Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country.

A/N: Oh wow, I know it's been a while, real life issues have kept me away from writing for a long time! But rest assured I will not & have not abandoned any of my fics! Thanks to everyone who's put this and the other OW stories in your C2s, Favorites, and Alerts! And special thanks to all my reviewers for the lovely reviews (and your amazing patience)! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing and not give up no matter how much RL gets in the way! :)

One Wish: The Beginning

Chapter Title: The Reader
Rating: PG, some underage drinking – but under parental supervision so I don't know if it counts.
Summary: "No power in the 'verse can stop me. " "Also, I can kill you with my brain." - River Tam, Firefly
Beta: No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

July 30, 1989

Potter Summer Home, Bordeaux, France

"May I have some? Pleaseeee!"

Amused, Peter glanced down at the almost-9 year old as she raised up on her tiptoes and tipped her head back, puppy-dog eyes and pout firmly in place. Before he could answer, Lily broke in, "No sweetheart, sorry. We allow you to have a single glass of wine with supper but you are still too young for anything stronger."

Laughing slightly as Rose huffed in dismay, Peter consoled her, "Look on the bright side kiddo, you probably wouldn't like the Vodka anyways. It's a bit strong – I'm guessing you'll prefer something smoother. When you're older remind to let you try some of the Havana Club's Maximo we've been saving for a special occasion."

"Please don't give her ideas Peter. I have enough trouble keeping her restricted to one glass of red or white with dinner!" As Peter started to jokingly reply, James, Sirius and Remus noisily apparated into the receiving room then loudly made their way through the adjoining hall and into the living room. "Oh, you boys are all here much earlier then I expected! I thought you wouldn't be joining us in Bordeaux until noon?"

Stretching to get the stiffness out of his muscles, Sirius calmly replied, "Eh, Moody, Caradoc, and the Prewett twins are handling the rest of the work. Apparently, they thought we were too antsy." Scoffing, he continued with a smirk, "Why would we be antsy? Nothing important is happening today or tomorrow, right darling?"

"Pbbbt." Rose blew a raspberry at her godfather before pouting, "First Mummy won't let me try any of Uncle Peter's vodka and now you're being all meaaaaan! It's my birthday tomorrow, remember! That means you haveta be extra nice!"

"Birthday? Are you sure? Hang on a minute, what's this wrapped box in my pocket?"

"Ooooh! What is it! Gimme! Pleaaaaaaaase!" The adults all laughed as Rose literally tackled Sirius to get the small wrapped box. Sirius raised himself up on his elbows to watch as Rose settled herself on his stomach – legs folded Indian style beneath her – and carefully unwrapped the small box. Gasping in awe, she pulled out a delicate platinum anklet with eight beautiful charms attached. As Rose ran a gentle finger over a stylized ebony Grim dangling from the anklet, Sirius sat up properly, adjusting his goddaughter so she was settled firmly in his lap.

Quietly, Sirius began to explain the present, "It's a Black family tradition to give a platinum anklet – loaded up with protection charms and things, of course – to each of the girls in the family on their ninth birthday. Each of the eight charms is supposed to represent one year of the receiver's life, and then on the ninth birthday the girl getting the anklet and whomever is giving it are supposed to go pick out a charm that represents the year of her life that just passed. Then, they place a new protective spell on the charm and add it to the rest. And then every year afterward, on the girl's birthday, a new charm and spell are added to the anklet. It's supposed to be a way to keep the family closely connected while also protecting the girls in the family and teaching them at the same time."

Rose stretched up and kissed Sirius on the cheek, whispering in his ear, "Thank you."

James bent down and gently turned the anklet, gazing at the various charms. "Aunt Dorea never takes hers off – and she still goes to pick out charms with Uncle Pollux every year on her birthday. It's a good thing the anklet's magical, otherwise I can't imagine how she'd fit all of the charms on it, plus it'd probably be very heavy."

"Is that your way of calling me old, my dear nephew?"

"Aunt Dor! When'd you get here! And uh no, you're not old, you're, uh, the very picture of youth. Really. Honestly. I swear!"

"Hmph." Dorea rolled her eyes, sarcasm dripping from her voice as she continued, "Oh, I'm sure. Well, why don't all of you go help Charlus and Michael set up in the garden for tonight's dinner. Peter, Lydia could use some assistance in the kitchen. I need to speak with Sirius and Rose for a moment, then we'll join you as well." With murmurs of assent James, Remus, Peter, and Lily left, "Now, then, Sirius, that's an interesting present you've given to my grandniece. Any particular reason?"

"Aunt Dorea-"

"I was asking Sirius, dearest."

"Aunt Dorea, I, I just-" Sirius sighed and shook his head, before continuing sotte voce, "I miss them. It." Another sigh. "I miss being part of the Black family. I miss our traditions, our customs, our-" Sirius buried his head in his hands and broke off.

"You miss our family. Despite how they treated you, despite your...political and personal disagreements, you are still a Black. It is understandable that you would long for what you loved in your childhood."

"It wasn't all bad. I mean, until I started at Hogwarts I was actually quite close to my cousins, my brother, my aunts and uncles. I was my parents pride and joy once-upon-a-time. The heir to the Black family. The future Lord Black. I just, I wish I could have both, you know? I wish they could just accept my beliefs. Andromeda's neutral and she married a Muggleborn, but she's still invited to family functions. It's only my generation that fought with Voldemort. Father and Uncle Cygnus never joined him – they didn't even contribute financially or politically, I checked! So, why did all the elders just cast me out? Just because I fought against blood purity? I mean, since when did the Blacks become followers? The Blacks have always been a neutral family, even though there's always some who join the light or the dark. I mean, Uncle Alphard wasn't blasted off the tree for marrying Uncle Darren! Or disowned." His voice tapering off into silence, Sirius looked plaintively up at the woman who was technically his Great-Aunt. "I just, I just don't get it."

Dorea opened her mouth, unsure how to explain the family's motivations to her nephew but still willing to try. However, before she could get in a word edgewise, Rose tipped her head back against Sirius' chest, her normally brilliant emerald eyes surrounded by a ring of gold, and locked eyes with him, "They had to protect the heir. Had to send the heir far away. The seers all agreed – love or safety. Picked safety because they loved. Other paths were so murky – so much death, the family all torn to bits. Red's not your color, love. Picked green. Goes well with silver. Matched set forever and always." Blinking, Rose suddenly straightened up. "What-what was that? It's like I was inside your heads, and your families head's, and there were these paths that – I don't know. It was..."

Eyes wide, Sirius turned her head so that he could look her straight in the eyes, "I have no idea, and the gold's gone now too."

"Gold? As in, a ring of gold around the green of her eyes." Dorea's voice had an odd waver to it but after Sirius' curious nod, she closed her eyes, seemingly drawing strength from an unknown source. "Oh, I was afraid of this."

"Afraid of what?"

"You know what happened to me, Aunt Dorea?"

"It's, well, each of the ancient and noble families has a few gifts, as you both know. That is after all what makes one a the major rather than minor family. The Blacks, for example, we have an uncanny skill with the darker arts – necromancy, blood magic, soul magic, and the like."

"The Black Fire – before I was disowned I could use and control it."

"Ahem, yes, exactly. There are other families with other gifts, the Gaunts and parselmagic, the Dumbledores and alchemy, the Longbottoms and plant based magics, the Malfoys since being elevated to the status of a major family have gained the gift of voice magics, and so on. However, in addition to the Potters normal gifts, the ones you two already know about, the Potters have one gift that is unique – and only passed on to the daughters of the family. It seems to skip generations; none of your aunts or great-aunts have the ability. But the family has taken exhaustive notes and each Reader has kept complete journals. There are a few signs, which seem to signal that a Potter has manifested with the ability. To be more specific, the ability always seems to flare up around the ninth birthday, there is always a ring of gold around the iris when visions hit, and the first vision tends to be brought about by a strong emotion. The strength of the visions varies from weak, purely emotion-based to sharp and as distinct as a fresh memory. With training and a stronger ability the ring of gold widens, and from what I've read it seems that the strongest Readers' eyes go entirely gold."

"Readers, Reading? I've never heard of it Aunt Dorea. Sounds similar to seer abilities though."

"It's actually quite different – but yes, superficially it would appear as though they have seer abilites. However, we call them Readers, because that is what they do. They Read – well timelines, I suppose, although that is an extreme over-simplification. Still, the thoughts and potential actions of the people around them trigger visions into possible futures and possible actions. For example, just now Sirius you were speaking of your family and speculating on what their motivations were, meanwhile I was thinking of ways to explain those motivations to you. The emotions behind our thoughts were powerful and Rose's abilities allowed her to tap into those thoughts and emotions – she could see exactly why our families made the decisions they did. And she could also see what might have happened if they had made other decisions. Unlike a seer – her vision was very focused and sharp, but more importantly, she remembers it. And she can explain her words – no matter how cryptic initially. That is one very important distinction between a Reader and a Seer. Seers rarely remember their visions – and even if they do remember they cannot explain it. Seers are more focused on the future unlike Readers who prefer to Read the present, past, and in some cases the immediate future. With the more distant future, it is more of an emotional sixth sense that helps guide them – and the family - when making decisions. Anything more specific than that tends to be quite useless – since they are evaluating possible timelines – and any changes in the present will often drastically alter those futures. One of the journal sets that we have in the family vault was written by James' great-great-Aunt Emma – she was quite an accomplished Reader. She described how before every business meeting or contract discussion her Patriarch brought the family together to discuss things while she Read them and the situation. She was thus able to advise the Patriarch into making the decision that ended up being best for the family's future. The ability is extremely useful for the family, however, there ARE disadvantages as well."

"Like what Aunt Dor?"

"Well, your father is fairly skilled with wandless magic – through hard work of course, but his abilities suggest that you should with hard work you also would be able to pick up the skill. Unfortunately, it's fairly well established that the power required for consistent, stable Reading seems to somewhat damage or limit one's abilities with wandless magic. In fact, I think it's safe to say that if you choose to train and expand your Reading abilities you are also choosing to give up all but the most rudimentary wandless magic. Still, there are a fair number of pros and cons for each side - I would recommend you both take some time and glance through the journals – prior to making any permanent, irreversible decisions. And of course, keep in mind that none of the abilities that are available to you as part of your birthright will be of any use without training. The harder you work, the stronger your gift – laze around and you will be rewarded with – at best – an inconsistent, weak ability. There is no shortcut or substitute for effort and perseverance!"

"Uhh, right, I can understand Rose looking it over – but why should I? It seems this is strictly a Potter family thing..."

"You ARE family, Siri."

"Rose is correct, but more importantly if she decides to train her abilities she will need someone to act as an Anchor. From what I understand, a Reader without an Anchor is at the same disadvantage as an unbonded Empath. Unable to control her abilities, overwhelmed by the thoughts of all those around her until she's unable to differentiate between which thoughts are hers and which are those of the people around her. Readers without Anchors are without fail driven insane as they lose control of their abilities. The fact that Sirius triggered your first vision suggests that if he is willing – and if you choose to train your ability – he will make for a highly compatible Anchor."

"You keep saying if I choose to train...what would happen if I didn't?"

"Well, initially your ability will swing between extremes – uncontrolled the visions will sometimes be barely noticeable wisps of memory while at other times you'll be able to predict the exact words of a conversation days before it happens. However, if you simply seclude yourself for roughly a year or so – again the exact time period of seclusion will depend largely on the natural strength of your abilities – and do not use or exercise your abilities they will fade until they become little more than a slightly enhanced sixth sense. However, whether or not you train your abilities you will need an Anchor. Whatever you choose to do, Rose, this is somewhat of a unique situation among unique situations – you are after all the first female heir to the Potter family. This, of course, means that in situations such as contracts between families or other business decisions relating to the family it will be one day be you as Matriarch who will make the final decision. It is, as I'm sure Charlus and James have explained, an immense responsibility."

"And being able to Read intentions and outcomes can only be helpful – which is what you're trying to subtly tell me. Right?"

"I would never choose for you or push you to make choice over the other – there are a great number of disadvantages to being a Reader as well. In addition, this path requires an extensive commitment from both you and your Anchor – it would be extremely hard work. I merely want you to consider all angles before you make a final decision."

When Dorea stopped speaking to sip from a hastily summoned glass of water, Sirius spoke up, "Well, I personally think that us going through those journals sounds like a good idea – but before we go join the others outside, I've a quick question. What exactly does being an Anchor entail? Is it permanent or can it be done on a temporary basis? To be honest, I kind of want a general idea of how much time I have to decide – if I am compatible or such."

"Ah yes, well Sirius...that's a complex set of questions. Since Readers have such difficulty focusing their power and struggle to keep it under control they are completely reliant on an Anchor to essentially bind them to their own reality. Or in other words, hold them in place and act as a sort of compass to guide them back to themselves. The Reader, from what I have read and understood, is telepathically linked to the Anchor and able to easily 'reach out' and sense their linked partner – perceiving their thoughts, emotions, and even actions. The Anchor's mind thus becomes something of a safe place where the Reader can basically slip in and hide when overwhelmed. The Anchor in turn is able to draw energy and even magic from the Reader to help strengthen his or her mind and mental shields. Although at first it might sound almost like a-a parasitic relationship, it truly is symbiotic in essence. Both the Reader and the Anchor benefit from the bond – and from what the Potters have observed over time, the stronger the emotional connection the more beneficial the link. Additionally, unlike parasitic mind-links – such as those that occur during possession – the Reader-Anchor bond does not manufacture or manipulate emotions and feelings. It is possible for a temporary Anchor to help ground the Reader, especially when the abilities are first manifesting. However, the temporary link only functions for a few months at most – after that Rose would need a permanent, proper Anchor. And once an Anchor has been chosen and linked – the decision cannot be changed. Severing a finalized bond would be fatal for the Anchor and would drive the Reader into insanity."

"Huh, it's a lot to think about Grandmum. Do I have to choose an Anchor right away – I mean if Sirius doesn't want to or if he can't? And training – do I have to decide about training right away as well? Or is there some sort of grace period where I can learn about this Reading stuff before I decide?"

"No, no, and yes, respectively. Luckily, sweetheart, you'll have about a week to research and explore your powers – we can extend that time to two weeks if you spend the majority in the zero room at the manor."

"I think – we should go to dinner and explain this all to Uncle Charlus, Uncle Michael, Aunt Lydia, Prongs, Pete, Remus, and Evans. Then spend tomorrow celebrating Rose's birthday – plus we have to go pick out your ninth charm – and then the day after we can start looking into these journals." With nods of agreement, Dorea, Sirius, and Rose stood and began making their way out to the gardens. As Dorea walked ahead, Sirius reached out and gently pulled Rose back, "Tomorrow, when we go to pick out your charm – if you can, would you explain your vision?"

"Of course I will, Sirius. I think, it'll be a bit of a surprise. But it's a good thing. And-and I think they still love you. They always have. Everything they did, I think they were just trying to protect you."

That evening, after a tenser than usual Sunday dinner, the family gathered with their drinks – a cup of full-bodied, nutty Darjeeling for Remus and Lily, a crystal goblet filled with a delicate Chianti for Rose and Lydia, and a glass of Johnnie Walker Gold for Peter, James, Charlus, Michael, Dorea, and Sirius – in the library, ready to discuss Rose's newly manifested abilities. After Lily, who was fairly clueless about Reading asked for clarification Charlus began by explaining that though Readers are often mistaken for Seers or Psychics their powers are in fact quite unique. "Readers don't see the future, or possible futures, the way that Seers do. They have what we call focused visions. They Read what the people around them are thinking...and the actions they are planning on taking. And based of off the potential actions, a Reader may see the future possibilities."

Confusion obvious on her face, Lily questions, "Potential actions? Future Possibilities?"

With the Lupins being a minor branch of the Potters, Remus had a passing familiarity with the concept of Readers, thus he jumped in to explain, "Yes, because when you think about a choice you naturally consider all the possibilities, all of the 'what-ifs'. Um, let me give an example, let's say we're all sitting at a business meeting. James & Sirius have a company and you and Peter have a company. Now the JS company wants to buy your company out. They've submitted a proposal and they have their Reader – Rose, potentially – checking you two to see what factors are important in your decision and what the outcome might be if you agree. Meanwhile, you are thinking about the options and estimating the possible outcomes. Same goes for everyone else in the room. Rose's Reader abilities build off of that information...she see's all of your thoughts, your potential actions/reactions and she also get's a hint of how outside forces might react to these actions. Suddenly, she can pass you a message that tells you if you raise the buyout price by 50$ a share Peter will agree right away but Lily will still need persuasion. Rose will also be able to tell you that if you raise to $100/share both will agree immediately but the stock market will react badly and you will have a significant drop in your own company's share price for a period of two years. She can thus advise you that 75$/share is the best option because although the market will still drop for the first three months of the fiscal year, it will quickly lead to a greater profit and both Peter & Lily will agree to the buyout."

Once Lily nods her understanding, James chimes in with, "I suppose in a way you could say that Rose's powers are significantly more limited then a Seer or Psychic's. Mainly this is because a Reader's powers grow with both age and training. Reading isn't helpful without training – if Rose decides to go down this path she will have to put in a GREAT deal of effort. It definitely won't be easy. There have even been a few Readers in our family who chose not to train or use their powers and eventually the powers faded to little more than a somewhat reliable sixth sense. Of course, possessing a sixth sense is something most magical beings, including witches and wizards, naturally possess simply by virtue of being magical. On the other hand, it's widely believed among many scholars that Cliodhna was a very powerful Reader who gained the courage to run off with her lover after she Read how short a time they would have together."

A contemplative look appeared on Dorea's face as she spoke up, "Yes, her lover – Ciabhán, was devastated by her death, but he lived on and raised their only child, a daughter – Aoibhinn. She – although not as powerful a Reader as her mother – was fairly skilled, but most relevant for us, Aoibhinn later went on to marry and have children with – Edmund Potter, who was the sole heir to the Potter line. And it's from Edmund & Aoibhinn that the main Potter line is descended."

Rose piped in, fascinated by some of the more esoteric family history coming to light, "Main Potter line...meaning us."

"Yes, exactly. Interestingly, there are other things you have in common with both Cliodhna and Aoibhinn, besides Reading, – for example, Cliodhna was an avid flier (her animagus was a bird in fact) and Aoibhinn was quite fierce and independent – in fact, the first time she met Edmund she slapped him for being too forward."

Nose wrinkling in annoyance, Lily interrupted, "Can we get back to explaining Readers and Reading? You were all saying something about training?"

"Right," Peter continued this time, "Like we've explained already, eventually, Rose will be able to pick up thoughts/emotions/impressions from the people she is using to focus her Reading. This happens since the training to improve her abilities as a Reader necessitates her gaining a fairly strong understanding and skill with both Legilimency & Occulmency. Part of the problem with Reading is that without training it'll be hard for her to control – and especially hard for her to differentiate between which are her thoughts and opinions and which are the thoughts or opinions of those around her. In addition, it takes a huge amount of training to learn how to properly collate all the information that is flowing in and turn that into a coherent outcome that can be interpreted. The lack of control is also part of the reason why Sirius will be her Anchor – for now, of course, the anchoring is temporary. As we discussed at dinner, during these next two weeks they'll both need to see how the Reader-Anchor bond works for them. If they feel it is something they both benefit from and desire, we'll help them to formalize the bond. If not, then Rose will need to find a new Anchor in order to help control her powers. From what I've read and heard, the Readings that first manifest are almost completely undirected – it's very likely she might have visions or impressions that won't actually make sense until after the events they relate to have already passed."

"But that's normal for Seers, right?"

"Yes, but that's why Seer's and Reader's are so different. Seers might make prophecies or predictions but Reader's never do. A Reader's visions are much more direct. Rose might tell you tomorrow – if you wake up before noon, you'll slip on a banana peel, but if you wake up after one, you won't. The Seer would probably give you some ominous prediction about fruits and sleep – but nothing too specific. Of course, the Seer could also theoretically prophesize – from halfway around the planet - that if your Muggle sister starts planting roses it will be to her significant financial benefit within the next two years. Versus Rose, even at the height of her abilities she probably couldn't give you much information about Petunia and her garden unless they were face-to-face and Petunia was thinking about planting roses at that time."

"It seems like a pretty fine line between the two."

For the first time, Sirius joined in, "It's not actually from what I understand and what Rose's described so far. I think the difference is just a bit hard to explain. I'm sure we'll all understand it better as we see Rose train and use her abilities – that is if she's decided to train and use them?" His tone changing from matter-of-fact to questioning, Sirius gently brushed Rose's hair behind her ears. "Sweetheart? Have you made a decision yet?"

Curled up once again in Sirius' lap, Rose turned her face into Sirius' chest, silent for a few moments. Finally, she lifted her head and gazed up at her godfather, "I think I would like to train – for now. I'm not totally sure yet if I want to keep and build up these abilities but I'd like to at least get a better idea of what I'm getting into before I make my final decision."

James nodded in understanding, replying, "Smart choice Ria. I think Dad and I will go collect the journals from the Manor and our family Vaults so you can get started on your research."

Charlus quickly chimed in with, "There are also a few tutors and such I will go ahead and contact who will be able to begin your Occulmency and Legilimency training – whether or not you choose to develop your abilities, as the Potter heiress, you MUST learn to protect your mind." With that, James, Michael, and Charlus both stood and walked off to complete their tasks. Quietly making their excuses, Peter and Remus also drifted off – Peter to the Hogwarts' library to see if he could pick up any additional information on Readers and Remus to his and Lily's shared room, to rest in preparation for the upcoming full moon.

Having turned to watch her lover painfully stagger out of the room, Lily once again faced her daughter, "Rose is there anything I can do for you right now? Do you want to talk or anything?"

"No, I'm fine Mum, you should go sit with Moony – he seemed pretty drained."

"Rose-"

"I'm really okay, besides I have Sirius!" Smiling she tilted her head against Sirius' chest, slowly leaning back until she was once again fully curled up in his lap, with her head tucked into the hollow of his neck. Sirius' arms immediate came up to surround her – cocooning her in his protective embrace. Seeing that Rose was happily tucked away with Sirius – Lily smiled and quietly made her way to her and Remus' shared room.

"Querida?" Once Rose pulled her head away and tilted up to look at him, Sirius continued, "why don't we go flying for a bit? It'll take your mind off of everything. Plus you need to be more in a cheerful mood anyways – it's your birthday in less than an hour, remember? It's not everyday you turn nine!" Rose smiled, some of the worry and tension fading at just the thought of flying. She quickly nodded and the twosome quietly made their way out to the backyard Quidditch Pitch.

A/N: I'm baaaaack! (and it's not even a short mini chapter – 4535 words is pretty decent, yes?) But I'm also very rusty...please leave feedback :D! Haha, updates will be slow while I get back into writing but please don't let that discourage you from reviewing and, as always, letting me know your thoughts! P.S. My brain is kind of fried right now so pleeeeease let me know if I've made some totally dumb mistake or typo or grammar or spelling issue...

Edited: 08/05/2011