The Woman of Secrets by Fynnsmom

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Chapter Notes: Sybil Trelawney has a summer job and a secret weapon.

Sybil Trelawney sat alone in a small storefront in the Shoreditch Cultural Quarter in London. She had to take a summer job since her demotion to adjunct professor--a Muggled-up term that meant she didn't teach full-time at Hogwarts. She didn't care so much about the title. It was the disrespect that upset her. Divination wasn't taken seriously as a profession anymore, and to add insult to injury, she wasn't paid full wages over the summer.

When Sybil had tearfully gone to the Ministry, Office of Human Resources, they had told her that there were a number of opportunities awaiting her in the Department of Programs and Grants. From there, she found there were Galleons available for those conducting research in their areas of specialty. But they weren't handing out gold to just anyone. She had to write a grant proposal to compete for the Galleons. As far as Sybil could tell, that meant she had to find a particular area of need in her specialty, Divination. She had to submit a plan on how she would solve that problem, collect data, analyze data, and write a final report on how the problem was solved. Furthermore, she had to convince the Department that this was an important problem to solve, and that she was the one with the unique approach to do the job. The proposal had to be submitted to the Department by 6:00 pm, June 30th. Late applications would be rejected on the spot.

The only problem Sybil could think of was that she couldn't use Divination to solve anything. The Sight was a talent that presented itself when the fates deemed. She couldn't just sit down at someone's request and predict the future. If the Sight appeared to her that was great; if it didn't, there wasn't much she could do to control it. When she told the Department officials that she was an expert in Divination, as if they didn't know already, they tried to hide obvious smirks while they handed her the application forms. It didn't take the Sight to predict that her proposal wouldn't fare well.

Some of her colleagues had already started working on approved projects.ï¿½ She heard that Poppy Pomfrey was working on a Potion to restore hair growth in circumstances that were impossible before.ï¿½ Rumor had it that Malfoy Industries was heavily committed to funding the project.ï¿½ Professors Flitwick and McGonagall were working with Ministry researchers from the Department of Mysteries to develop additions to the Patronus charm.ï¿½ For those witches and wizards who suffered from depression, casting a Patronus was virtually impossible.ï¿½ This research focused on self-transfiguration, a sort of self-hypnosis, where the depressed wizard or witch hypnotized themselves into feeling happy and then were able to cast a Patronus.ï¿½

When Sybil was questioned as to what shape her research would take, she drew a blank.ï¿½ She couldnï¿½t think of anything that the Department of Programs and Grants would pay money for.

That was how Sybil found herself in a hole-in-the-wall off an alley in Shoreditch.ï¿½ It was an obscure location but the rent was cheap and by the month.ï¿½ If enough students enrolled for Divination classes, the Board of Governors promised Sybil would be back at Hogwarts in the fall.ï¿½ For now, she was a psychic, a fortune teller.ï¿½ She had the unique problem of advertising her trade but not wanting to attract too much attention.ï¿½ She catered to Muggles because they had no idea of who she really was.ï¿½

Not able to afford a new wardrobe, and not knowing what to buy if she could afford it, she wore the same clothing she did while teaching.ï¿½ She decorated her room with pretty things from her classroom.ï¿½ Her favorite crystal ball was a prominent prop and she separated the main storefront from her private back room with a curtain of beads.ï¿½ She stopped at a local magic shop and bought tarot cards in case someone expected a reading, and kept her favorite tea in stock in the event someone wanted her to read tea leaves.ï¿½

ï¿½

She opened her shop for business and soon learned a lot of people thought fortune tellers were a sleazy lot, out to steal their money.ï¿½ Young women asked if they would get married and older tourists asked if they would have grandchildren.ï¿½ Sybilï¿½s favorite clients were the goth teenagers, who looked like they had taken grooming lessons from Severus Snape. She was fascinated with all of their piercings and tattoos.ï¿½ They acted sophisticated but still gave Sybil proper respect.ï¿½ They seemed to hang on her every word.ï¿½ She jazzed up her predictions for them.ï¿½

What no one guessed or knew was that Sybil had a secret weapon.ï¿½ When business was slow she slipped beyond the beads into her back room.ï¿½ There she had what she figured no other fortune teller hadï¿½a laptop computer and a printer.ï¿½ She would feed data into the computer and it would generate horoscopes and other predictions that she would print out.ï¿½ Sybil would study these and kept a few hidden beneath her flowery tablecloth.ï¿½ When the Sight failed her, as it often did, she could always count on her computer.ï¿½ It seemed to have endless fortunes to share.ï¿½

Of course, a computer wouldnï¿½t work at Hogwarts.ï¿½ Muggleborn students often tried to bring electronic equipment from home, not realizing that the castleï¿½s magic overpowered any Mugglized magic, like electricity.ï¿½ What Sybil didnï¿½t want anyone to know was that she had a bit of non-magical blood running through her veins on her fatherï¿½s side.ï¿½ One of her great nieces was a Muggle teenager who knew a lot about electronics.ï¿½ She had a great passion for computer games and had set up the laptop and printer for her eccentric ï¿½hippieï¿½ aunt to use in her ï¿½new ageï¿½ business.ï¿½

Sybil felt protected in her new shop.ï¿½ She was hidden away from the humiliation of the magical world.ï¿½ So many things had happened, and so many things would never be the same.ï¿½ After all the changes at Hogwarts, she wasnï¿½t sure if sheï¿½d even be able to go back there again.ï¿½

ï¿½

One sweltering July morning, Sybil unlocked her storefront and stumbled in, trying to balance her ham and Swiss croissant, iced coffee, keys, and a couple of potted plants.ï¿½ She put her breakfast on the table next to her crystal ball, and then turned around to put the plants on a bookcase.ï¿½ She stopped short.ï¿½ Something was different.ï¿½ She backed up and looked at the table again.ï¿½ She hadnï¿½t offered anyone tea or read any tea leaves, but there on the table were two mugs.ï¿½ Someone had prepared tea from her private stash and then left the leaves for reading.ï¿½ Sybil couldnï¿½t help but look into the mugs.ï¿½

She didnï¿½t like what she saw.ï¿½ Or rather, she was confused by what she saw.ï¿½ One cup held what looked like a snake.ï¿½ That could mean three different things.ï¿½ It could mean wisdom and the fates were complimenting her on her intelligence.ï¿½ She preened a bit thinking of that.ï¿½ On the bad side, a snake could mean enmity or falsehood.ï¿½ Were the leaves taunting her on being a fake?ï¿½ Or, was it simply a clue that a Slytherin had stopped by?ï¿½ The second cup obviously held a bird.ï¿½ The trick was deciphering what kind of bird.ï¿½ A hawk symbolized jealousy and might reflect her earlier thoughts on the good fortunes of her colleagues.ï¿½ If it was a raven, that would show death or bad news.ï¿½ Was this a warning?ï¿½ She locked the front door so she could spend some time on her computer trying to figure out what the bird was.ï¿½ It was an important thing to know.

On her way into the back room, she stepped on something round that was rolling about on the floor.ï¿½ She slipped but managed to catch herself on the doorframe.ï¿½ Beads from one of the many blue strands hanging in the doorway had broken from the chain and were lying on the floor.ï¿½ Sheï¿½d pick them up to reattach later.ï¿½ Stupid, cheap curtain!ï¿½ I almost fell.ï¿½ I wonder if any more broke off.ï¿½

The room was semi-dark but Sybil could open the computer and turn it on in the dark.ï¿½ She left the lights off since she didnï¿½t want to draw attention to the fact that she was there when the closed sign was on the door.ï¿½ She sat down and reached to flip the laptop open.ï¿½ The desk was empty.ï¿½ She frantically reached around, thinking she had pushed things back to handwrite something last night.ï¿½ There was nothing there.ï¿½ She now knew the bird was a raven foretelling bad news.ï¿½ Since she was in Muggle London, she knew the computer hadnï¿½t magically disappeared.ï¿½ It had to have been stolen.ï¿½ But who knew it was back there?ï¿½ And how did they get in?ï¿½ Sure, there were mugs on the table but everything else seemed undisturbed.ï¿½ All Sybil could think is that she was on her own.ï¿½ What would she do without her computer-generated fortunes?ï¿½ She had a lot of research stored in that stupid piece of equipment.ï¿½ It wasnï¿½t important to someone else, but to Sybil, it was her life.ï¿½

Sybil felt dizzy.ï¿½ She was sweating and her heart was racing.ï¿½ She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, praying for a vision.ï¿½

I donï¿½t know what to do.ï¿½ Merlin help me.

Chapter Endnotes: This story was written under Prompt #1: The Amateur Sleuth. Something incredibly valuable has gone missing, and everybody is completely stumped. There is no way a stranger could have entered the room! Nothing--except for the missing object, of course--seems to be changed. Although . . . were those blue beads on the floor before? And did you really leave those two mugs out on the table?

Thanks so much to Kerichi, who did a damn good job of betaing so quickly and professionally. You're always #1 with me, Paige.