Let's Kill Tonight ~ A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Let's Kill Tonight ~ Chapter Twenty Five

It was a rainy April morning, and Rebecca sat in the Divination’s classroom, absent-mindedly twirling her wand around her fingers as she tried to keep boredom at bay.

Professor Firenze was stood at the front, his low gruff voice mumbling on about something to do with Astrology. He pointed to the chalkboard and drew a single symbol. “Now, who knows what this is the symbol for?”

Lavender, who was sitting on the same table with Rebecca, as was Parvati, slowly raised her hand.

 “Yes, Brown,” Firenze said, pointing to her.

“Isn’t it you, sir?” Lavender replied quite innocently.

There was an awkward silence as Firenze seemed to tense up angrily as though Lavender had offended him. Rebecca thought that he might snap the piece of chalk he held in his hand, but instead he took a long, deep breath and shook his head. “No, Brown, it is not a picture of a Centaur... Would anyone else like to hazard a guess?”

Seeing that no-one else did, Rebecca herself raised her hand, thinking that she knew the answer. “Isn’t it the sign for Capricorn?”

“Thank you, Rosewood. Five points to Gryffindor,” Firenze said, seemingly recovered from Lavender’s answer. “May I ask how you know?”

“My birthday’s in January, sir,” Rebecca explained.

Firenze turned back to the chalkboard and began writing underneath the symbol. “Capricorn is the tenth sign of the Zodiac. Positive traits include patience, determination, awareness, realism, discipline, leadership and cunning. Negative traits include pessimism, melancholy, emotional coldness, manipulation, obsession with work and ambitions, remoteness and snobbery.”

Rebecca was surprised as she copied down what the professor was saying. Usually she doubted what Firenze taught them, as there was only so much that Astrology could determine, however the traits he listed explained her almost perfectly.

“Capricorns,” Firenze continued, “are very good at being discreet, secretive and diplomatic. However, unlike the harmony-based diplomacy found in other Zodiac signs like Libra, Capricorn’s diplomacy is based on the knowledge that being on good terms with people is extremely useful in getting one’s way or finding out sensitive information.”

Almost breaking her quill, Rebecca looked up from her parchment in front of her. It was scary how much Firenze was saying that was true.

“Now, it is a little strange that you are a Capricorn and a Gryffindor, Rosewood,” Firenze mused as he looked back to the students. “as it’s not the most common Zodiac sign for the house. Most Capricorns  can be found in Slytherin, due to their ambition and cunning, or Ravenclaw due to their good work ethnic.”

Firenze then rubbed of the Zodiac sign and drew a new one, instantly loosing Rebecca’s focus as she re-read what she had written down. She was grateful that Firenze had said no more about how odd it was for her to be in Gryffindor, as he may have exposed the truth that, if Snape hadn’t tempered with the Sorting Hat, she probably would have been sorted into Slytherin.

“Well that was... insightful,” Parvati laughed as her, Rebecca and Lavender exited the classroom half an hour later after having to sit through four more zodiac sign lectures.

“Tell me about it,” Rebecca sighed, “it’s ok if it’s your sign he’s talking about, but I really didn’t care that Cancer’s make good Gryffindors and that Taurus’ don’t have a chance if they’re placed in Slytherin.”

“It was strange, though,” Parvati added, “that you’d be better off in Slytherin. I mean, you’re one of the last people  I can think of to be manipulative, or snobbish, or discreet, or-”