Elegy//Harry Potter [3]

18

It had been a few weeks since Autumn and Harry learned to cast a patronus, and she felt confident. If another dementor was to come near her, she believed she would be ready.

Autumn, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked to Hagrid's wanting to learn about how the hearing went, after Draco Malfoy got 'injured'.

"Beautiful day," Hermione said.

"Gorgeous, unless of course you've been ripped to pieces," Ron said angrily.

"Ripped to pieces?" Harry questioned.

"Yeah, anything you want to tell us, Ron?" Autumn asked. 

"Ronald has lost his rat," Hermione said, obviously annoyed.

"I haven't lost anything!" Ron exclaimed, obviously outraged. "Your cat killed him!"

"Rubbish," Hermione said.

"Yeah, Ron. You might need some proof."

"I have proof! Autumn, Harry -- you've seen how that bloodthirsty beast of hers is always lurking about. And now Scabbers is gone!"

"Ron, Scabbers probably just ran away. You can't blame a cat for your mistake. Plus, Scabbers always gave me a weird feeling. Like he was judging me silently," Autumn joked, making Harry laugh.

"Well, Ron, maybe you should take better care of your pets."

"Your cat killed him!" Ron barked at Hermione.

"Did not!" Hermione shouted.

"Did," Ron murmured.

"Didn't," Hermione murmured back.

"Are they going to be like this forever?" Autumn asked Harry as they walked down the staircase on the hill.

"Oh no, I hope not." Harry smiled.

Once the quartet made it to Hagrid's, Autumn took a seat on a rock near the lake.

"How did it go, Hagrid? The hearing?" Hermione asked.

"Well, first off, the committee members took turns explaining why we were there." Hagrid tossed a rock onto the lake's surface. "Then I got up, did my piece, said how Buckbeak was a good Hippogriff. Always cleaned his feathers. Then Lucius malfoy got up. Well you can imagine. He said Buckbeak was a deadly and dangerous creature who would kill you as soon as it looked at you." 

"And then what?" Autumn asked as Harry sat next to Autumn on the boulder.

"Then he asked for the worst, did old Lucius." Hagrid skipped another rock on the lake's surface.

"You're not being sacked, are you?" Ron asked, standing awkwardly on the rocks.

"No, I'm not sacked," Hagrid paused. "Buckbeak's been sentenced to death!" 

Instead of skipping the rock, he threw it into the water. Autumn and Harry stood up, not knowing how to comfort Hagrid.

>>>

"Broaden your minds! You must look beyond!"

The four were in their Divination class. Harry and Ron were asleep. Hermione seemed bored out of her mind. Autumn stared at the crystal ball with curiosity until, suddenly, Trelawney walked towards their table.

Autumn quickly shook Harry and Ron awake, seeing as how she was sitting between the two.

"Now what do we have here?" Trelawney asked the group.

Hermione coughed then spoke. "Do you mind me trying?"

"Ah." Trelawney said, inviting Hermione to try staring into the crystal ball.

Without skipping a beat, Hermione spoke. "The Grim, possibly."

Trelawney looked at Hermione for a moment before speaking carefully. "My dear, from the first moment you stepped foot in my class," Trelawney grabbed Hermione's hand and messed around with her palm. "I sensed you did not possess the proper spirit for the noble art of Divination. See look, there." Trelawney pointed to a line on her palm. "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."

Autumn stared at Trelawney with surprise, as did Ron and Harry.

Hermione swiped her hand back, grabbed her bag, then smacked the crystal ball onto the floor. It rolled away while Hermione walked away.

"Have I said something?" Trelawney asked.

>>>

Autumn grabbed her bags and stood up, along with the rest of the class.

"She's gone mad, Hermione has. I mean, not that she wasn't always mental. . . But now it's out in the open for everyone to see."

"Ron!" Autumn said. "I'll check on her in a little bit. For now, don't upset her." Autumn's attention was brought to one of the steps. It was the crystal ball that Hermione had knocked over. "Hold on," Autumn bent over to pick it up. "We should take this back."

"Take it back? I'm not taking it back." Ron said.

"Fine." Autumn said. "See you later. Remember — no stupid stuff with Hermione!"

Autumn started walking up the spiral staircase and felt the familiar presence of Harry.

"What a day Hermione's having, right?" Harry asked.

"I know. I never thought she'd actually do that. I know she doesn't like Divination, but. . . Wow." Autumn responded.

The two walked back into the classroom slowly. Autumn carefully set the ball back on its holder.

"Now let's go, this place gives me the. . . " Autumn stopped talking when she looked at Harry, who just stared at the crystal ball. ". . . creeps." Autumn waved her hand in front of Harry. "Harry? Hello?"

Then, a hand was placed on both Harry and Autumn. Autumn whipped around, wand drawn, only to see it was Trelawney. But she looked out of it.

"Professor?" Autumn asked.

"He will return tonight." Her voice sounded raspy and wheezy.

"Sorry?" Harry asked.

"Tonight. . . He who betrayed his friends, whose heart rots with murder, shall break free, innocent blood will be spilt, and servant and master shall be reunited once more—" Trelawney gasped then started coughing. "Oh, I'm so sorry, dear children. Did one of you say something?"

Autumn and Harry backed away slowly. 

"N-No. Nothing," Harry said as the two walked away from the professor and ran down the spiral staircase.