A Tale as Old as Time (Harry James Potter x OC)

Chapter 11...Divination Revelations

In the dimly lit Divination classroom, adorned with flickering candlelight, Harry sat across the room from Rose, stealing glances at her as Professor Trelawney began her lesson. Rose, engrossed in conversation with Draco, tried adamantly not to meet Potter's eye.

As Draco leaned in, his voice low, Rose listened intently, a small smile gracing her lips. "I heard you aced the Transfiguration exam," Draco remarked, admiration evident in his tone.

Rose chuckled softly, a hint of pride coloring her cheeks. "Yeah, Professor McGonagall was impressed. She said if I keep on like this, I can take over as a professor one day."

A playful smirk dancing on his lips, Draco's eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. "Ah, yes, Professor Stevens, renowned for her thrilling lectures on... um, hexing studies, wasn't it?" he quipped, unable to contain his laughter at the memory of Rose turning Harry into a toad earlier that day.

Rose claimed the color suited the Potter boy, what with the green skin now matching his eyes, to which the boy smirked after being transformed back. He remarked cockily, "So you've been gazing into my eyes now, have you, Stevens?"

To that, Rose transfigured Harry back into a toad and left Hermione to deal with him and his relentless ribbiting.

As Rose and Draco's laughter faded, Harry's gaze intensified, a mixture of longing and frustration flickering in his eyes as he watched Rose's face glow in her iridescence. She really was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her laughter was like music to his ears, and the way she effortlessly commanded attention with every movement was mesmerizing.

His attempt to focus on Ron's theory concerning Severus Snape's hair routine — or lack thereof — proved futile, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of Rose and the way she made his head spin without even trying. Despite Rose's best efforts to suppress his feelings, Harry could not resist the magnetic pull she had on him.

Draco's teasing banter with Rose only heightened Harry's awareness of her presence. He clenched his jaw, a mixture of jealousy and admiration swirling within him as he struggled to maintain his composure.

But amidst the swirling emotions, one thing remained clear to Harry — no matter how much she wished she hadn't, Rose had captured his heart in a way no one could fully comprehend. And as he stole another glance at her, his resolve to convince her to let him love her only grew stronger. He would do anything — anything — for her, just to see her smile, to hear her laugh, to feel the warmth of her very essence.

Sometimes the depth of his feelings toward her scared him just a little. He had only met the girl a few months ago. But one thing he quickly learned as a Gryffindor was that bravery is not the absence of fear, but the perseverance in the face of it. And he would be brave for Rose — he would always be brave for Rose. Even if she herself was not ready to admit her feelings toward him, he knew deep down one day she would. He'd see to that.

His thoughts on his plans to coax Rosemary into falling madly in love with him were interrupted by Professor Trelawney's serene voice, her eyes gleaming in an otherworldly manner. She beckoned the class closer to the crystal ball. "Gaze into the orb, my dear ones, for within its depths lie the secrets of your fates," she murmured in her peculiar, ethereal way, urging them to peer beyond the surface of reality.

Amidst the hushed whispers and curious glances exchanged between classmates, Harry looked to Ron with a mischievous glint in his eye and half-smirked. Hovering his hand dramatically over the crystal ball, as if channeling the spirits themselves, he closed his eyes and gasped, "Oh yes, I do believe I am sensing something profound."