Sybill stood at the front of her class, holding her hands close to her chest and pacing a bit. She had already dealt with the fourth years earlier that day and she assumed the older students would be more interesting. She was also a little more comfortable after having the class earlier. The long break between the classes was a relief to her too. There were 8 round tables around her. Each table was draped with an elaborate cloth and had two chairs at it. Candles were lit all around the classroom and the smell of incense burning filled the room. She had tea cups stacked neatly on a shelf and crystal balls lined the walls. There were large posters of open hands on the walls with the lines in different colors and descriptions beside them. There was also a large book on a pedestal behind her for dream interpretation.

"Take your seats, everyone. Two to a table please. You'll need a partner for our first lesson."

She looked around the class with a smile as the students started to file in.

Katherine tucked a stray curl behind her ear as she rushed up the steps to the divination room. She had her book in her arms and her satchel slung over her shoulders. Next to her was a Salem student that she'd taken to talking to during the downtime in their divination class, Damien[1] was his name. He was laughing about something that she'd said as they walked in together.

"Good evening professor!" She chirped cheerfully, giving Trelawney a tired smile. It wasn't her fault that she was tired, she had a busy schedule with all of her classes and Divination started at seven pm. Plus she'd just run from dinner, leaving a few minutes early in order to make in to the classroom in time. She sat down at an empty table, waving Damien over because he was standing there awkwardly like he didn't know what to do. "Just because I couldn't owl you over holiday doesn't mean we aren't friends anymore." She said a little sarcastically, trying to stay peppy in order to keep herself awake.

"It's not that," he replied, sitting down across from her and examining the candle at their table. "This incense is really getting to me, I think my mom has the same kind back home..." Damien shrugged, knowing that one of the underlying scents in the room was familiar, but he couldn't tell which one was which. Then he realized, sandalwood. That's what his mother burned in the bathroom and the living room.

"You're not allergic to it are you?" Katherine asked, "That would be annoying if you were, you'd have to be on medication just to be in this room." She said with a grin.

1.	I write for both Damien Reynolds and Katherine Beckett so I'm just squishing some of their interactions in one post... I hope that's alright!

Evelyn was excited, though only those who knew her well could see it. She was sporting a super straight, ready-for-anything posture, which suggested that she was looking forward to what was coming up. It was no secret that Evie and her brother took great stock in divination, though Eli was certainly more outwardly fanatical about it all. Evie was quieter about her beliefs, though she was, as a rule, quieter about just about everything. She approached divination with a passionate sort of reverence, fully respecting fate and prophecy. Plus, her brother's enthusiasm was quite contagious, which made it difficult to keep from seeing something more in the subject. The two were chatting as they walked toward the divination tower side by side, continuing a conversation they'd started as they were leaving dinner. It might have been hard to enthusiastically attend a class so late in the evening but, because this happened to be divination, the two were alive, awake, and twittering away.

“I think we're very lucky to have a professor who possesses The Sight. She's very famous and she's very accomplished. I'm sure she can help us,” Evie explained softly, but with no lack of enthusiasm, as the twins approached the entrance to the classroom. She flashed her brother a smile that wordlessly expressed the half-anxious excitement she felt to be in the presence of the woman whose prophecies had changed the world. “I'm sure she's wonderful,” she added as they both climbed up through the threshold and into the classroom proper, where Sybil Trelawney stood in the flesh. She even looked legitimate. This, Evelyn was sure, was going to be a fantastic year for divination class.

“Will you be my partner?” Evie asked, though she probably didn't even have to. For the most part, she was the pickier of the two, and if she were miffed at Elijah then she probably would have already found herself another partner. He hadn't done anything to turn her off of him today, though, and she was far too excited about the future of this class to deprive herself of a committed partner.  “Where should we sit?” she asked, giving her brother the choice as she glanced at the esteemed professor out of the corner of her eye.

Sophie wasn't entirely sure how she felt about Professor Cosmos leaving. She'd been a good professor; well versed in the mechanics of their subject, and she was very non-nonsense which was also nice. Of course the chance to work with Trelawney was an interesting prospect but... well... there was some debate between certain sectors of the Wizarding world about the nature of her Sight; as if maybe it were just a fluke thing. Nana Flickwick had never had much to say on the topic; after all she'd exploited her gift to be sure she could keep food on the table for Duncan and his brothers. She didn't feel she was in any place to judge the validity of one's gift.

Slipping into the room quietly (she'd been a little off since coming back to school, not at all her usual sunny self), she scanned for anyone she might know and be able to share a table with. It seemed that everyone was sort of already paired up though so she simply dropped into the nearest seat and hugged her bag on her lap. It had been a particularly long second day of lessons and Sophie was more than a little weary of all the new professor's faces. It wasn't their fault of course, by now she ought to have been used to the high turnover rate at Hogwarts... it just made everything feel so unstable. Rubbing her eyes she rested in chin on her bag and vaguely wondered how Katherine had so much energy.

It was, luckily, the last class of the day though it was no secret that Divination was far from Sasha's strong suit.  He'd managed an E on his OWLs but only because regurgitating the interpretations of tarot cards for the benefit of a tester had been just clinical and straightforward enough for the Ravenclaw.  That part of it was no problem.  He hadn't been doing a reading on anyone specific.  He hadn't been required to 'commune with the stars' in the hopes that the positions of stars hundreds and thousands of light years away had some impact on his own life. 

Divination was the one class the otherwise academically motivated Ravenclaw didn't actually look forward to.  But, he continued to come and continued to adapt to each new professor.  Though, one look at the rather ... hippie-ish looking woman at the front of the redecorated room suggested that, again, Sasha hadn't lucked out.  The position still hadn't been filled by a more analytically-minded Divination professor.  Someone who could explain the material to someone who was empathically-challenged. 

Bugger.

With a sigh, the Ravenclaw dropped into the second chair at Sophia's table and let his bag fall to the floor.  He looked towards the front of the class to the draped table to the burning candles and, finally, the Gryffindor.  She looked about the way he felt.  An eight hour day of class and he would be happy to take a nap. 

"Are we supposed to order appetizers?" he asked, looking back at the candles.  "Or, tea?"  Or, better yet, coffee. 

Sybill felt tingles from some of the new students. So much talent and promise in this group!! She couldn't wait to see what sorts of surprises these students had. She eyed them all as they came in the room, trying to get a feel for them as they entered.

"Good evening, Miss Beckett!" she greeted as she and Mr. Reynolds took their seats. She noticed the look on the boys face and became concerned. She walked up to him, adjusting her head to see him through her glasses. "Is the smoke bothering you, my dear? If so, I can prepare another one for our next class that is less offensive."

When the Grimlish twins came in, she turned her attention to them. Something was special about these two. She didn't quite know what or which one, but these two would be interesting. "Good evening," she said walking towards them. "This class will prove beneficial to the two of you. I do believe you will learn more than you expect."

She smiled as Miss Flitwick came in the room. She went over to the girl and put her hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll do very well in this class. Chin up."

She gave a nod to  Mr. Schlagenweit as he sat down at the table. "No appetizer, Mr Schlagenweit, though I have taken into consideration the hour of the class and the fact that some of you have had long days. There is hot tea and coffee available for all of you if you wish," she said as she motioned to a table behind her. "You are all more than welcome to help yourselves to the beverages as soon as you come into the class from here on out."

She stepped aside to allow the students to fix their beverages if they desired. When they went back to their desks and got settled, she clapped her hands together to get their attention.

"Now! I assume you all know the different forms of divination that we will be going over in this class, yes? We are going to start off with some light meditation to try and access your inner eye. I want everyone to close your eyes and relax," she said, closing her own eyes. "Now, imagine there is a door in front of you. You can see a bit of light shining through the keyhole of the door. Make your way too that door, or as close to the door as you can, and open it as wide as you can. This symbolizes opening the eye. Let the light wash over you and fill your soul with warmth and knowledge."

About ten minutes after the students sat in silence, she opened her eyes again feeling refreshed. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly with a smile.

"Before we get started, I want you all to tell me how you feel. What you saw, if anything. Any sensation that came over you. This will help me know what your level of understanding and what you will be capable of in this class." She turned her attention to the twins. "Would either of you like to go first? Or you Miss Flitwick?"

The not-so-perfect complement to Evie’s soft voice was Eli’s boisterous one – a sound that could be heard booming down the corridor to the divination tower long before the Grimlish twins came into sight. Sputtering, the Ravenclaw boy couldn’t even get out a complete sentence, “She’s… oh gosh, can you believe?.. what a treat…” and yet Evelyn seemed to be perfectly in control of herself – always composed, his twin. When the two reached the ladder to the tower Eli wiped his sweaty palms vigorously on his robes and tried to flatten his hair – succeeding in only mussing it up more.

When the couple passed the threshold into the classroom, Elijah’s mouth opened in pure amazement. There she was – THE Sybil Trelawney. A true seer. She was there, in all her glittery glory and Eli was at a total loss for words. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to rush up to her and bow at her feet – kissing her toes or if he wanted to run screaming from the room – too overwhelmed with awe and emotion. He settled with just standing silently… drooling slightly.

The boy vaguely heard his sister talking in his ear but the sound registered only as a soft buzzing. Ever so slowly, Eli reached up and pinched himself hard on his arm, snapping him out of his idiotic obsession with their teacher. “Uhm… what’d you say?” He asked quietly – voice no more than a whisper. “Did you wanna be partners?” He asked – not having registered that she’d already asked him the very same question only moments before.

When Professor Trelawney came closer to them and started speaking Eli had to rest against his sister to keep his knees from buckling, “Th… thank… - thank you!” He managed to squeak out – voice sounding like a pre-pubescent first year… that or a squirrel.

Evelyn was quite familiar with meditation, as she'd always had the sort of temperament that was well suited toward it. She'd spent much time inside of her own mind, keeping herself company, and it did not take much to transport herself to that comfortable spot inside of her mind. She'd only had her eyes shut for a few seconds when that familiar chill traveled up her spine that suggested to her that her body was perfectly calm and her mind was ready to receive. It was like visiting a familiar place – like a childhood bedroom for a girl who'd grown up mostly without one. Her mind did not stay focused on the light for the entirety of the ten minutes, however. They'd been asked to open their mind, not empty it, so she took that as permission to let her thoughts drift where they wanted to. She felt the way she did just before falling asleep, when she gave her tired mind free reign while she drifted off. The professor ended the meditative period rather abruptly, though, without giving the students much time to emerge from their heads. When Trelawney began speaking, Evelyn was jarred, like she'd been woken from a nap by a loud bang. It was a little bit disoriented, and it left her feeling a bit grumpy, but she blinked and tried to make sense of what the professor was saying.

”Would either of you like to go first?”

Still feeling a bit lethargic, Evie turned toward Elijah. He normally had a monopoly on talking first. He looked just as thoroughly tired out by the exercise as Evie did only... more so, if possible. Her quick glance in his direction turned into a long gaze, and she studied him, the slightest of furrows forming in her brow. She thought, for a moment, that he'd fallen asleep, but if either of the two were going to fall asleep in the middle of the class it was far more likely to be Evelyn. “Are you alright?” she asked him, her voice soft, but with the slightest edge on it. He'd been all squeaks and giddiness just a few minutes earlier, but something had changed.

For what it’s worth, the male part of the Grimlish duo was the exact opposite when it came to meditation. His brain moved so fast and on so many topics that asking it to slow down long enough for meditation was a nearly impossible feat. Ten minutes was surely not going to be enough time, especially with all the excitement going on – but the boy would at least try. He’d spent hours and hours under the tutelage of his Aunt Rhiannon learning to meditate, learning the importance of being completely drained for one’s inner eye to shine through. It had been a difficult lesson, and even now it took hours in the evening for him to work through his thoughts and to file them away neatly in his brain archives to be dusted off and perused later.

Elijah closed his eyes and felt for the familiar tug that led him to his quiet place. Instead of lingering around in his head, however, the tug yanked him roughly from his own consciousness right through the bright door so vividly described by their iconic professor. How long he basked in the brilliance of the light Eli couldn’t be sure – and when his arm got a gentle shake from his twin, he didn’t even feel it. The words that spilled a bit worriedly from her mouth went unheard. Whatever the case may be – Elijah Grimlish was no longer with them.

When the boy’s unfocused eyes opened – they rolled back dramatically leaving only the whites visible and when he opened his mouth to speak, gone were the squeaks and giggles that had come before. A guttural voice issued from his mouth; a voice those around him had never heard him speak previously.

“A flame descends on the tail of youth's folly. The red sea is not as it seems. Two turns eastward too many will direct you to a place of pain.”

With a cough and a sharp intake of breath, Elijah was shoved unceremoniously back into his own consciousness without any recollection of the events that had transpired. A small trickle of blood ran from the boy’s nose as his eyes came back into focus and a tear rolled down his cheek. He met his twin’s eyes and gave her a pleading and fearful look, asking without words what the heck had just happened.

If Evelyn knew any sound in the world, it was the sound of her brother's voice. She knew all of the sounds associated with Elijah, because they had been the only sounds she'd heard constantly and consistently since infancy. She knew what his footfalls sounded like in a crowded hallway, she knew his distinctive laugh like it was her own, and she could have picked his sneeze out of a hundred sneezes if she'd had to. As an expert on Elijah related noises she could say, with some certainty, that the sound she was hearing was not Elijah's voice – and, furthermore, those were not Elijah's words. A chill slithered down her spine, starting at the top and creeping all the way to the base, causing her to shiver rather violently. She grew tense, her muscles tightening as each thoroughly wrong syllable passed through his lips. If she hadn't been in her temporarily lethargic state then she may have recognized what was happening, but at the moment she only knew enough to look on dumbly.

When Elijah – the real Elijah – was back in his own mind again, it was obvious. There was a different kind of light in his eyes that suggested a presence, which had been absent just a moment before. That desperate look he shot her chilled her more than those foreign words had, and she was quick to shift her chair over until she was right next to him. As soon as she was by his side she went and lifted up the edge of her black school robes so she could use the fabric to dab at the blood and tears on his face. She treated the garment as though it were just a handkerchief – she never was terribly precious about her clothing – and rested the opposite hand on his back. “What happened?” she asked him at a soft whisper, sounding about as frightened as he looked. It most likely wasn't what he'd been hoping to hear, but she'd been startled and hadn't yet gathered her thoughts enough to come up with something to tell him. As far as she knew this had never happened before.

She seemed calm. Evelyn Grimlish always seemed calm. Some of the time it was really because she didn't get as deeply invested in drama as her peers, but other times – like this one – it was merely a facade. The burden of independence had been on her shoulders for a very long time, and it was always during these baffling emergencies, when she wasn't sure what to do, that she felt the full weight of that load. No matter how many people they had in their lives there would always be a voice in the back of her head that suggested they were still very much on their own, and she couldn't ignore it the way she could tune out the rest of the world. She was caught up in the moment, and it was only on a whim that she looked up and caught the eye of their bespectacled professor, her eyes asking the same question that her brother's were.

Sybill watched her student carefully as he slipped into the trance. She knew that sight all too well having taught divination for many, many years and seeing the select few of them slip into this state. She watched as his eyelids fluttered from his eyes rolling back. She wrung her hands and pulled them closer to her, if possible, and chewed on her lip keeping her eyes focused on the boy through her spectacles. His eyes popped open and she knew his mind was no longer in this world.

“A flame descends on the tail of youth's folly. The red sea is not as it seems. Two turns eastward too many will direct you to a place of pain.”

She had no clue what the prophecy meant, though she knew it was indeed that. His voice. His eyes. The cryptic nature of the words that came from his mouth. It was a real prophecy. When he came back, he had the same reaction she did during her first one. Her nose also bled, though she had gone into a crying fit afterward. She got a tissue and brought it to her student. There was a smile on her face and she could barely contain the pride she felt for her fellow seer having his first prophecy. She knelt next to the twins and dabbed his eyes with the tissue and offered him another for himself.

"Tilt your head back. It will help with the nose bleed. My dear boy... you have just experienced your first prophecy." She bit her lip trying to hold back the joy she felt. To her, this would be like a cowboy witnessing his horse giving birth or a gardener seeing their first flower bloom in the spring. "Relax. It is done now. Calm yourself. You're not in harms way and nothing bad is happening to you. The first journey is the hardest and most intense one. It takes the largest toll on the body." She went and got some tea and offered it to the boy. "This may help. Are you alright? Do you have any worries?"

Francesca sat in a dark corner of the stuffy classroom, alone. She liked divination because it was a subject which required no particular skills except the talent for making up nonsense. She also didn't particularly care about Sybill Trelawney, despite the woman's history and the fact that many people said she was the 'real deal' -whatever that meant. Who taught the class made no difference to Francesca - she was going to space out, stare blankly at the pages of her textbook or doodle absently no matter what. She was not the one to actively participate in a class, no matter how interesting it was (except when said participation involved subtly humiliating people like Sasha SchlagenForgotHisName). The same thing could unfortunately not be said for some other people.

Here was Elijah Grimlish who apparently thought this classroom was his stage. When his 'performance' was over and the desired effect was achieved (all eyes in the class were on him, including Trelawney's monstrously enlarged ones), Francesca resisted the urge to clap ironically. The Grimlish family were a bunch of drama-hungry loons, everybody knew that! Elijah's 'trance' was clearly fake because even his sister seemed bored after the entire ordeal was done. Her facial expression was so passive - she must have been used to this insufferable boy's antics by now. Someone needed to kick some sense into him before it was too late...

That someone was clearly not Sybill Trelawney. The odd woman even encouraged this sort of ridiculous behavior. Did she not realize what sort of nonsense just came spewing out of Grimlish's annoying mouth? Ugh, the only class she actually sort of enjoyed was about to be ruined! No one could see how frequently Francesca rolled her eyes, but the students sitting close to her could surely hear her loud scoffs and sighs.

"He's probably worried because he received no applause," Francesca answered the professor's question, though very quietly, more to herself than anyone else, while staring down at her book.

Sybill looked around the room at her students. This was apparently something that was affecting them all in a way. Perhaps it was best to stray from this for now. She wanted to know what was happening, but her students needed to come first in this situation. She directed her attention back to the Grimlish twins.

"I would like for you two to come to me after class please. This seems to be something that needs to be discussed and not in front of the whole class," she said touching their shoulders. She made her way back to the front of the class.

"Now that we have gotten opened up a bit, lets move to something else shall we? I believe this would be a good time to start with something else. It's been a long day and many of you are probably tired. Dream interpretation seems to be a good place to start. Many of our dreams hold messages for us. It could be something that we want, that we fear, that we need, or sometimes messages for us. Deciphering these can become quite a feat. We can start with those of you who had dreams last night. I'm aware that no one dreams every night so this can be difficult, so we will be writing down our dreams for the next two weeks. Let's start with those of you who had dreams last night. Anyone care to volunteer?"