Chapter 9:
"Lily Evans," the voice came from Professor Trelawney, but it seemed as though she were still unconscious in her chair. "You will wed the one who fate has chosen for you. Yes, this much is true. However, don't be lured into a false sense of security. Tragedy will burden your family just when it seems as though you could not be more joyous."
"Professor, Professor, what do you mean? What are you saying?" James asked insistently as he rushed to her side. He kneeled down beside her chair and turned to look at Lily. His eyes held a look of fear and concern. "What's going to happen to Lily?" he demanded. The woman's lips parted once again.
"You cannot escape the darkness. You cannot escape the evil, the tragedy," Professor Trelawney continued eerily. "Death will come to your family!" these words came screaming from her lips. Her chest heaved violently as she gasped for air. "But from these deaths will come a miracle, and one, one will live! An infant." James was now shaking Professor Trelawney violently.
"What are you talking about? What's going to hurt Lily?" James screamed at her. The whole class regarded James with apparent shock. James rarely got riled up about much. He was usually calm, laid back, and easy-going.
"James, relax, she's just not all there if you know what I mean," Remus whispered loudly to James. James's forehead wrinkled as the woman remained lifeless in the chair even as he shook her. He stopped and then glanced at Lily once more, his eyes full of despair. James returned his stare to the limp woman sitting in the chair at his side. Without warning, her eyes opened, they stared straight into James's eyes, although it seemed as though she did not see a thing. She appeared as though she were in a trance. James leaned in closer to those horribly vacant eyes.
"James Potter," she whispered almost inaudibly, "Fate has chosen you." James backed away from her quickly as her eyelids shut tightly once again.
"For what?" James asked urgently. "Fate has chosen me for what?" Lily was now at his side. She put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
"James, are you alright? What did she say to you just now?" Lily inquired softly, her emerald eyes alight with concern.
"Lily, something's wrong with that woman," James whispered. Lily nodded her head slightly. Professor Trelawney groaned deeply as she shifted her weight and sat up in her chair.
"Children, what's going on here?" Professor Trelawney asked suddenly, her voice regaining its mistiness.
"What do you mean? You were just spouting all sorts of nonsense about Lily's bleak future!" Sirius exclaimed from his chair.
"I most certainly was not!" the woman insisted, adjusting her substantial eyeglasses.
"Yes, actually, you were. You said death and tragedy would befall my family," Lily replied quietly.
"Don't be ridiculous! I said nothing of the sort! What an imagination you have!" Trelawney exclaimed indignantly, the misty veil was once again lifted from her voice. Lily and James exchanged uneasy looks.
"But, Professor, you truly did," Lily replied insistently. Professor Trelawney turned her probing steel gray eyes towards Lily, her upper lip curled outward into a menacing sneer.
"I won't stand for this sort of drivel in my classroom," Professor Trelawney spat out in a low snarling voice. "Enough! Take your seats! I don't know what your last teacher's methods involved, but mine do not involve being patronized by a bunch of teenagers!" Lily and James slowly backed away. They returned their seats and exchanged looks of shock. As soon as everyone was seated once again and watching Professor Trelawney attentively, she relaxed her face into a placid smile, adjusted her bangles and her shawl, and tucked a few of her curly tendrils behind her ears. Her eyes regained their distant and complacent look. It was as though she had suddenly transformed back into the mystic gypsy that she had been at the beginning of class.
"Now, where was I? Ah, yes, this year we will be taking on many challenging tasks. You will learn how to unlock the doors to your clairvoyant abilities. It will indeed be a most exciting year." The class listened patiently, an underlying tone of fear and apprehension quite apparent in their subdued mannerisms. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of Trelawney's faraway voice describing the many great endeavors that they would take on this year, and taking every opportunity to stop and predict someone's imminent misfortunes, the class ended.
The students filed out of the heavily perfumed attic slowly, each taking a gulp of fresh air as soon as they possibly could. Lily descended the ladder as quickly as she possibly could, wanting to get as far away from that awful woman as quickly as she was able to. She didn't stop to wait for any of the Marauders or Chloe. Instead, she took off at a rapid speed down the statue-lined corridor. She heard the clacking of shoes on the stone floor just behind her.
"Lily Evans," the voice came from Professor Trelawney, but it seemed as though she were still unconscious in her chair. "You will wed the one who fate has chosen for you. Yes, this much is true. However, don't be lured into a false sense of security. Tragedy will burden your family just when it seems as though you could not be more joyous."
"Professor, Professor, what do you mean? What are you saying?" James asked insistently as he rushed to her side. He kneeled down beside her chair and turned to look at Lily. His eyes held a look of fear and concern. "What's going to happen to Lily?" he demanded. The woman's lips parted once again.
"You cannot escape the darkness. You cannot escape the evil, the tragedy," Professor Trelawney continued eerily. "Death will come to your family!" these words came screaming from her lips. Her chest heaved violently as she gasped for air. "But from these deaths will come a miracle, and one, one will live! An infant." James was now shaking Professor Trelawney violently.
"What are you talking about? What's going to hurt Lily?" James screamed at her. The whole class regarded James with apparent shock. James rarely got riled up about much. He was usually calm, laid back, and easy-going.
"James, relax, she's just not all there if you know what I mean," Remus whispered loudly to James. James's forehead wrinkled as the woman remained lifeless in the chair even as he shook her. He stopped and then glanced at Lily once more, his eyes full of despair. James returned his stare to the limp woman sitting in the chair at his side. Without warning, her eyes opened, they stared straight into James's eyes, although it seemed as though she did not see a thing. She appeared as though she were in a trance. James leaned in closer to those horribly vacant eyes.
"James Potter," she whispered almost inaudibly, "Fate has chosen you." James backed away from her quickly as her eyelids shut tightly once again.
"For what?" James asked urgently. "Fate has chosen me for what?" Lily was now at his side. She put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
"James, are you alright? What did she say to you just now?" Lily inquired softly, her emerald eyes alight with concern.
"Lily, something's wrong with that woman," James whispered. Lily nodded her head slightly. Professor Trelawney groaned deeply as she shifted her weight and sat up in her chair.
"Children, what's going on here?" Professor Trelawney asked suddenly, her voice regaining its mistiness.
"What do you mean? You were just spouting all sorts of nonsense about Lily's bleak future!" Sirius exclaimed from his chair.
"I most certainly was not!" the woman insisted, adjusting her substantial eyeglasses.
"Yes, actually, you were. You said death and tragedy would befall my family," Lily replied quietly.
"Don't be ridiculous! I said nothing of the sort! What an imagination you have!" Trelawney exclaimed indignantly, the misty veil was once again lifted from her voice. Lily and James exchanged uneasy looks.
"But, Professor, you truly did," Lily replied insistently. Professor Trelawney turned her probing steel gray eyes towards Lily, her upper lip curled outward into a menacing sneer.
"I won't stand for this sort of drivel in my classroom," Professor Trelawney spat out in a low snarling voice. "Enough! Take your seats! I don't know what your last teacher's methods involved, but mine do not involve being patronized by a bunch of teenagers!" Lily and James slowly backed away. They returned their seats and exchanged looks of shock. As soon as everyone was seated once again and watching Professor Trelawney attentively, she relaxed her face into a placid smile, adjusted her bangles and her shawl, and tucked a few of her curly tendrils behind her ears. Her eyes regained their distant and complacent look. It was as though she had suddenly transformed back into the mystic gypsy that she had been at the beginning of class.
"Now, where was I? Ah, yes, this year we will be taking on many challenging tasks. You will learn how to unlock the doors to your clairvoyant abilities. It will indeed be a most exciting year." The class listened patiently, an underlying tone of fear and apprehension quite apparent in their subdued mannerisms. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of Trelawney's faraway voice describing the many great endeavors that they would take on this year, and taking every opportunity to stop and predict someone's imminent misfortunes, the class ended.
The students filed out of the heavily perfumed attic slowly, each taking a gulp of fresh air as soon as they possibly could. Lily descended the ladder as quickly as she possibly could, wanting to get as far away from that awful woman as quickly as she was able to. She didn't stop to wait for any of the Marauders or Chloe. Instead, she took off at a rapid speed down the statue-lined corridor. She heard the clacking of shoes on the stone floor just behind her.