𝘝𝘖𝘐𝘊𝘌𝘚. harry potter world ¹

𝘷. 𝘣𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘧

     TENSIONS WERE HIGH AND MCGONAGALL HAD JUST TRANSFORMED INTO A CAT. Weirdly enough, it was Rory the only one who clapped as her teacher transformed back into a human, completely bewildered at the lack, — of any kind of emotion, really. 

     "What has got into you all today?" asked Professor McGonagall, staring around at them all. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class, thank you Miss Durnin-Adalia."

     Everybody's heads turned towards Harry again, and Rory saw him sank in his seat at the back of the class. There was a burning sensation in her chest. This was completely and utterly ridiculous. Harry wasn't going to die yet, he's healthy, he has things to live up to. Why don't they understand? Because Rory does, and Rory wants to keep up with her lessons without Lavender gasping everytime Harry is mentioned or he talks. 

     "Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and —" 

     Professor McGonagall's face lighted up with knowledge and her lips curled upwards a bit. "Ah, of course," she said, suddenly frowning. "There is no need to say anymore, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?" 

     Rory was the only one who chuckled lightly. 

     "Me," says Harry, finally. 

     "I see," says Professor McGonagall, fixing Harry with her beady eyes. "Then you should know, Potter, that Sybill 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,'' she continued, more calmly, ''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. . ." She stopped again, not daring to finish her sentence, but she changed the subject rapidly, "You look in excellent health to me, Potter, 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." 

✧✧✧

     "But what about Neville's cup?"

     Rory sighs for the third time and turns another page on her book. ''Ron, Neville's dead clumsy, even I could have predicted that he was going to break the cup.''

     "Ron, cheer up," adds Hermione, pushing a dish of stew toward him. "You heard what Professor McGonagall said."

     Ron spooned stew onto his plate and picked up his fork, but then he cautiously turned towards Harry. "Harry," he said, in a low, serious voice, "You haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?" '

    "Yeah, I have," replies Harry to what Rory scoffs, knowing what's coming. "I saw one the night I left the Dursleys'." 

     Ron let his fork fall with a clatter, but still Rory didn't bulge and turned another page of her book, it was almost over. Not like Harry's life, it wasn't over still. Harry isn't going to die, he looks fine! — she looks up again, Harry is a little, pale, but his green eyes are full of life and are shinning under the fake Great Hall ceiling. He's a little skinny, but that's because the Dursley's starve him. He's fine. 

     "Probably a stray," said Hermione calmly. 

     ''Yeah, you're speaking off it as if a great black dog was a rare creature,'' argued Rory.

     Ron looked at his friends as though they had gone mad. "If Harry's seen a Grim, that's — that's bad," he said. "My — my uncle Bilius saw one and — and he died twenty-four hours later!"