Heart of Tea Leaves
by Iolana Khenemet
2006
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, as well as every other character and place mentioned, belongs to J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement intended. No profit is gained by this work.
"Oh, Dear!" Ms Trelawney's shrill voice filled every inch of her crammed study and nearly every student turned his head at this unusually loud exclamation.
So did Harry, only to see Ms Trelawney hover over Hermione. "You have the luck every girl asks for, my dear."
"And what would that be?" Hermione's voice sounded bored, perhaps even held an undertone of annoyance.
"Come over here, everyone. We aren't given a chance like this very often. Fate is kind today and my Inner Eye perceives things a seer might see only once a generation." She looked around, her huge eyes, enhanced by her glasses, dominating her features like large orbs. "Bring something to sit on, remove the tables and form a circle, dears."
Not overly enthusiastic they came, pillows in tow. The carpets dampened the noise the removal of tables and chairs made.
"So tell me, what does your second sight perceive, Miss Granger?"
Hermione looked at the heap from different ankles and hastily scrambled through the pages of her divination book. Minutes later she looked up. "I don't suppose it means anything."
"I doubt that it's possible to make a good seer out of you but I shall continue to try." She addressed the group. "Your turns, my dears. Let your Inner Eye behold the wonder." The divination teacher looked expectantly into the group. With the scarlet light reflecting from her glasses, her eyes seemed to have transformed into facetted bug orbs once again.
"Wet tea leaves – a pyramid – a tower – nothing –a heart…"
"Yes!" Triumphantly, Sibyll raised her arms, giving the impression of a Praying Mantis, her green coloured sleeves adding further to the image.
She turned to Parvati Patil. "My Dear, you have many hidden talents that should be further honed."
Harry had a hard time not to laugh. Parvati and hidden talents? He almost snorted.
"You, boy," Trelawney addressed Neville, "fetch my crystal ball. But don't trip over the carpet edge on your way there."
Nervously, Longbottom eyed the floor while the others eyed him. One carpet made, two – promptly he fell over the third.
"Clumpy as only a Gryphindor can be."
"Shut up, Draco," Ron exclaimed, always ready to defend someone from Malfoy.
When Neville returned with the sphere, Trelawney said, "Place it here." She padded a pillow. "The crystal ball belonged to Cassandra, my great-great-grandmother."
Hearing this, Neville hastily put the orb in place and withdraw his shaking hands.
"Now hush. My Inner Eye perceives even more." She sat down in front of the magical item, and moved the hands over it. The golden chains of the seer reflected in the glass, and Harry thought that strange shapes appeared as the fire cast its light onto it. Was he imagining things?
She placed her fingertips at her temples and stared into the orb. Her voice became even more misty than usual if that was possible. "I see the love of your life…"
Lavender Brown gasped, envy barely concealed.
"He is near."
"Weasley," Goyle said and snickered. A wave of laughter was the result, while Ron's cheeks turned red, rivalling with his hair for brightness. He opened his mouth for an angry remark but the seer continued.
"It's your soul mate. He's coming closer and closer, approaching. I see him walk up a stairway, down another, along a corridor, around a corner. Nearer, ever nearer…" Her voice was hypnotising. Vanilla and cinnamon flavoured smoke whirled around her, concealing her thin frame. "He will be yours as you shall be his; you will cherish and treasure each other."
Dramatically, she withdrew her hands. "And he will come here now."
Silence reigned and the students looked at each other, some sceptical others expectantly. Harry noticed that the glances cast in the direction of Hermione were mostly unfriendly, at least from the girls. They were without doubt jealous. However, Harry and a lot of the others were sure that nothing would happen now. Ron and he exchange glances. Hermione had been right; Trelawney could not predict anything.
To their amazement, the trapdoor opened. Footsteps sounded ominously loud in the silence although the thick carpets swallowed any other sound in the room.
Seconds later a head appeared - a head instantly recognizable: Greased black hair, charcoal eyes and a beaklike nose.
"Professor Snape!" a girl exclaimed, and laughter broke out.
His usually scowl deepened. Clad black from head to toe he looked like an omen of ill forbearance in the otherwise mystical study. "Silence!" he commanded, his voice even more cold and crisp as usual. He was not amused, feeling at the centre of ridicule.
The laughter ceased.
In an ice cold voice he asked, "You don't seem to have your class under control, Ms Trelawney. So who died today?"
"Nobody, Professor Snape, but I can assure you that after a period of darkness, things are finally turning to the better for you, and you will reach the light."
"I don't have time for this nonsense!" He sneered. "Ms Granger, as much as you might enjoy being in the centre of attention, would you please join me downstairs?" His dark robes swirled around him when he turned to climb down again. Another roar of laughter burst forth once he was out of sight. .
With her fists clenched and cheeks cherry red, Hermione stormed down the ladder.
"Don't let your soul mate wait, Mrs. Snape," someone shouted after her, as the trapdoor closed again.
Harry could not help but laugh as well. To imaging Snape as Hermione's soul mate was the most ridiculous thing Trelawney had ever predicted.
The laughter went on for quite some time. Little did they know that Ms Trelawney's real predictions had increased today by one. Ten years in the future, Hermione Granger and Severus Snape would exchange rings and vows to love and cherish each other forever.
-fin-