Okay. Arrows. Jacob felt alright about this. Seemed simple enough. Yes or no questions. Right.

He followed the instructions Professor Vance had given to the class, collecting the quiver of arrows and bringing it back to his seat. He quickly finished up the last part -- he ripped a piece of parchment into four pieces and labeled them "yes," "no," "maybe," and "try again." He wasn't sure of the proper way to attach them, so he did what was most logical to him -- he poked a hole in the corner of each piece of parchment, threaded the string through it, and tied it around the arrows.

Satisfied with his handiwork, he placed the arrows facedown in the quiver so that they wouldn't stab him, and he couldn't cheat and see the parchments he'd attached. He wasn't sure that he believed in this -- seemed to him more like a No-Maj toy called a Magic 8-Ball -- but he still didn't want to sway it. Just in case.

He sighed, trying to think of the right yes or no question. He closed his eyes and poised his hand over the arrows so that he would be ready when it came to him. Will I get a lot of OWLs this year? was the first question. But no. Too boring. He already knew, truly without being conceited, that he would. What was something more unknown?

Is divination even real? Too meta to ask in a divination class. Should I find a hobby? Boooooring.

Am I going to get a girlfriend before this year is over? Whoa. Where had that one come from? He hadn't even been thinking about that topic outside of class. Like, it hadn't even occurred to him to wonder about that. He wasn't even interested in any of the girls he knew at the moment. But still... An interesting question. So he decided to go for it.

Concentrating on the question, he plunged his hand into the quiver and pulled out an arrow. He opened his eyes, more keen than he would care to admit to see the arrow's answer to his inquiry. "Maybe," it read. Okay. Not very definitive, but... Still. There was... Hope? Was he hoping for that? He shook his head, clearing his mind. Anyway.

Next question... Should I work for the Ministry after I graduate? Something he really had been wondering about, so the question came to him quickly. Following in his father's footsteps? He reached for an arrow and produced one with a "Yes" label. Hmm. Okay, then. It didn't specify which department...

Last one, then. He thought for a moment. He didn't really have any pressing questions... But hey! They didn't really need to be about him, necessarily, did they? Is Jared going to marry the girl he works with and has a crush on? Ha! He would find out his brother's future instead of his. That wasn't against the rules, was it? Professor Vance hadn't mentioned it that he'd heard... He reached for the final arrow, which read, "Try again."

Drat. Okay, then, he would try again. Maybe he hadn't been concentrating enough. He furrowed his brow in concentration on the question once more before pulling out another arrow, this one reading, "Maybe." Another super definitive answer...

He still wasn't convinced that this was real... But at least there was no way to disprove the verdicts given by the arrows, anyway.