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007.
THE SECOND SHE jumped off the last step, Esme took off running.
Mostly everyone was headed to class, or had already arrived, so the corridors were fairly empty, save for a few stragglers. Esme, however, could think of nothing but getting to Dumbledore as her shoes hit the smooth stone of the castle over and over again, the wind in her ears and her chest heaving. Her mind was all over the place – she couldn't get the image of Professor Trelawney's horrifying expression out of her head. She had to see Dumbledore.
Rounding the hallway where the statue of the gargoyle was, Esme almost toppled over in her haste and almost fell, if it were not for the sudden pull on the back of her robes, causing her to jolt backwards. Her breaths came in short pants as she looked to her right, and saw Professor Snape looking down at her suspiciously over his hooked nose. He let go of her robes, once she caught her balance, and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Going somewhere?" he spoke in his familiar, yet dreaded, drawl. It sent a chill down Esme's spine, and she spared a glance at the gargoyle before turning fully to the Potions master.
"I was just going to see Professor Dumbledore, sir. I need to talk to him," Esme panted, fiddling with her fingers. "It's urgent," she added hastily, hoping it would make the interaction easier.
Snape sneered down at her, his eyes telling Esme he did not care one bit. "Unfortunately, the Headmaster is out right now."
Esme let out a disappointed groan, her shoulders slumping. How could he leave? "Well, where did he go?" she spluttered, staring at the gargoyle as if Dumbledore himself was going to appear, and welcome her inside.
"I don't believe that is any of your business," Snape said, eyes narrowed. Esme's cheeks heated in embarrassment and frustration. "I do believe you have a class to get to, no?"
Esme nodded dejectedly, and Snape wasted no time in whirling around, his cloak billowing behind him as he turned the corner and out of sight. Esme ran her hands over her face, turning back in the direction of the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower, wondering why Dumbledore would leave when so much was going on. She wasn't expecting Trelawney to... Well, she wasn't sure what Trelawney did, exactly. But the way she was speaking, and the hidden meaning behind her words that Esme didn't quite understand... It felt like a prediction.
Esme swallowed, thinking it over. If it was a real prediction... then what Trelawney said about what happened last term not being an accident... That was true. That meant she would have another vision. Dumbledore already seemed to believe whatever power she had was not a fluke, so that didn't come as a surprise, but to think that someone was going to die in the very near future – it was horrifying.
