Just as Eino was going to get up and take a deck of cards, Kurumi interrupted him and asked to partner up, which was a relief to him because he had no idea how he was supposed to read his own fortune. "I suppose we could." Eino said turning his chair around to face her. "Yes, let's use Celtic Cross." He wasn't sure how to use but maybe he could learn. This was his problem when it came to studying, he always spent too much time reading and not enough practicing, which explained why he was so terrible at flying. "You can go first, I suppose."

Simon nodded wondering the reason for her frown but it wasn't his place to pry especially having just met her. "Yes in the past," he confirmed, "At least the way I'm reading into things. But its not exact science and I am not a scientist in these things. Its all a matter of interpretation," he replied with a slight shrug of one arm. Not to mention how the person who was listening to it being said about themselves saw it knowing for themselves what their life was like.

Kurumi took the deck of cards and shuffled them a bit before starting to set them out on the table. One...two cards in the center...four cards around those to make the cross and then four to the side to complete the design. She looked at Eino and felt her heart race not really knowing why. She wasn't sure that she really believed in tarot cards and what not, but sometimes Divination had ways of surprising you.

"So, I guess I start by flipping over the card in position one?" she asked looking up at Eino with her hand already on it. She was supposed to being asking the cards some sort of question, right? The only one haunting her right now were those revolving around her family. Looking back at the cards, Kurumi looked back at the card and flipped it over. "The World..."

Simon looked at Rene. "You can go first." He smiled, hoping that she wouldn't mind, he didn't want to upset her by going first and getting it all wrong. "Then I'll try to do a reading for you." He decided that he would better but the try bit in.

Hierophant? Oh yeah thats totally what he meant to say "Uh-huh" he nodded dreamily, not even realizing that he repeated an answer already given in class-- or that it was from the Gryffindor Prefect. There are benefits to sitting waaaay in front after all isnt it?

He listened to the rest of the class in pretty much the same haphhazard way. Celtic spreads? Does that go well with ham and cheese? Is that some awesome meal for St Patricks Day celebrations? Must ask the Irish-- speaking of which, where the heck is Fletcher?

Then Prof Bishop started to gesture towards the shelves with the cards. Wait, what about that yummy Celtic spread? He was getting hungry. Not really wanting to loose his spot right in front Salander aimed his wand and accio'd a deck of cards from the shelves. It flew towards him as he smoothly held out his hand to catch it.....

...... and the deck zoomed right past his fingers, skidded across his table and landed on the floor.

Hmm, not so smooth wasnt it?

The world... Eino picked up his textbook and flipped through the pages. Introduction to Tarot Card Reading.. Not that, flip, flip, flip. Spreads... Celtic Cross, Shape-Based, Chakra... Nope, flip, flip, flip. [i]Tarot Card Meanings.[i] Here we go: The World. Eino took some time to read it and understanding it before reading some parts of it aloud to Kurumi. "Successful conclusion, the end to a long-term project is in sight, celebration and success, this is a wonderful card of wholeness, perfection, satisfaction and happiness." He finished reading, looked up at Kurumi and with his eyes sparkling. "This means Faustus will be back soon so I can finish my project!" He grinned, which was a rare expression on Eino's face.

Oh Eino, still going on about his cactus that was probably a pile of dirt and broken pottery at the moment. Seeing the expression on Eino's face, Kurumi didn't want him to feel disappointed when Faustus didn't come flapping his leafy cactus wings with a letter stuck in the dirt in the pot. Kurumi smiled at Eino, "I am sure that is exactly what it means." Mental note, write to a plant shop and have a barrel cactus delivered to Hogwarts. That wasn't going to explain the lack of a letter, but perhaps Eino would be happy enough knowing the little guy was back.

Kurumi then returned to the card layout and flipped out the card in the number two position. "Okay, the Strength card," Kurumi said flipping through her textbook to look up the meaning. "...this is a card of courage and energy... It is a card about anger and impulse management, about creative answers, leadership and maintaining one's personal honor. It can also stand for a steadfast friend." She looked up and smiled at Eino. "You think that steadfast friend is me? So, I guess this is saying that you and I need to stick together."

Kurumi then went to the card in the third position and flipped that one over. This card indicates factors that are behind the Querent, usually influences from the distant past..."The Tower," Kurumi said slowly. Oh, that wasn't good. "... the Tower is a card about war, a war between the structures of lies and the lightning flash of truth," she read from her textbook before looking up at Eino nervously. Looked like their research was going to take them somewhere scary and dark. "So...you have something in the past that is going to be a a shocking revelation. Oh, and I am sure it has nothing to do about Faustus." Kurumi would see to that.

Flipping over the next card, Kurumi immediately turned to her textbook to read. "The Lovers," she said looking up for a brief moment. "Originally, this card was called just LOVE. And that's actually more apt than 'Lovers.' Love follows in this sequence of growth and maturity... In interpretation, the card indicates that the querent has come across, or will come across a person, career, challenge or thing that they will fall in love with. They will know instinctively that they must have this, even if it means diverging from their chosen path. No matter the difficulties, without it they will never be complete." Kurumi paused for a moment. She was sure this also had to do with their research and, considering that this card usually had a connection with the previous card, meant that things were going to get a bit sticky. "So...that means you really love Faustus," she smiled. Best to keep things light. Kurumi was being serious enough for the both of them.

Lila softly sighed. She would rather be brushing her kneezle but that would just have to wait until class was over. She turned the next card over and began reading the meaning for it.

Creative answers, leadership and maintaining one's personal honor...? Eino couldn't figure out what that was about. Perhaps, leadership had something to do with YWHO, but besides that he couldn't think of what those could possibly mean. Maybe Kurumi was the steadfast friend, maybe not. Eino shrugged. Since the beginning of the fortune was related to Faustus, maybe the entire reading was about Faustus. He was a rather steadfast friend, for a cactus, so it could be him. The ambiguity of the tarot card reading was beginning to upset Eino, he hated not being able to entirely understand something. Still, Kurumi was probably the closest friend to Eino, other than Faustus, so it could be her. "We oughtn't stick together, though." No, no, no, that did not sound comfortable. "You see, I'm not allowed in the Gryffindor Common Room and you're not allowed in the Ravenclaw one." Maybe Kurumi was thinking about that evil muggle super clue again.

Moving on, the second card was an even bigger puzzle to Eino. He should like to skip it, or pick a different, clearer card. He didn't know what "war" could mean, or what "revelation" he could come across. Regardless, he didn't like this card. It had the word lies, and lies were not supposed to be told. Maybe the card was lying. The last card was much more accurate than the previous ones. Yes, Eino loved many things, including Faustus. Maybe this reading was all about Faustus. What if that means that something back happened to him? What if Faustus got lost? What if it got hit by lightning? Eino did not like where this was going. This Divination thing was not helping him at all, it was only making him worry. "I like studying this better than practicing." Eino said frowning.

Selena just nodded, deep in thought. "Makes sense," she muttered. She nodded again as he spoke. She let out a little sigh though. Perhaps she should say how it was, but she didn't want to launch into like... a little therapy session or anything. Pffft. That would just lead onto the waterworks and Selena didn't like waterworks. Merlin, this thing was actually accurate so far. Blech. "Alright, so what does the next card say?" Selena asked. Best to get this over with first. Still, she took a little note of it in her notebook.

Kurumi laughed. "I don't think it means that we literally have to stick together," she said playing with her long black hair. "You wouldn't be able to get into the girl's dormitory anway. The staircase would collapse and turn into a slide." She turned to her parchment for a moment to add a few notes. "Just that we are friends and should try to stay that way," she said looking up and smiling gently at him. That is, if these cards were actually telling them something and not just pieces of paper with pretty pictures on it. "I like making my own tarot cards," she sighed flipping over the next card and turning to her textbook to interpret it. "Just think of us practicing as studying, and then maybe it won't be as scary?" Kurumi wasn't sure that made any sense herself, but oh well.

Okay, now back to the task at hand. What did Eino's short term outlook, well, look like? "Judgement," Kurumi said as she flipped the card over. Not really all that surprising actually. "There are wounds from the past that we never let heal, sins we've committed that we refuse to forgive, bad habits we haven't the courage to lose. Judgement advises us to finally face these, recognize that the past is past, and put them to rest, absolutely and irrevocably. This is also a card of healing, quite literally from an accident or illness, as well as a card signaling great transformation, renewal, change. So, you need to face something...and, um, let go..." Like dropping Faustus off the Owlerly and sending him to his doom. Oh wait, Eino didn't know that he had done that.

Kurumi flipped over the next card, the one that was supposed to represent whether the situation is on its way towards a resolution or not. "The Moon," that was probably a good thing, right? "This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. The Querent who gets this card should be warned that they may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if they have any past mental problems, they must be vigilant in taking their medication. " Kurumi stopped and tilted her head to the side. Emotional and mental trial? Over a cactus? Kurumi supposed he could be unusually worried about his pet plant. Eino was very attached to Faustus after all. As far as she knew, Eino didn't have any mental problems. Sure, he was a bit odd, but this card seemed to be a bit off its rocker. "Ah! Here we are. This sounds better. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. They can and should trust their intuition. So, you know what to do." Or something like that.

Flipping over the next card Kurumi and her eyes widened. "How interesting, The Hermit. When applied to people, the Hermit represents a wise, inspirational person, friend, teacher, therapist, someone the Querent usually sees alone, someone the rest of the Querent's friends and family may not know about. This a person who can shine a light on things that were previously mysterious and confusing. They will help the Querent find what it is they are seeking." Kurumi looked up at Eino once more tilting her head to the side deep in thought.

Kellen grinned at Sabel, glad someone else looked as lost as he did. This was one of those classes where he wanted to do well; it was just that his brain wasn't necessarily wired for it, "I'm completely and totally ready. I played Muggle Jenga, and passed my Ancient Runes O.W.L., and I can do this." Because those were clearly all the qualifications needed to do a Tarot reading.

Once Sabel was back with the cards, he took them and began to shuffle the deck. As he did so, he commented, "I have no idea why you always insist on using the most battered and unsightly equipment available." It probably wasn't a good idea to insult a Tarot deck while shuffling it, but if anything it would allow the thing to tap into his personality and give a more accurate reading, right? Right.

He set the deck on the table, cut it, and after restacking turned up the top card: Justice.

"Right, there's my significator. Read me a fortune, sir."

"Because the oldiest, scuffiest means they are the most used, most worn, most able to last the longest and thus the best." He watched his friend shuffle the cards with a quizzical expression, trying to work out exactly how this was supposed to be done. "It's like a person, the longer they are about the more tattered the look but the more knowledgeable they are. So I've heard."

When Kellen picked his card off the deck and placed it before him, he blinked between it and his friend. "I always thought the person answering the question or reading the fortune shuffles the cards and then I dunno, the one getting the reading splits the deck. Suppose this way imprints more of your energy." Shrugging his shoulder, he drew the card towards himself with one finger and peered at it. "Aren't you supposed to be asking a question, or do you just want a general reading?"

"Either that, or this Tarot deck has contracted dementia. Regardless, I don't think I'll be planning my life around whatever you find out." Kellen shrugged. He didn't know how these things worked. 'Tarot readings' at his house usually involved one of his sisters using a deck of exploding snap cards and throwing them at another one.

"If you know how these things work more than me, feel free to correct me." He poked the deck with a finger, asking, "Will Sabel be relatively emotionally stable this term?" A friendly wink was sent Sabel's way, "It's relevant to me, seeing as I'm the only shoulder you can cry on without bending in half."

Grinning, Sabel sent a light slap to Kellen's prodding finger, attempting to shoo his hand and comments away. "Alright smarty pants. I was just asking. We'll do it your way." Picking up the card he turned it about in his fingers, tilting his head slightly to the side. "And I can give you the answer to that. Relatively. How's that? I am doing quite well thanks to your shoulder." And thanks to Kellen visiting for near the whole summer to keep his mind off how empty the house felt...

"Anyways, lets see. Justice." Flipping the card once more he held it so Kellen could see the image. "It's about balance with the absence of emotion or attachment, using reason and the natural order of things. Bringing things back to order even if it's not something you like or want because in the end fair is fair." Tilting his head he flipped the card upside down. "Reversal is indicative of a bias..."

"So, what I'm getting is that it's telling you that you're doing a fine job as Head Boy. Keeping order and managing all us crazy biased students." Grinning, he peeked around the card to his friend. "The hand of justice, sitting right here in this classroom. I'm honored."

"You're full of fertilizer," Kellen returned promptly, holding up his recently smacked finger, "and you struck the hand of the hand of justice. That's not going to bode well for your reading, Mr. Dakest."

Though really, he was kind of happy at the card's meaning. Next time Neptune went and told him he was being dumb or mean, he could tell her that justice made him that way. Anything as an excuse, right?

"So," he nudged the deck towards Sabel, "shuffle, cut, and draw your fate." They didn't have to do multiple cards for one person, did they?

"Full of fertilizer, eh?" Laughing, Sabel shook his head and replaced Kellen's card on the deck. "That's an interesting way of wording things. Such eloquent speech will serve you well in your League of Justice, Head Boy. Be careful to not let bias and law obstruction get in your way."

Slipping the cards together, he shuffled them slowly, not wanting to further bend or upset their already tattered state. Instead of taking the card from the top, he cut the deck and pulled off the top of the middle, flipping it about and frowning at the 'Hanged Man'. "Alright, maybe take back what I said about my mood. This looks promising." Placing the card in front of Kellen, he tiled his head slightly. He could see how he had nearly become a hanged man. "Maybe that's what'll happen if I keep speaking my mind." He was getting better, but in specifics he was thinking back to Ikenna's threat. Not a pleasant memory at all.

"I most assuredly will not." Kellen stuck his nose in the air, "I'll bulldoze right through it and expose it for what it is."

He managed to swallow the burst of laughter that threatened to come out of him on seeing Sabel's card, but couldn't totally repress the snickers. Taking the card in his hand, he gave it a falsely critical examination before turning to his notes to help his analysis, "It looks like you're approaching a time of wisdom in your life, Sabel. You stop being stubborn and resisting things, instead giving in to them and, in doing so, learning the very questions you wanted before but were too much of a blockhead to get. And apparently Neptune is your guide."

That got a laugh out of him that no amount of muscles in his lips could keep in.

Severely uncomfortable, Charley sat still at her desk, hoping someone who knew what they were doing would ask her to be their partner, because she certainly had no clue. But as the next quarter hour dragged on, she saw her classmates congregate with one another, doubting anyone knew she was still there.
Great. Did this class have an odd number of people? Professor Bishop probably thinks I slipped out the door, or forgot I was here once I stopped answering questions. Even the other first-years have partners. And it isn't as if I could do one on myself; I've only ever eavesdropped on any of this. She pulled from her bag the pack of tarot cards Henry had given her before she left for school-he said someone had given him a new deck, so he didn't need the ones he'd used for school-and put it on her desk. She reached back into her bag and pulled her text from it as well-yet another gift from Henry-opening it to its table of contents and then turning to its second chapter: tarot meanings.

Sabel stared at him. Just stared. How was that...that didn't...he was...

"You fool!" Reaching over he snatched Kellen's notebook and gave him a playful smack over the head with it. "Did you forget to clean your ears of wax this morning? What happened to bulldozing and exposing the truth? You are so making that up." Because there was just no way. Simply no way.

The smile that had touched the corners of his lips turned into somewhat of a gawking, amused stare as he skimmed over Kellen's notes. "Blimey..." Flipping the page he glanced over for more information but wasn't able to find any. "I think the world's gonna end." Because him being wise or not stubborn was just, hilariously uncharacteristic. He definitely saw where it could be applied, where actually putting aside his personal opinions and unyielding nature could come in handy, but there was something about giving into a certain new staff member that unnerved him.

Flipping the notebook back over to Kellen, he folded his arms across his chest and tried not to let the smirk of amusement indicate how absurd but purposeful the card was. "Well blockhead isn't actually in there. And the day I turn wise is the day you learn how to convey emotion."

Good to hear, he didn't want to get stuck to someone, it would be very... sticky? Eino didn't know such thing would happen if he tried to go to the girls' dormitory. Maybe Kurumi knew this because she had tried going to the boy's dormitory or maybe Walnut, being a boy, couldn't go to Kurumi's dorm unless it was being carried. "Wait, you make your own tarot cards? Can you do that?" Eino thought the cards had to be charmed or something otherwise they would just be cards and he could play divination with leaves!

"I've never been naughty!" Eino objected rather loudly. Well, there was that one time he ate the neighbor's snow from the ground, but he was really thirsty and he didn't really think it counted as theft, but apparently he was a thief! Maybe this card was enlightening him to recognize his thieving ways and atone for them. He would have to send his neighbot a box of snow the moment he returned home-- No, it wouldn't wait. He would do it promptly, or after class! He would go down to the grounds, fill a box with snow, and mail it to Mr. and Mrs. Hietanen, along with an apology letter. He looked at Kurumi very nervously as he listened to the rest of Judgement's description.

OH MY MERLIN!! Now Eino wasn't going to be able to sleep because he knew he was a thief! He would get nightmares and be tormented forever. The cards were right! All of them! THEY WERE RIGHT! He ejected from his seat and started crying. "I DID IT!" He tossed his arms and fell to his knees. "I stole it. B-b-b-but... I-I-I... I d-didn't..." With tears streaming down his cheeks he sobbed and sobbed, he couldn't get a word out. He wiped his tears but more and more came. Emotional and mental trial? It was right, all of it. Eino calmed down a bit and sat back down, still sobbing, and listened to the rest of his fortune, but he was no longer interested. He was a thief, a snow thief.

Kellen closed one eye and scrunched his lips at the whack to the head, "Of course I cleaned them. I'll have you know I've been told I have the disease of being devastatingly handsome. It's a disease which requires careful maintenance, or else it clears up."

From the look on Sabel's face as he went over the notes, Kellen grew a very smug look and also folded his arms and leaned back in his chair, "Truth exposed. You can try hiding from the Hand, but it'll get you in the end." The nose went back into the air at Sabel's last comment, "Blockhead was a more flavourful variety of text. And I have a fine spread of emotions at my disposal. I just keep them bottled most of the time. Like pricey jam."

"Very pricey indeed. Don't think anyone can afford them." His amusement turned into a slight frown as he considered the card in front of him. Something about it and it's meaning was prickling at the back of his mind, tempting him with it's logic and enticing him to the curiosity of it's practice. "You are not absent from the Hand of truth yourself though. And the truth is, those emotions are valuable even if you lower the price."

Tilting his head a little, he glance up at his friend, dismissing his thoughtful frown for a teasing smile. "The disease of being devastatingly handsome." Shaking his head he flipped his card back into the deck. "I'm still waiting to see the trail of devastation you leave in your wake oh Hand. Care to try another to see if there's a little something about ego in there for you?"

"Well, if I may, maybe you just suck at opening jars. Besides, between you and Neptune, there's enough emotion to swim in around here. I'd rather not add to the pool." Kellen picked up the deck again, giving it another shuffle. Really, he doubted this was how they were supposed to do things, but it was kind of fun just the same.

Even as he cut the deck, he sent a conspiratory wink Sabel's way, "The trick to a devastating trail is to leave it far from the place you usually frequent. As far as my ego is concerned..." He turned the card up, "King of Swords. Let me guess; I believe myself to be an expert duelist." Snicker.