Malfoy felt a slight tension; he was going to class.
Even Professor McGonagall's classes he often handled with ease, but today's lesson might not be as easy as he anticipated.
Sybill Trelawney, Malfoy's Divination teacher today, was a crazy witch who wore glasses that magnified her eyes many times, and her neck was covered with beads and necklaces, with bracelets and bangles on her arms and hands.
Common people thought her predictions were nonsensical and almost never came true. This was also a fact; for example, the curse-like predictions she made when teaching Gryffindor, such as the flu coming and causing temporary class suspensions and her losing her voice. But in reality, her predictions were incredibly accurate. The sentence "Thirteen people eat together, and the first to stand up after the meal will be the first to die," cursed Dumbledore to death, cursed Sirius Black to death, and cursed Lupin to death, making it no exaggeration to call it the strongest weapon of causality. Her other major event predictions also did not fail.
She was the great-granddaughter of the Greek priestess Cassandra Trelawney, and that priestess's fate was equally fraught with twists and turns, with prophecies that were always accurate but never believed.
Perhaps those favored by heaven all have unspeakable pain. The Eastern magus seemed to be the same, with extraordinary talent, the price of which was to spend the rest of his life in madness.
Malfoy could only hope that she would remain in a dazed state and not wake up after seeing him, and then utter a few jinxes; that would not be fun.
Leaning against the railing at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor, Malfoy waited for Pansy. She had taken the morning off today and only woke up at noon. Malfoy went to the hospital wing to see her and was completely relieved when he found that her complexion had become rosy. So they agreed to go to Divination class together in the afternoon.
"It seems that boys are indeed less sensitive. Our savior was able to attend the party after only a slight recovery." Malfoy began to think randomly, pondering the differences in thinking between men and women and their ability to accept fear.
"Have you been waiting long?" Pansy walked over briskly, pulling Malfoy back from his thoughts. This was unexpected for Malfoy, because she would not have asked this question before.
"Of course not, I just arrived." He glanced at the clock and said, "For the first class, I think it's necessary to go a little earlier. I heard this road is not easy to walk."
Pansy nodded. Her attitude also became serious. Not only did she not want to be a burden, but she also wanted to be able to help the person she liked as much as possible. The first step should be to take a correct attitude towards her studies.
They walked up the stairs all the way to the eighth floor. This was an unfamiliar platform with nothing but a large painting hanging on the stone wall. The painting was of a prairie.
Malfoy seemed to be familiar with the road, taking Pansy to a narrow spiral staircase without any detours. The Divination classroom should be upstairs. It was very quiet, and it seemed like there was still some time before class.
The two of them climbed the last few steps and reached a small platform, but there was no door.
"Draco, look." Pansy tugged at Malfoy's sleeve and pointed to the ceiling with her other hand. There was a circular trapdoor on the ceiling with a copper plate that read, "Sybill Trelawney, Divination Teacher." While Pansy was still thinking about how to get in, the trapdoor suddenly opened, and a silver ladder was placed in front of them. Pansy took a step back, startled.
Malfoy, however, was prepared. "Let's go." He turned to Pansy and said, "If you're a little scared, just follow behind me."
Strangely enough, after the two of them used the ladder, it automatically retracted, waiting for the next wave of students to arrive.
Pansy looked around, feeling that this was not a classroom at all, at most a mixture of an attic and an old-fashioned teahouse. At least twenty small round tables were crammed into the room. Each table was surrounded by chintz armchairs and plump little cushions. Everything was illuminated by a dim, scarlet light; the curtains were drawn, and many lamps were covered with crimson shades. The classroom was so warm that it was depressing. The fireplace was stuffed full, and a large copper kettle was burning on the fire, so the flames emitted a dull, greasy smell, which made her, who had already slept enough, yawn again. The small sound was particularly noticeable in the quiet room. Malfoy glanced at her and said, "Rest if you're tired. There's nothing to listen to in her class."
Pansy's face was flushed with a layer of red because of her yawn.
Afterwards, Pansy and Malfoy found a seat in the back. Looking around, there were only a few people in the classroom. The other students should still be on their way. The professor had not yet appeared.
After a while, the other students came in through the trapdoor below, covered in sweat. Judging from the time, they should all be late. Malfoy looked around and didn't see any familiar faces. He didn't know if his two cronies hadn't chosen this course at all or had completely lost their way in some path in Hogwarts Castle.
A voice suddenly came from the shadows, the kind of soft, blurry voice.
"Welcome," the voice said, "it's so good to see you in the tangible world at last."
This was the voice of Professor Trelawney. Then she walked out of the shadows. The darker surrounding environment contrasted sharply with her glowing appearance, making the Slytherin students dizzy.
After that, it was the usual topic. She first emphasized the importance of talent for Divination class, and then pointed out a few unlucky victims to make predictions. Even in her mad state, her predictions often came true, and as for the occasional moments of clarity, they were always accurate.
"You, tomorrow will bring a bloody disaster. I think this bracelet can help you escape this calamity. You can return it to me next class." She generously offered one of her bracelets to a student.
The student hesitantly accepted it, his expression a mixture of disdain and fear. For a boy, the bracelet was a bit too feminine, but in the end, fear prevailed.
As for other pronouncements like, "Your luck will be terrible next week, you need to wear a blue headscarf," and "You will inevitably offend someone you like," there were too many. All of them were baseless and nonsensical.
These words, like prophecies or psychological cues, reminded him of a movie he had seen in his previous life—The Matrix.
The Oracle said to Neo, "Don't worry about the vase." As a result, Neo turned around and broke the vase.
The female professor's words were, in a sense, very similar to the Oracle's.
"Perfect tea leaf shape, my dear, you will have good fortune, except you need to stay away from the person closest to you right now, otherwise there might be danger, hmm, maybe." Professor Trelawney passed by Pansy's small stool, glanced at her tea leaves, and issued her first praise of the day. The female professor's somewhat dazed eyes gradually focused, as if she had seen a precious treasure. It seemed that she liked this female student very much.
"Your aura is very strong, my dear, you are very suitable for this divination course." Trelawney said kindly, her eyes under her glasses widened, and a faint smile hung on the corner of her mouth, making her even more unpredictable.
Pansy did not show the smugness and joy of being praised as expected. Instead, her delicate little face was covered with a trace of gloom, and her slender eyebrows were slightly furrowed. In the past, she might have been complacent about such praise, but the nightmare she had not long ago made her unable to be happy. Pansy glanced at Malfoy with some worry.
"Saying I have an aura, doesn't that mean I might be very accurate in my predictions, so what about Draco?" Pansy couldn't help but think of that dream, and couldn't help but shudder again. Tiny beads of sweat gradually appeared on her forehead, and her palms gradually turned cold.
Suddenly, a warm hand grasped her arm, calming her down.
"Thinking about Dementors again?" Malfoy saw that Pansy's appearance was very similar to when she was disturbed by Dementors on the train, and couldn't help but ask with concern, while also reaching out to hold her cold palm.
"Oh, child, you will cause big trouble." Professor Trelawney turned her head to look into Malfoy's teacup and couldn't help but directly advise, "My dear, you must be careful. A layer of darkness shrouds your head, making it difficult for me to see clearly, but I know it will not be a symbol of luck."
"Hmm, no." Professor Trelawney carefully looked at him, her hazy eyes gradually cleared up, "A piece of darkness." She said seriously, completely different from her tone just now.
"Indescribable."
Professor Trelawney supported her forehead with some pain, as if she had encountered a huge problem. Malfoy clearly saw the change in her personality, but even in her sober state, she still couldn't see through his own future.
"This should be a good thing, right." Malfoy thought, he was really afraid that she would blurt out something about a bloody disaster or a life-threatening situation. On the other hand, the thing about causing big trouble was more accurate. Soon he would "make a big news" come out.
"Huh? Was I spacing out? Sorry." The crazy personality seemed to have returned to her, she straightened the crooked ornaments on her head, and dazedly continued to walk to the seats of other students, as if she had forgotten the predictions she had just made.
"A piece of darkness, impossible to predict, isn't that exactly what I need?" Changing the original trajectory of fate is his current wish, whether it is the Death Eaters or the Dark Lord, they are not attractive to him at all.
"Draco, are you okay?" Pansy looked at Malfoy who was in a daze, and couldn't help but ask, waving her little hand in front of him, but she knew that with his personality, he would not be scared by these predictions. As for what he was thinking, she didn't know either.
"It's nothing, I'm thinking about how to cause a big trouble." Malfoy made a seemingly casual joke, and then continued, "It seems that you have a good talent for divination, how about it, are you interested in becoming a diviner?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Pansy shaking her head with disgust, refusing: "I think I understand why Muggles hate wizards. They always have prejudice against things they don't understand, and so do I." This is part of the reason, but Pansy didn't want to say more about the deeper reason. If she could really see the future, but was powerless to change it, wouldn't it be even more uncomfortable?
She didn't want to become a crazy diviner like the female professor in front of her.
On the other hand, Malfoy was amazed by her words. He didn't expect that the little girl who only knew how to have fun would have some different opinions, which was beyond his expectations.
"Then you don't have to come to class next time, choose something more interesting, such as Ancient Runes? This course is very helpful for a deep understanding of magic." Malfoy made his suggestion, but soon felt that he was being a bit boring. Malfoy felt that she would not be interested in these.
"Okay." Pansy nodded happily, which surprised Malfoy.
"Don't you dislike this kind of course?" Malfoy asked curiously.
"People change." Pansy stared at the tea dregs on the table and said quietly.