A/N: Thanks once again to everyone who sent a review. Angie, wilde roses, darkrisers, dark fairy, Laureen, gryffindorseeker and slytherin chick. I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying the tale so far. Thanks also to the regulars, Indigo, Rugi and Harue. I always look forward to your reactions. A special thanks to Antinua this chapter who was kind enough to provide a tough but constructive critique. I think my writing will benefit.

The Dream ~*~

Relieved that Lorien was not going to transform into a snake, Remus decided that he could handle watching her second try at the transformation. He watched her fight to push it further than the first attempt and was impressed with the gentle and effective way Sirius coaxed her along. This time the scales spread past her elbows, and it was very evident she had large dark claws.

She was exhausted after the second attempt and decided to head for her own rooms to rest. "Besides, I need to be somewhat available if somebody is ill," She admitted.

She kissed Remus. "I'll see you later," she said and then turned to Sirius and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

He nodded and smiled. "Any time sweetheart."

She left the two of them.

Remus turned to Sirius and spoke slowly. "Ok, Padfoot, what the hell was that?" he asked.

"I don't know," Sirius admitted, shaking his head.

"It's not a snake. What has claws like that and scales?" Remus asked.

"Lots of things. I can't tell." Sirius shrugged.

"It looked awful." Remus made a face.

"Moony, don't say that in front of her," Sirius cautioned.

"I know but..what was...oh it was nasty."

"Hey, I bet you don't look so hot half way either." Sirius smacked Lupin in the head playfully.

"Yeah, well you don't look so great transformed yourself, you mangy old flea bag."

"I don't have fleas. Besides, Lorien thought I was adorable."

"Oh, please." Lupin rolled his eyes.

"She invited me to sleep in her bed," Black teased.

"Yeah but then she tried to....."

"Ok, ok. Let's not even go there," Black cut him off, shuddering at the thought.

Lorien returned to her own rooms, happy but exhausted. Sirius had said she was doing well with the transformation so far. She flopped onto her bed and it didn't take her long to drift off to sleep.

The dream didn't come to her right away, but after she'd been asleep for some time. She walked slowly, turning corner after corner of the long, snaking corridor. She was close enough to hear the flapping sound, the rush of air. She turned the last corner to face a door at the end of the hallway. There were no more turns, only straight ahead or back. She reached for the door...

Her eyes opened. This was beginning to bother her. What was this dream all about? She wondered if she should mention it to Remus and Sirius. She decided against it. Why was it always the same hall? What was behind the door?

She gave up. If she was going to figure this out she was going to have to ask for help. Maybe, just maybe Trelawney could help her. She climbed out of bed and straightened up. She headed for the North Tower.

"I can't even believe that I'm doing this," Lorien said aloud to herself as she climbed the silvery ladder that led to the divination classroom. She nearly choked on the heavy perfumed air that she emerged into at the top.

Sibyll Trelawney was seated in an armchair by the fireplace, gazing at her expectantly.

"My dear Mistress Lorien, how nice to see you," she began in a dreamy voice. "I believe you seek assistance from a True Seer?"

'Good guess,' Lorien thought to herself sarcastically.

"Sit down, dear." Sibyll indicated a chair near hers. "You've come to have your palm read at last. How nice."

"Well, actually..."

"Ah, I see, you wish to look further into the future...a crystal ball reading then."

"It's about a dream."

"Yes, dream interpretation. I rather thought so. Tell me about your dream, my dear."

Lorien got the feeling she should get up and run, but she steeled herself and described the series of dreams to the bejeweled mystic. She told her about the corridor, the corners, the rushing sound and the door.

"Oh my dear, you were wise to come to me when you did. The dream world is a confusing realm to those not as versed in the Mystic arts. The interpretation you seek is quite clear to me."

'This should be good.'

The hallway represents transition, or a search to find a connection with someone, or something. The corners you turned warn you to beware of choices. The fact that you were walking represents that you have freedom of movement or freedom of choice. The door represents opportunity. You must be about to face some decision that will have a significant impact on your life. This dream, my dear has let you know your destiny is at hand and that the choices you freely make determine your fate." Trelawney pronounced the last sentence with a small air of triumph.

Lorien couldn't believe it. It made perfect sense. "What about the rushing sound?"

"Most likely wind. It represents being overwhelmed."

"And the door at the end? An opportunity?"

"Yes, my dear. The decisions you've made along the way bring you to an opportunity of some sort. The door is merely a symbol to help you recognize the opportunity has presented itself. It's very simple."

"Sibyll, thank you so much." Lorien rose to leave. "I can't tell you how much you've helped to put my mind at ease."

"Anytime, my dear. It was wise of you to seek assistance in areas you have less experience in. May I ask, in your dream, what was the decision you made in front of the door?"

Lorien looked a little puzzled. "Decision? I made no decision there. Well, other than opening the door."

Trelawney gasped. Bangles jangled furiously as she slapped her hand over her mouth in horror. "My dear, you didn't?"

"Well, yes. It's not like I'm in control of what I dream."

"Oh my dear, my dear. So unfortunate. I can scarcely bare to tell you."

"Tell me what?" Lorien was becoming annoyed now.

"Death."

"What?"

"Death. Destruction. Chaos await you. I'm so sorry I had to be the one to tell you."

Lorien stared at the woman for a moment and then shrugged. "Me too. Thanks anyway, Sibyll."

Lorien kept chuckling to herself as she headed back to the medical wing.

Trelawney had been on a roll and then she blew it. The dream had made perfect sense. It obviously represented her long term struggle with the decision to become animagi, and the fact that she alone controlled her destiny in this regards. It was simple.

The door however she didn't see as an omen of death. Opening the door represented the final decision to pursue the transformation, and the rushing sound certainly could have represented the fact that she had been slightly overwhelmed by the whole decision. But what about the flapping noise?

"It's probably the wings of the Angel of Death," she said aloud, amused at her own thoughts. She walked into her office to catch up on the endless paperwork.

Lorien had been sitting in her office for a short while trying to work, but her thoughts kept wandering back to the events of the morning and her visit with Trelawney. She was glad now that she had let Sirius talk her into trying to advance her transformation as an animagus.

Several of the Nemorosi that she knew well were animagi, including Perth, and Lorien had often felt the longing to undertake such a difficult feat of magic after watching him transform periodically into the beautiful roan stallion that was his alternate form.

She smiled when she thought of how pleased he was to see that she had finally decided to try it, and how enthusiastic he was about guiding her first attempts. She also remembered how distraught she was the first time her trials went far enough to see any physical changes and she saw the scales. Not only was she afraid of the old legend, but she had been disappointed to learn that her alternate form was not some lovely bird or magnificent cat. No colorful feathers or silky fur covered her skin, just cold, smooth, green scales.

She knew it shouldn't have mattered, the ability to perform the transformation was the goal she had intended to obtain, but at the time she couldn't help wishing for a more appealing prospect.

At this point her relief was so great that she didn't have to worry about the serpent, that whatever else came of the self-transfiguration spell was fine with her.

Lorien was looking out the window during her musings and the knock at the door startled her a bit. She turned to find Harry Potter standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Harry. What can I do for you?" she asked.

"Um, I was wondering if I might talk to you about something?" he began tentatively.

"Of course. Here, sit." She indicated the other chair." You're not ill are you?"

"No." He smiled. "You were telling me about the way Nemorosi do wandless magic yesterday and I was curious to hear more. If you have time, that is," Harry said politely.

Lorien nodded. "So what makes you curious, Harry? Thirst for knowledge, or have you had some odd things happen?" She looked steadily into the green eyes.

"I've had some odd things happen."

"I see. And you're wondering if you can do more wandless magic and control it?" she asked knowingly.

"I...I think so. Yes," he answered.

"Well there's only one way to find out. Would you like some help?" Lorien asked.

Harry grinned. "Yes. That would be great. When can we do it?"

"What about now?" Lorien ventured.

"Really?" Harry became excited about exploring the possibility.

"I have time if you do," she said with a smile.

After questioning Harry for a while, it was obvious that the frequency with which odd things happened to him was beyond that which happened to the average wizard. It was also apparent that much of the time things happened when he was under duress or experiencing intense emotional circumstances. She decided that he should indeed pursue an attempt at further wandless magic.

"Remember yesterday that I said that most wizards are able to do at least some wandless magic?" Lorien began. "Well, to varying degrees, many of them are actually capable of doing much more. Most of them just choose not to."

"Why wouldn't they?" asked Harry.

"I think that most wizards don't consciously think about the fact that they are in fact doing wandless magic. They don't give a second thought to using a locking charm on a door or a summoning spell without a wand. It's just the way they've always done it." Lorien explained her thoughts to Harry.

"To take it a step further, consider some of the animagi out there. They've mastered one of the most difficult feats of transfiguration there is without the use of a wand, but I'd be willing to bet if you asked them if they can do wandless magic, at least the gut reaction you got would be no."

Harry considered this for a moment and thought about asking Sirius the question later to see his initial response. He asked Lorien another question that came to mind.

"What about potion brewing?" he asked. "Isn't that the same sort of thing? I mean, a lot of the magic that goes into advanced potion making comes from the potion maker as well as the potion components, so it's really a variation of wandless magic, isn't it?"

"Absolutely, Harry. You've got the idea. Now, try asking Professor Snape to use a disarming spell without a wand and see how far you get."

"I think I'll pass, thanks," Harry said dryly.

Lorien laughed.

"So, if there is so much wandless magic that's already used, why don't wizards and witches do more magic without a wand?" Harry asked.

"It's really all a matter of conditioning," she replied. "Most people are conditioned to the use of a wand from a very early age, and the idea of doing magic without it seems very foreign to them."

"So you weren't conditioned to magic with a wand?" Harry asked.

"No, many of the Nemorosi are taught to do their very first magic without a wand, but there are those that learned to set the wand aside later in life too."

"They became Nemorosi?"

"Yes, although simply doing wandless magic does not make one Nemorosi, Harry. Just as most wizards perform magic through the partnership they have formed with the wand that chooses them, the Nemorosi draw their strength from the natural world around them."

Harry considered this for a moment until she spoke again.

"Shall we try?" Lorien asked with a smile.

Harry nodded.

Lorien took the quill she was writing with and she and Harry stepped out into the hospital ward. She set it on an exam table a short way away and turned back to Harry.

"Let's start with something easy. Something you're familiar with like the summoning spell."

"Ok," Harry answered.

"Now, summon the quill as you normally would."

Harry raised his wand and summoned the quill.

"Good," Lorien said putting it back. "Now do it again, but picture the summoning charm moving around the wand instead of through it."

Harry pictured her description and called the quill to him.

"Very good." Lorien took Harry's wand out of his hand. "Now without the wand. You already know you can work around it."

Harry took a deep breath and concentrated. "Accio pluma." The quill hesitated on the table for a second and then came to Harry as before. He looked over at Lorien with a grin.

"Excellent. Now, let's try something new." She smiled back. " Something that you've probably not done without a wand." She handed the wand back to Harry.

"What do you suggest?" Harry asked curiously.

"Let's try the lighting charm," She said. "Watch." Lorien held out her palm and spoke the charm. "Lumos." A small ball of white light sat on her palm.

Harry's eyes widened for just a second. "That was cool." He hesitated for a moment as a memory came to mind. "I've seen Professor Lupin do something like that with a flame spell for light."

"Really?" Lorien asked with interest.

"Yes. In front of a dementor that was searching the train for Sirius. Just before he banished it with a Patronus spell." Harry left out the part about passing out that day on the train on purpose.

"He performed the Patronus charm just after he conjured a wandless flame? Quite impressive, Harry." Lorien was pleased to learn something new about Remus.

"Yes, he's the one that taught me the Patronus charm," Harry added.

"He did? You already know it?" Lorien was surprised again.

Harry nodded.

"That's very advanced magic, especially if he taught it to you two years ago." Lorien began to wonder more about the boy's potential. "Well, shall we try the lighting spell?"

"I'd really like to," Harry answered enthusiastically.

"Ok. The normal lighting charm light up the end of your wand. Do it and picture the whole wand lighting up, Harry," Lorien instructed. "Try it," she added after seeing the questioning look on his face.

Harry pictured the whole wand lighting up, trying to banish the conditioned image of the end of the wand lighting only. "Lumos."

The entire wand to Harry's fingers was aglow with bright light.

"Very good, Harry. Put it out."

Harry extinguished the light.

"Now again. Bottom half of the wand and your hand," Lorien said.

"Ok." Harry concentrated again and spoke. "Lumos."

He smiled as he saw the light playing around his fingers as well. "Nox. Now without the wand?" he asked.

Lorien could see the excitement in the green eyes. "Yes, do it without the wand." She took the wand from him.

Harry concentrated for a minute, thinking about seeing the light in Lorien's hand moments ago. "Lumos." He spoke the charm.

The light in his palm was not bright, but he had done it.

Lorien smiled proudly and then spoke again. "More light, Harry. You can do it."

He pictured the light brighter and then it was.

"Excellent, Harry!" Lorien was excited herself at the teenager's accomplishment, and watched as he banished the light again.

"That was excellent," Lorien repeated as Harry grinned at her. "What about coming back later in the week and we'll try some more?"

Harry thought it was a terrific idea.

After dinner, Lorien decided that she needed to get outside for some fresh air, and decided that she wanted to go for a walk. Remus offered to join her since he wanted a few minutes to spend with her alone, and so they summoned their cloaks and headed for the door.

The night air was becoming crisp, but not yet cold, and many stars shone in the clear October sky, and the two of them decided to walk along the edge of the lake.

"So, how are you doing tonight, better?" Remus asked her.

"Yes, I managed to get a little rest this afternoon."

"That's good, but I really meant the whole serpent thing."

"Remus, I wish I could tell you how relieved I am that the stupid legend has nothing to do with me. I should have done this a long time ago," Lorien told him.

"No, you weren't ready until now. It was meant to be that you found out here."

Lorien looked sheepishly at Remus as they walked along.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"You're not even going to believe what I did today."

"Try me," he replied.

"I went to see Sibyll about a dream I've been having," she told him.

"You're doomed, aren't you?" he said with a knowing air.

"Apparently so," she answered.

"See that, I don't even know what you dreamed. I'm one step ahead of Professor Trelawney," he laughed.

Lorien told him about the recurring dream and Sibyll's interpretation , as well her own modified version.

"I like yours better. We'll stick with that one," Remus teased as he reached over and twined his fingers through hers as they walked.