Gohan Son and the Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 4 Page 2

“Well, let’s hope Hagrid doesn’t decide to give a field trip into the Forbidden Forest for our class,” Gohan said. “Otherwise, we might run into some of his eight-legged pals.”

“I’m sure Hagrid won’t do anything dangerous,” Hermione insisted. “He knows better than to do anything rash and hazardous on his first day.”

Ron frowned, “Hermione, this is the same Hagrid that felt finding what was killing unicorns was a good way for First Years to spend detention. Not to mention, splitting up at night in a Forest filled with creatures that know multiple ways of maiming wizards wasn’t ideal either.”

Harry gave Ron a disenchanted look, and then turned to Hermione as they walked into the Great Hall.

“Hagrid’s not going to do anything risky,” He told his friends, “but it’s not in him to give a plain lesson. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

As they passed the Slytherin table(s), Malfoy caught their attention as they passed. He pretended to faint against the table, resulting in deafening laughter from the Slytherins.

“Ignore him,” Hermione told Harry cautiously. “Just ignore him, it’s not worth it…”

“Hey, Potter!” Pansy Parkinson shrilled; her face scrunched up as she did so. “The dementors are coming, Potter! Whoooooo!”

Gohan rolled his eyes, “If Kami had made anything uglier in his time as Guardian, he must have gotten inspiration from her.”

They all sat down at the Gryffindor table, next to the Weasley twins. George was holding a sheet of parchment, giving it a once-over.

“New third-year schedules,” George passed them to Gohan. “What’s up with you Harry?”

“What else?” Gohan grumbled dully, slowly passing the schedules to their owners.

“Malfoy,” Ron spat heatedly.

They all looked behind them, and saw Malfoy pretending to collapse once more.

“That little git,” George said coolly. “He wasn’t so cocky last night when the dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn’t he, Fred?”

“Malfoy really must have been scared to have come running into a Weasley’s section,” Gohan commented, his eyes flashing mischievously. They all chuckled at the observation. “How out of his mind was he?”

“Nearly wet himself,” George replied, glancing over at Malfoy placidly.

“I wasn’t too happy myself,” George stated. “They’re horrible things, those dementors…”

“Sort of freeze your insides, don’t they?” Fred added, shuddering at the thought.

“You didn’t pass out, though, did you?” Harry remarked bitterly. He looked back to the Slytherins, who were laughing up a storm as they saw him looking.

“Forget it, Harry,” Gohan advised, glaring at the Slytherins with repugnance. “To them, you’re just a freak; like me.”

George grinned, “Yep, you certainly are freakish, my ape-like companion. But nothing like the dementors; dad had to go out to Azkaban one time, remember, Fred? And he said it was the worst place he’d ever been, he came back all weak and shaking… They suck the happiness out of a place, dementors. Most of the prisoners go mad in there.”

“Hard to believe,” Gohan noted sarcastically, taking a gulp of orange juice (as much as he tried, pumpkin juice just wasn’t what others made it out to be).

“Anyway,” Fred added cheerfully, “we’ll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match. Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?”

This significantly uplifted the mood of the group, the thought of Malfoy being pummeled into the dirt off his broom enough for Harry to start eating. Gohan decided, now that all the gloom was over, to begin his saiyan habits and just chow down and gorge. Between foods though, he passed over one of the schedules to an eager Hermione.

“Ooh, good,” Hermione delightfully exclaimed, “we’re starting some new subjects today.”

“Hermione,” Ron started slowly, looking over the paper in Hermione’s hands, “they’ve messed up your schedule. Look— they’ve got you down for ten subjects a day. There isn’t enough time.”

“I’ll manage,” Hermione replied airily. “I’ve fixed it all with Professor McGonagall.”

“But look,” Ron insisted, “see this morning? Nine o’clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o’clock, Muggle Studies. And—look—underneath that, Arithmancy, nine o’clock.

“No one said she wasn’t driven,” Gohan muttered to no one in particular, resuming his breakfast with much enthusiasm.

“Exactly,” Ron agreed, drawing himself away from the schedule. “I mean, we know you’re good, Hermione, but no one’s that good. How’re you supposed to be in three classes at once?”

“Don’t be silly,” Hermione told them brusquely. “Of course I won’t be in three classes at once.”

“Well, then—”

“Pass the marmalade,” Hermione responded boorishly.

“But—”

“Oh, Ron, what’s it to you if my schedule’s a bit full?” Hermione glared at the red-head. “I told you, I’ve fixed it all with Professor McGonagall.”

Gohan laughed nervously, earning glares from both Ron and Hermione.

“What is so funny, Gohan?” Hermione whispered venomously.

Gohan gulped, “Well…” he grinned uneasily, “I just missed you guys… I missed these moments… a lot—”

“Shut up!” Ron and Hermione yelled, Gohan jumping out of his seat at the volume.

He stumbled backward and fell out from the table, landing on his keester roughly. A frown appeared on his face, rubbing his tail soothingly as it twitched anxiously.

“Yep,” Gohan sighed sullenly as Hagrid approached them gleefully, “I really missed these moments.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………

“That guy really needs help,” Ron said exasperatingly, walking up the steps of the North Tower. “I swear to God, if there had been anymore portraits he could walk through—”

“I’d incinerate them,” Gohan assured. “But trust me, he could have been worse.”

After their encounter with the portrait knight Sir Cadogan, they began to walk the steps of the castle tower. It had taken them a while before Gohan suggested taking directions from the portrait, which he seriously regretted.

“How much worse could a pompous, annoying, overambitious and delusional knight stuck in a portrait, who speaks like we’re all still in the Middle Ages and challenges people only to fall on his arse, possibly get?”

“… Have I ever told you about the Ginyu Force?”

Before Ron could respond, they had finally made it to the top of the last flight, and found a landing full of students, all probably waiting to get into the class as well. Ron pointed out to the teens a trap door on the ceiling, with a bronze plaque right below it.

“‘Sibyll Trelawney, Divination teacher’,” Harry read aloud. “How’re we supposed to get up there?”

“I could crash through the roof,” Gohan suggested lightly.

However, before a response could be spoken, the trapdoor seemed to spring open, allowing a silver ladder to drop to the floor at their feet. Everyone froze at this.

Good timing, Gohan thought.

“After you,” Ron said to Harry.

As Harry climbed and got to the top, Gohan allowed Hermione and Ron to go up next before climbing himself.

When he reached the end, Gohan wasn’t surprised the classroom had a Seer’s touch. The most noticeable thing was the arid heat in the air, coupled with a sour perfume stench coming from a kettle over the lit fireplace. A couple dozen circular tables with armchairs and small poufs, lit with a faint red light. Gohan looked closer and noticed the curtains were shut, and all the lamps were covered with red scarves. What Gohan noticed then were the materials in the bookshelves, as he had seen them at Baba’s place a few times; feathers, crystal balls (of course Baba only had one), tarot cards, teacups for tealeaves, candle stubs, and every other thing imaginable.

Gohan closed his eyes irritably, the half-light/half-dark luminosity of the lamps giving him a headache; he was just going to have to get used to it. Instantly, Gohan’s hearing and ki sensing kicked in to make up for lack of sight.

“Where is she?” He heard Ron ask Harry.

The hoard of students gathered together as they came up, obviously intimidated as they looked around the mysterious room.

“She’s here,” Gohan replied, not bothering to open his eyes. Their teacher’s ki was so obvious in comparison to the kids’. “To the right of the fireplace… our right.”

“Indeed,” a mystified voice spoke. Everyone, save Gohan, jumped at the voice.

“Welcome,” the voice continued. “How nice to see you all in the physical world at last.”

A shadowy form stepped into the firelight, and Gohan had to constrict his chest from laughing hard. She was abnormally thin, but proportionally tall. With big thick glasses adorned on her face, her eyes were enlarged to look like they barely fit the spectacles. She had all sorts of beads on her and was draped in various shawl colors. Basically, a typical fortune teller outfit.

“Sit, my children, sit,” She told them lightly, gesturing to the armchairs and poufs.

At this, everyone climbed into a chair or onto a pouf; Hermione, Harry, Gohan, and Ron all sat around a table. Professor Trelawney sat in a fancy winged armchair by the fireplace.

“Welcome to Divination,” Professor Trelawney said. “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 school clouds my Inner Eye.”

The sides of Gohan’s mouth twitched, fighting to form a smile. Inner Eye? Was Baba the only Seer who acted normally?

“So you have chosen to study Divination,” She resumed, “the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset 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…”

Gohan snorted; this woman reeked of arrogance. He wasn’t trying to think of her badly, it was just… well, Lockhart and Hercule both had problems with smugness and pride, and look where it got them. Then again, he didn’t even know this teacher yet. He had to give her a chance.

He turned to the others, wondering what they thought. Harry and Ron were grinning uncontrollably, looking at Hermione’s expression. It was shocked, appalled that her books would have virtually no importance here. Gohan smiled; that must have been upsetting for her.

“—penetrate the veil of mysteries of the future,” He heard Professor Trelawney continue on. “It is a Gift granted to few.” She pointed melodramatically at Neville, “You, boy. Is your grandmother well?”

“I— I think so,” Neville hesitated, nervous at the directness.

“I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you, dear,” Professor Trelawney declared gravely. Neville paled at this, shaking ever so slightly. “We will be covering the basics of Divination this year. The first term will be devoted to reading the tealeaves. Next term we shall progress to palmistry.” She halted, and then turned to Parvati Patil, “By the way, my dear, beware a red-haired man.”

Parvati cast a frightened glance in their direction, looking at Ron tensely. Then. She quickly edged her chair away from them. Gohan laughed silently; was this woman for real?

“In the second term, 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 forever.”

At this rate it’ll probably be me, Gohan humorously thought. Was this what the magical world considered ‘The Gift’? They had a different name for it back home… supposition.

She began the lesson of the day, before this predicting some about October 16th to a distraught Lavender Brown, which involved partnering up and using tealeaves.

“You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of Unfogging the Future,” She informed them. “I shall move among you, helping and instructing. Oh, and dear,” She caught Neville by the arm as he passed her, “after you’ve broken your first cup, would you be so kind as to select one of the blue patterned ones? I’m rather attached to the pink.”

The next minute, Neville was standing over broken china as Professor Trelawney rushed over to remind him of the blue ones.

With Ron and Harry instantly partnering up, Gohan flashed the Son Grin at Hermione.

“Guess it’s just you and me,” he said, chuckling cordially. “Want me to go fill up the cups?”

Hermione smiled, “If you don’t mind. It’ll be nice being paired with someone who knows what they’re doing for once.” She cast a glance at their two wizard friends, who had almost burned their tongues as they drank the tea down immediately after being poured.

Gohan shook his head, “They make a good pair.”

Minutes later, they were both set up and ready.

“Well,” Gohan started as he took a quick swig of his tea, “she seems nice.”

“Who?” Hermione asked, sipping her own cup slowly.

“Trelawney,” Gohan answered.

Hermione frowned, “Nice isn’t the word I’d use.”

Gohan cocked his head to the side, “Then what?”

“Fake.”

“Ah,” Gohan laughed. “And what makes you say that?”

“Do you need to ask?” Hermione whispered incredulously, casting a quick glance at Professor Trelawney (who was observing Harry and Ron). “She’s fake in every sense of the word in every manner to be used.”

“The falcon…” They heard Professor Trelawney tell Harry, reading his tealeaves, “my dear, you have a deadly enemy.”

“But everyone knows that,” Hermione murmured heatedly.

Trelawney and her wizard friends stared at her in disbelief. Gohan slapped his forehead; would she tone down the insolence at the person who’s grading them?!

“Well, they do,” Hermione declared. “Everybody knows about You-Know-Who.”

Professor Trelawney went on, but Hermione wasn’t listening at the moment.

“That is exactly what I’m talking about!” Hermione whispered lowly. “I mean, do you really think has real Seer abilities after that?”

“You’re asking the wrong person Hermione,” Gohan informed her serenely. They watched the scene between Harry, Ron, and Professor Trelawney escalates to include the entire class staring in silence. “People like Hercule thought I was a fake at the Cell Games, remember? But,” Gohan added, seeing Hermione about to argue, “if you’re asking me if I believe what she’s been doing were Seer abilities, then no. I’d say what she was doing was classic cold reading… but…”

“But what?” Hermione inquired curiously.

“…Dumbledore wouldn’t have hired her if he didn’t think she was worth it,” he replied confidently. He looked at Trelawney, “Which is why we should get to work so we get good grades. Remember them Hermione? Grades?”