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chapter two | first day shenanigans

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DESPITE ASKING THREE TIMES if she could get some sugar to put in her tea, and Trelawney denying each and every one, Maddie drank her drink and swilled the dredges, just like she'd been instructed to do.

"What can you see in mine?" she asked Jess.

They had their books open to pages five and six - and were scrunching up their faces in concentration as they titled their heads to try and make out a shape.

"Broaden your minds, my dears! And allow your eyes to see past the mundane!"

Maddie snickered.

"Right, so you've got... that looks a bit like an acorn? And that's a lucky symbol, I think, so that's good, and it also means... unexpected gold," said Jess, still wearing an unsure look on her face.

"Nice," Maddie smiled.

"But, that there that overlaps it, that looks a bit like a wheel... which means inevitable change,"

"...What?" Maddie said with a frown, before letting out a laugh.

"It's the tea leaves, my dear!" said Jess, putting on her best Trelawney impression. "I allowed my eyes to see past the mundane! OK, what does mine say?"

Maddie's grin faded into a face of concentration as her attention turned back to Jessica's teacup. "Okay... you've got... that looks a bit like a basket, which means - Ooh, Jess, that means an addition to the family!"

Jess let out a laugh.

"I bet," she said.

"And that looks like a wine glass, which... apparently means celebration, or sommat,"

"So, you're getting unexpected gold and an inevitable change, and I'm apparently getting a new addition to the family and a celebration?"

"That sounds rigged," said Maddie. "I bet everyone else got good things too. Jake, what did-?!"

But Maddie's call to Jake was interrupted by Trelawney speaking rather loudly to Harry and Ron across the room.

"The club... an attack... dear, dear, this is not a happy cup..."

"Oh." said Maddie bluntly.

"I thought that was a bowler hat," said Ron, sheepishly.

"The skull, danger in your path, my dear..."

Everyone seemed to be distracted by Trelawney, spinning Harry's cup to look at a different shapes - before she gasped loudly. There was another tinkle of china, as Neville broke his second cup.

Trelawney sank back into her armchair, hand at her heart with her eyes closed.

"...The fuck?" Maddie muttered.

"My dear boy - my poor, dear boy - no - it is kinder not to say - no, don't ask me,"

"What is it?" Maddie questioned loudly, as Dean Thomas opened his mouth, clearly about to ask the same thing.

The brunette girl jumped up from her seat, her and Jess rushing over to Harry's table curiously, soon followed by Jake and many other students, trying to get a glimpse of whatever was in his cup and what it meant. Maddie leaned over Ron's shoulder, her curly hair dangling in front of his face. He swatted it away.

"Haha, sorry," she chuckled, flicking her locks over her shoulder. She seemed to be one of the few students that weren't too phased by Trelawney's dramatic reaction.

"My dear," Trelawney's eyes opened widely. "You have the Grim,"

"The what?" said Harry. Maddie and Jake exchanged bewildered glances, as many - including Jess - clasped their hands over their mouthes.

"What is it?" Maddie asked Jess, who's eyes had widened a little since spotting the meaning of the dog shape in Harry's cup.

"The Grim, my dear, the Grim!" cried Professor Trelawney, who seemed to be shocked that so many hadn't understood. "The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards! My dear boy, it is an omen - the worst omen - of death!"

Maddie raised her eyebrows as Lavender Brown too clasped her hands over her mouth - everyone was frozen, until Hermione Granger shuffled to get a look at his cup.

"I don't think it looks like a Grim," she said flatly. Jake smiled, almost with admiration at the girl (like he always did). Maddie pulled a face at the boy, teasing him, and Professor Trelawney looked towards Hermione with a face of dislike.

"You'll forgive me for saying so, my dear, but I perceive very little aura around you. Very little receptivity to the resonances of the future,"

"Bit harsh," said Maddie.

Seamus Finnigan tilted his head from side to side.

"It looks like a Grim if you do this," he said, his eyes almost shut. "But it looks more like a donkey from here," he said, leaning to the left.

"When you've all finished deciding whether I'm going to die or not!" Harry suddenly spoke.

Maddie let out a laugh at his sarcasm, having to shut her hand over her mouth to stop. It was a bad habit of hers - laughing in a situation that should be anything but laughed at. She could see Ron's shoulders in front of her tense up.

"I think we will leave the lesson here, for today," said Trelawney. "Yes... please pack your things,"

And so, everyone brought their teacups back to Professor Trelawney, before packing away their books into their bags.

"Well, that's one way to start the term," said Maddie. "Give your students death threats,"

"Until we meet again," said Professor Trelawney faintly. "Fair fortune be yours. Oh, and dear-" she turned to Neville. "You'll be late, next time, so mind you work extra hard to catch up,"

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Maddie was glad to get to lunch later that day - all that exploding potions and watching her teacher flip over a dog shape in a tea cup had really worked up her appetite. Not to mention, she barely ever ate much breakfast - she never felt in the mood for food during the morning, she was still practically waking up as she walked to her first lesson.

Side-by-side with Jake, Maddie grinned at a pair of familiar voices echoing to her down the hall, as she turned to see her brother's best friends catching up to chat with her.

"Maddy-son!" said George gleefully.

"Thought we recognised that head of crazy hair," said Fred. "How's third year going?"

"Well, you two and Lee were right about Divination," she said.

"Did Trelawney tell someone they were going to die?"

"Harry,"

"I knew it'd be him!" said George brightly. "Poor bloke hasn't had a break yet,"

"Who was it in your year?" Jake spoke up. He was a lot more shy than Maddie, and so didn't speak to many - but, Fred and George were one of the very few exceptions. They were too friendly not to talk to.

"Uh..." said George, having to think. "Was it Alicia?"

"Nah," said Fred. "It was one of the Hufflepuff girls, wasn't it?"

"The red-head girl, Maisie? No, it wasn't Maisie..." said George. "It wasn't that girl Kaya, was it?"

"No, I don't think so," said Fred, before shrugging. "Oh, well, we can't remember. That's how much of an impact it had,"

"I had to sit with your brother in potions," said Maddie, as they reached the Gryffindor table.

"Oh look, here's the Jordan disappointment,"

Maddie turned to see her brother, just joining the four as they sat down.

"You don't always need to refer to yourself in third person, you know," she said, and Lee ruffled her thick hair.

"Lee, how was Charms?" said George.

"Fucking shit," said Lee, grabbing a sandwich. The twins laughed. "As if I needed another lesson on the bloody Summoning Charm,"

"It's because you're thick," said Maddie, reaching for a pork pie.

"You're one to talk, Miss 'Let's-Fuck-Up-My-Potion-Every-Lesson',"

"Haha, Mads was just telling us she had to sit with Ron in potions," said Fred.

"Has to," Maddie corrected. "Snape did it permanently - git,"

"How was he? Ron, not Snape."

"A miserable bastard," said Maddie, and Jake snorted.

"Nothing new, then," said George. Jake had turned to chat with Neville, just as Jess rushed into the hall, and sat down.

"Jessica!" Lee greeted, and she pulled a funny face at him, which he mirrored back.

"What are you lunatics yapping about?" she said, pouring herself some pumpkin juice.

"Ron being miserable," said George casually. Jess laughed.

"Yeah, he wasn't too chuffed about having Mads sit next to him. I'm sure it was definitely a personal thing," she added with a teasing glance to Maddie, who playfully rolled her eyes.

"I don't think he likes me very much," Maddie laughed.

"I don't blame him," said Lee, and Maddie stomped on his foot.

"Have you lot had Hagrid to teach yet?" Jess asked.

"Not yet," said Fred. "We'll have him later, fifth,"

"Ah, we've got him just before," said Maddie. "Wonder what he'll be like?"

"He could show us a toad and it would be more interesting than Kettleburn's lessons," said Lee.

"Who's showing who a toad?"

Oliver Wood (also known as Jessica's older brother) had just joined the table, sitting on the right to his friendship group and turning his head left, making conversation with his fellow Quidditch players and his little sister's friends.

"Woody!" said Maddie loudly.

"We were on about Hagrid teaching," said Jake.

"Oh, I don't take Care of Magical Creatures," said Oliver. "I wouldn't know. All I know is Kettleburn was really boring, so that put me off the subject immediately,"

"That and it had no relation to Quidditch, so it was automatically useless," said Jess.

"I-" Oliver began.

"Don't lie, Ollie!"

"Yeah, Jess probably has a point," said Lee.

"Shut up,"

Maddie, Jess and Jake were quite excited to get to Care of Magical Creatures, and they wore broad grins as they chatted cheerfully, making their way across the damp grass to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Yet, their moods fell slightly at the sight of students in green robes heading the same way as them. Of course, they'd be taking the subject with the Slytherins.

"Oh, look," said Maddie with a scowl, nodding to the short-haired brunette girl leading her minions to join Malfoy. "There's the Moan-Atronic Five Thousand,"

Jake let out a laugh at Maddie's nickname for Pansy Parkinson, as the three watched her talking and sniggering with her followers. Maddie caught sight of another Slytherin girl, with gleaming, white hair, and her sour expression faded slightly.

Maddie and Diana did not know each other at all apart from the fact that they were in many lessons together, due to the fact that Diana was a Slytherin and Maddie a Gryffindor. However, despite never even having a proper conversation with each other, they both shared the same hatred for Pansy Parkinson, and had unconsciously ended up forming some kind of pact that if one of them was arguing with her, the other would back the girl up. It was an unspoken friendship - but they both had a major amount of respect for each other.

Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut with his dog, Fang, at his heels. He was obviously impatient to start.

"C'mon now, get a move on!" he called, as the class approached. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

"This is already better than Kettleburn, and he hasn't even shown us anything, yet, he's just taken us somewhere different," Jess said as they walked, causing Jake to snicker.

The class strolled off around the trees of the Forbidden Forest, and five minutes later, found themselves around what seemed to be an empty paddock.

"Everyone gather round the fence, here!" Hagrid called. "That's it - make sure yeh can see. Now, firs' thing yeh'll want to do is open yer books-"

"How?" said Malfoy coldly.

"Eh?" said Hagrid.

"How do we open our books?" He took out his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, which he had bound shut with a length of rope. Maddie brought hers out too - she'd belted hers together. Jess and Jake had clamped theirs together with bullclips.

"Hasn' - hasn' anyone been able to open their books?" Hagrid. Everyone shook their heads. "You've got ter stroke 'em," he said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Hagrid took Hermione's copy and ripped off the Sellotape that bound it. The book began to bite, but Hagrid ran a giant finger down its spine, and the book shivered, before falling open and laying quietly in his hand.

"Oh, how silly we've all been!" Malfoy sneered. "We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess?!"

"I... I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly to Hermione. Maddie began to feel pity for the bloke.

"Oh tremendously funny!" said Malfoy. "Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!"

"I know Malfoy! Shame they didn't rip yours off, isn't it?" said Maddie cooly. "Maybe it'd shut you up, for once,"

She didn't notice the tiny smile Ron gave her - before remembering he didn't like her, today, so he had to stop a bit quick. Diana let out a loud laugh.

"Righ' then," said Hagrid, who seemed to have lost his thread. "So... so, you've got yer books, an'... an'... now, yeh need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on..."

And he strode away from them, into the Forest and out of sight.

Maddie wasn't sure how on earth this lesson was going to go - but hey, it was already more entertaining than Kettleburn, so Hagrid was already a success in her eyes, anyway...