Divination

Divination is an elective subject available beginning in a student's third year. Students study a myriad of ways to scry information about the future, including tea dregs, crystal balls, visions, and Astrology and horoscope charts. Other methods of divining the future include smoke patterns, dreams, tarot cards, and the interpretation of prophecies, though the latter is quite rare. Guides and textbooks allow students of Divination to discern or translate what observed symbols intend to mean. Students of this class convene in one of two places: Professor Sybill Trelawney's office in the North Tower, or the Divination Classroom which is on the ground floor of the castle.

Because the subtle science of Divination is not exact, and "woolly", Hermione Granger had great difficulty with, and disdain for, it. After consulting with Professor Minerva McGonagall, who shared Hermione's scepticism for Divination, and then being insulted by Professor Trelawney about how she lacked the requirements for Divination, Hermione dropped out of the class altogether with dramatic flair to concentrate on Ancient Runes and Arithmancy.

Rose stood up straight once inside Trelawneys room, it smelt strongly of lavender today and she wrinkled her nose before approaching the Professor who was sat, gazing into the fire, her beads sparkling in the fire light.

“Erm… Hello?” Rose said loudly, clearing her throat too. It always seemed difficult to get her attention when she was not teaching. “HELLO!” She yelled, and finally Trelawney looked up.

“Yes, yes my dear?” She asked, drawing her eyes away and setting them on Rose. They looked like glassy orbs in themselves and the glasses just seemed to make them grow larger.

“You asked me to write down what I remembered of my dream” She said, shoving out a piece of parchment towards her rather rudely. Trelawney took it and placed it down on the pouf next to her and began to talk in her lazy, flowing voice… but Rose wasn’t listening.

Something had caught her eye. The fire seemed to flicker brighter than usual, the light smoke surrounding the fire, she could have sworn it had been shaped to look like… No, she shook her head, trying to focus her eyes and see properly. The smoke was twisting, growing dense, until finally it did in fact take the form of a skull, she had not imagined it. The skull disappeared as fast as it had come and Rose frowned and drew her attention back to Trelawney who was gazing at her.

“What?” Rose demanded, as though nothing had happened, Trelawneys stare was unnerving.
“What did you see my dear girl?” The Professor asked.
“Nothing…”
“Oh, but surely, I have seen it. I am not the only seer in this room, dear” Trelawney said, leaning closer, her beads jangling.

“Seriously?” Rose asked, amused, she herself thought Trelawney was a complete fraud and shrugged “Whatever” She said and headed to the door, hoping the Professor would go back to her orb watching or whatever she called it.

Her eyes ran over the low tables as she left the room, a book was open on the table closest to the door, in small print next to the page number was the title; “Seeing and it’s Symbols”. The open page had a large picture of a skull, smouldered in smoke, and underneath was a simple word… “Death”.