[The Whomping Willow sulks in the courtyard, slings strung about its injured branches. camera cranes over the castle walls, revealing the exterior of greenhouse three, where students hurry inside for the beginning of class.]
"I am never going to look at that tree the same," A second year says shivering.
[As Hazel and Ron enter, Seamus, Neville and some of the other Gryffindors hover nearby.]
Neville: Detention. On the first day?
Seamus: That must be some kind of record.
"Wait it is!! James we need to step up our game!" Sirius yells out.
"Yeah! Can't let my daughter do better than us!" James yells out in agreement.
"Next year then!" Sirius says back and all the professors groan at the idea.
Hermione: I should think you'd count yourself lucky that's all you got.
Ron: I should think you'd mind your own business.
"I can cut the sexual tention with a knife," Regulus says making people snicker.
[They glare at each other. Professor Sprout, a squat little witch, taps her wand on a stack of pots.]
Sprout: Welcome to Greenhouse Three, Second Years. Today, we will be re-potting Mandrakes. Now, who here can tell me the properties of the Mandrake? Yes, Miss Granger.
Those who haven't taken the lesson yet (first and second years) lean forward wanting to know what they will be learning about in the future for them. They watch interested while the older students lean back knowing what this lesson was about.
Hermione: Mandrake, or Mandragora, is used to return those who have been transfigured to their original state. It's also quite dangerous. The Mandrake's cry is fatal to anyone who hears it.
"Know it allllll," Sirius basically sings out before getting slapped on the back of the head by Remus, "OW!"
"You deserve it," Remus says not even looking at Sirius.
Sprout: Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor. As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet. However, they will knock you out for several hours. That is why I have provided each of you with a pair of earmuffs. If you would then
[Ron frowns. He's gotten a bright pink fluffy pair.]
"Sucks for you doesn't it," Barty snorts out.
"Imagine getting pink earmuffs," Fred and George say together laughing at their little brother.
[When the class is ready, Professor Sprout leads them to the garden area. She grasps one of the tufty plant before her and pulls. Hazel gasps. Instead of roots, a small, muddy, extremely ugly baby pops out of the earth, leaves growing right out of its head. Neville's eyes rolls back. He faints.]
"NEVILLE!" Alice yells out in worry for her son.
"Mom I'm okay," Neville says calmly.
Frank even though he didn't voice it was also pretty worried about his son.
[Professor Sprout plunges the bawling creature deep into a pot, removes her earmuffs, and the others follow suit. Everyone save Neville, who lies stretched on the ground.]
Sprout: Hm. Looks as though Mr. Longbottom neglected his muffs.
Seasmus: No, ma'am. He's just fainted.
Sprout: Very well. We'll just leave him then. Come now. Four to a tray, plenty of pots to go round
"LEAVE HIM?!" Alice shouts out while Frank rubs her back trying to calm her down. Professor Sprout looks sheepish at what she does in the future.
"It's alright, I actually like Herbology more than my other classes," Neville says acting like nothing had happened.
[Percy enters in the company of Penelope Clearwater, just as Nearly Headless Nick glides by.]
Penelope: There's Nearly Headless Nick.
Some first years cover their eyes expecting what happened in the golden trios first year to happen again and they didn't want to see that again.
Percy: Hello, Sir Nicolas.
Sir Nicolas: Hello, Percy. Miss Clearwater.
[At the Gryffindor table, Hermione has her nose buried in Gilderoy Lockhart's Travels with Trolls. Ron runs gobs of Spellotape over his broken wand, shakes his head grimly.]
Ron: Say it. I'm doomed.
Hazel: You're doomed.
"You didn't have to agree with me," Ron complains.
"Sorry, but I must not tell lies," Hazel says back with a slight smirk.
"Why didn't you tell us you needed a new wand?" Molly asks.
"Didn't want to bug you," Ron says with a shrug.
"Besides it saved us," Hazel says casually making people look at each other in wonder.
[Flash! -- a light blinds Hazel. She blinks, finds a small boy - Colin Creevey - standing before him with a Camera.]
"Hey look! It's me!" Colin says excitedly.
Colin: Hiya, Hazel. I'm Colin Creevey. I'm in Gryffindor too.
Hazel: Hello, Colin. Nice to meet-
Colin: They're for my dad, the pictures. He's a milkman, you know, a Muggle, like all our family's been until me. No one knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic till we got my letter from Hogwarts. Everyone just thought I was mental.
Ron: Imagine that.
Hermione slaps him in the back of the head for that comment.
Colin: Say, Hazel. D'you think your friend could take a photo of me and you standing together? Ya' know, to prove I've met you?
"Ha! You just got called Hazel's friend," Barty laughs at Ron.
"My daughter is so famous people want pictures with her," James says proudly.
"But did you forget what she's famous for," Lily says back to him looking down.
[Hazel glances at Ron. He looks positively homicidal. Mercifully, just then, owls stream into the Hall.]
Dean: Post is here!
[One after another, the birds swoop gracefully down, clutching letters from home. All except one, who plops beak-first into Ron's soup. Errol.]
"We need to get that family a new owl," Fleamont says quietly to his wife who just nods her head.
Ron: Bloody bird's a menace- Oh no.
Seamus: Heads up, everyone. Weasley's gotten himself a Howler.
"Did he have to announce it to everyone," Ron says putting his head in his hands.
The Prewett twins look at Ron sympathetically knowing how scary their sister gets when she is angry.
Neville: Go on, Ron. I ignored one from my Gran once... and it was horrible.
[Ron looks pale. Clutched in Errol's beak is a damp red envelope. Hands shaking, he takes it, opens it, and... Mrs. Weasley's voice thunders, sending plates and spoons rattling.]
"This is going to be good," Sirius and James say together.
Mrs. Weasley: RONALD WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME! (softening suddenly) Oh, and Ginny dear. Congratulations on making Gryffindor. Your father and I are so proud.
"Why wouldn't you open that in your room or in the common room or something?" Molly asks slightly upset that she embarresed her son.
"Couldn't really do that as it just opened," Ron says with an eyeroll.
[Ginny, sitting a bit apart from the others, looks up shyly, then returns to the small black book she's scribbling in. Ron watches the envelope rip itself to pieces, then endures howls of laughter from the other House tables. Colin Creevey snaps a few photos. Hazel looks sympathetically at Ron.]
Hazel: Look at it this way. How much worse can things get?
"YOU JINXED IT!" James yells out.
"You just had to say something," Ron says with a groan.
"I know, I know," Hazel says back.
YOU ARE READING
Watching the Future
FanfictionThe year is 1975 and it's the start if the term. But this year is not as it seems. They get a special surprise from the future. Here they learn what happens to them and they get a plan of how to stop it. And how to stop the second war from starting...
