Mrs. Lupin rushed about, setting doilies in place and giving tables a final
dust-brush with her hand as her two children watched with bemused looks on
their faces.
"Mum, calm down." Annie called with a smile.
"The O'Learys are arriving in ten minutes, and I won't have this house looking like a sty when they come." Mrs. Lupin retorted, lighting the lamps with a flick of her wand.
"It looks beautiful, Mum." Remus insisted.
"You two go finish setting the table." Their mother ordered, pointing to the dining room door.
"Yes, Mum." They chorused and, with a roll of their eyes, walked into the dining room.
"She's gone absolutely nuts." Remus muttered, setting napkins at each place as Annie filled the water glasses.
"You're the one who spent two hours on your hair alone." Annie teased.
"As if you didn't put up a huge fuss about those robes you wanted." Remus shot back.
"Hush." She ordered. "And when are you going to get around to proposing to her?"
"Rhia?" He asked, and she nodded enthusiastically. Remus sighed and chewed thoughtfully on his lip. "I want to marry her, I really do, it's just..."
"Just what?" she asked.
"I want to be sure I can provide for her." He explained. "It's nice working for Dad and all, but it doesn't pay much. I want to be able to buy her a house before I do anything."
"That's sweet." Annie smiled, just as a loud noise was heard from the living room.
"Our Floo guests seem to have arrived." Remus said, opening the door to let Annie out into the living room, where Sirius, Rhia, and Mr. and Mrs. O'Leary were brushing soot off of their shoulders. "Oh darling, you know how I never liked Floo powder... it always gets so... dirty," Mrs. O'Leary whined, clutching her husband's arm. Rhia, glad to break free of her parents grasp, ran to Remus.
"Help me!" she whispered in his ear. He smiled, smelling the soft fragrance of her shampoo. After she pinched him twice, he snapped out of it, took a deep breath, and stumbled forward.
"Mr. and Mrs. O'Leary, its a pleasure to have you here tonight. Merry Christmas, please come in away from the fireplace. My parents are right in here. Unfortunately, my father could not make it tonight - he's held up at the office - but my mum and grandmother are so anxious to meet you." Remus bowed a bit and offered his arm to Mrs. O'Leary. Rhia beamed. Remus was such a diplomat when he needed to be. It was one of the reasons why she loved him.
Sirius escorted Annie into the parlor, and Rhia showed her dad where to go. Once they had all gathered, Rhia moved to the opposite side of the room as her parents, next to Remus and his mum. She felt so much more at ease with these people.
"Mr. and Mrs. O'Leary, how wonderful to see you," Mrs. Lupin greeted them, shaking their hands. "Remus and Rhia have told me so many good things about you." Rhia smiled at her mother, but inside she winced. Mrs. Lupin was making a stretch there. Any time Rhia had come over, and the subject had changed to her parents, she would begin to rant about how they were too stuffy; too old-fashioned; too snooty; too non-parental. She thought Mrs. Lupin was using a fair amount of tact here, as all she had ever heard of Rhia's parents were horror stories.
"Well Mrs. Lupin, I wish I could say the same for you, but our daughter Rhiannon doesn't talk much about her friends. She doesn't inform us of any of her doings, actually. We've only recently found out she was seeing young Remus here." Rhia's dad tried to sound cheerful, but he couldn't help but throw a Look at his daughter. Her eyes fell to the floor.
"Sorry, Father," she muttered, grinding her teeth.
"Oh no, don't apologize Rhiannon," he corrected her. She looked up quickly; could he possibly be acting civil in front of her friends for once? "You've made fools of us before, I see no reason why you should pretend to apologize every time." Oh, of course not. Her eyes threatened to well up. How could she expect her parents to act like... like... parents for once? Remus, feeling her turmoil, squeezed her hand and looked at her with sympathetic eyes.
"Forget them." he whispered in her ear as they sat down.
"My, my, isn't this...quaint." Mrs. O'Leary said as her husband pulled a chair out for her.
"Yes, we decorated it ourselves." Mrs. Lupin remarked cautiously, unsure if she was complimenting or degrading her.
"Perhaps our guests are hungry, Mum." Annie suggested, hoping that the sooner they ate, the sooner the O'Learys would leave, if only for Rhia's sake.
"Oh, yes, how inconsiderate of me." Mrs. Lupin jumped to her feet and opened the door to the dining room. "Dinner is served."
Strange enough, the meal was served and eaten in silence broken only by the light conversation made by Remus, Annie, and Sirius. Rhia didn't have the stomach to eat, much less talk. After the dishes of stuffing and goose and bread were carried away and the Christmas pudding was floated into the room, Mr. and Mrs. O'Leary resumed talking.
No, arguing.
"You always choose that office over me, Aaron." Mrs. O'Leary pouted, sipping at her glass of wine.
"They've forced me to go in, Delia." Mr. O'Leary insisted.
"On Christmas day?" She raised her thin eyebrows to a high point on her forehead.
"You must excuse her, she's always like this when she's a little blotto." Mr. O'Leary apologized to everyone. Rhia's cheeks coloured a brilliant red and she stood, nodding her excuse before rushing out of the room and out onto the porch. How could her parents be so...so argumentative and unfeeling and stupid? They knew that she adored Remus and his mother, yet they still had to be childish! Hot, angry tears pricked her eyes and she tried her best to hold them back, but to no avail.
"Rhia."
Rhia turned around upon hearing her name. Remus was making his way outside, closely followed by Sirius and Annie.
"You three should go back inside." Rhia murmured, wiping her eyes. "I'm sure your mother's pudding is wonderful, and you don't want to miss that."
Suddenly, she found herself choked up, thinking of how motherly Mrs. Lupin was, and how her mother could never be that way. "We can miss the pudding. My mum will put some away for us, I'm sure..." Remus said, sitting next to her. When he saw the tears threatening to fall, he turned back to Sirius and Annie.
"Why don't you guys go back and play peacemaker? I'm not sure how long they can all last in there."
When they had left, Rhia turned to Remus. "You didn't have to do that," she said.
"Rhia, it'll be okay, you know," he replied, putting his arm around her for comfort. She sighed.
"Yeah, it'll be okay - when they leave. I know its horrible, but I just can't stand to be around them!"
"Rhia, I'm sure they're okay sometimes..."
"No Remus, they aren't. When I was a child, I hated my house, and its all because of them. That's why I was always with Sirius. I know its bad, I know I'm a horrible daughter... but let's face it. My parents will always just be people I have to spend the holidays with; not people I choose to love, but people I have to love." A tear slipped down her cheek.
Remus reached out and silently wiped the tear away, kissing her sweetly and saying, "Don't worry about them. If you're forced to love people you hate, then at least you have people who love you."
~*~
Rhia had no idea how she found the courage after that horrific night, and also after the harsh words she received from her parents upon returning to their home, but she did, and was even able to follow through on her latest assignment from The Daily Prophet- a visit to Hogwarts to discuss Dumbledore's stand on the rumors surrounding him and the Ministry of Magic position. She rose early, having spent the night in her childhood bedroom at her parent's house, and Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts, where a tall, lumbering, and familiar figure greeted her.
"Hallo, Rhiannon!" Hagrid, the kind and sometimes-bumbling groundskeeper of Hogwarts opened the gates with his giant hand.
"Hagrid, how good to see you." Rhia smiled widely.
"Dumbledore sent me down here t'fetch ye." He explained. "Since ye can't Apparate inside o' tha grounds."
"Thank you, it's very kind of you to do this." She took the enormous arm he offered and they made their way towards the castle.
"How's all o' them friends o' yours?" Hagrid asked as they passed the Whomping Willow and headed inside Hogwarts. "The Marauders, isn't that what tha hooligans called 'emselves?"
"Yes, the Marauders." Rhia grinned. "They're all fine. James and Lily are expecting a baby in July."
"Really now!" Hagrid smiled as though he were going to burst with joy.
"James is certain it's a boy." She added.
"Ah, most o' us men been hopin' fer a son since we was lads." He told her as they stopped in front of the large golden griffin that Rhia remembered being the entrance to Dumbledore's office. "Peppermint Toad." Hagrid said, and the griffin began to revolve into a set of stairs.
"Thanks a lot, Hagrid." Rhia leaned over and gave the oversized man a hug before climbing onto the stairs as they wound up, up, up to a door. She pushed open the door and found herself in a long hallway that led to another door, this one heavy and golden-plated. She knocked on it and it opened silently of it's own accord. Dumbledore sat inside, talking quietly to a small young girl with raven hair, much like her own. The girl, most likely a first year, sat in a chair much too big for her tiny frame opposite his desk, and was holding a few things in her lap.
"Er, sir?" Rhia called, feeling as though she were intruding on something private and perhaps precious.
"Rhia, do come in." Dumbledore murmured, not taking his eyes off of the first year, yet beckoning her forward. Rhia stepped closer, towards the other chair near his desk, getting a better glimpse at the girl. She was quite pale, with yards of thick black hair and strange, glittering amber eyes. Her robes were embroidered with silver and blue- a Ravenclaw.
"Am I interrupting something, Professor?" she asked. "If I am, I could-"
"No, no." Dumbledore shook his head. "Rhia, this is Angela Wilcox. Angela, this is Rhiannon O'Leary. She attended Hogwarts a while back." Angela turned her big amber eyes towards Rhia and nodded silently. "Angela, why don't you show Miss O'Leary your things while I go find Professor Trelawney?" Dumbledore suggested. Angela nodded and he stood, clapping a thin hand on Rhia's shoulder before leaving.
"What's that you've got there, Angela?" Rhia started, trying to pry open the apparently shy girl.
"I made them." Angela murmured, setting the items in her lap on Dumbledore's desk. They seemed to be carvings, little wooden carvings of little wooden people.
"They're very nice." Rhia replied, picking each one up in turn. They were indeed people, and exquisitely made, each with tiny details and an inscription at the bottom.
The first one she picked up was of not one, but two people; a tall man with shaggy hair and spectacles and a young woman with long flowing hair and a gentle smile. The inscription read, 'The Stag and Flower, Who Died to Save us All.'
The second one, an older man with haggard looks, seemed very familiar, as if she knew him, but didn't recognize him. His read simply, 'The Teacher.'
The third was another haggard person, this one seeming to be clad in the dirty robes of Azkaban prisoners. 'The Accused.'
The fourth, a woman with curly hair, her hands clasped tightly. 'The Believer.'
The fifth, a third woman, with stylishly cut hair and a very thin figure. 'The Disappeared.'
The sixth, and finale, carving, was a boy who slightly resembled either a younger James or Sirius with glasses, she couldn't tell who. His inscription, 'The Boy Who Lived.'
"Who are they?" Rhia asked at last.
"They saved us." Angela said in low, thrilling tones. "They fulfilled their destinies to help to save us all, all of wizardkind."
"Where did you hear about them? Where are these people?" Rhia asked quietly, staring at "the boy who lived" in awe. For some reason, just looking at the figures, she knew they were real people. She felt connected, and for a strange reason, she believed this little girl.
Angela suddenly looked very nervous, and pulled her figurines closer to her body. Then she looked up at Rhia with such knowing in her eyes. "I didn't. They aren't."
"They aren't what?"
"These," she said, indicating all but the small boy, "just are, but will be. He, the Boy who Lived, isn't. He will be, and he will be great... You see, he will save us all. They all will."
Rhia pulled a chair next to Angela, and sat down. "Can I look at them, Angela? I'll be careful, I promise." Angela lent Rhia the one labeled "the teacher" with a shaking hand.
"You can have this one. I know you'll like him. You'll love him. And her," she added, handing Rhia "the Disappeared". "She reminds me of you."
Rhia held the two figures in her hands and felt such a feeling of familiarity that she almost dropped them. Just then, Dumbledore returned with Prefessor Trelawney, and Rhia quickly gave Angela back the figures. Trelawney glided over to Angela and held her hand over the little girl's head.
"Ah, Angela, my little seer! What precious gifts have you bestowed upon us now?"
"She's done this before?" Rhia asked Dumbledore. He nodded.
"Once. Two figurines, a few weeks ago. A tall man, and a shorter, chubbier one. "The Traitor" and "the Darkness". We haven't been able to figure anything out about her or her figures, but I think they may be signs." Dumbledore whispered as Trelawney checked out the figures.
"Headmaster, if its all right, I'll take Angela back to my room, so you can have your interview with Rhiannon. We can talk more in private, I can train her Inner Eye there anyway."
"Yes, very well Sybil." Trelawney and Angela stood up to leave, but Angela ran to Rhia's side and grabber her hand.
"Don't be sad, pretty one, and don't be scared when the time comes. The Wolf will always love you!" Then she ran out after Trelawney, both Rhia and Albus staring after her.
* * *
"And she had little statues for all these people, they were so intricate, and I swear, I've seen them before, or maybe they're living counterparts, I don't know. And then she said to me, 'The Wolf will always love you!' How creepy is that?" Rhia gushed later than night to Remus. They were lying in bed, and Rhia was telling him about her strange encounter in Dumbledore's office. "I'm telling you, love, it was so weird!"
"I'm sure, dear." Remus replied sleepily, not bothering to open his eyes.
"She wanted to give me two of them." Rhia recalled, sitting straight up in bed. "'The Disappeared' and 'The Teacher', but Professor Trelawney came and took her away. All of her little figurines had names too; 'The Accused' and 'The Believer', things like that. One was 'The Boy Who Lived'. Have you ever heard of him? Maybe in legend?"
"No." he answered, pulling her down beside him. "Now go to sleep, we've got that Christmas party at James and Lily's tomorrow."
"Christmas!" Rhia gasped. "I'd almost forgotten! Don't you dare let me forget their presents tomorrow."
"I won't, go to sleep." He ordered.
"Fine, fine." She rolled her eyes in the darkness. "But if I forget the presents...or if those figurines do mean something...don't come whining to me."
~*~
"Remus says she's obsessing over something some little girl said to her." James was telling Sirius and Peter later that night at his and Lily's Christmas party.
"Well, I'm sure he would have told me...if we were talking." Sirius replied, fumbling with the too-big watch Rhia had given him, saying it was from her and Remus, though he knew it wasn't.
"Not talking?" Peter repeated.
"He's mad...no big deal, don't worry about it." Sirius brushed it off. "What's this about Rhia obsessing?"
"Apparently, some girl at Hogwarts had a premonition and it's messed with her. She's absorbed in it." James said.
"What was the premonition about?" asked Peter.
"She doesn't know." He replied.
"I'll go talk to her, maybe she'll tell me." Sirius offered. James and Peter nodded, and Sirius walked to the table where Rhia sat with Lily and Annie, talking to them quietly.
"And she showed me all of these little carvings." Rhia was saying. "All different kinds, and all so intricate!"
"Rhia, sorry to bother you." Sirius interrupted. "The fellows sent me to talk to you."
"We'll find you later." Lily offered, and she and Annie left. "What's up Sirius?" Rhia asked.
"The fellows sent me over... to tell you the truth, we're a bit concerned, love..."
"Of what?" she asked, suddenly nervous. "What have you heard?"
"I haven't heard anything, Rhia, but I've been made aware of an obsession you seem to have with a little girl and a few of her dolls..."
"They aren't dolls, Sirius! They're little wooden sculptures. It seems they may be a sort of prophecy-"
"From an eleven year old girl? Rhia, that's insane. She was just bored, maybe a little creative, and carved them. It means nothing."
Rhia looked away from Sirius. If he wouldn't believe her, no one would. What about the feelings she got whenever she looked at them, thought of them? Professor Trelawney used to praise her predictions in Divination. Sure, she believed at the time that it was lucky guesswork on her part, but maybe it wasn't. Maybe...
"Rhia? Will you drop it? It'll be okay." She turned back to Sirius.
"Sure, sure it will. Whatever you say, Sirius."
"Mum, calm down." Annie called with a smile.
"The O'Learys are arriving in ten minutes, and I won't have this house looking like a sty when they come." Mrs. Lupin retorted, lighting the lamps with a flick of her wand.
"It looks beautiful, Mum." Remus insisted.
"You two go finish setting the table." Their mother ordered, pointing to the dining room door.
"Yes, Mum." They chorused and, with a roll of their eyes, walked into the dining room.
"She's gone absolutely nuts." Remus muttered, setting napkins at each place as Annie filled the water glasses.
"You're the one who spent two hours on your hair alone." Annie teased.
"As if you didn't put up a huge fuss about those robes you wanted." Remus shot back.
"Hush." She ordered. "And when are you going to get around to proposing to her?"
"Rhia?" He asked, and she nodded enthusiastically. Remus sighed and chewed thoughtfully on his lip. "I want to marry her, I really do, it's just..."
"Just what?" she asked.
"I want to be sure I can provide for her." He explained. "It's nice working for Dad and all, but it doesn't pay much. I want to be able to buy her a house before I do anything."
"That's sweet." Annie smiled, just as a loud noise was heard from the living room.
"Our Floo guests seem to have arrived." Remus said, opening the door to let Annie out into the living room, where Sirius, Rhia, and Mr. and Mrs. O'Leary were brushing soot off of their shoulders. "Oh darling, you know how I never liked Floo powder... it always gets so... dirty," Mrs. O'Leary whined, clutching her husband's arm. Rhia, glad to break free of her parents grasp, ran to Remus.
"Help me!" she whispered in his ear. He smiled, smelling the soft fragrance of her shampoo. After she pinched him twice, he snapped out of it, took a deep breath, and stumbled forward.
"Mr. and Mrs. O'Leary, its a pleasure to have you here tonight. Merry Christmas, please come in away from the fireplace. My parents are right in here. Unfortunately, my father could not make it tonight - he's held up at the office - but my mum and grandmother are so anxious to meet you." Remus bowed a bit and offered his arm to Mrs. O'Leary. Rhia beamed. Remus was such a diplomat when he needed to be. It was one of the reasons why she loved him.
Sirius escorted Annie into the parlor, and Rhia showed her dad where to go. Once they had all gathered, Rhia moved to the opposite side of the room as her parents, next to Remus and his mum. She felt so much more at ease with these people.
"Mr. and Mrs. O'Leary, how wonderful to see you," Mrs. Lupin greeted them, shaking their hands. "Remus and Rhia have told me so many good things about you." Rhia smiled at her mother, but inside she winced. Mrs. Lupin was making a stretch there. Any time Rhia had come over, and the subject had changed to her parents, she would begin to rant about how they were too stuffy; too old-fashioned; too snooty; too non-parental. She thought Mrs. Lupin was using a fair amount of tact here, as all she had ever heard of Rhia's parents were horror stories.
"Well Mrs. Lupin, I wish I could say the same for you, but our daughter Rhiannon doesn't talk much about her friends. She doesn't inform us of any of her doings, actually. We've only recently found out she was seeing young Remus here." Rhia's dad tried to sound cheerful, but he couldn't help but throw a Look at his daughter. Her eyes fell to the floor.
"Sorry, Father," she muttered, grinding her teeth.
"Oh no, don't apologize Rhiannon," he corrected her. She looked up quickly; could he possibly be acting civil in front of her friends for once? "You've made fools of us before, I see no reason why you should pretend to apologize every time." Oh, of course not. Her eyes threatened to well up. How could she expect her parents to act like... like... parents for once? Remus, feeling her turmoil, squeezed her hand and looked at her with sympathetic eyes.
"Forget them." he whispered in her ear as they sat down.
"My, my, isn't this...quaint." Mrs. O'Leary said as her husband pulled a chair out for her.
"Yes, we decorated it ourselves." Mrs. Lupin remarked cautiously, unsure if she was complimenting or degrading her.
"Perhaps our guests are hungry, Mum." Annie suggested, hoping that the sooner they ate, the sooner the O'Learys would leave, if only for Rhia's sake.
"Oh, yes, how inconsiderate of me." Mrs. Lupin jumped to her feet and opened the door to the dining room. "Dinner is served."
Strange enough, the meal was served and eaten in silence broken only by the light conversation made by Remus, Annie, and Sirius. Rhia didn't have the stomach to eat, much less talk. After the dishes of stuffing and goose and bread were carried away and the Christmas pudding was floated into the room, Mr. and Mrs. O'Leary resumed talking.
No, arguing.
"You always choose that office over me, Aaron." Mrs. O'Leary pouted, sipping at her glass of wine.
"They've forced me to go in, Delia." Mr. O'Leary insisted.
"On Christmas day?" She raised her thin eyebrows to a high point on her forehead.
"You must excuse her, she's always like this when she's a little blotto." Mr. O'Leary apologized to everyone. Rhia's cheeks coloured a brilliant red and she stood, nodding her excuse before rushing out of the room and out onto the porch. How could her parents be so...so argumentative and unfeeling and stupid? They knew that she adored Remus and his mother, yet they still had to be childish! Hot, angry tears pricked her eyes and she tried her best to hold them back, but to no avail.
"Rhia."
Rhia turned around upon hearing her name. Remus was making his way outside, closely followed by Sirius and Annie.
"You three should go back inside." Rhia murmured, wiping her eyes. "I'm sure your mother's pudding is wonderful, and you don't want to miss that."
Suddenly, she found herself choked up, thinking of how motherly Mrs. Lupin was, and how her mother could never be that way. "We can miss the pudding. My mum will put some away for us, I'm sure..." Remus said, sitting next to her. When he saw the tears threatening to fall, he turned back to Sirius and Annie.
"Why don't you guys go back and play peacemaker? I'm not sure how long they can all last in there."
When they had left, Rhia turned to Remus. "You didn't have to do that," she said.
"Rhia, it'll be okay, you know," he replied, putting his arm around her for comfort. She sighed.
"Yeah, it'll be okay - when they leave. I know its horrible, but I just can't stand to be around them!"
"Rhia, I'm sure they're okay sometimes..."
"No Remus, they aren't. When I was a child, I hated my house, and its all because of them. That's why I was always with Sirius. I know its bad, I know I'm a horrible daughter... but let's face it. My parents will always just be people I have to spend the holidays with; not people I choose to love, but people I have to love." A tear slipped down her cheek.
Remus reached out and silently wiped the tear away, kissing her sweetly and saying, "Don't worry about them. If you're forced to love people you hate, then at least you have people who love you."
~*~
Rhia had no idea how she found the courage after that horrific night, and also after the harsh words she received from her parents upon returning to their home, but she did, and was even able to follow through on her latest assignment from The Daily Prophet- a visit to Hogwarts to discuss Dumbledore's stand on the rumors surrounding him and the Ministry of Magic position. She rose early, having spent the night in her childhood bedroom at her parent's house, and Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts, where a tall, lumbering, and familiar figure greeted her.
"Hallo, Rhiannon!" Hagrid, the kind and sometimes-bumbling groundskeeper of Hogwarts opened the gates with his giant hand.
"Hagrid, how good to see you." Rhia smiled widely.
"Dumbledore sent me down here t'fetch ye." He explained. "Since ye can't Apparate inside o' tha grounds."
"Thank you, it's very kind of you to do this." She took the enormous arm he offered and they made their way towards the castle.
"How's all o' them friends o' yours?" Hagrid asked as they passed the Whomping Willow and headed inside Hogwarts. "The Marauders, isn't that what tha hooligans called 'emselves?"
"Yes, the Marauders." Rhia grinned. "They're all fine. James and Lily are expecting a baby in July."
"Really now!" Hagrid smiled as though he were going to burst with joy.
"James is certain it's a boy." She added.
"Ah, most o' us men been hopin' fer a son since we was lads." He told her as they stopped in front of the large golden griffin that Rhia remembered being the entrance to Dumbledore's office. "Peppermint Toad." Hagrid said, and the griffin began to revolve into a set of stairs.
"Thanks a lot, Hagrid." Rhia leaned over and gave the oversized man a hug before climbing onto the stairs as they wound up, up, up to a door. She pushed open the door and found herself in a long hallway that led to another door, this one heavy and golden-plated. She knocked on it and it opened silently of it's own accord. Dumbledore sat inside, talking quietly to a small young girl with raven hair, much like her own. The girl, most likely a first year, sat in a chair much too big for her tiny frame opposite his desk, and was holding a few things in her lap.
"Er, sir?" Rhia called, feeling as though she were intruding on something private and perhaps precious.
"Rhia, do come in." Dumbledore murmured, not taking his eyes off of the first year, yet beckoning her forward. Rhia stepped closer, towards the other chair near his desk, getting a better glimpse at the girl. She was quite pale, with yards of thick black hair and strange, glittering amber eyes. Her robes were embroidered with silver and blue- a Ravenclaw.
"Am I interrupting something, Professor?" she asked. "If I am, I could-"
"No, no." Dumbledore shook his head. "Rhia, this is Angela Wilcox. Angela, this is Rhiannon O'Leary. She attended Hogwarts a while back." Angela turned her big amber eyes towards Rhia and nodded silently. "Angela, why don't you show Miss O'Leary your things while I go find Professor Trelawney?" Dumbledore suggested. Angela nodded and he stood, clapping a thin hand on Rhia's shoulder before leaving.
"What's that you've got there, Angela?" Rhia started, trying to pry open the apparently shy girl.
"I made them." Angela murmured, setting the items in her lap on Dumbledore's desk. They seemed to be carvings, little wooden carvings of little wooden people.
"They're very nice." Rhia replied, picking each one up in turn. They were indeed people, and exquisitely made, each with tiny details and an inscription at the bottom.
The first one she picked up was of not one, but two people; a tall man with shaggy hair and spectacles and a young woman with long flowing hair and a gentle smile. The inscription read, 'The Stag and Flower, Who Died to Save us All.'
The second one, an older man with haggard looks, seemed very familiar, as if she knew him, but didn't recognize him. His read simply, 'The Teacher.'
The third was another haggard person, this one seeming to be clad in the dirty robes of Azkaban prisoners. 'The Accused.'
The fourth, a woman with curly hair, her hands clasped tightly. 'The Believer.'
The fifth, a third woman, with stylishly cut hair and a very thin figure. 'The Disappeared.'
The sixth, and finale, carving, was a boy who slightly resembled either a younger James or Sirius with glasses, she couldn't tell who. His inscription, 'The Boy Who Lived.'
"Who are they?" Rhia asked at last.
"They saved us." Angela said in low, thrilling tones. "They fulfilled their destinies to help to save us all, all of wizardkind."
"Where did you hear about them? Where are these people?" Rhia asked quietly, staring at "the boy who lived" in awe. For some reason, just looking at the figures, she knew they were real people. She felt connected, and for a strange reason, she believed this little girl.
Angela suddenly looked very nervous, and pulled her figurines closer to her body. Then she looked up at Rhia with such knowing in her eyes. "I didn't. They aren't."
"They aren't what?"
"These," she said, indicating all but the small boy, "just are, but will be. He, the Boy who Lived, isn't. He will be, and he will be great... You see, he will save us all. They all will."
Rhia pulled a chair next to Angela, and sat down. "Can I look at them, Angela? I'll be careful, I promise." Angela lent Rhia the one labeled "the teacher" with a shaking hand.
"You can have this one. I know you'll like him. You'll love him. And her," she added, handing Rhia "the Disappeared". "She reminds me of you."
Rhia held the two figures in her hands and felt such a feeling of familiarity that she almost dropped them. Just then, Dumbledore returned with Prefessor Trelawney, and Rhia quickly gave Angela back the figures. Trelawney glided over to Angela and held her hand over the little girl's head.
"Ah, Angela, my little seer! What precious gifts have you bestowed upon us now?"
"She's done this before?" Rhia asked Dumbledore. He nodded.
"Once. Two figurines, a few weeks ago. A tall man, and a shorter, chubbier one. "The Traitor" and "the Darkness". We haven't been able to figure anything out about her or her figures, but I think they may be signs." Dumbledore whispered as Trelawney checked out the figures.
"Headmaster, if its all right, I'll take Angela back to my room, so you can have your interview with Rhiannon. We can talk more in private, I can train her Inner Eye there anyway."
"Yes, very well Sybil." Trelawney and Angela stood up to leave, but Angela ran to Rhia's side and grabber her hand.
"Don't be sad, pretty one, and don't be scared when the time comes. The Wolf will always love you!" Then she ran out after Trelawney, both Rhia and Albus staring after her.
* * *
"And she had little statues for all these people, they were so intricate, and I swear, I've seen them before, or maybe they're living counterparts, I don't know. And then she said to me, 'The Wolf will always love you!' How creepy is that?" Rhia gushed later than night to Remus. They were lying in bed, and Rhia was telling him about her strange encounter in Dumbledore's office. "I'm telling you, love, it was so weird!"
"I'm sure, dear." Remus replied sleepily, not bothering to open his eyes.
"She wanted to give me two of them." Rhia recalled, sitting straight up in bed. "'The Disappeared' and 'The Teacher', but Professor Trelawney came and took her away. All of her little figurines had names too; 'The Accused' and 'The Believer', things like that. One was 'The Boy Who Lived'. Have you ever heard of him? Maybe in legend?"
"No." he answered, pulling her down beside him. "Now go to sleep, we've got that Christmas party at James and Lily's tomorrow."
"Christmas!" Rhia gasped. "I'd almost forgotten! Don't you dare let me forget their presents tomorrow."
"I won't, go to sleep." He ordered.
"Fine, fine." She rolled her eyes in the darkness. "But if I forget the presents...or if those figurines do mean something...don't come whining to me."
~*~
"Remus says she's obsessing over something some little girl said to her." James was telling Sirius and Peter later that night at his and Lily's Christmas party.
"Well, I'm sure he would have told me...if we were talking." Sirius replied, fumbling with the too-big watch Rhia had given him, saying it was from her and Remus, though he knew it wasn't.
"Not talking?" Peter repeated.
"He's mad...no big deal, don't worry about it." Sirius brushed it off. "What's this about Rhia obsessing?"
"Apparently, some girl at Hogwarts had a premonition and it's messed with her. She's absorbed in it." James said.
"What was the premonition about?" asked Peter.
"She doesn't know." He replied.
"I'll go talk to her, maybe she'll tell me." Sirius offered. James and Peter nodded, and Sirius walked to the table where Rhia sat with Lily and Annie, talking to them quietly.
"And she showed me all of these little carvings." Rhia was saying. "All different kinds, and all so intricate!"
"Rhia, sorry to bother you." Sirius interrupted. "The fellows sent me to talk to you."
"We'll find you later." Lily offered, and she and Annie left. "What's up Sirius?" Rhia asked.
"The fellows sent me over... to tell you the truth, we're a bit concerned, love..."
"Of what?" she asked, suddenly nervous. "What have you heard?"
"I haven't heard anything, Rhia, but I've been made aware of an obsession you seem to have with a little girl and a few of her dolls..."
"They aren't dolls, Sirius! They're little wooden sculptures. It seems they may be a sort of prophecy-"
"From an eleven year old girl? Rhia, that's insane. She was just bored, maybe a little creative, and carved them. It means nothing."
Rhia looked away from Sirius. If he wouldn't believe her, no one would. What about the feelings she got whenever she looked at them, thought of them? Professor Trelawney used to praise her predictions in Divination. Sure, she believed at the time that it was lucky guesswork on her part, but maybe it wasn't. Maybe...
"Rhia? Will you drop it? It'll be okay." She turned back to Sirius.
"Sure, sure it will. Whatever you say, Sirius."