Chapter 33: Wolves, Dogs, and Rats
If Hermione had any nasty lessons, it would be Professor Trelawney's Divination class.
Hermione's best grades were based on her diligence and knowledge of books. But in divination class, neither of these can be used. Even if she could memorize the entire book "Piercing the Fog and Looking at the Future", she would not be able to make accurate predictions, and even if she diligently read all kinds of divination books every day, she would not be able to become more insightful in identifying tea.
Of course, Hermione could jot down the meaning of all the tea shapes, but whenever Hermione was about to explain something with the situation she had written down, she would always be laughed at by the divination professor.
Undoubtedly, Hermione was classified as a wizard with no talent for divination.
"Parvati, can you take a look at my teacup? my teacup seems to tell me that the final exam is going to be a difficult one. Lavender Brown said with a frown. She is using her last bit of time before class to practice tea divination.
"Lavender, in my eyes your tea is in the shape of a sword, and your exam should go very well, just worry about Defence Against the Dark Arts. Parvati Patil leaned in and looked at her cup. She and Lavender Brown are among Professor Trelawney's biggest fans.
"I can't take it anymore!" Hermione angrily gulped down the tea from her teacup and squirted it out, "...... It's so hot!" She was a little slurred.
"Clear water like a spring!" Andrew immediately prepared a glass of cold water for her, so that she could quickly lower the temperature of her mouth so as not to cause more serious burns.
"Hermione, to be honest, you're not really well suited to learning divination. Andrew was ruthless and decided to say this sentence anyway. He was amused to watch Hermione stubbornly survive lesson after lesson that would have been tantamount to torture for her.
"I know, Andrew. Hermione looked up and smiled bitterly after drinking the cold water, "I have already decided to give up the divination class after the end of this school year, I just don't want to quit halfway." β
At this moment, there was a rustling sound, and everyone hurriedly sat down in their seats. Dressed in a tulle robe, dozens of bracelets on his arms, and beads wrapped around his shoulders, Professor Trelawney stepped out of the shadows as usual and sat down in his armchair.
"It's a pleasure to see you all again. Her voice was as vague as ever, "I'm afraid we're going to have to change our schedule, and the crystal ball class will be brought forward." Fate has informed me that this year's exams will be about the sphere, so I think it will be good for you guys. β
Andrew heard a sigh of admiration from Lavender Brown and Parvati Petyer, Hermione pursed her lips, and Andrew tapped her on the shoulder, signaling her to be at ease.
"Looking at a crystal ball is a very delicate art," Professor Trelawney's voice seemed particularly distant as if in a dream, "this is the first time you have spied into this unfathomable sphere, and I don't expect any of you to see anything. We should start by practicing the relaxation of the subjective consciousness and the external eye. In doing so, the celestial eyes and superconsciousness can be clarified. If we're lucky, some of you might be able to see something before class ends. β
Andrew stared helplessly at the milky white mist in the transparent sphere, taking a serious look.
Can the world be described mathematically? It's as amazing as the divination teacher's insistence that the movement of the universe can be projected into this bizarre crystal ball. Without extraordinary insight and near-divine power, it is impossible to make any prophecies.
Maybe the talent of prophecy does exist, but it is obviously a talent that is rarer than the wizarding bloodline, and it is a bit too optimistic to expect everyone at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to master the art of prophecy. In Andrew's opinion, divination should not be a course at all, because it is not generalized at all.
"Andrew, do you see what's going on?" asked Hermione, irritatingly. She had spent fifteen minutes staring at the crystal ball in front of her, but she didn't see anything meaningful in the mist. She was even imagining how she would make up her first nonsense on the exam paper during the final exam.
For Hermione, the experience was undoubtedly worse than killing her.
"I saw a cloud of white mist, Hermione. Andrew kept a straight face, "This means that tomorrow Hogwarts will be foggy, there will be a lot of moisture, and the steps will be particularly slippery." When we go to the Conservation of Magical Creatures class, be sure to wear non-slip shoes. β
"Andrew, can't you be serious?" even a sullen Hermione was amused by him, "I know it's a white mist!"
"So, Hermione, if fate is already sealed, what's the point of divination, if it's not arranged, we don't know anything, don't we? Andrew immediately changed to a hippie smiley expression, "I can't see anything either, it seems that we won't be able to choose divination next school year." β
Hermione's agitation faded and she smiled at Andrew. Ron next to him snorted.
"Divination is a university question!" he didn't deliberately suppress his voice, Andrew and Hermione could hear it clearly.
Hermione turned her head and glared at Ron. He's not going to vomit with Ron, he's just a kid. Jealousy makes him ugly. Why should I fight for the short length of this moment.
"It's about to happenβ"
Suddenly, Professor Trelawney began to speak, but in a low, hoarse voice, very different from her usual voice. All the students looked up in surprise.
"The wolf and the dog will reappear, but they can't stop the rat from returning to the Dark Lord's side. When the servant dedicates his loyalty, the Dark Lord will rise again...... This matter cannot be changed...... "Her body was lying stiffly in the armchair, her eyes seemed to be closed, and she was in a very abnormal state.
"Professor!" Seeing that she was no longer talking, Lavender Brown boldly went up and nudged her. She rubbed her eyes, covered her mouth with her hand and yawned.
"Ah, I'm sorry, dear children. Her voice returned to its usual vague and distant voice, "It's hot, you know, I was a little sleepy and took a nap for a while......"
"Hug ...... I'm sorry......" Parvati Patil said hesitantly, "Professor, you said that the Dark Lord is about to rise and that his servants will return to him, ...... inevitably."
"Oh, dear, no kidding!" Professor Trelawney looked alarmed. "The Dark Lord...... It's the guy who can't even name him...... Re-emergence...... My dear, this is no joke, how could I have predicted something so far away?"
"But, Professor," Lavender Brown ...... step up, "you really said, and we all heard it." β
"That's certainly not true...... Professor Trelawney busily explained, "children...... Forget about it, it's definitely not true!I should be talking in my sleep, or gibberish......"
After class, Hermione and Andrew walked down the tower together.
"Andrew, do you think Professor Trelawney's prophecy is true?" asked Hermione.
"It doesn't matter, Hermione," Andrew smiled as he took her bag and carried it for her, "what matters is what we need for the future." Prophecy is not an exact discipline, and we need to make our own precise future. β
He raised his head, and the interior of the not-so-bright tower seemed to be lit up by his smile for a moment: "What we have to do next is to create the future!"
Perhaps because Professor Trelawney often uses prophecy as a tool to adjust the atmosphere of the classroom, not many people expressed unusual interest in this slightly strange prophecy. Hermione instinctively asked Andrew, and Harry didn't take it seriously.
After all, he had been prophesied death by Professor Trelawney.
Harry has been busy these days, but not because of the classes. Although the final exams were approaching, Harry and Ron, who had always aimed to fail the course, did not show much attention to it. Without Hermione around, they probably wouldn't even be able to figure out what their homework was most of the time. And Hermione, at this time, is basically tired of spending time with Andrew all day, and she doesn't have much time to take care of them.
The thing they were worried about was the upcoming final round of Quidditch.
This year's Quidditch game lost its suspense early, and the Ravenclaws team made a strong comeback to successfully defend their title, leaving the other three teams to fight for second place. For Oliver Wood, the captain of Gryffindor's Quidditch team, his wish was to beat Slytherin in the final round and bid farewell to his Hogwarts Quidditch career with a victory over his old rivals.
"Harry, you have to remember that we are a full 100 points ahead of Slytherin, so your first task is to stop Malfoy from catching the Golden Snitch too quickly, and the second task is to catch the Snitch yourself, understand?
Oliver Wood said this to Harry every day, and Harry felt like his ears were about to become calloused.
"That's right, Harry, our chaser is much better than Slytherin, and the best goalkeeper. As long as we don't let Malfoy start and catch the Golden Snitch, victory will be ours!"
It was vice-captain Angelina Johnson's consolation to him. Harry finally felt the pressure on his shoulders lighten a bit.
But that doesn't mean he's starting to feel better. As matchday approached, he became more and more at the center of the maelstrom between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
"I can't believe they're coming to try to destroy my broomsticks!" Harry angrily locked the baby broomstick into the broomstick box and stuffed it into the large cabinet under the bed. "It's not another big world competition. β
"But this is the most important tournament at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry. Ron handed over a bottle of broomstick polish and told him to put it in the cupboard, "They must have thought that Gryffindor had a much better chance of failing if they broke your broom." β
"If you really can't do it, you can only ask Andrew for help. Harry still felt that his heart was breathless, "Andrew gave Autumn a new firebow arrow, I heard that it was the best flying broomstick out there, and it was as fast as the wind. β
When Qiu was mentioned, there was a hint of yearning in Qiu's eyes, but it was well concealed and not noticed by Ron.
"Don't be stupid, Harry. A broom that is too professional may not be right for you. The most important thing is a proper broom. If it's too fast, or too sensitive, it will only make you too late to turn and fall off the broomstick. However, a good broom is necessary, but it must be familiar and appropriate. When it came to Quidditch, Ron seemed to have eaten a few pounds of "Dr. Labor's automatic ignition, seeing the water blooming magical fireworks", sizzling out of the sparks, excited to explode, "I think even if you have a fire bolt, do you have time to adapt and get used to it?"
"That's right, Ron," Harry frowned, "I can't do any nice emergency stop feints with such a fast broomstick, and maybe it will become a weakness and I can only accelerate in a straight line, so it doesn't make much sense." β
"Yes, yes," Ron's tone was full of yearning, "but if you have a week, or just buy one of your own, and you can master a weapon like that, you'll definitely shine in the House Cup!"
Just as all boys want to be cool racers, it is also the dream of all wizards to be able to ride on firebolts and fly like the wind.
Ron reacts the same way he did when he first met Fleur: Ron likes beautiful women, and Hermione is undoubtedly not his target now.
As it turned out, Slytherin's discipline did exceed the expectations of the Gryffindors, not only destroying Harry with tools, but even launching a physical attack. Of course, the Gryffindor lion cubs were also not to be outdone, so the battle loss rate between the two sides increased dramatically. At least as far as Andrew encountered, there were several. The duel between the little snake and the little lion in the hallway undoubtedly added a lot of work to Madam Pomfrey. For example, she has been busy taking care of a Slytherin 4th year and a Gryffindor 6th year student in recent days, and both of them are constantly getting leeks out of their ears, and they are finished and growing.
Harry was the real center of the storm, with Slytherin people looking at him with bad intentions everywhere he went. Crabbe and Goyle must have been assigned by Malfoy to spend at least twelve hours a day within ten feet of him. As soon as he saw Harry surrounded by other Gryffindor students, he would walk away disappointed. This also caught Wood's attention.
"We've got to be vigilant, especially Harry, he needs someone to protect him! Those dastardly Slytherins want Harry to break his leg, they want to stop Harry from playing. "Wood's attitude is very resolute.
"Where did you hear that, Wood, I don't know. I don't have a problem, Wood, don't pay too much attention to me. Harry weakly protested, but was firmly rejected by the majority.
"Don't worry, Oliver, Harry's safety is in our hands. The Weasley brothers patted their chests and promised. Predictably, the Slytherin students who dare to hang around will be greeted by dung bombs, fanged frisbees, and so on.
In fact, the Slytherin students had a lot of bad luck over the next few days. From time to time, various types of dung bombs will appear on their tables, a section of fireworks will be silently pulled out of the potion cauldron, fangs will fly by and eat their hair when walking in the hallway, and they will trip and fall directly down the stairs by the "automatic tripping rope". After a few days, the Slytherins were yellow-skinned, lacking in spirit, and frightened.