Chapter 329 — Future Fate
Trelawney adjusted her spectacles, glanced at the students in front of her, and began to speak.
"You will find a copy of The Dream Interpretation Guide by Inigo Imago on your desk. Dream interpretation is a very important method of predicting the future, and it is also a question that is very likely to appear on the O.W.L. examination.
"Of course, I think that compared with the sacred art of Divination, passing an examination is truly unimportant. As long as you possess discerning eyes, certificates and grades are merely trivial matters. However, the Headmaster is willing to let you take the examination, so…"
"I still hope you can learn something in this class that you cannot learn from an examination," Trelawney added.
"Whether we take the exam or not, we won't learn anything useful."
Ron covered his mouth with his hand and whispered to Harry.
"Perhaps the only thing I've learned is how to spout nonsense by connecting completely unrelated things?"
Harry nodded in agreement.
Parvati, sitting nearby, glared angrily at them, looking somewhat like Hermione.
They were sitting in the last row, and the girl who had arrived late could only sit there as well.
The reasons, however, were completely different.
If Hermione had been there, she would probably have simply scolded them and told them to pay attention. Parvati, on the other hand, felt that they were insulting her favorite subject.
Pansy, meanwhile, was sitting upright in the front row, listening attentively to Trelawney. Her eyes were filled with anticipation as the professor lectured.
In reality, most of Professor Trelawney's predictions were unreliable, often mixed with strange and bizarre prophecies.
She particularly enjoyed predicting that certain students would die.
Usually, she predicted that they would suffer violent deaths.
Students would die, of course. Who wouldn't eventually die?
After hearing such predictions often enough, the students became accustomed to them and simply treated them as a form of entertainment.
"All right, everyone, let's discuss your recent dreams. Dreams are an important part of prophecy, and The Dream Interpretation Guide can greatly assist you in analyzing them."
Professor Trelawney spoke in her usual muffled voice.
The discussion began, with students pairing up.
But there wasn't much meaningful discussion.
Many were simply trying to get through the lesson without actually participating, while others used the opportunity to chat.
Harry had countless dreams he could share, but he could easily imagine how the others would look at him if he revealed them.
So he chose to remain silent, exchanging only a few words with Ron whenever Trelawney came down the rows to inspect the class.
"Let me think… I remember I was playing Quidditch in my dream that day!"
Ron glanced at Trelawney from the corner of his eye.
"That probably means you're going to be eaten by a giant gummy bear."
Harry spoke listlessly as he flipped through The Dream Interpretation Guide.
Searching for dreams in the Guide was a tedious and boring task. It required no real skill and wasn't interesting at all.
Near the end of the lesson, Professor Trelawney assigned their homework: they were to record their dreams for one day every month.
Ron let out another miserable groan when he heard this.
For most people, dreams were quickly forgotten after they woke up.
The school bell rang outside.
Most students couldn't wait to stand up and leave their seats.
For them, attending this kind of class really was a form of torture.
Unlike most of the students, Pansy picked up her books from the desk and tucked them under her arm, but she did not leave the classroom.
The girl walked quietly over to Trelawney.
The professor noticed her approach and looked up, revealing her enormous, dragonfly-like eyes.
"Hello, Miss Parkinson. Is there something troubling you about the class?"
Trelawney asked kindly.
"Could you make a prophecy for me?"
Pansy asked cautiously.
Trelawney's expression immediately became somewhat troubled.
Clearly, as a Seer, the ability to predict the future could not simply be used whenever one wished.
Certain conditions had to be met.
Moreover, careless prophecies could bring misfortune to both the prophet and the person being divined.
This was especially true when the person seeking the prophecy had a strong purpose in mind.
Unlike the predictions made during ordinary examinations, those fragmented and unserious prophecies could be interpreted in countless ways.
The more precise the divination, the more likely it was to come with a heavy and unexpected price.
A great deal could be inferred from Trelawney's behavior.
She often appeared eccentric and almost mad.
"He's the most important person to me, and I can only ask you for help now."
Pansy's eyes glistened with tears, making her look pitiful. She wiped her eyes at precisely the right moment, immediately stirring Trelawney's sympathy.
But Trelawney knew that rashly attempting a divination would only bring greater misfortune.
"I have a compromise," she suddenly said.
"Tell me everything you see. I'll interpret it for you."
"By the way, was my prediction about your final examination accurate?"
The professor suddenly asked the question.
At those words, Pansy's cheeks flushed slightly, perhaps because she had recalled an embarrassing memory.
She then nodded slightly.
"That's still a good sign."
Trelawney nodded in agreement, clapping her hands as the jewelry around her wrists jingled.
"Let's begin."
Even after saying this, she seemed to fall into a dilemma.
She looked around at the various Divination tools and began hesitating.
Should she use tea leaves, magical stones, or tarot cards?
A dull crystal ball sat on her desk.
It looked almost like an ordinary Muggle ornament, whether because it was inactive or because it had lost its magic.
Trelawney decisively pushed the unassuming divination tool toward Pansy.
"Use your heart to discover, to consult, and to communicate."
Where should Draco be now?
Pansy gently placed her hand on the crystal ball and silently prayed.
Then she saw pale-blue ripples slowly begin to spread through the crystal ball.
She did not yet know what they meant.
Then she heard a woman's choked voice.
It wasn't quite crying.
It was merely a very faint sob.
It was as light as a feather, but Pansy heard it nonetheless.
She still had no idea what any of this meant.
"Child, what did you sense?"
Trelawney asked gently.
She was always gentle and patient with students who possessed the so-called "aura" of a Seer.
Of course, she treated those without such an aura the same way.
The only difference was that her eyes held a little more pity.
After all, in her view, it was a great tragedy to be unable to see even a glimmer of light through the dark fog and catch a glimpse of the future.
Pansy honestly told Trelawney everything she had heard and seen.