This chapter dedicated to Nita, because she's the only other person reading this. :)

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"You have come to find out about your newest student," Sybil Trelawney's voice floated on the air toward Snape. He already felt groggy from the fumes of whatever perfume she had used on the fire, but managed to find his way to a soft cushion and collapse into it.

"No, Sybil," he said, waving smoke away from his face. "I'm here about Remus Lupin."

Trelawney's eyes misted over at the mention of Lupin and she dabbed at the corner of her glasses with her sparkling green robes. The bracelets on her wrists clanged together and Snape cringed, hearing the noise magnified inside his already pounding head. The headache was intensified immediately when Trelawney lit a rose coloured candle, then stared deeply into her crystal ball.

"No gazing into crystal balls, Sybil," Snape said impatiently. "This is serious. We need one of your real predictions."

Her eyes narrowed noticeably behind her thick glasses and she glared at Snape. "One cannot force the Inner Eye to see, Severus," she lectured gently. "My mind must be completely clear of all fog or the Inner Eye shall see nothing."

Snape growled deep in his throat. "Good luck clearing anything out of that head of yours," he snapped angrily. "This was a ridiculous solution to an insolvable problem. Good day." He stood quickly and turned to go, but Trelawney's hand clamped down on his wrist, her bracelets tinkling against his skin.

"Her Inner Eye sees all," Trelawney whispered, her voice changed.

Snape glanced down to see her eyes rolled back into her head showing him only the whites beneath.

"She can lead you to the place where they keep Remus Lupin captive."

"Who?" Snape asked quickly. "Who keeps him captive?"

Sybil's milky white eyes seemed to focus on his face and Snape suppressed the shudder that threatened to rise up his spine. She smiled and it had a chilling effect on the room, the fire seemed to reach barely beyond the hearth and Snape felt goose bumps rise on his arms.

"A traitor," she hissed, the smile still on her lips. "A traitor to us all."

"Who?" Snape asked.

Her gaze was unwavering. "You know him well, Severus Snape. You know him very well."

"Who?" he practically roared at her, kneeling down to her level.

Her smile widened. "James Potter."


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"She told you what?" Sirius practically screamed upon hearing the news of Trelawney's prediction. "She's absolutely insane. James is dead. Is she mad? Is she stupid?"

Snape shook his head. "It was a genuine prediction, Sirius. I've seen too many true seers to not know when a real prediction has been made."

Sirius frowned. "Are you mad? Are you stupid? Do I need to repeat myself? James. Is. Dead."

"I know," Snape said fiercely. "I'm trying to figure this out myself. You're not the only one who finds this information just a little hard to digest." Both men fell silent as they tried to work through Sybil Trelawney's words. Sirius began to pace the room, his fingers twitching as he walked. Snape had written down the words when he had arrived back at the classroom and he was now scanning them quickly.

"Her Inner Eye sees all," he mumbled, running a finger over the words. "Whose Inner Eye?"

Sirius stopped his pacing and stared at Snape. "What was that?"

"She said 'Her Inner Eye sees all. She can lead you to place where they keep Remus Lupin captive'. Then she went into James being a traitor and I lost her train of thought," Snape said. "But whose Inner Eye?"

Sirius's eyes travelled over the empty classroom to where Cassandra now lay on the floor, finally dressed in a school uniform and robes that fit her. She was talking to the air, her hands pawing at something neither man could see.

"Was she a seer?" Snape asked.

"How would I know?"

"You were her friend."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "It's not like we ever did the girl talk thing."

"She didn't tell you anything?" Snape asked.

Sirius screwed up his face in disgust. "Yes. She told me lots of things and far too often for my liking. I really could have lived without knowing what a fantastic kisser Remus is."

Snape had to stop himself from grinning, so he turned to study Cassandra as well.

"She said something in her cell," Snape murmured thoughtfully. "Something about the Dark Lord being in the sky and that it could only mean one thing."

"And that would be what, exactly?" Sirius asked.

"Ask her," Snape growled, gesturing at Cassandra.

Sirius glared at him angrily, then turned and knelt by the woman on the floor.

"Hey, Cass," he said brightly, sitting beside her. "Can I ask you something?"

She sat up and dusted off her robes. "Of course."

"Do you . . . see things?"

She snickered, then pointed to Snape. "I see that greasy git you were always talking about during school."

Sirius snickered, but pushed Cassandra's hand down. "That's not what I mean. Do you ever have . . . visions? Visions of the past, or maybe of the future?"

Her eyes widened. "Sure. When you're in my head you show me things and you tell me things that I'm not supposed to know."

"Like what?" Sirius asked, taking her chin in his hands and forcing her to look him in the eye. "What do I tell you?"

"You explain to me how You-Know-Who works," she said gravely. "You told me all about the war he'll wage when he comes back."

"Did I?" Sirius asked. "Did I ever tell you anything about Remus?"

She nodded. "You told me that our world lies on the shoulders of the wolf."

Snape let out a deep breath. "He's a key player."

Sirius held up a hand to silence him. "Did I ever say anything about the men who are keeping Remus away from us?"

Cassandra nodded again. "You said Prongs had betrayed us all." Her eyes turned toward the ceiling, searching for the stars. "Everyone thinks he's dead, but Prongs betrayed us all."


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Notes: HAH! How about that cliffhanger, Dia? :P