Cassandra Vablatsky

Cassandra Vablatsky was a celebrated Seer and the author of Unfogging the Future, the primary textbook used for the subject of Divination at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Although she does not appear directly in the narrative, her work is a cornerstone of the Divination curriculum studied by Harry Potter and his classmates, representing the established, academic side of fortune-telling within the wizarding world.

Little is known about the life of Cassandra Vablatsky from the original novels. She was a renowned Seer who lived to an advanced age. During her life, she authored Unfogging the Future, a comprehensive guide to various methods of divination which became a standard text at Hogwarts. According to her Famous Witches and Wizards Cards, Vablatsky lived from 1894 to 1997. (video game)

There is no canonical description of Cassandra Vablatsky's physical appearance or personality.

• Divination: Vablatsky was a “celebrated Seer”, indicating a high level of proficiency and talent in the magical art of Divination.
• Authorship: She was a skilled author, capable of compiling her vast knowledge of fortune-telling into Unfogging the Future, a textbook used for decades at Hogwarts. The book's contents suggest she was an expert in numerous divinatory methods, including:
  • Tessomancy: The art of reading tea leaves.
  • Palmistry: The art of reading palms.
  • Crystal-gazing: The use of a crystal ball to see the future.
  • Fire-omens: A method of divination also covered in her book.

• Unfogging the Future: Vablatsky's most famous legacy is her book. It is described as a heavy, leather-bound volume that serves as the set textbook for third-year Divination students at Hogwarts, assigned by Professor Sybill Trelawney.

No personal relationships involving Cassandra Vablatsky are documented. Her primary connection to the story is through her work, which was studied by generations of Hogwarts students, including Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. While Professor Trelawney relied on Vablatsky's book for her curriculum, students like Hermione Granger were highly skeptical of its teachings and the validity of the subject as a whole.

• Cassandra: The first name is likely a reference to Cassandra from Greek mythology. She was a princess of Troy blessed with the gift of prophecy by the god Apollo, but she was also cursed so that her true predictions would never be believed. This name is highly fitting for a Seer in the *Harry Potter* universe, where Divination is often treated with skepticism and disbelief.
• Vablatsky: The surname bears a strong resemblance to “Blavatsky,” the surname of Helena Blavatsky (1831–1891). Blavatsky was a famous Russian occultist and co-founder of Theosophy, a spiritual movement. This suggests a direct real-world inspiration for the character's name and magical specialty.

• Cassandra Vablatsky is featured on a Famous Witches and Wizards Cards in the video game adaptations of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (GBA) and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (PC/Console versions). This card is the source of her birth and death dates (1894-1997). (video game)
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the textbook Unfogging the Future appears as a physical prop, but its author, Cassandra Vablatsky, is not mentioned by name. (film)