Simon was glad they had finally at least decided on partners so they could all move on to the actual assignment. The boy chuckling a little at his own partner's antics before picking up the set he had found earlier.

"It doesn't matter much I was just trying to have us work with others not our housemates to spend time with new people," he answered with a shrug as he handed the Chien Tung set over to Arianna once they had settled into seats across from each other. "Why don't you go first? Ask a question and then shake to see what comes out."

"You're real sweet Kurumi..." Salander murmurs as he gave the young Gryff a pensive smile. "I dunno about looking up to me... maybe more like a warning flag, you see it-- go the other way" he chuckled as he waved his hands like a cop redirecting traffic.

He looked at her as she tried to decide on her question. When she finally spoke it secretly took him by surprise. Was that the question she really wanted to ask? When the stick dropped he flipped through the pages of their book "Ok, the number 9.... It says here that its a number of Completion and Compassion, of endings and universal oneness. Its Tarot equivalent is that of The World card which represents a successful conclusion.... the end to a long-term project is in sight, and that it will be accompanied by well-earned praise, celebration and success. The World card indicates travel, not short business trips, but long, fantastic trips. Maybe a lecture tour, book signing, or just a trip around the world." He glances up "So yeah, you find a recipe to make the cockroach clusters work you'll be world famous" he grins. He sure hopes its a good kind of famous and one that isnt comedic fodder for late night talk show hosts.

He pauses for a moment "There's more to the number 9... " he remarks as he looked at her intently and a question he felt she didnt voice out "9 is also the number of generosity, of kind-heartedness, warmth and caring. They are philosophical, idealistic and romantic, of a philanthropic nature, they have a sense of needing to serve, and an attitude of looking for what is possible. They may also find themselves too involved in other people's problems and can become unbalanced by the emotional strain." He presses his lips together and looks up from his reading. Ooops?

"9s also indicate a period during which your ideals will be tested and forged anew. You will be broadened in ways that you would never have dreamed possible. You will likely experience a dramatic psychological and spiritual expansion. Old relationships that no longer have a place in your life will be let go of. Even old habits or characteristics that you believed were fundamental to your identity seem to evaporate. There is a need to forgive those in your past and let them get on with their lives, as you must with yours. Hanging on to negative attachments, either out of anger or a sense that justice has not yet been done, will bring you much misery and, if the courts are involved, protracted lawsuits." His brows goes up on the last bit and with finality shuts the book "Yeah lets avoid that-- lawsuits. Even if you win the courts, the lawyers will drive you nuts." True advise right there.

"Okay, ummm..." 'Think of a question!' Ariana told herself. Se heard what Raven was saying beside her.

"What big things might happen to me in the next month?" she asked.
She felt a little bit silly talking to a bag of sticks, but...
Ariana pulled out a stick and held it, looking at the number on it.
"Seven. What does that mean?"

Kurumi eyed Salander as he did some sort of weird dance. Was that his flag dance? Did they have those in Great Britain? Kurumi only knew how to do some dances with fans that she had learned growing up in Japan. Perhaps Salander could teach her sometime.

Kurumi watched as Salander performed her reading about her cockroach cluster question and was rather happy to hear that she would actually create a decent cookie recipe out of those boxes upon boxes of cockroach clusters that she had in her school trunk. She had been afraid to open the boxes recently because she was afraid that they may all, well, run away and leave chocolatey cockroach footprints all over the Gryffindor common room. Her smile widened when Salander mentioned that perhaps she would meet fame on her cookie path. Perhaps she should consider opening a bakery in Diagon Alley. Or, if she ever worked at the Leaky Cauldron, maybe she could just sell her sweets there? "But, I wonder what ingredients actually go with cockroach..." she wondered aloud. It was one thing that the stick was telling her she would find the answer. It was an entirely different thing to actually find said answer.

Thinking her reading was done, Kurumi began to reach for the stick, but stopped when Salander continued to speak. A frown tickled her lips, but not because he had said something wrong, but rather something very right. Was she too involved in other people's problems? She certainly had been last term trying to keep up with all the drama between Katie and Adam. There was also the recent development of Eino dropping his pet cactus from the Owlery and her making a special order for a new one so that, well, Eino wouldn't have to know that he killed Faustus. "Emotional...strain..." she repeated still deep in thought.

What he said next especially caught her attention. Without even having asked the question that she most wanted to know the answer, he was able to provide a reading for her. Ideals tested? Well, she was certainly being tested all over the place. Her trust in her father being one. What she really thought about her role as a witch in the world society. As if Defense Against the Dark Arts hadn't made her want to collapse from mental exhaustion, there was still Mr. Ikenna walking around and making her feel like she could and should be so much more if things were just out in the open. You will likely experience a dramatic psychological and spiritual expansion. Well, that was certainly the way the cookie was crumbling. What sort of negative attachments did she have? The most daunting were those associated with her mother. Perhaps it was time to let those go? Kurumi knew she couldn't do that until she figured out everything that had happened in her family's past. "I'll try my best to avoid those if I can," she smiled giving him a nod. "Thanks, I, um, your reading gave me a lot to think about."

Listening to Ariana ask her question, Simon reached down into his bag to grab his arithmacy textbook so he could explain the reading. He flipped absently through the pages to the correct chapter as they both awaited the first stick to fall and looked up as the seven stick was chosen.

"Hmm in context with the question, the number seven means..." he started to say reading through the meanings. "You might be in for some reevaluation in your life. If it is to be a big or small step I can not tell, but with the meaning of seven being more about searching and knowledge it might have to do with your studies," he offered, giving an answer to the best of his ability. Simon had to admit he was better with the calculating of the numbers then the actual interupretations. There he lay as unskilled as he did in divination.

Raven smile, he is exclaim hard, whooh, bravery. "Okay. nice explanation, I think, I have no contest in what you said" Raven say smiling.

He took the parchment Sakura reach out to him.
"Okay, It's your turn to pick a stick and my turn to interpret it" Raven wink. he jerk his head to left to exercise it a little.

"Oh good," Sakura said, giving Raven a relieved smile as she placed the stick back in the cup and thought of what she could possibly ask. What did she want an answer to?

Honestly, she wanted answers to a lot of things, but she wouldn't ask about them specifically. They were private, not something to ask in front of someone who was practically a stranger. That being said she could ask a general question and get a general answer.

"Will I resolve the issues that are currently a major part of my life?" Sakura asked, shaking the cup slightly until a stick fell out. She was going to look but then decided to let Raven see it first, therefore she pushed the stick towards him like he had done with her and waited for the reading he would give her.

Raven took Sakura's first stick. Held it up, finding the number written into it. Raven consulted the Arithmancy book, he didn't want to give wrong interpretation on his reading, he needs to read the book twice, before he reveal what the numbers is, and the step of course.

"You're stick is numbered twenty five, we will reduced it to seven, then" Raven start "number seven signifies reevaluating this mean you should re-assess the situation you are currently in. The analysis, that you're going to finalize will be a result of very careful wisdom or I think thinking" Raven stop momentary.

"Maybe you're number suggest that you are a very private person, an analyst, logical, and very dignified one, which of course Slytherin House viable traits, also you are always have a reservation in every thing" Raven paused again finding another meaning or possible reading regarding the number seven.

"Your life path will lead you to study, test, and analyze everything because you can't be satisfied with anything at face value." Raven read that very Slytherin-ish (I think this is for Ravenclaws) value. "oh, this is good, You're a born seeker - philosophical, scientific, etc. --and because of your solitary investigation of the unknown, others will seek you out for your wisdom. --and teaching is a fair profession to you." Raven added.

"Your mission in life is to evaluate and seek out. Your purpose is to dig deeply and contemplate all you happen upon, using your skill at analysis" Raven read it loudly. "About the question --surely thing it will resolves favorably, because of your analysis and interpretation" Raven found it a very general answer, he did not sure of anything here, he just read the book, and according to the book he speak and let the real time resolves her situation, Raven smiles trying to convince Sakura about what he saying here.

Hmm... reevaluation, huh?
"I'm not sure what that means.. now I'm kinda nervous!" Ariana replied. Smiling, she said, "Okay, your turn." She took the bag of sticks and placed it in his hand. She was hoping he would pick an easy question to go with his number... she didn't want to have to try to figure things out. Not that she wouldn't, she just... didn't think she could do that well.

Simon listened to Ariana's thoughts on his interpretation, nodding in understanding to how sometimes what you got made you think. There was only thing that came to mind to ask about so he did his best to word it into a question as he accepted the set from her. "Will the team do well this term?" he questioned aloud before shaking the container of sticks until one single one finally dropped to the table in front of him.

"98..." he read as he picked up the fallen stick. "Wait...it has to be a single digit so it would be..." he mused grabbing a paper to do the calculations, speaking aloud as he wrote. "9+8=17...1+7 =8. So my answer would be eight then," Simon spoke again in explaination, looking up at his partner to hear her reading.

Sakura quickly scribbled what Raven was saying onto a piece of parchment. She wasn't sure about the whole reducing thing, but she figured that was what they were meant to do so she decided to just trust what Raven was saying and write it down for later.

"Thanks Raven. If it weren't for you I'd never have gotten this done," Sakura said with a smile. Now that they'd both interpreted for each other the homework was completed. She never thought she'd get it done this quickly when she first came into the room. As it was it hadn't taken that long. She was just glad that the homework wasn't all dry and about numbers, but that was why she loved Arithmancy because everything had a meaning, and as long as you did the sums correctly you ended up with a meaningful interpretation.

Raven smiles, he just think we're done here, sound simple more to say than doing it. "Thanks for your time, Sakura, and for your help" Raven said, smiling , looking to all people in the room, look like, they still doing reading.

Raven move picking all his things, Sakura will be stayif she want to.
Raven waved to everyone in room, "bye everybody" he say, before he took off into the door exit.

Raven minds is set to a great dinner at the great hall. Food