Chapter 302

"You should have anticipated this, Madame Trelawney," Arnold said from a distance, his expression calm. "Several students have reported to me that your teaching style is difficult to comprehend—perhaps that is the primary reason the Minister agreed to sign."

"This is impossible, no… Hogwarts is my home!" she shrieked. "I refuse to accept it!"

As the spectacle showed signs of escalating, footsteps suddenly approached; Professor McGonagall pushed through the crowd and walked straight to Professor Trelawney, gently patting her back as she pulled a handkerchief from her robe.

"There, there, calm down, Sybill. Wipe your nose," she murmured. "It's not as bad as it seems. We'll find a way."

"I find no justification for allowing Sybill Trelawney to remain in her post," Snape said coldly, standing beside Arnold. "According to current regulations, once the dismissal order is signed, it cannot be revoked."

"But dismissal doesn't mean she can't stay at Hogwarts," McGonagall said. "The Headmaster decides who remains in the castle—or, as the newspapers suggested before, appoint her to some administrative position."

"I have no objection," Snape said sharply, "but since someone bypassed me and went straight to the Minister, they won't accept this outcome. They'll likely insist on driving Sybill out completely."

"No, Minerva, leaving the school is my own decision," Trelawney sniffled. "If they don't want me here, I'd rather find work elsewhere."

"I deeply regret this, Madame Trelawney," Arnold bowed his head. "You've been drawn into a political struggle. External forces are attempting to infiltrate the school, and I am nearly powerless to stop them."

"External forces?" McGonagall looked up, sharply studying Arnold.

"Please come to my office first, Professor Trelawney," Snape suddenly said. "We can discuss your severance package—and you'll need to recommend a new Divination professor for me."

"Otherwise, the forces behind this may invoke the already-prepared Education Order No. 22 to place their own candidates into Hogwarts," Snape half-closed his eyes.

"You simply need to find a new teacher by Monday," Arnold said calmly. "Even if the forces behind this are desperate, the Minister won't work on weekends."

"Come upstairs with us first," McGonagall said, guiding her up the marble staircase. Flitwick followed behind, using a charm to levitate Trelawney's two large trunks.

Students who had been gathered near the entrance hall immediately began whispering among themselves, curious about the identity of these "external forces," their voices rising in a chorus of speculation.

"Perhaps it's infighting among the Death Eaters—someone trying to insert themselves into Hogwarts," a Slytherin student declared confidently. "It can't be Lucius—he's already a governor. So it must be Regulus."

Though wrong, the analysis was reasonable; Harry nodded. This student was clearly well-informed.

"I think it's the Ministry's own move," another student said. "Professors all have their own leanings, but none actually work for the Ministry."

This classmate likely assumed Arnold was just a weak, retired Ministry pensioner, unnoticed and insignificant.

"Could it be an overseas force?" Some students, influenced by Professor Hype, began turning their gaze beyond Britain.

Conspiracies always found buyers—but if an overseas force were behind this, why did the Minister sign the dismissal order?

After listening to the students' chatter, Harry felt further from the answer than ever. Logically and emotionally, he couldn't imagine who would target Trelawney. Hogwarts' internal situation was complex, but its overall strength was formidable; any faction knew that attempting to seize control of Hogwarts would be a losing endeavor.

After the noisy breakfast, the children suddenly fell silent—they noticed Snape, McGonagall, and Trelawney, her tears dried, returning to the entrance hall.

"I regret to announce that Professor Trelawney will be stepping down from her position and leaving Hogwarts," Snape said coldly. "I expect all of you to gather in the Great Hall before Sunday dinner to welcome the new Divination professor."

"Goodbye, children," Trelawney said, then fled from the hall as if escaping.

That weekend, Harry heard all kinds of gossip in the common room; the students eagerly speculated who would become the new Divination professor, repeatedly naming powerful seers like Anna Claire or Kleine Moretti, and even someone mentioned Xuan Jun—this excited Harry, and he rushed off to Zhang Qiu for confirmation.

"Be realistic," Zhang Qiu flipped through her Divination notebook. "Snape has two days to find a teacher willing to take the blame—he won't have time to contact any big names. Look, it's already written here: he'll bring a Centaur to teach Divination."

"A Centaur?" Harry gave an incredulous look.

"Whoever's behind this will keep targeting whoever holds this position. If any wizard isn't afraid of Ministry pressure, he must not even be a wizard," Zhang Qiu analyzed. "Besides, Centaurs' divination is fairly renowned. Even if he doesn't know divination at all, as long as he can put on a show, faking the lessons won't be hard."

"So the key point is using a Centaur—someone immune to pressure—to withstand future attacks?" Harry nodded thoughtfully. "A more powerful seer could hold the position too, but you think Snape doesn't have time to convince them?"

"Exactly," Zhang Qiu suddenly laughed, remembering something. "Besides, Xuan Jun already predicted a Centaur would teach you. If he truly is a powerful seer, this prophecy must come true. Conversely, if the teacher turns out to be Xuan Jun himself, it proves his divination isn't powerful at all."

"I think he'll bring someone to save the day," Harry heard Neville say as he returned to the common room. "Probably Lupin—he's a wizard with broad skills. If any class at Hogwarts needs a substitute, he's the one they call. Most importantly, I can't imagine Snape has any loyal allies left to contact."

A werewolf seer? Harry smiled and shook his head, not arguing—but it did share a similar logic with the Centaur theory.

Yet by Sunday night, all students were stunned: their guesses had missed the mark entirely. A witch with straight black hair, dressed in velvet robes, sat on the staff table. Students who often attended Divination exchanged confused glances: aside from her hairstyle, she looked exactly like Professor Trelawney.

"That makes sense," Ron chuckled. "If they could predict exactly who the new Divination professor would be, they wouldn't need to take Divination anymore—they'd have graduated."

Harry didn't laugh. He realized this matter was far more complicated than he'd assumed.

"I am honored to introduce our new Divination professor, Sibyl Trelawney," Snape rose slowly. "She is the twin sister of the former professor, possessing the same powerful prophetic gift."

Arnold sat in his seat, expression as serene as ever, a faint smile on his lips.

"There are few seers in the country with sufficient ability who are still willing to teach students. I believe she is the most suitable candidate," Snape's tone grew firm. "I am also grateful that Madame Sibyl Trelawney accepted this invitation."

"Hello, I'm pleased to meet you," Sibyl's voice was cool and distant. "I regret what happened to my sister. I hope it won't affect our future interactions."

"That voice," Neville frowned. "There's truly no difference at all?"

Having experienced Donald and Dack as "twin brothers," Harry immediately grew alert, staring at Sibyl on the staff table. He had little contact with Sybill; now, he couldn't tell if they were truly different people.

"Could she be the same person—dyed her hair and returned to her post?" Hermione blinked. "Saying she's a twin sister, but it's really just her?"

Sybill Trelawney had lived at Hogwarts for sixteen years. For professors familiar with her or students who regularly attended her class, it was easy to guess that "Sibyl" and "Sybill" were the same person—after all, many teachers privately said Sybill had never mentioned having a sister.

Despite rampant rumors and private speculation, Headmaster Snape and Sibyl herself firmly insisted: Sibyl was a new Divination professor, and Sybill was traveling in South America during her break.

On Monday night, students who had attended Sibyl's Divination class gathered in the common room, listing fresh evidence from every angle to prove the "twin sister" was the same person.

"I mean, their theories about dreams are identical—even their word choices," Parvati said.

"She must've hidden her glasses—I've seen her touch her nosebridge several times. She's definitely adjusting them," Seamus agreed.

"Another detail: the day Sybill left, she walked out empty-handed. Where are her trunks?" Hermione said seriously.

Harry listened to their discussion and concluded: Sibyl and Sybill were undoubtedly the same person—Snape simply insisted otherwise. On the surface, Snape obeyed the Ministry's decision, granting it minimal respect. But their clumsy performance and the twin sister story were clearly Snape's way of showing his defiance—he was telling the hidden forces: Hogwarts is still under my control.

But who exactly were these hidden forces? Harry racked his brain but couldn't figure it out. The Order and the Death Eaters already had enough agents planted in Hogwarts; they had no need to insert anyone else. The Ministry had no reason—and no way—to act so clumsily and provoke Snape. The only overseas force capable of persuading the Minister—the Bai Gong—had no meaningful interests to pursue at Hogwarts.

Finally, Harry couldn't resist casting an Inspiration Charm on himself. Suddenly, a past conversation became crystal clear in his memory.

When Arnold had first been announced as Investigator, he and Zhang Qiu had analyzed it: the appointment of an Investigator was Snape's concession of some Headmaster authority to the Ministry—essentially, Snape cooperating with the Ministry to discipline disobedient professors.

Having eliminated all impossibilities, the remaining conclusion—shocking yet strangely plausible—carried the unmistakable weight of truth: the so-called "hidden force" was none other than Snape himself.