บท 88: Sister, How Could You Do Such A Thing
Oleandra ascended the ladder and found herself in a round room. There were burgundy-coloured drapes hung from the ceiling, and there were twenty or so small round tables disposed in concentric circles around the room. The tables were surrounded by all sorts of different chairs, and all of the furniture shared the same colour as the drapes, including the tablecloths. Flames were gently crackling in the fireplace, and the kettle that had been placed inside was emitting a high-pitched whistle. The place felt like a sauna that burnt incense instead of wood.
One by one, students filled the room, but the teacher was still nowhere in sight.
"Where is she?" Oleandra heard Ron say.
"Welcome," Professor Trelawney said softly, finally making her appearance known as she emerged through the steam. "How nice to see you in the physical world at last."
Professor Trelawney was a tall, spindly woman, adorned with all sorts of baubles, beads and bangles. She wore thick glasses that magnified her eyes to a comical degree. She certainly looked like a charlatan, though Oleandra decided to reserve any judgments 'till after the class was over.
"Sit, my children, sit," she said, beckoning to the tables all around the classroom. Oleandra, Daphne and Tracey sat themselves down on some ottomans. Nearby, the Gryffindor Trio had sunk themselves into some poufs. It certainly looked comfortable, though Oleandra wasn't sure how conducive they were to learning.
"I am Professor Trelawney," she said, taking a seat at the centre of the room near the fireplace. "And welcome to Divination."
"You may not have seen me before, as I find that that taking part in the worldly affairs of the school tends to cloud my Inner Eye."
Oleandra perked up her ears when she heard this. She still had no idea what her Mystic Eyes actually were, but as far as she knew, she was the only one with the ability to perceive magic itself. Wizards with unique abilities were rare, but weren't unheard of. For example, Oleandra had learned that Wizards such as Seers, Parselmouths and Metamorphmagi had inherited their abilities from ancient experiments mixing Muggles to Fantastic Beasts (respectively, Demiguises, Basilisks, Bake-Tanuki). Maybe this Inner Eye of Professor Trelawney's was part of a greater class of magical eye powers? (it was not)
"Know that by choosing my class, you have one foot in the door to a world much greater than you might think," she said mysteriously. "But the art of prophecy is reserved for but a select few."
She paused for effect.
"Many Witches and Wizards have incredible talents for making things explode or disappear, but let me warn you right now; if you do not possess the Sight, then I'm afraid there's very little I will be able to teach you. Your books will not be of much help without the Gift."
She suddenly spun around, pointing at Longbottom.
"You there, boy," she said dramatically. "Is your grandmother well?"
"I, I think so?" Longbottom said unsteadily.
"We'll certainly see about that, dear boy," Professor Trelawney said. "By the way, my dear," she suddenly spun around once more, looking at Oleandra, "beware a red-haired man."
"Me?" asked Oleandra, confused, looking at Professor Trelawney and Ron in turn.
Ron shrugged his shoulders, seemingly just as confused.
"We shall first learn how to read tea leaves. Then, we will move on to palmistry, then crystal balls and fire omens," she continued. "I'm sorry to say that I will miss a class in February due to the flu, as I will lose my voice. And around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever."
Then, the teacher turned to a girl that Oleandra didn't know and asked for her to grab a teapot. She also took a moment to traumatize the poor girl by telling her that the thing she would be dreading would happen the very next month.
"Right, now I want you all to divide into pairs," Professor Trelawney said. "Collect a teacup, and I will fill it for you. Then, you will drink until the cup is emptied of its tea, after which you will swap your cup with your partner, and you will interpret their future."
Oleandra decided to partner up with her sister, leaving Tracey to find a partner of her own, which ended up being the nearby Granger, who had also been a third wheel in this scenario. She stepped gingerly over the ceramic shards from the teacup that Longbottom had dropped and grabbed a cup, then lined up to receive her portion of tea.
"Excuse me," Oleandra said to Professor Trelawney once it was her turn, "will you be teaching us runestone divination this year?"
"I regret to say, my dear," Professor Trelawney said melancholically, "that this sort of fortune-telling requires knowledge on Ancient Runes. Sadly, most students who will choose Divination are not the sort to take Bathsheda's class, therefore this part of the curriculum has been discontinued."
Professor Trelawney poured Oleandra and Daphne some tea, and they sat back down at their table, blowing on the piping hot liquid to cool it down. Drinking hot tea was supposed to help cool down the body, but the room was so swelteringly hot and humid that the tea wouldn't help much.
Oleandra silently drew Isaz into the tea by discreetly dipping her finger in her cup, turning its contents into refreshing iced tea. She drained its contents in one go and set the teacup on the table for her sister's viewing pleasure. Daphne put aside her cup and took Oleandra's, examining it closely.
"Let's see," she said, opening her copy of Unfogging the Future. "The tea dregs are shaped like a… like a… boot, maybe? I can't tell, actually. What does this look like to you?"
Daphne handed back the cup to Oleandra.
"A musical note, I think?" Oleandra answered. "Maybe I'll become a musical star? Let me do yours."
Daphne finished her drink and gave Oleandra her teacup.
"A hexagon?" Oleandra said hesitatingly. "And there's still a bit of tea at the bottom. Maybe you'll sink France at the bottom of the sea? Sister, how could you do such a thing? Eeep!"
Professor Trelawney chose that particular moment to silently creep up behind Oleandra to offer her opinion.
"That, my dear," she said dramatically, "is not a hexagon, but the Ouroboros— which signifies eternity, or longevity. You will live to a ripe old age, but alas— you shall die lonely."
This came as no great surprise to the twins. They both knew that Daphne would live long past a Wizard's natural lifespan, after all. Seeing the twin's lacklustre reaction, Professor Trelawney decided to sweeten the pot a little more.
"As for you, my dear," she said, taking Oleandra's cup, "That is not a musical note, but the candle— You will shine brightly, but you will die young…"
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