Harry's shoulder's relaxed as he straitened his back, almost as if a weight was lifted off his shoulders. Dove's normal, confident face had been replaced by fear: What if he rejected her? Didn't like her back?
"Dove... I-" Harry started, but was quickly cut off by the house prefect.
"You two, time for bed." He demanded.
Harry gave her a look as if to say, 'We'll talk in the morning.' Then walked off to the boy's dorm, leaving Dove to do the same
---------------
Aspen awoke in a cold sweat, panting heavily. Ember groaned in the bed next to her.
"Go back to sleep, Aspen." Ember remarked groggily.
"I-I... sorry." Aspen stammered, getting up from her bed and walking down to the Slytherin bathroom to get ready for the day.
The sun peeked over the horizon, spreading beams of orange, yellow, and pink all over the sky.
She brushed through her long, tangled, brunette hair, also brushing her teeth. She sighed as she looked into the mirror, remembering the nightmare. Aspen shook her head, clearing her thoughts.
'Today was a new day.' She thought. 'Everything will be okay.'
---------------
The Whomping Willow's leaves rustled in the wind outside Trelawney's divination class tower.
"Welcome, my children. In this room, you shall explore the noble art of divination. In this room, you shall discover if you possess the Sight." She said, over dramatically.
"Hello. I am Professor Trelawney. Together we shall cast ourselves into the future. This term, we'll focus on Tasseomancy, the art of reading tea leaves. So please, take the cup of the person sitting opposite you." She spoke again.
Aspen and Ember sighed, picking up each other's cups. They had become quite close friends over winter break.
"What do you see? The truth lies buried like a sentence deep within a book, waiting to be read. But first, you must broaden your minds. First, you must look beyond." Trelawney instructed.
"All I see is a whole lot of rubbish." Aspen sighed, trying to make out whatever could be inside the small teacup.
"No, not rubbish, just nothing we'd ever need... so I'd call it trash." Ember laughed, Aspen joining in.
"You, girl... Is your grandmother quite well?" Trelawney said, pointing to Eleana, the small Hufflepuff, who wiggled uncomfortable in her seat at all the attention.
"I t-think so." She stammered, surprised at how shaky her voice was.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that. Give me the cup," Eleana handed the insane professor the teacup dotted with muck. She stared at it for a while before saying, "Pity." And handing the cup back, almost sending Eleana into tears.
"Broaden your minds. Your aura is pulsing, dear. Are you in the beyond? I think you are." Trelawney said, looking at Draco, who rolled his eyes, unfascinated by the subject.
"Look at the cup. Tell me what you see." She nodded to Ron, who was partnered with Harry.
"Oh, yeah. Um... Well, Harry's got sort of a wonky cross. That's trials and suffering. And that there could be the sun and that's happiness. So... you're gonna suffer, but you're gonna be... happy about it." He replied, giving Harry a face of confusion.
"Give me the cup." Trelawney said, gasping and dropping the cup as soon as she peeked at the muck inside.
"Oh, my dear boy. My dear... you have the Grim." She exclaimed, earning giggles from a few students.
"The Grin? What's the Grin?" Harry asked, turning to Dove.
"Not the Grin, you idiot. The Grim. 'Taking form of a giant spectral dog. It's among the darkest omens in our world. It's an omen... of death.'" Dove explained as Hermione crossed her arms, always wanting to be the smart one.
---------------
"Aspen! Come join us!" Draco exclaimed, waving her over to stand on the small hill overlooking Hagrid's hut.
"Have you heard? My father was kind enough to hold a trial! Hagrid's bloody chicken is to be put down this time by next week!" He said proudly.
"B-Buckbeak?" Aspen stammered, shocked.
"Yeah, whatever that hippogriff was called." Draco shrugged as Crabbe and Goyle snickered behind him.
"H-How could you? It was your fault he lashed out!" Aspen shouted.
Draco's smug expression changed to one of shock in a matter of seconds, stunned that Aspen was angry.
"You foul, loathsome, evil cockroach!" Hermione shouted, raising her wand to Draco's neck.
Aspen stood by Crabbe and Goyle, afraid to move, but she had to do something. She couldn't just stand around while Hermione threatened Draco... she had to - even though it was over.
"Back up, Hermione!" Aspen yelled, now raising her wand to Hermione.
She gasped, looking down at Aspen's wand at her neck. A scared, terrified expression spread across her face.
"I'd back off if I were you." She warned again. "Trust me... you don't want me as your enemy. Expelliarmus!" Aspen shouted, flicking her wand towards Hermione's, watching it fly away towards the other side of the hill.
Dove scoffed, running to grab Hermione's wand and watching as Hermione stepped up, punching Draco square in the nose, sending him falling to the ground.
"The bloody hell was that for?" Aspen asked, angrily attempting to shove through Crabbe, who was holding her back while Goyle helped Draco up.
Dove shook her head, watching as Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle ran off, leaving Aspen, who walked back to the Slytherin Common Room.
---------------
"Aspen, you don't look so good, you sure you're okay?" Ember checked for the thirty first time.
"Yep, I'm pretty sure I was the last thirty times you asked." Aspen scoffed. "Just... broken."
YOU ARE READING
Youngblood {Year 3, Book 1}
Fanfiction"Hmm... You're very smart... I see, not bad. Ambitious, determined, and cunning too. I know just where to put you... SLYTHERIN!" After two long years of hard work at Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry, Aspen Hale and her friends Lillian Ros...
