"Maybe we should hurry. I think we're going to be late."
"We agreed on noon."
Walking to Hogsmeade Village through howling wind, rain, and snow was anything but pleasant. They had to hunch over and struggle forward against the freezing gale and sleet. Even wrapped in thick scarves, the exposed skin on their faces still ached from the cold.
Even Harry had to admit that staying in the warm Common Room in this awful weather would have been far more comfortable. Unfortunately, they had no choice now, and turning back to the school was clearly not a good option.
"If only we could Apparate directly to Hogsmeade Village." Ron tugged at the scarf around his neck and looked at the Hogwarts students trudging ahead into the wind. "My cheeks feel completely numb already."
"Stop complaining. We can start learning Apparition this term." Hermione seemed to recall something and suddenly turned to Harry. "Harry, I remember you're not old enough yet."
"My birthday is at the end of July," Harry said gloomily. "I probably won't be able to take the Apparition test until next term."
"I think you should learn Apparition first, just in case," Hermione said seriously. "And Ron, you too. It'd be best if you passed on your first try."
"Hermione, do you know something?" Harry suddenly asked. "Did Albert tell you anything?"
"No." Hermione shook her head. "But do you remember? He once made a prediction."
"A prediction? What prediction?" Ron asked loudly.
"The truly turbulent times... are coming." Hermione glanced at Ron and lowered her voice. "According to Albert's prediction, this still doesn't count as turbulent times. So what do you think would qualify as truly turbulent?"
"The situation getting even worse than it is now." Harry simply could not imagine what that would look like.
"He