Sybill Trelawney was still shaken by her humiliating sacking a few days ago and could barely believe she was still allowed to live in Hogwarts. Minerva had always seemed to hate her, and she'd hated her back, but now she couldn't be more grateful to the older woman. Nevertheless, she'd been surprised when she'd gotten an owl this bright, winter morning from Minerva, asking her to help decorate the Great Hall for Christmas. That was the only reason she'd left her room and her glasses of Sherry.

Despite the holiday season approaching, the castle seemed almost empty and silent. Ever since the High Inquisitor imposed her new rules, children dodged the corridors of the school, and she passed by very few of them as she rushed downstairs all the way from the tower.

Sybill stepped into the enormous hall. Flouncy lace table cloths covered the long tables and four huge Christmas trees stood by the corners. She found her target on the podium.

''Minerva.'' Her voice was shaky as she approached her. ''I received your message.'' She looked around with wide eyes, pushing her large spectacles up her nose. ''Can I help with anything?''

Minerva sighed. If only there'd been someone else available to decorate with her. But no, Pomona was too busy digging into the mud for her plants, Flitwick wanted to get drunk for a week or two straight and God knew what Snape did in that dungeon room of his. Minerva shuddered. Best not to think about it. In the end, Sybil was the only one who was available. Sometimes, Minerva really hated her life.

"Here." She handed over a few evergreen wreaths. "Hang them at random places. As for these." Minerva cleared her throat and pointed at the mistletoe. "Make sure they're positioned at places where students can have some, ahem, privacy." Who even came up with these blasted traditions?

''Privacy?'' Sybill asked, blinking owlishly. ''Why would they need privacy?''

Minerva pursed her lips. "Well, it's tradition that one must...kiss the person next to them if they walk beneath a mistletoe." Though it certainly didn't seem like the students needed the mistletoe to begin their kissing sessions. Why, just today, Minerva had to break apart not one, not two, but four students in various broom cupboards. What she wouldn't do to obliviate the memory of the sounds she'd heard. Actually, I might as well do that tonight after several goblets of mulled wine.

"They do that here in school?" Sybill's voice echoed through the hall. "Of course they do." She answered her own question seeing Minerva's flummoxed expression.

The seer took the wreaths from Minerva's hand. Now where to hang them? She wondered where the kids sneaked around to kiss. With the new rules Umbridge had set up, it seemed nearly impossible to get away from her Inquisitorial Squad. The mere thought of Umbridge finding kids in their most intimate moments made her shiver.

"Do you know who, Minerva?" Sybill asked, her cheeks burning at her own curiosity.

Minerva rolled her eyes. "Do you take me for a shameless gossip? It's really none of my business which students are seeing each other now. Although, I do hope Harry Potter will kiss Miss Chang already before they go on break. The lad's been pining after that girl for years. He can face down a dragon but isn't Gryffindor enough for this!"

"He's interested in her?" Sybill asked, surprised. Then she sighed and stuck a wreath nearby with a flick of her wand. "I thought Miss Chang and Cedric Diggory were a fine pair, the way they danced in the Yule ball last year, just magical." Carrying some of the wreaths towards the entrance door, she paused. "It's a pity he's gone now, just as I'd predicted. So I guess it's fine that she and Mr Potter would dance together now, or so to speak." She glanced at Minerva over her shoulder. "Who else is pairing up these days?" Her isolation from everyone now that she had no classes to teach was almost as painful as getting fired in front of everybody. A burning desire to keep talking made it difficult to stop her questions.

Minerva clenched her teeth. As she'd predicted. As if! She wasn't as naive as her students to place her faith in Sybil Trelawney's 'predictions.' Thank God Miss Granger had enough sense to steer clear away from her. The whole Lockhart incident had had her worried. "Well, I'm sure your 'predictions' can show you the other pairs. Why don't you tell me?"

"Alright," Sybill cleared her throat and hung another wreath on the wall, adjusting it. "Miss Weasley and Mr Corner," She walked back to the podium. "I can feel they'll become a fine pair, but not for long though." Sybill hoped she was right as her abilities didn't seem as strong as before. It didn't help that people kept doubting her powers. I'm the granddaughter of Cassandra Trelawney for goodness sake! How dare they doubt my predictions?

Minerva rolled her eyes and waved her wand, sticking a wreath high up on the ceiling. Any idiot could see those two will get together soon. Who did she think she was fooling? "Who else?"

"I'm—I'm not sure," Sybill stuttered. "Draco Malfoy and... Luna Lovegood! Yes, they will have lots of children... Three, yes I'm sensing three! Blonde ones too." Keep going Sybill, you're doing great!

A laugh almost burst out of Minerva, but she managed to choke it down with a cough. "Mr Malfoy and Miss Lovegood? Why, that'll be a sight to see. I wonder if their three children would wear dirigible plum earrings and have pet snorkacks. '' Lucius Malfoy will certainly enjoy that. A grin burst out of her before she could stop it. Ahh, it had been a while since she'd heard of anything so ridiculous. Even if she did teach Ron Weasley twice a week. She'd never had such a nonsensical student before him. "Tell me, what about our youngest Mr Weasley, Ron?"

"Can't be sure about Ronald... I'm sensing he doesn't even like girls..." Sybill stretched out her hand with a flourish. "But I see..." Her eyes appeared gigantic behind her thick glasses.  "Yes, Miss Granger with Mr Weasley," Minerva raised an eyebrow. "Right, too many Weasleys... it could be all of them!" Her voice squeaked. "No... Not all of them, I'm sensing one of the twins." She closed her eyes. "Oh yes, I can see it clearly now..." She opened her eyes. "Fred Weasley!"

Minerva chuckled before she could stop herself. "Maybe you're right about Ron Weasley. He and Mr Malfoy have been through many a quarrel before, perhaps they were lover's quarrels and we've all just been blind." Sybill nodded fervently. "But Fred Weasley and Miss Granger? Never!"

"As I said, Minerva, I can see Miss Granger happy with Fred Weasley... I can see it all, Minerva." Her voice dropped to a hiss and her forehead wrinkled with consternation. "I'm telling you the truth, but you'll just need to wait and see. Not for long now." She lifted her chin.

Minerva scoffed and waved her wand in an aggressive motion, sticking little bells onto the parapets with a sharp clink. "Fine then, let's make a bet out of it, shall we? Ten galleons Miss Lovegood stays single this year and ten galleons Mr Malfoy ends up with the younger Miss Greengrass by summer. And let's see, ten more that Fred Weasley and Miss Johnson stay a couple while Miss Granger remains single before her sixth year. What about you?"

Soft footsteps sounded behind them before Sybill could answer. "Well well, what do we have here?" Severus' drawling voice echoed across the Great Hall. Sybill jumped and regarded him with wide frightened eyes. "Making bets are we? I do think those are against the new school rules."

Minerva smirked. As if Severus even cared about Umbridge's new rules. She'd seen the looks he'd given her behind her back and the 'illegal' items he'd distributed to his Slytherins when they'd asked. Sometimes she wondered when Severus was going to snap and poison her. Minerva had already bought champagne to celebrate the event. "You're welcome to join in. We're betting on the would-be couples this year."

"I bet on my prophecies, to show you that I truly have the sight." Sybill glanced between her colleagues and cleared her throat. "But my current financial situation... isn't great. So I will bet my crystals," she said proudly, the look on her face daring them to protest. But the two simply rolled their eyes. "And what about Miss Chang and Harry Potter?"

Minerva nodded "Ten more galleons they kiss before the break!"

Severus plucked one of the leaves from the mistletoe sprigs and regarded it with disdain. "Potter and Miss Chang? He's too much of a dunce to kiss any girl this year and she's still pining after Diggory. I bet a vial of any potion you ask me to make that the two never kiss and you better be prepared to lose ten galleons." Severus smirked. "As for Draco, I say he and Miss Selwyn will be a couple soon. I bet another vial." Little did his colleagues know the two were already together. He'd caught them in several broom cupboards this past month and that Selwyn girl's odd cat-like screeching still haunted his nightmares. Severus shuddered.

Another set of footsteps sounded behind them and they turned around to see Professor Flitwick striding towards them unsteadily. "Nice job ladies," Filius looked around in awe, one hand clutching a bottle and his words slightly drawn out. "...And Severus." He grinned at the man, shaking his head. "What are you betting on? Vials of what?" He chuckled.

"On the future couples this year," Sybill answered.

Flitwick smirked through his drunken stupor. I might win something. He knew about a few couples already, Harry and Cho were always ogling at each other, and he'd caught Fred and Angelina in the broom cupboard beside Ravenclaw tower just this morning. Good thing they didn't find his firewhiskey. He smacked his lips, savouring the aftertaste of the strong liqueur. "So who're we betting on?"

"When and if Harry Potter and Cho Chang will kiss— Minerva says before Christmas, Severus says never— as well as who Miss Lovegood, Granger, Mr Malfoy and Ron Weasley would pair up with. I say Fred Weasley with Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood with Mr Malfoy," Sybill said.

He stared at her enormous eyes. Besides the famous last name she'd gotten divorced over, Filius was sure she didn't have any relation to the gift. Especially considering how bogus her predictions about the love lives of the teens were. Then he glanced at Minerva. "I'm betting my finest firewhiskey on Harry Potter and Cho Chang kissing just after Christmas break.'' Cho's still too distraught over Cedric to kiss him any sooner.

The Professors continued to bicker and bet as they decorated and it was almost midnight by the time Minerva made her way up the staircase towards Gryffindor tower, clutching a single sprig of mistletoe. She dearly wanted to take a relaxing bath with a wine glass or two. But first, she had a detour to make.

She walked down the left seventh-floor corridor thrice, wishing for the DA's secret room. Oh yes, all the heads of houses knew about it and kept a mutual agreement of not telling Umbridge. Even Severus, who professed his hate for Harry every chance he got. He simply despised Umbridge more. Minerva entered the vast room and, with a swish of her wand, hung the mistletoe right above the podium where Harry Potter would stand on to teach the last DA class before the break.

Now, all she had to do was keep her ears glued to the Hogwarts' rumour mill on the boy-who-lived's first kiss. That firewhiskey will be mine.

A/N: This was co-written with OutOfMyImagination.