First Day Back

"Hey look we've Herbology with Ravenclaw this year," Colin said scanning his schedule on the Gryffindor table.

"Great start," Chris said sarcastically. "First double Divination then History of magic and double Herbology. Perfect.

Ginny and Luna laughed.

Just then a tall black girl with long, braided hair had marched up to them.

"Hi, Angelina." Chris and Ginny said together.

"Hi," she said briskly, "good summer?" And without waiting for an answer, "Listen, I've been made Gryffindor Quidditch Captain."

"Great." Ginny smiled. "So I guess we need a new keeper?"

"Yeah, well, now that Oliver's left. I'm here to inform you that, tryouts are on Friday at five o'clock and I want the whole team there, all right?" She looked at Chris and Chris hurriedly nodded. "See you then."

"Yeah see you," Ginny said and Angelina left. "I hope we get someone good." 

"I hope so too." Chris agreed. 

"Colin should try," Ginny suggested suddenly.

"What? No. 'Course not." Colin choked in his juice.

"But you're great at flying, I've seen you," Ginny exclaimed.

"No, not good as you and Chris," Colin said.

"No one is as good as us," Chris said jokingly. "But on a serious note, you should try at least."

"I really don't... fine we'll see," Colin mumbled.

With a whoosh and a clatter, hundreds of owls came soaring in through the upper windows. They descended all over the Hall, bringing letters and packages to their owners and showering the breakfasters with droplets of water; it was clearly raining hard outside. Chris moved her juice aside quickly to make way for a large damp barn owl bearing a sodden Daily Prophet in its beak.

"Is there anything good?" Ginny grimaced, as Chris placed a Knut in the leather pouch on the owl's leg and it took off again.

"I want to know how much Fudge can go to save himself," Chris replied coldly, unfolding the front page.

As Ginny, Luna and Colin resumed their talk, Chris scanned the entire paper and found nothing about herself or Dumbledore, not even the boy who lived. There was a small article by Rita on a wizarding meeting some kind of, but nothing else interesting. 

After finishing breakfast Ginny and Luna went to their respective classes and Chris set off with Colin for North Tower where at the top of a tightly spiralling staircase, a silver stepladder led to a circular trapdoor in the ceiling and the room where Professor Trelawney lived.

The familiar sweet perfume spreading from the fire met their nostrils as they emerged at the top of the stepladder. As ever, the curtains were all closed; the circular room was bathed in a dim reddish light cast by the many lamps, which were all draped with scarves and shawls. Chris and Colin walked through the mass of occupied chintz chairs and poufs that cluttered the room and sat down at the same small circular table.

"Good day," said the misty voice of Professor Trelawney.

A very thin woman with enormous glasses that made her eyes appear far too large for her face.

"My dears, it is time for us to consider the stars," she said. "The movements of the planets and the mysterious portents they reveal only to those who understand the steps of the celestial dance. Human destiny may be deciphered by the planetary rays, which intermingle . . ."

Half an hour later, each of them had been given a complicated circular chart and was attempting to fill in the position of the planets at their moment of birth. It was dull work, requiring much consultation of timetables and calculation of angles.

"Ok this is too boring," Chris whispered to Colin. "Why my planets are almost straight in line? She'll think I made this all up."

Colin chuckled.

"At least you know what are those planets," he whispered back. "I think I've mixed Uranus and Neptune."

They both snickered. 

"A detailed analysis of the way the planetary movements in the coming month will affect you, with reference to your personal chart," said Professor Trelawney suddenly right behind Chris, making her jump. "I want it ready to hand in next Monday, and no excuses!"

Chris and Colin hurriedly nodded with the rest of the class.

"It's fun to watch Professor Trelawney, isn't it?" Colin laughed as they left the class.

"It is." Chris giggled.

Professor Binns, the ghost who taught History of Magic, had them writing weekly essays on the goblin rebellions of the eighteenth century.

Though the Herbology was a bit interesting.

"Bubotubers," Professor Sprout told them briskly. "They need squeezing. You will collect the pus and it's extremely valuable, so don't waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus."

Squeezing the bubotubers was disgusting, but oddly satisfying. As each swelling was popped, a large amount of thick yellowish-green liquid burst forth, which smelled strongly of petrol. They caught it in the bottles as Professor Sprout had indicated, and by the end of the lesson had collected several pints.

"That'll keep Madam Pomfrey happy," said Professor Sprout, stoppering the last bottle with a cork. "An excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne, bubotuber pus. Should stop students resorting to desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples."

After a long day as Chris, Ginny, Luna and Colin only had approached the Great Hall, when a Ravenclaw girl came to her. Chris immediately recognized her as Padma Patil. 

"Hi, Chris." 

"Hi. Congratulations." Chris said noticing her Prefect badge. "Perfect and all."

"Oh, thanks." Padma smiled. "Umm... listen, Chris, I heard what happened with Harry and Umbridge. Parvati told me. I'm just trying to ask if he's okay? I mean..."

"Wait, wait, hold your horses." Chris stopped her. "What happened between Harry and Umbridge?"

"Oh, you don't know?" Padma looked genuinely surprised. "They had a heated argument over... you know the last year thing. He shouted at Umbridge and she gave him detention, even complained to Professor McGonagall about him. Look, I believe you and Harry. But you know this is not the right way to prove his point."

"Right," Chris replied.

"So I guess you'll talk to him?" Padma asked.

"Yeah, I will. Thanks for letting me know." Chris said, Padma blushed and left.

"I knew something this will happen," Ginny said angrily. "That horrible woman..."

"Keep your voice down if you don't want to join Harry in detention." Chris snapped and marched towards the Gryffindor table.

"What d'you mean, you're not sure they believed Dumbledore?" Chris heard Harry saying before she sat down opposite to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"What happened?" Chris asked at once.

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To be continued...