The Wheel of Fate

Class was going by incredibly slowly today. You could hear each tick of the clock in the corner - and it was moving by oh so tortuously. My fingers drummed along my desk in a steady staccato rhythm as my feet bounced up and down. When would this torture end?

History of Magic was one of the dullest classes... well, at least how Professor Binns taught it. Magical history could be interesting if it was anyone but a ghost teaching it. Can you imagine dying and choosing to come back... just to work? Is school really his idea of peace in the afterlife? Just teaching the same subject every day to kids... yikes.

Professor Binns's class felt like an endless time loop, all his lectures blur together, and class just goes on forever and ever... I shivered at that thought. School, forever... It could happen - look at Professor Binns. Anything is possible, especially when you go to a magic school.

I am currently in my 5th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I already can't wait for it to be over. Why, you may ask? Because I have O.W.L's this year, which will decide whether or not I'll be able to pursue my dream as a spell inventor. I'll have to get the highest level possible on my charms O.W.L if I am even to be considered for a job in that department.

A knot twisted in my stomach as I thought about the examinations, and a slight groan slipped through my lips. My best friend Will nudged my arm.

"You alright, Dana?"

"Just starving," I whispered. Will nodded vigorously. His eyes immediately glazed over at the mention of food. I could practically see the drool trickling down his chin.

Will is very handsome, minus the drool, what with his messy brunette hair and dark green eyes, but to me, he was like the brother I never had – or wanted. Tons of girls were after him – well, maybe not tons, but a fair few, such as 5th-year Ravenclaw named Grace Lacroix. I don't know what it is about Ravenclaw girls, but they love their Hufflepuff boys.

"Dana!" my other best friend, Beatrice, called from across the row.

I looked up lazily, eyes half glazed, "What's the answer to number six on our Divinations homework?" I rolled my eyes. Beatrice was notorious for procrastinating. I didn't know how she managed it, especially this year. There was way too much work to be done.

Beatrice and I resembled each other in a way. We both had long blonde hair. People used to get us confused when we first started school - but lately, Bea decided to embrace her curls.

I reached into my bag and pulled out my homework. I didn't tolerate cheating, especially since this was O.W.L's year. Still, after threatening her within an inch of her life, I reluctantly handed over my answers.

She smiled, her blue eyes twinkling, and ripped the papers from my grasp, "Thanks, Danny! I owe you."

"You definitely do," I mumbled. I shifted around in my seat, trying to get comfortable, and took my hand at listening to Binn's lecture. I was happy that this would, hopefully, be my last year taking a History of Magic class – ever. With that thought in mind, I did my best to listen to the rest of the lecture, but it wasn't easy. Binns isn't exactly the most exciting professor. I stifled a yawn and tuned in.

"Then around 480 BCE…" Professor Binns voice droned on, "The eastern mermaid fleet overtook… in an exciting battle… the mermaid fleet coming from the west… by means… of surprise… and upgrades in military equipment… This battle also aligned… with the battle of Salamis… which was fought between… the Athenians and the Persians… Unknown to the Greeks… the mermaids helped off-handedly by killing any Persians… who fell into the water… by accident, of course…."

Beep.

Professor Binns was slightly startled by the sudden chaotic frenzy of students racing for the doors but had time enough to assign us a 12-inch paper talking more about Mermaid wars.

I joined in with the chairs scraping against the floor. I shoved my books into my bag and slung them over my shoulder. I waited as Beatrice struggled to sort through all the papers on her desk.

"Hold this," she said, shoving a hairbrush at me. I twirled it idly in my hand as I watched her play jigsaw with her bag. She cursed as she tried to fit everything in there but quickly gave up sorting the mess. She settled with shoving everything into her bag aimlessly. I cringed at her lack of organizational skills - how could she find anything in there? She grabbed the hairbrush from me and shoved it on top.

"Why do you have a hairbrush in your school bag?" Will asked as we headed for the exit. Beatrice whipped her head around and whacked Will's face with her bushy blond hair.

I laughed as Will sputtered and pulled a stray hair from his mouth, "I understand now. Thanks for that."

"No problem!" she chimed, flashing him a set of white teeth.

"We better hurry up to the dining hall," I called to the two of them as I made my way out the door, "we only have a few minutes to stuff our faces before –"

Whack.

"Watch where you're walking half-blood," a boy hissed as I stumbled to the side. I glared after his retreating body as I rubbed my shoulder.

"Excuse you too!" Will called after the rude Slytherin boy.

"Are you alright?" Beatrice asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Someone needs to teach those Slytherins some manners, especially Evan Rosier," Will snarled.

I waved my hand at him, "No blood, no foul. Let's just get to the dining hall." There would always be issues with Slytherins - it wasn't worth trying to pick a fight with them. Especially with all the recent events going on…

As we walked through the doors to the great hall, I was greeted by the smell of bacon, french toast, and maple syrup. My mouth instantly started to water. I sat in the middle of the Hufflepuff table and started chowing down.

"I could live off of French toast," Beatrice said between mouth fills. I nodded in agreement.

"Who are we sharing our charms class with this year?" I asked curiously. Beatrice pulled out her schedule from her robes and worked to unfold the already crinkled mess.

"Slytherins," she said in dismay.

"Damn," Will said.

Charms was my favorite subject and the one I needed to perform my best in. The only downside to Charms was that we always seemed to share it with Slytherin. We continued to analyze our new class schedules while eating the most delicious first-day back breakfast I've ever had. When we were done, we got up and walked towards the charms corridor.

"Man, those house elves have outdone themselves with this breakfast," Will said as he patted his now engorged belly. I nodded in agreement.

Beatrice laughed, "Better be careful there, you two. You might end up growing out of that Quidditch physique of yours."

Will scoffed, "Yeah, right - it's going to take a lot more food to keep these feet planted to the ground."

"Peter has a whole cardio workout regimen lined up to keep us in tip-top Quidditch shape," I said.

"Right, not looking forward to that," Will said, "I wonder if he will let us enjoy one week of school before completely obliterating every muscle in my body."

" Maybe…" I mused, and then we said, "Doubt-it," at the same time. We both laughed. Beatrice just shook her head at us, causing her hair to get tangled on a clip hanging from her bag.

"I swear you two are actually brother and sister and were just separated at birth," she said as she untangled her hair. We continued to squabble until we turned down the charms corridor.

As we approached the classroom, we joined the people in front. Slowly, we all began shuffling in. Professor McGonagall stood at the front of the classroom, gently stroking a blackbird as she waited for us all to settle.

The seats were made for groups of two. I knew from past experiences that Hufflepuff and Slytherin had an uneven number of students, so two of us would be stuck sitting next to each other.

"Fair is fair, Dana," Beatrice said into my ear, "you and Will sat next to each other in History of Magic, and you and I sat next to each other in Potions. Time to take one for the team."

I cursed her silently before taking the seat two tables back from them. I desperately hoped another Hufflepuff would partner with me. Maybe someone would take pity on me. I looked around to see if there were any late stragglers when I heard the chair move next to me. I was surprised to see Regulus Black, a boy from Slytherin, taking a seat.

I smiled at him tentatively as his grey eyes met mine. There was no ounce of friendliness in that stare.

"HAHA!" Bellatrix cackled, "Looks like you're stuck with the filthy half-blood. Hope you know how to create a bubble of fresh air because you'll need it, Reg." She pinched her nose and scrunched her face in disgust. She continued to laugh and insult me as she twisted a piece of her long curly black hair with her finger.

"Right," Regulus grumbled. I looked at him a little skeptically... What an odd response, I thought. Usually, Slytherins jump at the opportunity to harass anyone, especially me. Everyone knew that I was a half-blood. What was his deal?

I was looking at him quizzically when he caught me staring. "What are you looking at?" He said coldly.

"Nothing," I said and flushed. Thankfully, class started.

"Now that you are all settled," Professor McGonagall said, "Let us begin."

Charms was incredibly challenging today. We did a few spells from last year to get into the swing of things. I was the only one who had successfully turned my frog invisible on the first try.

Throughout the entire class, Regulus didn't say a thing to me. I thought it odd that he sat next to me. Usually, he would sit with his cousin or some other narcissistic Slytherin. Out of all the years we've had a class together - he's never once talked or even looked at me. I tried not to overthink it and, instead, just focused on my spellwork. I heard the other Slytherins snickering at him as they whispered malicious things to me. Bellatrix was the worst out of all of them.

During one of her many jokes, she somehow managed to mess up one of her spells, resulting in all her fingernails disappearing. I tried not to let her see my laugh and was surprised to see a smirk on Regulus's face.

The only time I figured he wasn't completely ignoring me was when my invisible frog leaped from the table and into my lap. I yelped in surprise and cursed as its slimy feet climbed up my robes. He tried his best not to react, but I saw the slight twitch of a smile at the corner of his mouth, followed by a short cough.

I felt my face flush in embarrassment. Why do I keep getting so embarrassed? I thought but quickly brushed that thought off. Control yourself, Dana. I was happy when class ended.

As I got my stuff together, Regulus awkwardly stood by the corner of our desk. He had packed his bag already, and he watched as the other students left. What was he doing?

"Ms. Birch, may I speak to you for a moment, please?" Professor McGonagall called. I was surprised but made my way to her desk. I noted Regulus tagging along behind me.

I waved at Bea and Will to let them know I'd catch up before walking to Professor McGonagall's desk.

"Ms. Birch, I'm sorry to spring this on you last minute, but I was hoping you were still interested in providing tutoring sessions for students who request help." For the last couple of years, I have worked as a Charms tutor. It was simple enough for me, and I got a decent amount of money from it - something I desperately needed.

"Yes, definitely Professor McGonagall."

"Good," she said, "Mr. Black has requested some tutoring sessions. I thought you'd be the best pick, so I requested that Mr. Black sit next to you in class today." I nodded. "You can help him relearn past lessons in preparation for the O.W.L's. I know this year can be challenging for some students, but I don't want you to think of this as a tutoring session so much as extra preparation for your exams."

I looked to Regulus, who was looking everywhere but at me. "Of course, Professor McGonagall," I said, turning back towards her, "I'd be happy too."

"Alright, it's settled... well, hurry to your next classes."

Now it made sense. Regulus needed me. Therefore he was going to have to be nice to me. I felt him behind me as I made my way to the door.

"Hey," Regulus said before I could exit the classroom. I turned to look at him. "Thanks for helping me," he said. I stood there, stunned. I had never heard a Slytherin say… thank you in all my years at Hogwarts.

"You're welcome," I said. "We can set up a study schedule next class." He nodded and gave me a sad sort of smile before exiting the classroom.

I took a deep breath and followed behind him. Will and Beatrice were waiting for me at the door. "What was that all about?" Beatrice asked.

"McGonagall has elected me as a class tutor. Looks like Regulus needs some help for exams."

"That sucks," Will said.

"Yeah, well, I don't have a choice now, do I? Exams are coming up, and I need the money. Come on, we've got some free time before our afternoon lessons. Let's try and get some homework done before Quidditch later."

"Sounds good," Will agreed.

"I'll meet up with you two later," Beatrice said, waving, "I've got some other stuff to do. Plus, I'll have plenty of free time later while you two quaffle heads try and knock each other off your brooms.

Will and I rolled our eyes at her as she sped and walked in the opposite direction.

Will and I managed to get most of our work done. I felt confident I wouldn't be up too late doing homework after Quidditch. We met Beatrice at the bottom of the stairs, then headed to our next lesson - Divination.

"Ugh, I hate Divination," Beatrice groaned as we began the long journey up the stairs to the tower.

"Same," Will said.

"I don't think it's so bad," I offered, "but I could do without these stairs."

"I think these stairs are my favorite part," Beatrice joked, "I feel like I am getting my work out for the day." To add to her comment, she began pumping her arms back and forth as fast as she could as she climbed the stairs. Will and I laughed at her idiocy.

When we made it to the top - I opened the door. I was immediately hit by a cloud of intense incense that went straight up my nose. It instantly clouded my mind.

Since I got the short end of the stick during Charms - it was my turn to be partnered with Beatrice. I turned to ask her where she wanted to sit, but she wasn't there. I looked around and saw her already sitting at a table with someone. I recognized him as Stephen Roberts from Ravenclaw - the boy Beatrice had been obsessed with since our 2nd year.

"Partners?" Will said into my ear. I smiled at him as he tugged my sleeve to sit at one of the tables in the back. We sat and chatted a bit about Quidditch and the upcoming season. Will and I had spent the summer practicing together and couldn't wait to return to the pitch. A couple of minutes later, Professor Mudiwa Onai whisked out of her room to begin our lesson.

"Today, my lovely pupils, we will be working with Bone," she said dreamily, "the bones are an archaic form of divination, mostly used by Norse Prophets or what you'd like to call the Vikings. It is one of the most powerful and accurate forms of divination, and I would like you all to write a 12-inch paper on what you observe in your bone reading today."

There was a groan amongst the student. Professor Mudiwa Onai flicked her wand, and bags of bones were dispersed among the tables. Will and I both looked at the bag before looking at each other.

"You future first?" Will asked. I could hear the sarcasm in his voice. He isn't one for believing things like divination.

I smirked, "Don't want to know your future - oh, wise one?"

"Nah, I'm good. I think I already know what's coming." He glanced over to the other side of the room where Grace sat. She caught Will's gaze, quickly looked down, and flushed a deep red.

"What is it with the Hufflepuff boys and their Ravenclaw girls?" I asked as I jingled the bag of bones in my hand. I dumped the bag out and watched the bones clatter across the table.

"It's their wittiness and ability to play hard to get that draws me in." I slapped his hand playfully. He laughed, and I just shook my head and rolled my eyes.

I turned my attention to my bones and looked down to observe them, "I have absolutely no idea what these mean," I said.

"I think this one might mean death… or maybe you'll have a bad illness or get trampled by a stampede or centaurs."

"HAHA." I retrieved my book from my bag and flipped it open. I started to compare the pictures to the bones on the table when Professor Mudiwa Onai came over.

"My my, what do we have here?" she said as she glanced down at the bones. She looked at it and, after a moment.

"Ahh!" she exclaimed suddenly.

"Here we go," Will said under his breath.

"You've got quite the bone reading here," she said, "This one says you will have a hard choice to make," she said, pointing to a squiggly looking bone, "and here - the way these two are crossed - I see a potential for romance if I am not mistaken… or two."

"Oh?" I said. Did she have to say something so loud for the whole class? I flushed, and Will patted me lightly on the back.

"Oh yes, my dear.." she continued, gazing down at my bones. Suddenly, her brow began to furrow. "Oh my… I see a darkness," Will put his face in his hands. His gesture was enough to know exactly what he was thinking - here we go again!

"So much darkness and loss."

"Well, that is incredibly vague," Will said.

Even though Will wasn't a believer - I still enjoyed an excellent reading now and again. "Is this darkness in my past or future?" I asked, ignoring Will's comment. I really hoped for no more misfortunes in my life. I had enough darkness in my past. What I really wanted was a long and happy future.

Mudiwa Onai analyzed the bones for another moment, "It's hard to say, dear. If you've experienced extreme darkness before, it could be a remnant of that experience. However, it is possible you'll experience more hardships in the future." Professor Mudiwa Onai got a somber look on her face.

"What kind of darkness?" I whispered.

She continued to stare. The more she stared, the more nervous I got. It took her a moment to finally snap out of it, "I'm not sure dear," she said. A small polite smile spread across her face. I gulped. I heard Will huff in exasperation.

She broke eye contact with me to look at Will, "And just what does your bone reading say, Mr. Danvers?" Will grumbled some weak responses before slowly collecting the bones on the table. He stuffed them into the black velvet bag and tossed the bones across the table. Professor Mudiwa Onai smiled before turning back toward the front of the class.

"By the way, I'll collect the homework you all did over the summer. Everyone take it out and place it on your desk."

Will grabbed his homework and placed it on the table. I reached into my bag and pulled out my homework folder. I started ruffling through the large stack of papers - with each flip, I became increasingly panicked. Where was it? It was just here, and I know I did it. I had it earlier when I lent it to -

I froze - blood drained from my face. I had given Beatrice my homework this morning for her to copy… but I don't remember her ever giving it back. If I got caught cheating…

"No homework Ms. Birch?" Mudiwa Onai asked.

"Uhm... I-"

"No homework means detention," She said and handed me a slip. I stared down at it dumbfounded - never in all my years had I ever received detention.

I peered over to Beatrice. Her eyes were wide with a silent apology. Tears of shame and anger welled up inside me. I quickly brushed them away with my sleeve as I snapped my head in the opposite direction. Curse my stupidity for lending her my homework and her curse her forgetfulness.

The class continued in silence, and when the bell rang, I grabbed my things and rushed out the door. I didn't wait for Will of Beatrice. I didn't feel like dealing with her right now. I didn't want to hear her apologies and excuses. I just wanted to go to Quidditch practice.

I was thankful for Quidditch. After all that had happened today, it was the one thing that brought me peace. Nothing like chucking a quaffle as hard as you can to let lose your anger. Practice came and went in the blink of an eye, and it wasn't long until we were packing our gear and heading to the showers.

"I'll catch up with you later!" I called to Will, "I think I am going to do a few more laps around the pitch."

"You're crazy," Will yelled back, "You're going to have to deal with Bea eventually." I waved him off and started running. He was used to my excessive running habits. I was just on my fifth lap when I saw a group of Gryffindors approaching the pitch. That was odd - I didn't see them on the schedule for today.

"Oi!" One of them called, "What are you doing out here?" James Potter was standing with his hands on his hips. His black hair waved in the wind.

"Running," I said. My legs began too slow as I got closer to them.

"Not today, you aren't."

"I'm allowed to run," I shot back.

"No Hufflepuffs allowed on the pitch during Gryffindor time," he said. One of my eyebrows shot up in question. Gryffindor time, was it?

"As far as I know - this is Hufflepuff time. Why wasn't your team's name on the schedule?"

"We… booked it last minute. There's no rule saying we can't have a late-night practice."

"Well, there is a rule saying you can't double-book the pitch." James huffed. He then looked at me and then looked around the pitch.

"Where is the rest of your team?"

"Showering."

James smirked, "If they're done, and you're the only one here - the pitch is open. Unless you plan on kicking us all out?"

I sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and pointer finger. The last thing I felt like dealing with was an overly obsessed Gryffindor captain riding my ass.

"Fine. Whatever," I said. I walked over to my bag and slung it over my shoulder. James watched as I pulled my water bottle out of my bag and sipped.

"Hurry up!" he said impatiently.

"Relax, James," another boy said, rolling his grey eyes. Something about him reminded me of someone. The boy put his hand on James' shoulder and shoved him. James, who was serious a moment ago, relaxed.

I shot a glare at James before exiting the pitch. James Potter was known to be a total dick when it came to Quidditch training. It was never worth fighting with him. He usually got what he wanted in the end.

I looked over at the other boy who had shoved James. I was trying to figure out who he reminded me of…

"Fuck off, Sirius," James said in the distance, shoving him back. Ah, Regulus Black. That must be his older brother Sirius - they really looked a lot alike.

I shook my head as I entered the women's locker room. The older girls in my house always talked about how handsome Sirius Black was… and what a good kisser he was - they all fancied him. Quite the lady's man. I know that a few of them even managed to sneak off to a broom cupboard with him every now and again for a late-night snogging session.

I turned the shower on as my thoughts drifted toward charms and Regulus. I began to compare Regulus and Sirius in my head. They sure did look alike - although Sirius looked a little more lively, happy even, while Regulus… was a bit more gaunt and reserved. He never seemed as satisfied as Sirius. How could two people from the same family have such different personalities?

I can't believe I will have to tutor Regulus… a Slytherin. I start to wash my hair, thinking of the two Black brothers and my impending conversation with Beatrice about copying other people's work.