"Today, we shall continue our exploration of the dream realm,"Trelawney began, struggling to compose herself as she attempted her usual tone—that mysteriously low voice with its characteristic tremor that suggested communion with forces beyond mortal understanding.
"We must carefully dissect your recent nocturnal visions, for within them lie the subtle omens that speak to those with eyes to see."
She moved instinctively toward her customary seat, then froze as she spotted Umbridge occupying her sacred space like a pink-clad usurper. Without missing a beat, she glided toward Lavender and Parvati's table instead, where the two girls were already absorbed in animated discussion about one of Parvati's recent dreams.
Orli opened her completely fabricated homework assignment and cast surreptitious glances at Umbridge, who had already begun scratching notes across her parchment with the methodical precision of a bureaucrat cataloging evidence. After several minutes of observation, Umbridge rose from her stolen throne and began stalking Trelawney around the classroom, listening intently to every exchange between professor and student while occasionally interjecting with pointed questions.
"Quick, conjure up a dream—we need something to discuss before that pink nightmare waddles over here,"Ron hissed urgently.
"I invented one last time. Your turn to be creative,"Harry protested under his breath.
"We could say I dreamed about someone being expelled from school,"Orli suggested, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Brilliant. And we need to include the date you supposedly had this dream—makes it look authentic,"Ron said, already scribbling frantically across his parchment.
"Yesterday night, then. I dreamed about a woman being cast out of the castle,"Orli murmured, fixing her gaze on Umbridge while savoring the mental image of the High Inquisitor being unceremoniously ejected from Hogwarts. The pink tormentor and Trelawney had drifted dangerously close to their table now, Umbridge adding more scratches to her ever-growing list while Trelawney radiated visible irritation like heat from a forge.
"So then, how long have you held this position?"Umbridge inquired with deceptive casualness.
Trelawney crossed her arms defensively and hunched her shoulders, as though she could physically shield herself from the crude intrusion of this investigation. She paused, apparently calculating whether the question contained hidden traps, then decided she had no choice but to respond.
"Nearly sixteen years," she replied, her tone carrying unmistakable indignation.
"Quite an extensive tenure,"Umbridge observed, her quill dancing across the parchment. "I assume it was Dumbledore who appointed you to this role?"
"That is correct,"Trelawney said, finding a fragment of her usual confidence.
Umbridge continued her relentless note-taking as she pressed on: "And you are indeed the great-great-granddaughter of the renowned Seer Cassandra Trelawney?"
"Yes,"Trelawney replied, lifting her chin with a touch of ancestral pride.
"How fascinating. And you believe,"Umbridge said, her smile taking on an oily quality that made several students shift uncomfortably, "please correct me if I'm mistaken—that since Cassandra's time, you are the first in your bloodline to possess the Second Sight?"
"Such gifts often skip—er—three generations,"Trelawney stammered, her newfound confidence beginning to crumble like ancient parchment.
Umbridge's toad-like mouth stretched into an even more predatory grin, as if she'd just spotted a particularly vulnerable fly.
"Naturally," she purred with saccharine sweetness, adding more damning notes to her collection. "Well then, perhaps you could favor me with a demonstration? A small prediction, nothing too taxing?"
She looked up with mock innocence, her expression radiating false encouragement.
Trelawney's entire body went rigid as a bowstring. Her hands clutched at her shawl with desperate intensity, knuckles white beneath her rings.
"I would very much appreciate a prophecy,"Umbridge repeated with deliberate emphasis, her gaze never wavering from Trelawney's increasingly pale face. "Surely there's no difficulty in that?"
Orli wasn't the only student now abandoning all pretense of studying—nearly every pair of eyes in the classroom had fixed on Trelawney, who had drawn herself up to her full, imposing height. But her dramatic posture was undermined by violent trembling that set her countless beads and bangles into a continuous, nervous symphony.
"The Inner Eye does not See upon command!" she declared with wounded dignity, her voice carrying the outrage of a true mystic confronted by crude materialism. "The ancient gift cannot be summoned like some parlor trick for your amusement!"
The words hung in the air like incense, heavy with indignation and the promise of escalating conflict.
Author's Note:
Since a certain mobile game launched, some readers unfamiliar with the original works have begun assuming that "Cassandra" in this chapter refers to that game character.
However, Cassandra Trelawney existed in the original Harry Potter books long before any game—she was Professor Trelawney's great-great-grandmother. I included this name purely out of respect for J.K. Rowling's original creation, with absolutely no connection to any derivative games.
Furthermore, regardless of timing, any game developers clearly drew inspiration from the established character names in the original series. The fact that this legendary Seer is now being overshadowed by a mobile game character seems rather unfair to the original magical world, doesn't it?
Finally, if memory serves, that particular game is set in the post-war era. How could a post-war Slytherin student possibly be an ancestor of Professor Trelawney? The timeline alone should make it obvious these are entirely different characters. I shouldn't need to explain this further.
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