Character Summary: Professor Trelawny

[smitster]

No: HPFGUIDX 6613

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Scott " <harry_potter00 at y...> 
wrote:
> 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. 

Prof. Trelawny's abilities remind me of the vaguely hinted at 
abilities of the centaurs in SS/PS.  To sum up, the centaurs in SS/PS 
had a remarkable amount of knowledge for a group seemingly isolated 
in the Forbidden Forest.  They knew that the stone was hidden in the 
castle.  And they knew about Voldemort's being not quite dead.

The centaur that rescued Harry from Quarrel/Voldemort says on 
leaving, "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by 
centaurs.  I hope this is one of those times."

To me the centaurs read that the planets were either predicting 1) 
Voldemort would immortally returned to "full strength and power" by 
drinking the Elixir of Life or 2) Harry would be killed.  Fortunately 
neither took place during Harry's brief encounter with Voldemort in 
the Forest.  But that centaur was strongly scolded by his fellow 
centaurs for (I'm assuming) interferring with foretold events.

I for one, will pay heed to Trelawny's, Harry's, and Ron's 
predictions in future books.  And yes, even the centaurs support 
Prof. McGonagall's statement that fortune telling [by planets] is 
imprecise.

On a similar topic...Did Harry have dreams in CoS or PoA which 
suggested futuristic events.  In SS/PS he has wierd dream that he 
forgets upon waking.  To me, again, he seems to be either 1) 
subconsiously figuring that Voldemort is in the turban or 2) 
predicting his later determining that Voldemort is in the turban.

Here is the passage: "[Harry] was wearing Prof. Quirrell's turban, 
which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin 
at once, because it was his destiny."  Malfoy later appears laughing 
and the dream continues "then Malfoy turned into [Snape] whose laugh 
became high and cold."  It ends with Harry waking with the burst of 
green light thing.

I'm sure that three books from now this will all be crystal.  Well, 
may be?

Paul