Chapter Twelve - Divination

It was odd that people with knowledge of the future would try to change as little as possible. Why save a handful of people if you could stop the war? Once it was over, it wouldn't matter how many butterflies you stepped on to get there.

In the week before coming to Hogwarts, I thought about why I was here. I wasn't anything special. Was it random? Planned? I had many questions still. I wished I could ask Tracy. I hope I don't have to keep writing her notes and leaving them everywhere. That had worked and proved my theory, but it wasn't practical.

"Miller, are you still taking Divination?" A student gestured to the door. "We're on our way there if you want to walk with us." I've only been here a day, and I've quickly learned I didn't know how to get anywhere. I got so lost leaving the common room that I missed breakfast and half of my first class, and so I followed the small group to the Divination classroom.

Valery was already seated. I took my seat next to her. "We are learning about dream interpretation this year.", I told her.

"Really? How did you know?", she asked sarcastically.

I let out a preemptive laugh. "In a dream, obviously." I kept chuckling and held up my textbook. Valery looked like she wanted to hit me with hers. At least she played along. In front of her was her copy of The Dream Oracle.

When Professor Trelawney entered, I didn't even need to look to know it was her. The bangles on her wrists jangled, announcing her presence. Her appearance reminded me of what crafty entrepreneurs selling healing crystals and tarot cards would wear. Draped in a shawl and adorned with more beads and bangles than me at Mardi Gras, she looked mystifying.

Trelawney addressed the class. She explained that our focus this year would be dream interpretation. The importance of such a tool could not be understated. Even those without the Gift could divine much by examining the contents of their dreams.

"For the skeptics, let's have a demonstration. Volunteers?" A couple hands went up, and she pointed to one of them. "Mr. Corner. Ahh, yes. I foresaw that you would change your mind about dropping the class." She looked very pleased. "Describe a dream you've had recently."

Corner went on recalling a dream in which he was falling into the lake. The freefall took forever, and when he was about to hit the water, the giant squid's tentacles shot up and pulled him in.

"Falling in dreams can mean you feel unfulfilled. Perhaps you feel isolated. The length of the fall can suggest a severe reverse in your life. Was the lake calm or rough and murky?" Trelawney's dissection was interesting but flawed. She could explain some aspects but ignored others. Corner clarified the lake was murky, and that meant a difficult period in his life was ahead. She ignored the giant squid and went on about the warnings that drowning entails.

I wonder what she would make of my dreams or how she would interpret the fake dream I told Valery on the train.

Valery raised her hand, and Trelawney called on her. "What would a dream about a war, a battle here at Hogwarts signify?" Valery glanced my way as I lowered myself. I covered my face with my hand.

"That is a grim matter to dream about. Were you a participant or just spectating?" She looked to Valery who kept reverting her gaze to me. Please don't mention me, I prayed.

"It wasn't mine. Tracy said she saw You-Know-Who attack the school… She's had a lot of those dreams…" I slammed my book down on the table to stop her.

Thoomp Thoomp

The classroom's eyes fell on me. Trelawney's gaze pierced my soul. "I was spectating, and it was only a few nights." I tried to discredit myself. "I've had a lot of stress. After last year, I'm sure all of us are worried, uncertain…" I whispered the last part, "It won't happen."

Just drop it, I prayed.

Thoomp Thoomp Thoomp

I stared back into her eyes. I felt my resolve solidify. The urgency to keep it all quiet doubled down in its severity. For what felt like an eternity, she stood there as if transfixed. Then she blinked, and a small smile tugged at her lips. Without skipping a beat, she said, "That will be your assignment. Discover what your dream means. The rest of you…"

The classroom carried on with the assigned lesson. My parchment laid blank in front of me.

Even though the dream was fake, the knowledge was real. What did it mean to me? And so my thoughts from the weeks prior resurfaced. Why was I here? The answer, as I saw it, now seemed simple yet complicated. Tracy and I either randomly or on purpose crossed time, space, and possibly dimensions to swap bodies. I brought with me knowledge and understanding. It was obvious that I should do what I could to help. Any moral person would come to the same conclusion. Any rational person would debate on how much they could change. If they knew one version of events, they might conclude that changing as little as possible would be most beneficial. That would be the safest method. I can't fault that rationalization.

But if the changes I made caused Voldemort to die two years early, then I could just toss the book out the window, and it wouldn't matter.

I knew what I wanted to do. The question still remained, how? I had entertained several ideas. With my magical abilities being so limited, my options were limited too. My best ideas boiled down to getting other people to do X, Y, or Z.

My dream, although fake, represented a real goal. At the end of class, I handed in my assignment. The parchment was blank aside from one line on the top of the page. Below my name in messy capital letters I simply wrote:

I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN.

That night, I dreamed again. Tracy was in my body, sitting on my couch. The other half of her head was shaved down to match what she had done to the other half. In her hands she held a book. I willed myself closer to peek at what she was reading. The Order of the Phoenix was opened to an early chapter. I strained to discern any text on the page. Chapter 10. I could see the chapter title on top of the page. Scanning the page, I saw something that shouldn't be possible.

"I'm Tracy Miller, 5th year Ravenclaw."

I was in the book.

"Tracy!!" I tried to force my voice to reach her. I had tried to do this before to no avail. Eventually I'd given up, but on the train a clear voice had spoken to me. I saw a silhouette of a girl. It must have been her. This had to be possible.

"Tracy!!" I tried again. The book lowered to her lap, and she looked up with my eyes.

"You're going to do well in Ravenclaw.", she said.