[HPforGrownups] Character Summary: Professor Trelawny

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

No: HPFGUIDX 6453

Hi --

Thanks to Scott for chiming in with this summary!  It is *more* than
satisfactory -- I enjoyed it very much in fact.  :--)

Scott wrote:

> "Tripe, Sibyll?"

My husband thinks this is one of the greatest examples of JKR humor.  I
can't help but agree.

> One of the biggest things which stood out to me when reviewing her
> role in the books was that her interactions with McGonagall and
> Hermione are
> very much the same.  I know in the past comparisons between the two,
> Prof. Mcgonagall and Hermione, have been made but it really does seem
> to me that their reactions show something about both their characters
> and Trelawny's.

I definitely think Hermione looks to McGonagall as a role model and may
have picked up some disdain for Trelawney from her.  But, as far as we
know, Hermione did form her own initial impression before having benefit
of McGonagall's thinly-disguised feelings about Trelawney (I'm thinking
of the Talons & Tea Leaves chapter .... McGonagall has some words to
offer about Trelawney but only after the class has first met Trelawney
and Hermione has already it seems decided she's suspect at best).  I
think it's quite interesting that Hermione's attitude mirrors
McGonagall.  They're both sort of no-nonsense types.  I have the sense
that Hermione later complains about the lessons & such to McGonagall,
leading to her later comment to the boys that McGonagall says that
divination is a very imprecise branch of magic.

> So when the disscussion of Trelawny comes down to it, the real
> question is CAN we take her seriously.  While she may have only made
> two true predictions it seems that many of her predictions do come
> true in vague and slightly unrelated ways. She, so it seems, is
> either an extremely gifted diviner or a pitiful excuse for a
> Professor and a big fraud.  My money is on the latter especially
> since the only real prediction she's made is one she did w/out
> knowing it.

I was listening to PoA in the car today -- the Talons & Tea Leaves
chapter.  Harry's tea leaves do say that he will receive unexpected
gold, a windfall.  Does this mean that his winnings in GoF were
predicted in this chapter?  If so, what do we think of Ron's tea
leaves?  Suffering, trials & tribulations but happy.  I can't decide
what that might mean specifically -- it's not as specific as the
unexpected gold.

> 1) Is Trelawny fighting a losing battle?  Is there anyone who
> believes in her powers (besides Lavender and Parvati)?

Well .... why *does* Dumbledore keep her on?  Maybe all potential
Divination instructors are batty also.  <g>   I think she's probably
largely there to serve the narrative.  JKR is poking a little fun at her
for certain, and her mysterious first accurate prediction is still yet
to be revealed.  And, she certainly adds some humor to the stories.  Her
own actions & such are humorous, and she indirectly injects humor
through the other characters (the weird & wacky predictions that Harry &
Ron devise for themselves for example).

Penny


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