"However, since you understand this, I don't need to worry about you anymore. Remember, don't indulge in fantasies about the future."
After the two laughed for a while, Professor McGonagall spoke gently to Dylan, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
In truth, Professor McGonagall knew that divination had some merit.
The reason she didn't want Dylan to dive deeply into it was because she had seen too many wizards—especially young ones—fall victim to the illusions of divination.
They would spend their days studying the shapes of tea leaves or staring into the faint mist swirling inside crystal balls, hoping to catch a glimpse of the future.
Their hearts and minds became consumed by worries and calculations about events that had not yet come to pass.
Unknowingly, they neglected the most precious thing: the present.
Time slipped away from them, wasted in fear of gain and loss.
Only after crashing headlong into the harsh realities of life—bloodied and battered—would they awaken, startled and regretful, left only with a crushing sense of failure.
That was what Professor McGonagall truly feared.
Divination should serve to guide the present, not trap people in endless illusions.
That's why Hogwarts only introduced Divination as an optional course from the third year onwards—and even then, the school didn't put much effort into promoting it.
Dylan understood Professor McGonagall's concern, which was why he had made that half-joking remark about his divination abilities.
But the truth was, he wasn't just joking.
During his study of Divination, Dylan wasn't merely going through the motions. He had actually made remarkable progress.
His growing affinity for divination was proof of his emerging talent.
Most importantly...
There were many parts of the story he had forgotten—or only vaguely remembered.
Through divination, he was sometimes able to recall them!
For instance, through the mist of the crystal ball, he had seen Professor McGonagall becoming Headmistress.
This was something from the plot of the original story, but he had witnessed it through divination.
Discovering this excited Dylan tremendously.
He continued to experiment with the crystal ball, hoping to glimpse more fragments of the plot.
And he succeeded.
For example, Dylan clearly saw, in the crystal ball, the tragic deaths of Fred and George.
This discovery left him deeply shaken and even more fascinated with divination.
Which led to—
The Gryffindor Common Room
When Harry passed by, he noticed Dylan sitting quietly, holding a crystal ball, stroking its smooth surface in a mysterious, almost reverent way.
Curious, Harry walked over and asked,
"Hey Dylan, why do you always have that crystal ball with you lately? Everywhere you go, you're staring at it. Did you see something about the future?"
Dylan smirked slightly and replied,
"I've seen a little... so I thought maybe I could see even more."
At this point, Dylan's study of divination mainly revolved around glimpsing scenes from the future.
He hadn't yet learned how to use the crystal ball to peer into the past—though he desperately wished he could.
He would have loved to witness the hidden story of Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
Even with his current limited ability, though, he sometimes found surprising things.
The results of divination were not always accurate, but that was what made it so exciting.
In the process, he not only recalled forgotten plot points, but occasionally even uncovered small details that hadn't been mentioned in the original story at all.
Of course, divination was, at its core, a technique for peeking into fate.
Through his efforts, Dylan unlocked several achievements related to divination, boosting his talent even further.
However, truly mastering divination was still a long way off—
It was, in fact, even harder to learn than Transfiguration.
After all, Transfiguration at least had clear steps that could be practiced and verified.
But divination?
It danced on the edge of reality and illusion, where even the most talented wizard could easily lose their way.
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