As Arlene drank her tea absentmindedly, she stared at the owls dropping off mail, several packages falling into people's plates.
She usually sate with Sage at breakfast and lunch, but the girl was not there yet.
"Arlene! Arlene, you will not believe this!" A voice called out.
Arlene, who had been thinking of the information she shared with Harry the other night, looked at the newest addition to the Hufflepuff table.
Sage stood there like a child having a sugar rush, on Christmas, inside a candy store.
Not leaving time for her to reply, Sage sate down next to her, spreading several papers on the table.
"So, you know how I want to become a writer in a famous newspaper or magazine?" She asked her friend, who nodded sleepily, still not understanding what was happening.
"Well, I thought, 'muggles school newspapers helps you get internships' but Hogwarts didn't have a newspaper, so I thought 'why can't Hogwarts have a newspaper?' So I took it to professor Sprout and-"
Sage stopped to take a breath.
"And she said it was a great idea! She told me to go to Professor McGonagall because she's the deputy Headmistress to get the okay, but that's not the best part!"
Sage looked like she was holding her breath, although it seemed like she was holding in the excitement.
Arlene, who was stuffing her face with toast, realised Sage was waiting for her to say something.
"Whath?" She said, trying to swallow the food in her mouth.
"She said there was already a school newspaper!" She exclaimed, practically jumping up "It was called 'Hogwarts Weekly', according to McGonagall, it was amazing, but after the students who worked it graduated, it stopped as there was nobody to carry it on!"
Arlene bit into a sausage "Let me guess, you want to restart it."
Sage nodded eagerly "I even found several articles that they wrote, and a photo of the The Hogwarts Weekly Team, you will not believe this!"
The girl shoved a paloroid into her hands, Arlene stared at it for a few seconds before she got what Sage meant.
Sage smiled happily "Professor Lupin was part of it"
She frowned as she stared the picture "He looked so different," She noted "but what's up with the scars."
Sage shrugged as she snached the photo and shoved a newspaper in its place "Doesn't matter, but look how amazing their writing was! Professor McGonagall said that they somehow managed to sniff out every detail in Hogwarts, and their writing was amazing! And look at the articles!"
Arlene chuckled at Sage's enthusiasm and read the headline "The Hogwarts Hitlist"
She frowned "The Hogwarts Hitlist?"
Sage nodded "A lot of students were going missing, but because they were seventeen and Pureblood, people assumed they ran away to join you know who's army, but then a Muggleborn was found dead and Aurors came to investigate, they managed to get the full classified Ministry documents!"
"Isn't that like, illegal or something?" Arlene questioned, lightly scanning the paragraph.
Sage shrugged once again but continued grinning like mad.
"And look! They had a sports section, a commentary of the latest quidditch game, the leading house in house points, book recommendations, articles about Hogwarts like the house elves and such, and a students news section! Although the last one is more of of a gossip column."
She smiled in amusement at her friend as stabbed her fork into an omelette "And how are you planning to restart it exactly?"
For the first time that morning, Sage frowned "What?"
Arlene put her fork down and turned to her friend "I'm just saying, those were seven people with an apparent secret method to get information, how can you restart it all, know the news of the students, write a commentary, do a book recommendation every week, get interesting information about Hogwarts, not to mention an article-"
"What about the article?" Sage interupted, her frown deepening.
Arlene shrugged "It's just, they lived in a time of war, homicidal fights broke out, like, every other day."
Sage smiled with an expression of relief "That's the problem? Arlene, I don't think you noticed, but there's an escaped Serial killer on the loose, not to mention, we go to school with Harry freaking Potter, he'll do a back flip and defeat You-Know-Who again or something."
She looked down at the hands "Plus, I have you to do it with me."
Arlene smiled at her and opened her mouth to say something when she heard that scary horrible voice that they all dreaded.
"Ms Black, your timetable." Professor Snape, the head of her house said, handing her a paper.
Arlene glared at him "It's Black-Burke, sir." She said, spitting out the last word and taking the paper.
Snape sneered at her and gave Sage a dirty look from the corner of his eyes "I should give you a detention for sitting at another house's table."
"Actually, sir," She said, giving him a smug look "the Hogwarts rule book clearly states that during lunch and breakfast, students are allowed to sit with a different house."
Snape glared at her, it was a known fact that the man hated a lot of people, Harry, DADA teachers, Harry, Gryffindors, Harry, Muggleborns, Harry, Arlene, Harry.
Maybe it was her sarcasm or her trouble making, but Snape seemed to hate her as much as he hated Harry.
"Careful, Ms Black," Snape said with a nasty "I hear the Quidditch tryouts are this Saturday, wouldn't want to be stuck cleaning frog eyes when they're happening."
Understanding the hidden threat, Arlene clenched her fists "Yes, sir." She said through gritted teeth.
He smirked and moved on to pass the rest of the timetables, once he left, Arlene let out an irritated groan.
"Argh! That man is a creation of the devil." She hissed.
Sage, who was still on cloud nine nodded absentmindedly "I was thinking, maybe we can go clean out the HW room? The typewriters and such are still there, but there's an awful lot of dust."
Arlene returned to her breakfast as she read her time table "Or just ask McGonagall to make flinch do it."
Sage shook her head "That poor man already cleans the entire castle, alone, and without magic! I don't want to put anymore load on him."
Arlene looked like Sage had slapped her "That poor man!?" She exclaimed "Sage, do you know how many times Flitch said he wishes he could hang me from the ceiling until my wrists start bleeding!? Plus, half of his work is done by the students serving detention."
Her friend waved her off "What class do we have?"
Arlene sighed, knowing she wasn't going to convince her that pure evil exists "Divination, you?"
Sage, who was spreading strawberry marmalade over a slice of toast, looked at her paper "Arthimancy."
They shared a look, both remembering the conversation they had a few days earlier.
Sage bit her lip "I'll see you later?"
Arlene nodded, "I'll meet you by the greenhouses."
And they parted ways.
The moment Arlene left the great hall, she realised something.
She had absolutely no idea where the classroom was.
And so, after asking multiple older students, a teacher or two and a load of paintings, she arrived at a landing, where most of the class was already assembled.
She recognized a few of them, Lavender, Seamus, Dean and Parvati.
Arlene frowned "Am I the only Slytherin?" She wondered out loud.
Their attention snapped to her, watching her like kids watching a mysterious animal at the zoo.
Finally, Dean cleared his throat "The rest of the class are still not here yet."
Just then, a voice was heard a little way down the circular stairs,
"Farewell, my comrades-in-arms! If ever you have need of noble heart and steely sinew, call upon Sir Cadogan!"
Ron, Harry and Hermione emerged into the landing.
"Yeah, we'll call you," Ron muttered "if we ever need someone mental."
Arlene smiled and waved once her eyes landed on Hermione, who waved back and started to make her way to Arlene.
"You're the only Slytherin." Hermione deducted.
Arlene nodded "Not sure where I'll sit, all my friends are either Slytherins or Hufflepuffs."
"You can sit with me and Ron and Harry," Hermione offered "I'm sure they won't mind."
She was about to reply when the trapdoor on the ceiling opened, and a silvery ladder decended at Harry's feet.
A blanket of silence fell over the group, until Ron decided to break it "After you."
One by one, they started to climb the ladder.
Arlene emerged into 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 sur- rounded 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.
"Welcome," Professor Trelawney said "how nice to see you in the physical world at last."
"Sit, my children, sit!" She said, extending her arms at the tables.
Everybody started to climb into armchairs or sink into poufs, Arlene stared awkwardly at them, there were no empty tables left, which meant she had to sit with a group.
As if sensing her discomfort, Hermione called out for her and waved her over.
She pated the armchair next to her and motioned her to sit.
"Hey, Arlene." Harry said awkwardly.
"Hi, Arlene." Ron muttered, just as awkward.
"Welcome to Divination!" The professor said as she 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." She announced.
Nobody said anything, so she 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..."
Almost automatically, the three of them looked at Hermione, who looked horrified, grinning at her expression.
"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 continued.
"It is a Gift granted to few. You, boy," she said suddenly to Neville, who almost toppled off his pouf. "Is your grandmother well?"
"I think so." said Neville tremulously, biting his lip nervously.
"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, dear." Trelawney said, causing Neville to gulp.
"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 looked at Parvati "beware a red haired man."
She shot an accusing look at Ron, who sate right behind her and edged her seat further away.
"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."
A tense silence followed her statement, although she didn't seem to notice.
"I wonder dear," she said to Lavender Brown, who was nearest and shrank back in her chair "if you could pass me the largest silver teapot?"
Relief filled her face as she stood up and took an enormous teapot from the shelf and place in from of the professor.
"Thank you, my dear. Incidentally, that thing you are dreading will happen on Friday the sixteenth of October."
Lavender's eyes widened in fear she she sate down.
"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 shall move among you, helping and instructing." Professor Trelawney said, her glasses making her eyes three times their size as she scanned them
"Oh, and dear," she caught Neville by the arm as he made to stand up "after you've broken your first cup, would you be so kind as to select one of the blue patterned ones? I'm rather attached to the pink."
Sure enough, five minutes later there was a sound of breaking china.
Once Arlene had her teacup filled, she returned to her seat, sipping the tea quietly.
"Er, Arlene?" Hermione said, and Arlene's head snapped in her direction "Ron and Harry have paired up together..." She trailed off.
Arlene gave her an arrogant smirk "I would love to read your teacup, Hermione."
After they both finished their tea and followed Trelawney's instructions, Arlene picked up Hermione's cup and squinted at it.
"I think I see a heart, which means..." Arlene flipped through the book "a lover in the near future."
Hermione snorted "This is so illogical."
Arlene ignored the comment and went on "An axe, which is..." She flipped through her book again "difficulties are closing in soon."
Hermione rolled her eyes "I get that it's magic and all, but this makes no sense."
She chuckled and moved the cup "er, I think that's a palm tree, which means.. success or happiness where you least expect-" Arlene stopped talking once she was hit but Trelawney's shawl as she whirled around to look at Harry, who had started laughing.
"Let me see that, my dear." She said to Ron, who handed her Harry's cup.
Everybody, including Arlene, stopped what they were doing to watch as the Professor rotated Harry's cup counterclockwise.
"The falcon ... my dear, you have a deadly enemy." She said, causing Hermione to scoff.
"But everybody knows about that." She said, causing everybody to look at her "Well, they do, everybody knows about Harry and You-Know-Who."
Trelawney chose to ignore her "The club... an attack. Dear, dear, this is not a happy cup."
"I thought it was a bowler hat." Ron said sheepishly, causing a few people to chuckle.
"A skull, danger in you path." She continued, then she gave the cup a final turn, and screamed.
A loud crash was heard, Neville had broken his second cup.
"My dear boy... my poor, dear boy... no... it is kinder not to say... no... don't ask me...."
"What is it, Professor?" said Dean Thomas at once. Everyone had got to their feet, and slowly they crowded around Harry and Ron's table to get a better look.
Arlene stared at them with an irritated look. Yes, given her predicament with Neville's cup, it seemed like she could really see the future, but was Harry's bad luck that interesting to them?
"My dear," She said sadly as a he looked at Harry "You have the grim."
■■■
So I just spent half an hour Googling Tasseography symbols, but that's okay because I'm a writer.
I decided to do a double update since the previous chapter sucked and if I remove it, it won't impact the story whatsoever.
Thank for putting up with my shity writing :)