Case of the Cintimani Stone: A Hammer Mystery

Chapter 18

The Hammer rounded out the rest of his break practising with his Christmas gift in the backyard by shooting dirt clods and spending time with his family. Any story Petunia had to tell about Lily, he was interested in hearing them. The picture had reawoken a family connection they had shared, a history that Harry realized he had been ignoring in favor of avoiding confrontation. By the time he had boarded the Hogwarts Express back to school on the last day of his vacation, he was rested and recharged with a few more ideas on how he was going to investigate this mystery. Seeing Neville and Hermione again on the train felt like he had never left - they spent a good bit of the trip filling Neville in on the developments of the break, including locking their cabin door so Harry could show off the invisibility cloak unmolested.

"So what were you going to look for next, Hammer?" Neville asked after settling all the current clues in his head.

"The Chief said something that stuck with me when he was talking about what was going to happen with us and that detention - he mentioned that he wanted me to be able to live my life without having to worry about being the chosen one, the war between good and evil, and a prophecy. You got any idea what he meant by that, Nev?"

"I mean, there's a class we have as an elective after third year. Divination usually has prophecies and future predicting involved." The pure blooded wizard replied matter-of-factly.

"Wait. So you're telling me there's a whole class dedicated to predicting the future?"

"Well... yeah."

"Why did no one tell me about this!? If we can use magic to figure out the future then what the heck are we doing wasting time trying to figure stuff out the old fashioned way when I can just look in a crystal ball, wave my wand, and see what's next?"

"Well, that is to say, divination isn't an exact kind of thing..." Neville answered.

"I think I'd like to take it when we're allowed electives." Hermione said.

"We'll worry about that if we're not expelled by then," she swatted his shoulder, "but we can go talk to the divination teacher now. Or y'know, when we get to school."

They all nodded conspiratorially, agreeing that they'd seek out the divination teacher as soon as they had free time at school. The rest of the ride was without incident - Harry even sprung for a few treats on the passing refreshment trolley, buying a round of hot chocolate for his friends along with a large box of chocolate frogs to share. He studied his friends' cards ravenously, trying to glean if there were any new facts he could learn from the trading cards of famous wizards.

Asking about the location of the Divination class from an older student, he was told that it was taught by one Professor Trelawney in the North Tower of the castle. Following the map that Harry had made led them to the long, spiraling stairwell which led up to the top of the tower. It was a dizzying walk to the peak - one they probably didn't need to make during a lunch break, but by the time they realised it was so arduous they were already committed to the venture.

The staircase ended in a ladder, which made Harry wonder if they had a magical means to make this easier for students with mobility problems. Popping open the trapdoor at the top of the ladder released the heavy smells of incense and patchouli, the decor of the room doing it no favors to dissipate the stereotype of a fortune teller in a travelling sideshow. The room reminded the Hammer of someone crashing a car full of Egyptian revival decor into a Romani thrift store: there were shelves full of classroom use crystal balls and tea sets, and the windows were covered in silken cloths which altered the colour of the light in the room into a stuffy array of reds and purples.

"Hello! I had foreseen your arrival, but..." A completely disheveled woman with the airs of a gangly insect draped in a few layers of faded, multicoloured shawls, peering out from behind soda-bottle glasses blinked uncertainly at them, "it isn't often I see first years come up here. My class is an elective for older students, what is it you three desire of me?" She stepped closer to the group and the Hammer could smell the remains of cheap sherry clinging to her.