Bella and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter Eleven

PLEASE READ THE AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END! THANK YOU!

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After throwing up all the contents of my stomach and convincing everyone that I was fine (no one believed me and Harry kept on insisting that I get checked out by Madam Pomfrey), we all descended Trelawney's ladder and the winding staircase in silence, then set off for McGonagall's Transfiguration lesson. It took us so long to find her classroom that, early as we had left Divination, we were only just in time.

Harry chose a seat at the back of the room, and I joined him knowing how he must be feeling right now. Finding out you have a bad omen that means your death, can't be a nice feeling to have. And now I find out that somehow I'm connected to it all only makes matters worse - of course, no one knows this yet except for me and Trelawney, but I know I had to tell my best friends soon. 

Even though we were at the back of the class, everyone kept shooting furtive glances at Harry, like he was going to drop dead at any moment. I glared at whoever stared making them quickly turn back to the front and not look back again. Harry was not going to die! Since I was too busy making sure the class kept their eyes at the front, I barely heard what Professor McGonagall was telling us about Animagi (wizards who could transform at will into animals), and I wasn't even watching when she transformed herself in front of our eyes into a tabby cat with spectacle markings around her eyes. I could tell Harry wasn't paying such close attention either. He seemed lost in thought.

"Really, what has got into you all today?" Professor McGonagall asked, turning back into herself with a faint pop, and stared around at us all. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class"

Everybody's heads turned towards Harry again, but nobody spoke as I glared at them all, shooting daggers with my eyes. Then Hermione raised her hand. 

"Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and-"

"Ah, of course," Professor McGonagall said, suddenly frowning. "There is no need to say anymore, Miss Granger. Tell me. which of you will be dying this year?"

Everyone stared at her. Witch who can turn herself into a cat say what?

"Me," Harry said, finally, from beside me.

"I see," McGonagall said, fixing Harry with her beady eyes. "Then you should know, Potter, that Sybill Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favourite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues -" McGonagall broke off, and we saw that her nostrils had gone white. She went on, more calmly, "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney..."

Is she saying that Professor Trelawney is a liar and a fraud? 

Oh God, it's like Lockhart all over again!

McGonagall stopped speaking again and then said, in a very matter-of-fact tone, "You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not to hand it in"

Myself and Hermione laughed. Who knew that Professor McGonagall had a funny bone! Looking at Harry, I could see that he felt a bit better and he responded to my smile with one of his own. Ah, that smile that can make any girl melt...including myself.  But, not everyone was convinced, however. Ron still looked worried, and Lavender whispered, "But what about Neville's cup?"