Walter getting colder..so hard to ignore ya
02 September (Thursday) 1999
When you arrive in the common room, you make your way to your rooms. You briefly say goodbye to Astoria, as she also has to fetch her books for the first lesson. As it's a Thursday, you have Divination first and then Alchemy. You were only secretly interested in fortune telling because you knew that not many people really thought much of it. So you always kept your enthusiasm in check. You've always been aware that there are things even in magic that even magicians and witches don't really understand, let alone accept so easily. Since there was so much uproar this morning about the articles in the Daily Prophet. You did know that today's school lessons have a lot to do with the topic of the new prophecy.
Finally, you pack your things into an emerald green square daypack with a snake animal print. You had customised the rucksack to match your house, which you were very proud of. You make your way back to the Slytherin common room and meet up with Astoria again to go to Divination together. The classroom is in the North Tower of Hogwarts, which can be reached via a spiral staircase.
Astoria clings to your elbows as she pulls you from the spot. "Sorry I'm late. I had to freshen up a bit," she says amusedly, giving you a sheepish look. You roll your eyes slightly in response. She laughs and drags you out of the common room.
On the way, your thoughts keep dwelling on Snape. Although you only met yesterday, you are enchanted by him. You have so much respect for this man, an inexplicable trust. But still, you feel like you're going to get particularly burnt by him. If you don't start to curb your interest. You're making a promise to yourself, not to continue caring about him and his person. Surely he's an attractive man who has dozens of other older and experienced female lovers. At least that's what you would assume, regardless of whether it's really true or not. It's a thought that can make you distance yourself from him and that should be one of your first priorities for now.
"Divination is something we always have with the Gryffindors," Astoria said casually in passing. You nod at her, since the fact doesn't bother you and you'll never understand the nature of the house rivalry. In Beauxbatons, there were no houses, there was the community. Of course, tacitly, there were always smaller, somewhat inconspicuous groupings, but they tended to be divided between the talents of individual personalities. Rather, you were unsettled by the fact that the Houses were taking each other down. Only to receive the so-called house trophy at the end of the year.
You shake your head as you try to get the cruelty out of your mind. Which may have been practised by unfair students within the walls of this castle over the last few decades. You are a good person despite your nature. You don't like minorities, different looking or weaker people being hurt, oppressed or anything else done to them by others. In your eyes, everyone is equally valuable, everyone has talents or hidden specialities that are waiting to be discovered. You only support this development if the opportunities remain the same for everyone and no one is suppressed or even put down.
"It should be fun and interesting," you finally say, sounding very optimistic. Astoria registers your optimism and agrees. You stroll up the North Tower and its many steps. Inwardly, you marvel at the beauty of this castle once again, as the staircase spirals upwards.
Once in the classroom, you inspect the room. You first enter a wood-panelled corridor. This serves as a grandstand-like gallery along the walls, a kind of step-like arrangement. In total, the grandstand consists of 4 steps, with several round tables with cosy round stools distributed around the tables. The room is decorated with beautiful red curtains, with the table covers also in shades of red. On some of the walls are shelves with crystal baubles, cups, cards and teas. I giggle inwardly as I imagine the Gryffindor common room to be something like this.
As I look around a bit more, Astoria leads me to one of the lower seats in the stands. You take a seat next to her and stroke the fabric of the table covers once. You smile as you feel the velvet tickle your fingertips and give a big grin. Astoria laughs out loud at your grin.
"Can you feel the prophecy from this morning yet?" she says with amusement, unpacking her textbook. You give her a little pout as you take your textbook out of your bag too. "We might actually discuss something in class," you finally say. You rest your head on your hands, realising the heaviness of your sunken head. Astoria nods in agreement as the classroom fills with other students.
Professor Trelawney comes down the stairs from her office, which is opposite the bleachers, and distributes crystal balls around the classroom.
The crystal balls all float to a table and are placed in the centre. You observe your crystal ball and tap the glass.
"Today we are trying to tease out your deep messages, dear ones," she said briskly and continued. "As you have learnt today, there has once again been an important prophecy in the wizarding world that promises both terror and bliss." As she spoke, she waved her hands strangely in the air. You watched her whole figure and could easily make out her shaky voice. "Those of you who are allowed the true meaning of divination can learn to appreciate this gift." "Those who do not possess this ability," she paused for a moment while she considered and shrugged her shoulders, "cannot." "Nevertheless, don't let this fact discourage you, my dears, after all, each of you has the ability to possess the gift," she said, ending her speech. "You should never just look at a stone from the outside, after all, its interior could be hiding something far more beautiful," you murmur to yourself. Astoria noticed your remark and gave you a small grin.
On the whole, the lesson was a little more boring than you had hoped. Eventually you had to admit to yourself that you didn't have this deeply hidden gift in you. Astoria ended up using the crystal ball as a mirror while she touched up her lipstick. Meanwhile, all you could see in the crystal ball was a white fog-like noise.
The lesson went by faster than expected. On the way to the next lesson, which was alchemy. You had a short break, which you used to observe other classmates on the way to class.
Astoria told you a thing or two about some of her classmates. You only listened in with half an ear, as you weren't that interested in other people's concerns. In the corridors of Hogwarts, during the change of classes, it was very turbulent and there was a lot going on. However, your eyes were unconsciously searching for something else, of which you became all the more aware.
A tall, black-clad figure that you could see with every conscious cell you had. A shadow as dark as the night itself, with an almost pale skin, which is not hideous, but reflects the image of the moon. This stately figure of a man. You really had to pull yourself together as you became more and more aware of these unfortunate thoughts.
His dark gaze finally travelled to you before you could feel it. Your sky-blue eyes met his chestnut-coloured eyes for a brief moment, and you could see a slightly amused sensation flash through them. But as quickly as the sensation was there, it disappeared just as quickly. You could see an emotion on his face that could be categorised as satisfaction. However, your insides were churning and finally forced you to get away from his gaze.
You and Astoria finally turned a corner and continued on your way. In front of the classroom, several zinc cauldrons were stacked on top of each other and you were amazed that they were able to hold up. Some of the cauldrons were stacked at a dizzying angle. The classroom itself was smaller than in the wahrsagen classroom, although the number of students taking the class probably played a role.
Alchemy wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but you were already enthusiastic about it as a child. While your mum told you about the alchemist Nicolas Flamel. The French magician who developed the Philosopher's Stone. The same wizard who was proclaimed dead 3 years ago at the age of about 3323. Although no one had found his body. Inside you had the feeling that the good wizard had simply disappeared before the second wizard war began. You couldn't figure out why and how. But if you ever had the chance to face Mr Flamel in person, at least a small childhood dream would come true.
For you personally, it was more important to learn how to change valuable objects into even more valuable materials. Rather than being able to turn any metal into gold. Engrossed in your studies, the lesson passed so quickly that you were in a hurry to pack your things for the lunch break.
Hunger gnawed at you and you were curious to see what kind of food the house elves would prepare. In the back of your mind, you were also excited to see a black walking blur again. And although you didn't really want to admit it to yourself yet, this black blur was a pleasant memory.