CHAPTER ONE

THE FIRST MISHAPS

After their first, brief audience, Sybil and Rita did not see or speak to each other for weeks. They both led their separate lives. Meaning that Sybil was doing not much else than gaze at tea cups and crystal balls, Gilderoy was writing love-songs about himself and Rita was trashing everyone she could think of.
Gilderoy was much to busy with his new girlfriend Melinda, who turned out to be a handful, to worry over Sybil. Besides: now that he had a girlfriend, what did he need her for anyways?

His popularity was growing, his hair was nice and shiny and his teeth were a stunning white. Everything was absolutely perfect. No need to risk hearing some Death-threat - or worse! finding out that he would grow bald in the near future, by visiting that awful girl.

Rita was at the top of her game, gossips came to her, not the other way around. People knew whom to visit when they knew something was up, or when they needed to know if anything was up. Rita was the place to be. If they found out that some of her information came from Sybil… well… it would be devastating to say the least!

And Sybil herself? Well, she had started a small business. Considering everyone visited her to do predictions anyhow, she decided to charge them for it. Just A Galleon For Your Future.

It was running pretty well, though most of what she earned was spent on buying new tealeaves.

'Well hello, Melinda,' Gilderoy said, grinning widely. Melinda rolled her eyes. Oh… not a good sign! What had he done this time? He was really getting sick of that temper of hers. She'd been mouthing him off about every single little thing. It was like everything he did was wrong.

'You were supposed to meet me here at eight,' she hissed. Gilderoy checked his watch. It was just a quarter past eight, what was the big deal? 'WHERE WERE YOU?' She yelled at the top of her lungs.

He raised his hands defensively, 'It was not my fault, pumpkin! My hair is absolutely horrific today. I mean, look at it!' He pointed at his hair, which was just fine in Melinda's eyes. 'You are having an affair,' she said, her voice gaining a high pitch. Her eyes were filling up with tears. 'I knew it! It's Hyacinth isn't it!' The whole school had been talking about it for days and she'd been constantly forced to defend herself. Telling everyone that Gilderoy was absolutely not dating anyone but her. That they were very serious and committed and that she was certain that he loved her very much.

Not that she was sure that Gilderoy was able to love anyone beside herself, but he was handsome and cute and at this point in life more than enough. However, that did not mean that the bastard could just go off and date everyone he met! Especially that stupid, dumb, ugly girl Hyacinth!

'Having an affair? Of course I am not! I am not going to deny that she is a good friend, but an affair… the idea alone!'

'THAN HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT YOU'VE BEEN HAVING A "BAD HAIRDAY" FOR FIVE DAYS IN A ROW!'

Yes, that had been troubling him as well. He took a small mirror out of his pocket and checked his reflection. His teeth weren't so white, pearly and shiny either, what was wrong? He had been looking absolutely magnificent just last week. Now the girls would not even look at him twice. MY GOD! There was a very LARGE zit forming on his face. This could not be happening to him.

'Melinda, if you will excuse me, I am in a crisis.' What should he do! What should he do! Where was he to go? MADAM POMFREY IT WAS! That woman did wonders with cases as these. Yes, yes. He should go there IMMEDIATELY before this got out of hand.

'NO,' she yelled after him, she got off her feet, waving her arms around, not caring about the angry looks of the librarian. They were the only students in here anyway, so she had no right to complain. 'Don't even think about it! You are not going anywhere until we sorted this out. GILDEROY!'

He didn't reply. This must be the worst day in his life. Not to mention that he was pretty sure Melinda would dump him when she'd get the chance. Well, he would have to do something about that as well. He could not just be dumped. Well, he'd figure something out. There were many ways to keep your girlfriend with you. A little bit of magic could solve almost anything. At this moment, visiting madam Pomfrey was much more important!

'Is it true that Melinda is going to dump Gilderoy Lockheart?'

Rita spun her head around so fast she nearly sprained her neck. Excuse me? Was there a gossip going about the school that she did not know about? 'I beg your pardon,' she said, in a honey-sweet tone. She turned around completely to face her new source of information It was a first year even! How did that insolent creature know about the this-and-that's of the thirdyears, while she – being part of that year – did not? It was an insult! An outrage. 'Did you just say that Melinda Belinda is going to break up with Gilderoy?'

'So I've heard,' the young first-year said proudly, putting her ash-blond hair excitedly behind her ears. 'Melinda thinks he is having an affair with Hyacinth!'

'WHAT!' She could not help but blurt out. 'He is having an affair? Where did you hear that?'

'Well, everybody knows that,' the first-years-friend, a young boy with flaming red hair, said snobbishly. 'It's been going around the school for ages.'

'AH!' Rita raised her hands dramatically into the sky. 'This can not be happening to me!'

The two first-years shared a look. 'What is her problem,' whispered the girl to her friend. Rita wasn't listening. She was hurrying through the hallways. She had been very wrong to ignore Sybil for all this time. The information she had missed! This was horrible. What must everybody be thinking? What if everyone found a different source? She needed the money everyone was paying her to hear these kind of gossips. Otherwise she could never start her own school newspaper! And than she would never, ever be hired at the Daily Prophet and then…

'My life is ruined,' She said, feeling very close to tears at this moment.

She would spent her life cleaning dirty toilets in the Ministry of Magic.

Sybil was quietly staring at the teacup. A small smile formed on her lips. 'Yes,' she said, staring at it again. 'I am absolutely certain.'

'Didn't you say so last year as well?' The Potter-boy said sarcastically. 'Come on, Sirius, what are we even doing here?'

'Shut up, James.' Sirius said, giving his friend a slight push. 'So you see the Grim in that teacup.'

She clucked her tongue, how many times did she have to repeat that to him? 'Yes. Anything else?' She held out her hand for the promised galleon, but when Sirius was about to reach for his purse, James stopped him. 'Don't be ridiculous, James. You are not seriously going to give her a galleon for this rubbish! She says the same thing to everyone. I think just about ninety percent in this school will die somewhere this year if we should trust her word on it.'

'I just tell you what I see,' Sybil said, loosing her patience. 'I can't help it if a grim keeps showing up in his teacup! We had a deal!'

'The deal's off,' James said, pulling Sirius away from the angry girl.

Sybil would have loved to pick up the teacup and throw it at James' head, but she decided it was a waste of the china. It had been her grandmother's and she had learned to read tealeaves in it. Why waste it on such an arrogant, pompous jerk such as James. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her flesh.

One day she'd get her revenge on all those idiots that took advantage of her. They would learn not to mess with Sybil Trelawney!

And so Gilderoy and Rita both sealed their fates, as they ended the day, both feeling miserable and both feeling foolish for having ignored their dear fortune-teller for such a long time. They both decided to visit Sybil first thing in the morning, to ask her everything there was to know about their little problems, about what the future would bring.

And the girl with the All-Seeing-Eye herself, was forming a little plan of her own. She had officially given up her business, had notified everyone around the school and was going to notify Rita tomorrow (than everyone would know by the end of breakfast). The first idiot that DARED to ask her ANYTHING that had to do with her gift, was in serious, serious trouble.

She'd predict their future alright!

A/N: don't mind if one of you leaves a review to tell me what you think and what I can improve - Next chapter will follow soon after this one and will speed things up a little

Munsje