Chapter 84: I Predict That Professor McGonagall Will Become the Headmistress of Hogwarts  

He was just wondering why, when he went to find Professor Trelawney after class, he ran into Professor Snape. He greeted him, but Snape didn't even spare him a glance! 

So that's what happened! 

He had been thinking about it earlier—at breakfast, Snape had been wearing new robes and looking quite smug. 

Even the weather doesn't change as quickly as his mood. 

Dylan coughed twice, letting out a slightly awkward laugh as he looked at Professor Trelawney. 

"Dreams, huh? They really are… quite something." 

Worried that Professor Trelawney would continue on this topic, Dylan quickly spoke up. 

"Professor, I actually have some new questions about dream interpretation today." 

"Oh? What is it?" 

Professor Trelawney looked at Dylan. 

Dylan thought for a moment. "For example, when dreams keep repeating, are they just simple subconscious reactions? Or, as you say, do they symbolize something more?" 

Professor Trelawney smiled. Her thick glasses made her eyes look even larger. 

She slowly walked over to a table piled high with divination books, picked up a heavy ancient tome, flipped through a few pages, and then said, "Dear Dylan, could you fetch me a bottle of sherry from the cabinet?" 

Dylan's expression showed slight helplessness. "Professor, you know drinking isn't exactly a good habit." 

Professor Trelawney chuckled. "I know, I know, but I'm in a good mood today, and I just want a little drink." 

She lifted her head, wearing a hat she had never worn before. Her deep purple robes gave her a strikingly different appearance than usual. 

"Fine, but just a little." 

Dylan finally walked over to the cabinet, rummaging deep inside until he found a small bottle of sherry. 

He held it up, showing it to Professor Trelawney before handing it over. 

Her eyes lit up as she reached for it, unscrewed the cap, and eagerly took a sip. A look of satisfaction spread across her face. 

"One sip is enough, Professor," Dylan reminded her. 

"Yes, yes!" She smacked her lips but didn't take another sip. 

Screwing the cap back on, she looked at Dylan. After a moment of silence, she let out a quiet sigh. 

"Professor? What's wrong?" Dylan asked, puzzled. 

Her expression was complicated. After hesitating for a couple of seconds, she finally spoke. 

"Dylan, did you know? I've never really been well-liked among the professors at Hogwarts." 

"You know, they think my Divination class is vague and impractical." 

Dylan frowned slightly. He was well aware of this. 

Pausing for a moment, he said, "But in reality, divination isn't just some imaginary thing. Ever since I started studying under you, it has helped me a lot." 

—Like finding the locations of Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest. 

"Besides, I believe your knowledge of divination is incredibly solid. There probably aren't many true divination masters in the entire wizarding world." 

Professor Trelawney's shoulders trembled slightly, but she just gave a bitter smile and shook her head. "I wouldn't call myself a master. And—well, they certainly wouldn't." 

She took a deep breath, savoring the lingering sharpness of the sherry on her tongue. Then, she looked at Dylan intently. 

"My dear boy, I always felt I could never measure up to the other professors. My magical talent isn't as strong as theirs, and I can't use spells as powerfully as they do… It made me reluctant to even eat meals with them." 

"But then, you came along, and everything changed." 

Dylan blinked in surprise. "Me?" 

"Yes, you!" 

Professor Trelawney nodded firmly. 

"Ever since you started coming to me for divination lessons, everything shifted. The other professors must have told you before that divination is a useless subject, haven't they?" 

Dylan hesitated for a second but didn't answer. 

Professor Trelawney chuckled. "Yet, you didn't let that stop you from seeking my guidance. Because of that, their attitudes toward me have begun to change." 

"They know that a bright young wizard like you wouldn't waste time on meaningless studies. And the fact that you dedicate almost as much time to my Divination class as you do to your other subjects… well, that speaks volumes." 

"You know, some of them have even started asking me if I've made any new predictions about you." 

At this, Professor Trelawney's expression softened considerably. 

"Oh… and have you made any prophecies about me?" 

Professor Trelawney paused, her gaze piercing through Dylan as though she were peering through a thick fog. There was a deep, unreadable emotion in her eyes. 

For a moment, the entire tower fell silent, the only sound being the faint trickle of sand from a nearby hourglass. 

She stared at him for a long time, as if weighing something carefully. 

Finally, she shook her head gently. Her hair swayed slightly with the motion, and she let out a soft sigh of regret. 

"No, my dear. Not yet." 

Dylan wasn't particularly surprised by this answer. 

After all, Professor Trelawney's true prophecies only came to her unconsciously. 

Her ordinary divination skills weren't exactly unreliable, but prophecy itself was never an exact science. 

If she were to make a real prediction about him, she'd probably have to suddenly roll her eyes back and slip into a trance-like state. 

Otherwise, relying purely on her regular divination abilities, Dylan wasn't expecting her to make some grand prophecy about his future. 

"Let's go back to the topic at hand." Professor Trelawney placed the open book in front of Dylan. "Regarding your question earlier, you can refer to this." 

Dylan stepped forward and looked down at the page. 

It read: 

*"Dreams are a mysterious gateway to the unknown. Recurring dreams are urgent signals sent by fate."* 

Dylan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Professor Trelawney. 

"What do you make of this?" 

"Of course." 

Professor Trelawney smiled slightly, running her fingers over the crystal necklace around her neck. "These things are so heavy. I think I won't wear them tomorrow." 

Dylan: "...As long as it makes you happy." 

Studying divination with Professor Trelawney had two notable downsides. 

One: Whenever he asked a question, she would almost always open a book and make him read the answer himself. 

—The fact that she could recall so much from these books showed she had put in the effort, though. 

And two: In the middle of a conversation, she would sometimes suddenly veer off-topic entirely. 

"Child, every element in a dream is like a star in the night sky, each with its own unique trajectory and meaning. As for dreams, I can only offer you some insights—the true understanding must come from you." 

"Alright." 

Dylan asked Professor Trelawney a few more questions. Without exception, she was always able to locate a book amidst the chaotic piles that directly answered his query with uncanny precision. 

After rereading a passage Professor Trelawney had pointed out, their discussion paused for a moment. 

"Any other questions?" 

"No, that's all. Thank you, Professor." 

Dylan gathered his things and reminded Professor Trelawney not to drink too much before bidding her farewell. 

"Go on, child. No one seeks me out anyway. Whenever you have more questions, you're always welcome here." 

After leaving, Dylan returned to the dormitory. 

Ron and Harry had already come back and were animatedly discussing Malfoy. 

"Haha! After class today, he's heading straight to detention with Filch!" 

"Hope he doesn't wet his pants in fear!" 

Dylan overheard them but didn't join in. 

After a quick wash and tidying up, he summoned Coalball. 

"Moo?" 

The little creature appeared, momentarily confused. Its ears twitched before recognizing its owner and letting out a soft call. 

Coalball shook its fur, rubbed its head against Dylan's hand, then stretched out its tiny paw to lightly scratch his arm. 

"Moo! Moo! Moo!" 

Dylan petted Coalball's head, intending to cuddle it as he slept, but the little creature pushed against him with its paws and then patted him. 

Dylan: "…You've been playing with Arno all day, and you still haven't had enough?" 

"Moo!" Coalball lifted its head proudly. 

"You ungrateful little thing! Fine, go back, go back! You never liked staying in the pet space before!" 

With a huff, Dylan waved his hand and sent Coalball back into its pet space. Then, he pulled a pillow between his legs and quickly drifted off to sleep. 

Dylan had already explained Coalball to Harry and Ron. 

Like Arno, it was a magical creature bound by a contract, allowing him to summon or store it at will. 

Neither of them reacted much to the revelation. 

A week passed quickly. 

The weekend arrived again. 

After breakfast, Dylan spent the entire morning in the library, finishing all his assignments for the week. 

Then, he had lunch in the Great Hall. 

In the afternoon, it was time for his private lesson with Professor McGonagall. 

Dylan arrived at her office. 

Lately, he had been consulting her on Transfiguration, specifically about shaping, reshaping, and secondary shaping. 

Shaping spells were not simple—they required precise control and a deep understanding of how magic flowed and interacted with external elements. 

Secondary shaping was even more complex, demanding the coordination of different magical energies to ensure they worked in harmony rather than clashing. 

He also needed a thorough understanding of spell structures—knowing which parts could be altered and how to modify them effectively. 

Today's lesson focused on shaping amorphous substances. 

Because they lacked fixed forms—like water or fire—there were no clear reference points for shaping them. A wizard had to rely solely on imagination and magical control to impose structure. 

Additionally, amorphous substances were prone to reverting to their original state due to external influences or magical fluctuations. 

Fortunately, Dylan had already mastered Fiendfyre at its highest level. 

Fiendfyre inherently involved some aspects of shaping magic, which made his progress surprisingly smooth and effective. 

By the end of the session, it was nearly dinnertime. 

Just as Dylan was about to leave, Professor McGonagall stopped him. 

"Dylan, I heard from Professor Trelawney that you've been visiting her frequently to study Divination in depth?" 

Dylan blinked, recalling McGonagall's previous warnings. He hesitated briefly, then thought of what Trelawney had told him last time. 

In the end, he didn't deny it and simply nodded. "Yes, that's right." 

"Do you truly believe you've learned anything useful from Divination?" McGonagall asked. 

In truth, she wanted to ask outright whether Dylan had been fooled by Trelawney. 

What was there to learn from Divination? 

Could it really provide anything of value? 

"Yes, Professor. I believe I've learned a lot. Divination has helped me in many ways," Dylan answered confidently. 

McGonagall frowned. 

"Has she… I mean, has Professor Trelawney ever made any prophecies for you? You do realize she has only ever made one correct prophecy in her entire career." 

Dylan chuckled softly. "I asked her before, but she never gave me a specific prophecy." 

"Listen, Dylan, you have an exceptional talent for magical research. I must emphasize this again." 

"I'm listening, Professor." 

"I strongly advise you not to waste too much time on Divination. It's arguably the most unreliable subject at Hogwarts—the Headmaster never even intended to include it in the curriculum." 

Dylan could tell McGonagall was holding back. 

What she likely wanted to say was that Divination was nothing more than a scam. 

Dylan smiled slightly. "But, Professor, Divination isn't entirely fraudulent." 

"I never said it was fraudulent—" McGonagall stopped mid-sentence, blinking twice. 

"Alright, maybe I misspoke. But I still think your talent in Divination could never rival your gift for spellwork."

"Oh?" Professor McGonagall was momentarily stunned. "For example?" 

"For example, I saw something in the crystal ball—something about the future. And I firmly believe it will come true." 

"Why? What did you see?" 

"I saw you, Professor McGonagall. You eventually became the headmistress of Hogwarts." 

"…" 

Professor McGonagall was visibly taken aback. She hadn't expected Dylan to say something like that so suddenly. 

"I… became headmistress in the end?" 

Looking at Dylan's serious expression, a smile unconsciously formed at the corner of Professor McGonagall's lips. 

"Well, all right." She parted her lips slightly and exhaled slowly. "Perhaps you do have a talent for Divination after all." 

Seeing the professor's expression brighten with a hint of excitement, Dylan smirked. 

"You see, Professor? Hearing good predictions every now and then is good for the mind and soul. It's definitely a good thing." 

"But what if you hear a bad prediction?" 

"Then just don't listen to it." 

Dylan spoke casually, blinking twice at Professor McGonagall. 

"Didn't you just say that Divination is nothing but nonsense?" 

"Hahaha~" 

Professor McGonagall burst into laughter. "I never said that!" 

*(End of Chapter)*