You're So Vain
You had me several years ago, when I was still quite naive
Well you said that we made such a pretty pair
And that you would never leave
But you gave away the things you loved
And one of them was me
I had some dreams there were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee
5th September 1973
The first Monday of term began with a suppressed scream and two twins waking at the crack of dawn. It was safe to say that they were not enthused for their return; certainly not after the comfort of a summer with the Potters and Reg by their side.
Ara had hardly dreamt those weeks in the Manor; a fortune soon rectified by the cool glares of the Slytherins and the steady dread of the upcoming academic year. Though Dumbledore had asked her to come to him with her dreams, the siblings had agreed to keep the matter private. Especially considering that her current nightmare fixation was watching the elder falling from the Astronomy Tower - over and over again as some slimy man in bat-like robes cursed him under the oh-too-familiar cackles of Ara’s favourite cousin.
They’d finally filled Regulus in on her nightmares over the summer over the span of three question-filled days when they were at Potter Manor - the younger boy whining that they could never do that again. He refused to be kept out of the loop, not when he saw the consequences on their faces daily. After they’d shared a little cry, they’d agreed to stop keeping him in the dark. Ara had thought it would keep him safe, save his innocence. Looking to her baby brother - seeing so much in his innocently knowing gaze; she’d known it was the right choice to tell him.
At least Reg was perfectly content as he began his second year; accompanied on the train by a sweet orange kitten with a flat, ugly face.
“I love him.” Reg had sniffled, presenting the tiny orange kitten proudly to his sister in the back of the pet shop on Diagon Alley. She had beamed down at its smushed face, scratching it behind the ear. The cat was a present from the Potters for the siblings, though it was Reg that claimed him. They’d gone to the Alley to get an owl and ended up with a cat. “Apparently he’s a menace but he’s only been sweet to me.” Reg had cooed, nuzzling the ears of the purring kitten.
“What’s his name?”
“Shopkeeper said he was called Crookshanks. But I think he likes being called Crooks.” He’d stated delightedly, moving her to hunt for treats for the sweet beast.
“What an excellent name.” She’d smiled, wondering where on Earth she had heard it before.
Indeed, the tabby kitten was some oddly familiar friend; so strangely known to her. He’d often sneak from Reg’s room to find her over summer - not letting the change of scenery disrupt him from finding Ara. Resting on her lap as she watched the boys fly around the meadows; curled up beneath whatever book she read that day.
Despite being at Hogwarts for only two nights, she had already woken up to the kitten once. Really, she was beginning to feel bad for Reg that his cat kept flocking to her side.
Though it was rather nice to wake up from her nightmare to a warm bundle of comfort on her chest. She had watched a boy die in her dreams - saw him crumble beneath a fallen wall in the castle she called home. And Godric, he’d looked so similar to Fabian and Gideon that it had frightened her terribly.
It certainly did not bode well for their first day of classes.
Pandora joined the Gryffindor table for breakfast - sitting beside Ara despite the questioning looks of the older years. She’d gotten somehow more tanned over summer; practically glowing gold from head to toe.
“You looked very pretty.” She spoke by way of greeting, pouring herself a cup of tepid tea as Ara placed an arm around her blonde friend. “Though silver is certainly not your shade.”
“Thank you, Panda.” Ara smiled, though she had no idea what her best friend was referring too.
“What are you on about?” Sirius yawned, spreading jam on toast for Ara as Lily reached over him for the bowl of fruit - picking out the strawberries, delicately.
“Your wedding attire.” The girl replied simply, resting her head on Ara’s shoulder. “Papa showed me pictures in the Quibbler. I was invited by Killian, but I thought it best not to attend. Your hair looked particularly spectacular.” She looked up at Ara.
“Bella lent me her hair pins. They’re charmed to neaten curls.” Ara explained, trading the toast from her twin for a plate of bacon. “I wouldn’t have been able to make this mess work otherwise.”
“My mam bought me some new hair ties if you want to borrow some?” Lily offered, placing the plate by Sirius for the toast. He looked to her curiously, shrugging with a smile as he placed it beside the fruit and handed his twin her breakfast. She beamed at the pair, passing the pumpkin juice to the ginger and the bacon to her twin.
“Only if you help me wrangle this.” She gestured to the mass of curls sprouting from her head - puffing out until they brushed her shoulders.
“I think it looks rather lovely.” Pandora smiled airily, reaching a hand to fiddle with a particularly tight ringlet.
“It looks better when its longer.” Ara grumbled, her lips twitching upwards as Pandora shot her a pointed smile. “Alright, fine. I look lovely.” She rolled her eyes. “Shut up and drink your tea.”
“Only if you promise to wander with me later.” Pandora retorted. “Xeno in my year found a lovely spell to perfectly preserve flowers.”
“Are we making flower crowns again?” Lily asked excitedly.
“I thought we might braid them through Ara’s hair.” The blonde remarked.
“What are we on about?” James queried by way of greeting, flopping onto the bench between Sirius and Lily. The ginger girl scowled at his presence, shuffling away as she poured her glass.
“They’re prattling on about Ara’s hair.” Sirius explained with a hint of grumpiness. “At least you have hair.” He grumbled, accepting the fruit bowl from Ara for his porridge.
It’ll grow back, she promised, warmth in her eyes as she looked to her twin. His mood softened under her gaze.
We still look awful.
It’s temporary, she rolled her eyes.
Still bad. He retorted. I’ll prove it.
“Be honest, mate.” Sirius looked up at James. “I look like I escaped Azkaban, don’t I?”
“Nah,” James weakly gestured in dismissal, “it’s fine.”
“Don’t lie.” Sirius whined in warning, pouting as he ran a hand over his head.
“It’s edgy.”
“Stop it.”
“Promise mate, you look like a proper punk.”
Sirius paused his worrying at that, blinking in thought as he pulled at the short strands of his hair. A small smile lit on his face, lips curling up slightly.
“Really?”
“Yeah.” James nodded vigourously.
“At least I don’t look like a loo brush.” He laughed, mimicking the puff of Ara’s bobbed hair.
“Don’t be an arse.” Lily chastised him, nudging James away as he tried to move closer.
“I don’t think he knows how.” James laughed, the others joining - even Sirius, despite his earlier grumbles.
“Where is Remus, anyways?” Sirius queried, looking around the Great Hall. “Petey too.”
“Are they..?” Ara trailed off; a pointed glance towards the bespectacled boy. At his excited nod, a grin erupted on both twins faces.
“Wicked.” They spoke together, laughing at their unison.
“You guys are so weird.” Lily spoke between suppressed giggles. “I can never tell if you’re fighting.”
“We never fight!” Sirius exclaimed, hand on his heart as though Lily had spoken some great insult.
“Ara wrote me that you didn’t speak to her for two days over summer, just ‘cause she hid your broom.” The ginger retorted, sticking her tongue out as she passed Pandora the fruit bowl; the girl smiling brightly at her friend’s action.
“That was revenge, not a fight.”
“Honestly.” Ara rolled her eyes, exasperatedly - shooting her brother a look that clearly stated she was in charge. “Sometimes it baffles me that we’re related.”
“I did think that Reg and Ara were more alike when I first met him.” Lily remarked.
“More like, Reg copies her.” Sirius replied, chucking fruit down his gullet. “What have we got first today, anyways?”
“Divination.” Pandora breathed, excitedly. “Our pathways linger in unity.”
“Huh?” James gawked, shovelling eggs into his mouth.
“You’re disgusting, Potter.” Lily shrieked as some fell from his lips, shuddering as she moved further away.
“At least I’m not a swot.” He bit back.
“Shall we make haste?” Pandora stood, extending her hand towards Ara. “I don’t want to catch their wackspurts.” She murmured, glancing towards the bickering pair.
With a grin, Ara accepted her hand, signalling for Lily to come and join. The ginger girl’s relief was palpable as they made their way from the Hall.
“I can’t stand him!” She grumbled as the three linked arms. “He’s so… ugh!”
“How is Severus?” Ara asked, attempting to distract Lily before she launched into another tirade.
“He’s well.” She smiled, glad to be distracted. “We spent all summer reading up for this year. And we even got to go to this travelling circus. It was brilliant. They had clowns!”
“I’m glad you had a lovely summer.” Ara grinned back, leading the three to an enchanted staircase.
“I just hope he doesn’t act like last year.” Lily shrugged, pausing as the stairs moved to reach the third floor. “He promised to be better.”
“Those who cannot uphold an oath are most confusing.” Pandora sighed.
“He’ll be better this year, you’ll see.”
Neither girl dared comment, knowing the ginger was too high strung that day to engage with any negativity about her childhood pal.
Surprisingly, the others had reached the Divination classroom first. Likely due to the stairs spinning the girls to the complete wrong floor and forcing them to wait for a new staircase. As the girls climbed the ladder up to the bizarre circular door - they found their friends already sat and waiting.
It was certainly the oddest classroom they’d seen so far. Rather than with desks, the space was set up like a tea room; circular tables placed haphazardly, little room to walk around the space. Everything was lit by a dim warm glow, lanterns hanging by the shut curtains draped in gauzy orange scarves. Shelves lined the dark papered walls - crammed with dusty looking artefacts. Oddly shaped crystals and an impressively large array of teacups.
I can’t believe you’ve forced me into bloody divination, Ara grumbled as she flopped into the seat beside her twin, looking as though she had an awful migraine about to come on.
It’s the best way to figure out your nightmares, he countered with a roll of his eyes.
Pandora elegantly sat beside her, darting an amused glance at her friend. Ara merely scowled in response, pulling one of Petey’s comics from her bag to flick through. A new Spider-Man, featuring a terrifying clash with Green Goblin.
Peter’s head soon popped up through the door, the boy grinning at the sight of his friends.
“It went perfectly!” He whispered as he slumped into the free seat beside the twins - failing at covertly handing James his cloak back under the table. “Just wait until we go to Transfiguration, you’ll be dead impressed.”
“What did you do?” Lily frowned, looking between the group as though she weren’t sure whether to tell them off or merely sigh exasperatedly.
“You’ll see.” Was the twins only comment; something that did not improve Lily’s mood in the least.
“Greetings, greetings!” A shrill voice broke their discussion - all heads in the room spinning to stare at their new professor as she wandered throughout the room.
Professor Manto was an odd looking woman, with wild and fragile looking hair that stood on end as though permanently electrocuted. Large watery eyes that seemed to protrude from her skull. Her body was hidden behind layers of scarves and shirts; patterns ranging and clashing awfully.
“Welcome to Divination!” The woman spoke, ushering the latecomers to sit around tables of their own. “It is so very lovely to see so many faces here today. I expect few of you have seen me before, though I have Seen you all.”
Ara could not help her scoff at those words - the professor’s attention flicking to her briefly.
“I must warn that this is not a class for those more focused on academics than true understanding.” She continued; eyes flicking to Lily briefly. The ginger frowned at the attention. “No, no! Divination is an art form! There is little that can be learned from textbooks, rather, I expect all of you to seize the practical opportunities this subject presents.”
It was Lily’s turn to scoff at that, eyes meeting Ara’s with understanding.
“I feel the presence of great potential here, and I am expecting great things,” Manto glanced towards Pandora and Ara, a tense smile upon her face, “for I have Seen great things. Miss Patel, is it?” The woman asked, suddenly directing her attention to a table of Ravenclaw students.
“Yes?” Polly Patel frowned, looking to her classmates in panic.
“Is your uncle quite well?”
“I don’t have an uncle.” Polly looked utterly puzzled.
“Not for much longer, no.” The woman sighed. “Dear me, dear me. Right! Shall we drink tea?”
Soon, teacups were placed before each student - a pot in the middle of each table passed around to fill the glasses. As they drank, ranging expressions of disgust filled their faces.
“Dad would hate this blend.” James remarked, scrunching his nose. “Who mixes pineapple and ginger?” He shuddered.
“Is your dad particularly into his brewing?” Pandora asked politely, sipping delicately at her cup.
“He still gets his leaves sent from India by his cousins. Says there’s no tea made better.”
“My papa would agree.” Pandora nodded. “He gets his blends from Asia, too.”
The very moment Ara had finished her drink, Professor Manto snatched the teacup from her hands - staring into it intently.
“Oh dear, oh dear,” their professor frowned, twisting the cup in her hands as though hoping for a different outcome.
“What is it?” Ara huffed.
“There’s a mark upon you.” She dropped the cup, grasping Ara’s left forearm, nails digging into her unblemished skin. Eyes glazed, voice course as though it had been hardly used. “It’s antithesis will follow you to this life.”
With that, the woman gasped dramatically, pulling a paper fan from her robe to wave in her face as she moved to terrify some other unsuspecting student.
The Gryffindors and their Ravenclaw friend sat in silence, watching Ara as she glared at the odd woman - rage so intense that they almost feared she’d explode the professor with her mind.
“I cannot even believe that egregious hag-”
“Use your kind words.” Pandora warned Ara, sensing her building tirade.
“I’ll find them.” She grit out, pausing to glare at the Professor.
“It’s taking you this long?” James muttered incredulously after ten seconds had passed.
“Yep.” She popped the last syllable, snapping the quill in her hand in half; her fist clenched so very tightly. Her eyes turned glossy for a moment, a blink returning them to their usual grey as she dropped the broken quill and stretched her hand. “I bloody hate divination.” Ara grumbled, crossing her arms as she slouched back into her chair - resigning herself to her fate.
At least their first prank of the year had gone off without a hitch. Remus had the bright idea to charm the portraits to sing the Hogwarts song whenever anyone walked by - the various tunes and pitches clashing awfully as students tried to get to their classes. A delightful success they enjoyed as they walked to Transfiguration.
And though the group may have not been in the brightest of spirits; they sang along as they strolled by.