Divined Intervention

The vision faded to black, and the voices intruded, louder.

"Â…found her lying next toÂ…"

And faded.

"Â…poor Arabella. What could haveÂ…"

And faded again. This is annoying. The thought was as hazy as the voices from outside. I should be asleep. Shouldn't I?

"She does look an awful lot like Kelly, doesn't she?" The voice was musing, pensive, warm, like a parent. Dad? The thought was passing. No, he's dead.

"Really? I hadn't thought much of it." This one was dry, perhaps a little bitter.

"Hadn't you?" A note of curiosity from the first. Maggie fought for a name to attach to it.

A harsh sound that may have been a laugh. "Every day of my life." The sorrow softened the dryness. Maybe notÂ…thought I knewÂ…

Maybe if I open my eyes. The prospect was too painful to contemplate. Any kind of motion hurt to even think about.

"Poppy says she'll be fine by morning. You should get some rest." DumbÂ…DumbleÂ…something?

"No." A rustle of fabric. A gasp. "If she hadn't screamed, this would have been in my back."

That voice.

The slide. The corpse on the floor. Everything cascaded back, washing over her like a whirlpool dragging her back under.

"SeverusÂ…" she whispered. Two gasps from above.

"Margaret?" Dumbledore!

"MaÂ…dam Carter." Severus. Alive. Oh, good.

"Poppy!" Huh?

Dumbledore's shout motivated her to find out what was going on. She pried her eyelids open with tremendous effort. The light was dim, but made her head throb regardless. Two faces stared down at her from what seemed like a terrible height, one shrouded in white and red, one in shadowy black. Dumbledore's beard drifted across her hand. It tickled a little. She smiled.

"Madam CarterÂ…" Severus nearly smiled. It was the least sour look he'd favored her with since they met. Well, before the whole mace thingÂ… He stuffed something back into his pocket.

"Mph. Margaret. Maggie. Something. Anything." She managed a weak smile. "C'mon, Severus. I clocked myself to keep you from getting stabbed in the back. Least you can do is use my first name."

His eyebrow shot up. "HowÂ…how did youÂ…?"

She groaned and tried to sit up. The pillow collided with what had to be the mother of all bruises on the back of her head, and she gave a feeble yelp. Dumbledore rested his hand on her shoulder and tutted at her. Severus echoed her wince.

"How'd I know? Why'd I get hired here, again?" Her lip twisted. Her head throbbed again, and the wiseass veneer cracked. "I made the mistake of polishing my crystal ball collection. Your name came up."

Dumbledore and Severus exchanged surprised looks, then stepped aside as Poppy strode over with her wand in hand.

"Lumos!" she said in her usual businesslike tone and flashed the light in both of Maggie's eyes. Maggie sputtered and winced, eyes watering and pain tearing through every inch of her skull. "Mild concussion, some bruises. The potion should handle all of that by morning if she gets some rest." Her fists rested on her hips as she stared at first the headmaster, then the Potions Master with equal severity.

Dumbledore patted Maggie's hand. "We'll talk more in the morning. Get some rest. You have a busy day ahead of you."

Severus looked as though he wanted to say something. Maggie cocked her head against the pillow, watching him.

After a long moment, he muttered "Rest well, Madam Carter" and strode out of the room stiffly.

Maggie rested her head against the pillow. Her skull throbbed painfully. She closed her eyes, and saw the shriveled face staring at her again. She shuddered, eyes flying back open. Poppy had wandered off, most likely to bed.

"You're welcome. I think."

*******************

Severus ran two fingers along the interior of the slide. The grime of dried decayed flesh and long-shed white hairs was a sharp contrast to the ghost-pale of his hand. "She must have been stuffed into this opening after she was murdered. When Madam Carter came down the slide for whatever reason, she dislodged the body." He leaned on the cold stone wall, deep in thought.

"Poor Margaret. It must have been quite a shock." Dumbledore gazed down at the body of his friend with immeasurable sorrow in his eyes. "How do you think it happened?" Severus knelt next to her, prodding the shrunken limbs with the end of his wand. Dust and dried flesh flaked away, and he stopped.

After a long moment, he looked up at the headmaster, a dispassionate look on his face. "Torture, doubtless. Repeated application of Parching Hexes and Exsanguination Enchantments. She must have hid her wand up her sleeve, and when she went for it, they killed her." He looked back down at the broken wand. "I suspect they killed her from behind." Disgust tinted his voice for a moment. "The work of a true coward. She was nearly dead, and he still couldn't face her."

Dumbledore knelt beside him, laying a hand on Arabella's. "Sleep well, my friend." His eyes met Severus's. "Thank you, Severus. You should rest. I will tend to Arabella." He rose, helping himself to his feet by gripping the end of the slide. "Oh dear."

Severus jumped to his feet. "Are you all right?" Blood coated the palm of Dumbledore's hand, dark and sticky.

Dumbledore pulled a long brown hair from his hand. "Margaret's blood, no doubt. The girl is lucky that you arrived so quickly." He accepted the handkerchief Severus offered him. "You did well tonight."

Severus nodded, a half-smile edging his lips. "Thank you, sir." He bowed slightly. As he did, a glittering from the corner of the room caught his attention.

"What is it?" Dumbledore's gaze followed his. Severus knelt and picked up something from the pile of dust motes and less-identifiable things it had nestled in.

He held up the fist-sized orb. It was nearly milk-white with spiderwebbed cracks, but it was held together all the same. A piece fell away from it as he turned to face Dumbledore, clear as a teardrop in the light of their wands.

"A crystal ball." He looked back to Dumbledore, surprise in his voice if not his face. "I thought she was joking."

Dumbledore's face was thoughtful. "Perhaps she wishes she was." He nodded to Severus, then waved his wand over the remains of Arabella Figg. The body floated a few feet above the ground like a grim puppet. Dumbledore produced a swath of white cloth from his sleeve and laid it over her as though he was tucking in a child, then guided her from the room with his wand, away from the Slytherin dormitory.

Severus watched him go, then looked back to the crystal ball. Another piece of shattered crystal tinkled to the ground. His fist clenched gently, trapping the rest of the ball in the palm of his hand before it could crumble, and walked back to his room, deep in thought.

**************

Maggie walked into the Great Hall, looking much as she had the previous morning. Deep circles sat beneath her eyes, and as sunlight streamed from the ceiling, she silently wished she'd stopped by her room for her sunglasses. Tabitha hid a sneer behind her goblet. Estelle was less discreet.

"Heavens, Maggie, are you well?" Elvira leaned over to her, eyes wide. Maggie shook her head no, then nodded to Dumbledore.

"I'm sure he'll explain," she sighed. Her coffee was the only warmth she felt. The thought of food repulsed her, and the soft high back of her chair felt like a bed of nails on the back of her head. She was utterly convinced that she'd permanently powdered the base of her skull. And, even after an hour in the shower, she could still feel the gritty crumbling sensation beneath her leg where she'd landed on what had once been a professor.

On cue, Dumbledore rose to address the assembled professors, casting a concerned eye to Maggie. She nodded to him and gave him a thumb's up and a weak smile.

"For those of you who haven't heard, Arabella Figg's body was found last night." She could feel the pain in his voice. The impact of his words was immediate and profound. Filius burst into tears, as did Hagrid and Minerva. Delphine went white with shock, gripping Elvira's hand tightly. Elvira's eyes closed, head bowed. Tabitha slumped in her seat in a faint, and only Severus's quick reflexes kept her upright. Estelle blanched and dropped her goblet, spilling pumpkin juice across the table. No one noticed.

Maggie swallowed hard and patted Minerva's arm gently, trying to comfort her. Dumbledore looked to her, eyes moist, and smiled gently at her. She nodded, tears welling in her own eyes. I had to go down the slide. They could have never knownÂ… It was a dumb thought. But they had to know. Closure. The word was distasteful in her head. She'd heard it too many times before. Fucking closure.

After a long moment, Minerva finally spoke. "Where? How?" she managed, voice still full of tears.

Dumbledore bowed his head. "Her body was secreted in an escape chute." He nodded to Severus and Poppy, who both knelt by Tabitha, trying to revive her. "Our examination leads us to believe that she was slain by Death Eaters."

A hush fell over the assembled faculty. Fear filled every face. "H..HÂ…Here? In the castle?" Filius was trembling visibly. Hagrid steadied him without looking away from Dumbledore, big face drained beneath the wild beard, more somber and frightened than Maggie would ever wish upon anyone. For reasons she couldn't immediately place, seeing the fear in the giant man's eyes unsettled her even more.

Dumbledore nodded slowly, letting the information settle in. "I fear we must be evermore vigilant, both for the students' safety and our own." For a moment, Maggie thought he looked deathly weary. But only for a moment. He cleared his throat and looked to Tabitha, who had revived and was weeping softly into her handkerchief. "But, we have pupils who need professors today. We must be strong, and we must persevere. Minerva, if you would distribute the class schedules?"

Minerva tucked her handkerchief away. She picked up a stack of scrolls and began to distribute them, face neutral. Maggie straightened up. The faculty set about drying eyes, straightening robes, clearing throats. Stiff upper lips all around. She felt a bit more respect for the group all of a sudden. She knew that, despite the agony and fear, the students would have solid people to turn to today, and she prayed silently that she could be one of them.

**************

The Great Hall was subdued, a sharp contrast to the usual first day of classes. Rumors were already being bandied about as to how Professor Figg had died, but all they had been told was that Professor Figg was, in fact, dead. Hermione was still sitting in much the same position as she was when she first heard it.

"Hermione? Hermione, please say something." Ron's voice was pleading. His hand rested on hers. It was like ice. He shook her gently, panic rising in his throat. "Hermione! Damn it, snap out of it."

Harry watched, feeling helpless. "Hermione, there's nothing you could have done. Please say something to us. Anything."

"It should have been me." Her voice was hollow, barely audible above the low murmur of the hall.

"Anything but that." Ron looked to Harry, horrified, then back to Hermione's blank face. "No. It shouldn't have. Don't talk like that, Hermione."

"IÂ…should have known. Should have done something more. Should haveÂ…" She sputtered a little, cracks finally appearing in her armor. She lurched forward and wrapped her arms around Ron, convulsing with sobs.

Panic took over Ron's face. Harry was nearly as bad off as they looked at each other, then at their grief-stricken friend. Ginny flew to their side and slapped her brother gently on the back of the head.

"Put your arms around her and comfort her, you great git!" she hissed in his ear. Tentatively, he complied, arms resting around her shoulders as though he was holding a heavy stack of books. With a frustrated sigh, Ginny grabbed his wrist and moved his hand along her back. Ron's eyes went wider in a shocked look at his sister. She rolled her eyes at him, then looked at Harry. Harry finally grasped what Ginny was trying to accomplish and slid his chair closer to his two friends and rested his hand on Hermione's back next to Ron's.

"It'll be OK, Hermione. We're here. We'll get through this." Harry prayed silently that he sounded more convincing than he thought he did.

*****************

"She'll be fine once she gets to class. You know HermioneÂ… the world could be ending around her, and she'd still be focused for her schoolwork." Still, Harry couldn't resist a backwards glance. Hermione waved to them both, eyes red, and headed down the opposite corridor with Ginny and Seamus.

"I hope she'll be all right. Why is she so hard on herself about this? It's not like she could have known that they were going to grab Figg that night. Only reason she was there at all was because we skipped Defense Against the Dark Arts and she insisted on knowing the assignment straight from the professor." Ron stuffed his hands in his pockets, scowling with worry.

Harry shrugged. "I know a bit of how she feels. It's how I always feel when something happens. We've done so much, the past few yearsÂ…I know I've started to feel like I need to be the one who fixes everything."

Ron paused in his stride and looked at Harry. "Huh. Hadn't really thought about it before butÂ…" A half-smile of realization crossed his face as his shoulders slumped. "You're right. I've felt bloody awful about that night, too. Like I should have been there to keep them from hurting Hermione. Been eating me up all summer, really, in the back of my headÂ… I remember seeing her in the hospital wing again, like she's been too many times, and thinking 'Cor, Ron, you buggered that one up. Why weren't you there? Why didn't you go with her?'"

Harry clapped a hand on his shoulder, green eyes serious under a flop of black hair. "So did I, Ron. Same thing, minus the 'Ron' part." He sighed. "I wonder if Dumbledore ever feels like this."

Ron smiled a little at this. "Nah. He knows everything, right?" He looked at his schedule with a heavy sigh. "C'mon, we'll be late forÂ…" He choked.

Harry glanced at his schedule. "DivinationsÂ…oh!" He smirked a little. "Finally get to see your lady up close, eh?"

Ron whacked him with his schoolbag. "Shut it, Potter." Still, he couldn't help but laugh. "And I thought it was safe with Fred and George gone. You'd think Mum had actually adopted you."

"Well, I do have a fine collection of Weasley. sweatersÂ…" Harry tugged at the collar of his robe, revealing the slightly-frayed collar of his favorite green sweater beneath. "Does that count?"

"Hardly. Your hair's too black." Ron nudged him with an elbow. "And you're too rich. Immediately disqualifies you from Weasleyhood." He straightened up proudly. "We've got to have our standards."

"I'd think he'd be low enough to meet them."

Ron and Harry stopped in their tracks, turning slowly. The snide voice could belong to none other. Draco Malfoy, flanked as always by Crabbe and Goyle, sneered at them from a doorway.

"Shut it, Malfoy." The words had become tradition, as much as the particular grip Ron held his wand with as he stepped forward, as much as the snide bow and swift draw Malfoy replied with.

Harry stepped between the two. "Not worth itÂ…" he muttered beneath his breath. With a growl, Ron spun on his heel and strode off purposefully towards the Divination Tower. Malfoy snickered and turned back into the classroom, snapping his fingers at his lackeys with annoying confidence. Harry blew a tuft of hair out of his eyes and sighed irritably. Same song, different year.

****************

The room was almost unrecognizable. The furniture was the only thing that remained the same as they had last seen it. Cool blue light filled the circular chamber, augmented by a small fire in the fireplace. The scent of cinnamon and cloves filled the air, with only a faint trace of the old heavy incense. Blue and green tie-dyed silk scarves covered the tables. Everyone was looking at one another, chattering softly . Lavender and Parvati sat together by the fireplace, stoically silent for once.

A creak from behind a tapestry silenced everyone, and Ron and Harry sat down quickly at the last empty table, knocking over a stack of tarot cards as they did. Harry scrambled to catch the deck before the cards slid off the table.

"Nice catch, hon." Madam Carter stepped out from behind the tapestry, wincing a little in the light of the room. "UmmÂ…you by the window, thereÂ… couldja get the curtain, please?" She waved to Neville, who hurried to comply and nearly knocked the curtain rod off its hooks. A grin flickered across her face. "Thanks, sweetie. Now, for those of you who don't know meÂ…being everyone, of course," She looked around the room self-consciously and leaned against the mantlepiece, shifting aside a candlestick with her elbow. "I'm Maggie Carter, and I'm new. I hope you won't hold it against me too much. I'm from Rochester, New York, United States of America, I'mÂ…well, you don't need to know how ancient I amÂ… and I enjoy loud music and junk food. Chocolate, especially, should any of you wish to bribe me shamelessly." Her smile was tentative and more than a little nervous. The class was silent, all staring at her as though she were some strange new creature in Hagrid's class. "NowÂ…" She cleared her throat. "To figure out who all of you are."

She reached into her pocket, fumbling for a moment as something on her right wrist caught on the pocket's edge. After a second's searching, she found a roll of parchment and unrolled it. "Brown, LavenderÂ…" She glanced around. "Lavender?"

Lavender raised her hand hesitantly, looking like someone had stepped on her favorite lipstick. Ron snorted softly and leaned over to Harry. "Now she has to start kissing up all over againÂ…" Harry bit his tongue to halt the chuckle as Madam Carter continued reading the names off, nodding politely and smiling as each student identified him- or herself.

"Potter, Harry." She looked around at the boys in the room. "Harry?"

Harry raised his hand reluctantly, sighing. Here we go again. She looked at him, smiled, then looked back to her list.

No reaction. None. Harry blinked, and a few people murmured softly in the corners of the room. Maybe she just doesn't want to play favorites or anythingÂ… He scrutinized her for a moment. She hadn't even blinked.

"Hey guys, settle down, I'm almost doneÂ…" Madam Carter smiled nervously and looked at the scroll. Her eyes got very wide, and she gasped. "Ronald Weasley.?" It was more of a shocked statement than a question. Ron turned red as his hair and raised his hand a little. She looked over at him, one eyebrow arched high. "Well, I'll be dÂ…" She chortled loudly, looking more like an older student than a professor as she slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle herself. She pointed the end of her quill at Ron with a smirk. "YouÂ… we'll chat after class for a sec?"

Ron nodded, eyes wide. Harry stared at his friend for a long moment. The rest of the class was staring unabashedly at their table. Madam Carter flicked the scroll closed and tossed it onto the table in front of her.

"So, this is Divination. You guys have been studying it forÂ…two years now, already?" She glanced around. A few heads nodded. "So you know a lot of the basic stuff, I'd imagine. Meanings of cardsÂ…the Celtic cross spreadÂ…" Her eyes scanned the room slowly, watching their faces for confirmation. "Well, I hope to elaborate on some of it a bit more this year. You guys all know this deck pretty well, right?" She held up one of the decks that the class had been using. Nods all around. She smiled, then dug in her pocket again.

"How about this?" She produced a well-worn denim bag, tied with what looked like a snapped bootlace. Carefully, she drew out a poker hand's worth of squat-looking cards from within. The backs of the cards were bright green with swirls of brown and yellow. She flipped them over so that the class could see them. Lavender and Parvati ceased glowering at her and oohed in amazement.

Maggie chose one from the hand, then flipped over the top card from her classroom deck. The Lovers from the standard deck was of a medieval flavor, with a rigidly-posed pair holding hands. The one from her pocket had a well-built male angel dipping a beautiful woman in flowing red robes, like a cover for a romance novel. She looked at them for a long moment.

"I would draw those two, wouldn't I?" She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Corrupting the young minds already." A titter rose from the class. She grinned. "At any rate, you can see that they are the same card, but very different styles. I just wanted to show you that there are more decks than just this one." She shook the classroom deck's card to indicate it. "I've got a few others as well, but this one's my favorite. I'll pass them aroundÂ… minus this one, and I'll explain why."

She slipped the denim-wrapped deck back into her pocket, then reached up onto the mantlepiece, drawing down a handful of pouches and rectangular cardboard boxes. She handed one to each table. "My friends have, over the years, given me bunches of decks, just because they know I love them. Every one has a very different feel, and gives very different readings because of that feel." She pointed at the one Lavender and Parvati were poring over. The cards were decorated like Professor Trelawney's classroom had been...a motley of Victorian lace, pen-and-ink drawings, pictures of knickknacks, and replicas of china patterns. "That one's great for romantic readings and relationship questions." She pointed to the one Neville was holding, covered in relatively crude art surrounded by giant cabbage roses. "That oneÂ…well, I have trouble reading it with a straight face, but a buddy of mine back in Rochester swears it's the best one out there for his brand of relationship questions. Ron, Harry, you have my best employment and career deck, not to mention questions of the intellect."

They looked at the cards. The artwork was mostly composed of cut-apart photographs, pasted in a sort of collage of images. Madam Carter walked around the room, pointing at cards and chatting with the students individually in a candid, relaxed tone of voice. "She's an odd sort, isn't she?" Harry whispered. "Not much like any of the other professors. She reminds me a little of Remus."

Ron nodded silently, trying to look engrossed by the Ten of Pentacles. It was coated in pictures of different types of Muggle money. Harry looked at it for a long moment. No Galleons or Sickles to be seen.

Madam Carter had stepped to the front of the class once more. "Now, the reason I'm showing you these decks. It's really important to the quality and ease of your readings that you get a deck of your own, that you really canÂ…" She gave a searching gesture with her hands. "Mesh with. One that speaks to you." She pulled the deck out of her pocket again. "This one, I've been reading with since I was twenty. The cards have a sort of shamanic-multicultural-fun thing going, and the art really speaks to me. My readings are usually right-on because we work well together. Your deck should be like a good friend, and one you spend a lot of time with." She looked at the class intently. "I don't want you to go spending a ton of money or anything, but if you can, and you're serious about the subject, I recommend tracking down a deck of your own. The bookstore down in Hogsmeade has a few nice decks and a catalogue or two. Take a peek." She shrugged. "Of course, you're welcome to keep reading the house decks here, too. No big deal either way."

Lavender raised her hand. "Where do I get one of these?" she asked eagerly. Parvati nodded.

Madam Carter gave a knowing grin. "It's not the only deck for romantic reading, but if you're seriousÂ…" She thought for a moment. "Catch me at dinner. I might be able to get one for you. I got it from a Muggle-run shop in Rochester, but I'll see what I can do."

Lavender nearly dropped the deck. "A Muggle shop? How can it be a proper deck, then?" She set it down as though it had just grown spider legs.

"You'd be amazed, Lavender." Madam Carter had a slightly uncomfortable look on her face for a moment. "Mostly, Muggles just think they've got pretty pictures, or they're toysÂ… parlor tricks and entertainmentÂ… but sometimes they fall into the right 'wrong hands.'" She winked at the two girls, who gaped at her in horrified astonishment.

The bell rang, and Madam Carter sighed in apparent relief. "OK, off with you! Have fun, see you at lunch!" She waved jovially as the class filtered out. "Hey Ron, c'mere a sec!"

Harry looked at Ron curiously. "I'll meet you at lunch. You should see if Hermione's all right." Ron nodded towards the door. Reluctantly, Harry left.

****************

"Hanging about in Muggle shops for her magical supplies, reallyÂ…"

"Â…and that accent? I could barely understand a word she said! She's dreadful. We should demand Professor Trelawney back."

Scandal dripped from Lavender and Parvati's voices as they walked down the hall in front of Harry. He ignored them, too lost in thought to care. She didn't recognize my name. It was a shock, and he thought he should have been glad of it. ButÂ… I thought everyone knew about it. About me. And the Muggle decksÂ… That feeling of something-not-right was settling over him, and he was in a fine state by the time he arrived at the Great Hall.

Hermione was still pale, but seemed in better spirits. "All right, Harry?" she asked as he sat down next to her. "Where's Ron?"

Harry smiled at her. "He's talking to the Divination teacher. I'm fineÂ…are you?" His hand rested on her forearm for a moment.

She shrugged, eyes downcast. "I will be, I suppose. I justÂ…" She cut herself off, forcing a smile. "It's silly, I know. I wouldn't have been able to fight off anyone who could have taken a fully-trained, full-grown witch like Professor Figg. I just keep thinking that if I hadn't letÂ…whoever knocked me out, knock me outÂ… maybe I could have done something."

Harry nodded. "I know. Ron does too. We all feel like that sometimes." He squeezed her arm, then released it. "But you can't blame yourself anymore. You're brilliant, and amazing, but you're not omnipotent." His green eyes flashed mirth at her, and she smiled at last.

"Oh, very well. Now pass the sandwiches. I'm famished." She hugged him briefly, just enough to unsettle him and knock his glasses askew.

Ron walked up, looking a mite huffy. "Am I interrupting you two?"

Harry rolled his eyes, making a face at him. "Hardly. How'd your date with Madam Carter go?"

Ron sputtered. "IÂ… sheÂ… augh." He sat down on the other side of Hermione, growling softly. "She just wanted to say hello."

Neville leaned over, too curious to contain himself. "What was that all about, anyway? Do you know her?"

Ron looked at Hermione in panic. Hermione looked back at him and shrugged, equally concerned. "UmmmÂ…"

"She's a friend of Bill's, isn't she?" Hermione said at last, simultaneously passing the plate and kicking him in the ankle.

Ron jumped, then sighed in relief. "Yeah. Old pen-pal. From back in school." He accepted the plate of sandwiches from Hermione and took two.

Neville nodded. "Wow. She seemed rather young. Very friendly sort, she is."

Harry looked unconvinced. "A pen pal?"

Ron shifted in his seat, not meeting his gaze. "Yeah. Used to send owls back and forth all the time."

"Oh." Harry set his sandwich down and made a mental note to shake the truth out of his friend later.

Ron looked up at the faculty table. "OddÂ… she said she'd be down right after me." Her chair was empty. "Lunch is almost over. I wonder what kept her."

Hermione gave him an odd look and finished her sandwich in silence.

****************

Ron, Hermione, and Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room, chatting about the day's events. Herbology had proven rather interesting; Professor Sprout had given a brief lecture on plants that share names in Muggle and wizard Herbology and the differences between them. The Slytherins in the class, of course, had thought it the most dull thing they'd ever heard, but Harry had found it fascinating and Hermione had taken several scrolls of notes.

"There's a greenhouse not far from my home. I intend to look for a lot of these, just to see them in person!" Hermione was scribbling little notes in the margins of her notes. Ron stared at her, aghast.

"Honestly. Other girls enjoy flowers. You want to search out stinkweed and mandrakes." He rolled his eyes. "Remind me to pick you a bunch of snapdragons from Sprout's greenhouse one of these days."

"Oh, shut it." Hermione snorted, not looking up. "Just because I enjoy learningÂ…"

Her fledgling tirade was interrupted by a breathless Ginny.

"Cor, Ron! You wouldn't believe what happened in Divination!" She dropped her books with a clatter onto the nearest table, almost upsetting Hermione's ink pot.

Ron sat up as though he'd been stung. "What happened?"

She sat down on the arm of his chair, red pigtails bouncing. "Someone set off a dungbomb in her teapot. It broke into all sorts of pieces. Madam Carter got really mad, thenÂ…" She looked puzzled for a moment. "She started picking up the pieces. By hand."

Harry looked surprised. "Why didn't she just use a repair charm?"

Ginny nodded at him emphatically. "That's what Dennis and I said! She looked all embarrassed and said she hadn't slept much, wasn't thinking right...she pulls out her wand, says the words, then BAM."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione leaned forward anxiously.

"She fell down. Dropped her wand like it bit her. Almost fainted. Dennis and Moira caught her before she dropped the teapot again. She was pale all the rest of classÂ… She asked me to shuffle her tarot deck for her. It looked like she couldn't even hold it." Ginny looked uncharacteristically grave. "I think she might be sick or something."

Ron and Hermione exchanged worried looks. Harry just looked dumbfounded.

"We should keep an eye on her." He shook his head, concern replacing confusion. "There's something not right here."

Ron and Hermione looked ready to protest. Hermione scuffled her papers around, and Ron just shrugged.

"Yeah, probably not a bad idea," Ron said. "I'm going to go to the library. Back in a little bit."

"I'll go with you," Hermione said, leaping up and dashing after him. Her quill still sat in her inkpot.

Harry watched them go, then looked at Ginny. She blushed, as she always did when the two of them were alone, then mumbled something about the girl's dorm and wandered off up the stairs.

He sighed into a tattered copy of Which Broomstick? "Has everyone gone crazy, or is it just me?"