Participants:
| Scene Title | Baboon Intestines |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Amber comes to visit Trelawney. |
| Location | Divination Classroom, Hogwarts |
| Date | April 13, 1995 |
| Watch For | The book! |
| Logger | Trelawney |
Well, huh.
Amber stands at the base of the ladder, looking up at the trap door. What an odd place for a classroom, really. She's never had a reason to be up here, with the whole not believing in all that fortune-telling stuff, and she's not quite sure why she's here. The Hufflepuff tells herself it's because she wants to assure the professor that she's no longer purple, because she's not… But there's also that spark of curiosity that comes from the unknown. Even if she chooses not to believe it - which she will - because Amber does not believe in fortune-telling!
Climbing the ladder, she contemplates knocking, hand poised at the door, before she just decides to push it open. After all, this is a classroom, right? Albeit one with a portal on the ceiling. Weird, but then again, Trelawney has always been weird. "Pr'fessor?" she says, wrinkling her nose at the smell. What the hell is that? Did something die up here? "Are you okay? D'ya wan' me ta open a window?" She's already looking around for one, between bouts of holding her breath.
- - -
Trelawney is sitting at her desk, a mahogany thing that's absolutely covered in books, parchment, ink wells, half-full cups of tea, a bowl of water, incense in incense holders, candles, and various knick knacks. The surface of that desk hasn't been seen in over a decade. Peering blearily at the door as it's pushed up, Trelawney seems to take a moment before she recognizes Amber. "Miss Matthews, hello."
Trelawney seems rather puzzled at the concept of the smell - she's used to it, after all. "No, dear, that's quite alright." Fresh air? No thanks! "Can I help you with something? Do take a seat," she nods to the various armchairs. "Can I get you some tea?"
- - -
The look of discomfort on Amber's face as she clears her throat, looking at Trelawney as if she's grown another head, speaks volumes. Maybe she should be going. But no, that would be just a little rude, and that's not this girl's style. Right, taking a seat, then. Her hand rests on the back of the chair, and there's just a moment where she considers her reconsideration, and then she sits.
"I jes' wanted ta let you know that I was all right.. Pomfrey worked out the… Cure." It really wasn't a cure so much as a counter-curse. Well, a counter-curse potion, but in any case, Amber's right back to her normal colour. "Oh, I guess… Tea is okay. It's just tea, right?" In other words, it's not a potion that's going to turn her purple again, is it? Or maybe change her hair into a nice neon green?
- - -
Trelawney adjusts her glasses, then leans forward over her desk to get a better look at the girl - probably to see that she was, in fact, no longer purple. However, that forward movement causes the delicate balance of the piles on her desk to tilt, and several things clatter to the floor - including one of those half-filled tea cups, a rather hefty, dusty tome, and a crystal ball. "Oh, fiddlesticks!" Trelawney stands up, moving to gather the things off the floor.
- - -
Amber is… Actually not the least bit surprised. In fact, when the things fall off the desk, she just rolls her eyes. Look, she's already a Divination expert! SHE KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN! Without a word, she pushes herself forward in the chair until she can lower herself to the ground. Kneeling there, she starts picking up the things that have fallen, with a quick 'Tergeo' to clean up some of the spilled tea. Reaching for the book, she stops, one finger tracing the words on the cover.
"Odd," she says, tilting her head. Maybe it's this stuffy classroom, or the fact that she's even here, but a book about Animal Symbolism is just a little convenient considering what she and Ginny Weasley talked about not too long ago. Picking it up, she dusts off the cover, returning to her seat and leaving the professor to clean up whatever else is on the floor. "D'ya know anythin' about this?" Amber asks, opening the cover.
- - -
Trelawney gets to the tea cup before anything else, smiling slightly at Amber. "Thank you, my dear." After rummaging around in several pockets, she produces her wand and sends a Reparo over to the tea cup and its accompanying saucer. It's not an entirely successful casting - each crack is faintly visible - but it is, at least, in one piece. "At least it wasn't one of the pink ones. I'm rather partial to them."
It takes a moment for her to catch the crystal ball, for it's begun to roll along the slightly sloping floor. Finally, though, she picks it up and places it back on her desk. When she rises to her feet, her knees crack slightly, and she winces. "My my, that's not good." It's then she notices what Amber is holding. "Oh, yes, that's a lovely book. Quite informative. I use it when I've had a particularly vivid dream with animals in it - every animal has a different meaning, often several, and that book has nearly all the animals. I'm not an expert in it, but I've picked up this and that."
- - -
"Oh, every one, huh?" A little distracted, Amber's already begun paging through it. Aardvark. Aardwolf. What the hell is an aard? Amber doesn't think she'd be like either of those, anyway. Firstly because she has no idea what an aardwolf even is - and one would think that your so-called spirit animal would be something you know of - and secondly, because it wouldn't possibly be that easy.
Besides. An aardvark? She'd be a laughingstock.
She skips most of the first half of the book and ends up on 'Llama.' That's when she looks back up at the professor. "I don't know if I've seen this'n in th' library. 'course, I aren't looked just yet, but…" She flips through a handful of pages again. Pangolin? Nah. Quagga? "Do people dream abou' these? They're kinna extinct, aren't they?" Amber holds up the book so Trelawney can see the picture.
- - -
Trelawney nods enthusiastically. "I haven't yet thought of or heard of an animal it doesn't have. It even has species and subspecies. It's quite nice." After adjusting a few more things on her desk so that nothing looks like it's about to topple over, Trelawney steps closer to Amber, peering over the girl's shoulder at the illustration. "Yes, I do believe it's extinct. But dreams have no bounds - one never knows what will come up.
"As for the library.. it doesn't always have everything." Oh, how Madame Pince would fume if she heard that! "There's always the Restricted section, as well. I got this book from a mail order catalog." Blinking owlishly at Amber through her thick glasses, Trelawney inquires, "Do you have an interest in animal symbolism, my dear?"
- - -
"Yeah, but if you've never heard of something…" She thumbs backward through the book until it opens to an animal she's never heard of before, with an unfortunate name. The regal Dik-dik. "Yeah, I don' think I'da been dreamin' abou' this. Well, mebbe now that I seen it I will." Watch it be in her dreams tonight. Hell, watch it consume all her thoughts and become her inner animal. You're an animagus? That's so cool! What animal can you become? …Oh.
Not the greatest conversation ever. "Wizards 'ave mail order catalogues?" Hey, cut her some slack. She's only a fourth year, and she came from the Muggle world. The things you learn! Looking back at the book, then up at Trelawney, she nods. "Yeh, me an' this third year, Ginny Weasley, we was kinna lookin' into this stuff. Jes' outta curiosity, mind. Jes' curiosity. Thou' it was weird this book practic'ly fell into me lap." She chuckles a little nervously as she turns a couple more leafs over.
- - -
"The mind is a very unusual thing! It's hard to tell which comes first, sometimes - whether the idea starts in the mind, or from something outside the mind." Trelawney gestures as she speaks. "Have you been dreaming about a particular animal?" At Amber's question, she nods. "Yes. Lovely things, they are." Especially for recluses that, it's rumored, turn to stone or melt when off of Hogwarts' grounds. "Into animal symbolism? Well, that's quite interesting. There's certainly a wealth of information to know about it. Did you know, several cultures have spirit animals, that people get through dreams. An animal that personifies you."
- - -
This very night, Amber will dream of this particular small antelope, and she will awake torn between laughter and being horrified.
"Nah, I 'aven't." I jes' think it's neat, all the rep'r'sentations animals 'ave." There's more too it than than, and it's obvious she's not telling everything, but she's not sure she wants to spread around what she and Ginny are thinking of doing. She'll have to eventually, but… Well, the thing is, now that she's thought of it, she doesn't want everyone to get the idea in their head… It's a competitive thing. Amber's always been a little competative.
The idea of a 'spirit animal' gives her an idea, though. "Actually, I was wonderin' what me Patronus might be." The amount Amber knows of Patronuses amounts to 'shiny silver thing that's pretty.' And also that they are animals that personify the caster.
- - -
Trelawney tilts her head, peering once more at the girl. It's clear that she's caught on that this isn't the true reason, but she decides not to pry just yet. "Why, yes, it is quite fascinating, I do agree." Taking a sip from one of the still in tact tea cups, she smiles at Amber. "Well, the best way to find that out is to cast it. You might want to ask Professor Moody to teach you. However, there are ways to find out what kind of animal represents you, and through that, you might be able to guess what your Patronus will be."
- - -
Trelawney isn't quite as batty as people make her out to be. Maybe she can opt in for this course next ye— no. SHE DOES NOT BELIEVE IN FORTUNE-TELLING. Maybe Amber's just having a weak moment here. The series of coincidences is kind of strange, but that's all they are. Coincidences. "I think tha' charm's jes' a little beyond me, Pr'fessor," she says with another chuckle, closing the book. She doesn't put it back on the desk, though, and instead holds it on her lap.
For just a second, she wonders if this divination stuff is actually real. "Could you tell what I— What my Patronus would be? I mean, when I can cast th'thing." After she says it, she realises that she is halfway through her schooling now, and that she could probably learn it. "Whaddaya do, throw baboon intestines a' a wall or sommat? See what shape they land in?"
- - -
Trelawney smiles distantly at the girl. "Well, it's hard to know for sure if you haven't tried it. I don't know the age during which it's taught, but you can at least try it," after a moment, she adds, "Under adult supervision, that is. You might be successful in the end, and it's quite a useful spell."
Trelawney perches on the nearest armchair, looking thoughtful. "There are things we can do to figure it out, yes, but there's no true way to know for sure. The best way to do it is to assess all the possibilities." At the question of intestines, Trelawney shakes her head. "No, that's not the way to go about it. Not on your first try, anyway."
"I would suggest taking that book," Trelawney nods to the book Amber's now holding, "And looking at all the various traits each animal has. Then, make a list of the traits that you think you have, and try to find the animal that matches the most."
- - -
Isn't that what she said to Professor Moldavia not too long ago? It was something along those lines, which means Trelawney's right. Maybe she can ask about the Patronus charm at Moody's next lesson. She's not sure exactly if she'd get it, since it's one of the hardest spells for her age group - and hell, even most adults - to get. "Well, I don' think you're as barmy as some people say," she says almost idly, as if she has no idea what she's just stated. Of course, with the purple blood and all, Amber wouldn't trust Trelawney as her 'adult supervision.
Taking the book is kind of… boring, actually. Amber expected to come up here and have fireworks made of grape jelly and pigs' hooves flying around her head as Trelawney told her that she'd meet a tall, handsome stranger at some point in her future and have a million babies. And then die. Something easy to 'predict,' something meant to impress. Still, she's actually kind of relieved. "Oh— All righ', that sounds fantastic, thanks, Pr'fessor!" She can't wait to show Ginny. "I don't mean ta keep ya," she adds, starting to stand. "I'll bring this back soon as I can."
- - -
"Why, thank you, dear." This certainly isn't the first time Trelawney's heard of her reputation, and she doubts it will be the last. However, Amber earns a misty smile from the woman. "If you need any help, do find me. I'm usually here." Well, that's putting it lightly. "Self-exploration can be a wonderful thing, Miss Matthews. Take your time with it."
- - -
She never would have imagined that she'd actually consider taking divination as a subject. Maybe she could drop Muggle Studies. After all, she was kind of a Muggle for the first part of her life, and, while it's really neat to see how wizards think Muggle things work, she might be able to at least learn something from this class. Maybe they do baboon intestines next year. That would be totally awesome. Amber was always a bit of a tom-boy.
- - -
Wait 'til she shows Ginny. They can make a list, and they won't even have to worry about Pince breathing down their necks as they abuse the pages of a precious book. It's not hers to protect. VICTORY! "Thank you, Pr'fessor. Thanks, I'll just …" she points toward the trap door leading downward. "I'll talk t'ya soon."
Trelawney nods, rising from her perch on the chair. "Yes, dear. Best of luck with your little project." With a little wave to Amber, Trelawney turns away from the departing girl. It's just about tea time, after all, and she has classes to plan.
- - -
Any additional notes fall to the bottom.