Chapter 254: Does Neville Have a Talent for Divination?
"Turn to page 179. Today we will be studying the Screaming Vine. Who can tell me anything about the Screaming Vine? Anything at all?"
Snape hadn't even finished his sentence befoare Hermione's hand shot up again. Harry and Ron were long since used to this. Whenever it was Snape's class, Hermione was relentlessly eager. Her hand was practically poking the ceiling, and Snape simply refused to see her. If it were Professor McGonagall's class, Gryffindor would already have a handful of points.
Seeing that Snape continued to ignore Hermione, Ron leaned closer. "You know, I don't usually side with Snape, but I think he's got a point this time."
"She's so completely rigid in her thinking."
Ron's comment brought Dylan back from his reverie. It seemed a lot had happened in the time he'd been away.
"Sometimes, I really do admire your nerve." Dylan couldn't help but say, exchanging a look and a small smile with Harry. Beneath Ron's seemingly timid exterior lay a heart full of mischief. Together with Harry, they had gotten into more than their share of trouble. If it weren't for Hermione's timely rescue, neither of them would dare speak a word when she was in a temper. If Hermione had heard what Ron just said, she would surely have been terrified.
"I was just… saying." Ron immediately reacted to Dylan's warning and shut his mouth.
After Potions class, there was Divination in the afternoon. The topic of a wizard's ability to prophesy had always been a controversial one. A prophecy orb could tell the future, but it was really just a medium for storing a prophecy. The actual prophecy was made by the wizard themselves.
In the history of the magical world, the most famous prophesying wizard was Sibyll Trelawney's ancestor. This great-grandmother truly had some real skill, and many of her prophecies had proven to be true. Sometimes, Dylan even wondered if that was the real reason Hogwarts had never canceled Divination class, and not just because Trelawney herself had made a successful prophecy.
"Wait? What did you just say?" Ron stopped in his tracks, his face a mask of disbelief. Harry and Dylan, who were walking with him, instantly looked up, as if they had missed something.
"How can you be in both History of Magic and Divination at the same time? That's not logical."
"Don't be daft, Ron, a person can't be in two places at once." Hermione ignored him and continued to the classroom. Only Ron was left with a look of utter shock.
"What do you think, Dylan?" Harry, by comparison, was a little calmer.
"I just think that since it's magic, there's nothing that can't be done, right?" Dylan's thoughts were the same as Harry's, and neither of them made a fuss like Ron.
The entire class, Dylan was in a daze, his mind preoccupied with Fiendfyre. The spell itself wasn't complicated, but to unleash its maximum power while using a non-verbal incantation still required a certain technique.
It was as if the spell itself wasn't hugely destructive, but it could sustain its attack for a long time. The flames couldn't be extinguished by ordinary spells and would only stop when the magic within the spell ran out. Or, if the person who cast the spell died, the spell would also fail.
This was the wonder and beauty of the Dark Arts. Besides the Unforgivable Curses, there were many other Dark Arts spells that were even more enchanting. Spells that could regenerate a severed arm, resurrect the dead, or make a river flow backward. He was already using and researching the Dark Arts, so what did he have to be afraid of the Unforgivable Curses for? He didn't need anyone's forgiveness.
"Dylan, let me see your cup." Neville's voice brought Dylan back to reality. In Dylan's teacup, the leaves were a single clump. Neville couldn't make out any shape at all, let alone a prophecy.
"I guess I have absolutely no talent for this class. I can't see any shape."
"Look closely, you can see something, can't you?"
"If you say so… I think the pattern in your cup looks like a leaf."
A leaf? Where did it look like a leaf? Dylan took a very careful look. He was sure he hadn't seen it wrong. Wasn't that a ship? Didn't that symbolize that his future would be smooth sailing and unobstructed on the path of magic? Could Neville's eyes see something else entirely? Dylan chuckled and didn't take Neville's words seriously.
"Don't worry, let's take another look." Neville nodded and opened his book, finding the corresponding explanation for the pattern.
"Look here, Dylan, the description of this leaf says—you've been feeling anxious lately, and you're studying something, but it's not as complicated as you think."
"You're about to find the answer you're looking for."
"That's what it probably means." Although Dylan didn't completely agree with Neville's words, he still nodded.
"Open your minds, you two, and see the future. This is the art of Divination."
"Let me see what you've found." Trelawney approached Harry and the others. She looked at Ron's cup, and then at Neville's. The cup in his hand was Dylan's. With just one look, Trelawney became very nervous.
"Searching for yourself in confusion, breaking free from your bonds. This means you are currently in the process of a transformation, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon."
Trelawney's interpretation was similar to Neville's, which surprised Dylan a little. He knew that Trelawney didn't truly have no talent for Divination. Besides true prophecies, she was quite good at her version of ordinary divination—which was just a skillful way of tricking people. To be able to do this, Trelawney had actually put in a lot of effort behind the scenes. After all, memorizing the entire book on Divination was not an easy task. But at least for Dylan, this kind of prophecy wasn't a bad thing. So it didn't matter whether he understood it or they did.
Finally, class was over, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione planned to go to the common room. Snape had given them too much homework today. If it weren't for Hermione, the two of them would probably have a hard time finishing it.
"Come with us. We can have dinner together tonight." Dylan turned to leave, but Harry stopped him. He was quite enthusiastic. But Dylan still had a lot of things to do.
"There are a few things I haven't figured out yet. I'm going to go find Professor Snape."
"Do you want to come along?" Ron and Harry's faces showed their refusal, but they didn't say it out loud because Snape was watching them from not far away.
"No, we'll wait for you in the common room." After saying that, Ron quickly urged Harry to leave. Not long after the three of them left, Dylan shrugged and walked quickly down the corridor with his books. The three Malfoys were still laughing behind him, but in the next second, Dylan disappeared from the corridor. This surprised Malfoy, who stood there looking to both sides.
"Let's go, Malfoy. What's wrong?" Crabbe was anxious to eat and didn't want to waste time here.
"Will you die if you eat less? Look at you, you're as fat as a pig."
"Don't be like the Weasleys, as if you've never seen food before!" Crabbe's chubby face showed his displeasure at Malfoy's words. But he couldn't disobey Malfoy. The three of them were inseparable, but it didn't seem like they had anything to talk about. It wasn't like Harry and Ron, who could talk about anything and everything, which was why they were friends. Goyle and Crabbe were more like followers. Yes, followers who were as loyal as dogs.
Dylan stood in his own space, silently watching the three Malfoys disappear in front of him. He turned and entered his world. Inside the space, a picture frame was still floating in the air, but the person in it was nowhere to be seen.
"Where are you?" Hearing Dylan's call, a phantom floated towards him. It was Ravenclaw.
"Strange, you should be in class right now." Ravenclaw thought Dylan had skipped class, not knowing that Dylan's class schedule was different this semester.
"To be precise, I came here after class." He always felt more at ease in his own space. Dylan waved his wand, and his homework book and quill floated up, automatically starting to write his homework. To him, these things were an insult to his intelligence. He wasn't like Harry and Ron, who worried about this little bit of homework. His energy should be used on the right things.
Ravenclaw floated over and stood behind Dylan, looking at the notes in his hand. They were all about the Dark Arts.
"Strange, are these notes useful to you?" To Dylan, who had already mastered a lot of Dark Arts, these notes were indeed not very useful at the moment. However, they did contain some information about the Dark Arts, such as how to unleash the maximum power of a spell.
"How were the Unforgivable Curses created?" Dylan suddenly became curious. The Unforgivable Curses were called that because they were unforgivable. The person who first created them was a genius. It was because these spells were so powerful and tormenting that they were called forbidden spells. The ridiculous thing was that these spells were known by everyone.
Ravenclaw's thoughts fell into a memory. The crown on her head gradually lost its light, and then it disappeared. She stood in front of Dylan in a simple dress, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes.
"Every spell has a reason for its creation."
"Only a wizard with powerful magic can unleash the full power of a spell."
"Just like the Killing Curse."
"When a wizard uses such a spell, they themselves will also be cursed."
"Their souls are no longer pure."
"I'm going to go feed that snake for you." Ravenclaw disappeared in front of him.
Dylan knew that she couldn't leave this place. After all, the picture frame was here, and he was Ravenclaw's master. He had thought about finding a more comfortable place for her. But Hogwarts seemed peaceful on the surface, but it was actually full of hidden dangers. He didn't want to lose Ravenclaw or let others know about her existence. After all, to Dylan, she was still quite useful.
"So the strength of the Cruciatus Curse depends on who casts it." Dylan had a deeper understanding of spell-casting. One had to know that creating a new spell was not that easy. A spell that had never appeared before always carried a hint of danger.
Thinking of this, Dylan suddenly stood up. A golden goblet appeared in the space. With a Transfiguration spell, the golden goblet began to flow like a liquid, eventually taking the shape of a woman.
"Fiendfyre." Blue flames shot out from his wand, instantly surrounding the transfigured woman. The flames lingered for a long time, but the puppet didn't react at all. Not long after, the blue flames gradually receded, and the puppet still stood there, completely unharmed.
The initial stage of Transfiguration could change objects, but advanced spells could turn them into living beings. Professor McGonagall could even turn herself into a cat. In Dylan's eyes, this was actually a form of advanced Transfiguration. And to create more powerful spells, he still had to put in more effort.
"Oh, it seems you haven't fully succeeded yet."
"The spell is fine, I just want to make it a little stronger."
"You should rest. I'll see you another day." Dylan smiled at Ravenclaw, and his body gradually faded.
Although he had made an excuse to delay for a while, he hadn't rejected Harry, so he still had to go back. And his homework was almost done anyway, so he might as well just finish it. When Dylan returned to the common room, Ron and Harry were obediently doing their homework. Hermione was standing in front of them with her arms crossed. This scene was all too familiar to Dylan. At this time, Hermione was still very dedicated to the two of them. It would be even better if the two of them weren't so mischievous.
"Where have you been?" As soon as Dylan walked in, Harry grabbed onto him like a lifeline. He wanted to pounce on him right away. The atmosphere was clearly off, and even the other people in the common room were holding their breath.
"I just came back from the professor's office. I also stopped by the kitchens to get some onion rings."
"Do you want some?" When Dylan went, it was almost dinner time, so he could only get some random things.
"It's a shame you didn't come for dinner. There was creamy mushroom soup tonight." Hermione said, giving Harry and Ron a glare.
"What happened?" Dylan put his homework on the table. Ron curiously glanced at it and was surprised to see that it was all finished. It was even more than what Hermione had written. Dylan had deliberately written a lot so that Snape wouldn't be able to find any mistakes. But he still intentionally misspelled a few words. Writing too well wouldn't be right.
"Right after you left, Harry got a notice for Quidditch practice."
"The two of them wanted to go to practice to avoid doing their homework."
"I'm just doing this for your own good. Do you think Snape will let you off with that excuse?" He had to admit that Hermione was right. Besides, Potions class for Harry and Ron was already on the verge of failing. He remembered that Harry's dream was to be an Auror. An Auror who failed Potions class?
"Oh my gosh, how did you write this?"
"Snape will love your homework, even more than Hermione's." It was clear that Ron hadn't listened to Hermione at all; his attention was completely on Dylan's homework.
"I'm not trying to stop you from going to practice, but Gryffindor can't afford to lose any more points."
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