Professor Trelawney appeared to be in utter panic.
# Trelawney: "The Dark Lord? The one whose name must not be spoken? My dear child, this is not something to jest about—resurrecting, truly…"
# Parvati: "You did say that just now!"
Parvati finally managed to get up from the floor, still looking shaken.
# Parvati: "You said the child who shouldn't have been born has changed everyone's destiny, and the Dark Lord will rise again…"
Suddenly, she clamped her hands over her mouth and practically leapt to the farthest corner of the classroom from Orli.
# Trelawney: "I think you must have dozed off for a moment, dear!"
Professor Trelawney said,
# Trelawney: "I would never predict such a dreadful thing!"
But her words did little to calm the room. Many students began to look at Orli with fear, even going so far as to move their desks and chairs away from her. Orli quickly realized what they were afraid of—Trelawney's earlier words were so incoherent that they thought Orli was the one who would bring about the Dark Lord's resurrection!
# Hermione: "You—ignorant—ridiculous—people! You'd rather believe the nonsense of a fraud than trust your own classmate!"
Hermione shouted in a sharp voice, standing protectively in front of Orli like a mother cat guarding her kitten.
# Harry: "Parvati! You've got it all wrong; there's no way Orli could be connected to Voldemort!"
Harry also stood by Orli's side.
# Trelawney: "Don't say that name!"
Professor Trelawney's face turned pale.
# Lavender: "But Professor just said… 'She' could bury everyone…"
Lavender's voice trembled.
# Lavender: "Professor said 'she.' The Dark Lord couldn't be 'she,' so it must be…"
# Ron: "Shut it, Lavender Brown! Orli is still your roommate!"
Ron snapped angrily.
The Divination class ended in a chaotic rush.
As they descended from the North Tower, none of the students, except Harry, Hermione, and Ron, dared to walk within two meters of Orli.
Rumors spread among the students like wildfire. By dinnertime, nearly everyone at the four long tables in the Great Hall was either openly or discreetly glancing at Orli, whispering.
"Trelawney's predictions, eh? Remember, she forecasts someone dying or getting seriously injured every year. Maybe this time it's just a new twist."
"But this involves You-Know-Who…"
"Did you hear? Trelawney looked so strange at the time. I say, better safe than sorry…"
"Make the Dark Lord rise again? Her? A third-year half-blood?"
...
...
Orli barely tasted her food, finishing her meal in a few hurried bites. She couldn't even recall what she'd eaten; the unchewed food felt like stones in her stomach. She left the Great Hall quickly, even before Harry and the others had finished eating. On her way out, she crossed paths with a group of second-year Ravenclaws.
The result? The girls suddenly turned around and fled in the opposite direction. Only Luna, who was trailing behind, was left standing—no one had remembered to call her. But she didn't seem to find Orli frightening.
# Luna: "You're Orli Waters, aren't you? I've seen you. On the first day of school last year, you could see Thestrals."
Luna's voice was light and lilting, almost like a song. Orli forced a faint smile.
# Luna: "You know, the power of a prophecy comes from people believing in it. If you believe it, it becomes true. If you don't, then it's just words."
Luna gazed at Orli, her silvery eyes distant and dreamy.
# Luna: "But there are some pesky Wrackspurts around you. They're invisible, buzzing into your ears, messing up your thoughts."
She waved her hands in the air as if shooing away invisible moths. Two of her fingers bore homemade rings that looked like they had blue mint candies stuck on them. Watching Luna's antics, Orli suddenly felt much better.
# Orli: "Thank you, Luna."
This time, her smile was genuine.