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—RIGEL AND DRACO DESCENDED PROFESSOR TRELAWNEY'S LADDER AND THE WINDING STAIR IN SILENCE, THEN SET OFF FOR PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL'S TRANSFIGURATION LESSON. It took them so long to find her classroom that, early as they had left Divination, they were just in time.
Rigel chose a seat right at the back of the room, rolling his eyes when he noticed that he was basically the center of attention.
He hardly heard what Professor McGonagall was telling them about Animagi (since he had been tutored on that at a young age by Sirius), and wasn't even watching when she transformed herself in front of their eyes into a tabby cat.
"Really, what has gotten into all of you today?" said Professor McGonagall, turning back into herself, and staring around them all. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class."
Everyone's head turned toward Rigel again, but nobody spoke. Hermione, who was the only one not believing what Trelawney had said, apart from Rigel, raised her hand.
"Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were leaving tea leaves, and—"
"Ah, of course," said Professor McGonagall, suddenly frowning. "There's no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"
Everyone stared at her.
"Me." said Rigel, finally.
"I see," McGonagall pushed her glasses up, looking at Rigel with a sympathetic smile. "Then you should know, Black, 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. If it were not the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues—"
Professor McGonagall broke off, and they saw that her nostrils had gone white. She went on, more calmly, "You look in excellent health to me, Black, 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."
Rigel's lips quirked upwards for a second. He nodded, feeling much better. Not everyone was convinced however, but they were ignored by Rigel and the Professor.
••
Blaise whistled as his two bestfriends sat infront of him at the Slytherin table. "What's gotten you too so dull?"
"I'm always dull." Rigel said, earning a laugh from Blaise.
"Ri's going to get a near-death experience soon."
Blaise stopped, looking at Draco as if he had gone mad. "Oh, please, Draco. She's just a fraud."
Draco scratched his neck sheepishly, but Blaise just went on. "Divination is very woolly, if you ask me. A lot of guesswork."
"I wholeheartedly agree, Blaise." Rigel immediately said, not knowing what the big deal was.
••
Rigel was pleased to get out of the castle after lunch. Yesterday's rain had cleared; the sky was a clear, pale gray, and the grass was springy and damp underfoot as they set off for their first-ever Care of Magical Creatures class.
Draco and Blaise seemed silent, not that Rigel was complaining. The two bickered way more than a normal pair of bestfriends, which made Rigel almost always get a headache.
"C'mon, now, get a move on!" Hagrid called as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everybody here? Right, follow me!"
Five minutes later, Hagrid spoke again, "Everyone gather 'round the fence here! That's it— make sure yeh can see— now, firs' thing yeh'll want ter do is open yer books—"
"How?" asked Draco coldly.
"Eh?"
"How do we open our books?" Draco repeated in a 'duh' tone.
"Hasn' — hasn' anyone bin able ter open their books?" asked Hagrid, looking crestfallen.
The class all shook their heads.
"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em." said Hagrid, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh, how silly we've all been." Blaise sneered, "We should've stroked them! Why didn't we guess?"
"I— I thought they were funny."
"Oh, tremendously funny!" exclaimed Draco, "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off."
Safe to say, about 30 minutes later, Hagrid's hippogriff had gotten revenge for Draco's mocking.
