Chương 86: Saint?

"So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field …" said Professor Trelawney. "Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future. It is a Gift granted to few."

She looked at Luna, "You dear, I ask you stay away from the deep water."

Luna looked startled.

"We will be covering the basic methods of Divination this year. The first term will be devoted to reading the tea leaves. Next term we shall progress to palmistry." She continued. "In the summer term, we shall progress to the crystal ball – if we have finished with fire-omens, that is. ..... Rest of the year will be enjoyable but I can't say the same about the end."

Almost everyone was looking at her nervously, she looked around and at last stopped at a Ravenclaw girl. "I wonder, dear," she said to the girl, who was nearest and shrank back in her chair, "if you could pass me the largest silver teapot?"

The Ravenclaw girl, looking relieved, stood up, took an enormous teapot from the shelf and put it down on the table in front of Professor Trelawney.

"Thank you, my dear. Incidentally, the person you hate most will be your favorite person by the end of February."

The Ravenclaw girl looked shocked and sat down with a confused face.

"She is probably thinking, who she hates the most." Chris whispered.

Luna and Colin chuckled.

"Now, I want you all to divide into pairs. Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me and I will fill it. Then sit down and drink; drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside-down on its saucer; wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of Unfogging the Future. I shall move among you, helping and instructing."

Chris, Luna and Colin had their teacups filled, they went back to their table and tried to drink the scalding tea quickly. They swilled the dregs around as Professor Trelawney had instructed, then drained the cups and swapped them. A Ravenclaw boy named Ethan Bexley joined their table. Luna paired with him.

"So Colin what you see in my cup?" said Chris, as they opened their books at pages five and six.

".... er.... let me see..." Colin looked at the cup and the pages of the book, back and forth.

"Broaden your minds, my dears, and allow your eyes to see past the mundane!" Professor Trelawney cried through the heavily perfumed smoke in the room.

Chris didn't look at Colin's cup, she closed her eyes, folded her hands in her lap and relaxed.

"Chris, what're doing?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, is she went mad after coming to this class, I mean I don't blame her for that." The Ravenclaw boy, Ethan Bexley said.

Chris didn't open her eyes, suddenly Professor Trelawney came to their table and noticed her.

"Why didn't you look at the cup dear?" She asked softly.

"I'm trying to find my inner-eye Professor by doing a little meditation." Chris replied without opening her eyes.

"An excellent point of view. I never expected a thirteen year old to be this much knowledgeable about inner-eye." Professor Trelawney looked and sounded very happy. "I'm glad you understand the art of divination, dear. Continue."

She walked away. Surprisingly still closing her eyes, Chris could feel many gazes fixed at her. Ignoring them, Chris concentrated on her inner feelings which always helped her to see things clearly. Then she opened her eyes, took Colin's cup and looked into it.

"A windfall, unexpected gold. Sun, that means great happiness." Chris said what the first thing she saw and said the meaning from the book. "So I think you're getting unexpected gold and you're going to very happy about it. I mean who doesn't get happy after getting unexpected gold."

Professor Trelawney again came around, "'Let me see that, my dear." She peered into it, "right. You saw two things right but there is another.

"Another?" Chris asked curiously.

"Yes there is dear. This," she showed Chris a mark which looked like an just a long line but after looking closely enough, she saw it had five lines attached to one. Chris looked into the book again and saw what the sign means.

"Yes dear, it means, though you'll be happy. Your close friends will be in mortal danger." Professor Trelawney said to Colin with a sigh.

Colin looked at Luna to Chris. Everyone went quiet. A heavy silence lingered for the rest of the class and Chris's cup lay forgotten at the table. Colin or Professor Trelawney nobody looked in her cup which had most interesting signs.

"I think we will leave the lesson here for today," said Professor Trelawney, in her mistiest voice. "Yes … please pack away your things …"

Silently the class took their teacups back to Professor Trelawney, packed away their books and closed their bags.

"Do you think Hermione was right about her?" Colin said as they walked towards Transfiguration class.

"No. I know what I saw." Chris said cooly.

"But..." Colin looked rather gloomy.

"Hey, you're getting lots of gold, isn't that enough? I would be happy if it was me." Chris said smiling. "Forgot about the danger. Enjoy what we've right now."

"I agree." Luna replied.

"Hey!" Ginny said coming towards them as they came near the Transfiguration class. "My first Muggle studies class was really amazing. Now I know why Dad loves muggle things." She said excitedly but then noticed Colin's sad face. "What happened?"

"Nothing special. Just a regular future prediction and I predicted that Colin is getting lots of unexpected gold." Chris replied.

"Really? So why is he looking sad?" Ginny asked.

"Because you know, as I already predicted it, it's not really unexpected anymore." Chris said laughing.

"Oh C'mon Chris. You know why I'm worried." Colin said quietly. "Professor Trelawney said my close friends will be in mortal danger."

"Really?" Ginny said surprised.

"C'mon Colin, I believe if anything happen to any of us, the rest will figure out a way out of it. Don't worry." Luna said smiling.

"Well, she kinda make sense." Ginny said thoughtfully.

"How?" Colin asked surprised.

"You see if you got lots of gold, we'll be die because of jealousy." Ginny said and laughed.

Chris and Luna also started laughing. At last Colin sighed and laughed with them as they entered to Transfiguration classes.

Professor McGonagall explained the most interesting chapter(according to Chris) to them. Animagi, wizards who could transform at will into animals. Sirius Black was one of them. Chris saw him transform himself into a dog many times now. Professor McGonagall was also a Animagi, she transformed herself into a tabby cat with spectacle markings around her eyes. Everyone clapped.

"You know I always wanted to be one." Chris said wistfully.

"Same. I wanted to be a rabbit from childhood." Luna replied.

"I wanted to be horse, you know so I can run as much as I can." Ginny said smiling.

"I'm happy to be just a human." Colin replied.

After Transfiguration they went to Great Hall for Lunch. Colin went to check on Dennis as the girls went towards the Ravenclaw table.

"What you've in this afternoon?" Luna asked.

"Care of Magical Creatures... with Slytherins." Ginny gave a side glance towards Chris.

"What? Why're you looking at me like that?" Chris noticed her.

"Nothing it's just we've class with Slytherins, do you reckon he took Care of Magical Creatures?" Ginny asked seriously.

"I don't know, maybe." Chris said. "Wait, who're you talking about?"

"The same person you're thinking about. I knew something was going on." Ginny giggled.

"Ginny there is...."

"Who?" Luna asked.

"Jason Fawley, a Slytherin boy. Quite good looking, isn't it, Chris?"

"Ginny stop it. There is nothing." Chris said with a irritated tone.

"Sure I believe you." Ginny said rolling her eyes.

"Who is he? Will you show me Ginny? He must be something unique if our Chris likes him." Luna said grinning.

"I don't Like him. Urghhhh...." said Chris and put her head on the table.

Ginny and Luna laughed.

"You've no idea how he was looking at her in the train." Ginny said still giggling.

Chris concentrated on the food.

"Hi." Padma Patil said sitting near them.

"Hey." Chris replied quickly to escape the current conversation.

"You know I've no problem with you two sitting here but I think few seniors have noticed you. They're not really happy about that." Padma said.

"Why?" Ginny asked, getting serious.

"Look, don't know how the Ravenclaws look from outside, there are students in Ravenclaw who thinks, they're superior to others as they're more intelligent." Padma sighed. "I obviously don't think that. I just wanted to warn you before they corner you and started throwing difficult questions towards you."

"Thanks Padma for telling us. I really appreciate your concerns but showing off your intelligence isn't the exact opposite of being smart?" Chris said casually.

"Exactly my thoughts. I always find this weird. I mean if your really great, you shouldn't show off your greatness, right?" Padma replied. "And then you start to insult them thinking they don't deserve to be there."

"They insult their own house people?" Ginny asked surprised.

"Some of them does." Padma said haughtly. "You've no idea what happened at the first week after getting selected to Ravenclaw. Few sixth and seventh year students make sure no one helps you with the solving riddle at tge door, so they can see if you're a worthy Ravenclaw or not. I've great difficulties in my first week because I gave many wrong answers but some students helped me out. They always bullied the first years, specially Luna."

"Luna?" Chris and Ginny said together and looked at Luna.

"Yes, they bullied her so much, made fun of her. I tried to stop them with my friends but my friends backed away, I left alone, then Cho Chang, a one year senior girl and few her friends asked them to stop bullying Luna." Padma smiled. "At last few other students also supported us and they stopped bullying the first years."

Chris and Ginny stared at Luna who was eating casually.

"Wait, Luna, you didn't tell them these?" Padma said noticing their face.

"No." Luna said simply eating.

"Why?" Ginny asked. "We could've helped you."

"You couldn't, Ginny, you were already disturbed by that diary and Chris was worried about you." Luna said casually. "It didn't feel so important that time."

"Sorry Luna I should've asked. I'm such a careless friend." Chris said.

"Oh no. You're a great friend Chris. You and Ginny both. I just didn't tell you because the bullying never bothered me. Few muggle kids from the muggle village near us, used to bully me when I was little. So it have stopped effecting me anymore." Luna said with a smile.

"Really?" Chris asked.

"Really but if I'm in really big problem, I promise I'll tell my friends." Luna grinned. "But the important fact is the seniors will try to bully you."

"And we'll get bullied? Nah I'm not that saint, Luna." Chris said smirking.