The first day of the new term went by without incident.
Overall, nothing out of the ordinary happened.
Christopher Patrick, the exchange student, left quite an impression on nearly all the fourth-year Slytherins—thanks to his outstanding performance in both Herbology and Charms. It could be said that Slytherin hadn't seen such a remarkable student in years.
...
The next morning, Jon got up and pulled out the class schedule that Pansy Parkinson had given him earlier.
Tuesday mornings consisted of two consecutive Divination classes, while the afternoon held one Transfiguration and one Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson.
He examined the schedule thoughtfully as Sean Avery climbed out of bed.
"Hey, mate!" Sean said groggily, looking confused. "I swear last night... there was this sudden flash of light in the dorm. It nearly scared me awake!"
"No way!" Jon shook his head. "I was the last one to fall asleep. You must've just had a nightmare."
"Maybe," Avery muttered, nodding before getting out of bed to pack his textbooks for the day.
Seizing the moment, Jon quietly raised his wand and aimed it at him.
He whispered a spell softly under his breath.
The other three boys in the dorm were either still in bed or facing away, so no one noticed what Jon did.
Afterward, Jon picked up his copy of Unfogging the Future and quickly left the dormitory.
...
After breakfast, Jon made his way toward the North Tower.
The weather was unusually pleasant for September in Britain—a rare luxury.
The Divination classroom was located at the top of a narrow spiral staircase, and Professor Sybill Trelawney lived in a small adjoining room nearby.
As Jon entered the classroom, he was immediately greeted by the familiar, cloying scent that always hung in the air. He wrinkled his nose slightly in distaste.
The curtains were drawn tight, and numerous lamps burned beneath red-tinted shades, bathing the entire room in a hazy crimson glow. Around a dozen small round tables were neatly arranged, each accompanied by two short stools.
Divination was a shared class between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, though only a handful of students had arrived so far.
Jon took a seat near the window, intending to open it later for some fresh air.
"Good morning," came an airy, ethereal voice from behind him.
It was Professor Trelawney. The old charlatan seemed to have taken an immediate interest in Jon. She drifted over to his table and murmured softly, "Chris Patrick?"
"Yes, Professor," Jon replied with a polite nod.
"Fate has already made its choice..." she said in her dreamy, meandering tone. "It told me you would choose my class."
Professor Sybill Trelawney was an exceedingly thin woman. Enormous spectacles magnified her eyes to an unsettling degree on her gaunt face. She was draped in layers of beads and trinkets that glimmered faintly in the dim light.
"Of course," Jon said calmly. "At Durmstrang, Divination was my favorite subject."
"Oh, really?" Professor Trelawney looked mildly surprised, then shook her head with a touch of regret. "I may sound cruel, but in Divination, mere interest isn't enough. If you lack the Sight, there's very little I can teach you."
"I'm sorry, Professor, but..." Jon paused, then continued smoothly, "At Durmstrang, Professor Stark once called me the most gifted student he'd ever taught in Divination."
The name, of course, was entirely his invention.
"What?" Trelawney gasped.
"Professor Stark—the Divination master at Durmstrang, and the most renowned seer in the North," Jon added, deliberately raising his tone. "Surely, Professor Trelawney, you've heard of him?"
"Of course..." she replied quickly, lowering her voice. "Why, last Christmas, I even dined with him..."
"Last Christmas, weren't you at Hogwarts for the Yule Ball..." Jon thought silently, though he didn't expose her lie.
By the time their brief exchange ended, the rest of the Slytherin and Ravenclaw students had arrived, filling the classroom.
And with that, the Divination class began.
...
"Today's topic is crystal balls," Trelawney announced.
"Crystal ball divination is a delicate and refined art," she intoned, her hoarse voice drifting as if she were half-asleep. "Since this is your first time gazing into these mysterious spheres, I don't expect any of you to see much of anything..."
"We'll begin by practicing how to relax your conscious mind and inner eye. Only by doing so can we clear our perception. If we're lucky, some of you might glimpse something before the class ends..."
"What is it, Mr. Patrick?" Trelawney suddenly asked, blinking as her gaze settled on Jon.
"I believe I've just seen a glimpse of the future in the crystal ball, Professor," Jon said, standing up.
Every head in the classroom turned toward him.
A murmur spread through the room. Divination was widely regarded as one of the most tedious classes at Hogwarts, and most students considered Trelawney a fraud—so much so that nearly half the class hadn't even bothered to take out their textbooks.
"Oh, really!" Professor Trelawney's eyes lit up with excitement. "Wonderful! Tell us what you've seen!"
"I saw three things in the crystal ball," Jon said calmly. "Three prophecies, to be precise."
"First, Sean..." Jon turned toward Sean Avery, who shared his small round table. "When you go to fetch a copy of Unfogging the Future from the old bookcase later, please pick one that's a bit newer, with cleaner pages. I can't stand the smell of rotting parchment."
Sean Avery stared at him blankly, completely lost.
"And next, Miss Greengrass..." Jon continued.
Astoria Greengrass looked up at him, eyes wide with surprise.
"When you break the first crystal ball later, do try not to shatter the second one too."