The Potter Twins and the Prisoner of Askaban {3}

8. Buckbeak

"Spun the stars on her fingernails, but it never made her happy, 'cause she couldn't ever have me" ~ She Had The World, Panic! At The Disco

"Harry, Haylee," Ron says in a serious voice, during our lunch break between lessons, "you haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?"

"We have," I say, a strange heavy feeling on my shoulders again. "We saw one the night we left the Dursleys."

Both Ron and Tay's forks fall from their hands.

"Probably a stray," Hermione says calmly, sending me an all too familiar look. It was the look she sent us when she knew we were being stupid.

Ron and Tay look at Hermione as though she's gone mad.

"Hermione, if Harry and Haylee have seen a Grim, that's - that's bad," Ron says. "My - my Uncle Bilius saw one and - and he died twenty-four how later!"

"Coincidence," Hermione said airily, pouring herself some pumpkin juice.

"Hermione, you don't know what you're talking about," Tay says, trying to keep herself from getting angry. "Grims scare the living daylights out of most witches and wizards."

"There you are, then," Hermione says in a superior tone. "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grims not an omen, it's the cause of death! And Harry and Haylee are still with us because they're not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well, I'd better pop my clogs then!"

Ron mouths wordlessly at Hermione, while Tay sends her a confused look, her head titled to the side. Mione just ignores them, reaching into her bag to take out her new Arithmancy book.

"I think Divination seems very woolly," she says, searching through her book. "A lot of guesswork, if you ask me."

"It can be like that, but only if you don't know what you're doing," Tay said knowingly. "My best friend back at Beauxbatons could actually see the future, because she was a real Seer."

"Exactly!" Ron said hotly. "There is nothing woolly about the Grim in that cup!"

"You didn't seem quite so confident when you were telling Haylee it was a sheep," Hermione retorted cooly.

"Professor Trelawney said you didn't have the right aura! You just don't like being rubbish at something for a change!"

I can tell that Ron has struck a nerve.

Hermione slams her Arithmancy book down on the table so hard that bits of meat and carrot fly everywhere.

"If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared to my Arithmancy class!"

She snatches her bag and storms away.

"What's she talking about?" Tay asks, frowning in confusment. "She hasn't even been to an Arithmancy class yet."

*~*

I'm extremely pleased to finally get out of the castle after lunch. Yesterday's rain has cleared, leaving the sky a clear, pale grey.

The familiar smell of fresh rain was still there, clearing my head and making me almost want to spring towards our first Care Of Magical Creatures lesson.

Ron and Hermione aren't speaking to each other, so the five of us walk in almost complete silence. Apart from the quiet murmuring of Tay, Harry and I, making snide comments about how Ron and Hermione will be married one day.

"...I mean honestly, the two of then already bicker like an old married couple - oh god, we have lessons with the Slytherins."

We reach Hagrid's Hut to see a large group of Slytherins all surrounding Draco. As we walk past them, they all turn and laugh, making it very obvious that they're talking about us.