She kept to herself. It had always been that way; keeping her distance from everyone, mostly out of fear. Desdemona had never been scared of anyone more than she was scared of herself and her ability, having always found it hard to cope with the aftermath of her visions. Brutal deaths were the subject of both her waking and sleeping consciousness. She avoided touch when and wherever possible.

It seemed impossible to her to have the normal life she craved so badly. If she was being perfectly honest with herself, she was envious of her twin, Cassius. He did not share her burden. He could live his life without the same fear she had carried for as long as she could remember. Mona had to remind herself daily that her... affliction should be considered a gift. To know someone was going to die, to be murdered, and be able to tell them before it happened some might consider a miracle. But to her, it was a curse.

For six years, she had avoided making friends at Hogwarts. She couldn't be bothered, unwilling to become close to people she could lose at any moment. It seemed irrational sometimes to seclude herself the way she did, but she had her reasons. Mona had even tried, at one point in her life, to keep her own brother at arm's length, but he fought hard against it, refusing to let her fade away like she wanted to.

At the time she was angry with him for not understanding why she was trying to stay distant, but now she was grateful. Without Cassius, she knew she would come undone. The careful composure she kept so firmly in place would shatter and she would fall apart.

Cass was the only one she needed, or so she told herself that. As long as they had each other, she would be alright. Mona had sworn to herself that she would protect him. Often they could be found holding hands, always touching somehow, even going so far as to break the unspoken House rules, eating together at mealtimes.

Mona was a Gryffindor. She didn't know why; she wasn't brave or even particularly talented, and yet she had been placed in a House full of people that valued, above all, friendship. Mona didn't know what she valued. She had never gone out of her way to save anyone, and made it a point to keep her visions to herself. She didn't belong in Gryffindor, she couldn't.

Cassius was a Slytherin. The day they had been sorted into separate Houses had been the day she cursed her magical powers, wishing she'd never been born with them. She didn't think it was fair. Her twin, her brother, her other half had been snatched from her. How could she make sure he was safe if she couldn't see him?

"...have to be there. If he doesn't punish your absence your cousin will."

Mona looked up from her book with a small frown, looking around the nearly vacant library. It was the first week of her seventh year, and it had been mostly uneventful. Mona had been spending her free time in the library, knowing it was the perfect spot to be alone. Except she wasn't alone anymore.

Slowly, trying not to make any noise, she stood and edged closer to a nearby shelf, peeking over the books, trying to get a better view of the hissing voices she'd overheard. When she saw no one, her frown deepened and she turned, staring at the table she'd vacated. She hadn't imagined it; she had heard someone talking.

"It's rude to eavesdrop."

Mona whirled around, her face getting hot as she looked up at the Slytherin boy standing before her with an unreadable expression. She recognized him immediately, though it would've been hard not to. His wavy black hair fell neatly just past his chin, and his eyes were storm cloud grey. His high cheekbones and strong jaw practically screamed Black. He was very nearly identical to his brother, though his nose looked slightly more pointed, not to mention shorter. He stood straighter as well, with an air of regality, unlike Sirius, who walked around with his shoulders slouched.

Regulus Black.

"I—I wasn't eavesdropping." She stammered defiantly, trying to find her confidence. This was the first time this year that she had spoken to anyone other than Cassius.

"What were you doing then?" He arched a brow at her, but his face remained passive, giving nothing away. She envied that.

"I was reading."

Regulus hummed in response and glanced at the table she had been sitting at only moments ago, staring at the open book she'd forgotten about.

"Is that yours?"

Her face flushed red again. "Yes. I was trying to find another book. I'm nearly finished with that one."

"Right..." he cleared his throat and turned his gaze back to her, eyeing her warily. "What did you hear?"

"Nothing." She sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose. She really hadn't heard anything important. "Just... something about someone being punished."

Regulus nodded slowly, though to Mona it seemed his expression had morphed into something calculative as he eyed her, his gaze sizing her up as though she were a strange specimen he had to figure out. It made her remarkably uncomfortable.

"You're staring." She said quietly, looking down at her shoes. Mona wanted nothing more now than to run off and forget this encounter had ever happened.

"Just mind your own business next time, Shaw." He muttered quietly. When she looked up, he was gone.

Later that night at dinner, Mona pushed her food around on her plate, her cheek in the palm of her hand, thinking about Regulus. She hadn't been trying to listen in on his conversation, but whoever it was he had been talking to had been just loud enough for her to hear, and it had piqued her interest. So what if she had been nosy? It's not like she had anyone to tell.

"You need to eat, Mo."

Mona glanced at her brother out of the corner of her eye. She honestly wasn't hungry, but she took a bite, immediately getting the urge to spit it back out. She swallowed reluctantly and sat up, giving Cassius her full attention.

"What do you know about Regulus Black?"

Her gave her an odd look. "I dunno. He's quiet usually. We're not really friends. Why?"

She shrugged and turned her gaze back to her food, grimacing. She shouldn't care, but she wanted to know. The world outside Hogwarts was quickly becoming more and more chaotic as the war went on. More and more people were dying. Mona felt like she suddenly had an impossible choice to make now that it was her final year.

"Miss Desdemona, your mother and father would like a word with you in the study."

Mona looked up from her book and nodded at the house elf, closing it and sliding off her bed to follow him. When they reached the study, the elf bowed low and scurried down the stairs out of sight. Mona took a deep breath and entered the study, where she found her parents standing in front of a large window looking out over their property.

Mona's mother was beautiful; pale blonde hair falling straight to the middle of her back, framing her small, heart-shaped face and kind crystal blue eyes, though she was a muggle. Her father, however, was a pure blood and worked for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He was in charge of erasing the memories of muggles that had seen too much. He seemed the exact opposite to her mother, with his dark brown hair and brown eyes, and unwavering stern expression. She had always found it ironic that he had married a muggle.

"Good morning, Mother. Father." She greeted them quietly, making her presence known. When they looked up at her, her mother beamed, though her father's smile was tight, his posture rigid. Something was wrong.

"Sit down, Desdemona, please." Her father said, moving to sit behind his desk, her mother moving to her place beside him, resting her hand on his shoulder. He seemed to relax at her touch. His expression became one of worry.

"Throughout your life we have tried to shield you from evil and misery." Her father began hesitantly, lacing his fingers together under his chin. "We have done everything in our power to keep you safe. But you have grown into a very capable young woman, and we do not doubt your ability to protect yourself."

Mona looked between her parents with a cautious expression.

"What is this about?"

Her mother and father shared a look.

"It's your final year at Hogwarts." Her mother stepped in, her eyes mirroring the same worry as Mona's father's. "Soon you will be of age, and you will graduate. Your... visions, as you know, are a secret. However, your father and I think that it's time you change that."

Mona paled. "What?"

"Your visions could save lives, Desdemona." Her father said grimly. "You could change the fates of those people doomed to lose in this war. You could change everything, Mona."

She didn't know what to say. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, constricting painfully. Mona felt like she couldn't breathe, as though someone had knocked the wind out of her. Her palms were slick with sweat and she rubbed them against her jeans. Is this what an anxiety attack felt like?

"We knew this would be hard for you to accept." Her mother said this time, gazing at her daughter sympathetically. "However your father and I agree that it's about time you start thinking about your role."

"Mo?"

Mona glanced at her brother and tried to force a smile, though he saw through her immediately and turned to straddle the bench, watching her intently. For a moment she felt nothing, but then she felt it; the familiar gentle nudge, her memories being shuffled in the forefront of her mind, like someone idly going through a filing cabinet. Cassius had been practicing Legilimency for nearly a year now, and it had quickly become a way for them to communicate. Now though, he simply wanted answers.

After a moment he grimaced and leaned back a little, having seen her encounter with Regulus in her mind. At first she wanted to be angry with him, but she didn't have the energy. He turned back to his dinner.

"Don't worry about it too much." He said dismissively, though she got the feeling he was just as curious now as she was. "It doesn't concern us."

Mona bit her lip, pushing her plate to the side so she could rest her head on her arms. Of course she knew that. She'd never spoken to Regulus before today, and it wasn't exactly like they were friends, or even had any chance of becoming friends. Not only was she a year older, but his family were pure bloods. Pure bloods that hated muggles and blood traitors, like her father.

She looked up from her staring contest with the table, scanning the Great Hall, her gaze finally resting on the Slytherin table. Regulus was seated next to Snape, their heads lowered. It looked like they were arguing. As though he could feel her eyes on him, he glanced up, their grey and ice blue eyes locking before they both quickly looked away. Snape looked up too, glaring in her direction.

"You're right." Mona said lamely as she stood. "I'm tired, so I think I'll go. I'll see you in the morning, Cass."

"Yeah, alright." He glanced up at her as she leaned down to kiss the top of his head before walking in the direction of the Gryffindor Tower, her mind preoccupied as she tried to sort out her feelings. Did she think friendship with anyone, let alone Regulus, was a possibility? She had been keeping her distance for a reason, though her parents wanted her to stop putting so much distance between herself and her peers. They wanted her to share her gift, to save lives, but she was terrified. She felt like a coward.

When she reached the seventh year girls' dormitory, most of her peers were already there, getting settled for the night. It was odd, usually the girls hung out in the common room with their friends until it was late.

"Hey, um... Shaw." Lily Evans sat up in her bed, setting down the textbook she had been reading and scribbling notes from. "Are you busy at the moment?"

Mona shrugged, sitting down on the edge of her bed, pulling her legs up and hugging them against her chest, resting her chin on her knees as she waited for Evans to continue.

"I know we've never really spoken before." She began awkwardly, though she smiled kindly. "But since it's our final year, I thought it would be... I dunno, nice to get to know each other. We've been living together for six years and you've always kept to yourself."

Mona grimaced. "I have my reasons." She muttered. She wanted friends. Mona would be lying if she said she wasn't lonely. Sure, she had her brother, but at times like this she had no one. Surrounded by familiar strangers.

Lily looked a little put-out. "Oh... well alright. I won't bother you. Good night."

"No, wait, I'm sorry." Mona sighed as Lily sat up again. "I didn't mean that in a rude way. I just... have a hard time connecting with people."

"I understand." She hesitated, examining her hands for a moment before she looked back up at Mona. "Our first Hogsmeade visit is next weekend. The girls and I were going to try to get permission from McGonagall to stay out past curfew... you know, for a girls' night. You're welcome to join us."

Mona bit the inside of her cheek. She shouldn't go. Knowing the girls, drinking and dancing would be involved, and she just knew someone was going to end up touching her. And her secret would be out. Mona didn't know if she was ready for that, even if she agreed with her parents, and she didn't know if she did.

"Think about it, okay?" Lily said quickly, seeing the rejection in her eyes. "You don't have to but... everyone needs someone, right?"

"I guess." Mona murmured, looking down at her mattress. She felt guilty. She already knew that no matter whether or not she wanted to, she couldn't. There was too much at risk. What if it was Lily that touched her? She didn't want to have that kind of image of the sweet redhead sitting across from her in her mind. Her visions still haunted her dreams, as though they were all seared into her brain. She wouldn't be able to unsee something like that.

"I'm going to bed." Mona got up, changed out of her muggle clothes and threw on a pair of shorts and baggy t-shirt, climbing into her bed, bidding the girls a quiet good night as she pulled the curtains around her bed tightly shut.