So, before we start, I wanted to tell you a little thing that happened the other day. My family and I were out at a Chinese restaurant for lunch, and I was talking about some characters from one of my many stories like they were real, physical people in my life. My younger sister started to remind me that they weren't real, when my mom quickly shushed her. She warned her not to 'pop her bubble!' and said "We've talked about this." I am now feeling a bit worried and paranoid. Haha. Alright, that was all! Thanks for taking the time to read this. Hope you enjoy this next chapter.
"Talking"
"Thinking"
"Sounds"
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, except for Andy. So…please don't sue me!
The night had been a fitful one for Harry, and he was already in a bad mood by the time he and Ron went down to breakfast the next morning. Of course, it wasn't made better by Draco, who was apparently entertaining the Slytherine table with a 'funny' story of a certain Boy-Who-Lived. Of course, the story contained a lot of over exaggerated swooning and crying.
"Just ignore 'em, Harry." Ron muttered as they passed to get to their own table.
"Right." Harry sighed, doing his best to do as his best friend had advised. They settled down beside Hermione, who was examining her schedule with interest. Harry was handed his own schedule by either Fred or George (he couldn't tell who was who), and examined it broodingly while somewhere in the background he vaguely noted that Ron and Hermione were discussing her too-full, definitely-impossible, schedule. Harry ignored it. He had Divinations first off.
Just then, Hagrid entered the Great Hall, beaming happily and swinging a large, furry creature around from one giant hand. He stopped when he reached where the Golden Trio was at.
"'Ello, Harry, Ron, Hermione." He greeted cheerily. "Yer in me first ever class! Isn't that somethin' else. Righ' after lunch. Been up since before dawn, getting' everything ready! 'E can't be in the sun after all…." At this point, the half-giant seemed to be speaking mostly to himself. Harry and Ron shared a glance. In just a second though, Hagrid had pulled himself back together, and smiled down at the three friends. "I hope e'rything'll be alright. Jus' imagine; me, a teacher!" Hagrid said, chuckling . Then he grinned broadly at them, waved, and left for the staff table.
"Wonder what he's been getting prepared for." Ron said, sounding worried. Harry shrugged, but had a suspicion that whatever it was might have something to do with whatever was in the cage that Dumbledore had mentioned.
"We'd better be going soon." Hermione said, looking around at the rapidly emptying Great Hall. "Divination is at the top of the North Tower, and it'll take us ten minutes to get there." With that, the group finished up breakfast and left, having to practically run to get to their class on time.
The Divinations classroom was smoky, and smelled heavily of perfume and smoke. There were colored handkerchiefs everywhere, and overstuffed chairs around low tables. There was no teacher in sight, and the class was silent for a moment. Soon though, a low chatter had filled the room. It was broken off when, from seemingly nowhere, the teacher appeared.
"Hello, class." The woman droned. Harry looked closely at the woman who, at first glance, could be mistaken for an overgrown dragon fly. "Welcome to Divination. My name is Professor Trelawny. You all have chosen to study Divination, one of the most difficult forms of the magic arts! I must warn you; if you do not have The Sight, there will be very little I can teach you."
Hermione watched the professor with an unreadable expression, as Trelawny continued to speak of Divination, and of the Gift of the Inner Eye. Harry found it a little ridiculous, and he could tell by his friends' expressions that they felt the same way. Soon enough, Professor Trelawny began to hand out cups of tea and instructed everyone to drink theirs, leaving only the leaves. The students complied, and soon Ron was examining Harry's 'fortune'.
"Um…that right there kind of looks like a bowler hat. Maybe you'll work for the Ministry." Ron told Harry with a grin. Then he turned the teacup the other way. "And this way it looks a bit like an acorn…I dunno what that means." Then he turned the cup again. "That looks like some kind of an animal. Maybe a hippo…or a sheep…?"
Professor Trelawny whirled on them, and commanded "Give me the cup, my boy."
The Golden Trio shared a glance, trying to hold back their laughter as the Dragonfly-like woman examined the mushy contents of the teacup. Their laughter was silenced when the woman let out a tiny scream. Everyone in the smoky room turned to look at her, eyes curious or worried. Harry himself was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable.
"My boy, you have the Grim." Professor Trelawny whispered, her hands shaking violently on the cup.
"The…Grim?" Harry repeated, unsure of what it meant. Apparently, it was a bad thing if the Divination teacher's response to it was anything to go by.
"The Grim, boy! The Grim." She cried, looking flustered and upset. "The specter that haunts Churchyards. It is an Omen, my boy. An omen…of death."
Harry felt his heart sink.
For the rest of the class time, everyone was jumpy and nervous, the Professor most of all.
The next few classes seemed to rush by, blurring into one another as they passed so that Harry couldn't make sense of them. Sooner than he could have hoped, it was time for lunch, and then right afterwards it would be time for Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid.
As the Gryffindor and Slytherine houses gathered in a clearing outside of Hagrid's hut, the tension could practically be felt in the air. Malfoy was being his snide self, complaining about the new staff members and the ways things were run. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and a lot of the others of their house were getting angry. Just before a practically-full-scale duel took place, Hagrid showed up, a big grin on his bearded face.
"Ello!" he said as he surveyed the class, black eyes twinkling as they lit upon the Golden Trio. "I've got a real treat for you today." He announced, the smile on his face growing impossibly wider. "If you'll just follow me…." He motioned for the class to follow after him as he began to go off along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They all trooped after him, most eyeing the trees warily. For a few horrifying moments, Harry thought that Hagrid was leading them into the Forest. To his relief though, they ended up instead in a small secluded spot with a surprisingly good view of the grounds. They rounded a small pocket of trees and Harry saw it. The three friends shared a long glance. Hermione was obviously relieved, and Ron looked surprised.
In front of the class was a large metal cage.
"Well, at least we won't get into trouble this way." Hermione said, looking back to the cage, obviously curious about the contents. The cage's inside was surprisingly dark, and Harry was having a hard time seeing whatever was in it from his vantage point.
"Now, you've gotta be very quiet." Hagrid told his class in a voice just barely above a whisper. "He's nocturnal, 'e is. Now, gather round."
The class did as instructed and even Malfoy was quiet for once. As they drew closer, and everyone got a look at what was inside, all went silent. Then a few gasps were heard and a few shocked or upset murmurs. Finally, Hermione spoke up.
"Hagrid! Just what do you think you're doing? Have you gone mad?" she demanded, shock and a little bit of anger evident in her eyes.
"What're ya…er…." Hagrid fumbled, not sure what to make of her outburst.
"You simply cannot keep a little boy in a cage!" she said, as she turned away from the half-giant and got closer to the cage, grabbing hold of the bars. Immediately, she drew back, gasping at her now-burnt flesh.
"'Mione! You all right?" yelled Ron, running up to her, Harry not far behind. Hagrid looked absolutely flabbergasted at this turn of events. He was again stuttering, looking for the right words to explain just what was in the cage.
"Er…Hagrid, you really can't just-" Harry began uncertainly, trying to make sense of why Hermione's hand was burned, and why there was a kid seemingly asleep in a large metal cage. Surely Hagrid knew better…?
His train of thought was derailed though, when a thin, impossibly pale arm snaked around his neck and jerked him back against the ice cold bars of the cage.
"Harry!" Hermione screamed, eyes huge. Ron, a few other Gryffindors, and Hagrid all copied the cry.
"How convenient." Hissed a voice right at Harry's ear. He shivered when the frosty breath blew across his neck, and began to struggle harder. "I have been hungry, after all." Then that frightening voice began to laugh. The arm around his neck began to constrict.
"Will I get out of this one?" Harry wondered as the corners of his vision began to turn black and the arm squeezed ever tighter.