The rest of the day went by without any news on Hagrid's condition. Rose spent a few hours in her dormitory, but there was no use in moping around. That wouldn't help, but there was something that could.

"I want to talk to Professor Evariste," she said to Albus, who had been flipping through his Transfiguration book aimlessly.

He looked up. "For what?"

"He might have news about Hagrid," she said. "I can't sit around here waiting anymore."

Shutting his book, Albus nodded. "James is trying to get Cameron to schedule practice for tonight," he said. "His way of coping, I suppose."

"Perfect," said Rose, "because I want to bring Scorpius."

"Let's check the library," suggested Albus as he followed Rose out of the portrait hole. "Maybe he went there for some homework."

The corridors were abandoned. News about the attack on Hagrid had spread through the Castle like Fiendfyre. Hagrid was one of the most well-liked teachers in the school, even with the Slytherins, though they were reluctant to show it. He was a hard man to dislike.

In a corner of the library, Scorpius sat alone, paging through Dragon Folklore without pausing to read anything. He looked upward Rose and Albus reached his table. See their expressions, he shut the book.

"We're going to talk to Professor Evariste," Rose whispered, glancing at the Ravenclaw seated at a nearby table. The boy did not look up. "You coming?"

"'Course I am."

Scorpius left his book on the table and followed Rose and Albus into the corridor.

"I heard about this morning," he said after a slight silence. "Did it look... bad?"

"Pretty bad," said Albus grimly, "but they came for him right away from St. Mungo's."

"They're good, I suppose," said Scorpius. "The best, right? Rose, I also heard that you were involved."

Rose's stomach sank. She had spent most of the morning mentally berating herself about not acting more quickly when she realized something was wrong. It seemed so silly at the time, but perhaps if she had just started screaming instead of politely waiting for Hagrid to finish his thought, he wouldn't be in St. Mungo's right now.

"Is that right?" she said mildly.

"Yeah," said Scorpius, "you and one of your friends tried to help with the bleeding or something?"

Of course that's what he was referring to, thought Rose, thoroughly exasperated with herself. No one had noticed her trying to get Hagrid's attention during the lesson. There had been nothing out of the ordinary about her waving her hand in the air.

"Yes," she said, "Tia and I... her aunt's a Healer..."

She shook her head vigorously. She had to pull herself together.

"Anyway," she said briskly, "perhaps Professor Evariste has been updated about Hagrid's condition. Let's go."

Professor Evariste let them into the office door after only one knock. He assessed the three students gravely as he returned to the chair behind his desk.

"I can't say that I'm surprised to see the three of you here," he said with sigh. "Please, sit down. I'll make the tea."

They sat, and Rose couldn't help but begin to toy with the locket while Professor Evariste summoned mugs from across the small room. He tapped an apple-shaped kettle with his wand and it began to vibrate. Turning back to the student, his eyes fell on Rose first.

"You still have that locket," he noted, and Rose dropped it at once. "Does it still do anything unusual?"

"Sometimes," said Rose nervously. Then, unable to hold it in any longer, she spat out, "It started heating up today when Hagrid was giving his lesson, and then I saw that Contessa was acting odd, and I tried to tell Hagrid that something was wrong but I didn't want anyone to notice, and then it was too late."

"Rose!" exclaimed Albus. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What does it matter?" she said, blinking back a sudden onslaught of tears. "It's too late to go back and fix it now."

Professor Evariste remained silent as he brewed the tea. Rose fought to regain control of her emotions, steadying her breathing until she was sure she was not going to start crying. By the time Professor Evariste had poured them each a mug of sweet-smelling tea, Rose was calm once more.

"Sorry," she said quietly. "Yes, it sometimes heats up, but not as much as last year."

"We don't have as much going on as we did last year," Albus pointed out.

"Only dragons," muttered Scorpius, "no big deal."

"I don't want to talk about it," said Rose firmly. "I'll ask mum about it when I see her." Even as the words left her lips, she knew that she was lying. She didn't want her mum's help, not for this situation. She wanted to figure it out on her own.

A loud bang shook the room. Rose reached for her wand and saw Albus and Scorpius had done the same. Professor Evariste, however, merely looked surprised.

"So soon," he said lightly, "and here I was thinking it would be another hour or so. Remarkable."

As he spoke, a mossy green envelope shot out of the dormant fireplace. It was carried out on a bed of emerald sparkles, which disappeared as the letter fluttered onto Professor Evariste's desk.

He looked at the students, then chuckled. "Floo Mail," he explained, opening the letter. "The Ministry is developing it, and I'm one of the testers. Now, then, let's see."

The letter poked open and hovered a few inches above the desk. Rose was immediately reminded of the Howler James had sent Albus a few years ago. But instead of shrieking, his letter spoke to him in Harry's calm, quiet voice.

"Hazen," it began. "We thank you for the information on Hagrid. We are currently at St. Mungo's with Professor McGonagall awaiting more information. The Healer in charge says that he is stable, but we won't be able to see him for hours at the least. Please give our love to the children.

Thank you once again."

Without warning, the letter spun around, then shredded itself into a fine confetti that flew back into the fireplace, pushed by an invisible wind

"They're called Whispers," said Professor Evariste, examining his cup of tea to ensure no paper had polluted it. "I find them quite enjoyable, don't you?"

"So Mum and Dad are with Uncle Harry at St. Mungo's," said Rose quickly. "And he should be alright."

"So it seems," said Professor Evariste with a smile.

"Do you think they're going to let you keep riding?" asked Albus, turning to Rose. "It's getting pretty dangerous."

"I hope they do," said Rose. "I mean, the dragons are never bad when we're flying."

"All it takes is once," said Professor Evariste, the smile fading from his face.

Most of Hogwarts seem to agree with him. Rose found herself at the end of many nervous stares and interested glances. The attack on Hagrid had piqued the school's interest in the exhibition participants.

Rose's least favorite part of the day quickly became meals, mainly dinner, when all the students were present. She felt like she was stuck inside a looking glass with the whole world peering in.

"This must be what Uncle Harry feels like," she said over dinner one day.

James shrugged. "You get used to it," he said, "and they will too. The celebrity wears off after a while."

"That's probably the only good advice you've ever given," said Albus, nodding. "Good job"

"Reveling in your newfound fame?"

Rose turned. Tobias Krimp had appeared behind her.

"It's great," she said flatly.

"Giovanni sent me to get you and Deasia," said Tobias, leaning against a pillar. "I went down to see what was going to happen with the Race."

"I'll just grab a roll and head down," said Rose.

Deasia was waiting by the front doors. Rose munched on her roll while Deasia prattled on about Hagrid.

"We wanted to pool in some money to send flowers," she said, "but we don't know his room number. Isn't it just awful?"

Rose nodded, still chewing.

"I hope they don't cancel the exhibition," said Tobias. "I'm really starting to get the hang of it."

Rose swallowed. "I agree," she said. "Who do you usually ride?"

"Vido," said Tobias. "He's got a bit of a temper, he does. But he's fine when we're riding," he added quickly, "he's never been dangerous around me."

"I'm with Isla," chirped Deasia. "She's an absolute sweetheart!"

The Hufflepuff delegate, Herbert Chornell, was already standing by Hagrid's hut. It was depressing to see the windows still dark as the light faded from the sky.

"About time," Herbert muttered.

Giovanni was waiting for them by the edge of the forest. He nodded as the Race participants approached.

"We are currently in talks with Professor McGonagall about the exhibition," he said solemnly, needing no introduction to the topic that was on everybody's minds. "In the meantime, we will continue to train those who are willing."

"You must think hard about this," said Maria, appearing from behind a tree. She looked worn to the bone. There were dark circles under her eyes, and the easy smile that she had worn at the beginning of the school year was nowhere to be found.

"We are," said Tobias, his voice steady, "but it's hard when we don't know all of what's going on."

Giovanni sighed and leaned against a thick tree. "We knew that coming to your school was a risk," he said, "but we have been working for so long to show the world that these dragons are not like the rest of their kind. That they can be trained, domesticated. Safe."

"This is all we have done," said Maria, her voice hollow. "When we were children, our parents had already been working on their own techniques for most of their lives. We grew up with these dragons. We've spent our lives doing this."

"And the world was full of suspicion when we came forth," continued Giovanni, "and having the trust of our own Ministry was not enough. We needed to be able to travel, to show the rest of the world what was possible. If anything like this had happened before- if we had thought there was any danger, we never would have come to Hogwarts."

"So what changed?" asked Rose.

"We truly thought that the dragons needed time to adjust to their new environment," said Giovanni, "so at the start, we decided to give them time. But things only got worse, and it became clear that there was something else happening."

"Someone has been getting into the enclosures," growled Maria. "Someone is provoking them, or hexing them, enchanting them, something!"

"We found footprints near where the dragons were kept a few months ago," said Giovanni, his voice still calm even though his face was devastated. "We moved to a different spot in the forest and increased the security measures. The dragons had just been tethered before, but now they're penned with all sorts of enchantments. The Ministry wizard helped put even more up after he arrived."

Rose knew that Uncle Charlie would balk if he heard someone imply that he was employed by the Ministry, but now was not the time to correct Giovanni's error.

"Have there been more footprints?" asked Tobias.

"No," said Giovanni, "but we believe someone is still interfering with them. We just haven't been able to determine how."

"Have you asked the Ministry for help?" asked Rose. "Or Professor McGonagall? Maybe the professors could do something."

"Your Ministry would have us sent home immediately," said Maria bitterly. "If they knew the extent of the situation... but I suppose now they do. We're just waiting on the decision."

"Professor McGonagall is aware," said Giovanni, "but she has been incredibly generous with us. She knows how much our work means to us and is trying to give us the time we need to set things right. She is... she is quite a woman, your headmistress."

"I'm staying," said Tobias firmly. "I can't speak for the others, but I still want to learn, I still want to try and practice. They can't just send you all back!"

Rose regarded the older Slytherin boy with interest. She had only interacted with him briefly on a few occasions, and yet (to her consternation) she realized that she had formed an opinion of him, and it hadn't been a positive one. From how Scorpius had avoided him in Diagon Alley over the summer, Rose had assumed that he was one of the Slytherins who expected him to blindly follow in his father's path.

But now, Tobias' eyes were bright and his voice was filled with passion. He didn't seem like a bully at all.

"I'm staying too," said Deasia, "And maybe we can help! We can... I don't know, we can sit guard or something, help watch the dragons."

A smile broke across Maria's face, shattering the serious lines that looked like they had become permanent. "That won't be necessary," she said, "we all spend time guarding their pen. Two at a time, no matter what. Besides, you all still have lessons to attend to. You can't let this be your only focus."

"I'm not going anywhere," said Rose firmly. "I'm sure Hagrid will make a full recovery, and you'll figure out what's going on with the dragons. We can still prepare for the exhibition."

"I'm not missing out on that," said Herbert, "not when everyone's so excited to see us fly."

Giovanni smiled and shook his head. "It seems that we've chosen you well," he said. "Alright, we'll be in touch as soon as we know anything. Keep your hopes up, and we will do the same."

The students began making their way back to the castle, a newfound feeling of camaraderie between them.

Rose knew that something was amiss as soon as she returned to her dormitory that night. A few stares had followed her through the common room, but she had almost adjusted to all of the attention following Hagrid's attack. It wasn't until she sat on her bed and met three pairs of hungry eyes that she realized something else might be brewing.

"I just cannot believe it!" squeaked Kara Walsh, perched on the edge of her own bed. "Why did you never tell us you're a Seer?"

"I'm a - a what?" Said Rose, startled.

"A Seer, Rosie!"

"It all makes sense now," said a wide-eyed Mary Deverill. "Brady told Liam how he thought it was odd that you were trying to tell Hagrid something before he was attacked, and then Liam told Tia, and Tia told us!"

"A premonition!" cried Loren Nicosa. "You must have had a premonition! I've always wanted to have one."

Rose locked eyes with Tia Marsh, who was sitting on the edge of her bed, barely concealing laughter.

"What happened?" Rose asked her quietly, sitting on her own bed.

"It was a joke," said Tia, "I was trying to point out how ludicrous they all sounded. But they somehow seem to think that it's a logical explanation and have decided to run with it."

She sighed. It was late, she was tired, so there's no use in getting worked up over something so trivial.

"I'm not a Seer," she stated, "I just had a question during class."

"You've always been so modest," cooed Kara, "that's what makes you so great. Can you tell me something about my future?"

Rose widened her eyes and let her mouth go slack. "I... I see..."

The three girls froze, eyes all wide and stuck on Rose's face.

"I see myself asleep within the next ten minutes," finished Rose, shooting Tia an irritated look. Tia found this hilarious, and though the other three seemed a bit put-out, they stopped trying to talk to Rose.

Unfortunately, she had forgotten about one important element.

"Rosaline Weasley!"

Rose looked up from her cereal. It had been an odd enough breakfast already, what with all of the staring and whispering going on. And now -

"Professor Trelawney?"

The frail woman stood beside the table, her large glasses making her gray eyes the dominant feature of her face.

"Dearest Rosaline," Professor Trelawney, "why have you not come to me sooner?"

Rose's mind raced, trying come up with an acceptable excuse.

"I've been... err... busy," she said lamely.

"I was so happy when young Lorcan told me of your rise to power," said Professor Trelawney. She said Lorcan's name fondly, like our cat lady would speak about a new kitten. "We are holding a lesson tonight," she continued, absently toying with a loose thread on her robes. "You should arrive at the tower directly after dinner."

With a wave of her hand, Professor Trelawney left Rose and drifted out of the Great Hall.

"You should feel honored," said Lysander with a grin. "She never comes out of that tower unless it's important."

Rose narrowed her eyes and huffed. "Do I not have enough to take care of as it is?" she complained, taking a fork and stabbing at her cereal. "Why would Lorcan do this to me?"

"Don't whine," ordered Albus. "He probably just heard it from someone and assumed it was true. You know Lorcan."

"I don't think I should go," said Rose, tugging on her locket chain. "What am I supposed to do? Pretend to see something? Fake a vision?"

"Just go and explain that it's all a misunderstanding," said Lysander. "C'mon, hurry up, we should leave for class soon."

With Lysander keeping a wary eye on the clock, Rose found herself arriving at Defense Against the Dark Arts before her classmates. Professor Evariste sat behind a long table, clothed in shimmering robes of gold. On the table lay a variety of musical instruments.

"Good morning, Rose," he said delightfully. "Please take one of the instruments from the table. We will be using them in a lesson today."

There was an assortment of small pipes on the table, each attached to a leather thong. Rose chose a silver set and carried them to her usual cushion.

As the rest of the class filtered in, each student took a set of pipes from the table. Scorpius also selected silver, while Albus chose a set of thicker bronze pipes.

"Now, "said Professor Evariste once everyone was seated, "you are all more than halfway through your second year, correct?"

There was a general murmur of assent.

"Well then, I believe it is time to begin our Beginners section for Defense Against Dark Creatures. Can anyone define for me what precisely a dark creature is?"

Rose's hand was the first (and only) in the air. "Dark creatures are those creatures which work against the positive stream of good Wizarding life. They range from annoyances, like Hinkypunks, to hazardous destructive creatures, like Gradians."

"An excellent answer!" cried Professor Evariste "Five points to Gryffindor for Miss Weasley's preparedness for this class. Now, we will begin with the most basic of all defenses against any sort of creature. How many of heard the saying, music soothes the savage beast?"

A number of hands went up, including Rose's and Albus'. Scorpius glanced between them, looking confused.

"Wonderful! That is simply excellent. Now, are you all familiar with how your instruments work?"

From across the room, Callum Leach snickered. Professor Evariste, to Rose's amusement, actually rolled his eyes.

"Mister Leach," he said, his voice flat, "if you are somehow confused by this concept, please have one of your more cultured peers explain it to you once we begin."

The room filled with poorly-muffled laughter as Callum Leach's ears turned red. Rose would have felt bad for him if she didn't remember how irritating he had been during class the previous year.

Professor Evariste continued. "The plan is this: I will release a relatively tame dark creature to roam the room. When it comes to you, you are to try and soothe it using your set of pipes. It is quite clear?"

Rose nodded, eager to see what he had in store for them.

A crate on the center of the long table called the class's attention. It began to rock back and forth, the old wood groaning and creaking with effort. When Professor Evariste pointed his wand at it, the crate flew apart with a loud bang.

The creature revealed resembled a larger scaled bird. Its metallic feathers were an emerald green, and it's claws were black and shining.

Rose gasped loudly and toppled back off her cushion. If the creature was what she thought it was, the class was in for a whole lot more than they had bargained for.

Some of the students laughed at the creature began to beat its wings frantically. Kara Walsh and Mary Deverill cooed as the light from the windows shimmered across the bird's feathers.

"Professor!" cried Rose in alarm. "Professor Evariste!"

"Why - what are you doing?" said Scorpius. "Rose? Rose!"

Professor Evariste chuckled as he approached Rose, Albus, and Scorpius. "Don't be afraid," he said, still grinning. "Rose, do you really trust me that little?"

"That's an Adarna," she said. "Its cry is fatal to any that hear it."

Eyes wide, Scorpius jammed his fingers in his ears.

"Relax," said Professor Evariste. "You're in no danger. The creature's voice box has been removed. Hagrid performed the operation himself at the start of the year."

Rose felt immensely stupid. Of course Professor Evariste wouldn't do something to hurt them. He was a teacher.

Scorpius took things out of his ears and looked about, confused. "So it's not going to kill us?" he said, as if still unsure.

"No, it is perfectly safe."

Oblivious to their near peril, the rest of the class watched the Adarna flap its way around the room. It lighted first in front of Tomasa Kerpbow, who had been talking with Odessa Blackwell. Both girls looked to Professor Evariste, who just smiled.

"You may wish to hurry," he called to them. "She bites."

As if to prove his point, the Adarna lunged for Tomasa's hand. She shrieked and dropped her pipes, which clattered to the floor. Odessa began blowing desperately into hers, creating a cacophony of clashing notes.

Professor Evariste whistled shrilly, and the Adarna flew over to perch on his knee.

"Now you try it."

Rose brought the pipes to her lips and blew into them hurriedly. The result was no more pleasant than Odessa's attempt. Frustrated, Rose tried again.

"Blow into one at a time," advised Professor Evariste. "There you go, now."

What came out was a high, clear tone. The Adarna shifted on Professor Evariste's knee but did not attack. Rose tried again, this time a wider pipe. That one produced a deeper, richer note.

"Very nice," said Professor Evariste as Rose continued to experiment on the pipes. "Try repeating two or three notes."

Rose put three notes together and began playing them in succession. The Adarna's head lilted to one side, and its eyes drifted shut.

With a soft smile, Professor Evariste pet the Adarna's head. "Now to wake her and allow the other students a chance. Very nice, Rose, very nice."

Professor Evariste allowed each student an opportunity to try and calm the Adarna. After they had all had their success (or, more frequently, their failure), he gave them some free time in which they were to try and make something closer to music on their pipes.

By the end of class, Rose's lips were sore and chapped. Professor Evariste returned to the front of the room, placing the dozing Adarna on her perch.

"So," he said, "I hope you all had a productive lesson. What have we learned?"

"Music is a subjective term," said Tia with a small smirk in the direction of the Slytherins.

"A fair point," said Professor Evariste. "Now, I must advise you all of the little test I set up for you."

Some of the room groaned.

"Ah, come now, it'll be fun! You see, I'm going to let my little friend here roam the castle for a few weeks. I will give you this advice: carry your instruments with you at all times. They will serve as your shield against any unpleasantries."

Rose nodded, pleased with her choice. Scorpius and Albus, on the other hand, shared a dubious glance.

"Class is now dismissed." Said Professor Evariste as an afterthought. "Thank you!"

The Adarna flew past Rose as she was packing her bags.

"I wonder what will happen if it goes to someone without instruments," she wondered aloud.

Professor Evariste heard her. "Oh," he said, "that is where all the fun begins."

The rest of the day was both irritating and amusing. Classes were frequently interrupted by a swoop of green feathers. The Adarna had a knack for finding classes where the second years were attempting to work.

The teachers tolerated the noise that always followed the Adarna's entrance at the students tried to ward off attacks. Rose eventually grew weary of her classmates looking to her as the creature entered the room. Just because she had been successful in class didn't mean that no one else had to try now.

Lorcan was waiting at the Gryffindor table when Rose and Albus arrived from Transfiguration. He grinned at Rose, who glowered back.

"Ah, don't be cranky," he said, pushing a scrap of parchment towards her. "Take a look."

Lorcan's artistic skills were quickly improving. Rose saw herself - she was sitting on cushions next to Lorcan in what can only be Professor Trelawney's room. In her hand, she held a long feather.

"Is that my Phoenix feather?" she asked.

"I didn't know you had a Phoenix feather," said Lysander with interest, sitting down next to her and peering at his twin's drawing. "Where did you get it?"

"Scorpius' birthday present," she replied absently, still examining the drawing. "So this is why Professor Trelawney came and found me?"

Lorcan frowned. "I'm not sure," he said frankly. "I told her that you needed to start lessons before I drew this."

"Why?"

"I don't know," admitted Lorcan, "it just came out." He paused, then added, "I don't like it when that happens. The lessons are fun, and the visions- well, they're really just like little bursts of pictures, I still can't hold on for very long. But I don't like saying things that I didn't decide to say."

At that moment, James plopped down next to Lorcan, looking between him and his twin with suspicion.

"You two are up to something," he said. "And how come you get to just switch tables? If I did that, I'm sure I'd get detention."

"Lorcan has never tried to make asparagus shoot up Paulina Larnon's nose," said Lysander flatly.

"Oh yeah," said James with a grin, "there was that. I could still probably do it from here, you know."

Lysander spent most of the meal trying to list the reasons why James should not attempt to charm any food to accost the other students. He had just reached reason number fifty-three (if Professor Flitwick saw, he might think James was actually good at Charms and assign him extra homework) when Lorcan got up from the table.

"Time to go see Sibyl," he announced, no sign of his earlier mood on his serene face. "Rose?"

"Coming," she said, grabbing her bag, "I just have to stop by my dormitory first. You head up, I'll meet you there."

As she turned to leave, she heard James say, "Wait, why is Rose going to see Trelawney with Lorcan?" She chuckled to herself; Albus and Lysander could handle that question on their own.