Circle's Close

Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone
'Crash and Burn'~Savage Garden

*

Chapter Four: Prediction of Doom

Morning came sooner than Harry expected, and with it a feeling of excitement and anticipation. Today would be the first day of classes, and normally the first day of school would fill Harry with a feeling of dread and reluctance. But this year was different, he knew. Nothing bad was going to happen, and he was determined to prove to everyone that he was a good choice for Head Boy.

"We've got Potions with the Hufflepuffs," Ron said as Harry took his seat in the Great Hall for breakfast.

He reached over for a piece of toast and started munching.

"That's good," he said after swallowing. "No Slytherins for us."

Ron shook his head. "We have Divinition with the Slytherins. I'm having a hard time figuring out what's worse," Ron said and shoved some scrambled eggs into his mouth.

Harry's stomach gave a sudden lurch of dread. Professor Trelawney always had a habit of predicting Harry's death, or predicting something just as horrible in Harry's life. He would never hear the end of it if the Slytherins caught wind of her crazy predictions.

"It'll be all right, Harry. What's the worst they can do?" said Hermione, who had just taken her seat across the table from them both.

"Now that's just asking for trouble," Ron pointed out.

"Harry is Head Boy. If anything, they'll show more respect towards him. If not, just take points from their house," Hermione said in matter-of-fact tone.

"Hermione!" Harry gasped, more with amusement than horror.

"What?" Hermione replied innocently as she spread some jam over her piece of toast. "No one insults my Harry and gets away with it."

Harry laughed while Ron gagged.

A tap on Harry's shoulder made him turn his head.

"Hey, Sirius," he greeted brightly.

Sirius was obviously in a good mood, as he beamed down on the three students.

"How's your timetable? Not too rough I hope," the older wizard said.

"Actually, it's a little heavier than my former years. But it's nothing I can't handle. I see we don't have your class until tomorrow," Harry said, glancing back down at his timetable.

"I have the Slytherins today with the Hufflepuffs. That's going to be a disaster," Sirius noted.

"Don't be so sure. You're supposed to look on the positive side," Hermione reminded him.

Sirius smiled. "You're right. But at the same time I remember clearly what it was like here in my day. The Slytherins were ruthless towards the Hufflepuffs."

Ron nodded. "That sounds about right," he said.

"Well I should get going. I have class first thing. I'll see you at lunch," Sirius said and he sauntered off.

"We should be going as well. I have Arithmancy in a couple of hours and I'd like to start reading right away," Hermione said and polished off her toast.

"What? You mean you haven't read the whole book already?" Ron asked in disbelief.

Hermione sent him a piercing glare.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you are not funny?" Hermione shot back. She stood up from her chair and glared at Ron before she exited the Great Hall.

"You can be so mean to her," Harry said in an off-handed tone.

"And you always seem to defend her. No surprise there. And besides, it's not even a big deal. I was only teasing her," Ron said.

"Sometimes it is a big deal. Just...watch what you say, alright? Sometimes you have a tendacy to be a little insensitive and I just don't want you to be the reason Hermione is upset," Harry told him, and dismissed the subject as he stood up and gathered his book bag.

But Ron's stubbornness wasn't letting him dismiss the subject so easily as he followed Harry out of the Great Hall.

"Watch what I say? So when am I allowed to talk to her, Harry? Should I make up a timetable to go with that, too?" Ron asked.

Harry knew he had gone too far, and immediately wished he hadn't said anything in the first place. Ron's childish temper was not something he wanted to face this year, let alone the first day of school.

"Don't be ridiculous," Harry sighed impatiently. "I just don't want you to say something that could hurt her. You know how sensitive she can be when it comes to school. It's important to her, and all you do is laugh at her when it comes to school. You're supposed to be her best friend, not her best tormentor," Harry said, feeling like he was explaining this to a five-year-old.

"I'm not her best friend anymore, don't you see?" Ron nearly shouted. The halls were empty, since most kids were still in the Great Hall, so Harry didn't feel the need to tell Ron to keep it down.

But he did stop in his tracks.

"Could you be even more of a prat, Ron? Of course you're her best friend. We both are," Harry said, and knew instantly what was coming.

"No, Harry," Ron said more quietly, and somehow Harry preferred the shouting to this calm demeanor Ron had suddenly developed. "You're her best friend. Her protector. Her boyfriend. Her future. I'm on the outside, looking in, waiting to see if she'll ever need me. And she never does," he said.

"That's not true," Harry choked, not wanting to believe that it was possible that they could have ignored Ron over the past few months.

"It is. Why come to me when she can go to you? When she has a nightmare, when she has a problem with a teacher, when she feels lonely, when she just wants a hug...who does she go to?" Ron asked.

Harry stood there, pondering not the questions Ron had asked, but the tone in which he asked them.

Ron, on the other hand, didn't wait for an answer. He took off to their common room, walking much faster than they had before.

Harry sped to catch up with him, but realized with a sharp pain that Ron would not be talking to him for a while. Harry knew this, because he had been through it before. In which case, he also knew to give Ron his space so he could cool down. Eventually the red head would calm down and they could have a mature discussion about the problem at hand.

They arrived at the portrait hole and Ron gave the password in an agitated tone.

Harry trudged reluctantly behind him, wanting more than anything right now for everything to be right. Why did he have to get Ron angry with him on their first day?

"What's up with Ron?" Hermione asked. They both watched as Ron made his way to his side of the dormitories, completely ignoring his best friends as he walked up the stairs and out of view.

Harry made his way to Hermione, who sat at one of the tables, her Arithmancy book opened to the first chapter.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said, sitting down beside her.

Hermione took this as a hint, and closed her book. She gave her full attention to Harry, a determined look on her face.

"Try me," she said.

Harry took a deep breath and explained exactly what had happened just moments ago between him and Ron.

"Oh, Harry. He'll come around," Hermione finally said.

"Don't you see! He feels we've left him out of something. But I never meant to. He's my best friend," he insisted, feeling completely helpless.

"Of course he is. He's mine, too. Which is why we know he'll come around. He will if he truly values our friendship," she said.

"That's not it, Hermione. He feels that we don't value his. Somewhere along the line we neglected him, and this is the result," he said.

Hermione sighed. She loved Ron, but sometimes he could be so difficult. She supposed it had a lot to do with having six other siblings, five of whom were older. But she had hoped that in time Ron would grow up a little. They were no longer the dramatic 14-year-old's they once were. Hermione laughed at this. She had remembered clearly what it was like to be 14. She shuddered to think about it.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked, still bitter about Ron.

"Nothing really. Listen. I read that red heads tend to be more passionate than others. I don't know if the hair color has anything to do with it, but in Ron's case I'd say it fits. He's a very emotional, stubborn, passionate and angry person at times. The most we can do is ride it out," she said.

"He's angry with me, not you. You're safe," he told her.

"If he's angry with you, he's angry with me. Don't forget..." Hermione said softly and knelt down to his level. She rested her chin on his lap and looked up at him, her brown eyes shiny and earnest. "We're one. No matter what the situation, we're in it together. You don't have to face Ron's wrath alone," she promised.

Harry smiled. "Thanks, Hermione. But this is Ron we're talking about. Not Voldemort," he reminded her.

This time Hermione smiled and placed a kiss on his hand.

"All the same. I've read that those red heads can be a handful," she joked and stood up.

Instantly Ron came down the stairs, head lifted haughtily as he made his way to the portrait hole.

Once he disappeared through the hole, Harry stood up as well.

"Class will be starting soon. I should get going," he said mournfully.

Hermione wrapped him in an embrace, and she kissed him softly on the lips.

"Have a good class, Harry. Don't let Ron get you down," she advised.

He nodded, kissed her back and left through the same hole.

*

After three years of previously taking the class, Harry had no problems finding the North Tower, contrary to his third year, his first year taking Divination. He noted with dread that Professor Trelawney was still currently the teacher for that class, and the fact that Ron was not talking to him (again) did nothing but sour his mood greatly. But he was Head Boy, and he forced a smile to his face as he passed younger students in the halls, making his way up to the dreaded classroom.

The room was the same as ever. Stifling warm, and dimly lit with lamps covered with red scarves, giving off a crimson light. He was early, he noticed, and also noted that Ron had yet to arrive. He took his seat at the usual round table he had been sitting at since his first day taking Divination. And he waited patiently.

Soon enough, the remaining students popped up through the trap door, Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley amongst them.

Harry didn't bother to greet Ron, but was secretly relieved when Ron pulled up a chair beside him. Ron didn't say anything, or give any indication that he was no longer angry, but him sitting next to Harry was the next best thing. Surprisingly enough, Malfoy passed him without a word, not even a sarcastic sneer, and pulled up a chair to the table next to him.

This unnerved Harry. The last thing he wanted was to be seated next to his arch-enemy. But it seemed that that was the way it would be for the remaining year. Malfoy was without his two goons, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Harry figured that they too, did not exhibit the 'Inner Eye'.

"Good morning, my students. My first class," came Professor Trelawney's misty voice. She glided out of the darkness, her hands spread out in a majestic manner.

"We have very little time this morning, and most of it will be shortened due to my long over-view for the rest of the year. First, I am happy to note that most of you from my previous classes have returned. An excellent decision, one I knew you would come to."

Harry refrained from rolling his eyes. Already he was regretting taking the class.

"Second, I will tell you all now that by the end of next term, only two of you will walk away with a deeper sense of the Inner Eye."

She paused at this, and nodded towards Lavender Brown, who only stared at her.

"You were going to ask something, child?" she asked.

Both Lavender and her best friend Parvati Patil looked deeply impressed.

"Actually, I was wondering... if only two of us will have the Inner Eye, then why are the rest of us wasting our time?" she asked nervously. She felt nothing but deep respect for her teacher. Harry knew this because she took every single one of Trelawney's predictions to heart.

"Of course, dear. This class is by far the complete opposite of 'wasting your time'. This is something I never mention in your younger years, I always wait until you are in your 7th year. Every single one of you possesses the power of the Inner Eye. Most--I regret to inform you--are clouded. We are all of the magical world, and in every sense of the word. Whether you have the power to harness the Inner Eye is not up to you, but up to your magical being. We all have our strengths," her eyes flickered to Harry and then back to the rest of the class, then added "some, more than others. This will be the year you will discover them. Not only in this class, but in all subjects. You may not See it, but your strengths will play out your future," she smiled briefly. "And I foresee a wonderful future for you all."

Harry almost did roll his eyes again. He was sure that this was a speech she gave to all her 7th years.

"Now, onto more pressing matters. To discover whether Divination is your strength, we will have to work very hard. There will be an assignment at the end of the year which will determine the outlook of your future. To start this we must master the art of palm reading, tea leaf reading, and of course the most difficult, the crystal ball. This will not be like your previous years, because your previous experiences in those classes are to help you with this one. We'll start today with Crystal-gazing," the teacher announced, and floated around the room while handing out the crystal balls.

Harry reluctantly took his globe and sat it in front of him. Ron did the same, and continued to ignore Harry.

Harry wondered if Ron would ever start talking to him, and tried to foresee that in the crystal globe.

Nothing useful appeared. However, his globe started to take on a blackish colour and the only thing visible in the darkness were silver dots that seemed to appear, slowly, one-by-one, out of nowhere.

"Interesting," Trelawney said mistily.

Harry's head shot up to meet his professor's concerned gaze. Harry felt the painful dread return, and wished he could instantly Disapparate.

"Silver points on a field of black," Trelawney said softly.

She said it so quietly that it would be impossible for the furthest person in the room to hear her. But the room was so entirely focused on Harry and the Professor, that every last person caught her words.

"You can see that? I thought only the one crystal-gazing could see," Harry said, the coldness of dread seeping in. He knew that this could not be good. Suddenly, the vision in the globe disappeared, and Harry sighed with relief.

"I have the Inner Eye. Not to give myself a swelled head, but I see all. Including that which you see. Very good, Mr Potter. You've made your first successful prediction," Trelawney said.

"What makes you think it's successful? That could very well be stars coming out at night. Some prediction. The sun sets every night," Ron interjected. Harry was surprised. Ron had just defended and insulted him at the same time.

Ron seemed to have suddenly realized what he had just done, as well. He tightened his lips and looked furiously into his own globe again.

Trelawney apparently chose to ignore his argument, and floated over to Parvati and Lavender's table.

Though the vision had disappeared, Harry's fear remained. Deep down Harry knew this could not be an ordinary night sky. Those specks of silver could not be simple stars. And yet he found it hard to believe that he could have had his first vision.

He brushed this all away, determined instead to focus on getting Ron to talk to him again.

To Be Continued...