The Meeting with Minerva
Chapter 5: The Meeting with Minerva
“Professor?” Draco called, looking around the room, expecting a tabby cat with spectacle markings to appear and pounce on him, claws extended.
But nothing happened.
He walked further into the office and noticed there were two chairs in front of McGonagall’s desk. So the other student must be coming too . He walked around the side of one of the chairs, moving to sit down, when he noticed there was a bag on the chair filled with books and parchment.
He knew that bag. Granger’s bag . Of course the other student would be Granger. Well, at least they’d be spending some time together this year. Draco took what he assumed was his seat next to the chair with her bag in it. Feeling like he was missing something, he fidgeted and shifted around in his seat until he saw a blue glow fill the room from behind him.
Turning around out of curiosity, he found McGonagall and Granger and finally showed up, although he hadn’t heard the door open at all.
“Apologies for my tardiness, Mr. Malfoy,” the elder witch nodded curtly in his direction. She collected a thin, dainty golden chain from around hers and Granger’s necks, gathering it in her palm and handing it carefully to the girl.
“You will both be learning how to use a Time Turner today. You will obey all the rules of time travel that are set for you today, or they will be revoked and you will receive very severe and extensive punishments for any improper use of these artifacts,” she said the latter portion directly to Draco, as though Miss Rulebreaker herself sitting next to him didn’t break more school rules annually than he ever had the past two years combined. Draco was sure this year would be no different.
Granger sat all prim and proper, back straight and nose up in the air, as if she were a real class act. Draco knew better, though. He’d seen her light a professor’s robes on fire, for Merlin’s sake! While mildly offended, Draco kept his mother’s words from Diagon Alley in his mind and ignored the implication written all over McGonagall’s face.
“I am honored to be given this opportunity to further my studies, Professor,” was all he said with a diplomatic smile. It was true, even. The “self-righteous bint” part he kept to himself however.
Seemingly placated for the time being, McGonagall took out a small black box and handed it to the boy. The soft black velvet warmed at his touch and he felt the draw to open it. He looked questioningly at the woman. “You may open it,” she said.
He had never seen one up close, but he recognized it instantly. A time turner. He had read about them, of course, but not much was actually said about them other than the fact that they existed. The library at Malfoy Manor held many secrets and forgotten magic, but time magic was one that had eluded them.
Lifting the silver pocket watch out of the box, he read the inscription:
“I wait for no man, yet stand perfectly still,
I fly with no wings, and inevitably kill.
I may be turned back, but only by few,
Useful in tasks asked only of you.”
He turned it over in his palm, careful not to disrupt the tiny grains of black sand encased by a miniature hourglass at the center of the watch. He leaned over to get a look at Granger’s as she had taken hers out to admire and compare as well. Hers was golden with white sand and made to be a long necklace. It had a different inscription he noticed, as did Granger. They had bumped heads trying to get a good look at the other’s.
“Have a look?” He offered with a smirk. She chewed the inside of her cheek, blushing for being caught looking. She paused for half a second before eagerly swapping time turners for inspection. McGonagall grunted, but couldn’t quite hide the tiny surprised smile he knew graced her taut features.
“I mark the hours, every one,
Nor have I yet outrun the Sun.
My use and value, unto you,
Are gauged by what you have to do.”
Granger furrowed her brow as she read his inscription, like it was some type of riddle to solve. Obviously the answer to both was time or time travel and Draco just rolled his eyes at her need to over-complicate everything in her path. Handing the golden pendant back to her, he carefully retrieved his silver pocket watch and held it firmly in his grasp, unwilling to let go of such a precious object.
“It took a great deal of convincing from both myself and the Headmaster for you both to be allowed to use these for the school year. While they are only to be used for the purpose of studying and attending classes, I expect you both to know when you are overworking yourselves. You may, of course, use the time turners to gain an extra hour of sleep or to get meals in addition to the aforementioned. Both Professor Dumbledore and myself expect you to maintain your health first and foremost. If we suspect either of you are in over your heads, you may be asked to drop a course. Is that understood?” She demanded an answer, but in a much more maternal way than before. Her condescending attitude had waned after seeing the two students interact like the friends they were when Prince Potter and Weaselby weren’t around.
Granger gasped at the mention of dropping a course, but replied in turn with Draco. “Yes, Professor,” both students answered.
“Good,” she held a mantronly smile, “I will not be the only one to teach you to use these today. My only experience with them is as a student much like yourselves. I must introduce Professor Saul Croaker, he is an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries and specializes in time magic. I’m sure both of you will find his lecture quite stimulating,” she finished giddily, and Draco now understood why Granger was her favorite student—they were nearly the same in every way except Quidditch.
At the introduction, a middle-aged man entered through the door behind them. Both Draco and Hermione turned to get a good look at the man but it was difficult—he kept shifting in and out of focus. The two students looked on uncomfortably, trying to make out any features.
“Oh, yes, apologies! Unspeakables are trained to keep our identities a secret, but I suppose there’s no need for that here, eh?” The man smiled at Granger and his fair slowly formed into clearer lines and colors—a sandy brown decidedly. He turned his attention to see that Draco was also in their midst and his mood soured significantly.
“Professor Croaker, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Draco said formally, hand extended in greeting. The older man gawked at the gesture and placed his own hands firmly into the pockets of his violet robes.
Draco lowered his hand, but shook off the snub. He knew the man would recognize him as the son of Lucius Malfoy, most notorious lobbyist and Ministry puppeteer. Stay polite.
The man’s face was filled in with clarity now, and had a rather animalistic face—which animal, though, Draco couldn’t tell yet. The new instructor turned his attention back to Granger, finding her much more of an appealing pupil.
“Now, I assume you know what you hold in your hands?” He asked, carefully plucking the golden timepiece from Granger’s open palm. She nodded and he continued, not bothering to check for Draco’s response. “Just as the human mind cannot comprehend time, so it cannot comprehend the damage that will ensue if we presume to tamper with its laws,” he said, turning a baleful eye toward the boy behind him.
“Professor—“ Granger drew the man’s attention once again, “if the Ministry has time turners, why is it that no one’s ever gone back to prevent Voldem—“ she paused at the man’s shudder, “mort from rising to power?” She finished her question timidly. Before answering, the Unspeakable glowered at Draco as though he had single-handedly brought the Dark Lord to power—perhaps his father had indeed done so, but he also worked against the wizard too—though no one would ever know…
“My dear girl, what an excellent question! In fact, it brings us to rule number one of time travel!” The man clapped excitedly, ushering the two students back into their chairs. “As our investigations currently stand, the longest period that may be r-elived without the possibility of serious harm to the traveller or to time itself is around five hours. We have been able to encase single Hour-Reversal Charms, which are unstable and benefit from containment, in small, enchanted hour-glasses that may be worn around a witch or wizard’s neck and revolved according to the number of hours the user wishes to re-live”
Draco and Hermione nodded in agreement that it made some sense, but of course Granger had to ask another question. “But what happens when a traveller goes back farther than five hours?”
The man raised a questioning brow, clearly concerned that the inquiry had come from her and not Draco. “All attempts to travel back further than a few hours have resulted in catastrophic harm to the witch or wizard involved. It was not realised for many years why time travellers over great distances never survived their journeys. All such experiments have been abandoned since 1899, when Eloise Mintumble became trapped, for a period of five days, in the year 1402. Now we understand that her body had aged five centuries in its return to the present and, irreparably damaged, she died in St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries shortly after we managed to retrieve her. What’s more, her five days in the distant past caused great disturbance to the life paths of all those she met, changing the course of their lives so dramatically that no fewer than twenty-five of their descendants vanished in the present, having been “un-born”.” He answered solemnly, gauging the teens’ reactions and whether he had scared them quite thoroughly enough.
“Why was Eloise given a time turner? Didn’t anyone ask where—I mean, when she was going?” Granger asked again.
Professor Croaker sighed, dissatisfied with her intrigue in the line of thought. “She was an Unspeakable and was one of the few willing to not just study time, but travel it.”
Seemingly satisfied, Granger nodded in approval for the man to continue. He spoke about the next rule: when they traveled they were not to be seen by anyone unnecessarily, and absolutely never by their own selves.
“What would happen if you saw yourself?” Draco wondered aloud, earning a glare from Professor Croaker for the interruption.
“Mr. Malfoy, do you know what a temporal paradox is?” The man sneered at him
“Yes,” Draco scoffed, equally annoyed.
“Then do not interrupt me again!” Professor Croaker quite literally barked at him. Granger gave Draco a soft, sad smile when Croaker turned his back to them momentarily.
“Professor Croaker, how do the time turners work?” Granger asked, attempting to diffuse the tension.
“Marvelous question, young lady!” The man beamed at her, once again forgetting Draco’s presence. “Essentially it is an Hour-Reversal charm that is given stability by the artifact which houses it. We use only goblin-made timepieces to add to the magical ability without allowing the charm to become volatile.”
Granger was on the edge of her seat, enraptured by the Unspeakable’s knowledge of such a foreign and secretive branch of magic. Draco wouldn’t be surprised if the witch ended up as an Unspeakable herself, one day. Nah, she wouldn’t be able to keep all that to herself—she needs someone to belittle with her lectures. Draco laughed internally, only the hint of an amused smile giving him away.
After droning on about the same three points, and nattering away about his own life and experiences, Professor Croaker bid them good day, and Draco realized that it was past lunch and neither he nor Granger had eaten anything that day. As if on cue, his stomach grumbled when McGonagall strode back into the room.
“Now, you will both be using your time turners to return back in time for breakfast. Each turn of the hourglass will take you back exactly one hour. I don’t recommend using half-turns as they can be quite tricky. You’ll need to find a secluded place to use your time turners so that you aren’t seen by the other students, as it does emit a vibrant blue glow when in use. Broom cupboards and empty bathrooms are easy enough. For your first time, you may as well give it a go together,” she smirked at the two teenagers who had grown a bit pink in the cheeks. “Mr. Malfoy, why don’t you use yours since Miss Granger has already seen how hers works. Since yours is not on a long chain, Miss Granger, you will need to hold on to Mr. Malfoy and have at least one hand on the time turner as well.”
The Professor sat behind her desk, effectively dismissing the pair. They cracked the office door open slowly, checking for any other students before walking out together.
The two wound their way down the corridor, reaching the tapestries. Draco pulled one aside, looking around for any onlookers, and Granger stepped into the alcove just ahead of him. He took his new pocket watch out and offered his elbow for her to hold on, but instead she reached an arm around his waist, tucking herself against him tightly. Knowing she couldn’t see his face through her curls, he smiled genuinely as the familiarity. He held the pocket watch out, wrapping his other arm around her shoulder to turn the hourglass at the center.
“How many turns do you think we need?” He paused, unsure of what time it even was.
“Three?” She offered, just as unsure as he felt.
“Three it is,” he said, mustering up some confidence.
“One…” he flipped the sand over, but it didn’t move.
“It’s okay, keep going,” she encouraged.
“Two…” again the sand stayed frozen in place. “Three…” she placed her hand on the other side of the watch and they waited a few seconds when the sand began to fall slowly. Their surroundings didn’t change, but Draco felt the vertigo wash over him like waves sliding across a shoreline.
The sand stopped, stuck firmly back in place, and he looked to the girl still tightly wrapped around him.
“I think it’s done,” he said, annoyed that he ruined the moment when she quickly dislodged herself from his side and peeked out from behind the tapestry.
“It’s clear,” she smiled brightly. “I’ll go first and to the right, you wait about a minute before coming out and go to the left.”
She disappeared into the corridor, and Draco slumped against the wall, gulping in a calming breath. She basically hugged me. Not holding my arm like society girls are supposed to, but she actually held on to me— His brain couldn’t process any more than that and he stowed the pocket watch away and darted out from behind the tapestry, turning to the left.
…
“Oi! Draco, where you been, mate? You left me alone in the dorms with Blaise,” Theo groaned as he waved his best friend over to where he and Pansy sat, shunned by the rest of the table.
“Oh, sorry,” he replied, a little irritated. “I had an early meeting with McGonagall about my class schedule for this term.”
“Okaaayy,” the lanky boy whinged, still wanting to make a fuss. “But I was alone. With Blaise !”
“Listen, Theo,” Draco grew cross, “you’re gonna have to sort this shite out with him alright? You two were best mates for the last two years and you need to just own up to it and talk to him!”
“But—“
“Fix it!” Draco growled before grabbing an apple off the table and taking a large bite with a crunch.
“I will…” Theo said softly. “I will, I promise, I just don’t know how.”
“Enough of this depressing girl shit,” Pansy snapped, “Potter’s walking in. Go on, Draco, give us your best impression.” She smirked at him, but the blonde boy just rolled his eyes.
“Not really a great time, Pans,” he grumbled.
“No, go on,” Theo piped up, “give us a laugh, please, Draco?”
Draco dramatically sighed and set the apple down. As Potter walked in, he threw the back of his hand to his forehead and dipped backward to Pansy’s shoulder in a mock faint. The surrounding students roared with laughter, even some from the adjacent tables.
“Ignore him,” Granger said, and Draco sent her a cheeky smirk. She was right behind Potter, rolling her lips in on themselves trying to stifle her smile. “Just ignore him, it’s not worth it...” Granger whispered to Potter half-heartedly.
The Gryffindors turned toward their own table, and Draco laughed as he slid back into his seat.
“Hey, Potter!” Pansy shrieked, feeling emboldened by the reaction Draco had gotten moments before. “Potter! The Dementors are coming, Potter! Woooooooooo!”
She earned a chuckle or two, but for the most part was ignored. She did however, receive irritated and disinterested looks from both Daphne and Tracey at the other end of the table.
“That’s enough, Pans, he’s already gone,” Draco patted her shoulder before getting up and leaving the table. As he walked toward the door, he passed Snape, grabbing his new timestable from the brooding professor.
…
He avoided Theo and Pansy for the remainder of the day. Ducking out of sight to use the time turner proved to be more difficult than he had anticipated. It seemed like just as he would pull out the pocket watch, someone would come skirting around the corner, or dash into the empty classroom looking for someone or something. By the time he was truly alone, he would have to go back two hours instead of one and hide out until the proper time to walk to his next class.
The only Professor that took any notice of his comings and goings, and actually looked confused was Professor Lupin. Draco just supposed Professor McGonagall or Dumbledore failed to mention it to the man, assuming Draco would be more than capable of keeping up with his schedule, but each time he was in the vicinity of the new professor, the man seemed to stalk him with his eyes. It was unnerving. Luckily, Theo was in most of Draco’s classes and he often ran interference when the new professor would latch on to the Slytherin in the corridors. It should’ve been a comforting thought, but the older wizard just seemed to badger the both of them equally with his staring.
The first class Draco had to circle back to with the time turner was Divination. He stalked up toward Professor Trelawney’s tower but when he got to it, he was at a loss for how to enter. There were no doors in the walls around him, and students were starting to pile onto the landing and stairs below. Greg pushed through to the front near Draco, Millie in tow behind him pointing at the ceiling overhead.
Above them, there was a circular trapdoor with a brass name placard. At precisely the top of the hour, a silver ladder descended from the trapdoor and the Slytherin students all looked around as if to say “you first” to each other. With a houghty snort, Daphne elbowed her way to the ladder and climbed up first, closely followed by Tracey and Millie. The boys followed shortly after.
Draco’s nose was assaulted the second his head breached the opening at the top of the ladder. The air was thick with heavy perfumes and entirely too warm with all the windows closed. A fire crackled in the hearth, and nearly twenty small round tables were scattered around the room with little poufs and musty mismatched armchairs. The room was lit with a crimson hue that glanced off the various candles and crystal balls. Packs of tattered playing cards were scattered about, along with every color and pattern of teacup one could imagine.
The disarray of the room along with the scents wafting about made Draco’s eyes and head swim. He thought of dipping away from the classroom and getting some fresh air before returning with the time turner, but couldn’t work it out logistically—the room was much too crowded even with the smaller number of students who had decided to take the class.
Draco found a seat next to Greg and Millicent near the front, much to his dismay, but the only other available seat was crammed at a table with Daphne and Tracey, and he didn’t think that would be fair to Pansy. He slouched down on the little lilac-colored pouf, waiting for Professor Trelawney to make her entrance. He had heard from Flint that the woman was mad as a hatter, and from what little he had seen of her wardrobe in the Great Hall he had to agree.
“Welcome! How wonderful to see your lovely faces with my real two eyes!” A thin woman appeared in the firelight, large glasses giving her eyes the appearance of an insect.
She wore two layers of gauzy emerald and gold glittering shawls over layers of purple and pink robes and dresses. Her neck was weighed down by stacked gold and silver necklaces and pendants, some Draco guessed were amulets of some sort. Her fingers and wrists were encrusted with jeweled bangles and gaudy rings. Draco’s “inner eye” was gagging at the sight. He caught Daphne’s eye out of the corner of his own and they shared a mocking raised brow—both expressing the same sentiment— if only Narcissa could see this woman!
“Welcome to Divination,” said Professor Trelawney, who had seated herself in a winged armchair in front of the fire. “My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye.”
The Slytherins remained quiet at this extraordinary pronouncement. Professor Trelawney delicately rearranged her shawl and continued, “So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the genesis that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you... Books can take you only so far in this field...” the woman looked around the room, inspecting each pupil with her oversized insect eyes.
“Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future,” Professor Trelawney went on, her enormous, gleaming eyes moving from face to nervous face. “It is a Gift granted to few. You, boy,” she said suddenly to Greg, who almost toppled off his orange pouf. “Is your sister well?”
“I-I don’t have a sister,” said Greg tremulously.
“I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you, dear,” said Professor Trelawney, the firelight glinting on her long emerald earrings. Greg gulped uncertainly and Draco could hardly keep himself from bursting into uncontrollable laughter.
Professor Trelawney continued placidly. “We will be covering the basic methods of Divination this year. The first term will be devoted to reading the tea leaves. Next term we shall progress to palmistry. By the way, my dear,” she shot suddenly at Millicent, “beware a toad-faced woman.” Millie gave a startled look at Greg and Draco who both shrugged in confusion as well.
“In the second term,” Professor Trelawney went on, “we shall progress to the crystal ball — if we have finished with fire omens, that is. Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February by a nasty bout of flu. I myself will lose my voice. And around Easter, one of our number will leave us for ever.”
A very tense silence followed this pronouncement, but Professor Trelawney seemed unaware of it.
“I wonder, dear,” she said to Daphne, who was nearest and shrank back in her chair, “if you could pass me the largest silver teapot?”
Daphne, looking relieved, stood up, took an enormous teapot from the shelf, and put it down on the table in front of Professor Trelawney.
“Thank you, my dear. Incidentally, that thing you are fearing — it will happen on Tuesday the nineteenth of October.”
Daphne trembled.
“Now, I want you all to divide into pairs. Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me, and I will fill it. Then sit down and drink, drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of Unfogging the Future . I shall move among you, helping and instructing.
“Draco, my dear, you will pair with Miss Greengrass,” she said as she closed her eyes and tipped her head toward the ceiling as if getting a vision. “Yes, that will work nicely as you both have very strong Inner Eyes,” she smiled to herself and turned back toward another pair of students chastising them for not being a “good match”.
Draco reluctantly turned toward Daphne and gave her a half-smile to which she replied with a nonchalant shrug. Tracey, who was clearly irritated with the assignment of her best friend to someone other than herself, stomped away to look for another partner out of the ravenclaws present.
“Okay, so I guess let’s get the tea and drink, then?” Draco offered.
Daphne nodded and they waited in line for Trelawney to begin pouring tea into both of their cups. After letting the tea cool for a moment, they each gulped the tea in one large swallow, as the loose tea leaves Trelawney had chosen tasted horrendous together. They swilled the dregs around as Professor Trelawney had instructed, then drained the cups and swapped over.
Draco had his book open to pages five and six, “Right then, you wanna go first?” He asked, eyeing his cup.
“Honestly, I’m a bit nervous now that she expects us to have the Sight, you know?” Daphne responded, subtly picking at her cuticles.
“It’s alright, I’ll read yours,” he smiled at the girl sitting across from him. He picked up her cup and turned it a few times to try and see if any of the little clumps of tea leaves resembled the shapes on the page. “Okay…so this could be like an arch maybe? And next to it is a down arrow…or maybe an anchor?”
Daphne anxiously tapped her fingers on the table and Draco cleared his throat, growing anxious, himself, by her nervous energy.
“So you’re bringing something together but it’s in the wrong direction? Or maybe you’re coming together but it’s a difficult change? Sorry, Daph, I’m dreadful, I know.”
The two blondes both furrowed their brows staring at the pages in the book, looking for any other possible kind of meaning for the symbols but neither could think of one that might fit.
“I guess I’ll go, then,” Daphne finally gave in and picked up Draco’s teacup. “I see a heart so that’s obviously romance or love…and dashes, well that’s brief travels…and a bird or an M? If it’s a bird it could be fire or maybe mountains if you’re traveling? Or it could just be a bird I guess—“
“Marvelous! I knew you two would be our strongest pairing. Are you in the beyond? Your auras are pulsing!” Professor Trelawney had snuck up on them and was snatching Draco’s cup away from Daphne to look, herself.
“Oh yes, so sad, my dear, you will see great sorrow and a sharp pain will accompany it. You will be the cause of your own downfall, I’m afraid,” she said gravely before setting the cup down and waltzing abruptly away to Greg and Millie’s table. Draco and Daphne stared at each other, trying to decide whether to take it seriously of begin laughing at the absurdity of it all. None of Trelawney’s statements coincided with any of the symbols in their books—and both students were left scratching their heads in confusion.
By the end of the class period, she had told Tracey that her brother would die within the year, “a sad, untimely end” she had called it. The girl ran off crying, and Millie followed shortly after her bawling about all the misfortunes that surely awaited her according to Trelawney. Greg lumbered after the poor girls. Once they had packed up their books, Draco scooted aside to let Daphne down the ladder first, then dropped down as well.
Draco walked slowly to Arithmancy, his brain filled with the symbols Daphne had found in his tea leaves mixing with what Trelawney had prophesied. He would have to write home to his mother and see if she had any insights—she was rather good with some aspects of Divination, even if it wasn’t her specialty. Draco was so immersed in his own thoughts he didn’t even notice when he bumped into Granger as they both attempted to walk through the door at the same time.
“Oh, sorry there, Granger. I didn’t see you,” he said awkwardly. He backed away to give her enough space and she gave him a small smile before walking into the classroom. They each took a seat near the front, but left three desks between them, which were promptly filled by Theo, Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil. The classroom was barely half-full when Professor Vector briskly strode into the room.
“Welcome class, I am Professor Septima Vector. I will attempt to teach you the intricate and complex art of arithmancy. While there are few of you in this classroom, rest assured only half of you will proceed to the next term in this class. Turn to page twelve , and begin reading through page seventy-two. I expect all practice work to be completed as you read as each principle builds on the last.”
The room fell silent and books were roughly flipped open in fear of not finishing the assignment before the class period ended. Draco and Hermione were no exception. Suddenly, Draco wondered if he had made a grave mistake in taking this class.