WHEN HARRY, RON, HERMIONE AND ARIA entered the Great Hall for breakfast the next day the first thing they saw was Draco Malfoy who seemed to be entertaining a large group of Slytherins. As they passed, Malfoy did an impression of a swooning fit and there was a roar of laughter.
"Ignore him," Hermione encouraged Harry from besides Aria who was walking behind the guys.
"Hey, Potter!" Pansy Parkinson shrieked out "Potter! The dementors are coming. Potter! Woooooo!"
"Is it true you fainted Anderson? I mean you actually fainted?" Draco continued to taunt the two as Pansy chimed in.
"I heard she screamed too."
Laughter erupted in the group as Hermione grabbed the girls upper arm as she looked like she was about to ponce on the group of slytherins and plopped her down next to Fred as Harry and Ron sat down on each side of George's.
"New third-year course schedules," George informed passing the papers over. "What's up with you two?" He asked Harry and Aria.
"Malfoy." Ron responded casually glaring at the Slytherin table.
"That little git," George stated calmly "He wasn't so cocky last night when the dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he, Fred?"
"Nearly wet himself," Fred agreed glancing at Draco.
"When did I miss that?" Aria asked helping herself to some of Fred's fried tomatoes to which Fred glared at her and Aria shrugged plopping it in her mouth and taking a bite out of it.
"Hmmm, about three minutes after you fainted and five before you started screaming bloody murder." George confirmed with a nod taking a sip of his drink.
Aria tilted her head pursing her lips and muttering out a sarcastic, "thanks."
"I wasn't too happy myself." George continued on "They're horrible things, those dementors..."
"Sort of freeze your insides, don't they?" Fred asked
"You didn't pass out, though, did you?" Harry asked in a low voice.
"Forget it, Harry." George started "Dad had to go out to Azkaban one time, remember, Fred? And he said it was the worst place he'd ever been, he came back all weak and shaking. . . . They suck the happiness out of a place, dementors. Most of the prisoners go mad in there"
"Anyway, we'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match" Fred grinned slightly "Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?"
"Ooh, good, we're starting some new subjects today," Hermione stated happily.
"Hermione," Ron began a frown on his face as he looked over the girls shoulder. "they've messed up your schedule. Look — they've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough time"
"I'll manage. I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall." Hermione confirmed.
"But look," Ron added a laugh escaping his lips "see this morning? Nine o'clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o'clock, Muggle Studies. And underneath that, Arithmancy, nine o'clock. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's that good. How're you supposed tobe in three classes at once?"
"Don't be silly," Hermione stated shortly "Of course I won't be in three classes at once."
"Well, then --" Ron began
"Pass the marmalade," Hermione ordered to which Aria obeyed handing the girl what she asked for as Ron continued to urge on.
"But--"
"Oh, Ron, what's it to you if my schedule's a bit full?" Hermione snapped "I told you, I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall"
After they finished their food and said goodbye to fred and george they began their trail to the top of the North Tower for Divination's.
Once they reached the old-fashioned like tea shop of a class Aria looked around observing her surroundings. There were at least twenty small circular tables crammed inside it, all surrounded by chintz armchairs and fat little poufs. Everything was lit with a dim light and the curtains of the windows were closed. The fire was burning under a crowded mantelpiece and the shelves were running around the circular walls crammed with dusty looking feathers among other fascinating items.
"Where is she?" Ron questioned what Aria was wondering about herself when a sudden voice erupted out of the shadows.
"Welcome," a misty voice introduced "How nice to see you in the physical worldat last. Sit my children, sit."
Harry, Ron, Aria, and Hermione sat themselves around the same round table before the professor began.
"Welcome to Divination, My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye. So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field. Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future" Her gleaming eyes landed on Neville who sat along with the rest of the class and she spoke.
"It is a Gift granted to few. You, boy, Is your grandmother well?"
"I think so," Neville answered quietly
"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you dear," Trelawney informed to which Neville gulped nervously and the professor continued.
" We will be covering the basic methods of Divination this year. The first term will be devoted to reading the tea leaves. Next term we shall progress to palmistry. By the way, my dear," she shot suddenly at Parvati before stating, "Beware a red-haired man."
Parvati gave a startled look at Ron who was right behind her and edged her chair away from him awkwardly.
"In the second term," Trelawney went on, "we shall progress to the crystal ball — if we have finished with fire omens, that is. Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February by anasty bout of flu. I myself will lose my voice. And around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever"
"I wonder dear," she spoke to Lavender Brown "If you could pass me the largest silver teapot?"
Lavender took the teapot from the shelf and put it down on the table in front of the professor.
"Thank you, my dear. Incidentally, that thing you are dreading — it will happen on Friday the sixteenth of October"
Lavender seemed to tremble at this news as the Professor urged on, "Now, I want you all to divide into pairs. Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me, and I will fill it. Then sit down and drink, drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of Unfogging the Future. I shall move among you, helping and instructing. Oh, and dear--" she turned to Neville again "after you've broken your first cup, would you be so kind as to select one of the blue patterned ones? I'm rather attached to the pink."
Aria and Hermione paired off while Ron and Harry did.
"Right," Aria began after finishing her tea quickly and moved the dregs around and handed it to Hermione taking Hermione's cup herself flipping her book to pages five and six.
"What can you see in mine?" Aria questioned skeptically a hint of sarcasm in her voice to which Hermione grinned at before peering down at her book and the tea cup.
"I see an...." her voice fell quite for a minute which caused Aria to raise an eyebrow.
"A what?" Aria asked
Hermione swallowed before speaking, "a cross which means you're going to have 'trials and suffering' --"
"--doesn't surprise me --" Aria added on to which Hermione continued.
"And what looks like a skull?"
Aria froze up for a minute to which Hermione noticed and leaned forward. "What is it?" she asked in a low whisper.
"Miss Anderson." Professor Trelawney called out suddenly causing most of the class to freeze up and look at the brunette. "Let me see your cup."
The professor snatched the cup from Hermione's grasp as the professor hummed knowingly. "As I suspected you don't seem to have a very happy cup in front of you. In fact you have what looks to be trails and suffering.... danger in your path.... and an attack..."
Within seconds like she was putting the pieces in her mind together, she made her way over to Harry's cup and took it from Ron's grasp.
"The falcon... my dear you have a deadly enemy.."
"Well everyone knows that," Hermione stressed in a loud whisper to which the Professor stared at her.
"Well, they do." Hermione continued "Everybody knows about Harry and You-Know-Who."
"The club.. an attack.. Dear dear this is not a happy cup.." she trailed off.
"I thought that was a bowler hat," Ron stated sheepishly.
"The skull, danger in your path, my dear..."
Everyone was staring at the professor who gave the cup a final turn gasped and then screamed there was another crash when Neville smashed his second cup and the professor sunk into a vacant armchair her hand at her heart and her eyes closed.
"My.. dear boy.. my poor, dear boy... no... it is kinder not to say... no.. don't ask me.."
"What is it, Professor?" Dean asked
"My dear," Trelawney's eyes opened dramatically "You have the Grim."
"The what?" Harry asked
"The grim, my dear, the grim!" she cried out "the giant, spectral dog that hunts church yard! My dear boy, it is an omen -- the worst omen -- of death!"
Everyone was looking at Harry except Hermione who had gotten up and moved around the back of the professor to look into the cup.
"I don't think it looks like a grim," she stated flatly.
The Professor looked at Hermione with mounting dislike.
"You'll forgive me for saying so, my dear, but I perceive very little aura around you. Very little receptivity to the resonances of the future"
Seamus, tilting his head from side to side, spoke up. "It looks like a grim if you do this." he noted his eyes almost shut "But it looks more like a donkey from here." he confirmed leaning his head to the left.
"When you've all finished deciding whether i'm going to die or not!" Harry exclaimed
"I think we will leave the lesson here for today, Yes please pack away your things. Until we meet again. Fair fortune be yours. Oh and dear, you'll be late next time, so mind you work extra hard to catch up." she informed Neville.
"Miss Anderson. May I speak to you for a minute before you go?"
Aria nodded glancing at her friends as the class poured out of the room for their next class and the girl stayed behind.
"Sit my dear." Trelawney stated faintly sitting down herself.
"When you first walked into this room I automatically felt some type of aura around you, your cup only confirmed your odds." The professor leaned forward staring into the girls eyes as she grabbed the younger girls hands in comfort.
"Who knows about your past and the deal your mother made?"
Aria's stomach turned at this and her heart increased against her chest.
"I-I-I i'm not sure what your talking about."
"Forgive me child but I only wish to help you. Though to do that you must tell me, what happened to you on April 8th 1981?"
Aria's throat went dry, how the hell did she know? I mean the only possible reasonable explanation was that Dumbledore told all the professor's but even he knew that was risky. He couldn't tell everyone since he knew himself that people would use the girl for her powers.
"How do you know about that?" Aria questioned
"The real question is what the hell did your mother do?"
"Don't you dare mention my mother." Aria warned the topic still being a sore topic for her.
"I mean what kind of mother puts a deal on her new born's shoulders? And for what? To protect another child? How is that fair? that- that you have to face the consequences of having a target on your back your whole life for you-know-who and his army to finally come and reclaim their secret weapon? Your mother made the mistake of making a deal with the most terrifying wizard of all time only for you to come out on the other end of the deal with uncontrollable powers that seem to only lead you to darkness and despair.... Almost like your mothers actions are creating a dark future for you --"
"Shut up!" Aria shrieked standing up and ripping her hands from the professor's grasp running them frustratingly through her hair.
"How dare you even mutter my mother in a way that talks so foul of her? My mother was a kindred spirit who was so loyal to her friends that sure, it came back to bite her in the arse and sure i'll have to make deal with the contract later when he comes searching but there is no way in hell is he getting ahold of me without a fight."
The girl grabbed her cauldron as the bell rang through the castle and threw it over her shoulder as she tried to get out the door but the professor stepped in front of her.
"Please -- please, there must be something we can do to prevent this-"
"All we can do is just wait it out and until then I suggest you just stay out of my way."
Without thinking about it she went to move around the professor yet as she opened the door it was only then that she soon realized that she had moved the woman without touching her causing her to stumble slightly but grab the wall in the process swallowing hard.
"It's already happening my dear! Be ready for it or it will evolve you whole!"
Aria rolled her eyes gripping onto the strap of her bag and taking off in the direction of transfiguration to see Professor McGonagall transform back into a human from a cat to which Aria clapped gaining looks from the professor.
"Thank you Miss. Anderson."
"You were drowning there, Professor." Aria nodded to which the woman stared at her unamused as the girl stood in the doorway.
"And why are you late to my class? Were you perhaps drowning in your sarcastic remarks?"
"Hmm, not yet but i'm working towards the bottom. Professor Trelawney wanted to speak to me."
"I see have a seat Miss. Anderson, is that why you all are acting so unusual?"
Aria trailed over to the empty seat near Harry in the back and plopped down ignoring the looks from the boy.
"Please, Professor, we've just had out first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves and--" Hermione began
"ah, of course. There is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"
Everyone stared at her slightly surprised by the dullness in her voice.
"Me," Harry answered finally
"And Aria's supposed to have..." Seamus recalled speaking up listing off his fingers, "trails and suffering.... danger in your path.... and an attack."
"Thanks Seamus." Aria acknowledged seething slightly causing him to sink in his seat and ignore her looks.
"I see," Professor McGonagall looking at the duo in the back of the class. "Then you should know, that Sibyll Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues-- Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney -- You look in excellent health to me, both of you, so you will excuse me if i don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in."
Aria stifled a chuckle under her breath as Hermione let out a laugh. The girl automatically feeling better.
~~
The quartet went to the great hall, Ron still worried about what they saw in Divination class to which Hermione spoke up.
"Ron, cheer up. You heard what Professor McGonagall said."
"Harry, you haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?"
"Yeah, I have." Harry nodded "I saw one the night I left the Dursley's."
Aria stomach dropped at she glanced up from her plate to meet Harry's eyes.
"What?" Aria stressed
"Probably a stray." Hermione assured the two calmly
"Hermione, if Harry's seen a Grim, that's -- that's bad," Ron began frantically "My -- my uncle Bilius saw one and -- and he died twenty-four hours later!"
"Coincidence," Hermione stated pouring herself some pumpkin juice.
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Ron exclaimed angrily "Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!"
"There you are, then." Hermione stated "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim's not an omen, it's the cause of death! And Harry's still with us because he's not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well, I'd better kick the bucket then!"
Ron mouthed wordlessly at Hermione who opened her bag and took out her Arithmancy book and popped it open against the jug.
"I think Divination seems very woolly, a lost of guess work, if you ask me."
"there was nothing woolly about the Grim in that cup!" Ron exclaimed
"You didn't seem quite so confident when you were telling Harry it was a sheep." Hermione reminded.
"Professor Trelawney said you didn't have the right aura! You just don't like being bad at something for a change!"
Aria's eyes widened at Ron's statement and she shoved her elbow into his side to which he winced at as Hermione slammed her book down on the table.
"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 with my Arithmancy class!" Hermione declared before snatching her bag and stalking away as Ron frowned after her.
"What's she talking about? She hasn't been to an Arithmancy class yet" Ron as the duo to which Aria shrugged and too another sip of her juice which she almost coughed at when Harry who had been staring at her intensely as if he was trying to figure something out spoke up,
"What did Professor Trelawney say after class?"
"Oh -- er, it was nothing really. I need to - go find Hermione-" she rambled out snatching up her bag and exiting quickly before they could protest and as she left the great hall Ron looked at Harry bewildered.
"What the bloody hell is going on?"
[edited: yes! (11-16-20)]