Chapter Three: THIRTEEN IS AN EVIL NUMBER!

Sybil Trelawney was currently recovering from her last class of the day. Third year Gryffindor/ Slytherin class. How she pitied them. None of them had the inner-eye. Of course, even if some of them had harnessed this power, it was still a draining class. One student had an asthma attack from the perfumes in the room, another almost jumped out the window after hearing a not so pleasant prediction, and one poor boy, God rest his soul, did an accidental back flip down the trapdoor-entrance to her classroom.

Sybil poured herself a cup of tea and leaned back in her chair, balancing it on the back two legs. If only she had a television about now. That was the one muggle thing she wished she had in this castle. Dumbledore wouldn't allow any muggle inventions in Hogwarts. No CD players. No TVs. What's left to live for?

Oh well. No life is perfect.

Suddenly a sharp banging noise sounded from the other side of the trapdoor. Taken by surprise, Sybil jumped and her chair fell over, on the way to the floor, she kicked the table in front of her, sending a full cup of tea spinning through the air.

All while this was happening, Minerva McGonagall had opened the door and poked her head through it while standing precariously on the silver ladder.

"Sybil! What are you doing? You DO know you're supposed to be at a meeting in the s-!"

Minerva was cut off by the teacup banging into her head, spilling its contents onto her face.

"MY EYES!" she screamed, "MY EYES!" she let go of the ladder with her hands to try and rub the stinging drink out of her face, and thus was forced off balance. She fell down the ladder and hit the floor with an ominous thump.

"Minerva? Did you fall?" Asked an oblivious Sybil from underneath a landslide of textbooks. She slowly dug herself out and stood up, straightening her shawls, and perching her glasses back on her face.

"Min?" She glided over to the trapdoor and looked down at Minerva. Sprawled wasn't a word usually associated with the deputy headmistress, but that would be the best word to describe her. "Min, what are you doing down there like that?"

Minerva cast her college a look filled with fury. "What do you THINK I'm doing down here, you twit!"

"Well, I'm quite I have no idea what you're doing on the floor in front of my ladder."

"YOUR ladder!" Minerva half yelled while she pulled herself to her feet and looked up at Sybil, "This is not YOUR ladder. This is A ladder! It belongs to NO ONE!"

Sybil looked down to the transfigurations teacher with a confused expression. "But this ladder leads to my classroom, making it my ladder."

Minerva gritted her teeth, "No it doesn't!"

"Yes it does."

"No it doesn't!"

"Yes it does."

"No it doesn't!"

"Yes it does."

Minerva threw her hands up in exasperation, "NO IT DOESN'T!"

Sybil climbed down the ladder slowly and looked at Minerva. "I'll PROVE that it's mine!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really!"

Sybil walked around to the back of the ladder and pointed to an engraving on the top of the fifth rung. "See!"

Minerva adjusted her glasses and read it,

"THIS LADDER IS PROPERTY OF SYBIL TRELAWNEY. If you disagreed to this fact, Ms. Trelawney reserves the right to say, "I told you so!"

Sybil looked at Minerva with a smug expression. "Told you so!"

Minerva rolled her eyes. "Like it actually makes a difference. Now come on, you've gone and made us late for the meeting!"

As Minerva started off down the corridor, Sybil made a face. She detested staff meetings. It's ok for the other professors, but she was a seer! There wasn't anything happening she didn't already know about!

Regardless, she followed Minerva down the hallways to the staffroom. The staff room required password entry because of student pranks. At least that's what the staff told the kids. It was really so a small group of professors could go in, change the password, and have a private meeting without interruption. But no one is supposed to know that.

The two professors entered the room slowly. Sybil couldn't help but feel some baaad juju in here. In the center of the room was a round table, around which sat Severus Snape, Rolanda Hooch, and Pomona Sprout. Sybil noted two empty chairs across the table from one another.

"Minerva, Sybil, so glad you could join us." Severus said with a slight sneer. Sybil took a seat between Pomona and Severus, and Minerva sat down next to Rolanda with an empty chair to her other side.

"Isn't Albus supposed to be at the meeting?" Asked Sybil.

"Uhh… No. He couldn't make it. Very busy man you know." Answered Rolanda, averting her eyes from seer to keep from laughing. Severus kicked her under the table, shooting her a warning glance. Rolanda glared at him for a second, mumbling the word 'ouch' under her breath.

"Soo….Shall we get started then?" asked Pomona, "Why not have something to munch on while we talk, eh?" With that, and a wave of her wand, she conjured up a platter of Cauldron Cakes. Thirteen Cauldron Cakes.

"Oh! Don't mind if I do!" said a suddenly cheerful Sybil, she loved Cauldron Cakes.

No sooner had she taken a bite from it, she noticed how many cakes were on the plate. Twelve, a good number. But….wait a second… if there's twelve cakes on the plate then this one makes…

"IEEEE!" She screamed, throwing the Cauldron Cake across the room and gagging. She stood up and jumped up and down still yelling. Soon she started running around the table. "THIRTEEN IS AN EVIL NUMBER! EVIL EVIL EVIL! IEEEE!"

Minerva threw a bucket of water at the now hyperventilating professor.

Sybil turned toward the others, dripping. "Did I go over the top again?"

Everyone present nodded slowly. Sybil walked to her seat, each step made a strange squishing sound. She wiped the droplets of the water from her glasses, then proceeded to try and wring out her cloths.

Rolanda leaned over to Minerva, "I swear she's schizophrenic!" she whispered.

"I know that, and you know that, but does she know that?"

"My guess is no."

Severus glanced at the now gossiping professors across the table and rolled his eyes. "Women…" he whispered under his breath.

Pomona shot him a glare before looking back at Sybil, who was still trying to dry herself.

"Well, I suppose we should get something to drink then." Offered Rolanda.

"Sounds good to me." Said Sybil, only half listening.

Rolanda conjured up a cup or tea for everyone at the table, then lifted her's to her lips to hide a snicker. Severus only looked at his. Pomona ignored her's. Minerva sipped her's quietly. Sybil lifted her's up and took a great swig from it, draining it completely. Out of habit, she glanced down into the empty cup at what formation the tea leaves may be in at the bottom. Usually, it was nothing serious, sometimes omens of good fortune.

What the…? This can't be right! She adjusted her glasses and stared into the cup for a few seconds. A few minutes. Finally, wide eyed, she looked up and placed the cup on the table and sat still without any movement whatsoever.

"Any second now.." Whispered Rolanda.

Suddenly, Sybil jumped out of her chair and screamed. "THE GRIM! I GOT THE GRIM! DEATH! MEHAM! MORE DEATH! IEEEEE!"

She closed her eyes and ran toward the door. And after running into the wall on the first go, Sybil succeeded in getting out of the door and running out into the corridor screaming about the end of the world.

Immediately, the other's jumped up and ran to the door to follow her. Rolanda grabbed a muggle video camera and ran out first. "This is gold! GOLD!"

Outside, Sybil was running around in circle, twitching, jumping, screaming nonsense, running into walls, and still dripping wet. Students poked their heads out of doorways, some adventurous enough to come out to see the situation better.

"If this isn't enough to get her into St. Mungo's, I don't know what is!" said Rolanda from behind the camera.

"I thought we agreed not the use the camera." Pointed out Minerva.

"Get it in writing next time."

Minerva tried to look sternly at her friend, but only managed to burst out in laughter at Sybil, who was had now collapsed on the floor, twitching violently.

Severus walked over to her and poked her with his wand. She stood up, looked at him briefly, then walked to the nearest corner, where she sat down in a fetal position, rocked back and forth, and chanted the word 'grim' over and over.

"This is defiantly going to land her in St. Mungo's…" said Severus.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Stated Minerva.

"Shut up, you two! I'm TRYING to capture the moment on film!" said Rolanda curtly.

"Uhh…Ro'?"

"I said SHUT UP!"

"But, Ro'!"

"Shhhh!"

Minerva shrugged and walked behind the flying instructor, who was on her way to making quite a good Steven Spielberg impression.

After nearly fifteen minutes, Sybil stood up, cleared her throat, and scampered down the hallway to her classroom yelling, "YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"

Rolanda stopped filming and smiled smugly. "I send this tape to the guys at St. Mungo's, and she'll be gone before the end of the week! Now, what were you so keen to say a few minutes ago, Min?"

Minerva put an arm around her friend. "This is going to be difficult for you to except, Ro', but…" Minerva took the camera from her and pointed to the front, "you left the cap on in front of the lenses."

Oh, the woes of a Hogwarts professor. Do you suppose wizards can get the 'padded room and straight jacket' treatment?

((Author's Note: Was this one any good? Please review! Which professor should I do for the next chapter?))