These Dear, Unfinished Tasks

Chapter 6: Preparations

September 6th, 2020

As classes came to an end on Friday, Daphne was struggling with what to do.

Not telling Cosi about her mother was harder than Daphne had initially thought. The crumpled note in her pocket weighing her down like a ton of bricks. She knew it was wrong not to tell her friend, but if there was one thing Sybil had drilled into Daphne's head over the years was the importance of keeping everything a secret.

So she had trudged on through Friday's classes and hoped that Sybil would return during the weekend. With an explanation for her absence no less.

This week felt never-ending.

Daphne could have sworn she was going crazy. Every day had seemed to drag on endlessly. Half convinced she had been reliving these days over and over, she had chalked it up to being that the topic of discussion on campus all week was the same.

Sybil Trelawney's whereabouts.

The girls had gotten permission from the headmaster to stay at Sybil's cottage in the neighboring town. Cosi had told Daphne that Headmaster Fontaine had a feeling if Sybil was to return she would go there first. They were to notify the school immediately if Sybil turned up there.

Gossip was a special kind of poison that had affected the whole school by the end of the week. Divination class was the worst. While Professor Iklespin tried to keep the students' focus on her, it was evident that most were preoccupied with thoughts and opinions about where their normal professor was.

It seemed everyone had a theory.

"I bet she went back to Hogwarts and didn't tell anyone. My uncle had her there and he said Trelawney was a good professor but seemed to always have one foot in our world and another in the Beyond," Martha Thomas, a Wampus, whispered to her friend.

"Right? I heard a few people on the quidditch team saying they think she was fired," another girl, whispered back to Martha.

"I think it's darker than that. My dad called me and my sister this morning, he works over in England and he says things are bad there. Old Death Eaters are becoming more vocal, who knows Trelawney had the original prophecy about Harry Potter. Maybe they snatched her and killed her before she could have another one if they are planning on going to war again," a boy with black hair whispered back to them before Icklespin turned around threatening to transfigure the three of them into mice.

Death Eaters rising, Trelawney being captured...

"Can you believe this, the lack of respect being shown for Trelawney? This is insane," Daphne whispered to Trevor Bulstrom and Elise Montegomery who were at her table. They both nodded absentmindedly but Daphne carried on.

"I mean I get it, she was a little crazy, but she has a kid that goes here for fuck's sake, who misses her. Something horrible could have happened, yet everyone is acting like it's no more than trivial gossip."

Icklespin ended class early to the cheers of Daphne's fellow classmates. As the professor exited the class students were quickly packing their bags eager to get their final classes over with and enjoy the first weekend of the semester. Daphne was shoving her books into her bag when Elise let out a strangled gasp next to her.

"Lock at this!" She cried and those few remaining circled around her.

It was an article on her Mag-Phone. Elise waved her hand and said a short incantation, taking the image on her screen and projecting it above them. It looked almost tangible as it shimmered and pulsed, the photos of the article moving.