Never Is Our Always

A Cat, Dog and a Rat 3

(Third person)

Exams were nearly upon every student in the school, 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. Percy was getting ready to take his N.E.W.T.s, the highest qualification Hogwarts offered.

As Percy hoped to enter the Ministry of Magic, he needed top grades. He became increasingly edgy, and gave very harsh punishments to anybody who disturbed the quiet of the common room in the evenings.

(Minnie pov)

I hated exams, I now had mine with Trelawney and that was not going to go very well.

"Alice Jordan!" I groaned as Fred softly pushes me forward, I stuck the finger up while he and George laugh.

The tower room was hotter than ever before; the curtains were closed, the fire was alight, and the usual sickly scent made me cough as I slightly stumbled through the clutter of chairs and table to where Professor Trelawney sat waiting for me before a large crystal ball.

"Good day, my dear," she said softly. "If you would kindly gaze into the Orb... Take your time, now... then tell me what you see within it...."

I sigh before I bent over the crystal ball and stared, stared as hard as I could, willing it to show me something other than swirling white fog, but nothing happened.

"Well?" Professor Trelawney prompted delicately. "What do you see?"

The heat was overpowering and my nostrils were stinging with the perfumed smoke wafting from the fire beside them.

"Er—" I mumbled, "a light shape... um..."

"What does it resemble?" Professor Trelawney whispered, "Think, now..." the more I looked in, the more the echo of my mums laugh when he hugged me in my dream came from it.

"A... cat along with a dove and a butterfly they're all white," I said firmly.

"Indeed!" Professor Trelawney whispers, scribbling keenly on the parchment perched upon her knees. "My dear, you may well be seeing the outcome of what happened when you were unconscious."

"I—" as I peer back into the ball, I saw her, "mum." Trelawney looked surprised but then she smiles. "I saw her in white."

"Is she smiling?" I nod my head.

"She's trying to tell me something," I told her honestly, "but I can't hear..."

"Ask for a sign, my dear," I flutter my eyes closed and thought for a moment, I open my eyes and there it was

"I can't wait to see you again, my love."

"I can't wait to see you too," I whispered and Trelawney scribbled it down happily.

"Anything else, my dear?" She asks and the crystal ball turned back to fog.

"Nope," I told her, "nothing else."

"Very good," she says, "you may leave, I'm very impressed." I thanked her as I grab my things and left the hot classroom.

—

"Miss Jordan," I hear from behind me as I was on my way back to the common room after my last exam for today.

I turn around curiously to who called me and then I saw Snape.

"Yes sir?" I ask in confusion.

"You need to come with me, your little friends are in trouble at the shrieking shack," I furrow my eyebrows.