Round Robin: Bookbound
Trelawney sat on the floor of her dimly lit classroom, legs-crossed on a cozy hide. It had been a busy couple of months since she ended up in a book, living the life of the whimsical Hogwarts professor.
The daily chores never seemed to end. During the daytime she was preparing for classes, teaching, and marking assignments. The grind continued in the evening, with practicing spells, occlumency and divination.
The dull rhythm was occasionally broken by a meeting with her fellow travelers, which she hosted during pretense detentions, or by the staff meetings, that were compulsory even for the teachers of minor subjects.
She had taken to avoiding the staff room and the Great Hall at large. Quirrell always started pestering her about prophesies, if she had the misfortune to encounter him alone. She wasn’t sure if he was a legilimens, and she had no intentions of testing her occlumency skills by challenging him.
It was bad enough that she had to encounter Snape and Dumbledore on regular basis. Avoiding eye contact when wearing gigantic magnifying glasses on your nose was almost impossible.
Now she directed the glasses towards the table in front of her. From her position on the floor, Trelawney leaned forward and removed the velvet cloth covering her clearest crystal ball. The hard practice had paid off, and she was more often than not able to see faces and scenes appearing in the swirls of the crystal. So far, she hadn’t seen anything she could relate to the book, but she persistently kept looking for clues about the future.
Today the swirls immediately materialized into sharp images. Images of her fellow travelers, facing off with a troll in the dungeon.
She gasped, and the vision dissolved into mist.
Was the vision real and were her friends in trouble? Had it already happened? Was it yet to happen? Or was it a mere possibility of what could come to be?
Shit, today was Halloween! She almost pushed the table over, struggling to quickly get on her feet.
She had completely forgotten that she was supposed to be at dinner.
Well, going to dinner was probably a waste of time by now. It was about to be interrupted by Quirrell at any moment.
Instead, Trelawney grabbed her wand and made a beeline for the dungeons.
Outside the Great Hall, students crowded around the entrance, pushing and shoving each other to be the first to eat. In the midst of the crowd, Dean’s head poked out from a group of first years. He parted himself a path to the end of the corridor to a familiar blonde who stood, back facing him, alone.
Dean tapped her shoulder, and she swivelled in place to face him, eyes wide.
Before Dean could say her name in greeting, Daphne’s words caught him off guard. “Shit! It’s Troll Attack Day!”
Dean chuckled. What are the odds? “You beat me to the punch. I was about to bring up the same thing!”
They both laughed good naturedly.
Daphne was the first to regain her bearing. “What should we do?”
“I’m not sure we should leave things to the trio. We’ve changed too much.” Dean seemed uncertain of his next words. “Do you think we could confidently take on a troll ourselves?”
They may be internally more knowledgeable than their child counterparts, but try as they might, two months did not seem like ample time to have enough spells to take down a troll. They could probably fare better than some eleven-year-olds though.
“We should probably be able to, I think.” Daphne crossed her arms at her chest and leaned back into the wall in thought. “We should keep it in range, not letting it attack us. It’s probably resistant to damaging magic, so we should use indirect force against it.”
Dean nodded, thinking back on how that tactic helped the trio as well.
It was some time before the corridor emptied, and Daphne and Dean felt comfortable enough to go hunt for the troll. They smelled the troll before they saw it and followed its stench straight down to the dungeons, where it oafishly stomped to the stairs, cracking the stone floors as it went.
The first thing Dean noticed about the troll and was the lack of tools in its hands. “Didn’t it have a club in the book or am I misremembering?”
“Yeah, it did. Ron used a levitation spell on it to knock the troll out.”
Dean jogged, hiding behind a suit of armor to have a closer look at its hands, Daphne following closely behind him.
“Look!” Dean pointed at the troll. “It doesn’t have a club. We somehow changed this too. New plan Let’s wing it and use our surrounds as weapons.”
Dean tried summoning the polearm of a nearby suit of armor and pierced its shoulder. "I missed!" he said, frustrated.
"It's too advanced for us. Probably NEWT level or higher, shit," Daphne realized.
Daphne tried to make a plan and told it to Dean. "I've got an idea. You know Flipendo, right?"
"Yeah," said Dean.
Daphne laid out her plan. "Let's lure it to a wet surface with lots of heavy material. You cast Flipendo on it to make it slip, and I'll levitate heavy stuff onto its head to hopefully knock it out."
Then, Daphne lifted a small rock and threw it at the troll's head. "Hey, dumbo, catch me if you can!" she yelled.
The troll growled and started following her and Dean. They started to run, leading it to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, the troll crashing after them.
The bathroom's floor was wet enough for their purpose. It helped that the troll was dumb enough to sprint right in.
Dean laughed excitedly, feeling thrilled as they led it onto the slick floor. "Flipendo!" he cast.
The troll lost its balance and slipped hard on the wet floor, crashing into a toilet and sending debris flying everywhere.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Daphne cried, and together they levitated broken debris to keep knocking the dazed troll on the head.
The troll staggered, smashing through a wall and exposing Myrtle's toilet, into which the ghost promptly dove. Seizing the opportunity, Dean levitated a large chunk of rubble and used it to knock the troll unconscious.
Daphne and Dean cheered at their success and high-fived each other.
"Well! That’s that. Now what?" said Dean, grinning.
Daphne advised cautiously, "Now we run. We can't get caught by the professors. We aren't Dumbledore's favorites, nor do we have any altruistic reason for them to find us here."
"Good point. See you in class tomorrow!" He waved and tried to bolt, but was stopped by Snape at the entrance, followed by McGonagall, Quirrell, and Trelawney. "Uh-oh," he muttered.
"Shit!" Daphne whispered worriedly.
Trelawney arrived at the bathroom, heart pounding like crazy in her chest. The other Professors were just a few steps ahead of her, so she inconspicuously joined their crowd.
The four of them took in the scene in shocked silence. Her fellow travelers couldn’t look more suspicious, their faces reminded her of children being caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
McGonagall was the first to find her voice again, “What in heaven’s name is going on ?!”
“It would seem that Mr. Thomas, and Miss Greengrass have encountered the troll,” said Snape flatly, pointing out the obvious.
“That much is clear – Miss Greengrass, I hope either one of you has a good explanation for this,” demanded McGonagall sternly. She was building up steam, now when she understood that the danger was over.
Trelawny desperately tried to calm the situation with some good-natured nonsense. “I foresaw trouble in the dungeons. But I am sure the students have a good explanation!”
Daphne tried to make the students’ excuses by playing the same hero card with Dean, that Hermione did with Harry and Ron. “I went to the bathroom Professor. I didn’t attend the feast so imagine my surprise to find a troll here. If not for Dean, I would’ve been gone.”
Dean opened and closed his mouth, as to say something, but no sounds escaped him.
The tension in the room was tangible. Trelawney knew she was acting out of character, but she couldn’t simply let her fellow travelers take the other Professors’ wrath without at least trying to interfere.
“As I am neutral, in contrast to opposing heads of houses, I suggest you let me handle the students’ punishments,” she said theatrically, while making a swooping gesture with the hand that wasn’t holding a wand.
The attempt was in vain; Snape shot her a withering look.
“Perhaps, Professor, it would be courteous of you to let me judge Miss Greengrass for myself. Professor Flitwick would naturally handle Mr. Thomas.”
Daphne shrunk, while sighing, “I’m sorry Professor, and I concur with your judgement.”
“In that case, you will accompany me to my office.” Snape turned towards McGonagall “If that will be all…”
McGonagall nodded. “Yes, I think so, Professor. Mr. Thomas, if you would accompany Professor Trelawney to see Professor Flitwick.”
“Yes, Professor,” said Dean, obedient.
As Daphne and Dean crossed paths to go to their designated escorts, they jokingly sent the other a pitiful look to make light of the situation. It was half-hearted on Dean’s part, but it lightened the heaviness in his chest some. That brief exchange reminded him that even when they part ways, he wasn’t alone in this.
As he moved closer to Trelawny, Quirrell’s presence beside her, drew his attention. There was nothing exceptional that he could see about the man that would indicate the murderer lying dormant underneath his turban. Even now as Dean watched him closely, the man kept his hands limply at chest height, back rounded to keep his stature small as he listened to McGongall’s plan to move the troll from the area. But there was something there. There was something in the way the man looked at the troll that reminded Dean that this was just a façade. Quirrell suddenly looked up at him, his eyes cold and calculating. Dean froze in place, a chill going down his spine.
A feminine hand obscured Dean’s vision as Trelawny stepped between them to theatrically wave her hands gaining Quirrell’s attention. Tuning in, Dean missed the initial exchange between McGonagall and Trelawny.
“As you please,” Trelawny said dramatically, “I cannot foresee more trouble in the immediate future.”
With that as her parting words, she pivoted in place, shawl flaring ostentatiously as she discreetly guided Dean away. When they reached the first landing of a deserted corridor, Trelawny dropped all pretences and rounded on him.
“What the hell happened?”
Dean gulped. “I don’t know! We thought we changed too much of the canon story for the trio to handle the troll safely. We were going to leave afterwards.”
“I see.” Her eyes looked down in thought. “I guess you will have to play along with whatever Flitwick throws at you. The good news is that I saw it in my crystal ball. Hopefully, my divination picks up as the story is altered.”
Feeling less guarded now that her tone lightened, Dean said, “It feels like we’re getting nowhere fast. Isn’t there anything else we can do instead of just waiting?”
“We probably raised suspicion tonight… but I don’t feel ready to pull Voldy out from the back of Quirrell’s head yet. Maybe we need more allies?”
“Do you have any in mind?”
“No, but obviously someone stronger than us. Let’s meet with Daphne to discuss it once you have dealt with your heads of houses.”
Snape led Daphne into his office, shutting the door behind him as he went to sit at his desk.
"Sit," Snape commanded.
"Yes, sir!" Daphne replied nervously. She felt anxious about what was going to happen. It seemed she and Dean had lost their anonymity as regular students today and would now be under much greater scrutiny.
"Now then," Snape said. "I think that, as the head of your house, I am owed a proper explanation."
"Sir, I already told you, I went to the bathroom. I didn't know there was a troll," Daphne replied, actively avoiding eye contact.
"I see you are still under the impression I am talking about the troll," Snape observed.
Daphne, pretending to be oblivious, asked, "Okay, so what do you mean, Professor?"
"Let us begin with the obvious, then," said Snape sharply. "Who are you?"
Looks like there's no point pretending, Daphne realized. She could keep up the act, but she no longer saw any merit in it. Snape already suspected her, and she sensed this could be an opportunity to turn a potential adversary into an ally, if she played her cards right.
"You got me," Daphne replied haughtily. "I am not the Daphne Greengrass she was before coming to Hogwarts. I'm a Traveller from another world, and I know how it all goes."
If Snape was flabbergasted, he didn't show it. Instead, he demanded, "And where is the real Daphne Greengrass?"
"I don't know. I suppose she's lying dormant inside of me," Daphne replied.
"You mentioned knowing 'how it all goes,'" Snape inquired.
"Yeah, I know how it all goes," Daphne narrated. "I know it was Quirrell who let the troll into the castle because he wants the Philosopher's Stone. And I know who you are, Severus Snape."
"We are thinking of the same Professor Quirrell, I take it?" Snape asked.
"Yeah, the seemingly incompetent DADA professor who's got Voldemort stuck on the back of his head, hidden behind his turban," Daphne replied.
"Then you are surely aware of why nothing has been done about him?" Snape pressed.
"Yeah, Dumbledore wants to catch him red-handed stealing the Stone," Daphne answered. "But I think you should act, because Harry Potter will go after it at the end of the year, believing you are the one trying to steal it."
Snape narrowed his eyes. "And how would he know about that to begin with?"
"Kid is a lot more perspective than you give credit for, even if he connects the facts incorrectly. He knows Hagrid got a package from Gringotts because he accompanied him. He knows it was stolen, and he knows about Fluffy. He knows you went after stone, knowing about your leg injury."
"And," Snape continued, "based on what you've said about him going after it, I take it that he'll continue to be a nuisance."
"Yeah, he'll keep risking his life throughout Hogwarts, testing your vow to protect him."
A moment of silence followed Daphne's words as Snape froze. "... I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," he finally said, "but regardless, I'll speak with Dumbledore about child-proofing the castle."
Daphne snorted. "As if Dumbledore's doing anything about it. He awards him points for that behaviour."
"... well, I think I know what I'll be devoting myself to for the remainder of the year. That will be all, 'Miss Greengrass'. Also, 1 point from Slytherin for demon-possessing a child."
"Seriously, I'm not a demon," Daphne insisted. "But okay, let's talk about my situation. I've got some information which will be harmful in the wrong hands and I need help. I want to learn Occulomency from you."
"On account of the Dark Lord, I assume?"
"Yeah, he's an accomplished Legilimens and I want to learn from the person who fooled him."
"And I benefit from this in what way?" Snape asked dryly.
"I'll be your Ally," Daphne offered. "I will give you information to defeat Voldemort. And I'll keep my eyes on things going on in the Slytherin house."
Another pause followed, but this time due to Snape's consideration of Daphne's proposal. "... very well. I will, of course, expect you to do poorly in future classes, or perhaps have your work suffer from an accident, and that you'll be in need of remedial lessons."
"Yeah, sir, very well. And, include Dean Thomas and Trelawney too, they are also like me."
Snape visibly held back a sigh. "Indeed. I can speak with 'Trelawney' in her office, then. As for 'Mr. Thomas', I'll have a word with him."
"Very well, see you next time in our remedial classes. I will bring Dean along."
Trelawny was walking around in her classroom, rearranging the chairs after the last class for the day. She took out her wand and made a sharp movement with her wrist to summon the rope ladder before closing the trapdoor. The ladder landed all over the place and she gave it a couple of angry kicks to gather it into a pile.
For weeks her frustration had been growing. Why had she been sucked into this adventure? She was absolutely useless. After seeing the troll, she had had no more breakthroughs with her divination.
She had continued to cowardly avoid Quirrell, who still inquired about prophesies at any given chance of conversation. His sleezy attempts at small talk were almost as creepy as his secret under the turban.
There were many other people Trelawney would like to talk to, but she hadn’t found any good opportunities to do so. After Daphne briefly had informed her that she had been caught, and that she had revealed the truth about all of the travelers to the potions Professor, Trelawny had been living in a drought of information.
Unlike Snape, Trelawney wasn’t known to hand out detentions left and right. She had yet to come up with new acceptable reasons to give the student Travelers detention. Getting Snapes attention had also turned out to be troublesome. She couldn’t think of anything more suspicious than Trelawney and Snape having a friendly chat at the dinner table in the Great Hall. Based on his demeanor she doubted that the chat with Snape would be friendly anyway.
She gave the rope ladder one last hard kick and swore aloud when a toenail took the better part of the impact. She would have to try harder to engage with the others to find out what they had been plotting.
At least she wouldn’t have to put up any more students today. They were all dunderheads, on that she could agree with Snape. Or maybe the smart ones had chosen arithmancy instead of divination…
It came as no surprise that students were out of their seats in Charms class. They gathered in cliques, excitedly talking amongst themselves about Christmas Break. It was the second week of December, and it was already time to submit names to the Heads of houses. Dean knew there was no way he could get away with playing the original character amongst his family members and decided to play it safe and already gave his name. He wondered if the other Travelers thought the same.
“Hey, Daphne.” Dean scooted his chair closer hoping he was heard over the din. “Have you added your name to the list to stay for the winter holidays?”
“Obviously.” Daphne scoffed. “I don’t want to walk the unknown variable called the Greengrass household yet and frankly, things have been exciting here.”
Exciting was not a word Dean would have chosen to use. Tedious, maybe. Torturous? Since the troll incident, they’ve been working like madmen balancing the numbing schoolwork and Snape’s onslaught under the guise of Occlumency lessons. Although, it was through those lessons that they discovered Travelers’ autonomy over the book knowledge. He supposed this was this world’s way of preventing their characters of being too self-aware by peeking into their minds. Dean was grateful for small mercies.
Even so, he felt restless. Time was ticking away and they basically contributed nothing that could aid in Voldemort’s downfall. Was this all they could do? Study and master occlumency?
“Is there anything we can do during our stay? Maybe investigate the Room of Requirement for the diadem?” At Daphne’s look, Dean rushed to add, “Or is it too early?”
“It’s a good idea. The castle would be clear for the most part during the hols and we can explore the castle. How about finding the kitchen too.” She spoke her next words slowly and concisely as if she were mulling over them before she said them. “I would not like to go after the diadem as of yet. I don’t know what sort of butterfly effects might spring up from messing with it.”
Dean sighed a bit disappointed at the reality of her words. “I suppose you’re right. I just thought since we have Snape now, we can show him the horcrux and that will lead him to help with our mission. He could even help us next year with the basilisk. We still need a parselmouth to get into the chamber.”
Daphne reassured him, "It's okay. We can deal with the diadem when the diary Horcrux shows up next year." Daphne didn't feel like messing with Horcruxes yet, and the more canon went off-script, the harder it would be to predict the future.
She also had her own points to rant about. "And about Snape; dude is literally insufferable while teaching Occlumency."
Dean laughed. "Too true. The man is a miracle worker, though. We've progressed so much in such a short time. Stephen Cornfoot isn’t a match for me anymore." Then he wondered, "Would it be too much to ask for Legilimency lessons as well?"
Daphne had to give it to Snape; he was efficient even if he was a dick about it. She pondered, "Sure, if he decides to, it'd be great. But I don't suppose he'd let us go poking through his mind. He was a bit unnerved when I told him I know his secrets, and you know how he is about secrecy."
Daphne asked, "Do you think we should do anything about Hagrid's dragon egg situation?"
"I forgot entirely about that," Dean said. "Isn’t that after the Easter holidays? If we're already letting things run their course without intervention, then for the sake of the future, we shouldn’t get involved in this either."
Daphne fought her embarrassment, damn, she was even forgetting timelines now.
"Damn, right?" she squeaked. "I confused the timeline. And yeah, intervening in the troll situation was what got us into this mess anyway. So no intervention is right. I'm actually more nervous about how we should handle things next year because a literal basilisk will be a huge danger."
Dean laid out his thoughts. "At some point, we're going to have to stop pussyfooting and actually get more involved, regardless of the risk. But I think right now, we still have to play it safe. We aren’t physically capable of taking on Death Eaters, nor are we magically prepared for offensive or defensive combat. We need connections. The Ministry and Voldemort’s followers are going to be a problem next year too."
She nodded in agreement. "This year would be better spent exploring and setting our path. I think we should use the Room of Requirement for practicing advanced and dangerous spells. Let's cover high-level defensive spells and Sectumsempra." Then Daphne laid out her plan. "And there's one more thing... would you like to become an Animagus?"
