It wasn't long before the Divination Class was filled with people, and there was a clear distinction among the students—
The students who were just passing time had already occupied the corner spots, quickly lying on their desks to catch up on sleep; while Trelawney's followers were excitedly gathered around the professor.
No matter which type of student, you could get a good relaxation in the Divination classroom, which was particularly precious during the O.W.Ls year—that's probably why Trelawney's reviews among the students weren't too bad.
Harry and Ron were nestled in the corner, making up nonsense while looking at each other's palm lines.
"Look here, this fork, Ron... it signifies you encountered a major crisis when you were seven years old, uh... probably related to pumpkins?"
"Spot on! That year my mom tried to stuff me to death with pumpkin pies!"
Ron nodded in mock seriousness, then 'divined' for Harry: "Let me see, oh, in an upcoming major exam, you'll suddenly do brilliantly and score the highest, but only if you avoid all pickled herring for breakfast."
"Great!" Harry said happily, "There isn't any pickled herring at Hogwarts at all!"
They laughed so hard at their outrageous "fates" that they almost fell off their seats, suppressing their voices, snickering and trembling all over.
Suddenly, Harry tilted and almost fell off his chair. He grabbed the table to steady himself, and his gaze inadvertently swept across the other side of the classroom, where he saw a shadowy figure sitting by the thick curtains.
Harry's smile froze, and he blinked his eyes, seemingly doubting if he'd seen correctly.
He took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes twice, and then looked up again to see that Vid seemed to have noticed the gaze in that direction, turned his head to look over, and waved gently with a smile, as if greeting them.
Harry immediately brightened, waved vigorously, and quickly withdrew his arm before Professor Trelawney could notice.
"Oh, Vid." Ron glanced back, saying with an odd expression: "Seems he finally remembered that we have exams in six months."
He looked at the obvious joy on Harry's face, opened his mouth as if to say something, but swallowed his words, simply scratched his head, looking hesitant.
Harry, sometimes keenly perceptive to others' emotions, turned his head towards Ron, and asked puzzledly: "What is it? Ron, you want to say something?"
"Nothing... it's just..."
Ron's gaze wandered left and right, stammering: "Don't you feel? Vid has recently been distant with everyone..."
"It's not distance." Harry said earnestly: "He just has something important he's researching... or some crucial matter occupying all his mind, and he can't play around like he used to."
"Alright, if that's what you think..." Ron muttered: "I just don't get it, what kind of research is urgent enough that he can't spare half a day. Didn't you say last time that he hasn't gone to the Umbrella House for a while, even SSC activities seem hard to organize?"
Harry paused for a moment, then affirmatively said: "But Hermione also mentioned, once Vid completes that phase and returns to the classroom, everything will go back to normal!"
He turned back again towards the corner where Vid was sitting, ensuring the figure wasn't his imagination, with a lighter voice:
"See, he's here now, isn't he?"
Listening to Harry's words, Ron started believing Hermione's judgment, and the tension on his face finally dissipated, gradually replaced by a new sense of expectation.
"Great, so the Magic Spell Study Group will resume too? The recent spells have become increasingly difficult, if Vid could continue teaching us..."
Harry laughed silently, it was such a rarity for Ron to show such anticipation towards studying.
...
In the sweet aroma surrounding the Divination classroom, the class bell finally rang, and the students immediately poured out through the Trap Door, Harry hurriedly stuffed his textbook into his bag, and yanked Ron towards Vid.
"Hi, Vid, are you... uh... finally free?" Harry asked excitedly.
"Yeah, it's a temporary hiatus." Vid stood up, packing away the untouched textbook, and said in a relaxed tone: "Taking a few days to rest."
"How peculiar your resting method is," Ron teased: "Coming to Trelawney's Divination Class."
"I've come to think Divination can be quite useful sometimes."
Vid glanced at Professor Trelawney, who was pouring herself tea at the front of the classroom, saying: "It provides a different perspective on the world, or integrates information we might not have noticed ourselves..."
His voice slightly lowered, and with a clear gaze said: "But don't get superstitious about it, nor rely on it... just treat Divination as a somewhat blurrier mirror that occasionally distorts."
Harry seemed half-understood, while Ron shrugged, no matter how you spoke about it, the two of them were uninterested in the class.
As the trio were about to step out of the classroom, Trelawney finally noticed the long-missing student.
"Oh... Vid..."
The deliberately elongated voice echoed from the fire-lit area, Vid turned around to see Trelawney looking through her massive glasses at him, her gaze appearing somewhat hazy, as if with a hidden meaning.
"I haven't... seen your figure in the swirling smoke for a long time."
She sighed, holding hot tea, the mist making her vision appear even more blurry.
By now, besides Vid, Harry, and Ron, the last few students also reluctantly stepped out of the classroom.
"But I can sense... your line of fate, shrouded with a layer of haze, dear one."
Trelawney said gently and ambiguously: "A haze from afar, laden with dust. You need to come here often, let the sacred incense cleanse your clairvoyance, so your destiny's path can become clear again in tranquility..."
Vid chuckled, said: "Thanks for your concern, Professor. I'll be particularly mindful of dust from afar lately... and will come to Divination classes often."
Trelawney with her prophetic mysterious demeanor, imperceptibly nodded, took a sip of tea.
"Quickly! Quickly!" Ron whispered, pushing Vid and Harry from behind: "Be careful she doesn't give you any death prophecy!"
They were already ravenous, and didn't want to linger in the Divination classroom. But alas, the Trap Door was only so big, allowing only one person at a time to pass through.
Harry just stepped down, his head about to disappear from the floor, when suddenly a crisp 'crack' sounded from the classroom behind them.
The few of them were startled, simultaneously turning to look.
The teacup had dropped, splinters and tea splattered around, one larger piece spinning on the floor for quite a while before losing momentum and lying flat.
But the strangest was Professor Trelawney—her eyes widened immensely, her vacant gaze fixed on a point in the void, her expression extremely stiff and dazed.
Accustomed to acting enigmatic, at this moment the professor's mouth was slightly ajar, speaking in a metallic resonating raspy tone:
"Two shadows... contesting... the extinguished sun..."