Chapter 3: Taking Flight

"I want you…to be free…don't worry…about me…and just like…the movies…we play out…our last scene…"

Karista stood in the scalding hot water, scrubbing as hard as she could. It seemed as if she was trying to grate of her skin, yet the attempt was only making it red. Tears mingled with the water pouring down her face and every once in a while her voice would crack. It had been nearly three days since the dream, and since then she had become progressively worse in her emotions. One second, she would want to just end it all while the other was spent declaring that Voldemort was going to be sorry he was born. The worst of it though, was that Karista, under all this confusion, couldn't understand anything. It was as if all the brains and soul had been sucked out of her.

But now, as she stepped out of the shower, she felt somewhat refreshed and rather sore from the incessant scrubbing. After toweling herself off and applying some aloe Vera to the rashes adorning her body, Karista changed into some more comfortable pajamas and settled herself into bed…the place that she had been for the past three days.

Amanuet swirled the clouds with her finger, a stern and unbecoming look on her face. Karista, both shocked and scared of what she saw, could only shake her head.

"No…that's not real," Karista said, her voice a petrified whisper. Amanuet solemnly nodded her head and lowered her staff.

"Yes, it is Karista. You should know that the Heirs of two different houses cannot intermingle," Amanuet said lightly while redirecting Karista's gaze back upwards. But the pain of what she saw before her made her heart drop out of her chest and she looked away again. "Karista, you must—"

"I must what? Accept this? No…I can change the stars," Karista ranted, stomping her foot. The ringing in her ears was growing louder and threatened to overtake her hearing.

"You cannot change the stars, child. What will happen will happen and no one can stop it."

The coldness in Amanuet's voice took Karista by surprise and she stepped back, unwilling to listen to more. "I don't want to listen."

"You have no choice child. This is who you are," Amanuet said, her voice no longer soft and soothing. Karista looked away, tears stinging her eyes as the mist swirled around her, sending her into an inky-black oblivion.

She sat up straight; the fragments of the dream that were still in tact were playing ceaselessly in her mind. When she went to run a hand through her hair, Karista noticed that she had broken into a light sweat and that there were tears on her face. The sheets were twisted around her ankles and wrists, keeping her tied to the bed. But with a quick flick of the wrist that wasn't tightly bound, Karista was out of her bed and reading the clock: three in the morning.

The hunger that had been creeping up on her the past few days now gripped her stomach and Karista nearly sprinted out of her room towards the kitchens. She was halfway to the kitchens when she rounded the corner and running straight into—

"Do watch where you are going, Flannigan!" Snape said icily, as Karista had just barged into him. "One would have thought that your senses would be better by now."

Karista jerked away from him, her emotions already running high. Unfortunately, Snape seemed to notice this because his face and body visibly relaxed and a look of perplexity crossed his face. "Karista, what's wrong?"

She bowed her head, eyes brimming with tears. She didn't know what to say exactly other than the fact that she felt uncomfortable talking to anyone. But the seconds flew by and before Karista knew what was happening, Severus had grabbed her arm and steered her down the corridor towards his office. He wasn't gripping her painfully hard, yet it was still tight enough for her not to be able to wiggle free of his grasp. Karista kept her head bowed, barely noticing the stone walls flash by her as Snape unlocked his office and pulled her inside. After flicking his wand at the grate in the fireplace and motioning for Karista to sit down (which she did reluctantly), Snape stood behind his desk with a furrowed brow.

"There is no need to tell me that something happened in New York," he began with his voice much softer than it had been in the corridor where they literally ran into each other. "But if it is something affecting you and anyone else, I think it wise that you tell me or at least the Headmaster."

Karista kept her head bowed. My shoes certainly are interesting. Snape, however, wasn't taking her silence. In fact, he swooped down upon her from his desk and perched himself merely inches away from her nose, hands resting on the arms of the chair. "Is it Potter?"

Karista didn't speak, move let alone think. Instead, she kept staring at the floor and counting the number of dust particles resting amongst the stones. Snape's patience was visibly wearing thin, as a corner of his mouth was twitching. "I would use veritaserum, but I am afraid that it won't work, will it?"

Karista's mind wandered back to her first year at Hogwarts when Snape put her under veritaserum to check Malfoy's serum. It had come as a shock to both Snape and Malfoy that she could throw it off. But now, Karista merely cracked a smile that was unseen by Snape. Snape gripped the arms on the chair for a moment before leaning back against his desk and folding his arms across his chest.

"My friends," Karista croaked, startling Snape out of his reverie. "Raquel didn't want me to come back here…and now I've lost her forever."

Snape's eyes became downcast for a moment before he summoned a chair out of thin air and set it next to Karista's chair. Karista looked up with tear streaks on her face and more tears threatening to pour out.

"I j-just…s-she was trying to say that I-I was being a b-brainless a-airhead…" Karista sobbed, covering her face with her hands. Snape sat stoically in his seat, a hand resting on Karista's chair. "She t-turned everything I s-said a-against me and I c-couldn't…"

Karista broke down into dry sobs. Snape looked at her and gently rubbed her arm. "There's more, isn't there?"

Karista nodded her head slightly, but thought it better not to tell Snape about the Prophecy. Instead, she moved to sit up only to have Snape restrain her.

"Karista, I may not seem like the type that would offer this, but if you need to talk to someone, come to me."

She smiled slightly before exiting the room. Snape, however, remained in the chair staring at the place that Karista had once been sitting. A thought had come to his mind that for some reason came out loud. "I have a feeling you may not be with us much longer, Miss Flannigan."

***

Disclamer: JKR owns the people and Places, I own Karista, Julia, Amaia, Vanessa, Callidus, Raquel and the Enidons, some chick named Jolene and the dream…

Author's note: It has become increasingly harder to write book seven even though the last 5 chapters have been written out. Please bare with me! I am working on it…even though my computer crashed, taking all my files (including stories) with it…

Coming Next: What exactly Is bugging Karista? What does Lily have to say about the animagi?

Will Raquel and Karista make up? Does Severus Snape keep up his offer?

All coming too soon…

Chapter 3/20(?)