Hogwarts : Max Level Unforgivable Curse

Just as Dylan was helping Neville figure out how to read tea leaves for Divination...

Professor Trelawney suddenly darted out of the shadows, surprisingly fast. Her withered fingers, like eagle talons, snatched Harry's teacup. The silver bangles on her wrist jingled like wind chimes.

The tea leaves in Harry's cup rearranged with the tremor, forming a winding serpent pattern. A single, undissolved tea stem was right where the snake's eye should have been.

"A snake... looks like you have an enemy," Professor Trelawney murmured to herself.

However, Hermione, sitting at the same table as Harry and the others, frowned, her eyebrows nearly touching her hairline. She slammed her copy of *Unfogging the Future* shut. The thick pages made a loud "WHAP!" sound, startling the Augurey perched on the windowsill into flight.

"Harry's enemy? Which one do you mean? He has loads of enemies."

Harry's mouth twitched: "Well, not *loads*..."

Hermione ignored him and continued staring at Professor Trelawney.

— After she'd grasped that this elective wasn't something you could just master by hitting the books, Hermione couldn't help but feel thoroughly disgruntled about Divination class. How on earth could there be a subject where even the required textbooks were only there to help a wizard stare at some tea dregs that looked like absolutely nothing at all? It was simply illogical!

And she didn't feel any genuine Divination power emanating from Professor Trelawney. On the contrary — she even thought this strangely dressed professor was just putting on a bit of a show! Because her words were always so vague!

Furthermore, Hermione recalled what Dylan had mentioned to her earlier — that Divination wasn't a very substantial subject — that studying it wouldn't truly teach a wizard Divination. She started wondering... could Dylan have meant... could it be that Professor Trelawney actually couldn't do Divination at all?

It was no wonder she'd come up with that idea. The atmosphere in the classroom was absolutely dreadful, which put anyone in a bad mood to begin with. Coupled with Hermione herself not having much talent for Divination either — which made it difficult for her to even make out shapes in the tea leaves. Naturally, she wasn't exactly looking kindly upon Professor Trelawney. If it weren't for Dylan, someone who had actually shown her the power of Divination, Hermione would seriously doubt that predicting the future even existed in the world!

"Prophecy needs a misty beauty, my dear." Facing Hermione's open displeasure, Professor Trelawney simply swept her a cool glance before looking away. "And child, prophecies cannot be easily revealed, it entangles the Seer with fate."

"What? What are you talking about, Dylan can do Divination too, and he always states the results directly!" Hermione's eyes widened.

At the mention of Dylan, Professor Trelawney paused. However, she immediately retorted indignantly: "Dylan is precisely the Seer I trained, he has great talent, but you, my dear girl, seem to have very little talent – I see your inner light is very dim, how unfortunate, my dear, I'm afraid you will find it difficult to taste the flavour of prophecy."

As she finished speaking, Professor Trelawney secretly glanced at Dylan. Seeing he had no reaction, she felt a slight relief and looked back at Harry's teacup.

"A hammer... I believe it's a skull-splitting hammer, which represents assault – oh, my dear, it looks like you'll go through some unpleasant things in the future."

Ron was startled. Wasn't that a medieval torture device?

"Wait... bones? Good heavens, wait – that's danger!" Professor Trelawney seemed to see something, instantly froze, her expression changing drastically. Then, as if struck by an invisible force, her whole body fell backward uncontrollably, landing heavily on the empty cushion nearby. Meanwhile, her wide shawl spread out in the air, looking just like a Thestral's wings. The Tarot cards under the cushion were lifted by the airflow, scattering everywhere in mid-air. The top card was unmistakably 'Death'.

Professor Trelawney quickly raised one hand and clutched her chest tightly. Her closed eyes trembled non-stop, and her head shook mechanically from side to side, as if trying to shake off the vision before her. "No – don't ask that, child, poor child – don't say it –"

Professor Trelawney's behaviour didn't seem like she was faking it. Dylan was a bit puzzled too. Could it be Professor Trelawney had seen something again?

At this moment, Dean, from another table, leaned over to look at the bottom of the teacup Professor Trelawney had dropped on the table.

"Doesn't look like anything..."

Quite a few others also stood up and crowded around Harry and Ron, wanting to see what the tea dregs looked like.

"Ah – ! Ominous! Child, that's a bad omen!" Professor Trelawney猛地 opened her eyes, her voice a near-hiss. However, her words made Harry freeze in place.

"What? Professor, what do you mean..."

"You – if you glimpse the skeletal hound roaming amongst the desolate graves – beware! Every scorched inch it treads upon shall blossom with thorny Mandrakes! What is condensed within those blossoms is the wail of the dead that eternal night cannot swallow!"

"What?" Harry was even more confused. "Professor, what exactly are you talking about..."

"A big dog! A big, sinister dog! That's the omen of death!" Sparks suddenly shot from the tip of Seamus's wand.

As for Dylan, he just pursed his lips. Heh heh~ Looks like Professor Trelawney really did see something. Only... if a dog is a bad omen... that's a bit of a stretch. Because Harry himself is Hogwarts' biggest... *bra*... whoops! *Bad omen!*

Hermione was squeezed by the crowd and suddenly stood up with a jolt. When she stood up, her presence was astonishing, her bushy hair fanning out like a lion's mane. Those who had crowded close to her, wanting to see the bottom of Harry's teacup, were startled and stumbled back two steps.

"Hey! Watch it!"

But Hermione ignored them and stared at Professor Trelawney. "Your statements are far too exaggerated, I don't agree at all, this clearly looks like a cross facing the sun, how could it be ominous, and what does that have to do with a bad omen?"

Professor Trelawney took a few deep breaths to calm herself, then scanned Hermione up and down with her eyes, a hint of displeasure in her gaze. "I'm sorry, it seems the light within you really isn't much, I think it must be even dimmer than I imagined – this makes your perception of the future extremely lacking, I understand completely, the frustration of a normal person unable to glimpse the future."

Professor Trelawney's personality wasn't inherently bad – Dylan had felt this when interacting with her before. However, as a Hogwarts Professor, if you didn't have a bit of genuine talent, to teach students effectively, you often had to resort to... let's say, *alternative methods*. Like Lockhart. Of course, Professor Trelawney would only slightly mislead students in class to maintain the last vestiges of her dignity as a professor, not like Lockhart, who was completely over the top.

At this point, Professor Trelawney withdrew her gaze from Hermione. "Alright, let's end today's lesson here, I no longer have the strength to glimpse visions of the future." She waved her hand wearily, her voice becoming somewhat vague again, acting very impatient and unwilling to even look at Hermione again.

— It seemed she really disliked students who dared to openly question her in class. Thinking about it, it made sense. Without that basic belief, how could you trick them? Even to succeed, it would take a lot of effort. Rather than that, it's better to just try to make them dislike Divination class. If the student could give up attending, wouldn't that just prove her previous prediction right?

"Gather your belongings, don't leave anything behind, children." Professor Trelawney swayed back into the shadows. The next moment, it was as if she had vanished before everyone's eyes.

Dylan blinked. "Not magic, more like some Muggle illusion."

Dylan had Neville and the others go out first. He stayed behind in the classroom. Once the last stragglers had cleared out, Dylan then approached Professor Trelawney's area. Meanwhile, in the shadows, a figure stirred. A head of bushy hair popped out.

"Are they all gone?"

"Yes, Professor."

Professor Trelawney visibly relaxed. "Every lesson is a headache, a lot of the time, I honestly don't know how to deal with these prickly little wizards."

Dylan smiled. "Professor, you've studied the books on Divination so thoroughly, haven't you discovered any ways to improve Divination talent?"

Professor Trelawney no longer showed any of her previous theatrical madness, but looked at Dylan with a calm expression and gently shook her head. "Child, many of the accounts are just ways to deceive people, or useless methods – at least for me." Professor Trelawney sighed softly: "I've tried many methods, but I genuinely seem to have no talent for Divination – except at certain special moments."

Dylan was silent. He didn't respond, but he didn't deny it either. — Who knows if his system rewards might unlock something in the future that could help others improve their Divination talent?

"Don't worry about me, as long as I have a place to belong in the school, I'm already content." Professor Trelawney's lips curved into a smile, quickly regaining her spirits, and she walked slowly over to the table Dylan had just been sitting at. Her gaze fell upon Dylan's teacup.

"Oh, a top hat, are you going to be a high official in the future?"

Dylan's expression froze, his mouth twitching. He opened his mouth, about to say something. However, just then, Professor Trelawney's brows furrowed tightly, her face instantly turning as white as paper.

Immediately after, her eyes rolled back, eyelids tightly shut, her whole body looking like it was controlled by the Imperius Curse. Then, Professor Trelawney slowly spoke in a trembling voice with a mystic cadence –

"From the dark abyss, the power of the Dark Lord is awakening, his followers worship devoutly in the shadows – their ritual is about to begin, the world shall be enveloped in fear and shadow!"

"None can oppose him – not even the Dark Lord of old! Or the Chosen One!"

Upon hearing this, Dylan was taken aback. However, the next moment, Professor Trelawney seemed to startle awake from a nightmare, her mind hazy. She looked at Dylan with a bewildered expression.

"Child, what just happened to me?"

Dylan narrowed his eyes slightly, then blinked his eyelashes, adopting an innocent look. "Nothing at all, what's wrong, Professor?"

Professor Trelawney scratched her head. Her bracelets jingled. "How did I suddenly feel like I lost consciousness?"

"How could that be? If you lost consciousness, how would you know you lost consciousness?"

Professor Trelawney blinked, then nodded: "I guess that's true."

Dylan, having suddenly heard Professor Trelawney's prophecy, and which seemed... maybe even a little bit about him, couldn't stay any longer, and prepared to take his leave. "Professor, I have another class now, I won't bother you any longer."

"Oh, of course, class is important, off you go, child." Professor Trelawney nodded. She was just about to wash the students' teacups herself, one by one.

"Scourgify!" Dylan gently tapped his wand. Magic turned into threads, winding around the tea-stained cups. Where the light touched, the grime instantly vanished, and the lingering brown tea stains gradually disappeared. The cup surfaces became clear and clean, and with a flick of Dylan's wand, they returned one by one to the center of each table, neatly arranged.

"You're welcome, Professor, I'll be going now." Dylan smiled slightly.

"Oh! Child, your control over magic is truly precise, keep it up!"

"I will, Professor." Dylan nodded and turned to leave.

Heading back down the ladder, there was no one else left. — Next class was Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration. The Transfiguration classroom wasn't close to the North Tower. Therefore, Neville and the others hadn't waited for Dylan, but had hurried off.

Dylan's pace was fast. — His legs were enhanced by magic, moving incredibly fast. Before long, he caught up with the main group.

"Hey, Dylan!" Neville spotted Dylan sprinting towards them from afar and waved at him. Dylan walked over, releasing the magic.

Ron looked astonished: "What kind of magic is that? I felt like you were practically flying!"

Dylan casually explained: "Just a little charm, but quite tricky to learn."

Ron: ($・・) What did that mean? Was he saying Ron wouldn't be able to learn it even if he tried? Boohoo~ Ron went off to cry somewhere.

Harry, meanwhile, was frowning, looking a bit worried. He looked at Dylan several times, finally saying hesitantly: "About that prediction from Professor Trelawney – do you think it will happen? I mean the omen of death..."

Dylan looked at him, reaching out to pat his shoulder gently. "Harry, I didn't see any omen – didn't see any *bras* either, don't worry, if I see you facing death – I'll tell you the day before you go." Dylan smiled: "That way, when you're about to kick the bucket, you won't have to do homework anymore, or prepare for exams – you'll just need to eat a massive meal and yell at anyone you want to yell at."

Harry was taken aback, but instead of getting angry at Dylan's words, he swallowed and grinned slightly. Dylan said so, he must be fine! He felt a lot more relaxed.

However, Harry noticed the strange looks other students were giving him, which was still a bit hard to get used to. Seeing Dylan and Neville walking further and further ahead, Harry lowered his head slightly and quickened his pace. — He wasn't going to die *right away*. Why were they looking at him like that?

Once the group of young wizards had returned to their respective classrooms, Dylan and Neville still chose to sit in the front row. Hermione also, unwilling to be left behind, sat in the front seat on the other side – behind her were Ron and Harry.

"You are now third-years, and I believe you have some understanding of basic Transfiguration," Professor McGonagall stood upright at the podium. Her well-tailored robes hung perfectly. Her gaze, cold and stern behind her square spectacles, swept over the young wizards below. For some reason, the students today gave her the feeling of being distracted. Even though her expression was stern enough, many students still didn't respond with focused eyes.

Professor McGonagall frowned and tapped the podium heavily with her wand. "Concentrate!"

"Animagus transformation, I have in fact introduced it to you before, and you have seen it – like this." As soon as she finished speaking, a soft glow enveloped Professor McGonagall. Within the flickering glow, her form began to change rapidly. Her previously straight posture shrank rapidly, and her robes and hair blended into the light. In the blink of an eye, a sleek, glossy tabby cat landed steadily on the podium. Its eyes were sharp and alert, and as its gaze swept over the students below, it carried Professor McGonagall's usual authority and scrutiny. The tabby cat paced elegantly around the podium, demonstrating the uniqueness and charm of the Animagus form to the students, then was enveloped by the light once more.

The glow faded. Professor McGonagall had already returned to her human form. She straightened her robes and looked at everyone. However, even though she demonstrated it herself, the students' attention still didn't seem very focused on her. Professor McGonagall couldn't help but frown deeply.

"Can anyone tell me what is going on? What makes you so listless that you can't even pay attention to my lesson?"