Chapter 35

Sarah had arrived early at Hogwarts on Saturday for her first day of lessons, weighed down by equipment. She'd been hoping to bump into Severus on her way around the castle but had no such luck. She kept her cloak tightly wrapped around her and her strides purposeful, ensuring she did not attract any undue attention from any of the students she happened to pass on her way to and from lessons. Although she enjoyed most of the lessons tremendously, the day itself actually turned out to be somewhat of a mixed bag.

Pomona Sprout, professor of Herbology, had an earthy humour to match her earthy hands and had decided to teach her about herbs initially as it would be most beneficial to grasp a basic understanding alongside Potions. Sarah threw herself into it with gusto, enjoying the calm, green serenity of the greenhouses, the smell of the soil and Pomona's jovial company. Homework was to read the chapter in 1000 Magical Plants and Flora regarding herbs in preparation for a test next week.

Filius Flitwick, meanwhile, was extraordinarily impressed with his newest Ravenclaw addition and her talent for Charms, deciding to teach her first the theory of the Disillusionment Charm and then attempting the practical. Sarah hadn't managed full concealment but had achieved a ghost-like demeanour, which Filius had told her that even some of his fourth-year students had not yet managed. Her homework was to continue practicing the charm. She felt immediately fond of the tiny professor and was pleased she'd managed to create a good first impression in front of her head of house.

Transfiguration on the other hand was slightly less successful. Minerva had started at the very basest level, again covering the theory before the practice, which was changing a matchstick into a needle. Sarah only managed a strange hybrid of the two, and although she was extremely disappointed with her efforts, Minerva assured her that for the first lesson she'd done well. Again, homework was to continue practicing the charm.

Potions also did not go as well as she hoped. Aloysius Widdershins, the stocky Potions master, was a kind older gentleman with a softly-spoken voice and watery blue eyes. He had short, white hair and a white goat's tail of a beard on his chin. Although Sarah had followed his method of instructions down to the letter, her first attempt at Pepper-Up Potion turned into a disaster, the result being her cauldron ended up billowing great clouds of eye-watering smoke. Professor Widdershins explained that the preparation of her ingredients were to blame, rather than her ability to follow the recipe precisely. Cross-contamination of ingredients from using an unclean knife or tools could greatly disrupt the brewing of potions, and he kindly told her that this was usually the first mistake pupils made once left to their own devices and that for homework she should try brewing the potion again, being extra fastidious with her tools, and to bring in a sample for assessment next week.

Her last lesson of the day was Divination, at the very top of the North Tower, with the somewhat eccentric Sybill Trelawney. She was a thin, reedy woman, who smelled slightly of sherry and incense. Her enormous, jewel-encrusted glasses magnified her eyes, and she wore many beads and necklaces, which clashed with the sequins on her robes.

"My dear, Minerva has told me all about you," she breathed almost reverently. "It is so rare to find a student that has the gift of Sight, whose Inner Eye is responsive and opened." The professor blinked her hugely magnified eyes at Sarah in anticipation.

Sarah shifted nervously in her plush armchair. The woman was looking at her like she was the next Nostradamus. No pressure.

"I'm very excited to be having lessons with you, Professor Trelawney. I'm sure I will learn much from you," she answered graciously.

The older woman smiled genuinely and placed a bony hand on hers.

"Much of the Sight is innate, my dear. My job is merely to help you channel that Sight." The woman was looking at her in such a way that Sarah had the feeling the professor did not often receive such enthusiastic comments from pupils regarding her subject. Sarah returned her smile as the professor blinked at her for a few moments. She then shook her head quickly, as if clearing her mind, before starting the lesson in earnest.

"Today, we will begin by looking at the branch of Divination known as scrying. This is the practice of gaining Sight through reflective objects. Scrying, as I am sure you are aware, can take many forms: through water, known as Hydromancy; through glass, known as Vitremancy; or through crystal balls, known as Gastromancy. There are other forms of Seeing which use non-reflective objects, such as smoke, known as Cremancy; and fire, known as Pyromancy. There are many, many more, too many to discuss now. We will in due course cover all of these mediums. Today, however, we will concentrate on arguably the most famous medium of sight, the crystal ball, and the use of Gastromancy."

Professor Trelawney plucked away a thin scarf which was covering an object on the table in front of them dramatically, revealing a shiny glass orb nestled inside a golden stand, the legs of which were carved into badger's heads.

"This is my own personal crystal ball. With wand work, a capable witch or wizard should be able to produce some effect with any wand, but it is their own that yields the best results. The same is true for divinatory equipment. It is a tradition for practitioners of Divination who have attended Hogwarts, that the stands of the crystal ball should reflect the house of the Seer. As you can see, I'm a Hufflepuff," she said proudly, "as were my ancestors. This particular ball has been passed down from generation to generation, from my great-grandmother, the famous Seer Cassandra Trelawney."

Sarah removed her own crystal ball from her bag as she listened with fascination to the professor's speech, unwrapping it from the protective swathe of black velvet before placing it on her own solid silver stand.

Trelawney noted Sarah's ball and the raven's claw stand. "Very nice, dear. Made by Mist & Fortune in Diagon Alley, I take it?"

"Er..." Sarah really didn't have a clue where it came from, but thankfully Trelawney steamrollered on, saving her the awkwardness of confession.

"Yes, one can always tell their high quality of craftsmanship. And not cheap either! It's good to see you're taking the art of Divination seriously by investing so many Galleons into the right equipment. It will last you a lifetime if you look after it. Spare the buy and ruin the Eye, I always say."

Sarah's mind was racing. Just how much did this ball cost exactly?

Trelawney then gazed at her seriously through her thick glasses. "In order to See, one must be in the right frame of mind. One's environment must be comfortable." At this, she gestured a hand at her room, and Sarah once again took in the thick material drapes, the lanterns, the chintzy chairs, the candles and the incense burners, all of which reminded Sarah of an incredibly ornate Bedouin tent.

"One must also be calm, focused, in a state of meditation..." The woman closed her eyes and sucked in great noisy ragged breaths through her nose, expelling them loudly through her mouth. Sarah watched in amusement, trying not to laugh as Professor Trelawney made accompanying swooshing hand gestures in time with her exaggerated breathing.

The professor snapped open her eyes and peered forward at the ball. "And then... when you are ready... you reach out, and open your Inner Eye... You are looking for symbols. These could be images, or objects, or faces, or even colours. Do not be alarmed if nothing comes straight away. The clearest visions come when one is fully relaxed, in a trance. Be patient."

Sarah took a few deep breaths herself and drew in the sickly-sweet incense-filled air before gazing into her own ball. The room was so warm and comfortable that it made her a little drowsy. Looking at the distorted reflections was quite hypnotic. She found she couldn't be bothered to move her eyes in her drowsy state and just continued to stare and stare at the glass orb. Her breathing became more relaxed and soon she was almost entranced by the crystal globe.

Was that... clouds? she wondered, not taking her eyes away.

The clouds were grey and billowing. She watched as they shifted shape, swirling, forming then reforming. It reminded her a little of a Penseive.

Out of the clouds came a figure: dark, brooding, and fierce. It was Severus. His onyx eyes shone brightly. In one hand he was holding up a set of brass scales. The other was placed over his heart, clutching it as if in pain. Thick, black liquid was oozing out from beneath his fingers, rich like crude oil. Sarah somehow knew that this was not blood, but more like a toxin or poison. As she gazed into his eyes, she saw the shine in them begin to fade, until the spark of life within them went out, until there was nothing. Sarah understood. The poison was killing him.

Sarah snapped back into the present with a gasp, her heart racing and her throat dry with the realisation.

"What did you see, dear?" asked Professor Trelawney, a look of concern on her face, watching the younger woman closely.

"I... uh..." Sarah found she was shaking uncontrollably.

"Let me get you a glass of water. The first time the Inner Eye is opened, it can be quite overwhelming. Deep breaths, dear."

Trelawney scurried off to get some water, leaving Sarah's mind churning with what she'd just seen.

The scales... Poison... Was Severus really dying?

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Author's note:

Hydromancy is the genuine term for scrying with water, Gastromancy is the genuine term for scrying with crystal balls and Pyromancy is the genuine term for scrying with fire. I made up the other two terms, however.

Cremancy – from the Latin prefix cre-, to burn.

Vitremancy – from the Latin prefix Vitr-, glassy, or like glass.