When that ethereal, hollow voice suddenly sounded, Vid's footsteps paused, the casual expression on his face instantly froze, and his brows slightly raised as he focused on Trelawney.
The Divination professor straightened up, like a marionette, and she slowly said:
"A shadow crawls out of the grave, he... is weaving the web of time, intending to sew the world into a decaying cloak... he covets the power of creation... The place of shame is also the place of the throne..."
Vid's eyes narrowed slightly, and Harry climbed up from beneath the trap door, trying to remember every obscure word.
Ron stared, his throat involuntarily letting out a sound: "Merlin... Is this a real language?"
No one answered him, only Trelawney's intermittent dry voice sounded again:
"Another shadow, he stands beside... the burning thorns... and the cradle cast in gold... He is the gardener, holding pruning shears to trim life... His kingdom rises among the weeping rivers and the ashes of diamonds..."
Ron hurriedly rummaged out his notebook to jot down what Trelawney said, while Harry clenched his fists tightly, his mind a fog.
He still remembered the last prophecy made by Professor Trelawney, though it was just as weird and terrifying...
"A faithful servant helps the Dark Lord rise again," sounded straightforward.
But this time, he felt each sentence was difficult to understand, or simply incomprehensible, more confusing than the white mist in the Crystal Ball.
Harry instinctively looked toward Vid, hoping to glean some answers from his face.
However, he only saw Vid frowning at Trelawney; apart from this, his slightly pale face showed no extra expressions.
Trelawney's prophecy was not over; her head suddenly jerked toward Vid's direction as if her unfocused eyes were seeing something deeper.
Her voice suddenly rose, almost like a scream——
"The person steps on the shadow, halting in the center of the bridge!"
"Careful! Careful! One end's abyss will lead to your downfall, the other's intense light will scorch you!"
"Return! Return! Only by going back to the initial difference can you find your foundation…"
As her words fell, Professor Trelawney's body suddenly swayed, her head drooped to her chest, as if asleep.
In the next second, she lifted her head abruptly, hazily saying: "Oh, yes, attending class more often is good... Don't waste your talent..."
"Professor," Ron spoke with an unusually reverent tone to Trelawney for the first time: "What you just said... shadows, sun, kingdom… What does it all mean?"
"What are you talking about, Ronald?" Professor Trelawney asked like she hadn't fully awakened, wiping her mouth: "Were you dreaming in my class?"
"No, no," Ron stuttered: "but you, you just now..."
"Nothing happened, Professor! We were just falling asleep!"
Harry suddenly exclaimed.
He interrupted Ron's explanation, pulling his friend's sleeve: "Come on, Ron, you won't get any answers…"
Ron looked puzzled, but followed Harry down the ladder.
"When did I break the cup?"
Professor Trelawney finally noticed the wet patch of tea on her skirt and regretfully clicked her tongue: "Such a shame, it was my favorite tea set…"
She looked up to see Vid, who stayed behind, visibly pausing.
The usually calm young man now pressed his lips tightly together, as if afraid that once he opened his mouth, secrets would spill out.
He was surrounded by a heavy and cold atmosphere, a kind of pressure that even made Professor Trelawney's heart flutter a bit.
She stopped smoothing her skirt, considered her words, then vaguely said: "Oh, I used my Celestial Eye to see, Vid... Your inner vision can gradually recover through meditation, not necessarily relying on my incense…"
——So don't be angry, no need to show such a frightening expression over such a small matter.
Trelawney anxiously thought.
Vid looked at her for a moment and said: "Goodbye, Professor."
"Goodbye, dear."
Trelawney waved her arm, making the shawl sway open, looking even more like a moth spreading its wings.
With a still somewhat hoarse voice, she said: "Remember, not all prophesied futures have to come true. Avoiding the worst outcome is the purpose of Divination."
Vid forced a smile, silently leaving through the trap door.
...
The cold, heavy echoes of the prophecy seemed to continuously reverberate within the tower. While descending the dizzying spiral staircase, nobody spoke.
It wasn't until they stepped onto the solid stone bricks of the corridor that Harry suddenly caught his breath, and in a lowered voice said to the others:
"Let's find Hermione now! That prophecy was too strange, we need Hermione to help us analyze it…"
He sped up towards Gryffindor Common Room, but his collar was gently pulled back.
"Don't rush!" Vid's voice sounded from behind: "Let's eat first; it's lunch time."
Harry was momentarily stunned, then realized: "Oh, right! Hermione must be in the great hall for lunch too!"
Ron spent a long time deciphering his own messy notes, saying: "It's confusing, damn it! That prophecy is harder to understand than poems written by Muggles…"
He looked at Harry, saying: "Why did you stop me earlier? With such an odd prophecy, shouldn't we find out more about it? Maybe Trelawney was just using her usual charlatan tricks again?"
Harry shook his head, looking very serious: "This was indeed a true prophecy. Remember when I witnessed one at the end of the third-year exams? Plus, Professor Trelawney won't recall anything after waking up; you won't get any answers from her."
He looked toward Vid, asking: "Vid, do you know how to interpret it?"
Vid silently shook his head, appearing somewhat preoccupied.
Harry sighed, but wasn't too disappointed.
Prophecies, if easily interpreted at once, would be the real oddity!
Opening the doors to the great hall, the noise and warmth rushed toward them, and Harry's gaze swept across the hall, easily spotting a group of very noticeable people——
At the Hufflepuff long table, several familiar faces gathered joyfully.
Michael animatedly spoke about something, while Theo and Leian listened attentively, occasionally interjecting.
Sitting opposite them was Hermione, a book sprawled open before her, but clearly her attention was on the conversation, smiling lightly.
Neville busied himself spreading butter on bread, and next to him, Padma looked at the small cakes on the table with both disgust and desire, sucking in her stomach while frowning and drinking pumpkin juice.
Even Fred and George were seated nearby, enthusiastically recommending their latest trick products to two younger Hufflepuffs.
The gathered scene appeared natural and harmonious, as if the period when Vid "was absent" and everyone was busy with their own things had never existed.
Despite the lingering unease from the recent prophecy in their minds, seeing this scene, a pure sense of joy involuntarily rose in Harry's heart.
He smiled broadly, saying: "They're all over there!"
Then quickly walked toward his friends.