The Switch

The Switch

By Malfoyman

One morning in the Gryffindor common room, Mr Harry Potter woke up. His eyes opened, and travelled down to the clock, and he swore loudly. Last night he had been up till the crack of dawn alternating between doing homework for Transfiguration, Charms, Defence against the Dark Arts, and thinking about Cho Chang.

However, now that he realised he was 20 minutes late for Divination, he left the Common Room (leaving the Fat Lady wide open), pelted down the corridor and headed for the North Tower. Halfway across the Third Floor, he realised that he had forgotten his satchel, sped back down the Third Floor, pelted back along the corridor, grabbed has satchel, summoned his crystal ball ("Accio!"), and ran twice as fast back along the now well-worn route.

At the North Tower, he screeched to a halt, and ran into Ron Weasley.

"Hurry up! Trelawney’s already predicted your death!" said Ron..

"That’s nice, can you help me up?"

Ron ignored him and began singing a slow funeral march.

"RON!" Harry bellowed.

"Yes!" Ron screamed back just as loudly.

"I’m not dead yet!"

"You don’t say."

"And I don’t feel all that happy with you practicing right in front of me."

"I get your point."

"Now, if you wouldn’t mind just-"

"Do you want to be buried or cremated?"

"I want a leg up," Harry stated blankly.

"Ok, ok."

Harry stepped onto Ron’s interlocked fingers, and slid his bag up onto his shoulder, causing one of the seams to break. The crystal ball fell slowly (thank goodness for parachuting charms) down to the ground where it landed with a soft bump. Ron gave Harry a look that quite clearly said "who cares", and Harry climbed up to the Divination classroom, kicked down the rope ladder for Ron and summoned the crystal ball. Engulfed by the heavy and nauseating perfume that always surrounded the Divination Classroom, they stumbled forward, and sat down at a table with Seamus Finnigan, and Dean Thomas.

Professor Trelawney spotted them and strode over, and in her misty voice said:

"My dear, your crystal ball is dented, that is an omen for bad luck!"

Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil clapped their hands to their mouths and gasped (an action now ignored by everyone else).

"So in other words it’s another way to say I’m about to die?" Harry asked.

All four of them gave a snort of laughter.

"My dears, do not criticise the fates, or they will punish you to the Earth’s end," Professor Trelawney told them dramatically.

"Ooooooh!" Was the reply from Ron, Harry, Seamus and Dean

"Yes! To the Earth’s end!" Professor Trelawney exclaimed loudly, silencing the entire room.

"You mean Luxembourg then," said Dean, turning around to face Trelawney

"What are you talking about my dear?"

"He means that no-one can ever be bothered to go anywhere near Luxembourg," said Ron, in a tone that reminded Harry of Hermione, (she was at a special school for the extra-brainy this year).

"Ten points from Gryffindor for impertinence," proclaimed the Professor.

"That’s the Ninth Time this term that she has predicted your death Harry," Seamus pointed out, after Trelawney had walked away.

"Harry, every time she's predicted your death, you've lived. If she stops, then you'll probably die," Ron added.

"Yeah, don’t remind me."

"Hermione walked out, Harry, why not follow her example?" said Dean

"She was right about Trelawney though," said Ron

"Really Ron?" Asked Seamus, turning his laughter into a face of mock puzzlement. "When was Hermione right? She’s never been right!"

"Too true Seamus," muttered Harry. "Too true."

***

James Potter was having no such trouble with his day so far. He had woken up right on time, had a full breakfast, and as an added bonus, Severus Snape was going to turn up to breakfast tomorrow wearing Gryffindor colours (by ‘practicing’ his charm skills last night). He looked around at the people at his Divination table. Staring back at him were Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, and his best friend, Sirius Black, who wasn’t staring at, but was cross-eyed, had his tongue out, and was grinning stupidly. Everyone started laughing. This caused Professor Chronus (the Divination Teacher back then) to stride over to James’s table, and after a brief conversation about Luxembourg, deducted Ten points from Gryffindor, Snape and Lucius Malfoy had a victory symbol (which was a quick slap of their palms, which is now know as a high five).

Sirius whirled around to say something smart, and accidentally knocked James’s crystal ball over. Professor Chronus lazily waved his wand, muttered "Parachutius" and the crystal ball slowly rolled onto the wooden floorboards. James picked it up and put it back on the table with a clunk.

***

"Now my dears," said Professor Trelawney, almost slurring her words. "If you would be kind enough as to take out your crystal balls-"

She was interrupted by Seamus’ hand shooting into the air.

"Yes, Mr Finnigan?"

"Excuse me Miss, but Malfoy doesn’t have any balls. He doesn’t have any guts either."

All the Gryffindors howled with laughter. Except for Lavender and Parvati, who looked as amused as Professor McGonagall.

"Very funny Seamus. So funny that that will be ten points from Gryffindor."

But no-one cared. Ten points from Gryffindor was a bargain for the look on Malfoy’s face.

As Harry looked into his crystal ball, and gasped. What he saw was a long, long tube, and what looked like a mirror at the end. Before he could say anything, there was a small opening in his crystal ball, that grew larger and larger, and then with a gasp, Harry was sucked in.

"This is like using a Portkey," thought Harry, except that his navel wasn’t being jerked forward, but his nose.

***

"Hey Sirius," James began "Do you see anything odd in this crystal ball?"

"Nothing but the usual fog, unless you count that dent there…"

James bent over to see the dent.

"Where?"

Sirius whacked him over the head.

"Why you little… ow, that hurts"

Everyone started laughing, except for James who looked back to his crystal, and noticed a hole about the size of a Knut in his crystal ball – where the dent had been a moment ago. All of a sudden he was being sucked into the crystal ball, and as passed along the kilometre long tube, he saw the divination classroom at the other end. Suddenly, he saw what looked like himself travelling in the other direction.

"Who are you?" he called.

"Harry Potter," came the reply.

"Harry who?" he thought.

Before he could ponder the tube any longer, he spurted out the other end.

And facing James Potter, were Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan.

***

At the other end the Marauders were staring at Harry Potter. Except for Sirius, who was cross-eyed, and grinning with his tongue out.