Professor McGonagall had just handed out the new timetables for the third year. I looked at my first subject.

"Divination, huh? Shall we go, Harry?" I asked. Ginny shot me a glance, but quickly recovered.

"Oh, yeah, Amber. Why not?"

"Hermione? Ron?"

"Of course, Amber."

"Wait a second, there. Hermione, how is your timetable possible?" Ron asked. I reached for my throat, before making the movement inconspicuous.

"Try me, Ron."

"Look, Divination at 9:00. And then Arithmancy, 9:00. And after that… Ancient Runes, 9:00. Listen, Hermione… there just isn't time for you to sit three classes at once!"

"Of course she has time. Now can we get to Divination?"

"Broaden your minds. You must Look Beyond!" Our Divination teacher called, emerging from the shadows.

"My name is Professor Trelawney. In this room, we shall Gaze into the Future! In this room, we will find if you possess… the Sight…

"Now, for the Mundane task of this classroom… we shall study Tasseography, the Art of Reading tea-leaves. Take a Cup, and Drink from it. Swivel the Cup counter-clockwise thrice, in your left hand. Place it on your saucer, and swivel the Cup counter-clockwise thrice once more. Pass it to your Reader, and have them decipher the tea-leaves."

"Really enunciates her words, she does," I muttered, taking a cup from the shelf. I painstakingly did as she asked, and passed my cup to Hermione. Harry and Ron were partnered.

"So, what do we see?" Ron asked, placing his cup on his quarter of the table. Taking a hint from him, we did the same.

"Ron, you have a cross here, that's suffering and sacrifice… and that up there is a… wolf? Betrayal? Not me."

"Hermione, that's a broken ring… loss of an engagement? Ron, be careful. And… a sword? Arguments? I see plenty of bickering. Yeah, I'm not taking you to fight Voldemort, so let's keep it at that…"

"Amber, you have a wedge triangle, that's the three way relationship. Obvious. And… a yoke. I think that's a yoke. Domination. Please don't tell me Riddle can get back in there…"

"Harry… that's a needle. You might have a painful reparation. That doesn't sound good. And maybe a comet, which means a dramatic event. Duh, You-Know-Who's after your blood."

"But what's that giant clump in all of your cups? It looks pretty uniform, yet unnerving…" Hermione asked.

"Let me see, my Dears. Let me look at the Cups," Professor Trelawney asked. We handed them to her.

"Gah! Three in one classroom? This is… this is terrible! This is ghastly! Why aren't you panicking? You should be panicking!" she spouted.

"Perhaps, if we knew what they were…"

"My Dears… you have… the Grim…"

"Grim?" we asked, but Hermione answered. Having referenced it into one of her thousand and one textbooks, she read aloud.

"The Grim is the giant spectral dog that haunts the churchyard. It is one of the Darkest omens in our world. It be the omen… of Death."

It was a subdued class that made their way to Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall ushered us in, discussed Animagi with us, and even transformed demonstratively. None of us were brave enough to respond.

"Really? Not that I'm vain enough to complain, but this is the first time that my transformation has not got applause from a class."

"Professor, we just got through one of Trelawney's classes, and-"

"Say no more. Which is the student who will die this year?" Me, Harry and Ron all raised our hands.

"Three? Well… Professor Trelawney considers seeing a death omen a grand way to greet a new class. But for her to actually predict three… well, I never speak ill of my colleagues, but I think Trelawney's due for some form of help. I would be at ease, you three. You won't die. You look healthy to me. I assure you, though, if you do, you needn't worry about this lesson's content." No reassurance there for me, but both Harry and Ron relaxed.

What if I do die?

You'll die someday, Amber. Everyone does.

The Grim seemed much more urgent…

You'll have to make your dues with Harry and Ginny. Live every day as if it might be your last. Whatever else is on everyone's bucket list.

You don't have to be so sarcastic… but…

You knew that Ginny would always warm Harry up, didn't you?

I hoped I'd get to…

I'll start working on your bucket list.

"Class dismissed." I was so busy worrying about Trelawney's reading that I missed Transfiguration. I didn't mind. I had a plan.

What do you do when you've finished an examination that constitutes a quarter of your grade? Write a chapter from scratch! What else?

So yes, unlucky thirteen. My third thirteenth chapter. Third time's the charm? Depends on what you thought of the other chapter thirteens. This one has the real bad luck, though. Three deaths? That has got to be painful. But all the other parts of the Tasseography are true (and researched)...

And, because I really need to mention this... the plan Amber mentions is not going to me mentioned until later. It will feel cathartic after the events of that particular leg. And I feel like I needed to mention something else...?

Neither can live while the other survives...