Emma Potter

59: Divination

I was deciding between divination and Athrimancy So was Dray, so we both were permitted to have a joint divination session with the gryffindors.  

The hall was starting to empty as people headed off toward theirfirst lesson. Dtay checked his course schedule.

 "We'd better go, look, Divination's at the top of North Tower.It'll take us ten minutes to get there. . . ."

 We finished their breakfasts hastily, said good-bye to Zoe and Nicholas, and walked back through the hall. As they passedthe Gryffindor table table, people stared at me. The followed us into the entrancehall.

 The journey through the castle to North Tower was a long one.Two years at Hogwarts hadn't taught us everything about thecastle, and they had er been inside North Tower before. 

"There's — got — to — be — a — shortcut," Dray panted as we climbed their seventh long staircase and emerged on an unfamiliar landing, where there was nothing but a large painting of abare stretch of grass hanging on the stone wall. 

"I think it's this way," said Dray, peering down the emptypassage to the right."Can't be," I said. "That's south, look, you can see a bit of thelake out of the window . . ." 

I was watching the painting. A fat, dapple-gray pony hadjust ambled onto the grass and was grazing nonchalantly. I was used to the subjects of Hogwarts paintings moving around andleaving their frames to visit one another, but I always enjoyedwatching it. 

A moment later, a short, squat knight in a suit of armor clanked into the picture after his pony. By the look of the grassstains on his metal knees, he had just fallen off."Aha!" he yelled, seeing Me and Dray. "What villains are these, that trespass upon my private lands! Come toscorn at my fall, perchance? Draw, you knaves, you dogs!" 

We watched in astonishment as the little knight tugged hissword out of its scabbard and began brandishing it violently, hopping up and down in rage. But the sword was too long for him; aparticularly wild swing made him overbalance, and he landed facedown in the grass. 

"Are you all right?" said Dray, moving closer to the picture. 

"Get back, you scurvy braggart! Back, you rogue!" 

The knight seized his sword again and used it to push himselfback up, but the blade sank deeply into the grass and, though hepulled with all his might, he couldn't get it out again. Finally, hehad to flop back down onto the grass and push up his visor to mophis sweating face. 

"Listen," I said, taking advantage of the knight's exhaustion, "we're looking for the North Tower. You don't know the way,do you?" 

"A quest!" The knight's rage seemed to vanish instantly. Heclanked to his feet and shouted, "Come follow me, dear friends, andwe shall find our goal, or else shall perish bravely in the charge!"He gave the sword another fruitless tug, tried and failed tomount the fat pony, gave up, and cried, "On foot then, good sir and gentle lady! On! On!" 

And he ran, clanking loudly, into the left side of the frame andout of sight. We hurried after him along the corridor, following the soundof his armor. Every now and then we spotted him runningthrough a picture ahead.

"Be of stout heart, the worst is yet to come!" yelled the knight,and we saw him reappear in front of an alarmed group of womenin crinolines, whose picture hung on the wall of a narrow spiralstaircase.

 Puffing loudly, Dray and I climbed the tightlyspiraling steps, getting dizzier and dizzier, until at last we heardthe murmur of voices above them and knew they had reached theclassroom. 

"Farewell!" cried the knight, popping his head into a painting ofsome sinister-looking monks. "Farewell, my comrades-in-arms! Ifever you have need of noble heart and steely sinew, call upon SirCadogan!"