𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 \\ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗷. 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

𝑋𝑉.

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

CAROLINE WAS LATE. She had been up almost all night, writing down everything she knew about her parents on a piece of parchment by the light of her wand. She wrote down all the connections they had to everyone she knew about. She wrote everything. But she had overslept, and she was late to Divinations. Hermione had tried to wake her up, but she said she would just skip breakfast and then fell back to sleep.

Now, Caroline was furiously shaking out her numerous braids, tying half of them up. She pulled on her uniform, wearing her sweater over her button down shirt. Her teeth were brushed, and she quickly fed Penny, before running down the stairs and through the common room towards Divinations.

When Caroline arrived, she saw Professor Trelawney speaking gently to an angry Hermione. She quietly walked over to the empty seat next to Hermione, sitting down and gazing into the crystal ball like she had been there the whole time. Caroline ignored Harry, who was trying to get her attention.

"No, you see, there. You may be young in years, but your heart is as shriveled as an old maid's, your soul as dry as the pages of the books to which you so desperately cleave." Caroline gasped silently at Professor Trewlawney's words, knowing Hermione wouldn't take it very well.

And Hermione did not take it well, ripping her hand from Trelawney's gasp. She stood and grabbed her bag and left, but not before she knocked hers and Caroline's crystal ball off its stand. "Have I said something?" Trelawney asked, and then she turned to Caroline. "Have you been here this whole time?" Caroline nodded, and the professor wandered away.

Class ended mere minutes later, and Harry and Ron met up with Caroline, leaving together. "She's gone mental, Hermione has. I mean, not that she wasn't always mental, but now it's in the open for everyone to see." Ron said to Harry and Caroline as they walked down the stairs.

"Don't say that, Ronald. That's mean." Caroline scolded, her tired eyes drooping as she walked.

Harry spotted the crystal ball. "Hang on. We better take this back." he said, picking it up.

"I'm not going back." Ron insisted.

"Fine. See you later," Harry said, beginning to walk up the stairs in the opposite direction. "You coming, Carol?" he asked, stopping on the stairs.

Caroline nodded. "Sure. Bye, Ron."

"See you."

"Why did you miss class?" Harry asked Caroline as soon as they began venturing back to Professor Trelawney's classroom.

"I slept in. I was up late," Caroline shrugged. "Don't worry about it, okay?" Harry nodded, and the two of them gingerly walked into the classroom.

They made their way in, finding the room empty. Harry looked around, unsure of what to do, so Caroline took the crystal ball from him and placed it on the table beside Professor Trelawney's chair. "Let's go." as Caroline turned to leave, Harry grabbed her wrist, turning her around.

"Look." he said, pointing at the crystal ball that wasn't cloudly like it normally was.

"Is that a face?" Caroline asked. She didn't realize that her hand was still in Harry's.

"I think so." Harry answered. It was a face. It was the face of Sirius Black.

"Harry Potter, and Caroline Taylor..." the crystal ball whispered. Caroline had never heard her birth parents's last name without her adoptive parents's name tacked onto it. She didn't know how to interpret it.

Caroline and Harry gasped as they each felt a hand on their shoulders, turning them around. It was Professor Trelawney, wheezing. "Professor Trelawney." Harry said.

"Are you okay?" Caroline asked.

"He will return tonight." Professor Trelawney said, still wheezing as she spoke.

"Sorry?" Harry questioned, glancing at Caroline, who was equally confused.

"Tonight, he who betrayed his friends, whose heart rots with murder, shall break free. Innocent blood shall be spilt, and servant and master shall be reunited once more," Professor Trelawney choked, coughing when she finished speaking. She let go of Harry and Caroline. "Oh, I'm so sorry, dear children. Did one of you say something?"

Caroline and Harry briefly glanced at each other. "No." Harry said.

"Nothing." and Caroline and Harry walked out of the classroom and down the stairs, into the main corridor without realizing that they were still holding hands. They looked at each other and both mutally let go. Caroline missed the feeling as soon as it left.

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

THAT AFTERNOON, JUST before nightfall, Caroline, Harry, Hermione and Ron were going down to see Hagrid. Buckbeak was to die today. Caroline had tied her many braids into a bun atop her head, wearing her white, grey and blue patterned sweater with a pair of jeans. She was sad about Buckbeak's death, and Harry knew it. He kept offering her sad smiles and stealing glances at her.

The four of them walked through the courtyard, passing Buckbeak's executioner who was sharpenig his blade. They walked in silence, until they set foot on the hill that would lead them down to Hagrid's hut. "I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak. It's just too horrible." Hermione said, holding Caroline's hand as they walked.

"He didn't do anything wrong. This day can't get any worse, I swear." Caroline sighed.

They stopped walking at Caroline's words, seeing Draco and his friends peering over the ledge, staring down at Hagrid's house. "It just got worse." Ron said.

Draco was talking about how he wanted Buckbeak's head, and how he was going to hang it in the Gryffindor common room. Caroline was fuming. She'd never, ever hated Draco Malfoy more than she did right now. Caroline and Hermione let go of each other's hands and marched down towards Malfoy, leaving a confused Harry and Ron behind them. "Look who's here." said Crabbe.

"Ah! Come to see the show?" Draco leered as Caroline and Hermione walked closer to him.

"You! You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!" Hermione shouted, raising her wand to Draco's neck, pinning him to the large stone behind him. Caroline stood directly to her right, staring Draco and his goons down.

"Hermione, no! He's not worth it." Ron said. Caroline had a feeling he would get through to her, and he did. Hermione lowered her wand from Draco's whimpering body.

Hermione turned away, and Caroline was about to, but she heard Draco and his two friends laughing at Hermione, and then her fist was sunk into Malfoy's nose. "Caroline!" Hermione said, mouth agape.

Caroline ignored her, looking at Malfoy whining in pain. "Don't laugh at my friends," she warned, watching him and the two boys stumble away. Caroline shook her fist out once Malfoy was gone, wincing loudly. "Bloody hell. That hurt."

Harry smiled. "I bet it felt good, though, didn't it?" he teased. Caroline nodded, rolling her eyes playfully. Harry stepped towards Caroline, holding her hand in his grip as he inspected it, deeming that she would be fine.

"That was so reckless, Caroline. he's probably going to try to get you expelled." Hermione said. They began walking down to Hagrid's hut again.

Caroline just shrugged. "I've never punched someone before, though my dad has taught me. Let me enjoy it before I worry," she said. "And besides, I did it for you, Hermione." Caroline reminded Hermione, and rolled her eyes.

"It was bloody brilliant, Carol." Ron said, leading the way down the hill.

"Thanks, Ron." Caroline said, smiling for real since that day in Hogsmeade. If she had known punching Draco Malfoy would make her as happy as it did, she would've done it the first time she met him.

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —