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"The Inner Eye does not See upon command!"
— Professor Trelawney, scandalised by Dolores Umbridge's request that she predict something[src]
Sybill Trelawney's second prophecy

Sybill Trelawney using her inner eye to make a prediction

The Inner Eye[1] (also known as Sight)[2] was a term of Divination, in which it meant the mind of a Seer.[1][3] The term not only referred to the way a Seer's mind saw the future, but also the ability to see the future, which was a rare gift.[1][3] Only Cassandra Trelawney, and her great-great-granddaughter, Sybill, were said to possess it.[3]

Sybill's mastery with it was abysmal, with most of her predictions considered to be "woolly" by Hermione Granger[1] and fraudulent by Dolores Umbridge.[3] Despite this, many predictions she made, particularly concerning Harry Potter, were in fact true.[4][5]

History[]

Professor Trelawney having a vision HM613

Trelawney having a vision with her Inner Eye

During the 1989–1990 school year, Professor Trelawney interrupted one of her sixth-year Divination lessons to tell them her Inner Eye had showed her a vision of a Dark wizard having escaped from Auror custody having been spotted nearby. However, Ismelda Murk pointed out that that was the Daily Prophet's headline, but Trelawney replied that she had forseen the headline.[6]

"Harry wheeled around. Professor Trelawney had gone rigid in her armchair; her eyes were unfocused and her mouth sagging... But Professor Trelawney didn't seem to hear him. Her eyes started to roll. Harry sat there in a panic. She looked as though she was about to have some sort of seisure. He hesitated, thinking of running to the hospital wing — and then Professor Trelawney spoke again, in the same harsh voice, quite unlike her own..."
— Sybill Trelawney using her inner eye to make a prediction[src]

In Harry Potter's first Divination class, Professor Trelawney stated that she does not often leave her Tower for "descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye".[1] Later, when Harry told Ron that "you're going to suffer, but be very happy", Ron suggested that Harry needed his Inner Eye tested.[1]

In Harry Potter's fifth year at Hogwarts, during an inspected lesson, Hogwarts High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge chose to end the inspection by requesting that Trelawney make a prediction. Trelawney was scandalised, replying that "The Inner Eye does not See upon command!" but then relented and made a vague prediction regarding Umbridge being in grave danger. Furthermore, she also told Umbridge more about the Inner Eye, and how it apparently skips three generations in families.[3]

Prior to joining Albus Dumbledore to hunt for the Horcrux in the Cave, Harry Potter encountered Professor Trelawney just outside the Room of Requirement, where she reported hearing a male voice that sounded like it was celebrating. She stated that she called "Who's there?", prompting Harry to ask if she couldn't have figured out without asking. She replied that the Inner Eye was "fixed upon matters well outside the mundane realms of whooping voices". Harry was unimpressed, having "heard about Professor Trelawney's Inner Eye all too often before".[7]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 6 (Talons and Tea Leaves)
  2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 15 (The Hogwarts High Inquisitor)
  4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 16 (Professor Trelawney's Prediction)
  5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 37 (The Lost Prophecy)
  6. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Chapter 13 (On the Run)
  7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 25 (The Seer Overheard)
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