A Different Story

Chapter 37

2nd Of September 1993

When Harry, Arcturus, and Hermione entered the Great Hall for breakfast the next day, the first thing they saw was Draco Malfoy, who seemed to be entertaining a large group of Slytherins with a very funny story. As they passed, Malfoy did a ridiculous impression of a swooning fit and there was a roar of laughter.

"Hey, Potter!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl with a face like a pug. "Potter! The Dementors are coming, Potter! Woooooooooo!"Harry dropped into a seat at the Gryffindor table, next to Ron Weasley.

"New third-year course schedules," said Weasley, passing then, over. "What’s up with you, Potter?"

"Malfoy," said Arcturus, sitting down on Weasley's other side and glaring over at the Slytherin table. Ron looked up in time to see Malfoy pretending to faint with terror again.

"That little git,” Ron said calmly. "He wasn’t so cocky last night when the Dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn’t he, Seamus?”

"Nearly wet himself," said Seamus Finnigan, with a contemptuous glance at Malfoy

After they had finished breakfast the Hall was starting to empty as people headed off towards their first lesson. Harry checked his schedule. "We’d better go, look, Divination’s at the top of North Tower. It’ll take us ten minutes to get there"

They walked back through the hall. As they passed the Slytherin table, Malfoy did yet another impression of a fainting fit. The shouts of laughter followed Harry into the Entrance Hall.

The journey through the castle to North Tower was a long one. Two years at Hogwarts hadn’t taught them everything about the castle, and they had never been inside North Tower before.

They climbed the last few steps and emerged onto a tiny landing, where most of the class was already assembled. There were no doors off this landing, but Arcturus nudged Harry and pointed at the ceiling, where there was a circular trapdoor with a brass plaque on it. "Sybill Trelawney, Divination teacher," Harry read. "How’re we supposed to get up there?"

As though in answer to his question, the trapdoor suddenly opened, and a silvery ladder descended right at Harry’s feet. Everyone got quiet. "After you," said Arcturus, grinning, so Harry climbed the ladder first.

Harry emerged into the strangest-looking classroom he had ever seen. In fact, it didn’t look like a classroom at all, more like a cross between someone’s attic and an old-fashioned tea shop. At least twenty small, circular tables were crammed inside it, all surrounded by chintz armchairs and fat little poufs. Everything was lit with a dim, crimson light; the curtains at the windows were all closed, and the many lamps were draped with dark red scarves. It was stiflingly warm, and the fire that was burning under the crowded mantelpiece was giving off a heavy, sickly sort of perfume as it heated a large copper kettle. The shelves running around the circular walls were crammed with dusty-looking feathers, stubs of candles, many packs of tattered playing cards, countless silvery crystal balls, and a huge array of teacups.

Arcturus appeared at Harry’s shoulder as the class assembled around them, all talking in whispers. "Where is she?" Arcturus said.

A voice came suddenly out of the shadows, a soft, misty sort of voice. "Welcome," it said. "How nice to see you in the physical world at last."

Harry’s immediate impression was of a large, glittering insect. Professor Trelawney moved into the firelight, and they saw that she was very thin; her large glasses magnified her eyes to several times their natural size, and she was draped in a gauzy spangled shawl. Innumerable chains and beads hung around her spindly neck, and her arms and hands were encrusted with bangles and rings. "Sit, my children, sit," she said, and they all climbed awkwardly into armchairs or sank onto poufs. Harry, Arcturus, and Hermione sat themselves around the same round table.