Disclaimer: Tiberius Morrigan and his notes were inspired by Hunter S. Thompson and Gonzo Journalism.
"Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future." - Steve Miller Band, 1978
Gemma Rawnsley grunted loudly as she closed the latest edition of The Reverie Review, a scientific Seer publication, and flung it across the room. She didn't bother to look where it landed and blew her fringe out of her eyes as she stared up at the tapestry-covered ceiling above her. When Professor Garside first gave her the spare Hogwarts classroom to further explore her Divination studies during her Fifth Year, it was barren and white. However two days later, she turned it into in her own sanctuary, complete with hand painted walls, a sizeable tree, a babbling brook in the corner and copious amounts of flowers and pillows. It was a small space, but the Seer had managed to decorate every single part of it.
After a deep sigh, Gemma sat up and frowned.
"Where did that thing go?"
She scrambled over a patchwork quilt and laughed in triumph when she found The Reverie Review under one of her spare jumpers. She settled back into her pillow nest and flipped the pages under her thumb, picking a random passage and hoping that if she read it one more time, she would learn something new.
The key to dream interpretation is vigilant note taking. When one desires the true answers to dream riddles, it is imperative that one looks at every single fact. Thus, students of oneiromancy must record a dream diary in order to have all information necessary to accurately decode their visions. Despite Tiberius Morrigan's controversial findings, organization and practice are the only crucial elements to deciphering dreams.
"What a load of bullocks!" Gemma cried as she threw the journal again. "I've been doing all of that and I still can't get anything right!"
The Seer snuggled back into her pillows. Her sudden hunt for information had started just after the end of last term. Two weeks before the Winter Ball, Gemma fell asleep in Sirius' bed and dreamed about Remus' future - specifically his reconciliation with Marianne. It was like the Seer was stuck inside the werewolf's head and she experienced all five of his senses as he cuddled with the French Ravenclaw in a white bed; her dream was so vivid that she still caught random whiffs of sandalwood and vanilla in the air. So when Remus charged off into the night to find Marianne, Gemma was so sure that they would get together. She felt like all the signs were finally converging.
But Remus and Marianne didn't reconcile. In fact, they moved further apart.
It didn't make sense. So Gemma decided to read the library's collection of Reverie Review monthly journals to see if there was anything she could learn on her own to guide her after Professor Garside said he was too busy to help. It bugged Sirius to no end, but he still supported her quest to better understand her magical gift by giving her space. And she desperately needed the time to puzzle over her dreams. Was she seeing fake visions? Or were her visions still accurate, only farther in the future? She couldn't be sure.
Gemma huffed, desperately reciting the passage again.
"Despite Tiberius Morrigan's controversial findings -"
Her mouth flopped open. Why hadn't she thought of it before? If The Reverie Review author couldn't help her interpret her power, it was possible that Tiberius Morrigan could. After all, the famous Seer had conducted his research at Hogwarts ten years ago when he was the acting Divination Professor during the late 1960s and his notes were probably still within the Castle walls. But there was only one place that housed controversial academic documents: the Restricted Section.
It took Gemma two days to get special permission from Garside, but she guilt tripped him enough to give her a chance to look at Morrigan's notes. She found the Restricted Section M authors and almost squealed with delight when she found Notes on Studies 21-23: Dream Interpretation by Tiberius Morrigan. Gemma quickly plucked the book from the shelf and rushed out of the library. She wanted to have enough time to skim through his notes before meeting up with Sirius.
Once she was inside her sanctuary, she flopped onto her pillows and opened the book. Several tattered and ink stained papers fell into her lap and Gemma laughed when she realized that they were never actually bound the book's spine; Morrigan had simply stuffed them into an empty book shell and called it a day. Gemma sighed as she sifted through the papers, reading random bits of information that he had written. She came across a page with a large light bulb on the front that was paperclipped to several pages of notes.
"Crazy nutter," she chuckled softly before reading his ramblings.
What have I learned? Practice and note taking can only get you so far. So what's the score here? What's next?
.
Hmmmmm.
.
In order to fully understand your dreams, I've found you need to put down the pencil and expand your mind. That's something the fucks out there don't want to believe, but it's true. It's insane, they say. Bullocks. You have to cross that daunting barrier and feel the pulsating energy behind it. You have to feel like you're part of something that's bigger than you – everything is coming together to make one glorious connection. And that fantastical feeling will lead you to an understanding. An awakened understanding that comes from knowing that your dreams will shape the future, but you are their master, not the other way around. Then you will be truly free.
You can go Up or Down, but you will have to go somewhere to begin.
"Up or down?" Gemma asked and then flipped through several more blank pages until she came across two potion recipes. They didn't have names; one was labeled "#1" and the other was "#2". Intrigued, the young Seer read his notes on the effects of both potions.
#1
Creeping feeling in my spine – can't tell if it's the potion or nerves. Metallic taste in my mouth.
The walls are breathing. But it's oddly comforting.
Dreams begin. Dreams or visions? Can't be sure. I see different destinies. For all walks of life.
A small shining star in the corner. Must study its habits.
6 hours later. Fuzzy. Very fuzzy.
#2
Relaxed muscles. No stress. No pain.
Flying feeling.
Sleeping feeling.
Awoke 6 hours later. Vivid, clear dreams. No other beings, just me. And my future. Like walking down memory lane … but the future. Future!
Must try again. In the name of science, dammit!
She quickly lit a cigarette, took a puff and then briefly skimmed over the potion recipes once more, assessing their ingredients and directions.
"How did he get that much Peruvian Vipertooth venom for the second potion?" the Seer asked herself. She threw herself back into his papers, but his writing turned very introspective and did not mention anything about his black market connection.
Her wristwatch dinged, letting her know the hour; Gemma set the papers down and frowned. She wanted to spend more time reviewing Morrigan's work, but right now, she knew she had a mischievous boyfriend to attend to. She put the papers back in the book shell, stuffed it under a pillow, slipped out of her room and made her way towards the Room of Requirement, their new rendezvous spot. It gave them the privacy and flexibility they desired, while also preventing Gemma from having any additional big dreams about Remus. It was the perfect solution to their earlier problems.
"There she is!" Sirius called once he saw her.
Gemma's earlier frustrations faded and she smiled as she opened her arms and hugged him. Her nose crinkled with disgust, however, when she smelled the dried dungbombs and nettle tea leaves on his robes. Before she could ask about his latest prank on the Slytherins, he gave her arse a quick squeeze and peppered the side of her neck with kisses.
"Come on lover boy," she snorted. "You have to clean yourself up before you start barking up that tree." Before he could protest, she dragged him into the mysterious room after imagining a large yellow four-poster bed, a wooden clawfoot bathtub, a sunset view of the Mediterranean Sea, and of course, massive amounts of flowers and pillows.
The next morning, Gemma rolled over and slowly climbed out of bed. She glanced behind her to see that Sirius was still sleeping and tried to be as quiet as possible as she tugged on her school robes. The Hufflepuff was putting on her black flats when she felt a pair of arms snake around her waist. She let out a humorous yelp as Sirius pulled her back into bed.
"You don't have to leave right now, do you?"
Gemma closed her eyes and sucked in a depth breath, savoring the moment. There was nothing like being in the arms of Sirius Black, she quickly decided. His daring aura always overpowered her senses, but it was mysteriously comforting and soothing. And it was addicting as all hell. Gemma felt her heart race as his breath tickled the side of her neck, but internally groaned. Although she hated leaving his embrace, she knew that if she dallied any longer, they'd have to finish what he started.
"You may have a free period, but I have Herbology in thirty minutes," she muttered as she woefully unwrapped his arms from her waist. "And I have to find Gio, he said he had some news for me." After she stood up and straightened her yellow and black house tie, she saw Sirius' idiotic, but charming smile and felt a crack of desire splinter through her. She quickly raced over to the bed, jumped into his lap and captured his lips once more. Just one more moment, she told herself, one more kiss to get her through the day.
"Ok, ok," Sirius laughed after a few more kisses. "You should be going then."
"I love you," she expressed softly before giving him a quick peck and leaving the Room of Requirement. As she headed down towards the Great Hall, Gemma felt her heart grow heavy now that she wasn't around Sirius. She plopped down at the Hufflepuff table and reached out to grab several fresh bread rolls; Gio hopped into the seat next to her. His grin couldn't have been bigger.
"Merlin's nutsack!" Gemma exclaimed, physically jumping. "A bloody warning would be nice!"
"We did it!" Gio gushed. Kaia put a hand on his left shoulder and squeezed it while Gregory put his arms around the other two members of the band, Kieran and Ethan. All of them brimmed with the same amount of radical enthusiasm.
"Huh?" Gemma managed to get out before she took a sip of pumpkin juice.
"We've been signed!" Kaia cried out. "Apparently Zito told his father about our Winter Ball show and now he wants us to record an album during the next Hogsmeade visit!"
Gemma promptly spit out her pumpkin juice in surprise and it sprayed all over the table in front of her. Kieran started to howl with laughter.
"I hate that we're going to do it on Valentine's Day - it's going to ruin my plans with my new lady friend," Ethan said. "But it will totally be worth it."
"You're damn right it will!" Gregory beamed. "Fucking hell, we're really going to cut an album, mates! If it gets on the charts before Easter, I'm not coming back and taking my NEWTs. I'm moving straight to London."
Gemma's eyes widened in shock.
"You feeling alright?" Gio asked. "You look really pale."
"Fine, really. Congratulations everyone. Job well done."
Gemma tried to conceal her fright and overwhelming sense of dread by putting on a brave smile, but inside she was shaking. She knew she was supposed to be happy for her friends – after all, it was a big moment for their musical careers – but Gregory's comment woke a sleeping dragon that Gemma had refused to acknowledge until now. She didn't want to accept that her friends were Seventh Years and heading off to the real world, but here it was, thrown right in her face.
Her thoughts turned selfish and immature. Why did they have to abandon her? What was she going to do when they left school and she had to return in the fall? But then she realized that the members of Tarantellegra wouldn't be the only ones finishing their time at Hogwarts this year. As the rest of the band started to prattle on about the tracks for the upcoming album, Gemma felt her stomach drop. In a couple of months, Sirius would be gone too.
Loneliness and uncertainty washed over her, suppressing her appetite. She bit her tongue in anguish and regressed back to her years before Hogwarts, when she didn't have a close friend or confidant. When she was on her own. At the time, she was happy to have the solitude. But now … it was too hard to bear. Sirius had shown her how to give love and more importantly, receive love and she didn't want to let him go. He helped her live a better life, even if they had petty arguments sometimes.
So what were they going to do? Would they be long distance? Or would they have to break up? How would she deal with life without him if she didn't have Gio with her? Oh Gio, no more laughs with him! Merlin, what was she going to do? She wished she could just know what was really going to happen, so she could trust in the process and quiet the anxious voices in her head if she knew everything was going to work out. And if it didn't … well, then she could prepare for that too. Gemma nodded along with the band's conversation, but her hands began to shake under the table as her thoughts turned desperate. Would tarot cards help? Star charts? Tea leaves? Dream interpretation?
And that's when the most dangerous idea popped into her head – she could make Morrigan's potion to see her own future, couldn't she? It was risky, but she convinced herself it was the best shot she had. Morrigan said he saw a clear future.
"Have to run to my first lesson, but congrats again," Gemma said as she got up from the table. "But listen Gio while I have you here, I need you to get me something."
"What exactly?"
"Peruvian Vipertooth venom."
Gemma received her black market item a week later and it only took her a couple more days to finish Tiberius Morrigan's controversial potion, #2. Gio hadn't been able to get the full amount of venom needed so the potion would be weaker than his original, but it would be enough for her to see what she needed to see. Or so she hoped.
Gemma waited until Sirius had to set up another Slytherin prank and then stole away to her private sanctuary. After stirring the shining blue potion counter clockwise, she transferred it to a tall ornate glass and placed a slotted spoon over the top. She took a deep breath and dropped a small amount of venom mixed with water through the spoon. The potion immediately sizzled and according to Morrigan's notes, she had to drink it before it stopped.
For a few brief moments, Gemma considered aborting her plan … but she had to know her future. It was the only way she knew how to cope with her frightening reality without going completely insane.
"Bottom's up," the Seer muttered before gulping down the potion. It only took a couple minutes for her to feel a large sense of euphoria, fall asleep and start dreaming.
The young girl rubbed her eyes as she tried to focus on the swirling vortex in front of her. After she stepped inside, the vortex threw her into a tailspin and she finally landed somewhere with a thump!
The blonde took in her surroundings – there were a couple of quaint buildings surrounded by bare trees and snow. Suddenly one bright green leaf floated towards the ground in front of her and immediately the scene turned chaotic as large black tendrils circled into the air. In a panic, she bolted and ran into another universe entirely.
The world turned dark as walls grew out of the ground. A torch extinguished itself. Quickly, someone thrust a cup to her mouth and forced her to drink something that tasted like metal. She tried to spit it out, but someone pinched her nose, making her swallow out of necessity. The girl quickly saw the world turn into unending fractals and scrunched her eyes closed to make the scary delusions stop.
When she opened her eyes, the cosmos morphed into a beautiful coastline on a sunny day. The waves crashed on the rocks and sprayed her with salt water. She took a deep breath and finally felt calm.
"Welcome," a long blonde haired man said in an American accent. He held a colorful surfboard under his left arm. "You've finally made it."
Gemma screamed at the top of her lungs as she was thrown out of the psychedelic dream.
"What the fuck was that!" she exclaimed.