Bring a fairy tale to Hogwarts!

"OWLs' divination exams mainly test basic divination knowledge, focusing on things like the imagery in tea divination and astrological trajectories. Although not many students choose divination as an elective each year, the pass rate is still 60%," Dumbledore said.

"As long as students can correctly remember the meaning behind each omen, they will pass the exam."

Victor's expression became even more confused, a rare occurrence that revealed his true feelings.

"But Professor Trelawney hasn't made a correct prediction in years, has she? I saw her once when I came for the interview yesterday, and her third eye was very blurry."

Dumbledore was somewhat surprised: "Yes... but I've heard her make prophecies."

"What's the use?" Victor asked, frowning. "If Trelawney herself doesn't know how to open her third eye, how can she teach her students to do so? If students can't see the future, how can they be divination masters?"

Dumbledore paused for a moment, then asked in return:

"...Does divination require the ability to see the future?"

"Don't you need it?"

"?"

"……."

Victor and Dumbledore looked at each other, then suddenly fell silent.

Even Rufus Scrimgeour, who was standing next to him, didn't know what to say.

—Isn't divination just about fiddling with tea leaves, looking at the stars, and then spouting a bunch of nonsensical nonsense?

Last year, The Daily Prophet even joked that it should be renamed "How to Be a Wizard." Many wizards also felt that divination classes were useless and should be abolished, but Dumbledore's persistence over the years has preserved its place.

So their feelings over the years were actually correct?

On the other side, Victor's expression was one of utter speechlessness.

"Perhaps our concepts are different. At least where we come from, wizards who can't see the future but pretend to be able to predict it are collectively called: fraudsters."

Prophecy is not actually a legend in the Fairy Tale Continent.

Although there are very few wizards who can truly see into the future and accurately predict fate decades from now, most wizards can divine their fortune before going out and see if their luck will be good or bad. To accomplish this, they need to be able to sense a little bit of the future.

If Hogwarts students don't even have this level of skill—then they're not learning divination at all!

Looking up at the sky like Trelawney, fiddling with tea leaves—that's just playing tricks, not fortune-telling!

Victor fell into a deep silence.

"..."

Dumbledore shook his head helplessly, exchanged a glance with Scrimgeour, and gave him a knowing look.

Dumbledore then asked with interest:

"So what do you think divination should be like? Is what 'Seeing the Future Through the Fog' is wrong?"

"That book isn't actually that wrong," Victor shook his head.

"The various methods of prophecy and interpretations written inside are all feasible. But the problem is that the same image may represent different animals in the eyes of different people, and even seeing the omens themselves requires magical manipulation. If one cannot open their third eye, what they see will have no effect at all."

"For example... Professor Dumbledore, may I borrow your teacup?"

"no problem."

Dumbledore handed him his teacup. By this time, the tea was almost finished, with only the tea leaves piled up inside.

Victor took it, held the teacup in his left hand, shook it three times, then gently clenched his right fist and opened it above the teacup.

An unnamed white mist drifted down from his supposedly empty hands, covering the tea leaves in the cup and blurring their shapes.

Scrimgeour couldn't help but say, "Wandless spellcasting? You've created quite an atmosphere, haven't you?"

Victor glanced at him but didn't say anything.

He placed the teacup in the center of the table and gently began to turn it, while Dumbledore and Scrimgeour stared intently at the tea leaves inside.

For some reason, the mist that Victor emitted lingered for a long time, still shrouding the tea leaves when he began to swirl the teacup, creating an atmosphere of mystery that surpassed even Trelawney's.

Three pairs of eyes watched the rotating tea leaves intently.

When Victor actually looked at the tea dregs, a faint, almost imperceptible red light seemed to flicker in his dark, gloomy eyes.

The mist and tea dregs swirled around, making the three people around seem to actually see some kind of scene.

"The approaching shadow... This may represent a lurking danger that has never dissipated. It will sweep back soon, and we need to be careful to avoid being swallowed up."

He spoke softly, his voice suddenly becoming hoarse and ethereal.

"Professor Dumbledore? I don't think so," Scrimgeour muttered. "He's the most knowledgeable wizard in England."

Victor ignored him and continued to swirl the cup.

He then moved his right hand again, causing the steam inside to rise and the tea leaves to start rolling again.

"A broken pendulum, missing its hour hand... Time is of the essence, meaning whatever reaction you want to make must be done as quickly as possible... But the damage isn't severe, symbolizing that the danger is limited and the probability of success is high."

"Mirrors, opposing figures... the real danger comes from within."

After saying all that, his voice suddenly paused, his hand that was turning the glass stopped, and then he suddenly said in a low voice:

"He will not die, just as he has not lived."

The mist writhed in the air, resembling a large moth with strange, blurry patterns on it—there seemed to be seven of them. But before anyone could fully recognize what it was, it vanished completely, revealing the tea dregs beneath.

Victor put down his cup.

Scrimgeour's expression remained as skeptical as before. But Dumbledore's expression turned serious; though it wasn't outwardly apparent, his hand clenched subtly under the table.

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Scrimgeour paused for a moment, then asked, "Is that all?"

"It's over," Victor said.

"...Excuse my bluntness, but this looks no different from Professor Trelawney's program." Scrimgeour frowned. "I've heard that the Dark Lord from Europe, the infamous Grindelwald, was a prophet who could project visions of the future into reality."

"Only a few are born to see the future; the rest pay the price," Victor said casually, his words ambiguous.

After making this prophecy, he raised his hand and handed the teacup on the table to the slowly approaching teapot, letting it carry the teacup towards the pool.

A moment of silence fell over the table.

Dumbledore stared at the table with his blue eyes, seemingly lost in thought, his expression calm.

It took him more than ten seconds to finally come to his senses.

"Sorry, I was daydreaming."

"I've seen your skill level, Mr. Vanderbom. I believe you can fulfill the responsibilities of a divination instructor. We won't bother you any longer; we'll go and cast a banishing spell and then leave."

"By the way, Professor McGonagall wanted me to tell you that she will still be waiting for you at Charing Cross Road at the agreed time. She wants to discuss teaching and onboarding matters with you. Also, due to the recent staff shortage, you may be assigned some administrative work."