A shift in fate | Mattheo Riddle

Song: It's Not Living (If It's Not With You) - The 1975

I was still trying to process what the tarot cards had just shown me. My heart felt heavier with each passing second, my thoughts tangled in a growing unease. Colin couldn't be the student coming to Hogwarts... right? That wasn't possible. I hadn't scripted him in, hadn't even thought about him since arriving here. So why was he showing up in the cards?

Mattheo's words about him echoed in my mind. Let's just hope that fucking piece of shit of an ex of yours isn't coming back. He had said it so casually, like he didn't even consider it a real possibility. But I wasn't so sure anymore.

A dreamy voice cut through my spiraling thoughts, pulling me back into the present.

"Now, now, dear students," Professor Trelawney announced, hands delicately pressed against her chest as she beamed at the class. "I trust the cards have provided you with the answers you were seeking."

Her misty gaze swept over the room with an almost unsettling excitement, as if she could already see which of us had uncovered something truly groundbreaking.

"I would be delighted if one of you would be so kind as to share your revelations," she continued, clasping her hands together.

Immediately, students sank lower in their seats, avoiding eye contact like their lives depended on it. The last thing anyone wanted was to be volunteered to explain whatever nonsense they had just pulled from their tarot spread.

Trelawney's eyes glided across the room, searching, hunting. Then, with a slow, knowing smile, she zeroed in on the left side of the classroom.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy," she said, tilting her head, her expression unreadable. "Would you please be so kind as to share what the cards have revealed to you?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat, glancing at Draco beside him before scanning the classroom as if hoping someone would save him. But no one spoke. Finally, he let out a quiet sigh and cleared his throat.

"Uh—certainly, Professor," he said hesitantly.

But before he could say another word, Draco cut in with a single, sharp response.

"No."

The refusal was firm, unwavering, spoken with all the irritation of someone being asked to do something completely beneath them.

Harry whipped his head toward Draco, his jaw clenching. "Malfoy, shut up," he hissed under his breath. "I'll talk. It's fine."

Draco, still slouched in his chair, rolled his eyes dramatically and crossed his arms over his chest, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.

Professor Trelawney, however, only smiled knowingly, as if she had already foreseen this exact reaction.

"Wonderful," she said, nodding encouragingly. "Go on, Mr. Potter. Share with us what fate has revealed to you."

Harry swallowed, clearly trying to keep himself from sighing again. He glanced at the cards in front of him before speaking.

"Well, I pulled the Ace of Pentacles," he started, shifting slightly in his seat. "I think that means something about new opportunities or change?" His voice lifted at the end, uncertain.

Professor Trelawney nodded as if he had just uncovered a deep, sacred truth. "Yes, yes, indeed! A powerful card signaling a new path ahead."

Harry gave her a tight-lipped smile before continuing. "Then there was the Page of Wands, which—um—" He hesitated. "Maybe it's saying I should be more open to taking risks?"