Disclaimer: Characters, settings and everything else you recognize belong to JK Rowling, we just like to play with her ideas.
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28. Sybill Trelawney
It was a cold, wet night. Sybill gathered her shawls about her more securely, stumbling just a bit as she shuffled over the uneven cobblestones beneath her boots. In nervous habit, she clutched the multitude of glass beads that hung about her neck, as she blinked owlishly at every shadow.
How it had gotten this late she didn't know. See, Sybill had a habit of misplacing her time, she didn't lose it no, no she just…couldn't remember what she'd done with it. Hiccupping once she continued on her path home.
She felt tired. More than she aught to, but she had been working hard to make ends meet as of late. That's why she was out at all this dreary night. Dumbledore actually replied to her application as Divination Professor! So she hastily made plans so meet him in the HogsHead Pub in Hogsmeade.
Sybill looked about again, before making a right turn. She didn't want to spend any more of the time she had left wandering the back streets of Hogsmeade. Pursing her lips, she tried to remember where she'd put that extra hour of hers. Lets see, she'd gone to the pub, met up with Dumbledore, they'd taken to a room for privacy and he conducted an interview of sorts. She didn't have her cards, or her crystal ball, she'd only had her utmost faith that the inner eye would guide her.
Sybill nodded to herself, peeking into a brimming dustbin. Nope nothing worth while tonight. She fingered her beads, her inner eye wasn't quite as reliable as her foremothers'. Sybill had learned that long ago, but her own mother had faith in her, and occasionally she truly could see things. Usually those visions were blurry and mismatched, but they were still there, and that kept Sybill sane. If she didn't have her inner eye well what would she have?
Dumbledore didn't seem to think along the same spiritual line as her, and thanked her for her time rather early on, before going to leave. This was the fishy part, after that Sybill couldn't piece together what had happened for all the galleons in Gringotts. He'd been just leaving and next thing she knew he was getting her a glass of water and negotiating a salary…
Very fishy, once she'd changed that order for water into a nice glass of sherry, they settled down to business and Sybill had a job. It was like magic really, Sybill chuckled and hiccupped again, banging open the gate of her rickety fence and wandering up the stone pathway.
Entering her home, she poked at her candles with her wand and they alit, bathing her rooms in soft shuddering light. Shucking her outer shawl, she hung it up by the door and rubbed her hands together. It was far too cool a night to just have her candles. Shooting sparks into the hearth a fire roared to life. Nodding in satisfaction she turned to her home. All her surfaces were scattered with candles of every shape and size, their wax dripping where it may, creating miniature stalactites on the edges of her bookshelves.
Sybill swept over to her favorite table, draped in scarves and adorned with the tools of her trade. She picked up her worn tarot deck and began to shuffle. Slumping into the throne style chair she had for her table, she stared into her crystal ball, watching the smoke swirl and twist. Sensing something was wrong, she cast about for a moment before sighing and pulling her wand out of her shawls once again. She prodded at the incense sitting at her side making it burn its heady scent into the air.
Once again satisfied, she turned back to her table and began to deal her cards face down. Eleven out, she set the deck down and turned the first card. She wanted to know what had gone on in her night.
The Three of Wands stared back at her. Unsurprising, opportunity was first to come knocking on her door. Taking up the next card, she flipped. King of Swords, yes, that was Dumbledore, intellect personified, he was the one who brought opportunity.
The Chariot was the next card, determination was what had brought her to the interview. She already knew that! Sybill was becoming impatient, yes she'd asked what had happened in her night, but she didn't need a total recap! Drawing the next card she huffed, The Hierophant, tradition. Of course, Divination was a tradition in her family, and so she'd gone to uphold tradition.
Now she almost lazily pulled the next card. The Two of Pentacles, how strange. How come she drew the card for change? What had changed exactly? Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes, concentrating on the card. Images flashed before her eyes, the sun, the moon, earth, wind, fire, water, she was losing control again, oh no, was this was had happened when she was with Dumbledore? More images passed before her eyes, faces, seers who'd come before her, suddenly it froze, black and white. She saw a small grubby room, Dumbledore and herself were seated at a table and she seemed to be in a trance.
Sybill's cheek twitched ever so slightly and she automatically drew the next card, still concentrating on the inner eye. The Four of Pentacles. Her fingers traced it out for her, Possessiveness. The Sybill in her mind took a shuddering breath and began to speak in a hoarse raspy voice, an echo of it's usual self. She rose up from the table, levitating as if weightless. Her hair flew about her, and a light seemed to be coming from the center of her forehead, the inner eye!
Drawing the next card, she felt it out too. The Star! Illumination! Sybill's mind was suddenly filled with light. She could see it all, the future the past the present, it was all around her, it was tangible, it was beautiful. The colours were so vibrant, red, yellow, green, purple, pink, orange, brown, blue, every one displayed in complete brilliance. Reaching out to the future she could almost touch them, almost catch a glimpse of what was to come, but when she got too close, the lights went out and she slumped in the darkness.
Smacking her lips together and giving a stretch, Sybill opened her eyes. Gasping she looked around, this wasn't her bed! She was still in her chair! What had happened? She righted her glasses and cast about her. That was funny, the candles had burned low and she'd only half completed her reading from her deck. Picking up the cards once more the laid out the last four. The six of Pentacles, generosity. The Emperor, achievement. The Moon, a night journey. The Hermit, introspection. Dumbledore's generosity with her job, her sense of achievement, her journey home in such confusion and darkness, and finally her own introspection that had caused her to turn to the cards. Looking over her cards again, she had fuzzy mixed feelings about the middle ones, but the beginning and end were very clear.
Sighing heavily, Sybill gathered up her cards again. Well it was worth a shot, but she was no closer to finding out what happened with her time, or how she'd gotten that job. Shuffling to her feet she wondered if she'd ever know, wondered if the inner eye was really there, or was she just a nonsense fool?
Extinguishing the candles and her fire, she gathered her skirts and made her way up stairs to bed. Looking out the stairwell window, she frowned, it was later than she thought! Dawn was breaking! Watching the sunrise she sighed and decided it was best she got a few hours of sleep. Turning back, the new morning sunlight caught her glasses in such a way that all the colours were separated and spread onto the wall.
Sybill's breath caught in her throat, if she could only catch it, was her thought, if she could only catch it she'd know everything! Reaching forward, she stepped out of the light and the rainbow vanished. Sybill Trelawney was plunged into the darkness once more.
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