'Tell Me Pretty Lies,' by moongirlel

Chapter 6: The Serpent

[rises the moon - Liana Flores]

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Tue. 7th September 1993 - 9:15am...

"Open your minds, to the Art of Divination!"

The sound of a Grandfather-clock echoed through the Divination classroom.

We all took our seats in silence. While Professor Trelawney introduced herself, and our first lesson of Divination.

My first class of the year.

Beside me, Bem, a Gryffindor boy who usually hangs out with Dean, Lee and George.

"Open your minds! And you must look... beyond!" Trelawney gasped loudly, making some of us jump.

She stared, her eyes wide. She didn't stare anywhere in particular, spacing out in between soft mutters under her breath.

"Yes, welcome students." She stumbled over her table, her eyes burning into everyone's souls.

She took her time to look at each of us, pointing her finger at me. "Child, you possess an incredible and breathtaking aura. Yes, yes - You do. Wonderful, full of tragedy and sorrow. But yet... hm... you thrive. You thrive so surprisingly well."

I raise an eyebrow, shifting uncomfortably on my stool. "Thank you?"

"Hm..." She nods, addressing the rest of the class now. "Today, we will be focusing on the Art of reading tea leaves. So please, take the cup of the person sitting opposite you!"

I swap cups with Bem, opening my text book to find the shape it correlated with.

Our class focused, murmuring questions and flipping through pages to find the correct shapes.

Running my finger along a piece of text, a page shaped like a bird floats down onto my desk.

A well crafted and elegant charm.

I set Bem's cup down, opening the origami bird up.

I read the contents wrote inside it,

What a pathetic waste of words she used to describe you. Your aura? What the hell does that even mean?

I can guarantee you'd rather enjoy the list of words I can describe you with later in the Astronomy tower much more.

D.M.

I scribbled down a reply, tossing it across the room to Draco.

Oh? And what type of choice of words do you intend to use to describe me then?

What's brought this around?

- Jane x

He caught the page, his eyes scanning over my note. He lifts his quill to respond, but Trelawney yelled out. He knocked over his ink bottle over the note we were passing each other, his face twitching.

"Yes! You! Your aura is pulsing, dear! Are you in the beyond? I think you are!" She grabbed Ron's head, shaking it firmly. "Up. Pick up the cup! Tell me what you see."

"Erm... I see a sort of Sun? And, that there could be a Moon? And this looks to be in the shape of Seven Swords. So, Harry's gonna suffer, but he's gonna be... happy about it?" Ron nervously mumbled out.

"Give me the cup. Oh!" Trelawney snatched the china utensil from him, holding her chest momentarily. She tossed the cup down, giving us all quite the fright. "Oh my dear boy, you have... The Grim."

"The grin? What's the grin, Professor?" Seamus called.

"The Grim, not the grin, you idiot." Bem flicked through his text book, reading aloud the meaning for the whole class to hear. "It's... a dark omen. It reads here: 'The Grim' can be interpreted to have a vile and dangerous meaning, it's one of the darkest omens in our world. It means... death, the inevitable and the inability to hold ones destiny far away for long from the foreseeable future."

My heart skips a beat, reading along with Bem.

What a riddle.

"...brilliant." Harry mutters.

Trelawney peers into Neville's cup next, "Hm, pity." She shuffles around the room, eventually making her way back to my table.

She snatched my cup from Bem, smiling widely. "Just as I suspected, an interesting story, yes. The Star sign... hm, and here, a heart - But, oh! The pain!"

I smile awkwardly, trying to find the shapes in my tea leaves she supposedly spotted.

Her long finger points to a rather peculiar shape, this one I could make out.

"A serpent." She said coldly, shoving the cup into my hands. She pats my hands, "Poor choice... poor choice, my dear." She mutters, returning to her desk.

I glance at my text book, reading the message behind 'The Serpent,'

'The Serpent' presents a cold exterior, their bite is sharp and can cut deep.
If a person falls for their tricks, their vulnerability is at stake.
If a Serpent is a person or situation in your life, revaluate your actions.

Although they can be difficult to understand or control, communication will be hard too - They present themselves in a strong and high manner.

A dignified quality of person.
Showing many manner of promise for great things.

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