Chapter Seven: The True Seer of Gryffindor.
Maddy woke up the next morning to find everyone in the dormitory, still in their pajamas. This is was an odd occurrence, because Maddy had woken up late, and everyone was supposed to be off to class. She looked for someone she knew in the over talkative crowd. She found James talking to one of his second year friends Robert Morristy.
"James!" She called out as she maneuvered her way over to him, trying to dodge people in the process. He looked around for the person who was calling his name, and finally found Maddy's gaze. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. "Hey, what the hell is going on? I mean shouldn't everyone be in class it's Friday!" A flash of guilt was plastered on his face, before he quickly masked it.
"Uhhh well their was an incident last night and well errr uhhh McGongal ummm wants everyone to er stay put til it's resolved." Maddy glared maniacally at him.
"was I right?" She asked, and sweat started to beat on James's forehead. Robert was staring at them in confusion.
"I think this is more of a private matter Robert." James said never taking his big brown eyes away from Maddy. Robert took the hint, and moved to the other side of the room.
"I was right wasn't I?" She said raising her voice, so that it sounded angry but, not so that everyone in the dorm could hear.
"Okay, yes you were right." She groaned in response to this. "But, Madeline listen to me, it was the right thing to stay back."
"HOW THE HELL WAS IT RIGHT TO STAY BACK?" She yelled, he put his finger to his lips to 'shh' her, but she brushed it off. "Please enlighten me James how was it right to stay back, when I could've helped those two girls?" She spat out at him.
"Because it was after you." He whispered. She went white, and pulled him over to an almost enclosed space in the dormitory.
"What do you mean it was after me?" She yelled.
"I'm not sure if you saw it or not but-"
"If I saw it, I wouldn't have asked you about it now would I?" He bit his lip, and looked into her hazel eyes, trying to see if he could count every color in her beautiful eyes before answering. He noticed that because she was wearing a green tank top, her eyes were more of a greenish today.
"James?" She asked, her questioning of his name bringing him back to reality.
"After the tree took the two girls, all the prefects were advised to take the other students up to the dormitories. Well When Victoire was bringing up the students, she found writing in blood underneath the fat lady. It was ragged and it looked like it was written by a five year old. Anyway it said, 'Hogwarts shall receive the two children, when the true seer of Gryffindor is given to us... If this does not happen by the winter solstice then more children will be captured... more lives will be lost' That's all the information I got from the other students.
"True Seer of Gryffindor? You think I'm a seer? Isn't that someone who can tell the future?" Maddy asked baffled.
"Yes, and that's exactly what you've been doing right? Telling the future, seeing it inside of your dreams, inside of tea cups, and last night I truly believe you had a vision."
"Okay so what does that mean? That whoever is controling, whatever tree is on the grounds, wants me?" Her voice quivered, at the last part, and James automatically wished he hadn't said anything to her about this.
"I think so... but,you don't have to worry about anything because nothing is going to hurt you Madeline. Nothing in the world is going to get to you. Hogwarts has to be the safest place on earth for you to be right now." He said holding her face in between his palms.
"eht emm." A voice from behind them, made James let go of her face, and them both turn to see who it was. It was a very red faced Albus. "Sorry if I'm interrupting anything but, I want to talk to Maddy." James rolled his eyes at this.
"Well little brother you're just going to have to wait a few minutes, because her and I are talking about something more important than, copying off her homework." James spat at Albus before, turning to Maddy. Albus marched toward them, and grabbed James's arm.
"Let. Me. Talk. To. Her." The testosterone level in the tight space had grown, quite a bit in the last 15 seconds. Maddy quickly stepped in between them.
"Okay hold up! This whole macho, alpha male, act is going to get someone in the hospital wing." The two boys looked down at her, and Albus reluctantly let go of James's arm. "Albus, can whatever you have to say wait? James and I are talking about a life and death situation." She said, huffing her light brown, side bangs away from her face.
"Why what's wrong?" Albus asked concerned.
"We think that, I'm the one that the thing wants." Maddy replied.
"That's rubbish! Why have you been trying to frighten her James?" Albus said marching back over towards James, in a trying-to-be-macho way. Maddy put her hand out to stop him.
"NO ALBUS! Okay look I had a vision last night, my eyes rolled to the back of my head, I was in an almost a dream like sequence, the whole ordeal. Then there was the other dream I had, and how I was able to see into the tea cup. I might be an actual seer."
"See little brother, this really has nothing to concern you soo..." Albus interrupted him.
"Bloody Hell! If this thing wants Maddy, what do you think I'm going to do, stand by and watch. No this definitely concerns me James, maybe even more so than you. I am her best friend." James gritted his teeth together, and clenched and unclenched his fist over, and over again. Maddy looking at how angry they both were, and decided it was time to step in.
"Really boys, this actually concerns neither of you." Both boys stared bewildered at Maddy. "I mean for one thing I'm not so tiny little girl that needs protecting, I can handle myself, and this situation probably better than you both could. Second thing like James said before, Hogwarts is the safest place for me to be, as long as I'm here, I can't be touched." The eleven year old girl, smiled triumphantly to herself while the two boys's mouths went agape.
"I highly doubt that!"said a voice that, seemed to come from nowhere. Maddy, James, and Albus looked swiftly around the room but, no one seemed to be paying much attention to them. They looked at each other, and then shrugged it off. Until Rose suddenly appeared next to them. Maddy gasped and something dropped to the floor. Albus, and James thinking quickly, grabbed Rose by both of her arms, and shoved her into the back of the enclosed space.
"BLIMEY ROSE ARE YOU MAD!" James, screamed/whispered to her. Rose rolled her bright, blue eyes at him.
"How the hell did you even get in here?" Albus asked.
"Well...I knew the password, because of Maddy. The first week all she did was mutter it, hoping that she'd remember it. And I snuck in using Uncle Harry's Invisibility Cloak." James and Albus's mouth dropped open.
"OUR DAD GAVE YOU THE INVISIBILITY CLOAK!" They asked in unison. Rose nodded."THE INVISIBILITY CLOAK? The one that me and Albus have begged him for, since basically we were born!" Rose nodded once again, aggravated at her two cousins.
"Why do you have it?" Albus asked like a small, defeated child.
"Because, My mother told your father how concerned I was that I wouldn't be able to see you guys that often because of our err uhh separate houses, and how much they dislike each other. So your father sent me a letter, and the Invisibility Cloak, telling me to use it to sneak into the Gryffindor common room to see you guys as much as I'd to use it wisely. He requested though that I give it back to him each summer holiday." Albus and James groaned at her response.
"I'm sooo writing a letter to him later about this." James mumbled.
"Oh pish posh, there are more important things to talk about than the Invisibility Cloak! Like for one thing MADDY! God she is in soo much trouble! If what you were saying is true, and it won't matter that we're inside of Hogwarts!" Rose whispered. They all crowded into a circle to hide her, and listen at the same time.
"Oh that's rubbish Rose! Hogwarts is the safest place on earth!" Albus said, and Rose shook her head.
"You're right Albus! It's soo safe, that's why all of this is happening, and why SOO many horrid things happened to our parents when they were going here!" Albus's face went blank, and so did everyone else's. "Listen, Hogwarts is pretty safe, but not from something like this. If Maddy really is in trouble we need to help her." Maddy shook her head, at Rose.
"No, No you can't and you won't. You guys aren't doing anything to put yourselves in danger!" Rose, Albus, and James rolled their eyes at Maddy.
"Maddy we're your best friends! There is no way, we're not going to help you. Besides it's not going to be life threatening... yet. I mean whatever tree, has no idea who you are, and can not identify you even if it wanted to, it's just a tree. Plus the teachers don't know which student in Gryffindor house is the seer yet."
"But, why would it matter if the teachers knew, they wouldn't just hand her over would they?" Albus asked, and Rose shrugged.
"I dunno honestly. It wouldn't surprise me though. On my way here I over heard the teachers talking in the main hall. Professor Trelawney was going off about how, 'this was all her fault, she apologies and will turn herself over' Professor McGongal, informed her that it was a Gryffindor student, and she wasn't it. When this happened Professor Rivers, told everyone that 'the moment I find the seer, I will hand him or her over to that blasted tree!' McGongal told her not to and that was morally wrong or something but, Rivers seemed reluctant to agree, which makes me question her." Rose said, and Maddy sniffed trying to hold back a tear that was threatening to escape. She was in deep trouble, and if the teachers were after her... it wasn't very good. James grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
"What do you think we should do then?" James asked, directing his question at Rose
"First of all we need to get a teacher to sign a note saying we can go to the restricted section of the library, So that we could learn older, more advanced defensive spells. Then we have to find a place to practice them. But for now, all of us have to stick together. Maddy can't go anywhere without someone with her." Maddy shot a sore look, and Rose put her hands up defensively. "Not like a bodyguard... more like someone to be next to you, so your not a sitting duck. The more people are with you, the less likely anyone would single you out. So generally we will all walk together for class. If Maddy has to go to the bathroom, I'll go with her. If Maddy has to go to the hospital wing Albus will go for her, and if Maddy has to go to the library for research James, will go with her. Is everyone clear?" Everybody nodded. "Alright good, I should get back to my dorm, before someone realizes I'm gone, James can you hand me the cloak, it's on the floor by your foot." James looked behind him, picked up the Invisibility Cloak, and handed it to Rose. She quickly wrapped it around her frame, and said goodbye before leaving. Maddy sighed, and slumped into a chair in the corner.
"Madeline you don't have to worry everything will be fine!" James said grabbing her two hands with his. Albus stood on the other chair, and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"But what if I get singled out? What if Professor Rivers finds out who I am? Then what do we do?" She directed the question at both boys who could do nothing but, shrug. This of course was not reassuring, and Madeline couldn't help but wander what should lye ahead for her.
