This is written in response to White Ferret's challenge.
I hope you like it. Takes place the day Harry sees the grim in his teacup.

Thanks for reading!

This is dedicated to my first-ever reviewer Lady Hailie. thanks so much!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry universe, no matter how much I wish I did.

Hurt. Pain. Disappointment.

"Sybill, please-

"Don't, Severus."

Sybill Trelawney sobbed into her maroon shawl as Severus Snape put a comforting arm around her protectively, and muttered consoling words to her. They were in the dungeons, the students were in their dormitories, and Professor Trelawney had just appeared outside Snape's classroom door at the closure of his lessons.

"It's just, he has been in my class just now- we had a very interesting class today. Tea-reading, and he-he- had the-the-the..."

"The what, Sy?"

"The Grim!" she cried, before choking into tears again, and sobbing hysterically into his shoulder.

"Sybill, just because there was something that looked like a dog in Mr. Potter's tea doesn't mean he will die. I am sure that tea leaves never, um, lie, but you may have, um, just misinterpreted the, um, shapes."

The divination teacher glared at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you doubting my abilities, Snape?" she demanded.

You hardly have any! He thought, but decided to try to say something nicer to not worsen the situation he was in already.

"Of course not, I was just wondering... you looked a bit peaky at breakfast, perhaps you have a slight fever- or maybe your glasses were foggy due to the steam from the teapots this morning."

Sybill stared at him, considering what he just said for a few moments, and then shaked her head again as her eyes filled with tears. Snape sighed. They'd be there until the next day at this rate.

"Listen," he told her, "I have a calming potion in my storage room. I'll go get it for you, and like that you won't have a nerve breakdown or anything."

The woman gulped, nodded, and silently cried as Severus went inside his classroom to get the potion. She was very confused at the moment. Confused of her role in the life of Harry Potter, of her role in the future of the Wizarding World, and confused of her role as herself.

She could remember that day in the Hog's Head so clearly- as if it were yesterday.

She and Dumbledore sitting at a table, she having one of her trances, making a prophecy.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..."

And now- Harry Potter's death.

The Boy Who Lived.

She looked up, and suddenly saw Severus holding out a small flask at her.

"Heavens, Severus. I didn't see you return."

He smiled. "Just drink it."

Sybill did as he said, and drank and drank... but she couldn't help remembering who it was that had betrayed her prophecy to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named... the man in front of her.

She struggled to think clearly as her mind started to push troubling thoughts away.

"And yet- Harry's death would be insignificant to the world if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named hadn't learned about the prophecy. He would have been ignorant-"

Severus' conforting smile disappeared, and was replaced by a tired expression.

"Sybill-don't."

"-of the boy's position in his future. It was my fault, my fault!" she cried hysterically, and Severus quickly put a silencing charm on the corridor to keep her sobs out of the ears of the castle.

"It wasn't your fault, Sybill. You didn't know yourself at the time what you were doing, you didn't know of your trance and prophecy until later..." he soothed.

Sybill Trelawney abruptly stopped sobbing and looked straight into Snape's eyes.

"You're right Severus. It wasn't me. It was you."

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