"Neville, she wants to see us one by one," Neville informed them. He had "Unfogging the Future" open on his lap, turned to the chapter on crystal balls.
"Has anyone ever seen anything in a crystal ball?" he asked gloomily.
"No," Ron replied, checking his watch, eager for the exam to end.
"Hope she hurries," Hermione added, not revising Divination but instead reviewing a Muggle Studies essay.
The line outside the classroom shortened very slowly. Whenever someone descended the silver staircase, the rest of the class would whisper, "What did she ask? Did you pass?"
But they all refused to answer.
"She said the crystal ball told her that if I told you, something terrible would happen to me!" Neville shrieked.
"Exactly," Ron said scornfully. "You know, I'm starting to think Hermione's right—Trelawney is a fraud."
Hermione smiled smugly, a slight blush on her cheeks.
Parvati came down the stairs, looking pleased.
"She said I have all the qualities of a true Seer," she told everyone. "I saw lots of things... Well, good luck!"
With that, she went down the spiral staircase to find Lavender.
"Ron Weasley," the familiar ethereal voice called from above. Ron pulled a face at Harry and disappeared up the silver staircase.
Orli leaned against the wall, waiting for her last exam to finish. A fly buzzed against the glass, and her mind was far from Divination, instead thinking about her Potions class. She wondered if she could still get an O this year, especially with Snape acting so oddly lately...
About twenty minutes later, Ron's feet appeared on the ladder beneath the trapdoor.
"How did it go?" Harry asked him.
"Rubbish," Ron said. "I couldn't see anything, so I made it up. I don't think she believed me, though..."
At that moment, Professor Trelawney's voice called out, "Hermione Granger!"
Hermione impatiently rolled up her unfinished essay and climbed the ladder.
"Hang in there, Hermione!" Orli called softly after her, not sure if she heard.
This time, it was less than five minutes before Hermione came back down the ladder. Her cheeks were flushed, and there was a cold smile on her lips.
"I've decided to drop this subject entirely! It's a complete waste of life!" she shouted loudly, as if trying to expel all the frustration from her chest.
"Orli Waters!" Trelawney's voice rang out again from above, and Orli had to go in for her exam.
The tower room was hotter than ever. The curtains were drawn, the fireplace was burning, and the summer heat lingered, mixed with the scent of spices and tea, making Orli cough and even sting her nostrils. Professor Trelawney sat at the end of the classroom, waiting for her, with a large crystal ball in front of her.
"Hello, dear," she said in her ethereal voice. "Look into the crystal ball... I'll time you now... and then tell me what you see..."
Orli leaned over the crystal ball, trying hard to see, hoping it would reveal something more than swirling white mist, but she saw nothing. However, she was fairly good at making up stories:
"Oh... two dark shadows, confronting each other, like two people..."
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