Chapter 315: Fire and Smoke Divination
Chapter 315: Fire and Smoke Divination
From morning to afternoon, the club members filed out one by one.
"Awesome!!!" one student exclaimed excitedly, "It's like the professor was all mine..."
"We all feel that way", his companion said with a smile.
But he didn't hear, and with exaggerated enthusiasm, he continued, "Professor Hup even discussed with me about what casting posture looks the most stylish. Did you hear that?"
"I was a hundred feet away, buddy!"
A girl said, "Professor Hup was very patient. When explaining the sequence structure of the Luminos Runic Script, he said it looked like a lily of the valley—"
"Huh? The professor told me it was a tulip", another girl said.
"It was clearly a rose..."
They looked at each other, arguing, and Ron couldn't help but say, "Maybe Professor Hup just wanted to describe a curved structure. These flowers all look similar, don't they?"
The girls, who were heatedly discussing, glared at Ron and huffed, then left.
Ron scratched his head, puzzled, "Did I say something wrong?"
"No, you just ruined their good mood for today", Hermione said casually.
They came to a courtyard, where the winding paths were lined with lush plants. Harry casually played with the orange spherical fruits in the bushes, and nearby, a large mistletoe with white berries hung.
"How's Sirius Black, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"He's doing well. He's been busy preparing for his brother's funeral. He doesn't want anyone else to get involved", Harry said softly.
"I remember it's Regulus Black?" Ron said excitedly, "He's really cool, a lone hero..." He lowered his voice, "A Death Eater who played a big prank on the Dark Lord. He deserves this honor."
"True, but we can't mention the Horcrux at the funeral. Headmaster Dumbledore specifically talked to me about it, you know..."
Ron laughed, "He must have been really troubled. Maybe he even thought about casting a forgetfulness charm on us—"
"Ron!" Hermione said sternly.
"Uh, I was just joking. Of course, none of that will happen..."
Hermione looked around worriedly; she didn't feel safe here. "Harry, we shouldn't mention that word outside."
"Horcrux?"
Harry mumbled softly, then thought seriously, "You're right, but most people don't even know what it is—Luna?" Harry stared in disbelief at the little girl in the garden, who was holding a lunch box in one hand and a half-woven mistletoe wreath in the other.
Luna's eyes darted around, and she dropped the wreath, pretending to have just noticed them. "Hello, Harry, Hermione, Ron. It's nice to see you", she said in a singsong voice.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, suddenly regretting discussing the topic in the garden. He wondered how much Luna had heard.
"I'm waiting for Ginny. You know, her stomach gets hungry, and a picnic is a must", Luna swayed gently, her long golden hair swinging to and fro.
"Is that so?" Ron looked skeptical, "Did you hear—"
"Luna—"
Ginny ran over from a distance, panting and out of breath. "Sorry, I'm late. Fred and George Weasley insisted I try their new product. It took me a while to get away. They can't know about this... Visiting Firenze in the Forbidden Forest—Ron?"
Ginny's eyes widened, and she stood there for a few seconds before realizing her slip. She shouted, "What are you doing here? Trying to eavesdrop! Oh, Hermione, Harry, you're here too..." Her expression turned blank, "What exactly happened?"
Harry and the others exchanged glances, realizing it was indeed an accident.
Luna hummed softly, picked up the wreath from the ground, and continued weaving it on her own.
A few minutes later, they walked toward Hagrid's Hut—
"We're just worried about you, Ginny", Ron said, "There was an attack near the Forbidden Forest two months ago..."
"Sure, your leg was hit by dark magic, and it swelled to twice its size", Ginny said lightly.
"It's even oozing pus! Ginny, don't you care about your own brother at all?" Ron said indignantly.
"Care? I was naturally worried the first time I heard about it", Ginny said, her face stern. "And the second, third, fourth, and fifth times..."
Ron's face turned red, even his ears were flushed.
Harry decided to change the subject. He knew all too well how Ron boasted about it afterward, and he had heard it many times. But Ron had cast the spell to protect him, and Harry thought Ron deserved every bit of the praise.
"So, you're going to visit a Centaur? By the way, we were thinking of visiting Hagrid to see Buckbeak. Maybe they'll become friends..." Harry trailed off, suddenly wishing he could slap himself. Centaurs were very proud, and he stammered to explain, "I mean... they are all our friends."
Luna said cheerfully, "You're right, Harry. I think they will become friends. Firenze is very kind."
"Firenze?" "Firenze?"
Harry and Hermione exclaimed in unison. Harry said, "I know him, Firenze. In our first year, I encountered a Dark Wizard hunting Unicorns. It turned out to be Quirinus Quirrell, who worked for the Dark Lord. Firenze helped me, leading me away from there."
He chose his words carefully, avoiding the word "ride" because his experience told him that Centaurs were very sensitive about it.
Luna looked at Harry dreamily. Harry added, "It's true. He looks young, with silvery-gold hair and a strong build..."
Luna beamed.
The group arrived at Hagrid's Hut and saw the burly Hagrid pulling weeds from the pumpkin patch. As they approached, Hagrid held a red umbrella and gestured with it in the dirt.
"Hagrid!"
Hagrid turned around, "Harry, Ron, Hermione! Oh, and two young ladies, one from the Weasley family, what's your name?"
"Ginny, Ginny Weasley."
"And you?" Hagrid looked at Luna, and the tip of his umbrella touched a nearby pumpkin, causing it to explode with a loud "bang", splattering yellow juice all over them. "Oh, sorry!"
Hagrid flustered, lifting Harry and Ron to the side, "I'll get a cloth, I can't use magic on you", he whispered, "I'm not very good at utility magic, missed the boat..."
"Wait, Hagrid—Scouring Charm! Scouring Charm! Scouring Charm!"
With Hermione's help, they managed to clean up quickly and got to the point.
"Buckbeak? It's back with its herd, and they all miss it." Hagrid waved his arms, and Harry and the others felt a bit disappointed but were glad for Buckbeak.
When they mentioned visiting the Centaur, Hagrid's eyes widened, and he shouted at them, "Are you crazy? You were attacked just two months ago! And the Battle of the Bridge, if I hadn't been in the Hospital Wing, I would have missed it..." He stared at them for a while, then said dejectedly, "I can't help you, I don't know that spell."
Harry and the others tried to reassure him, "You saved me, Hagrid, remember? Madam Pomfrey said if we had waited any longer, they would have had to amputate and regrow my leg", Ron said sincerely.
"Hagrid, your Engorgement Charm was excellent", Hermione said, looking out the window at the pumpkin patch.
Harry racked his brain but couldn't think of a good reason, "They're all right, Hagrid. You can't underestimate yourself."
"Thank you, thank you all..." Hagrid emotionally pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his moist eyes, then suddenly came to his senses, "Hold on! You still haven't told me why you're going to the Forbidden Forest?"
"We need to visit Firenze; I haven't seen him in months", Luna said. "Also, big guy, I like the layout of your place; it's very similar to my home."
Hagrid laughed. "Call me Hagrid, young lady. What's your name?"
"Luna, Luna Lovegood", she said, swaying her head.
Hagrid rummaged through a dusty bag and pulled out a few dirty objects, distributing them to the group. "What is this?" Harry asked, noting that it looked like some kind of animal bone.
Luna had already puffed out her cheeks and started blowing, producing a loud whistle. After a while, she stopped, slightly out of breath.
Hagrid gruffly said, "See, Luna has already demonstrated it. That's a bone whistle. I use it to train the animals in the Forbidden Forest. It might come in handy if you encounter danger. Of course... kids, I don't recommend you go to the Forbidden Forest..." he said hesitantly.
Finally, Hagrid led them to see Firenze. Luna placed a mistletoe wreath on the Centaur's head, and they all enjoyed the food from the picnic basket. With so many people, each got only a small share, and Harry felt even hungrier after eating.
He missed the Great Hall in the castle, but reuniting with Firenze was interesting. It would have been even better if Firenze hadn't talked about complex star patterns.
"Mars has been emitting a strange aura recently, and we believe it foretells something", Firenze said, strongly suggesting that Luna perform a fire and smoke divination using sage and mallow. "You are the most spiritually attuned human I have ever met."
Luna complied, and Harry was surprised that she carried these items with her. It was even more surprising than her cork necklace and Dirigible Plum earrings. So they all gathered around to watch the choking smoke rise. Hagrid, who was taller sitting down than they were standing, sneezed continuously as the thick smoke mixed with incense drifted toward him.
Firenze remained unaffected. "Fate has brought us together to form a prophecy." He leaned down to observe the smoke carefully, trying to discern certain shapes and symbols.
"It looks like the magic Professor Hepburn taught us", Ron muttered to Harry. Harry didn't see any similarity; he thought it looked more like Buckbeak flapping his wings.
"It looks like a fire cloak", Ginny offered her opinion, treating it as a game.
Hermione chose to observe silently, sitting quietly on the side. She had never been interested in these peculiar things.
"Humans are not very good at this. Even Centaurs took centuries to develop this ability", Firenze said calmly, "and it's still easy to make mistakes. Luna, what do you see?"
"I see a party, where everyone is having a great time, and everyone is shooting fireworks into the sky", Luna said cheerfully. "I wish I could be there."
Firenze looked a bit disappointed. "I thought it might be a hint of war..." The others looked at him in confusion, and he explained, "Mars governs war. In the past decade, signs have shown that the wizarding world is only experiencing a brief period of peace between two wars. However, recent changes have puzzled the elders of our tribe—" He shook his head and didn't continue the heavy topic.
Afterward, Harry and the others returned to the castle, enjoying a hearty meal and putting everything behind them.
They returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, where Percy was examining the job postings on the notice board. "Isn't he going to the Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked.
Ron shrugged. "Penelope hasn't secured a position yet. She has a few letters of recommendation, but her dream job is abroad. Percy is trying to keep her here."
A few minutes later, Percy left the room excitedly.
Before going to the dormitory, Harry glanced at the notice board. Based on Percy's position before he left, he found an inconspicuous clipping in the corner. He didn't read the small print but remembered the company's name—
Future World.
(End of Chapter)
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