The Raven's Call

Busy Schedule

Remember what I got for Christmas my first year? A time-turner. I'm going to use it this year to be able to take more classes and to learn more. I have a busy schedule ahead of me, but I'm sure I can manage.

First class of the day; Ancient Runes. I know NO ONE in this class. Well - No one except Hermione. Who I sit and work with during the class. She seems to find it fascinating.  Ancient runes were basically, a form of writing which wizards and witches used hundreds of years ago, rather interesting stuff. 

***

After ancient runes, well.. is a class that happens at the same time. Divination. Out of sight, I quickly head up the divination tower and ducking into a nearby broom closet before turning the nob of the time turner twice. Sending me back two hours. I take a breath and escape the cupboard and enter the classroom, following the last student, and take my seat next to Alex. "Welcome, my children!" The frizzy haired teacher sings. "In this room, you shall explore the noble art of Divination. In this room, you shall discover if you possess the sight." She rambles on before bumping into the table in front of her, which causes the Slytherins to snicker. "Hello. I am Professor Trelawney. Together we shall cast ourselves into the future." All the students look at her likes she's crazy. "This term, we shall be focusing on Tasseomancy, which is the art of reading tea leaves. So please, take the cup of the person sitting opposite you." Alex and I smile to each other as we receive each other's cups. "What do you see?" Professor Trelawney asks. "The truth lies buried like a sentence deep within a book, waiting to be read. But first, you must broaden your minds. First, you must look beyond." She walks around the room as I glance down into the cup, then look to my book to match the shapes. "Hmm.." I mumble, staring down at my book. 

"Well? What does it say?" Alex asks me. I look up at him with a grin. "Strong emotion; Do not disturb." I tell him with a chuckle, pointing out the 'fuller circle segment' and 'Aries' shapes in the leaves. He nods. "Yeah, that sound like me." He says with a smile, then he reads out mine. "This one is.. Knots.. and that one is dashes.." He points, I take a look at the book. "Knots - Anxiety; Stress. Dashes - Brief travel; Busy." I read aloud. Alex bursts out laughing. "If that's not you, I don't know what is!" He cackles, almost falling off his chair. I only frown before getting the life scared out of me by Professor Trelawney's shriek towards Ron, Harry and.. Hermione, who were sat a step below us. 

"Oh! Your aura is pulsing, dear, Are you in the beyond? I think you are." She says to Ron, who was holding Harry's cup in his hands. "Sure.." Ron responds, confused. "Look at the cup. Tell me what you see." "Oh, well, let's see. Harry's got some sort of a wonky cross. That's trials and suffering. And that there could be the sun, and that's happiness. So you're gonna suffer, but you're gonna be happy about it." Ron explains, looking and sounding confused. "Give me the cup." The professor asks, reaching out her hand. The moment she looks into the cup, she shrieks again, throwing the cup back on the table before backing away, looking terrified. "Oh, my dear boy... M..my dear..." She stutters. "You have.. the Grim.." "The grin? What's the grin?" Alex asks and I roll my eyes. "Not the 'grin' you idiot, the 'GRIM.'" I retort before taking a breath. "Taking form of a giant spectral dog." I read from my book. "It's among the darkest omens in our world. It's an omen.." I look down at Harry, who is looking down into his cup, hands shaky. "Of death.."  I look down into his cup, raising a brow. I don't see a wonky cross, or the sun. I see a big black dog in that cup. I glance over at Hermione, and our eyes meet, conveying an unspoken understanding. The tension in the room is palpable, a silent acknowledgement that either one of us shouldn't be in this class. We share a secret, one that began when we crossed paths in Ancient Runes.

***

The chimes of the clock tower signal the end of our class, and I take a deep breath. As the classroom empties, I exchange a glance with Alex, silently affirming our hunger to one another. We gather our belongings and make our way to the bustling Great Hall. The aroma of savoury dishes fills the air, and our stomachs rumble in anticipation. However, our plans take an unexpected turn when we recall Hagrid's instructions. We can't afford to linger over lunch, as our next adventure awaits us. We quickly grab fists full of food, load up on sandwiches, pastries, and some snacks for the road, filling our bookbags and head out of the Hall with haste.

The clouds part overhead as we make our way to Hagrid's hut, our stomachs grumbling in protest at our swift departure from the delicious lunch spread. Despite our hunger, the prospect of spending time with Hagrid and the magical creatures he cares for is too exciting to pass up. As we approach Hagrid's hut, the sound of animals chirping and students chattering welcomes us. We exchange a hopeful glance, knowing that whatever awaits us will be a delightful diversion from the challenging classes I've had today, already. 

"That's it. Come on, now! Come closer." Hagrid speaks as he herds us into a close group. "Less talking, if you don't mind." He shushes the Slytherins at the back. I pull out a sandwich and munch on it as he continues. "I got a real treat for you today. A great lesson. So, follow me!" He exclaims in excitement, leading us all to an open forest area behind his home. The students all chatter among themselves as Hagrid speaks once more. "Right, you lot. Less chattering. Form a group over there." He calls, motioning over to a large rock. "And open your books to page 49." I look down at the book in my hand, The Monster book of Monsters, the covers wriggling like a spider of sorts. "Exactly how do we do that?" Draco asks, sassily. "Just stroke the spine, of course. Goodness, me." Hagrid sighs, shaking his head. I grin, stroking the spine of the book to calm it down. I hear a growl, and a soft yelp from a familiar student getting attacked by his book. Neville Longbottom of course. I see Alex rush over to help him.