Harry Potter and Claire Smith Adventures: Book Three

The Inner Eye and the Hippogriff

"But I don't and you wouldn't actually do that." Ron said.

Claire raised her eyebrow. "Do you really want to take that chance?"

Ron didn't tease Claire about the knight incident anymore as 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 Ron nudged Harry and pointed at the ceiling, where there was a circular trapdoor with a brass plaque on it that read: Sibyll Trelawney, Divination Teacher.

"How're we supposed to get up there?" Harry said.

As if in reply to his question, the trapdoor suddenly opened, and a silvery ladder descended right at Harry's feet. Everyone got quiet.

"Like that," Claire said.

"After you," Ron said, grinning, so Harry climbed the ladder first.

As the four friends entered the classroom, they noticed that it looked like a mixture of someone's attic and an old-fashioned tea shop. Twenty small, circular tables were crammed inside it, all surrounded by chintz armchairs. The curtains were drawn and the whole place was lit dimly. It was stiflingly warm, and the fire burning under the crowded mantlepiece seemed to be given off a heavy, sickly sort of perfume as it heated a large copper kettle. Harry, Claire, Hermione, and Ron all sat at the same table.

Suddenly, a voice came out of the shadows, a soft, misty sort of voice.

"Welcome," it said. "How nice to see you in the physical world at last."

Professor Trelawney moved into the firelight, and they saw that she was very thin; her large glasses seemed to magnify her eyes to several times their natural size, resembling some sort of insect. She was draped in a gauzy spangled shawl with innumerable chains and beads hanging around her spindly neck. Her arms and hands were decorated with bangles and rings.

"Welcome, my children. In this room, you shall explore the mysterious art of Divination." Professor Trelawney said. "In this room, you shall discover if you possess the sight. Hello. I am Professor Trelawney. Together, we shall cast ourselves into the future. But know this. One either has the Gift or not. It cannot be divined from the pages of a book. Books only cloud one's Inner Eye."

Claire, Harry, and Ron glanced, grinning at Hermione, who looked startled at the news that books wouldn't be much help in this subject.

"You, boy!" Professor Trelawney said suddenly, turning to Neville. "Is your grandmother well?"

"I-I think so," Neville stuttered.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." she said, before continuing. "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. By the way, my dear," she shot suddenly at Parvati Patil," beware a red-haired man."

Claire stifled a laugh as Parvati gave a startled look at Ron, who was right behind her, and edge her chair away from him.

"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, one of our number will leave us forever."

How nice. Claire thought sarcastically. Positive energy in that one.

Professor Trelawney then instructed the class (while also warning Lavender Brown that the thing she was most dreading would happen on Friday the sixteenth of October) to divide into pairs and collect a teacup from the shelf. She would fill it and then they'd sit back down and drink until only the dregs remained. Then they'd swill the cup three times with their left hand, turn the cup upside down on the saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give the cup to your partner to read. Harry and Ron paired up as well as Claire and Hermione.