Depths of Despair ✶ Theodore Nott

four. beware of the future - it only holds pain

Choosing Divination for an elective class, Valerie quickly came to regret.

   Rumors spread like wildfire, and once the elder students began telling the tale of professor Trelawney's questionable sanity, every step toward the North Tower appeared to become harder and harder to follow through with. "I'm dropping out", revealed Valerie with a sigh by the time they'd reached halfway. Her enthusiasm toward the concept of the class had from the very start been at a low; only choosing it before any other of their options because of Kieran convincing her not to leave him alone.

     "Stop complaining", said best friend countered with a groan; wishing to tune down her negativity.

     "Have you heard what is being said about Trelawney? Apparently she's throwing out false
prophecies like a madman", Valerie reasoned, biased from what she had been told. A sixth year Slytherin whom she'd been sitting next to at breakfast had gladly told the reasons behind the decision to drop the class as quickly as possible; appearing rather horror-struck while doing so. "Last year, she apparently predicted a girl's death during their first class. She's crazy—",

     "Let's not draw haste conclusions. Look on the bright side", Kieran cut off. "Imagine being able to predict the future? I think it'll be fun."

     His confidence quickly dissolved into fragments of disappointment upon his first step inside the classroom. Having to climb through a circular trapdoor to even enter the room was odd in itself, however at first glance both the best friends decided it looked less like an actual classroom, and more like an old tea shop.

     Everywhere did it smell horrendously of some odd aroma that could not quite be put into words, and instead of tables and chairs you were expected to sit down on the floor. While some — like Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown — lit up at the sight, Valerie scrunched her nose up in distaste and immediately launched herself toward the trapdoor.

     Had it not been for Kieran's grip around her arms, maybe she would have successfully escaped the weirdly intimate classroom. However instead she grunted in annoyance when dragged toward a seat; her best friend fiercely making sure she remained still by holding her down until she gave up trying to flee.

    Before he himself could sit down, a peculiar looking woman appeared behind him. Her tangled hair reached below her waist, and her round spectacles — the thick glass enlarging her eyes by at least three times their actual size —  made an odd pairing with her colorful, horribly mismatching clothes. "Take a seat, mister Lacroix", she exclaimed and pushed him toward a free seat alongside some Ravenclaw Valerie did not know by name; leaving the seat next her vacant.

     Immediately enraged, she turned toward her best friend, a fiery glare on display and making impact upon the rest of her expression. "Traitor", she mouthed toward him, Kieran raising his hands in defense; shrugging toward the woman whom they could only presume was the infamous professor Trelawney.

     Only seconds did it take before another figure was directed toward the seat alongside Valerie by the same woman who had taken from her her best friend. To her very great dismay, he was instantly recognized — an involuntary groan exiting past her lips. "What? Not happy to see me, Leclere?" Spoke Theodore Nott, his tone laced with sarcasm she had over the years learned to utterly despise.

     "Do I look happy?" She snapped in return.

     A moment of silence passed, and her rage was only growing more prominent when coming to realize he was observing her; as if searching her expression for an answer to her previous question. "No, I suppose you don't", he then replied, shrugging his shoulders with nonchalance urging Valerie to slap him across the face. "Maybe you should do something about that, those frown lines will cause wrinkles by the time you're thirty."

     Before allowed to slam her text book into the back of his head, an overly theatrical voice cut their conversation short. "Welcome, my children." At the very front of the room stood the peculiar looking woman, waving her arms as if thinking it would drench her words in a sense of mystery. "In this room, you shall explore the noble art of Divination. In this room, you shall discover if you possess the sight—", by walking into her own table, she cut herself off; needing to reach out her hands and stabilize the potential damage of items falling to the floor. "— I am professor Trelawney, and together we shall cast ourself into the future."

     Valerie audibly sighed, turning too look at Kieran. Rather humerus was his display of disbelief; after actually experiencing excitement toward the newly elected subject, his expectations certainly had not been lived up to from what he'd seen so far — Valerie having to force back a laugh when he turned to meet her gaze with wide eyes.

     "This term, we will be focusing on Tessomancy, which is the art of reading tea leaves. So please, take the cup of the person sitting opposite of you." Valerie appeared unbothered when reaching for Theodore's cup, yet when looking down into the fragile porcelain, a grimace spread across her features. "You see, the truth lies buried like a sentence deeply within a book, waiting to be read. But first, you must broaden your minds. First, you must look beyond."

     Kieran and Valerie shared yet another look with one another, however opposite of before, it was now the first mentioned who most appeared as if he wished to launch himself off the astronomy tower.

     "You— You, boy, is your grandmother quite well?" Professor Trelawney suddenly exclaimed and pointed toward Neville Longbottom.

     Neville looked startled, gazing anywhere but toward the woman slowly approaching with an almost accusing expression. "Uh—Uh, I think so." Placing a hand on his shoulder, she exclaimed a sigh of breath; staring with wide eyes toward his cup.

     "I wouldn't be so sure of that.. Give me the cup." Dean Thomas, sitting alongside Neville, reached over to let the odd professor grab the fragile porcelain. One glance, and her features formed an expression displaying distress. "Oh— Oh, dear." She simply carried on in her strides around the classroom, haltering by Ron Weasley. "Oh, your aura is pulsing, my dear! Are you in the beyond? I think you are."

     "Sure", Ron stuttered out, as well appearing startled and unsure how to proceed.

     Professor Trelawney gestured toward the cup in his hands. "Look in the cup! Tell me what you see."

     "Oh, yeah— Uhm... Well, Harry's got a sort of a wonky cross. That is trials and suffering. And, uh, now there could be the sun, and that's happiness", he began stumbling for answers, flipping through the pages of his book while attempting at making sense of whatever it was he could see. "So, you're gonna suffer, but you're gonna be happy about it?"

     It did not, at all, make sense, and professor Trelawney seemed to think so as well. With a wave of her hand, she gestured toward Ron and spoke, "Give me the cup." The Weasley boy seemed rather happy to be rid of it, however the teacher took a single look at the tea leaves, before letting it go — stumbling backwards with a hand to her heart, yelling out in terror while looking at Harry Potter. "Oh— Oh, boy. My dear... You have the Grim."

     A wave of whispers rolled through the room, all while Harry himself appeared rather confused as to the sudden reactions. Valerie rolled her eyes, recalling the sixth year Slytherin's words. Kieran looked to his best friend with a sort of amused expression across his features, seeming to make the connection as well. Harry Potter was the one unfortunate student to have his death predicted on their first day of Divination.

     "What's the Grin?" A student further back in the room called out, and someone who seemed to know the answer was quick to reply.

     "Not the Grin, you idiot. The Grim. Taking form of a giant, spectral dog it's among the darkest omens of our world." They boy paused. "It's an omen... Of death."