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