, looking down at the Monster Book of Monsters in hands.
"Yeh stroke 'em of course." Hagrid said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Goodness me." He rolled his eyes and started moving away.
The students started splitting around the fence. Neville opened his textbook, and instantly, the book started attacking the youngster. Every one in the class started laughing.
"Stroke your book..." Buffy frowned, staring at the book in her hand. "Why am I suddenly feeling very Giles-ish?"
"I think it's funny." Hermione said, stroking hers.
"Yeah. Tremendously funny." The gang turned and found Draco standing there with his band of followers. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off! Wait until my father hears about this Oger teaching class!"
"Shut up Malfoy." Harry warned, stepping towards Draco.
"Wow." Draco raised an impressive eyebrow at Harry before tossing his bag towards Vincent Crabbe and moving forward, face to face with the Gryffindor. Other students started gathering around, with Gryffindor students standing behind Harry and Slytherin students standing behind Draco.
The two stared at each other for several seconds, before Draco stepped back suddenly, pointing behind Harry. "Dementor! Dementor!"
Harry and other Gryffindors immediately spun around, finding nothing except Draco and other students' laugher in the air. Harry turned back towards Draco angrily, only to make him laughed even louder. The Slytherins pulled up their hoods, holding up their hands, and started making ghostly noises, pretending to be Dementors. Hermione had to pull Buffy back before she could rush forward and punch Draco.
Neville chose the exact time to walk back to his friends, his clothes were torn into pieces. Xander giggled and moved towards him. "Good fight, Neville. Very manly." Neville merely sent a glare at him.
Hagrid moved back towards the group of students and cleared his throat. Every one turned towards him, and stared in silence at the creature standing not far from behind him. It looked like a horse, and yet it had a eagle head and claws for its front legs, along with a matching pair of wings on its back. On its back, Willow was sitting there, combing its feather. "Say hello to Buckbeak." He said.
"What... what exactly is that?" Xander asked.
Willow jumped down from Buckbeak's back, her hand smoothing his feathers. "Buckbeak is a hippogriff." She supplied. Hearing its name, Buckbeak moved forward, his head shooting towards Willow. Xander screamed at the sudden movement of the hippogriff, only to receive an eyebrow from both Hagrid and Willow. He blinked as Buckbeak used its head to smooth Willow's cheek instead of biting her head off.
Hagrid cleared his throat. "The first thing you wanna know about hippogriffs, is that they're a very proud creatures, very easily offended." The half giant said seriously. "You do not want to insult a hippogriff: it may be the last thing you ever do." Then he clapped his hand and smiled brightly. "Now, who would like to come and say hello?" He asked, turning around and picked up one of the dead ferrets he had prepared earlier.
Willow watched in amusement when the whole class, even Buffy and Hermione, took a couple steps back, leaving Harry standing there, alone, unaware that he was the only one at the front.
"Well done Harry." Hagrid smiled when he saw Harry standing there. "Well done."
Harry blinked in confusion, before turning back towards his friends - only to find that they were standing behind him - very far behind.
"The grim, Buffy." Xander whispered to Buffy. "I think it's coming true."
Buffy narrowed her eyes at Xander. "Yeah. And if his omen did come true, so will be yours."
"Mine?"
"The omen that said 'you're gonna be beat up by me'."
"Can I trade with Harry?" Xander asked and swallowed when he saw Buffy's face.