After fooling the class with her theatrics, Professor Trelawney fell into a prolonged silence, her long emerald earrings glinting faintly in the firelight.
She occasionally shook her head or nodded, her expressions ranging from joy to despair, as if cycling through multiple personalities.
To an outsider, it might seem she was suffering from DID, harboring thirty distinct identities.
More likely, she was just stalling for time to muddle through the class.
Just as the students were growing restless, she suddenly spoke.
"I've just used my Inner Eye to glimpse the future. This year, we'll study various fundamental methods of divination. For the first term, we'll focus on reading tea leaves.
"By the way, my dear," she turned abruptly to Eloise Midgen from Gryffindor, "beware of wizards whose names contain the letter L."
Eloise shot a nervous glance at Cormac McLaggen.
In their first year, McLaggen had set her hair on fire during Transfiguration class, nearly disfiguring her.
Though to be fair, Eloise's current state, with her face breaking out in a constellation of acne, wasn't far from disfigurement.
Her complexion resembled a plowed field.
Scooting her chair further away from McLaggen, Eloise heeded Trelawney's ominous warning.
Continuing, Trelawney said, "As per our syllabus, we'll complete tea leaf reading this term.
"Unfortunately, in October, a cold snap will bring a severe flu outbreak. I foresee losing my voice, which will force us to pause lessons temporarily.
"We'll resume our studies once I've recovered."
"In the summer term," she added, "we'll delve into fire omens and crystal balls.
"By the end of the academic year, someone will leave us forever. And no, I don't mean the graduating students."
Several students chuckled, knowing the track record of Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, none lasted more than two years.
"Ah, but if I were you, I wouldn't laugh. I see not one, but two people departing forever!"
Her words cast a tense silence over the room, though Trelawney herself appeared unperturbed.
"My dear," she suddenly addressed William.
"Would you kindly fetch that teapot from the shelf for me?"
William stood up, retrieved a large teapot from the shelf, and placed it on her table.
"Thank you, my dear. By the way, the thing you've been dreading… it will happen before Christmas."
William raised an eyebrow.
"Now, I'd like you all to pair up. Take a teacup from the shelf, bring it here, and I'll pour tea for you.
"Then, sit down, drink the tea until only the leaves remain in the cup.
"Swirl the dregs three times with your left hand, then invert the cup onto its saucer.
"Once the last drop of liquid has drained away, exchange cups with your partner and interpret the tea leaves.
"You may refer to pages five and six of Unfogging the Future to decode the shapes.
"I'll walk among you to offer guidance."
After Trelawney poured tea into their cups, William and Cho returned to their table.
William scrutinized the floating tea leaves and frowned.
Good grief!
The tea leaves were covered in white fuzz. They were moldy beyond a doubt.
He peeked into Cho's cup and saw the same.
"What's wrong, child? Drink up!"
Trelawney's gaze fixed on William.
"Tea appreciation is an art that requires tranquility. This is my treasured tea, make sure to savor it well."
"Professor, I think this tea has been stored for too long. It appears to be moldy," William said, his voice calm yet audible enough for everyone to hear.
Pfft!
McLaggen spat out the water he had just drunk, spraying it across the table and directly onto Eloise's face.
Eloise's expression was one of utter misery. If looks could kill, McLaggen would be choking on a cupful of moldy tea leaves right now.
The class collectively turned to Trelawney in awe. Could she have foreseen this with her "Inner Eye"? Was the wizard with an L in their name truly McLaggen?
Trelawney, however, seemed entirely unfazed. With a dramatic shrug of her shawl, she maintained an air of mystique.
"Children, that isn't mold; it's tea hairs," she insisted.
William rolled his eyes.
Tea hairs were the fine filaments on the tips of tea leaves, but these leaves were covered in white strands all over, they were undeniably moldy.
Despite her assurances, no one dared to drink the tea anymore.
Reluctantly, Trelawney fetched a fresh batch of tea leaves from her cupboard, ones she had recently purchased for personal use.
These were genuine high-quality tea leaves, as William discerned after a couple of sips, premium Lipton black tea.
Contrary to common belief, not all tea consumed abroad was sourced from China.
In Britain, a non-tea-producing nation, brands like Lipton dominated the market. Meanwhile, China, the birthplace of tea and its largest producer, lacked a single globally recognized tea brand.
A well-known industry saying summed it up: "China's 80,000 tea companies can't compete with one Lipton."
William quickly finished his tea.
Following Trelawney's instructions, he swirled the dregs and drained the liquid, leaving behind a residue that, in some abstract sense, mirrored his own shape.
He and Cho exchanged cups.
"Well," Cho asked, "what do you see in my cup?"
"Hmm…" William squinted at the clump of tea leaves, struggling to identify a discernible pattern.
"Looks like a nebula, yes, the M78 Nebula! It signifies that with the help of someone named Ultraman, you'll find the right path and reach the pinnacle of success," he declared with seriousness.
Cho shot him a skeptical glance before examining his cup.
"Oh, Merlin! A sphere—a Quaffle!" she exclaimed. "This means Ravenclaw will win the Quidditch Cup under your leadership!"
"Brilliant deduction! You could ace the Divination O.W.L. with that," William laughed.
William went on to exchange cups with other students, mimicking Trelawney's flair as he fabricated prophecies.
An idea struck him—he could open a fortune-telling booth at Hogwarts, offering love readings and raking in a fortune.
Five minutes later, Trelawney stirred from a brief nap, her mood sour.
Her annoyance likely stemmed from wasting her precious tea or, perhaps, from waking up grumpy.
"Child, let me see. I'll read your future myself," she said, snatching William's cup.
She examined the cup, rotating it counterclockwise.
"Grapes… Oh, dear, you're about to face the greatest crisis of your life!"
"Professor, actually—" William began.
"Silence!" Trelawney interrupted. "A club… An attack is imminent. My dear, my dear, this is not a fortunate cup…"
The class watched in stunned silence as Trelawney's theatrics reached their peak.
She gasped dramatically, clutching her chest as she sank into a nearby armchair.
"My poor, dear child—Stark—oh, what an ill-fated child! No—it's better left unsaid—don't ask me…"
"What's wrong, Professor?" McLaggen asked eagerly.
"My dear," Trelawney's large eyes opened theatrically, locking onto William.
"You bear a doom!"
"A doom?"
"Yes, my dear, a great and terrible doom!" she cried.
"Whips, handcuffs, candles!" Trelawney intoned ominously, glaring at William. "This foretells kidnapping, imprisonment, and torture!"
Timidly, Eloise raised her hand, her face pale.
"But professor… that's my cup William is holding!"
Trelawney froze, then silently slumped back in her chair as if falling asleep.
A tense awkwardness filled the air.
Merlin's beard, a full-blown teaching accident.
William couldn't help but recall a teacher from his past life.
She had once spent an entire class explaining why the answer was B, only to realize she'd been looking at the wrong line. The answer was in fact C.
To her credit, she smoothly justified the new answer just as convincingly.
Talented educators like that existed everywhere.
And Trelawney was undoubtedly one of them.