Chapter 6: the Prisoner of Azkaban

It was early in the last week of August when she received the message from Luna in the morning, her mother had called and they would pick Ginny up after breakfast. Sadly, she said goodbye to Harry and they agreed to be discreet about what was going on between them, at least until the end of the next school year.

The Weasleys went for their daughter and took her back to the Burrow, where Ginny had the best and worst week of her life, her mother was trying to make up for all the lost time and treating her like Ginny with no memories, something that infuriated her. But no one dared to break the silence on the subject, not even alluding to her new business at school, even though he was sure to know about it. But she couldn't remain indifferent to the bombardment of love she received from her mother, and she was able to forgive Percy in her heart a couple of nights she fell asleep in his bed while talking openly about how betrayed she had felt by everyone.

They took her to buy new clothes, new shoes, and a wand of her own, they had reserved more for her, after all, the prize was practically hers.

And a new school year began. To avoid relating to the events of Sirius Black, she moved away from Harry in the day, allowing him to live out the experiences on his own. And she ignored Professor Lupin and Scabbers, she was not to interfere in Harry's life until he asked her to, or if the greatest possibility was to harm him.

She had already realized that visions were not set in stone, there were many possible futures.

Together with Luna, her most faithful friend, and Colin, they unraveled every dream she had had to unravel future events.

"It's like a multiverse, maybe your visions of your children with Harry are of a different world than those of that dark future." Colin said as the three of them lay on the grass by the lake. He had also developed an extraordinary trust with his friends, who always took his words seriously.

"It makes sense." Ginny replied with her eyes closed, enjoying the sun on her face.

"Why limit yourself to two? Maybe every vision you have is one of thousands of possibilities, and it's something only you can untangle." Luna said in a dreamy voice. "We'll help you with whatever you need, Ginny, but I'm not sure you'll want to tell us everything."

Ginny agreed to this and began to sort out every line of thought, vision, and premonition she possessed.

It was all about a war... surely the one that Voldemort would provoke when he returned, the most horrible thing would happen in a couple of years, with the battle of Hogwarts, the worst nightmare that almost drove her crazy. There was also that other one, where he didn't stop for fear of dying from the pain it caused him, where she saw her children, older than she was now, being slaughtered most horrifically.

She saw three children, two young men being cut into pieces and thrown into human waste, she could even smell it when she thought about that vision, and her daughter the beautiful daughter she would have, been... violated in the most horrific ways. Discovering sex that way was horrifying to her, and if it weren't for those other risqué visions in which she could see pleasure, she would have tied herself to self-imposed vows of chastity. But going back to the visions, that of her children in particular... The clothes of their executioners were strange.

Those clothes... That was the reason why she thought about it so much, the clothes told her that they were not Death Eaters, so if it wasn't them, who would bring war to their peaceful world?

o-o-o-o

Things went on as they were meant to go without outside intervention, with the only exception being that the night Sirius Black was at Harry's bedside, Ginny intentionally didn't sleep with him.

Sometimes he even regretted their agreement. But the assurance that she wouldn't allow him to be at a real risk gave him peace of mind he hadn't experienced before. He passed by and heard of the Marauders, and the Map was given to him by the twins, to his great shame, realizing that they knew of his nocturnal habits.

One day, near the end of the school year, when he was in the final exam of Divination, the futility of which was completely certain (he thought regretfully), it happened.

It was hotter than ever in the tower room. The curtains were drawn, the fire was burning, and the usual dizzying smell made Harry cough as he made his way between the chairs and tables to the place where Professor Trelawney was waiting for him, sitting before a large crystal ball.

"Good morning, Harry," she said softly. "If you were kind enough to look at the ball... Take your time, and then tell me what you see inside it..."

Harry leaned over the crystal ball and watched, concentrating with all his might, looking for something other than the white mist swirling inside, but not finding it.

"Well?" Professor Trelawney asked gently. "What do you see?"

The heat and aromatic smoke coming from the fire next to it were suffocating. He thought about what Ron had told him and decided to pretend.

"Eeh," Harry said. "A dark shape..."

"What does it look like?" Professor Trelawney whispered. "Think..."

Harry's mind flew and landed on Buckbeak.

"A hippogriff," he said firmly.

"Really?" Professor Trelawney whispered, writing quickly and excitedly on the parchment on her knees. "Boy, you might as well be contemplating the solution to Hagrid's problem with the Ministry of Magic. Take a closer look... Does the hippogriff have a head?"

"Yes," Harry said confidently.

"Are you sure?" Professor Trelawney insisted. "Sure, Harry? Don't you see him writhing on the ground with the dark image of a man with an axe behind him?"

"No," Harry said, beginning to feel nauseous.

"Isn't there blood? Isn't Hagrid crying?"

"No!" Harry answered, wanting to leave the room and the heat. "Looks like it's fine. It's flying... "

Professor Trelawney sighed. "Well, dear. I think we'll leave it here... A little disappointing, but I'm sure you've done everything you could."

Relieved, Harry got up, grabbed his backpack, and turned around to leave. But then he heard a loud, harsh voice behind him:

"It will happen tonight.

Harry turned around. Professor Trelawney stiffened in her chair. Her eyes were lost and her mouth was open.

"What do you say?" Harry asked.

But Professor Trelawney didn't seem to hear him. Her pupils began to move. Harry was scared. The teacher looked like she was about to have a seizure. The boy didn't know whether to run to the infirmary. And then Professor Trelawney spoke again in the same harsh voice, very different from her own:

"The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight... the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever he was. Tonight... before midnight... the servant... will set out... to rejoin... his master..."

Her head fell forward onto her chest. Professor Trelawney let out a grunt. Then, suddenly, she raised her head again. "I'm so sorry, boy," she added in a sleepy voice. "The heat of the day, you know...? I'm transfixed."

Harry stood there for a moment, looking at her.

"Is something wrong, Harry?"

"You... just told me that... the Dark Lord will rise again, that his vassal will return with him... "

Professor Trelawney was startled. "The Dark Lord? The one that shouldn't be named? Dear boy, you can't joke about that... Rise again, oh my God..."

"But you just said it! You said that the Dark Lord... "

"I think you've fallen asleep, too," said Professor Trelawney. "I would certainly never predict such a thing. "

Harry descended the ladder and the spiral staircase, asking himself questions... Had he just heard Professor Trelawney making a real prediction? Was that what one sounded like?

He didn't even have time to ask Ginny when it was all over.

Discovering the betrayal of his parents' friends was another disappointment, and the fact that Snape always protected him was a surprise.

In the end, Sirius's promise to make a home for him didn't exactly excite him, he just wanted to be where Ginny was. Lupin was chased away because of Snape and the school year was over.

They were both together in a carriage, with Ginny leaning on her shoulder, while Ron and Hermione searched for them all over the train. He was telling her everything that had happened and ended with Professor Trelawney's prophecy. "She's crazy, isn't she? It cannot be a true prophecy."

"That woman really has an inner eye," Ginny said as she stroked her boyfriend's hand.

"Gin!"

"I'm sorry love, it's a true prophecy, and true prophecies are very rare, even I haven't gotten one. "

"Isn't what you're doing a prophecy?" The boy asked strangely as he pulled her away from his body.

"No, of course not, an authentic prophecy cannot be provoked, it appears without reason and only in the presence of some witness, the oracle through which it passes is not aware of what it is saying and has no memory of it." Harry nodded as he scanned the horizon and before he could say anything to her, the door of the carriage opened.

Hermione and Ron walked in while arguing.

"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone," he said gravely.

He turned to watch Harry, who watched Hogwarts disappear behind a mountain. It would be two whole months before he saw him again before he was happy with Ginny again.

"Rejoice, Harry," Hermione said sadly.

"I'm fine," Harry said immediately. "I was thinking about the holidays."

"Yes, I've been thinking about them too," Ron said as he ignored Ginny. "Harry, you have to come and spend a few days with us. I'll discuss it with my parents and give you a call. I know how to use the felétone."

"The phone, Ron," Hermione corrected him. "Actually, you should take Muggle Studies next year..."

Ron ignored her. "This summer is the Quidditch World Cup! What do you say to that, Harry? Come and stay with us. We'll go and see them. My father usually gets tickets at work "

Harry was very happy about the proposal, he could see Ginny sooner if he stayed at the Burrow. "Yes... I bet the Dursleys will be happy to let me go... Especially after what I did to Aunt Marge... "

Happier, Harry played with Ron and Hermione several hands of explosive snap, while Ginny snuggled up next to him and Hermione tried to convince her too to take Muggle Studies, and when the witch arrived with the tea cart, he bought a bunch of things to eat.

"Harry," Hermione said suddenly, looking over his shoulder, "what's that out there?

Harry turned to look at himself. An owl flew in and dropped the letter onto Harry's seat and began buzzing through the compartment, glad to have accomplished its mission. Hedwig pecked at the air with a dignified attitude of censure. Crookshanks sat up in his seat, chasing the owl with his big yellow eyes. Noticing this, Ron grabbed her to protect her. Harry picked up the letter. It was addressed to him. He opened it and said, "It's Sirius's "

"What?" Ron and Hermione exclaimed, excitedly. "Read it aloud!"

Dear Harry,

I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl posts. Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where in case this owl falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubts about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job.

I believe the dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted. There is something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt.

Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from Gringotts vault number seven hundred and eleven - my own.

Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your godfather.

I would also like to apologize for the fright I think I gave you that night last year when you left your uncle's house. I had only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you. I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable. If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me. I'll write again soon.

Sirius

P.S. I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat.

Harry looked into the envelope. There was another scroll.

I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather, hereby permit him to visit Hogsmeade on weekends.

"That will be enough for Dumbledore," Harry said indolently.

Ron's eyes widened. "Keep it?" He asked hesitantly.

He looked at it very closely for a moment, and then, to Harry and Hermione's surprise, he handed it to Crookshanks to sniff.

"What do you think?" Ron asked the cat, "Is it a real owl?"

Crookshanks purred.

"That's enough," Ron said happily.

That made the car laugh, including Ginny's, surprising her after all the hatred she'd had for that cat. As for the letter, she was glad that Harry had someone to look out for him, though she wasn't particularly thrilled that a bully who used to torture weaklings was what she chose. Besides, she was pleased that Harry was not so enthusiastic and that he preferred to stay at the Burrow with her for miles.

She would have to convince her family to let him stay with her.

:3