LXIV. THE GRIM

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"Welcome, my children."

Mia was sitting in the strangest-looking classroom she 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.

Professor Trelawney, their Divination Professor, 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.

"In this room, you shall explore the noble art of Divination," she was saying as Mia, Harry and Ron were sitting around the same round table, Mia in the middle. "In this room, you shall discover if you possess the Sight."

As she walked forward, she banged into the table and grabbed it to steady it while some Slytherin's chuckled to themselves. 

"Hello. I am Professor Trelawney," she said, looking around, "together we shall cast ourselves into the future." 

She had her arms in the air with an excited look on her face as Mia raised an eyebrow and exchanged looks with Harry and Ron.

"This term, we'll focus on Tasseomancy, the art of reading tea leaves. So please, take the cup of the person sitting to the right of you. What do you see?" 

She began walking around the classroom as Mia took Ron's cup, Ron took Harry's and Harry took Mia's.

"The truth lies buried like a sentence deep within a book, waiting to be read. But first, you must broaden your minds. First, you must look beyond."

"What a load of rubbish."

Mia, Harry and Ron jumped feet as they heard Hermione's voice. They looked up and saw Hermione sitting next to Mia and Ron.

"Where did you come from?" Ron asked shocked.

"Me?" Hermione asked, putting a necklace under her robes, "I've been here all this time."

"You, boy," Trelawney said suddenly to Neville who looked surprised. "Is your grandmother quite well?"

"I-I think so," he said nodding but Trelawney had a grim look on her face.

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