Professor Trelawney wasn't very well-liked mainly because she was a complete charlatan; rarely did any good news come from her mouth. When Harry attended her class for the first time, she made a total of five predictions: Neville's grandmother is going through a tough time, Parvati Patil must beware of a red-haired man, Lavender Brown's worst fear will come true on Friday, October 16th, Neville will break a teacup, and Harry has a mortal enemy, he will suffer an attack, and danger lies ahead, along with the infamous "Grim."
These five predictions were all bad omens and quite absurd. Couldn't she say something nice for a change? Moreover, these predictions turned out to be surprisingly accurate, each in various strange ways. Of course, it all seemed like a coincidence. So, Professor Trelawney came across as nothing more than a sensationalistic charlatan.
And now, this person is actually praising someone's appearance? That's truly unprecedented.
Just as Dumbledore was thinking of how to console Hacker so he wouldn't be frightened by Trelawney's words, she unexpectedly said something positive. Dumbledore even felt like this was an unplanned event.
Amid the astonished looks of the others, Professor Trelawney sat beside Hacker, grabbed his hand seriously, and examined his palm.
Hacker felt extremely uncomfortable with Trelawney holding his wrist. Her hand was cold, along with its thinness, giving Hacker the sensation of being caught by an animal's claw. Furthermore, she got really close, and Hacker could even feel her breath on his palm.
After a while, Trelawney released Hacker's hand, but she wasn't done yet. She waved her wand, summoning a teacup and a steaming teapot, and poured Hacker a cup of hot tea.
Then, Hacker received quite a challenging command: drink the hot tea as quickly as possible.
Hacker couldn't help but recall his days as a newspaper editor. Back then, he often had to travel and negotiate with all sorts of people. Sometimes, he faced difficulties, and they would offer him a hot drink to be downed quickly, a classic strategy.
Times had changed, and it had been a long time since someone tried to challenge him like that; neither the Cabinet nor officials would resort to such basic tricks. They were usually straightforward.
Looking at the hot tea in his hand, Hacker reminisced about his youth, and then, in front of everyone's eyes, he downed the tea in one gulp.
Following Trelawney's instructions, Hacker swirled the tea leaves in the cup three times and then turned the cup upside down on the saucer, letting the last drop of tea drain. Throughout this process, everyone remained silent, even Snape closed his mouth and observed everything with a mocking look.
Professor Trelawney took the saucer and began interpreting the tea leaves' pattern.
"A vine and a somewhat withered tree... endless struggles. Oak fruit... an unexpected harvest. A twisted cross... difficulties and suffering..."
Listening to Professor Trelawney's interpretation, Hacker's smile gradually faded from his face. That didn't sound positive at all!
"Your hand and your face are good omens, signs of an influential person, but unfortunately, the result of the tea leaf reading is mediocre," Professor Trelawney finally concluded.
Hacker: "So, is the result of the divination good or bad?"
He felt a little uneasy but also hopeful.
"Yes, and no."
Hacker: ...
I really, really hate this form of response!
"So... um, can I... become that, as I wish?" He couldn't help but express his thoughts directly.
"The seer can't tell you the outcome with certainty; the more important the matter, the vaguer it becomes. We can be precise even in small matters, like a dog biting a rabbit, down to the day, but what you're thinking of is not within the realm of trivial matters. We can't see it fully," Tom explained on behalf of Professor Trelawney.
Among everyone present, apart from Professor Trelawney, no one understood divination better than him.
Professor Trelawney looked at Tom with approval.
For seers in the magical world, there are no rules of "keeping the future a secret," and they don't like to play with suspense. The reason their prophecies are so vague is because the future they see is also dark.
"The road ahead is long, and in the end, you will achieve success. However, trials and hardships will come with it. Success is only the beginning. Adversity lies both within and without," Tom interpreted Hacker's divination as a charlatan.
The other professors: (,_,)
Tom Yodel, are you going to become a seer?
Hacker carefully pondered this statement and felt that it didn't sound bad at all: it clearly said he could become Prime Minister! If he can be Prime Minister, what more could he desire?
Of course, as Prime Minister, how could he not face challenges? Since World War I, the UK has been constantly challenged, and all Prime Ministers have gotten used to it.
No problem. Calmly, Hacker began to enjoy the delicious meal before him.
During the meal, everyone engaged in pleasant conversations, and the customs of the magical world gradually unfolded before Hacker.
Tom's mouth was full of sausages, sandwiches, and roast meat covered in gravy. When his stomach was about to burst, Hacker and Dumbledore began discussing the different methods of prisoner treatment in the magical and non-magical worlds.
"So you're a country against the death penalty, right?" When Hacker heard that even the most ruthless Death Eaters were only sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban, his initial reaction was that the magical world had abolished the death penalty in practice.
"The death penalty? There has never been a death penalty in the magical world since its laws were established," Dumbledore said calmly.
Indeed, in the laws of the magical world, there is truly no death penalty. At first, they were quite direct, eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, and they didn't need the death penalty to settle disputes. Then, when the Dementor appeared, the magical world replaced it directly with the "Dementor's Kiss" instead of the death penalty.
For wizards, having their soul extracted is much more terrifying than death.
But to receive the Dementor's Kiss, the conditions are quite strict. Even if you're a despicable Death Eater, you'll only be sentenced to life imprisonment. Only Sirius Black and Barty Crouch Jr., who received life imprisonment and then escaped, were "kissed" by Dementors. Barty Crouch Jr. seems more like an attempt to silence him; only Sirius came close to being truly kissed.
"It's unacceptable. In my opinion, the death penalty is necessary," Hacker said seriously. "However, in the UK, the death penalty hasn't been applied in almost thirty years."
Thinking about it, Hacker also sighed inwardly. He's not a proponent of the death penalty, but he's also sure that during his tenure, he won't sentence criminals to death. The public pressure that comes with the death penalty is something he can't bear.