Crystal-gazing

"Crystal-gazing is a particularly refined art. I do not expect any of you to See when first you peer into the Orb's infinite depths."

- Sybill Trelawney



Crystal-gazing was the art of looking into a crystal ball in order to try to gain insight into the future events.

Technique
According to Sybill Trelawney, crystal-gazing was a difficult and subtle practice, and thus most people were unable to see anything the first time they tried it. Success apparently hinged on one's ability to "[relax] the conscious mind and external eyes" so as to perceive clearly with "the Inner Eye and superconscious." If a person was unable to do so, they would see nothing but swirling white fog in the crystal ball.

1993-1994 school year
On Christmas Day in 1993, Sybill Trelawney arrived late for lunch in the Great Hall, informing them she had been busy crystal-gazing, but decided to come and join them when she saw a vision of herself doing so. Later in the meal, when it was noted Remus Lupin could not be present due to an an unspecified illness, Trelawney remarked that he had "positively fled" when she had offered to crystal-gaze for him.

Trelawney introduced her third year Divination students to using the crystal ball around Easter in 1994. During this first lesson, no one seems to have seen anything except Trelawney herself, who claimed to see the Grim in the ball being shared by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. This upset Hermione, as Trelawney had claimed to see the Grim in Harry's teacup when they were studying tessomancy earlier in the term, so she walked out of the class, never to return.

The final exam that term involved a one-on-one crystal-gazing session with Trelawney. After her turn, Parvati Patil, told the queue of students that she had seen "loads of stuff." Ron, who went after Parvati, did not share her claimed success and had to make things up, which he was certain hadn't fooled Trelawney. Harry went after Ron. He told Trelawney he saw a Hippogriff, which seems to be the answer she was looking for, as she immediately brought up Buckbeak's impending execution and asked Harry whether the Hippogriff looked headless.

1994-1995 school year
During a Divination lesson on December 7, 1994, Professor Trelawney informed the class that the previous night, she had been doing needlework when the urge to crystal-gaze struck her. Looking into her ball, she had seen death, "[circling] overhead like a vulture, ever lower... ever lower over the castle."

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire