The Seers' Truth: A Broken Beginning

Chapter 14

Bunny for Breakfast

Morning light was filtering softly through the tower window and although Harry could have lain in his bed for a few more minutes, he decided to get up and get ready for class. He couldn't sleep now anyway. He headed down to the common room to review his DADA homework and sat in one of the chairs by the empty fireplace. He looked at his DADA work, but didn't see it.

Something was wrong. Then he realized what it was. The bricks around the fireplace were warm. Someone had lit this fire early this morning or late last night. A little stitch of fear erupted inside of him, before he thought: McGonagall. She had to tell Sirius where to get the Wolfsbane Potion. Maybe she had spoken to Sirius. He breathed a sigh of relief.

By then, people were starting to stir. Ron came down into the common room. "You're up early," he said. "I was going to go to the owlery to send this to Dad and then I'm sure Dad will forward it to Percy."

"I'll come with you," said Harry. As they walked, they softly discussed last night's events, but Harry didn't tell him about the fire. Ron was already upset by the news of the ministry. Pig flitted here and there like a hummingbird instead of an owl. Finally Ron caught him and attached the letter to his leg. Then they went down to breakfast and Ginny was coming into the Great Hall too.

"I think I'm ready for Snape," Ginny confided. "Expelliarmus!" Ron's wand jumped out of his pocket and into Ginny's hand.

"Bloody hell," Ron swore. "I wasn't expecting that."

Ginny tossed his wand back to him. "That's the point, isn't it? Try again. Expelliarmus!"

Again Ron's wand launched itself to Ginny's hand.

Trying to help his friend, Harry raised his own wand. "Expelliarmus!" he said, but Ginny's wand stayed firmly in her hand.

She grinned at him. "Samara's been giving me some pointers," she said.

"What does Samara know that we don't?" asked Harry.

"Well, her book says--" Harry felt a cold sweat break out on his body as he remembered his dream.

"We have to talk about that book," He interrupted.

"Pass the jam first," said Ron as they seated themselves on both sides of the girls at the breakfast table. He reached for some toast. "I'm starved."

Once they filled their breakfast plates, conversation strayed to Parvati's prediction, since Divination was their first class.

"Where is Samara, by the way?" Harry asked.

"I don't know," said Ginny. "She's usually up early. I thought she'd be down here. Maybe she just lost track of time."

Moments later, Samara came into the Great Hall alone, but Edward caught up with her before she reached the table. "Lou is still helping Neville with homework and Joe slept in," Edward told them.

"I do think it is possible that Lou is a Ravenclaw," said Ron. "He certainly is hard to beat at chess, and he's the only one I know who spends more time in the library is Hermione. I hate to break it to Neville, but I think his study-buddy will be leaving us soon."

Edward paused, considering his seating arrangements. Harry was seated by Ginny, who shifted over to allow Samara to pull a chair up between her and Ron. "I don't think Lou spends any more time in the library than I do," said Edward. "It's just quieter to study. Of course, some of you can seem to study with everyone playing around in Gryffindor tower. I don't know how you can concentrate, Ron." Just then, Hermione and Beatrice entered, and Edward chose to sit between them on the opposite side of the table. "Is today the last day for changes to the schedule?" asked Edward. "Does anyone know?"

"Yes, it is," said Ron. "I've been trying to decide what I should take for my advanced class, and I'm down to the last minute now. I don't think I have any grades high enough."

"So what happens if you don't have high enough grades for advanced?" asked Edward.

"Tutoring," said Harry.

"With who?" asked Edward.

"Probably Hermione," said Harry. "Right Hermione?"

"Right," she said between bites of egg.

"Hey," said Ron. "Then you are using a time turner. You told us you weren't."

"I didn't say I wasn't using a time turner. I said Ravenclaws had them all signed out. I'm sharing one with Padma Patil. She has it signed out for classes and I'm just using it just on Friday for that one hour of tutoring. I do Advanced and then meet Padma in the library to turn it for our tutoring sessions."

"What's a time turner?" asked Eloise Midgin as she sat opposite them.

"Oh," said Hermione shrugging, "they were just teasing me about taking hard classes. They think I'll need time-travel spells to study. If only there were such things--"

"Only you, Hermione, would want to study that much," said Eloise. "Oh quick, Dennis, scoot your chair closer. I don't want Colin to sit here. It's bad enough I'll have to see him in Advanced Muggle Studies."

"Time turners are not supposed to be common knowledge," said Hermione to her friends in a furious whisper, and then she raised her voice to speak to those nearby. "But speaking of Padma, that reminds me--" Hermione looked down the table for Parvati who was seated next to Dean. "Parvati, the little Ravenclaw I gave your broom to tried to give it to your sister. It's in her room. She told me to tell you."

Parvati nodded, and kept eating. Hermione had the idea that Parvati probably wouldn't have even missed the broom if Hermione hadn't mentioned it. She had a dreamy look that was vaguely reminiscent of Trelawney, and was wearing several new bangle bracelets on her arms. "So, Ron, are you going to be in my tutoring?" asked Hermione.

"It looks like tutoring or Divination."

"Ask Flitwick if you can take charms with me" said Harry. "You aren't that far below the cut-off line. He'll let you take it, I'm sure he will. He gave me extra credit for summoning the Firebolt in the tournament."

"Charms?" said Edward. "No way. Maybe Potions or Defense."

"Is it Ok if we take something different than our mentors?" said Beatrice. "I can't do Arithmancy. I want to take Transfiguration."

"Oh, I'm sure it is," said Hermione. "You'll probably have to take a test or something anyway since the teachers don't know your ability level, and Advanced should be something that you are really interested in, not just a required subject."

"Are you doing Arithmancy?" asked Harry. "Why don't you take Charms with us?"

"But I really like Professor Vector," said Hermione.

"Advanced should be something that you are really interested in," mocked Harry. "Not something you take because you like the teacher. Anyway, since when are you interested in Unfogging the Future? Arithmancy is as much Divination as what Trelawney teaches."

"Yes," said Hermione, "but Trelawney doesn't teach it."

"Charms, on the other hand," argued Harry, "can be useful for something."

Ginny took the moment to lean over to Samara. "You aren't very talkative this morning. Where did you go earlier?"

"Hospital wing," answered Samara.

"Are you sick?"

"No," whispered Samara, "but Draco still was."

"Draco?" Ginny snorted. "Still!"

"Professor McGonagall called me down to the Infirmary at about 7:30 this morning to take the curse off, but by the time I got there, he was--it was finished. I tried to apologize--"

"You tried to apologize to Malfoy?" said Ginny incredulously.

Suddenly the other Gryffindors got quiet.

"Apologize for what?" asked Ron.

"Her Curse," answered Ginny, laughing. "It was still going this morning. Don't get this girl mad at you!"

Suddenly everyone was patting her on the back and telling her what a good job she did. She didn't feel like it was a good job, she felt terrible. She hadn't meant for it to last that long.

"Hey Ginny, what are you and Samara taking for Advanced?" Ron asked.

"Well, Samara doesn't need Advanced Curses," Edward joked.

"So, did you decide on something besides History with Binns and Samara's Dark Book?" said Harry.

"I really don't know if it's Dark--" began Ginny.

Samara answered at the same time, "Advanced Defense."

Everyone at the table got quiet. "You're going to take Advanced Defense?" questioned Ron. "With Snape? Ginny!"

"That's 3 hours on Friday with Slytherins and 2 hours with Snape," said Harry. "Isn't 3 hours of Slytherins on every day enough for you? Do you need to add an extra hour of torture on Fridays?"

"Well, truthfully, I didn't know that Snape would be teaching it, but I really feel like I need a better Defense. I had Lockhart first year, and I just feel so unprepared for anything Dark. I know Dumbledore didn't let anyone fail after Lockhart lost his memory--"

"Wait," said Edward, "was Lockhart the werewolf?"

"No, that was Lupin," answered Harry. "Lockhart was just a useless git. He said he defeated all these dark creatures, but the only spell he could do was a memory charm. He lied in all of his books and then took credit for what other wizards did. When Ginny was in trouble, he didn't even want to try to save her. He wanted to run away. He tried to curse us with Ron's broken wand and it backfired. Lockhart lost his memory."

"They hauled him away to St. Mungo's," said Ron, oblivious to Ginny's little shudder. "He was the DADA teacher second year and the second teacher to go--only one more year of Snape," crowed Ron. "I could just sing."

"You don't know that," admonished Hermione. "Anyway, that's an awful thing to say."

"Have you forgotten I'm talking about Snape? It's a sign," Ron intoned in his best Trelawney imitation. "Every Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts shall meet his doom by the end of the year. You can't argue with destiny, my dears."

"And good riddance," he added in his own voice.

Post owls started to fly into the room. The little owl from the Daily Prophet dropped the news in front of Hermione and immediately flew off. Hermione opened it and glanced through the headlines.

Errol flew into Ginny's orange juice and the whole glass spilled all over the table. "Pergo!" Ginny said, trying to get the mess under control as soon as possible.

At the same time, a huge barn owl flew straight for Edward. Instead of dropping onto the wet table, the owl landed on Edward's shoulder. "Ouch! You stupid bird," cried Edward as he got the package off of the owl. The sound of ripping cloth was heard as the owl flapped his wings frantically and tried to settle on the slippery robes.

Beatrice screeched and ducked her head as the large wings smacked her in the face. The bird dug his talons in, and Edward tried again to transfer him to the table. The owl went straight in the air above them, and Edward held up a piece of sausage to tempt the animal. It dropped on the sausage like it was prey, including Edward's fingers in the process and drawing blood. Edward backhanded the bird.

Suddenly, Beatrice was gone and a small brown rabbit darted under the table and between Harry's feet. The hungry owl swooped down on the rabbit. Before anyone was quite sure what had happened, McGonagall, in cat form, had bounded from the head table, and trapped the rabbit under her outstretched front paw. She hissed at the owl and immediately turned back into a calm still woman with a sedate bun. She was holding a small brown rabbit.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, with your permission, I ask that Miss Ellis be excused from flying this morning. I have first period free and will work with her. After her scare, it may take her a while to transform from her rabbit Animagus back into a witch."

Dumbledore nodded. "Take your time Minerva. If you need me to take your second period class, let me know."

The entire hall suddenly burst into excited chatter. "Did anyone know that Beatrice was an Animagus?" asked Harry.

"She mentioned it to me," said Hermione, "when I asked her why she wasn't in Potions yesterday. I guess she was working with McGonagall then, too."

"She obviously doesn't have much control over it, does she?" said Edward.

"Well," said Samara hotly, "it doesn't look like you have much control either." She was holding the barn owl that Edward had smacked when it drew blood with its talons. It was shaken and its feathers were sticking up all over. "This is the same owl that was burned, isn't it?" she asked.

Edward wondered how she knew about that.

"What's his name?"

"His previous owner didn't name him," said Edward, nursing his bloody fingers. "He just called him 'Monster bird' or 'Albatross'. I've been calling him Demon."

"Well, no wonder the poor bird has a complex. Getting burned and then awful names like those."

"No one can control that bird," said Edward, wrapping his bloodied fingers in a napkin.

"He looks fine to me," Ron observed as he sent Errol to the owlery to get some food and some rest. Samara was calmly feeding the bird from her plate and he was daintily taking bits from her hand.

"You want him? You can have him," spat Edward. "The bird's a bloody nuisance. I was hoping he got lost after the train wreck, but no, he found his way back. I'm going to have Granny send me another owl. Excuse me. I'm going to get Madam Pomfrey to fix my fingers."

"You really should send him to the owlery," said Harry. "It's almost time for class."

"But he's so scared," said Samara. "Look at him."

He looked ravenously hungry and he looked like he was ready to take a bite out of anything that came within reach just for fun, but he didn't look scared, Harry thought. Out loud he said, "Scared?"

"Of course he is. Look at how fast his heart is beating, and how his feathers are all puffed out." Samara was stroking him with long gentle strokes, and didn't even look at Harry. Her entire attention was on the bird.

Harry was, for some reason, reminded of Hagrid by Samara's actions. How could a beautiful witch like Samara remind him of his half-giant friend? It didn't make sense. Then Harry remembered Hagrid doing the same thing when Norbert nearly bit his fingers off--Poor thing indeed!

"Go on," Harry urged. "You can go up and check on him later. He needs some food and a rest." Samara reluctantly sent her new owl to the owlery and stood up for class.

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