Muggles & Spark Plugs - Arthur Weasley

12: Eager Eagle

He did not dare to look at anyone. At the time, he had not believed Professor Trelawney about the Eagle being a death omen, but now he wasn't so sure.
He saw Ivory's expression with her raised eyebrows but looked away before she could see the fear in his eyes. He did not want to ruin this feast.

'This feast' was really the Halloween feast. There were piles of food everywhere, steaming plates of the main courses, iced desserts. His classmates chatted delightfully with the passing ghosts. Fred had learned their names but hadn't bothered to remember them. He thought it would be a good thing to do so, though, because he could become one of them anytime soon.

"What is it, Fred? You have all this 'good food' as you call it, yet you haven't bothered to touch any of it."

"I don't really want to talk about it, Ivory," he said.

"Talk about what?" Arnold peered his head over Ivory's shoulder to look at him. His view was a one-second one due to the fact Ivory shoved him off nearly instantly.

"Nothing," Ivory told him as if she had not just shoved him into a seat three away from where he had been.

Fred mouthed, "Thanks."

She smiled, a smile that told Fred everything and that she was not letting whatever 'it' was to slip past her until she found out exactly what he was hiding.

^

He did not tell her. She could not bribe him or pester him long enough to know. She could not, that is what he told himself. He was not sure how she would feel if he told her about the death omen.

Because of this, Ivory Everson was ever so determined to find out. She would walk with him to all their classes, but would not say a word. Fred thought she was hoping he would eventually just blurt out the secret. Like he would.

Finally, he did tell her. It was after dinner where most of the chatter was smothered by others talking or the chimes of silverware clicking against. She sat beside him and did not speak a word until the desserts came out and Ernie received a brownie into the face from Arnold. Fred barely heard her over the laughter:

"You're something else, Fred, and you do not strike me as the secretive type."

He held the swears inward and devoured another slice of cake. "So? Everyone has secrets."

"Not everyone."

"You're telling me you have no secrets?"

"I never said that; you are hiding something, Weasley."

"Indeed he has, like the stupid Ravenclaw he is," said a voice behind the two of them. They did not have to turn around to see it was Ariana Everson.

"Ravenclaws are known for intelligence, unlike Slytherin," Ivory shot back without taking her eyes off of Fred.

"Whom are known for being ambitious. And you don't need intelligence to have dreams. Even if you did have dreams, they're nothing compared to mine." She strolled off to the Slytherin table which was filled with laughter and cheers, the audience of her 'ambition' to make their first year at Hogwarts hell.

They met eyes. "Your sister is -"

"I know, a snake, poison and all."

"Don't forget the venom!" Ariana called out.

"Venom and poison is the same thing!"

He was almost glad when the food disappeared at last.

^

Their feet made not a sound as they exited the hall and up the multiple staircases to the common room. Fred had a feeling he knew what was going on with Ivory. He had hoped there would not be a time when he would have to tell her, but times had changed he told himself. They sure had.

"Iv," he said only her name and she looked at him. He gestured to a nearby corridor and they walked over there. He gritted his teeth at the catcalls.

"We're only eleven! Eleven!"

"Just ignore them, Freddy."

He scowled, sighed, and followed her farther down the corridor. "Now what is it you wanted to tell me?"

He turned his attention to the wall. "Nothing - actually, no, it's not nothing - it's ... For goodness sake, stop staring at me like that!"

Ivory, whom had been smirking the whole time, continued. "Fine. I'll stop this -" she gestured to her face "- and you tell me this secret I've been dying to know."

No, that was not right. She was not the one whom was part of the whole dying-because-of-a-prophecy thing.

He sighed. "Fine. Fine. You know Professor Trelawney? Well, during our first lesson, we did tea leaves a-and -" why was he stuttering now? - "my tea leaf was an eagle."

"So, eagle for Ravenclaw. Big whoop."

"No, it was an eagle of death. That is what Trelawney said."

"Eagle...of death?" Ivory's eyebrows rose. "As in, Aquila morte."

"Yeah, that's what she said. Oh! And something happened before."

"Such as?"

"A-a propaganda or something."

"A prophecy?" She narrowed her eyes. "A-prophecy? Oh...this is not good. This is not good."

"What, did you think I thought it was good? It was something to do with the Dark Lord and the Boy Who Lived and something with seven years and changes."

Ivory shook her head. "You-Know-Who's dead, gone, nonexistent. Harry Potter's somewhere working in the Ministry doing who knows what. Seven years at Hogwarts then free of school, seven years until we're out of here. Seven years..."

"Seven hundred Quidditch fouls." She glared at him. Fred shrugged. "I'm certain it means seven years ahead."

"Good for you, Brainy. It said years, not fouls. And who says these 'seven years' haven't already started?"

Fred sighed and his hands smacked against his thighs. "How am I to know? She didn't mention a year."

"Oh, would you have liked her to - I don't know - mention a time, place, and location?"

"Ivory, I never said that."

"You surely inferred it!" She took deep breaths and calmed down enough to say, "Eagle of death....death of an eagle...eagle of death."

"Forget it!" He snapped. All this had done was make him more confused. He spun around and made his way down the hall. He could hear Ivory walking to catch up.

"Eager eagle!" Someone shouted as soon as Fred turned the corner. He ignored their shouts and innuendos. He ignored the urge to shout back and ignored the echoing footsteps of Ivory behind him. He even ignored the riddle the eagle squawked at him and was only let in when Ivory answered the riddle behind him. He stumbled into the corridor where he was glad Arnold and Ernie were having their usual Quidditch chatter and were too into the subject to notice him. Falling onto his bed, he pulled the covers around him. He put the pillow beneath his head, the only visible part. He brought the cover over his head as a disguise to hide the falling tears. Death of an eagle. Ivory had said. Aquila morte. Eagle for Ravenclaw. Death of a Ravenclaw. He shook his head. That could not be right. Still, the thought of if it was filled his brain that night. And his dreams, which had dissolved into Ivory dying, the Head of House, Professor Flitwick dying, Arnold dying followed by Ernie dying, all the other Ravenclaws he knew dying. And the worst one, the most unthinkable one even he had not thought about; himself dying.