Welcome to the first meeting of this optional Tarot Seminar led by Arithmancer and expert Diviner, Eamonn Mullen.  All years, Houses, and schools are welcome to attend, every Wednesday at 5pm on the Sixth floor.  More information can be found detailed here.[1]

Eamonn took a deep breath as he laid the final silk, indigo cloth over the last of the small, circular divination tables.  He looked around at the empty classroom, trying to mentally prepare himself for what was about to happen.  It was the weirdest feeling... he felt ready and at the same moment as if he'd been thrown to the wolves. 

Kronos was out of his mind, but of course he was.  There was never a time when he wasn't.  It didn't matter that Eamonn had never taught before in his life, or that he shied away from people in general.  He had an expertise and some connections at Hogwarts, and now he'd been pulled into one of Kronos Malvivicus's more daring pranks.  It wasn't actually anything as daring as his usual affairs or other aspects of his daily exchanges in the world... but finding one's way within the walls of Hogwarts to try to coach his adopted heir seemed like unbelievably risky business.

Eamonn crossed the room, walking through the aisle between the long, dark, heavy wooden tables where the members of his seminar would soon sit, and coming to a stop by the semi-circular desk that served as the front podium.  On top of this table he had laid out a violet lace cloth.  Several Tarot decks lined the table, each sitting in its own pile, each having worn edges and its own unique vibration. 

He made the motion of dusting off the palms of each hand, looking around himself to see that he had finished with his preparation.  It was already five till five and if anyone was coming, they would be showing up any second.

1.	Click for more information on the Seminar!

"Ah Mr. Mullen," Ananke entered the room as she surveyed the setup and then looked at the host for the seminar, "I hope those aren't nerves you're trying to brush away," she gave him a modest smile as he eyes landed on the tarot cards--the subject for his seminar today. Admittedly it was a subtle art--tarot reading, but when done well it was like playing an impossible poker game. A treat, in Ananke's opinion, but she was sure many of her students would find the subject dull if she forced it upon them, and was glad someone decided it should be presented in a seminar. The Divination professor then gave the man a cordial nod, "I'm Ananke Cosmos, the Divination Professor."

"Though, I don't believe I've finished brainwashing my students well enough to treat Divination with as much respect as other studies," her voice was clipped with a matter-of-fact tone, but her features were softened by a lighthearted and carefree air. She then nodded towards Muller again, but this time with a more serious and stoic expression as she added, "So, if you need a villain today, don't be afraid to shoot me a look," she then sat down at the table next to Eamonn Muller, preferring to let him be the only authoritative looking person in the room, and waited to see who would show up.

With everything that had been on his mind recently, a good Divination seminar was just what Alvis needed to unwind. It was his third-best class, and unlike a number of his classmates he found the task relaxing in its creativity. Besides, he remembered that his grandmother once mentioning that tarot made an important study tool for artificers like herself. All tarot cards were carefully constructed without a single symbol, pose, or color chosen haphazardly. It was an intricate balance that one strove for when creating magical objects.

He arrived at the designated sixth-floor classroom five minutes early on the dot to find that he was, surprisingly, the first student there. Professor Cosmos stood with a man Alvis took to be the special instructor -- Eamonn Mullen, the name on the sign-up sheet had been -- speaking the way that professors from the visiting schools often seemed to speak with each other, with uncertain professionalism, as though they weren't sure where the lines were drawn.

Alvis arrived in time to catch Ananke's last line and blinked in surprise. "You're not a villain, Professor. I don't think it would suit you. You're too good."

Nightingale had grown up on the laps of women who wouldn’t even get dressed in the morning without consulting cards. Little flimsy stock of properly painted figures all adorned with cups and swords had been what made up his nightmares for years as a child, the images always so bright and vivid in the elder’s eyes as they spoke of fortunes and character—doom and destruction—children and affairs. All these years later he still turned cards one by one alone on his window seat with the same amount of respect, but a little less enchantment.

The moon child, always the moon with you.

The Romani born regarded the visiting Professor quietly as he slipped into the classroom, and took a seat somewhere out of the way. The bells around his ankles silenced by his shoes, but Gale made enough noise with his various trinkets to subject a few stares no doubt. Yet he paid them no mind. In fact nothing of him seemed concerned with his being here, nor in the way the classroom was turning out. However, it was when Alvis spoke up did he at least crack his mask long enough to smile.

Teachers pet that one, but he did so adore the boy. 

Ananke on the other hand, was a fierce creature, and one very much he often admired. Even listening to the students speak about her reminded him of the way his old gypsy father would recall stories of English women in the fine decorum and regal attire. Like the story of the white stag that commanded of the forests attention only to welcome the Spring. She was intimidating for sure, and standing a bit taller than he was Gale was quick to just take his seat.

Say hello, Nightingale… A voice reprimanded him, but he ignored it. Far more interested in the loose strands of his wayward attire that needed to be mended.

“I would not be so quick to assume anything about a Professor, Mister Norling,” Came his voice, quiet yet a bit commanding, the Picardy accent clear and crisp. “We are not all what we seem.” He flashed the boy a grin, and perhaps had he both eyes—a wink.

Sasha had made a conscious decision (and almost an equally successful habit) not to attend the daily seminars.  He already had a full schedule of classes and an equally full list of extracurriculars as he prepared for GCSE examinations which were...officially...a month away.  So, by the time his daily Herbology class let out, Sasha was plenty ready to make full use of the two hour study break (or, dinner, as some called it) before classes started back up for the evening.  Frequently, a seminar topic would pique his interest but one had to draw the line somewhere. 

There were exceptions and Eamonn's seminar was, undoubtedly, one of them.  Divination had never been Sasha's strongest subject and Kronos (among many others) was well aware of that.  When Sasha had heard that Eamonn was providing a regular tarot seminar as a guest instructor, it had been easy to connect the dots.  Kronos was capable of subtlety when he put his mind to it; most of the time, though, subtlety was far too mundane for the eccentric old wizard.  He knew Professor Trishna would be disappointed - and probably expected Sasha to tell him of the development - but Sasha rather liked Eamonn. 

He was also curious whether practicing divination from someone who was, like him, analytically-minded would help. 

Sasha stepped into the empty classroom but, upon seeing two professors and Alvis - all far too insightful individuals for his comfort, given the current situation - caught himself before offering more than a polite nod in greeting.  The Ravenclaw settled himself at Alvis' table and offered the younger boy a grin. 

He was content to leave the critiquing professor's villainous qualities to others and turned his attention to setting his things out on the table. 

Aggie was too logical to fully have faith in Astrology and divination, but she couldn't deny her fascination with the subject. She was no seer, but perhaps that is what kept her both level-headed and curious about the subject. She knew that divination was as much about psychology as it was about seeing the future, and she enjoyed knowing what made people tick and, perhaps, how to make them tick the way she wanted. Out of all the types of Divination, Tarot was her favorite, mostly because she was good at making the cards work for her. So when a notice was put up about a free tarot seminar, she couldn't resist.

Strolling in, bag slung casually over one shoulder and untied shoelaces flapping against her leather boots, Aggie took a moment to enjoy the scenery. Thanks to her appearance and her approach to history classes, most people assumed Aggie didn't have an appreciation for the old world, but they couldn't be farther from the truth. She grew up shifting through antique stores, visiting musems and exploring battlefields, and she had loved it. Hogwarts was all three combined with a giant, castle sized puzzle that Aggie longed to solve. So she actually really enjoyed the old school Gothic feel this special guest had going on, with the purples and blacks amply tossed about.

The visiting professor caught her somewhat by surprise. First off, she had honestly expected a woman. Not that men couldn't be seers, but in her experience, most found the topic of Divination rather... well, the opposite of Macho. But then, perhaps this one wasn't tied down by such prejudices? She could hope so. Secondly, he was rather pretty in that sort of careless 'I don't need to manscape or even shave properly' sort of way. As a rule, Aggie didn't often trust pretty boys. But, alas she was already there and had been looking forward to this for a couple days now, so she couldn't just leave. She just had to hope he was the exception to the rule.

"You're not a villain, Professor. I don't think it would suit you. You're too good."

Aggie couldn't help but snort at this comment before covering it up with a quick coughing fit. After the Charms professor made his comment, a rather mysterious remark about people not always being what they seem, she had to say something. It was just too easy. "Yeah... and you really should have brought an apple if you were going to suck up to the teacher... It's a rule." She said as she passed, grinning at the younger boy in a clear display of friendly ribbing. Hopefully he realized she was teasing.

 

"Ah, Mr. Mullen,"

Eamonn was pulled out of his thoughts of where he should start, and he stopped brushing his palms together, putting one hand to the back of his neck in a self-conscious motion.  "Em, yes," he said, extending a hand forward to greet the red-headed Witch who, clearly, commanded attention with her solid, earthy presence.  He swallowed down his nerves and tried for a smile.  "Eamonn Mullen," he paused before adding, "Of course.  Well, it's truly an honour to finally meet you Madam Cosmos."

He was unsure how he felt about the use of the word villain in this particular moment, though his attention was briefly distracted from her and the boy as his eyes followed the sound of trinkets clinking, the subject who carried the noise easily carrying his interest as well; with a curious air about him, the young man seemed somehow ancient or otherwise marked by distinction.  Eamonn could stop wondering what set him off from the rest, aside from the fact that he looked about Eamonn's own age, and he could be satisfied somewhat by the given information that he, as well, was a Professor. 

Well, if they expected Eamonn to act like a Professor tonight they might be the slightest disappointed, he thought silently to himself.  Other than having some very amazing Professors in his past, he probably wouldn't have the faintest what all was involved with playing that particular role.  However, he was analytical and meticulous enough to approach this subject in a dissected manner and, he didn't doubt that he would find out soon enough what leading a Seminar would be like.

He looked at the boy who had spoken a moment before.  The second use of the word 'villain' was enough to set Eamonn slightly more on edge.  He didn't know if there would be other Seers in the room this evening, or what.  The usually careful man was out of his element; he felt exposed despite how ridiculous that feeling really was.  It was impossible that anyone knew who he worked for.  Eamonn simply wasn't used to having to get away with things.  He was an honest man.  And, as the mysterious, Professorly Wizard suggested, he was not all that he seemed, either.

Clearing his throat slightly, Eamonn gave what he hoped was a semi-amused smile of the faintest order.  "Thank you," he said, awkwardly passing the chance for another joke or clever quip as the young woman who recently arrived inserted her own.

Sasha Schlagenweit entered the room and nicely avoided bringing attention to himself or the fact that the two of them were familiar.  He was pleased with Sasha who was clearly sharp enough to take a hint without having to be told... Eamonn was not teaching this seminar because he wanted to, and it would not do to act friendly outright.  So while Eamonn's eye rested on him for a few fleeting moments, he quickly turned his attention about the room.

"Thank you all for coming tonight," he said easily, holding his hands together in front of him.  "We'll be getting started in just a moment so please, make yourselves comfortable."  He knew settling into the space would help him, personally, so Eamonn took up the large, padded chair behind the front table, and sunk back slightly into the cushions, breathing in deeply and quietly grounding himself.

"Why am I even here?"

Philo hadn't meant to say it aloud but his thought was voiced into a whisper only his companion could catch.

"I wanted someone to go with, even though it said all years," Obderedria said next to him. "I don't think Heliotrope would be able to comprehend this at all."

It had been a somewhat unexpected invitation but under it all Philo was happy to become better friends with Drea. Between chance summer meetings, staging birthdays and group classroom practicals he was becoming a stronger link on her little social network. However, if it wasn't for the fact that Drea had asked him Philo would not have come to this seminar at all. Divination of any kind always seemed iffy to him. Both his mother, and even his sister when she was in school, were no nonsense women that paradoxically had strong interests in Divination. Neither of them had kept the subject at NEWT level but they always checking their horoscopes or planned evenings with friends who were 'dependable diviners' at the cards.

However, as he glanced around the room, it may not be that bad. Eamonn Mullen was a notable enough arithmancer and that interested Philo far more than the cards. Maybe Mr. Mullen would talk a little bit about Arithmancy too. The subject had grown beyond mere divination by numbers but the two subjects were distantly related through that connection.

As for the other professors there was Professor Kesali, who reminded Philo so much of one of his house's prefects, and Professor Cosmos. It might have been the heat of Egypt and the distraction of tracking the original owner of Runner the magic carpet but Philo had never noticed how Professor Cosmos looked before. Both her red hair and commanding but soft features. Which, again going back to Egypt, reminded him of the time his tape measure had been eaten by a dried dead snake reanimated in a pyramid.

"That's kind of a sour attitude," Obderedria chided at Philo, quietly. "We aren't able to study divination until next year. Wouldn't it help you plan your schedule more if you caught a glimpse of what the class would be like before you decided to take it?"

That was very smart thinking, the kind of smart thinking her mother Patricia told her she should be doing so since Obderedria was being smart and doing something she found interesting she was very happy and relaxed -- Although she wouldn't have had the courage to go to a seminar undoubtedly populated with nothing but upperclassmen unless there was someone else her grade there with her. She might have gone with Juni but having a peer/friend made things much more comfortable.

"I do like these chairs, they're far more comfortable than any other classroom in the castle." She bounced slightly on the cushions of the settee shared with Philo. "Do you think they always have chairs like this up in the divination tower?"

So far the only downside she'd heard about divination as a class was that to get to the classroom you had to climb up a silvery ladder through a trapdoor. Obderedria was worried that boys would start looking up her skirt or maybe bullies like Silvia Bog-Goyle -- if Silvia even took divination as a third year.

Noticing that Philo was off looking in the wrong direction she gave him a nudge. "Hey, stop staring, the seminar is going to be led by Mr. Mullen, not Professor Cosmos."

Ligeia received more enjoyment out of her Terr-Oh! deck than the original Tarot but cards were cards. A seminar specific to Tarot would better her card reading so of course Ligeia was in attendance.

At the invitation to get comfortable Ligeia took the available opportunity to sit in a chair closest to her favorite professor in the world, Nightingale Kesali who so mirrored her in cultural experience his classes won out over whatever horrors Storm was unleashing on them in Defense.

"That is so true, Professor, for how people can be so different past their skin," she added after Gale's comment to Alvis but leaning in close to the professor. "That's why I like card reading in particular amongst all the kinds of divination. It's very perceptive towards whoever you are sharing the moment with."

Maybe this was getting to be too much but Ligeia rarely kept romantic interests for any length of time. She could do no worse than her father who was on wife number seven when she was born.

Flustered, Alvis felt his cheeks heat up as he glanced between Professor Kesali and the Salem student. He understood playful ribbing, but he was never sure how the recipient of such play was supposed to respond. He finally settled on ducking his head and adjusting his glasses. "I...I wasn't trying anything like that. I'm only being honest. People would be less mixed-up if they were only honest with each other."

He gave a quick, sheepish smile and claimed a table, to be shortly joined by Sasha -- a comforting presence as always and more relaxed today than in a normal Divination class. Alvis returned the upperclassman's grin and dragged his Divination notebook out of his bag. "Hi, Sasha. I didn't know you liked Tarot. This class should be really interesting."

As the he turned the notebook to a fresh page, the thought that people were not what they seemed returned to Alvis's mind. Alvis had always known people who tried to act one way when they really felt another, but it seemed such an obvious ruse to him that he never understood why people bothered, especially when it hurt them. But after spending a day in the body of Casey O'Doherty, he was starting to understand that it was different for most people. He wondered how much of his good work in Divination came from actually understanding the concepts and how much came from that difference.

He'd figure it out sooner or later. Surely. He hoped.

Sitting in the comfortable, padded chair, Eamonn relaxed.  Feet on the ground, flat, shoulder width apart.  Spine uplifted, every vertebrae aligned.  Pelvis and hips squared comfortably, connecting with the earthy element.  Eyes closed, breath intentional and complete.  After a few extended moments of this, he was feeling worlds more prepared to begin.  He was calm, and his energy was centered.

He opened his eyes, a barely perceptible smile perching on his lips.

"Okay," he said to the room at large, sounding only a little uncertain.  "I'll be the facilitator for this... weekly discussion on an ancient and pertinent art to our times... the Tarot."  His voice reverberated on this last word, meaningfully, as he looked out among all of those gathered.  He was truly struck by how... settled and coherent this group vibration felt.  As if all of this had been laid out loud and clear by fate.

"Name's Eamonn Mullen, I've been in the field of Arithmancy for many years and aside from its more practical uses... I spend a great deal of time on the divinatory side of numbers.  In fact, numbers factor in a great deal with the Tarot... and I expect we'll get into that, in fair time, if it's an interest of... all of you."  He furrowed his brow thoughtfully.  He ought to figure out who "all of you" was.

Somehow, he knew not how, this simple introductory talk of the Tarot and of numbers made him think of the Moon a bit tangentially, and of how it was the eighteenth card in the Major Arcana.  Eighteen recalled the word Chai.  Life.  A window, a hand.  In short, it was a thought of good luck.  Of Kia by extension.  He found himself thinking of her as he had recently so many times and in so many inappropriate circumstances these last few weeks.  In just two days he would be reunited with her, and as such he was easily distracted by his frankly invasive sense of imagination.   

"I thought," he interjected, clearing his throat and sitting up taller.  "In most general terms we might start with short introductions.  No need to go in any order, just, whenever you are ready.  Please give your name as well as a brief statement about what you hope to get out of this weekly seminar experience.  You might also mention your thoughts on the Tarot.  Or even... what the word 'seminar' means to you."

Ananke turned to look at Alvis, a rather promising student with a rather simple outlook on life. It made it easy for him to be objective, straightforward, and aware of others, but unaware of the immediate social response, he himself might receive--like the immediate teasing he got for complimenting her. She gave a hummed a gentle a sigh--children. "It is more of a simple observation, coming from Mr. Norling and, should we apply the basics of Divination is rather telling about himself," she nodded towards the boy as he sat down and gave an easy shrug of her shoulders.

"In that he does not deem any form of academic discipline worthy to be classified as anything particularly villainous," it was classically Ravenclaw of the boy. The witch gave a playful smirk towards the Salem student as she added, "He just as high standards."

Finally, Mullen began with introductions and when no one spoke up the Divination Professor looked over the room with a gentle stare as her voice took on a whimsical and rambling tune, "I am Ananke Cosmos, Professor of Divination at Hogwarts," she looked over room to make sure that was a rather obvious statement, on her part, before her voice took on a firmer and more confident tone, "As far as Tarot is concerned you treat it like a dealer would treat a poker game at a casino," she looked at Eamonn before she turned back to look at Kesali and the other students, "Artfully, skillfully, and with awareness."

She rested her steely blue eyes back on Mullen and added, "That's it for me," before her eyes expectantly looked to one of the students to speak next.

Gale would have argued with Anake had they been on a more personal level. He would have pointed out the flaw in her observation, and perhaps reminded her that Alvis was still a child. He wouldn't know the meaning of High Standards. However, he was a bit bitter still of how classes went at the beginning of the month, and worn away with his own fatigue. Gale was truly very fond of Alvis, but currently a little more interested in picking a lose thread from the hem of his pants. He loved his students, very much, but was simply tired and irritated.

"A casino?" Now that he couldn't keep quiet about. "I would have to state that I do not agree with that finding, Professor. Skill and luck have very little to do with Tarot in my opinion. It is an art, I will say that, and one should be very aware of the impression they are going to make. But just because I know the cards by heart, and consider it a skill. It does not give me the power to go and offer a reading based only on that. I may be qualified to deal cards, but that doesn't mean I have the right to gamble with someone else's fate." Having ignored the introduction until now, Gale stood a moment and swept his hands over the front of his wrap.

"My name is Nightingale Kesali, I'm the newest addition to Hogwarts, a Professor. Charms. As most of you know." He gave both Sasha and Alvis a darting glance. "I grew up in a caravan that traveled most of Eastern Europe, and my people believed that a deck of tarot was more than just painted faces. That it relies heavily on intuition and feelings. That a reader must not imprint their own emotions or facts while reading for another. Certainly something a dealer at a poker game would care very little about." With that he took his seat again, wondering where in the world that little outburst even came from, but just the passionate conversation of it all painted his face with a peach colored blush, adding color where there wasn't any before.

A tall brow appeared on Ananke's forehead as she looked at the Charms Professor, really, they were on introductions and the man seemed intent on overindulging in her use of similes, "Professor Kesali, you seem to mistake a dealer's qualifications with that of a player's role  or with that of the role of the club itself--I am merely relating traits between two things and not the overall motives," she tilted her head and gently pressed her lips together with faint disbelief at how picky the man was being.

"For it is the traits, that, when put in the proper context, give a reader the tools they need to properly wield Tarot Cards. So, again," she felt like as if she were instructing a student in class as she lifted her head up and gave a thoughtful blink, "The traits, are what I'm focused on and not a casino, dealer, or poker game itself--because, obviously, there is more involved than what either of us has said, and I'd rather not have a debate about that." Her voice drawled to an end as the witch stared at Kesali again and searched his features for some sign or reason of why he had just had a very childlike outburst.

It all made her think of how old Professor McGonagall puffed up and criticized any mention of Divination being related to anything practical, and how she always tried to divert her attention onto some other subject or focus. Ananke think people should just learn to relax.