Harry Potter: Archmage of Another World

Requesting Trelawney to make a prophecy for her? Augustus couldn't help but chuckle, amused by the unexpected self-sacrificing nature of the Senior Investigator. His lips curled into a faint smile.

Most of the students in the classroom were staring blankly at Professor Trelawney. Straightening her posture, her beads and bangles clinked noisily.

"The Inner Eye does not operate on command!" she declared indignantly.

"Understood," said Professor Umbridge softly, jotting a few more notes on her clipboard.

"I—well—I..." Trelawney stammered. "Wait! Yes, I see it now! Something... something about you..." She tried to regain her ethereal tone, but her quivering voice undermined the usual mysterious effect. "I sense... something dark... something extremely dangerous..."

Trelawney pointed a trembling finger at Professor Umbridge. Umbridge's face remained warm and composed, her eyebrows slightly raised.

Augustus narrowed his silver eyes, amusement glinting in them. With a snap of his fingers, a black moon began to rise behind Umbridge. The moon, the size of a large basin, emerged from the floor, hovering three inches behind her. Its deep black surface radiated a faint and eerie glow, with drops of inky liquid falling onto the classroom floor, like sinister black blood.

The classroom fell into an eerie silence before erupting into chaotic murmurs.

"What is that?"

"I've read about this in The Ominous Century! It's the Black Moon, the most terrifying harbinger of doom!"

"They say the devoured celestial bodies concentrate the densest resentment. Being marked by it is a death sentence."

"Could Trelawney have truly foreseen such a manifestation? Maybe we've underestimated her all along!"

"I've always said we should show her respect. If you scoff at her, you might end up with a death omen yourself!"

Trelawney stared blankly at the black moon behind Umbridge, her lips twitching as if unsure how to proceed.

Even Umbridge seemed shaken by the apparition. In all her knowledge of magic, she had never encountered a spell capable of conjuring such a phenomenon. If not magic, could it truly be an ominous prophecy? Was Trelawney—employed at Hogwarts for sixteen years—a true seer of legendary stature?

Although Trelawney was clueless about the cause, her instincts as a fortune-teller kicked in.

"Alas," she said in a mournful tone, shaking her head and pointing at the ominous black moon. "The Death Moon, the mark of mortality. Even in my years of prophecy, I have never witnessed an omen so malevolent and terrifying. Among the ten most deadly signs, the Death Moon ranks in the top three."

She sighed lightly. "My powers are limited. This is all I can offer."

Umbridge's face displayed an uncertain mixture of skepticism and fear. Still, the room's heavy silence lingered.

Seeing her opportunity, Trelawney adopted a misty, prophetic tone. "Death and disaster. The moon shrouded in darkness. The weeping of the Dusk Moon. The tomb of the dead's keeper..."

As she spoke, the black moon behind Umbridge vanished without a trace, its ominous liquid fading from the floor.

For a brief moment, even Trelawney wondered if she had somehow stumbled upon a true prophecy.

The classroom remained subdued under a heavy and eerie atmosphere. Students and Umbridge alike stared silently at the spot where the black moon had disappeared. Despite the magical world's general disdain for prophecy, what they had just witnessed was undeniable.

Umbridge turned stiffly, her gaze shifting to the previously underestimated Trelawney. Ever since arriving at Hogwarts, nothing had gone as planned. Becoming Senior Investigator was supposed to give her authority and respect, but her first major display of power had resulted in an unprecedented death omen.

Desperately clinging to composure, she spoke in her most respectful tone: "Professor Trelawney, is there any way to avoid such an omen? I know you are a skilled and experienced seer. Surely even a forewarning this dreadful might have a solution?"

Trelawney's lips twitched into a faint smirk before she quickly masked it. With an air of solemnity, she intoned, "Fate is never set in stone. Within the river of destiny, we see many omens. They guide us—to follow or to avoid. How one navigates the flow of destiny to reach the shores beyond requires patience, discernment, and reverence. I encourage all students here to open their Inner Eyes to discern the subtle signs and portents life offers."

Clearly, Trelawney had slipped into her usual fortune-teller spiel, completely forgetting Umbridge's original question.

Umbridge's expression darkened, frustration evident. She wanted to reprimand Trelawney but was still unnerved by the recent omen. Better safe than sorry, she thought. She decided to remain on good terms with the seer for now.

After hastily scribbling a few notes in her book, she closed it with a snap and forced a polite smile. "Well, Professor Trelawney, this concludes my review of your lesson. As Senior Investigator, I'm pleased to report that your performance was satisfactory. I'll schedule periodic check-ins in the future, but I assure you they will be minimally disruptive."

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