This. Was. All. Torin's. Fault.

SPOTTED! "Yes, sir," Fyo mumbled, feeling worse than ever, now that the professor, too, seemed to know something was wrong with him. Eep, HELP, someone help, help, HELP! Le sigh.

Jack sat quietly, waiting for class to start.

"Alright." He said, taking Fyo's word for it. "But if at anytime you feel you've got to see the Nurse, please do let me know." Just so he wouldn't mistake it for a huff and remove points.


"Alright, class, welcome to Divination. This term, we've been learning about the uses of other minds as a means of gazing into the future, as your last class demonstrated. Can you list off a few other known methods of using other minds in Divination?" He said, asking the class at large.

Kiri stared in confusion. Try as she might, she could never make much sense of Divination. She thumbed through her book at random for a while. But her classmates seemed similarly reticent (or maybe just reluctant to share their wisdom), so she decided to try for an answer.
"I'm... Professor, I'm not sure if this is what you mean," she said uncertainly, raising her hand, "but... could dream interpretation count as using other minds? Because... the dream reader tries to learn about the future using another person's, well, dreams."

"Yes, indeed it could. As it applies using a mind other than our own to attempt to determine our future. One point to Slytherin." He said, keeping note. "Any other ideas?" He held out for the class to consider for a moment longer before he'd continue. Perhaps, they just needed an example to see what was meant.

William jumped ducking his head and looking rather shy. "I... they... they were ruined in the great hall flood." he replied, before adding hastily. "I asked mum to send a new pair since I couldn't get to Hogsmeade yet but she hasn't returned my owl." looking up at Kapoor with a small pout on his lips he gulped. "I'm sorry."

Nia slowly raised her hand, unsure. "What about the type of divination by studying ghosts and shadows. Sciomancy, is it? Ghost have a conscious separate to our own." She bit her lip, worried she'd misinterpreted the question.

Raising her hand, Anna said, " What about Geloscopy? Would that be something along the lines of what you're looking for?" she questioned. Divination had always been rather difficult for her to get a grasp on, so she was completely unsure of her suggestion. "That is, of course, looking into the future by means of studying a person's laughter. Maybe you can use their laughter to tell what's on their mind...or in their future."

Herminny raised her hand not sure if she quite got it but answered saying, "Could a form of that be cartomancy bacause it is a fortune teller who determines what you're cards mean for you so it could be used as a tool to determine you're future". She hoped she was right, but whi knowss, The question in it self was so confusing she could hardly figure out what he was asking.

Jack had to think about this question long and hard--he was horrible in this class. Absolutely useless. Still, he felt bad that he hadn't participated at all in the last glass, so he wanted to provide some kind of answer to his question. "Wouldn't necromancy fall under that category?" he asked, raising his hand to answer the question. "I believe it's sometimes called Sciomancy as well, where people try and call upon dead spirits for a number of reasons, often to provide wisdom or predict the future. Since they're not using their OWN minds and using the minds of spirits, is that considered using other minds?" Jack asked.

Using other minds for divination? Meeeeeeeeh. Clifford, who had been resting his chin on folded arms, slowly raised one hand. "Scatoscopy?" He'd read about that. It was studying POOOOO. If he'd been in a better mood he woulda gigglesnorted at the very thought, instead the Head Boy carried on with his explanations. "Studying ... poo. See, the type of poo depends on what that person ate. And what that person ate depends on their mind." Gosh, he was smart.

Daniel raised his hand and said, "Professor, I think, by reading a person's way of living or the way he act on a certain situation, is a good way of using the mind to divinate." he said and then scratched his chin to think. He ought to add something but his mind is not functioning great this day.

"Yes, sir," Fyo half-mumbled once more, though he brightened up considerably when Professor Kapoor spoke again: The lesson was finally in flow, YAY! The thought of studying cheering him up almost immediately, the third year quickly raised his hand.

"Feng shui, professor?" he suggested, politely. "It's an ancient Chinese system of aesthetics, and it requires the use of the principles of the Heavens and Earth to predict the future by means of a certain energy flow, called qi." Or -" he paused, a little thoughtful. "How about Necromancy, sir? It involves the summoning of operative spirits - or the "spirits of divination" - doesn't it?"

Cedric raised his hand, "Sir,How about the necromancy that summon operative spirits using rituals and by mind." He answered clearly.

Grace looked in surprise at every student's face. How come they knew all that cooly-hardy 'cy' names? She wasn't even sure about her answer's word choice! She thought hard but couldn't make her sentence any better. She at last raised her hand and said it. "How is it called, 'reading' the leaves of tea? Or, better and more accurate I'd say, reading the coffee like the Turkish people do. They use different coffee and--" She failed to explain their coffee. She looked around hopelessly to find a way to explain properly. "--and uh--well, their coffee is worldwide famous, I suppose everyone knows it." She finished her sentence with a tone that said 'I trust you know either.'

Gabriella sat silent trying to think what that thing that her grandmother used to do on people was called..Thinking hard she thought back to all her summers at her grandparents house.And then she remembered. Raising her hand she said "Professor, Palmreading when you look at the lines of another persons hands to predict his or her future does that count as a mind divination?" Gabriella took down her hand again.

Hmmm... this was tricky. Divination was tricky in general, though - Natka never felt she fully had the grasp of this subject.

"Um, perhaps partly using the idea of psychology? Maybe looking at a persons character and past to determine their probable behaviour and reactions to certain situations in the future?" she suggested. She had no idea, though.

Abby raises her hand. "Would Dactylomancy qualify for what your looking for? It's a form of divination that uses finger movements upon a tripod, planchettes, pendulums, ouiji boards, or the use of finger rings to get in touch with the spirit world. Dactylomancy was used in Ancient Greece to predict the future."

Well, there was no way he was taking points from a student for not having their shoes on account of the flooding. "Well, let's hope she can owl in you some proper footwear soon. The castle floors do get cold at night and we wouldn't want you to fall ill or anything." He said, lightly tapping the soles of William's slippers with the end of his wand.

"Indeed they do." He said nodding once confirming the factoid. "I would normally not credit this form of divination as gathering information from another mind simply because it is not a communication, you see. In Sciomancy, the diviner is studying the shapes and measuring the darkness of spirits and ghosts. It is interpreting something else put out by another living creature, or...being, for the sake of argument if you are sensitive to their cause, but it is not a passing of information. Such as with your ducklings, who use their concious mind to gather information to pass on to you, who shall interpret it. One point to Ravenclaw." He said, elaborating on what he meant when he said he was looking for more 'direct' methods.

"It's a bit of a confusing concept at first. So if you don't understand right away, don't worry. Just ask questions, take notes and do your best." He reminded them all.

"M'mm...almost. It could if you deviate from the traditional means of conducting this practice. That is, if you found someone else to laugh for you while you interpretted the meaning. Normally, this is done by the diviner laughing until they reach a state of laughter, usually hysterical, and utters predictions. One point to Gryffindor." It was a good answer and very close to what he was looking for.

"Not exactly. In that case it is not the persons mind communing with other worldly information, but the cards themselves. And, a person could easily enough, with some practice, conduct their own personal reading as well. That is a good answer, but something a little more direct is what I was looking for." This was a bit of a tricky question, and if some of his best students were having trouble answering it, maybe he'd have to think about how he phrased it.

Kapoor fell silent. For like. A really long time. Did Mr. Carden just...?? He totally did! And, Kapoor wasn't sure just what to say to that.

"Scopy...but, you see, Mancy...!" He began, struggling a bit with a case of awkward moment. "6 points to Slytherin!" There. Free at last.

"That may be true, but we're hoping to find ways to divine the future by using not just our own minds, but the conciousness of others." The Professor explained.

"I would be surprised if there were people who were not familiar with the strong, earthy taste of Turkish coffee. When a coffee ground reader reads the shapes in the damp or wet coffee grounds, he or she is practicing 'Tasseomancy'." He said, happiest when he was imparting information on a young mind.

"Not exactly of the sort I'm refering to. It's mind divination by using someone elses mind and interpreting what you find. In the case of palmistry, as you mention, it is the palm which we are interpreting. And it doesn't have to be someone else's mind, it could be something else's concious mind." He said, dropping a clue.

"Indeed, you could, but that is more related to Astrology and Arithmancy. I think that is a good answer, Miss Leskanya, but you are over-thinking it. It's a less complex method than that."

"Not quite, Miss Wright." He said, rhyming unintentionally. "Because the instruments used in Dactylomancy may also pick up energy in addition to thought waves of a spirit. Although, it is a good guess, I am looking for examples which show a more direct method."



"Good. Necromancy." He said nodding and charming the chalk to write out the word on the board. "It is different from Sciomancy, but very closely related and sometimes, the terms are used interchangeably. But, this is a confusing term to begin with. Necromancy is also the term used for a form of dark magic in which a dark witch or wizard may corrupt the dead. Would anyone care to elaborate more on either of the practices?".

Herminny had a good idea in the answer to this question was a lot more direct and raised her hand and answered saying, "Necromancy is a form of magic in which the practitioner seeks to summon "operative spirits" or "spirits of divination", for multiple reasons, from spiritual protection to wisdom. As for sciomancy, that is divination of communicating with the dead to predict the future.".

Chris raised his hand in the air and spoke. "Professor the Divination branch of Necromancy is one that involves the Divinator speaking to the dead about the future. And in the magic sense, Necromancy is the use of magic to use spirits." He wondered for a moment, and then disided to asked the question he had tought about. "Professor, are inferi a form of Necromancy? I mean they are bodies kind of re-animated right?"

6 points for making a comment about poo? Huh? Clifford shrugged, he wasn't going to complain about that! "Sir, dead bodies and dark magic.. makes me think of those inferi dudes." The Head Boy said, hand raised.

Cela raised her hand. "True necromancy is impossible though, isn't it sir? Bringing the dead back to life? I mean, inferi are a semblance of life and so are ghosts, enchanted portraits and also anyone brought back with the resurrection stone, but it is not true life. We have not yet found a way to achieve that and it goes against the fundamental laws of magic."

Cela thought for a moment more, listening to Herminny and Chris, "Divinatory Necromancy isn't the same thing at all is it? It's more communicating with the dead in the hopes that they have some insight they might share. So why are the terms the same? You are right about it being a little confusing. Sciomancy makes more sense since its about communicating with the dead rather than bringing them back exactly... Sciomancy is done through channelers right? Mediums? And would using a Ouija board be considered a form of sciomancy? I wonder if the confusion comes from language shifts?"

Hmmmm.

"Oooh, sir are we going to have a séance ourselves? Can I ask the Bloody Baron to tell my fortune?"

Whoa. This was some deep stuff. Anna flipped through her textbook a little, reading a few additional notes about the practice before attempting any elaboration. She finally raised her hand, thinking of something she felt was worth bringing up. "Professor, it says here that some forms of Necromancy involve the calling of spirits in order to take possession of another. That'd be an example of the dark aspect of the practice," she said. "It also says that other times the spirits are called to simply tell the future, which could be an example of the good that can come from it."

Abby raises her hand. "In the Muggle world, people associate Necromancy with the Voodoo Religion and consider it black magic. Necromancy began as a form of magic in which the practioner summons "operative spirits" or "spirits of divination" for multiply meanings from spiritual protection to wisdom. Necromancy would later be associated with the summoning of demons. In Dark Magic does Necromancy have something to do with the creation of Inferi?"