The Cards Never Lie
Harry stared out over the lake, watching the run rise in the distance. He was lonely. He longed for someone, anyone he could talk to. Someone who would understand.
But the only two people who would were both gone. Sirius was in Azkaban. Even if Harry could get in contact with him, he wouldn�t. Sirius was there because of Harry and Harry didn�t want him worrying anymore.
And for the second person, Harry was back to the most basic reason to blame oneself: the fact that one even exists. Dumbledore had been forced to leave because he�d argued on Harry�s behalf. Because Voldemort wanted to kill Harry. Because Harry had come back.
Now Dumbledore was in the process of trying to get Sirius released. This was yet another reason for Harry not to bother him.
And so Harry sat, watching as the sun rose over the lake, lighting the surface with silvery light. It was in this moment that Harry was hit with a loneliness such as he�d never felt in his entire life.
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Draco sat at the Slytherin table, apart from the other students. Since Melissa and he had come out about their relationship, the other Slytherins, with exception of Blaise, had shunned him. Of course, he didn�t mind, as none of them had really been what Draco would call friends.
When the mail came, Draco looked up, hoping for a note from Melissa. They hadn�t spoken since the last Hogsmeade visit. Their schedules were arranged in such a way that they couldn�t even see each other between classes.
Draco�s owl dropped a letter in front of him. He eagerly unfolded it but was disappointed to find that it wasn�t from Melissa. Though there was no signature, Draco could tell from the handwriting that it was from his mother. This letter didn�t contain pleasantries such as the last on she had sent.
You will be coming home for the Easter Holidays. Your father has something he�d like to discuss with you.
The letter was short, yet it raised a question. What did his father want to discuss?
Draco had a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. What if he knew? Draco tried to convince himself that there was no way he could know, but failed. Now he was left to worry and try to think of a way to get out of this.
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Pansy watched Draco from the other side of the table. By the look on his face, she could see that her plan had worked. Draco�s father had reacted just as she�d hoped.
She smiled to herself. Draco�s father would speak to him. That Muggle-loving Gryffindor would get what she deserved. But, most importantly of all, Draco would learn his lesson, and things would go back to the way they had been, with Draco and her together. All she had to do now was wait.
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Ron finished his breakfast. After Melissa and Sheila failed in convincing Harry to eat something, Ron and Harry went up to the North Tower for Divination.
The class had become almost unbearable. Professor Trelawney had always predicted that Harry would die, but now it seemed to be all she talked about. She even swore that she�d known Harry would try to kill himself.
�Then why didn�t you stop him or tell anyone?� Ron had asked one day, not being able to put up with it anymore.
�I was not meant to,� she�d replied, her eyes flashing. �I�m meant to predict the future, not change it.�
Ron, along with the majority of his class, believed Professor Trelawney to be a fraud. She was obsessed with death and the only predictions she made that came true were so vague they could have meant anything. If it had been any other class, he would have dropped it.
But it was Divination. Though he would never admit it to anyone, Ron had been fascinated with Divination since he was a small child. He�d save his pocket money for five years to buy a book about Astrology when he was nine years old. When he�d gotten the list of extra classes in second year, he jumped at the chance to learn more.
When he arrived, however, he�d been greatly disappointed. Now he only stayed because, fraud though she was, Professor Trelawney still knew more about prophecy than he did, and he still wanted to learn.
�Good morning class,� Professor Trelawney�s misty voice drifted out of the shadows when they arrived. She stepped into view and her eyes, magnified several times by her glasses, immediately turned toward Harry. �Though it may be better for some than others. I see, my dear boy, that you have been spending a lot of time alone. Remember, solitude can be a curse, as well as a gift, affecting all those around you.�
Ron glared hatefully at Professor Trelawney. It was bad enough she did this when Harry wasn�t acting this way. She seemed to sense Ron�s anger and didn�t pursue the subject any farther.
�Over the past few months, we have been studying the art of the tarot deck,� she said, addressing the entire class now. �Today you will be learning to use the Expanded Celtic Cross layout. As usual, you will do your own readings, but you may speak to your neighbors if you need help in the interpretation. Now remember, these dragon decks are very expensive, so, Mr. Longbottom, after you drop your cards, please be sure you get them all picked up.�
Ron went up to the front of the room to get decks for himself and Harry. When he got back to his seat, he handed Harry one of the decks and put his book away. He already knew all of the cards, their meanings, and the layout better than what The Real Tarot contained.
First he had to think of a question. He knew that this particular layout was good for predicting the future, so he decided to ask about it. He then shuffled the cards and set them down. Taking once card at a time, he put them face down in the appropriate pattern, instinctively knowing where each was supposed to go. When he finished, there were thirteen cards out, arranged in a shape that looked vaguely like an addition sign with a backwards seven attached to the right side of it.
Ron turned over the first card, which represents the inquirer. It was the Seven of Cups, meaning that he spent too much time daydreaming and refused to look at reality.
The next card, the Page of Cups, showed that his helpful forces were fresh ideas and the arrival of a message of love. The Five of Pentacles appeared after that as opposing forces, revealed to be such things as differences, separation of friends or lovers, and a period of deep loneliness.
The Three of Swords, in the place of present happenings or frame of mind, showed arguments and emotional upheavals dominating and a sense of loss and betrayal cause by another. A powerful feminine influence and an important lesson previously avoided appeared as his subconscious feelings in the form of the Queen of Swords.
Past influences came next, with The Tower telling of a shocking event leaving him changed and potential for catastrophe. The Hanged Man revealed the possible immediate future to hold a challenge to the way he thought and lived.
Card number eight, The Lovers, showed his fears and attitudes to be of facing an attraction or temptation that wasn�t good for him. The influence and opinions of his family and friends were revealed by the Five of Wands to be opposition that would complicate his life. The Four of Cups showed a need to stop dwelling on old memories and a relationship to be tested as a result of his thoughts and actions.
The last three cards were to show the final outcome at the present time. The first was the Five of Cups, showing that he would dwell on negative events and might have to fight depression. The second was the Nine of Swords, foretelling a time of great misery, sadness, and depression. And, finally, the last card revealed The Hermit, a loner or one who prefers solitude.
Ron thought about this for a while. This was a pretty bleak future that had been mapped out. He was tempted to dismiss it as the result of Professor Trelawney tampering with the deck, but he couldn�t. That night, another reading, done with Ron�s own cards, would produce the same results.
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Harry picked up his deck. He didn�t want to do a reading, but he had to. Professor Trelawney was watching him like a hawk to make sure he participated.
Harry shuffled the deck for a long time, trying to think of a question. He finally settled on asking about the future. He put the cards out and, consulting his book, began to turn them over.
The card representing him was the Eight of Swords, showing that a turn of events or his own indecision was leaving him feeling bound and restricted. His helpful forces were shown by The Chariot to be success coming through confidence and being centered. The High Priest revealed his opposing forces to be a situation requiring him to make a promise or sign a contract and that he would need to make sure he read the fine print and understood the terms.
The Moon came as present happenings or frame of mind, showing unexpected dreams, intuition, and/or psychic experiences, secret enemies at work, and deceptions being used against him. His subconscious feelings were shown to be great misery, sadness, and depression by the Nine of Swords.
The High Priestess showed that the past influences were hidden and that the future was in the process of being formed and, therefore, unpredictable. A possible immediate future was the Seven of Wands, showing difficult times and that competition in something important to him would bring difficulty and harsh feelings.
His fears and attitudes were revealed by the Two of Swords to be tension and indecision in relationships or friendships. The influence of his friends and family seemed to be dominated by a feminine influence with a strong loving and protecting nature, represented by the Queen of Cups. The results of his actions and thoughts were shown by the Ace of Swords to be a new cycle of activity.
The first of his final outcome cards was the Ten of Wands, a struggle to keep things going and a difficult series of event taxing his strength and endurance. The Death card came next with a significant transformation, an unplanned event requiring a dramatic or radical change, and illusions being stripped away, leaving only the bare truth. The last card, the Four of Swords, told of a time of rest after great anxiety and upset.
�Oh dear,� said Professor Trelawney, making Harry jump. She�d been looking over his shoulder and watching the reading. She picked up the last three cards and went to the front of the classroom.
�Mr. Potter has been unfortunate enough to uncover the reason why we didn�t do tarot readings in your third and fourth years,� she announced, holding up the cards for all to see. �The Death card hardly ever means actual death, but with the cards arranged in this particular way it rarely means anything else.� She stopped suddenly and looked at Harry, annoyance clearly written on her face. �I would think this would worry you of all people.�
Harry considered whether or not to answer this. He finally decided that he would, and there would be no way for Professor Trelawney to continue the subject. He looked up, his face expressionless, and spoke.
�I�m not afraid to die,� he said, drawing a gasp from the class. Anger flashed through Professor Trelawney�s eyes, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.
�We�ll end the lesson here,� she said. �You may go.�
Harry left the room with a slight feeling of triumph. He�d finally beaten Professor Trelawney at her own game.
But he was also thinking about the reading. True, he wasn�t afraid of his own death, but he was afraid of the death of others. If it was his destiny to die, he didn�t want to take anyone with him. Yet another reason to continue living separate from everyone else.
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Author's Note: Ok, first of all, I'd like to say sorry. I just realized today that I left something out of chapter 26 and I had to go back and put it in. So that you won't have to go and try to find it, I'll post it here as well as changing it on the chapter page. This is what's supposed to happen after Ron finds out about who his date is and before Harry leaves the great Hall. This is a Melissa point of view.
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�Well that worked out nicely.�
�You mean you set that up?� Melissa asked, glaring at Draco in mock anger. He just smiled and looked over at Blaise.
�How much do I owe ya?� he asked, pulling a bag of money out of his pocket.
�Don�t bother,� Blaise said, standing up. �I didn�t do it for the money.� She rushed out of the hall, wiping her eyes.
�And so it begins�again,� Melissa whispered, wrapping her arms around Draco.
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Once again, I'm sorry. It's not really that important to the story, but it is important to understanding the Ron/Blaise relationship. Now, on with the usual author notes.
Ok, if you skipped over any of the tarot readings, go back and read them now. They are VERY important. If they weren't, I wouldn't have had them. I should also say that I am in no way preaching the occult. True, my information came from the book A Guide to the Celtic Dragon Tarot, but I'm not preaching it. I was extra careful not to use any cards mentioning religion and/or magick.
I'm not the enemy here. To prove this, I will now tell you something you probably didn't notice. First off, the cards don't lie. Everything they say is true. The thing you probably didn't see is that the Nine of Swords, showing a time of great misery, sadness, and depression, appeared in both readings, as Harry's subconscious feelings, and as part of Ron's final outcome. Just something to ponder as you wait for the next chapter. If you have any questions, you can ask. I may not answer, but then again you never know....
This book now has 30 chapters. When I first started this story last year I never dreamed it would become such an epic journey. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my faithful readers. You have given me reason to continue with this story and reason to see it through to the end. Thank you.
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