Chapter 36 – Rosanna
Connor was the first to arrive to the Ancient Runes class after lunch ten days later. He took his seat and began to revise his textbook. A few moments later, Thomas Elliott, Hector Finlay, Henry Wilson and Ian Kendrick walked into the classroom.
"But I'm telling you, those girls from Beauxbâtons are just ravishing," said the Australian Hector Finlay from Ravenclaw.
"Oh! I don't know for you guys, but I wouldn't mind spending a few hours alone with Beatrice," said Slytherin Henry Wilson. "I'm pretty sure she could make a guy very happy, if you know my meaning."
Connor wondered why boys, when they were together, always seemed to be interested in talking so disrespectfully about the girls.
"Oh, no Henry!" said Hufflepuff Ian. "Regina is definitely looking like she would be more fun," he said, showing a big bust with his hands.
The other three boys laughed, amused.
"Connor, which one do you like?" asked Ravenclaw Thomas Elliott, setting his bag at the desk he normally occupied.
"None of them," he answered, not looking up from his book.
"What do you mean 'none of them'?" asked Ian astounded. "These girls are hot! Surely one of them caught your eyes?"
"Actually, no," answered Connor.
"No? What's wrong with you mate? Would you rather look at boys?" asked Hector, laughing at his own joke.
The other three laughed also, Ian slamming his hand on his desk. Connor looked up and straight at Hector.
"Actually, yes," he said.
"Yes? You're kidding, right?" asked Thomas, becoming serious.
"Do I look like I'm kidding?" answered Connor. "I prefer boys. Now, if you want to talk about them, I can surely point you to the ones I think are good looking."
At that moment, Joanna walked into the room.
"Is he for real?" asked Thomas, turning to her. "Does he really like boys?"
Joanna, a puzzled expression on her face, looked at Connor who returned her glance with an air of expectation.
"Yes, why?" she finally said, turning to Thomas. "You have a problem with that?"
"Eh... no... eh... I don't think so," answered Thomas, looking away.
In their embarrassment, the other three boys suddenly found their rucksack very interesting, which Connor found highly amusing. Joanna sat next to him with her eyebrows rose. Connor knew she wanted to say something but she waited until more students were in the room and they had less chance to be overheard.
"Connor, what were you thinking?" she asked worriedly. "They'll tell the entire school."
"I don't really care, Joanna," he said. "I think, for a reason or another, it's important that it is known. I think it will help others in my situation who do not dare say what they are because they're afraid of what people would say. Ginny was telling me that there are a lot of misunderstanding about gays and lesbians and I know my telling can help... somehow."
"But Connor, you've got so much going on already!" said Joanna. "This is going to eventually end up on the first page of the Daily Prophet: 'Connor McKeithan, Hogwarts Gay Seer Student.' You know that, don't you?"
Connor nodded but deep inside, he just didn't care about the newspapers and the notoriety anymore. All he cared about was to be exactly what Joanna had described: Connor McKeithan, Hogwarts Gay Seer Students.
"You know, I'm not sure what you're trying to do, Connor," she said gently. "But you are my best friend and I'll help you any way I can… I just want you to know that."
"Thanks," said Connor, grinning at her.
"You're welcomed," she said, grinning back at him.
Connor was still grinning when class began, a few minutes later.
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When Connor walked into the Great Hall for breakfast the next day, most conversation cessed and the students turned to look at him. Some smiled, other winced as if disgusted and another group looked at him with curiosity. A moment later, they resumed their conversation more eagerly.
Connor spotted Lena and Theo, and walked to their table.
"You do have a way to draw everybody's attention to yourself, don't you?" said Lena.
Connor shrugged, sitting down next to Theo. He wondered for a moment if Zarek had finally asked Lena on a date as the Prefect had rather been closed mouth on the subject.
"Why did you do it? Why did you tell?" asked Theo who looked intrigued and at the same time fascinated.
"It felt like the right thing to do," he answered.
"How can it be the right thing to do?" asked Lena puzzled. "People already think you're weird because of your Seer powers. Now they'll think you're… downright weird," she said emphasing her last words with a quick wave of her hands.
"If they think that, they are not worth knowing."
At that moment, Benoit Lavigne and half a dozen Beauxbâtons students walked by their table. As he walked by, Benoit looked at Connor in the eyes and nodded once at him, as if in approval. Connor frowned, wondering what this was all about. He wondered for a moment if Benoit was not, by any chance, also gay.
"Connor, people have so many prejudices," said Lena sadly.
"I know," he said, beginning his breakfast. "I just hope my telling will help others in my situation."
As he said that, two boys walked by their table directly in Connor's field of vision.
"What are you looking at?!" asked one of the boys to Connor rudely.
"Why? You of course! You're right in front of me," he answered.
"Look elsewhere, you freak!"
"Why?" asked Connor. "Are you afraid I'll jump over the table and kiss you? That would be rather ridiculous, don't you think?"
"You better watch out," warned the boy. "We're watching you."
"See as I'm a Seer, I wonder who sees the most," said Connor with a smile.
The boy turned a funny shade of red and left, followed by his companion.
"Connor, be careful," said Lena worried.
"Don't worry about me, Lena," he said, getting back to his breakfast. "I'll be careful."
But Connor knew Lena was right and wondered if being careful was going to be enough.
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The next day, Connor finished his last class of the day and made his way to the Wing of Seer to spend the weekend in the Keeper's Chambers. It was an Hogsmeade's weekend and he had no interest in going, especially not so close after announcing he was gay. He wanted to make sure where the students' threats if any may be coming from while in a known and familiar environment before venturing in less familiar territory.
When Connor arrived at the fourth floor of the Wing of Seer, he heard voices where there shouldn't have been any. He looked down at his half-kneazles, who were now in the habit of following him around when he was alone. Both cats did not seem alarmed by the voices. Connor walked towards them, wand in hand nevertheless. As he approached the corridor facing the Forbidden Forest, he could distinguish a man and a woman. He finally turned the corner and to his surprise, saw the Headmistress accompanied by the Minister looking at the paintings. This was so suspicious that he raised his wand ready to attack or defend himself. The two adults looked up and froze.
"What foot did my mum have cut off?" he asked.
"It wasn't your mum Connor, it was your dad," answered Kingsley.
"And it was the left one," added Professor McGonagall.
"Who healed my dad at St. Mungo's?" he asked, still uncertain.
"Healer Troovus did," answered the Minister.
"And where did I find the ring Harry needed when he went to rescue Ginny?" he asked the Headmistress.
"In my office, in a little wooden jewellery box," answered the Headmistress.
Connor finally lowered his wand.
"Sorry about that," he mumbled. "I wasn't expecting you here."
The Headmistress and the Minister looked at him with smiles on their face.
"I see Harry has taught you well," said Kingsley. "You are cautious, as you should be."
The half-kneazles walked to Professor McGonagall and rubbed against her legs. The Headmistress looked at them with a smile.
"They seem to like you, Headmistress," said Connor.
"Of course, they do," she said. "They and I are good friends. We had a good hunt in the woods a few days ago."
Connor frowned and suddenly remembered the Headmistress was an Animagus who could transform in a cat.
"Your cats are particularly intelligent, Mr McKeithan," she said.
"Are you here because you want to see the Keeper's Chambers?" asked Connor.
"I have to admit, Connor, I am rather curious," said the Minister, inclining his head in respect.
Connor looked at the wall but the circus painting he was now using as the access point was not in sight.
"Come," he simply told them before beginning to look for it.
He found it on the wall facing the lake.
"Please take my hand and close your eyes," he said.
Once the two adults grabbed his hands, he walked through the wall, pulling them with him. Once he was through, he took his wand.
"Lumos," he said.
At his feet, the two half-kneazles walked ahead of them, towards the Chambers. Connor followed and heard the two adults follow behind him. A moment later, they walked into Chambers and Connor gave them a tour.
"This is quite a cosy place to invite a young lady," said the Minister with a grin, when they arrived in his bedroom.
"And I certainly hope Mr McKeithan is wise enough to do no such thing," said the Headmistress severely.
"It's not girls you should worry about," said Connor with a chuckle. "I'm gay," he said, tapping a finger on the rainbow pin he wore on his robe.
"Wasn't Dumbledore also gay?" asked the Minister.
"Yes, he was," answered the Headmistress. "And I hope, Mr McKeithan, that you show discretion and restraint in bringing any potential suitors to these Chambers."
"Discretion, no since the entire school knows I'm gay," he said, wondering where the Headmistress had been the last two days for her not to know about it. "And restraint goes without saying as it seems I'm the only gay student at school."
The Headmistress looked at him severely while the Minister chuckled in amusement. Connor walked to the stairs and took the adults to the Room of Books.
"Another Library?" asked the Minister.
"Of course not," answered Profina's ghost, floating into the room. "This is the Room of Books," she added.
"Profina, this is Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt," introduced Connor. "Minister, this is Profina Dreamweaver Ravenclaw... Profina, I think you've already met the Headmistress."
Headmistress McGonagall inclined her head politely towards the ghost.
"Ravenclaw?" asked Kingsley, surprised.
"Yes," answered Profina. "I was Rowana's younger daughter. "This wing and tower were built for me."
As they spoke, the quill over the Book of Predictions began to write.
"What are those, Connor?" asked the Minister, pointing at the five books.
Profina answered, explained what each books contained.
"You mean you have, in here, all the prophecies that were lost during the Battle of the Ministry?" asked the Minister.
"Yes," answered Profina. "And some that were not at the Ministry."
"Who knows about this room, Connor?" asked the Minister, now looking very concerned.
"The Seer's Coterie," answered Connor.
The Minister frowned, puzzled.
"My friends," he explained. "The twelve of us who are trained by Harry. Harry, Ginny and Hermione also know."
The Minister nodded, his expression still serious.
"This may be the entire reason why these two intruders were after Mr McKeithan," said the Headmistress.
"I'm afraid, Minerva, that you may be right. The school just became one of the biggest targets in Britain. If the existence of this room gets known, the school will be in grave danger."
"I think it may be already know," said the Headmistress. "After all, someone has tried very hard to eliminate all knowledge of this Wing from the school records and other places."
"Minerva, we need to call a meeting," said the Minister. "We cannot take any chances. We need to ensure the security of the school and this place at all cost. Our survival may very well depend on it."
The Headmistress nodded severely, her lips drawn in a thin line.
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"You knew about this Room of Books and you didn't tell us," said Mrs Weasley to Harry. "But why? Don't you think it's something we should know?"
It was Sunday night and Connor had been drawn into an Order of the Phoenix meeting again but this time, only a few of the members were present. They were all in the Headmistress conference room, tea cups containing cold tea forgotten on the table.
"No, actually, I don't" answered Harry. "It is not something for me to tell and if it had been my decision, I wouldn't have told any of you," added Harry, looking at Mr and Mrs Weasley then at the Headmistress, the Minister, George, Bill and Percy.
"You don't trust us?" asked Mrs Weasley.
"It is not that I don't trust you," said Harry. "It's just that less people know, less likely the secret will be known."
Connor agreed with the logic but he was the one who had chosen to include his adopted family in on the secret so he believed they deserved to know, and so did the Headmistress, who was responsible to keep the school and its students safe, and the Minister who was responsible to keep the rest of the world safe. Connor glanced at Profina's ghost, who was floating across the table and she smiled reassuringly at him. When Connor had asked her for her opinion on the issue, she had agreed with him.
"All this is pointless," said Connor, breaking the discussion before it evolved into an argument. "The Room of Books is accessible because of me and its existence is my secret to share."
"And now that we know of its existence, what are we going to do about it?" asked the Minister.
"I would be of a mind to say nothing," said the Headmistress, other than strengthened the wards on the school.
"Nothing?" exclaimed Mrs Weasley.
"Well, think about it, Molly. If the Ministry gets involved with the school, or if the school makes changes in its security protocol, people will ask questions," gently explained Mr Weasley, putting his hand on his wife and squeezing it affectionately.
"On the other hand, most people know of last year intrusion so the wards could be modified under the pretext of adapting them for the fair and Quidditch matches," continued the Headmistress.
"And I think I may have an idea about that," said Bill with a smile.
Connor wondered again why he had to attend those meetings. All the Order ever discussed was mostly things he didn't care about or couldn't do anything about. And those meetings always gave him the impression he was the source of the problems of all the adults around him.
"Connor, you told us Hermione had been helping you with reading the content of the Room of Books," said the Minister, bringing Connor's attention back to the conversation.
Connor nodded, looking at Hermione who nodded also.
"Hermione, considered yourself permanently reassigned to the study the content of the Room," said the Minister. "You will report to me only and you're not to discuss your assignment with anyone. If you are asked, you are working on a special assignment for me. Percy will notify your supervisor."
Percy nodded in acknowledgement of the implied request.
"I know you would rather work on Magical Creatures' rights, and so would I," continued the Minister, more gently. "But we need to find more on this darkness Connor saw in his prophecy and if something was to happen to Connor, our access would be lost."
As the Minister pronounced these words, Connor suddenly found himself in his bedroom, in the Chambers. In a crib, by the bed, a baby was crying, asking for attention. Connor looked into the crib and saw the most beautiful baby girl he had ever seen. She had blond hair and big blue eyes. She must have been short of a year old. When she saw him, she stopped crying and smiled.
"Dada," she said.
Connor knew without the shadow of a doubt that this baby was a powerful Seer who, like him possessed the five powers.
"Rosanna, my angel," called a woman voice Connor thought he recognised.
He turned around to see who it was but saw Ginny's face, as he suddenly found himself in the Headmistress conference room again.
"Connor, what did you see?" asked Ginny, worried.
But he did not answer Ginny. He just looked up at Profina who was looking at him without worry but with questions in her eyes.
"They'll be another one after me," he said, amazed by what he had Seen.
Connor turned and looked the Headmistress.
"May I be excused?" he asked.
The Headmistress hesitated. She was visibly as curious as the others to find out what he had Seen.
"Yes, you may be excused," she finally answered.
Before anybody could ask him a question, he was descending the stairs outside the conference room. A few moments later, he emerged from the Headmistress office and made his way to the Wing of Seers as quickly as he could without running, followed by his half-kneazles and Profina's floating ghost. Once he arrived in the Chambers he made his way to the Room of Books and read the last entry in the Book of Visions hoping he could find out who Rosanna was. But the entry did not provide more information than his Vision. The Book did not even record Connor's knowledge that this baby would be a Seer.
"Rosanna?" asked Profina, who was reading over his shoulder. "You're sure she'll be a Seer?"
"Oh yes, Profina," said Connor. "She'll be a Seer. I wonder who she is... She was in my bedchamber."
"I don't know, Connor," said Profina.
"Have you ever Seen future Seers in your divinations, Profina?" asked Connor, leaving the Book behind and walking down the stairs.
"Yes, I have," she answered. "But I never understood my Visions at the time. I only understood who the people were once they occupied the Wing."
"Have you... have you ever had visions of me?" asked Connor, hesitantly.
"You are the last one I had visions of, Connor," she answered with a sad smile. "I thought you were to be the last one... Now, your vision gives me great hope."
"She was a very pretty baby," said Connor, his mind picturing the smiling infant. "I really wonder who she is."
"You will know," said Profina. "In due time."
"Profina, is there a way to allow Hermione access to the Chambers without my being here," he asked the ghost as he continued down the stairs.
Now that she was assigned by the Minister to study the Books, she would need to come in while he wasn't there.
"Let me ask you this first: do you mind to let her in when you're not here?" asked the ghost as they exited the Chambers and made their way towards the pathway, followed by Connor half-kneazles. "You know, these Chambers are yours, Connor, and nobody should be allowed in if you don't want to... unless it's an emergency, of course."
Connor thought about it for a few moments.
"I know Hermione will respect my privacy," he finally said. "If it was anybody else, I may not like it but Hermione is... Hermione."
The ghost nodded once in understanding.
"There are a few ways to allow someone access to the Wing," she said. "The easiest way would be to direct one of the house-elves to let her in; that way, the permission can be revoked at any time.
"The other way is described in the Wing book. You would enchant the wall in letting her pass if she knows which painting to go through. Now, this is also reversible but it is a lot harder to undo.
"If I were you, I would go with the elves," she suggested.
"Then, that's what I'll do," said Connor.
They walked the rest of the way to the entrance of the Gryffindor tower in silence.
"Thank you, Profina," said Connor.
"Don't mention it," said the ghost with a smile.
Connor gave the Fat Lady the password and walked into the Common Room.
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The first Defence class with Harry was geared towards a review of what they had done the previous year. Connor was happy to see that during his months of inactivity, he had retained most of what he had learned, but it was not the case for all of his friends. He was looking at Lucas and Guinevere attempt to produce a patronus with the others when he suddenly felt someone attempting to enter his mind. He strongly slammed his shielding wall in place and turned around, just in time to see Harry land on his back.
"Professor, are you alright?" asked Allison worried, running to him followed by Zarek
They assisted Harry to his feet.
""Yes," answered Harry with a grin in Connor's direction.
"What happened?" asked Allison.
"Connor shut me out of his mind," answered Harry. "He has a rather powerful mental shield."
"He knows how to shield his mind?" asked Gregory, surprised.
"I want to learn how to do that!" exclaimed Lucas. "My mum always seems to be reading my mind."
"And I may all teach you this year," said Harry. "But for now, let's continue going through what you learned last year."
As the others returned to their spell work, Harry walked to Connor.
"There is no taking you by surprise anymore," he said. "That's good; that's very good."
"Thank you," said Connor. "Did you have time to see anything?"
"No," answered Harry. "Just the surface thoughts about what you were currently doing."
Connor nodded. Harry's response confirmed what he had suspected.
"Will you teach us how to read other people's mind?" asked Connor.
"I do not know," answered Harry, shaking his head. "The usage of that spell is a very grey area. It can do almost as much damage as the Imperius curse. Do you think your friends are mature enough to use the power wisely?" asked his mentor in all seriousness, no trace of sarcasm or judgement in his voice or face.
Connor thought about the question for a moment and had to admit, he didn't think all of his friends were ready for it. He could easily imagine one of them using the power to find out what was in their love interest mind, or the answer to an exam.
Connor finally looked at Harry and shook his head.
"Maybe when we'll be in seventh year," he suggested.
"Maybe," said Harry with a smile.
But Connor wondered if some of his friends would ever be responsible enough to actually learn the spell.
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"Harry, I've received an invitation from Slughorn, to attend one of his parties," said Connor to his mentor the next Friday after their Defence lesson.
Today, they had reviewed how to fight the Imperius Curse. Connor was happy to see that only Lucas and Dillon were yet to succeed in breaking it. Rajiv, on the other hand, was the one who broke it the fastest.
"How do you do it?" asked him Lucas.
"I'm already at peace," he had answered. "The curse feeling doesn't feel right to me."
Lucas had simply not understood the Indian boy but his answer made perfect sense to Connor. After all, he had spent quite a few hours at the lake with the boy and he knew how Rajiv's believes influenced him.
"Slughorn parties are always a lot of fun," said Harry, bringing Connor's attention back to the conversation. "You'll enjoy them greatly."
"You've been?" asked Connor.
"Oh yes! He usually invites the best students or the most... interesting ones."
Connor raised an eyebrow at his mentor's comment.
"You see, Professor Slughorn is a collector of sort," explained Harry. "He likes to collect contacts of a fashion. He likes to know people who are someone who know someone, or are likely to become someone. That is why his office contains so many pictures of celebrities... and don't be mistaken, he knows all of those people.
"You, Connor, are a Seer. Slughorn would never pass the chance to collect you," said Harry with an amused smile
Connor felt a little uncomfortable to be invited to a party because of what he was and not who he was.
"I know what you're thinking," said Harry. "But you will find that while he is inviting you because of what you are, Slughorn is really interested to actually know who you are. That's why I would go, if I were you. It is quite an honour to be invited to his parties."
The next evening, after dinner, Connor presented himself at the location indicated in the invitation and found that Guinevere, Zarek, Lena, Joanna, Theo and Rajiv had also been invited. The other attendees included only people from his year but from all the Houses. All the Prefects were present. The group of fifteen guests sat at a round table and were offered tea and ice cream.
Like Harry had said, Slughorn addressed each of his guests, trying to find a little more about them. And Connor was impressed of the things he did find out about some of his classmates, and how well informed Professor Slughorn seemed to be to begin with. He was also impressed by how the Professor refrained from referring to any subjects that would have made any of his guests uncomfortable.
Professor Slughorn asked Guinevere about her experiences in Bulgaria and how she liked to train with Viktor Krum. He asked Zarek about his life before moving to England and how his parents had adapted to so different a country. He asked Lena and Theo about their lives during the War and how their family had survived, and how they were doing now. He asked Joanna about her life with her new step-father and her mother and sister. And he asked Rajiv about his religion and details about his believes. When it was Connor's turn to be asked questions, the questions were mostly concerning the Weasleys and what they were becoming. Connor had to admit, he was grateful of that. He did not want to discuss his lack of family or his powers with all of those people around and Professor Slughorn must have known since he was a member of the Order of Phoenix.
Like Harry had said, Connor did enjoy himself and had to admit, had been greatly entertained by everybody's story.
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The tension was high in the newly constructed arena where the first Tri-Wizard Tournament task was to take place. The arena had been constructed between the school and the village, on the opposite side of the lake from where the trail to Hogsmeade was. It was in a wooded area from which the castle could be seen. It was rumoured that the location was the same one from which Harry and his fellow Champions had faced their dragons, nine years prior.
"Do you think they'll be facing dragons?" asked Joanna who was sitting next to Connor.
On her other side sat Dillon. The two had finally worked things out and were back together again. Connor did not like it thinking Joanna deserved so much better but hadn't said a word.
The beast the champions had to face was something Connor had never seen or heard of before. It looked like something out of a nightmare or a fairy tale; Connor was hard pressed to decide which.
"It looks like... it looks like a sphinx," said Lena slowly. "Human looking face, wings, body like a huge cat... yes, it definitely looks like a sphinx."
"You've seen those before?" asked Zarek who was sitting next to her.
From what Connor understood, the two were not yet dating but spent a lot of time together.
"Sculptures of them," answered Lena, "in Egypt."
The task consisted of crossing an obstacle course separated in three sections. Each obstacle course was more physical in nature and didn't necessarily necessitate the use of magic. At the end of each section, the contestants had to answer a riddle, asked by the sphinx in order to get access to the next section. After the last riddle, the champion would have to retrieve a magical staff which would be needed for the next task. The contestants were to be judged and scored on their strategy approach and the time they took to cross the course.
While the Durmstrang Champion fought his way through the sphinxes, the Beauxbâtons and Hogwarts Champions tried to answer each riddle. In the end, the Beauxbâtons Champion knew the answers to the first and second riddle but did not know the answer to the second riddle and had to fight his way through to the staff. The Hogwarts Champion did not know the first riddle but knew the second and third one.
When the results came, the Beauxbâtons champion was first, the Hogwarts one second and Durmstrang third.
"I'm glad I'm not the one in there," said Joanna as they left the arena.
"Did you know the answers to the riddles?" asked Dillon.
"I knew them," she answered with a sigh. "But in a stressful situation, I don't know if I would have been able to answer them right."
Connor did not hear what Dillon answered her. His attention had been caught by Head Lorenzo Bertoli who was discussing with the Headmistress and the representatives from Durmstrang and Beauxbâtons. Something was wrong about the man, Connor could feel it. He didn't think it was a polyjuice potion as he was pretty sure the man was really who he said he was, but something was wrong, nevertheless.
"Connor, you're coming?" called Allison.
Connor slowly looked away from Bertolli and looked at Allison who was a few steps in front of him. All of their friends were further down the road.
"Yes, I'm coming," he answered, and followed her towards the school.
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