Trelawney's part in HBP

[oiboyz]

No: HPFGUIDX 137458

"hsvdine" wrote:

> It seems to me that JKR is very purposeful in what she throws in and 
> likes to bury clues in the books so it strikes me as very important 
> that Professor Trelawney is seen several times in HBP and seems more 
> agitated each time. I don't quite buy the shes just a drunk line and 
> it seems like there is more here. Anyone else have any thoughts....


   Well, maybe Trelawny's just upset for the same reason as everyone
else: LV is getting more powerful and people are dying.  Or maybe
she's upset because Firenze is still around, teaching half her classes
and stealing the affections of her most devoted students (Parvati and
Lavender).

   A cooler explanation for Trelawny's agitation is that her Inner Eye
is disturbing her more and more as LV's power increases.

   redandgoldlion had a fun theory going in post #132958 that
Trelawny's drinking enhances her divination prowess.  She had two
spot-on prophecies in HBP.  First she turned over a card that
indicated Harry's presence ("Knave of spades: a dark young man,
possibly troubled, one who dislikes the questioner"), and she never
knew it was right because Harry was hiding behind a statue to avoid
her.  Then, of course, there was her prediction of the
"lightening-struck tower"

   But I'm inclined to think that the knave of spades was
coincidence-- if Trelawny walks around the castle flipping cards over
constantly, she's bound to be right a few times.  And the second
prophecy ain't so impressive when you consider that she *always*
predicts disaster, so any time a disaster does happen, she'll have
predicted it.  "Lightning-struck tower" is reasonably vague.

   I think the most important Trelawny moment in HBP was when
Dumbledore told Harry that she needs to be kept at Hogwarts because
she'll be in great danger from Voldemort if she leaves.  Now that
Dumbledore is dead and Snape has fled, is Harry the only one on the
good side who knows that Trelawny made the prophecy?  I suspect her
protection will be one more responsibility for him to deal with in Book 7.

   -oiboyz