Talons and Tea Leaves
Screams. An echo of sharp, piercing screams surrounded Siria. She was being spun so quickly that she couldn't make out where she was. There were only flashes: a quick, sort glimpse of ginger then a bright, blinding flash of green. Over it all, a scream being echoed while she spun, spun, spun.
Siria woke to a weight on her stomach. Crookshanks seemed to think Siria's stomach was a good place to sleep. Siria put him on the ground beside her bed and tried to go back to sleep, but something about the spinning room was familiar. The fact she couldn't place it made her fixate on it until she drifted back to sleep.
(Book: B3, 96-98 Malfoy is doing impressions of Siria fainting. Fred & George tell her not let it get to her, that Malfoy rushed into their compartment, "nearly wet himself", and he won't be so happy after their Quidditch match. Ron notices Hermione has Divination, Muggle Studies, and Arithmancy at 9am. Hermione dismisses it. The trio run into Hagrid on their way to Divination and he's worried, but excited.)
Last year, Siria spent a week being led around by Snape and Professor Dumbledore. They were looking for the Chamber Secrets and took her through all sorts of secret passages. Hermione had the sense to make Siria draw them out for future reference. As Siria had only been to the North Tower once, it took them a little longer than she would have liked to remember the exact way to open each passage.
(Book: B3, 101-107 They arrive & have their first Divination lesson. Professor Trelawney's classroom is full of fumes that make Siria's head feel funny, Hermione is discouraged to hear books won't get her far, Trelawney makes a few predictions before they have tea and start reading tea leaves. When Ron says that Siria has a hippo or a sheep, they laugh and Trelawney comes over. She takes Siria's teacup, says it's a falcon, that Siria has a great enemy [to which Hermione basically says "DUH! You-Know-Who"] then that Siria has the Grim)
"[The Grim] the giant, spectral dog that—(B3,107)" but Professor Trelawney could not continue over Siria's laughter.
"If it's a giant dog, it's Snuffles!" Siria exclaimed. "Snuffles is huge! He's almost as big as a bear."
"It's the Grim, my dear" Professor Trelawney repeated with some of the airiness of her voice gone.
"No." Siria couldn't not laugh. "I'll see if I can get a picture of him, but Snuffles is probably even bigger than the Grim." Hermione had made her way around Professor Trelawney's chair.
"The Grim is the worst omen of death!" Professor Trelawney told the class, almost as dramatically as Sirius could have.
"Well then, it's a good thing it's Snuffles and not the Grim." Siria shook her head. She wasn't about to go see death omens in her tea— especially not dog-related ones.
(Book: B3, 107-108 Hermione says that she doesn't think it looks like the Grim at all and Trelawney tells Hermione that Hermione has "very little aura", then Seamus Finnigan looks at it with his eyes almost closed and says it looks like a Grim that way, but a donkey if you tilt to the left)
Siria gave an excessively loud sigh. "Well, Professor, as I'm dying, may I be excused?" She snapped. Professor Trelawney narrowed her eyes at Siria, with a similar dislike to how she looked at Hermione just a moment ago. Siria rose her head up and straightened herself up, which was rather difficult on the fat, little pouf, but she managed. Her act of snapping had caused most of the class to at least pretend to have lost interest in her cup.
(Book: B3, 108 Trelawney excuses the class for the day and they to go Transfiguration)
As proud as she could manage, Siria marched to the front of the class and took her seat there. She felt that it was what Sirius would do, if everyone were looking and whispering about him. "Divination's always a good laugh," he told her last year. Siria set up her desk with an extra sheet of parchment. She wanted to write "Then why was I the only one laughing?" and send the letter to Sirius just like that, but Professor McGonagall started the lesson and the moment she said "Animagi" Siria nearly choked.
Lavender and Parvati gasped from a few tables back and clearly whispered "the Grim!" and "her tea leaves!" and Siria wanted to throw her textbook at them. Hermione looked to Siria, who just waved. Siria closed her eyes. At the word "Animagi" she had gasped, and the leaf under her tongue had moved. "You're going to have to eat it," she told herself.
"Alright there, Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked. Siria scraped the back of her tongue on her teeth and shuddered. Somehow, all of the bitterness of the mandrake leaf exploded in her mouth. It was soft enough, she didn't have to chew and swallowed the wet, pressed leaf whole.
"I just," Siria had to suppress another shudder from the lasting bitterness, "big fan." She tried to cover up what happened as being nothing, but she had been sitting up straight and stubbornly proud and was now hunched over her desk while she trembled. Professor McGonagall cocked a thin eyebrow at Siria.
"Are you now, Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked in such a firm tone, Siria knew she'd have to talk.
"I, er, Flourish and Blotts had In the Mountains of the Moon, which is about Animagi." said Siria.
"It is." Professor McGonagall gave a hardly noticeable smile then continued her lecture.
Hermione wrote "What happened?" on the top of her sheet of parchment.
"Later" Siria wrote on the top of her own. She had a feeling Hermione would not be able to react quietly to Sirius teaching Siria about becoming an Animagus. When Professor McGonagall turned herself into a tabby cat with spectacle markings, Siria and Hermione were the only ones to clap.
(Book: B3, 109-112 McGonagall asks what is wrong, Hermione explains they had their first Divination lesson, McGonagall tells them that Trelawney predicts the death of a student every year, that Siria looks in fine health, but, if she dies, she doesn't need to turn her homework in. Ron still looks worried because his uncle Bilius saw one and died twenty-four hours later. Hermione tells him Divination doesn't seem like a good class, Ron says she just can't stand the thought of not being good at something, which causes Hermione to storm off and say that Arithmancy was way better, but Ron says she hasn't had Arithmancy yet. They head out to their first Care of Magical Creatures class, which they learn they'll have with the Slytherins)
"How do we open out books?" Malfoy repeated (B3, 112)
"Like this!" Siria hissed at him. She stroked the spine of her book, which caused it to purr and go limp, then she removed the belt from about it.
"We can't all be perfect, Potter!" He growled back. Siria smirked then looked to Hagrid and winked. Other students, who had bound their books with belts, rope, binder clips, or stuffed them into tight bags, stroked their books. Hermione nodded encouragingly to Hagrid, while Ron mouthed "Keep going!"
"Righ' then," said Hagrid, "Yeh've got yer books, an' now yeh need the Magical Creatures. I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on…" He left into the forest and out of sight (B3, 113).
(Book: B3, 113 Malfoy says Hogwarts has gone to the dogs, Siria tells him to shut up, he tells her there's a dementor behind her, but Lavender Brown's exclaimation draws everyone's attention to Hagrid's return, with the Hippogriffs. Hermione, Ron and Siria are the only ones willing to get closer to the Hippogriffs. Malfoy is complaining to Crabbe and Goyle, while Hagrid explains that Hippogriffs are proud creatures, so you have to be careful not to insult them. Hagrid asks who wants to go first.)
Hermione and Ron looked to Siria, who scanned the crowd of other students. She looked to the ground, but slowly raised her hand, secretly hoping someone else would go.
"Good woman, Siria!" roared Hagrid. Siria let out a small, quiet groan that only Hermione and Ron could hear.
"Your tea leaves!" Parvati and Lavender whispered (B3, 115). Siria tsked and hopped the fence.
(Book: B3, 115-117 Siria is able to pet Buckbeak and ride him, then Hagrid has people break into small groups with the Hippogriffs. Malfoy, Crabbe, & Goyle take Buckbeak)
Siria stood to Malfoy's left, as he pet Buckbeak with a disdainful look on his face (B3, 117). "Scared of the dementors, Potter?" Malfoy sneered.
"Terrified." Siria said in her flatest tone.
"I knew this could be easy," Malfoy drawled and smirked over at her, "if you can do it, Potter."
"Really, Malfoy? Then why can't you fly?" She glared at him. Malfoy's nose crinkled and he turned back to Buckbeak.
"You're not dangerous at all, are you?" Malfoy taunted.
"Don't bait it." Siria could see Buckbeak's eyes narrow at Malfoy.
"It can't understand." Malfoy told her, "Can you? You great, ugly—" Siria tackled Malfoy to the ground in time to see the steely talons rise up. She let out a scream so high that, at first, she thought it was someone else. Siria struggled to push herself up, but pain shot through her back. Malfoy just laid under her, his hands inches from her shoulders, like he couldn't decide between pushing her off and helping her up.
"Yer gon' be alright, Siria!" said Hagrid and Siria felt herself swept into the air and his into arms. She felt her warm blood trickle down. Siria didn't want to move. It hurt. The way she was being carried hurt. She wanted Hagrid to just lay her back down or else let her yell at Malfoy for being an idiot. Behind Hagrid, Siria could hear Lavender and Parvati exclaiming in terror and shock.
"I'M FINE!" Siria shouted. There was no Grim in her cup. Professor Trelawney saw Snuffles because he was important to Siria.
Hagrid rested Siria face down on a bed in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey was on his heels in an instant. "Hagrid!" Madam Pomfrey snapped.
"Poppy, I—"
"I'm fine!" Siria groaned into the pillow.
"Nonsense! Hagrid, out." Madam Pomfrey told him and she pulled the curtains around Siria's bed.
Despite the worry in Madam Pomfrey's voice when Siria had arrived, she had the gash along Siria's back closed in no time. Madam Pomfrey even fixed up Siria's robes and cleaned the blood from them in a few minutes. Siria had to stay on her stomach, while a balm Madam Pomfrey applied soaked in.
"It's freezing." Siria told her.
"Is it now? Maybe you'll think of that the next time you go being reckless." There was so much attitude in Madam Pomfrey's voice that Siria took it silently. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't care that Siria took the blow so Malfoy and his father couldn't get Hagrid fired. "You'll be lucky if it doesn't scar." She tsked as she applied another layer of the balm. "What if it had been your face?"
"Seriously?" Siria sighed. What would another scar on her face really do? The door of the Hospital Wing opened and Madam Pomfrey ushered through the curtains.
"What's the matter dear?" She asked the newcomer. Siria sighed into the pillow. She was freezing and had nothing to do other than lay there. If she left, it would just be a scar. The pain was gone now and she just wanted to announce her perfect health and recovery.
"— fine." Siria didn't catch the start of the quiet, voice barely above a whisper, but she was filled with rage. How dare he? She knocked the curtains over in her rush to her feet, blanket in her arms, and ran.
"Ms. Potter!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed and stepped in Siria's path.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" Siria screamed through the Hospital Wing. "I swear, Malfoy, if you ruin this for Hagrid."
"Calm down, Potter." Malfoy looked away from her. "Madam Pomfrey is treating the wounds from your tackle."
"Modesty, Ms. Potter" Madam Pomfrey snapped and dragged Siria, by her arm, back to the curtains.
"Modesty" Siria scoffed. "I held the blanket up."
"I'll be sure to tell your Godfather that." Madam Pomfrey snapped at her and flicked her wand, which caused the curtains to stand back up.
"You can't tell Sirius!" Siria cried.
"Oh, I can and I will! Now lay back down. Once I've finished with Mr. Malfoy, I'll finish you." Madam Pomfrey glared at Siria so intently that Siria felt more that she was being challenged to a fight than given medical attention.
After dinner, Hermione and Ron visited Siria in the Hospital Wing. Siria was too busy fuming over Malfoy's visit to actually enjoy their company. Finally, Madam Pomfrey shooed them off, by insisting Siria needed her rest and would be released tomorrow. There was something about the cold, dark Hospital Wing that reminded Siria of the dementors. Her last thought before she fell into a shallow sleep was of the bloated, decayed hand and hood of the dementor on the train.