The Prisoner of Azkaban | Hermione Granger x Male Reader (Book Three)

5. Divination

Y/N's POV

During breakfast the next day, we were discussing our new timetables, well, the other three were.

"Ooh, good, we're starting some new subjects today," Hermione said happily.

"Hermione," said Ron, frowning as he looked over her shoulder, "they've messed up your timetable. Look, they've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough time."

"I'll manage. I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

"But look," said Ron, laughing, "see this morning? Nine o'clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o'clock, Muggle Studies. And-" Ron leaned closer to the timetable, disbelieving, "look, underneath that, Arithmancy, nine o'clock. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's that good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?"

"Don't be silly," said Hermione shortly, "of course I won't be in three classes at once."

"Well then-"

"Pass the marmalade," said Hermione.

"But-"

"Oh, Ron, what's it to you if my timetable's a bit full?" Hermione snapped. "I told you, I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

Just then, Hagrid entered the Great Hall. He was wearing his long overcoat and was absent-mindedly swinging a dead animal from one enormous hand.

"All righ'?" he said eagerly, pausing on his way to the staff table. "Yer in my firs' ever lesson! Right after lunch! Bin up since five getting' everthin' ready, hope it's ok, me, a teacher, hones'ly..."

He grinned broadly at us and headed off to the staff table, still swinging the animal.

"Wonder what he's been getting ready?" said Ron, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

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..."

I left with the rest of them, still silent.

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

"There's. Got. To. Be. A. Short. Cut." Ron panted, as we climbed the seventh long staircase and emerged on an unfamiliar landing, where there was nothing but a large painting of a bare stretch of grass hanging on the stone wall.

"I think it's this way," said Hermione, peering down the empty passage to the right.

"Can't be," said Harry, "that's south. Look, you can see a bit of the lake outside the window..."

We finally managed to figure out where to go, more steps awaited us.

Puffing loudly, we climbed the tightly spiralling steps, getting dizzier and dizzier, until at last we heard the murmur of voices above us and knew we had reached the classroom.

We 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.

"'Sybill Trelawney, Divination teacher,'" Harry read, "how're we supposed to get up there?"

As though in answer to his question, a trapdoor suddenly opened, and a silvery ladder descended right at Harry's feet. Everyone went quiet.

Harry climbed the ladder first and I followed after him.

I emerged into the strangest-looking classroom I 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 armchairs.

"Where is she?" I heard Ron ask.

A voice came suddenly out of the shadows, a misty sort of voice.

"Welcome," it said, "how nice to see you in the real world at last."

My eye went over to Professor Trelawney, she was slim woman with large glasses that magnified her eyes.

"Sit, my children, sit," she said, and we all climbed awkwardly into armchairs. Me, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat around the same round table.

"Welcome to Divination," said Professor Trelawney, who had seated herself in an armchair in front of the fire, "my name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye."

No one said anything and Trelawney continued. "So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you, books can take you only so far in this field..."

At these words, I looked at Hermione, who looked quite stressed that books wouldn't help in this subject.

"Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future," Professor Trelawney went on, "it is a gift granted to few. You, boy," she said suddenly to Neville, "is your grandmother well?"

"I think so," said Neville shakily.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, dear," said Professor Trelawney. Neville gulped. Professor Trelawney continued, "we will be covering the basic methods of Divination this year. The first term will be devoted to reading the tea leaves. Next term we shall progress to palmistry."

The class stayed silent.

"In the second term," Professor Trelawney went on, "we shall progress to the crystal ball, if we have finished with fire omens, that is. Unfortunately, classes will be disrupted in February by a nasty bout of flu. I myself will lose my voice. And around Easter, two of our numbers will leave us forever."

A very tense silence followed this pronouncement, but Professor Trelawney seemed unaware of it.

Trelawney then looked at Lavender Brown. "Incidentally, that thing you are dreading, it will happen on Friday the sixteenth of October."

Lavender trembled.

"Now, I want you all to divide into pairs. Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me, and I will fill it. Then sit down and drink, drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of Unfogging the Future."

I partnered with Hermione and we both got our teacups filled. We went back to our table and started drinking our tea. When finished with all our instructions I looked at Hermione's cup.

"Er, there's like a hat, er, maybe you'll work for the Ministry or something." I said to a quite unimpressed Hermione.

She took my cup and was about to predict mine when Trelawney came over and looked at mine.

"My dear," Professor Trelawney's huge eyes opened dramatically, "you have the Grim."

"The what?" I said.

"The Grim, my dear, the Grim!" cried Professor Trelawney. "My dear boy, it is an omen, the worst omen, the omen of death!"