Giving the Professor a Taste of Her Own Medicine

The students gathered around, repeatedly asking Trelawney about the result of her divination.

She studied Harry's teacup carefully, then suddenly opened her eyes wide.

"My dear, you have the Grim."

"What?" Harry did not understand.

Not just him—almost none of the students understood.

"The Grim—" Sprout cried loudly. "My dear, the Grim!"

Apparently not expecting them to fail to understand, she looked especially shocked. "It is a great black dog that haunts lonely graveyards!

My dear child, it is an omen—an omen of the gravest kind—the omen of death!"

Vincent narrowed his eyes at the pattern in her teacup.

Didn't a dog represent a loyal friend?

Because the tea leaves were dark, did that make it an ominous black dog?

Beside him, Hermione stood on tiptoe with all her strength. After resting her small hand on his shoulder, she saw it too.

Fred and George had not been joking. Trelawney really was an old fraud.

From beginning to end, she had been acting all mysterious, using psychological suggestion and stirring up fear.

"Professor, I have a question." Vincent suddenly raised his hand.

All eyes turned to his face.

"Different people can interpret different things. How are we supposed to tell who is right and who is wrong?"

Trelawney walked over patiently. "That is what makes tea-leaf reading so fascinating.

Through the different interpretations given by different partners, we can quickly filter out students without talent."

She glanced at the pink teacup, and the corner of her mouth twitched unnaturally.

"My dear, is this your teacup?"

Vincent nodded obediently. "It is, Professor."

Trelawney looked at Hermione standing beside him.

"This must be your partner, then?

Let me guess—she must have interpreted a very favorable result."

The seven of them were so close that everyone at Hogwarts knew it.

So it was