Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [5]

⚡️ Chapter 59 ⚡️

It wasn't until a few days after the sacking of Professor Trelawney that the Fifth Years got the chance to have their first lesson with Firenze that morning. Vega was having her merry breakfast wiith the others while Hermione was reading the Daily Prophet and Parvati was curling her eyelashes around her wand and examining the effect in the back of her spoon.

"I'll bet you wish you hadn't given up Divination now, don't you, Hermione?" Parvati asked, smirking, and Vega looked up in confusion but Hermione seemed to know what was going on.

"Not really," Hermione said indifferently, as she turned a page of the newspaper, scanning its columns. "I've never really liked horses," Vega was shocked.

"He's not a horse, he's a centaur!" Lavender said, incredulous.

"A gorgeous centaur..." Parvati sighed, and Lavender nodded along happily.

"Either way, he's still got four legs," Hermione said coolly.

"Hermione, how can you say that?" Vega asked, sounding very displeased. "Even if Centaurs can hold their ground against wizards physically, it is still offensive for a wizard to call them horses. You can't do that – and Parvati, Lavender, please – you shouldn't make him into a candyfloss. No one would like if you only like their appearance and not the substance they have as a teacher,"

When Vega saw that Hermione, Lavender and Parvati had all turned pink, she felt like she had gone too far in admonishing them so she softened her voice, "Um, I thought you two were upset that Professor Trelawney was dismissed?"

"We are!" Lavender assured tall girl earnestly. "We went up to her office to see her, we took her some daffodils – not the honking ones that Sprout's got, nice ones..."

"Do you guys not... spend time with your thoughts before you say it?" Vega asked, trying to be nice, although she was exasperated. "Professor Sprout's daffodils are decent, too,"

"How is Trelawney doing?" Harry asked curiously.

"Not very good, poor thing," Lavender replied sympathetically. "She was crying and saying she'd rather leave the castle forever than stay here if Umbridge is still here, and I don't blame her. Umbridge was horrible to her, wasn't she?"

"I've got a feeling Umbridge has only just started being horrible," Hermione said darkly.

"Impossible," Ron spoke up, who was tucking into a large plate of eggs and bacon. "She can't get any worse than she's been already,"

"You mark my words, she's going to want revenge on Dumbledore for appointing a new teacher without consulting her," Hermione said, closing the newspaper. "Especially another part-human. You saw the look on her face when she saw Firenze..."

"Firenze is not a part-human, Hermione," Vega interjected, tired. "He is a centaur – there is not an ounce of human blood in him. Centaurs are an entirely different species. How can you not understand? And even if you don't, ask!"

After breakfast Hermione departed for her Arithmancy class and Vega, Harry and Ron followed Parvati and Lavender into the entrance hall, heading for Divination. Vega was looking forward to Arithmancy earlier but now she felt like she wanted time away from Hermione after all that.

"Aren't we going up to North Tower?" Ron asked, looking puzzled, as Vega led the four of them by the marble staircase and towards the other corridor.

"First, I think Professor Trelawney is still living there," Vega replied. "And secondly, I don't think Firenze would be comfortable climbing all the way to the attic. If you saw the noticed board yesterday, it was mentioned that Divination will be held in classroom eleven,"