Melanie Rosen: Year 3 (A Harry Potter Fanfic)

Chapter 9 The Gamekeeper's Lesson

Chapter 9

The Gamekeeper’s Lesson

I barely paid attention in Transfiguration that day. Professor McGonagall did seem sympathetic to us at first, but did not ease up on the lesson. I was not the only one whose cup foretold something dreadful according to Trelawney. In Harry’s cup, she claimed to see the actual grim, which meant he would die. Our Transfiguration professor then informed us that every year, Trelawney would say someone would die but they never actually did. I drew some comfort from this, but I still knew I would not feel entirely better until I either saw Mum or at least heard from her somehow.

Once Transfiguration was over, we had lunch in the Great Hall. After that, it was time to go to our first Care of Magical Creatures lesson. I was glad this lesson took place outside. I could use some fresh air. The soft breeze brushed up against my cheeks as we walked down the hill towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where the lesson would take place.

“You know, Divination is just a bunch of nonsense,” Hermione’s voice came from behind me.

I turned around and realized she was talking to me. Looking at her curiously, I asked, “You think so?”

“Yes,” she answered, promptly, walking to my side. “Magic may be able to do a great deal, but it can’t clearly see the future. That’s just a bunch of nonsense.”

I shrugged and replied, “Just a couple years ago, I thought that magic in general was impossible.”

“Well,” she responded, “you have been able to see what magic can do these past couple years. But, think about it. Your mum is a muggle, right?”

“Squib,” I corrected, softly.

Hermione nodded and said, “Yes, well either way, even if she had somehow… well, moved on, she wouldn’t have a ghost. Only witches and wizards can become ghost in their afterlife.”

“I guess that’s true,” I admitted, realizing she had a fair point.

“Well,” she went on, “like Professor McGonagall said, Trelawney says all these crazy prophecies to get the students hooked. You heard in Transfiguration, today, every year she predicts someone’s death but they never actually die.”

I turned my head and glanced back at Harry and Ron, who were not too far behind and asked, “Does Harry think he’s going to die?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, as she shot her red haired friend a look a rolled her eyes, adding more loudly, “Ron seems to think that since Harry saw a black dog, it must be the grim. We got in a fight over it.”

“When did he see it?” I asked.

“Right before he got on the Knight Bus,” Hermione answered.

I glanced back again and said, “I think I saw that same dog.”

“You saw the grim too!?” Ron demanded in vocal tones as he and Harry caught up with us.

“Yes,” I responded, with a nod, and then added, “Well, I saw a big black dog.”

“It’s probably just a stray dog,” Hermione said, assuring. “You two do live in the same neighborhood, right? So, it makes sense that you would see the same dog. Besides, if Melanie did see the grim, too, then Trelawney would have predicted her death, as well.”

“Or maybe, she just had Melanie confused with her mum,” Ron pointed out, giving Harry, who remained quiet, a startled horrified glance.

I frowned and said, “My mum and I have absolutely nothing in common. Trelawney would have to be a pretty terrible seer to confuse me with her.”