Fire Meets Fate

Professor Trelawney's Prediction

[The screen turns on and these words appear on the blackness of the screen, with Hope's voice sounding over it] 

When we're young, we're taught the distinction between a hero and a villain, good and evil, a savior and a lost cause. But what if the only real difference is just who's telling the story? My name is Hope Mikaelson. I come from a long line of the villains in the tales you've heard about vampires, werewolves, witches, and everything in between. The school behind these woods protects the secrets of people like me. And tonight, under the light of the full moon, we will be accepting the secrets of someone new. 

Everyone glanced at each other as Hope's family both smiled and frowned at the first part. 

Hope's euphoria at finally winning the Quidditch Cup lasted at least a week. Even the weather seemed to be celebrating; as June approached, the days became cloudless and sultry, and all anybody felt like doing was strolling onto the grounds and flopping down on the grass with several pints of iced pumpkin juice, perhaps playing a casual game of Gobstones or watching the giant squid propel itself dreamily across the surface of the lake. 

But they couldn't. Exams were nearly upon them, and instead of lazing around outside, the students were forced to remain inside the castle, trying to bully their brains into concentrating while enticing wafts of summer air drifted in through the windows. Even Fred and George Weasley had been spotted working; they were about to take their O.W.L.s (Ordinary Wizarding Levels). Percy was getting ready to take his N.E.W.T.s (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests), the highest qualification Hogwarts offered. As Percy hoped to enter the Ministry of Magic, he needed top grades. He was becoming increasingly edgy, and gave very severe punishments to anybody who disturbed the quiet of the common room in the evenings. In fact, the only person who seemed more anxious than Percy was Hermione. 

And even though Hope was taking all of the same classes Hermione was in, she was doing perfectly fine. Though that could have something to do with the fact she was use to pressure. Pressure from family, from friends, from teachers, from herself. If there could be pressure, it was on her. 

Everyone who was mentions all sighed and looked down in shame, having no idea just how much this was all impacting Hope. But they were soon about to find out. 

Harry and Ron had given up asking them how they were managing to attend several classes at once, but they couldn't restrain themselves when they saw the exam schedule Hermione had drawn up for herself and Hope. The first column read: 

Monday
9 o'clock, Arithmancy
9 o'clock, Transfiguration
Lunch
1 o'clock, Charms
1 o'clock, Ancient Runes 

"Hermione? Hope?" Ron said cautiously, because Hermione was liable to explode when interrupted these days. "Er — are you sure you've copied down these times right?" 

"What?" snapped Hermione, picking up the exam schedule and examining it. "Yes, of course I have." 

"Is there any point asking how you're going to sit for two exams at once?" said Harry. 

"No," said Hope, popping the 'p' as she looked through her books. "Have either of you seen my copy of Numerology and Gramatica? Damn..." She muttered, knocking off a few books and papers, bending down to pick them up. 

"Oh, yeah, I borrowed it for a bit of bedtime reading," said Ron, but very quietly. Hope started shifting heaps of parchment around on her side of the table, looking for the book, and trying to fix the stuff she knocked off. Just then, there was a rustle at the window and Hedwig fluttered through it, a note clutched tight in her beak.