Author's Note: Well, here we go. I hope you don't fall of the cliff.
Disclaimer: The idea of a "threshold sickness" belongs to Marian Zimmer Bradley. The rest, except for the HP, is my shining brilliance. Wait a minute. everything in here is HP! Oh drat.
Tested In Fire Chapter 7: On The Threshold
Ginny Weasley couldn't force herself to wake up. The haze she was fighting seemed to bear down like a dead weight on her conscious.
"Virginia. Virginia Weasley. Wake up, please."
The voice was calling to her softly, but it was not like the voices she had hard before the darkness consumed her. This one seemed to come from inside somewhere.
"No! I cannot! I will not!" she heard herself answering.
"You can and you will. Come on. Wake up."
The voice was definitely female, and definitely impatient.
"I.. I don't want to."
"Why ever not? You have nothing to fear here in the land of the living."
"The light. and the voices."
"Ah. I understand. Well, it's no use running from your problems, Virginia Weasley, and I have come a long way to meet you. I would appreciate it if you would return to us so that I may talk with you in the normal sense. I must confess that it has been a very long time since I've communicated on this plane. It wears me out. Now, if you will just open your eyes."
"This plane? What's going on? Who are you? I don't want to wake up, I tell you! You can't make me!"
And suddenly, Ginny Weasley found herself sitting upright in a bed in the hospital wing, definitely awake. Beside her in a chair was one of the most striking and odd women Ginny had ever run across in her relatively short life.
"Ah, Virginia, so nice of you to join us. I'm Professor Anna Black. Pleased to meet you."
"You're the voice."
"Aye, that I am. Well, I'll leave to rest for a bit. We'll talk in the morning." When she stood to leave, Ginny found that she had no energy to protest. Instead, she focused her attention on the new Professor.
Professor Black had a light Scottish accent, she noted, but that wasn't unusual around Hogwarts. What was really unusual was her looks. Small and petite, Professor Anna Black couldn't have been more than five feet tall at her full height. Black hair that reminded her strongly of Harry's godfather had fallen unbound to her waist. Her eyes had been blue. Ice blue, strongly contradicted by the warmth in her voice when she had welcomed Ginny back.
Ginny closed her eyes and was about to go to sleep when she noticed an odd rustling. Things seemed to be moving in a most unnatural way. Like the bed- curtains.
"Ronald Weasley!" she whispered, doing her best imitation of their mother.
"Sorry," whispered a voice, full of laughter and yet totally invisible. "Try again."
"Who are you?"
"Harry Potter."
Ginny giggled and laid back on the bed. "I can't see you, you know."
"I know. That's really very reassuring, as I'm supposed to be invisible."
"You're that good?" The amusement in her voice was evident as she fingered the covers and looked around for any physical evidence that he was there.
"I'm good at lots of things," Harry said, probably not realizing the possible double meaning, "but I'm not good enough to go invisible on my own."
"Well, then?"
"I've got a cloak, Miss Weasley, since you're so curious to know."
"Wow. An invisibility cloak? That's. amazing. They're rare."
"I know. Ron told me."
Ginny narrowed her eyes very suddenly. "Just what are you doing here, Mr. Potter?" Despite her expression, her tone still showed how light-hearted she was feeling, or pretending to feel.
"I came down to make sure you were all right."
"I'm fine."
"I can see that. So I'll. just um..go, then."
Ginny laughed at how nervous he seemed. "I'm supposed to rest. I hope I'll see you all in the morning?"
"Of course. Wild horses couldn't keep Ron away."
She frowned as he turned around to walk out of the door. Wild horses couldn't keep Ron away. what about Harry?
** Anna Black made her way, exhausted and dirty from her trip, up to the Divination tower. The first order of business when she woke up in the morning was to move all of the junk that Sybil Trelawney had collected over the years down and out- preferably into the bottom of the Hogwarts lake. She also was going to move her room. There was no way she could handle walking down the stairs to eat and then walking back up six times a day.
Unlike Sybil, Anna knew the difference between wishful thinking and a real premonition, and that was why she was here, at Hogwarts. She knew there was another Seer coming to power, which was rare, because there was rarely more than one true Seer alive at one time, and she also knew she had to be there. Virginia Weasley was going to be powerful. Very powerful indeed, which could be dangerous for her, and her friends. This sickness was just the first bout in a very long line of dizzy spells, nausea, headaches and more that was the manifestation of her abilities coming into play. Anna recalled her own transition from witch to Seer with not so fond memories, and allowed herself for a moment to feel pity for the young Weasley.
When she reached the top of the stairs, she stopped for a moment and closed her eyes, trying to feel whether or not anyone was in the room.
Being a Seer rarely worked like Sybil, or anyone else, thought it did. She wasn't psychic, but she could still feel magical auras. Only once in her life had she spouted off a prophecy (and a fat lot of good that had done her) and she never woke up in the morning knowing exactly what was going to happen that day. Tea leaves, crystal balls. those were all enhancers. You couldn't even begin to use them unless you had some traces of the Gift. So, for her class this year, Anna had required nothing. This was going to be an educational course. Famous Seers of the past, how to tell the difference between someone who was faking and someone who knew what they were doing, how to deal with a real Seer in a trance (something she felt that they were going to need if she and Ginny hung around Hogwarts much longer), and what being a Seer was really like.
Suddenly, Anna spun around. There was a new aura in her presence. "SIRIUS!" Anna jumped into Sirius's waiting arms and laughed.
"Anna, my love, what are you doing here at Hogwarts?"
"I'm teaching, dear brother o' mine."
Sirius grinned and kissed both her cheeks. "Two Blacks at Hogwarts. Dumbledore doesn't know what he's got himself into. Now, what's the other motive for appearing at Hogwarts so suddenly?"
"What makes you think I have another motive?"
"Anna Black never does anything simply because someone asked her to, even if that someone was Professor Albus Dumbledore."
"I have another Seer to train. I thought it was my duty."
"Another Seer? Having you around was bad enough, darling."
"I love you, Sirius."
Sirius's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"
"I missed you. I don't get to see you for fourteen. no, fifteen years."
"I'm sorry. I couldn't write to you in Azkaban, and it was too dangerous when I was on the run."
"I'm not mad at you, Sirius. Not for what happened here at the school, not for your words. I understand now. I'm not mad, I swear it. Just, don't ever go away like that again."
"I promise, Anna."
"Well, it's no use standing out here blubbering. Why don't you." Her eyes squinted and then lit in amusement, "and Remus come and have a night cap with me."
Remus Lupin, who was just coming up the stairs at this point, let out a booming laugh. "I couldn't ever get one past you."
Anna nodded, and they stood next to each other, as if trying to decide what exactly to do.
Sirius grinned. This, at least, hadn't changed. "Who's the new Seer, then?"
"There's another Seer?" Remus's voice was concerned.
"Yes, there is. That's why I'm here. You should know that. After all, you were spying on us."
"I was not."
"Hey, can we not argue with each other? This is the first time we've seen Anna in fifteen years. well, at least, that's true for me, and I'd really not start on old feuds right now."
Remus nodded. "Agreed."
"Well, then. Come on. I'll pour us all a drink."
When they were all sitting down together in the Tower, Remus finally got up the courage to ask the big question.
"So, who's the new Seer?"
"Virginia Weasley," Anna said calmly and took a sip of the Windelin's Wine they'd all been enjoying. "She's the reason I didn't get to go to the feast. She's having threshold sickness. Not as bad as mine was, mind you, but a decent case of it."
Remus and Sirius winced sympathetically.
"So, what's the plan?" Sirius asked, seemingly nonchalant.
"Well, first I've got to explain to her what this all about. And then," here she heaved a huge sigh. "I've got to convince her to take Divination."
Remus chuckled and Sirius nearly snorted his wine out of his nose.
"I get the impression that Divination isn't exactly the most respected class," Anna said, amusement fringing her voice.
"It wasn't when we were at school," Sirius remarked.
Anna shot him a death glare, but Remus nodded his head. "A lot of students figure it's an easy mark, Anna."
"It's a good thing Sybil kept all her papers on file. I'm going to go through them before I hold my next lesson tomorrow."
"I'm sure you'll find them to be most. entertaining," Remus said diplomatically.
"If they're anything like the Divination papers you two used to write, I'm sure I'll be highly amused."
"Come on now, we put a lot of hard work into our homework assignments." Sirius retorted, insulted.
Anna smiled. "I'm sure you did."
"Well, Sirius, Anna, I'd better get going. There are some things I need to clear up with the Headmaster," Remus announced as he stood to go.
Anna reached out with invisible fingers to feel his aura.
"REMUS J. LUPIN!"
Sirius and Remus both covered their ears in self-defense.
"Did you have to shout? I mean, couldn't you just have cursed him or something?" Sirius pleaded.
"Have you told anybody?" Anna asked, completely ignoring Sirius and walking the two paces to where Remus stood frozen. With her index finger, she pushed him back into his chair.
"What did you do?" Sirius asked.
"Hush, Sirius. Well, Remus?"
"No. I was hoping no one would notice."
"Lucky I showed up then. I thought that fifteen years would have meant that you learned to take care of yourself."
"I have."
"Mmmhmm."
"Would somebody please tell me what's going on?" Sirius demanded.
"Remus's transformations have been causing him pain- too much pain. Even with the Wolfsbane Potion."
"Damn it, Anna!" Remus's eyes were lit with fire and anger that only Anna could provoke.
"Why is that?" Sirius wanted to know, his voice dripping with concern.
"Because he's been a werewolf for far too long."
"Can we please have this conversation as if I were actually in the room?"
"Of course," Anna said. "I'm sorry."
"No apologies. Actually, there is a reason. It will be better this month," Remus said. "Thank you for being concerned."
"It's not because.?" Anna let her voice trail off.
"Yes, it is."
"Excuse me? Will someone tell me what is going on, again?"
"No." Remus said, and his tone booked no argument. "I'm going to see the headmaster. Goodnight Sirius, Anna."
** Ginny Weasley woke and Anna Black was there, again.
"Good morning. How are you this morning?"
"Honestly? I feel like I've been run over by a train."
Anna chuckled. "That's perfectly natural."
"Nobody will tell me what's happening to me."
"That's because there's very few people who understand what's happening to you."
"Do you?"
"Yes. That's why I'm here, actually. You're on the threshold of something new and different for you, and your body is reacting badly. But then, so does everyone's."
"Threshold of something new?"
"What do you know about Seers?"
"Only that there's no possible way I am one."
"It's time you start to believe in the impossible."
"What?"
"You, my dear, are experiencing threshold sickness. Your abilities are awakening, and your mind can't handle it, so it's treating it like it would a virus. This is only the beginning. When you start to exercise actual Divination, it will be worse."
"I don't want this. I don't need this."
"Well, there's no use denying it. In fact, that almost makes it worse. People are going to need you."
"What do you know about it?"
"Well, my dear, I'm a Seer. We're in the same boat, so to speak."
"You're a Seer?"
"In the flesh. I'm here to make sure that we both don't make the same mistakes I did."
"We both?"
"Well, I hate to repeat mistakes."
"You're not making sense. I'm not making sense."
"You're doing fine. This is a lot to swallow. Now, I'm going to need to see you this afternoon after your classes to begin our work."
"Um. okay."
"Rest now. And tell young Mr. Potter when he materializes after I've left that you're going to be perfectly fine. I give him my word as his godmother."
Disclaimer: The idea of a "threshold sickness" belongs to Marian Zimmer Bradley. The rest, except for the HP, is my shining brilliance. Wait a minute. everything in here is HP! Oh drat.
Tested In Fire Chapter 7: On The Threshold
Ginny Weasley couldn't force herself to wake up. The haze she was fighting seemed to bear down like a dead weight on her conscious.
"Virginia. Virginia Weasley. Wake up, please."
The voice was calling to her softly, but it was not like the voices she had hard before the darkness consumed her. This one seemed to come from inside somewhere.
"No! I cannot! I will not!" she heard herself answering.
"You can and you will. Come on. Wake up."
The voice was definitely female, and definitely impatient.
"I.. I don't want to."
"Why ever not? You have nothing to fear here in the land of the living."
"The light. and the voices."
"Ah. I understand. Well, it's no use running from your problems, Virginia Weasley, and I have come a long way to meet you. I would appreciate it if you would return to us so that I may talk with you in the normal sense. I must confess that it has been a very long time since I've communicated on this plane. It wears me out. Now, if you will just open your eyes."
"This plane? What's going on? Who are you? I don't want to wake up, I tell you! You can't make me!"
And suddenly, Ginny Weasley found herself sitting upright in a bed in the hospital wing, definitely awake. Beside her in a chair was one of the most striking and odd women Ginny had ever run across in her relatively short life.
"Ah, Virginia, so nice of you to join us. I'm Professor Anna Black. Pleased to meet you."
"You're the voice."
"Aye, that I am. Well, I'll leave to rest for a bit. We'll talk in the morning." When she stood to leave, Ginny found that she had no energy to protest. Instead, she focused her attention on the new Professor.
Professor Black had a light Scottish accent, she noted, but that wasn't unusual around Hogwarts. What was really unusual was her looks. Small and petite, Professor Anna Black couldn't have been more than five feet tall at her full height. Black hair that reminded her strongly of Harry's godfather had fallen unbound to her waist. Her eyes had been blue. Ice blue, strongly contradicted by the warmth in her voice when she had welcomed Ginny back.
Ginny closed her eyes and was about to go to sleep when she noticed an odd rustling. Things seemed to be moving in a most unnatural way. Like the bed- curtains.
"Ronald Weasley!" she whispered, doing her best imitation of their mother.
"Sorry," whispered a voice, full of laughter and yet totally invisible. "Try again."
"Who are you?"
"Harry Potter."
Ginny giggled and laid back on the bed. "I can't see you, you know."
"I know. That's really very reassuring, as I'm supposed to be invisible."
"You're that good?" The amusement in her voice was evident as she fingered the covers and looked around for any physical evidence that he was there.
"I'm good at lots of things," Harry said, probably not realizing the possible double meaning, "but I'm not good enough to go invisible on my own."
"Well, then?"
"I've got a cloak, Miss Weasley, since you're so curious to know."
"Wow. An invisibility cloak? That's. amazing. They're rare."
"I know. Ron told me."
Ginny narrowed her eyes very suddenly. "Just what are you doing here, Mr. Potter?" Despite her expression, her tone still showed how light-hearted she was feeling, or pretending to feel.
"I came down to make sure you were all right."
"I'm fine."
"I can see that. So I'll. just um..go, then."
Ginny laughed at how nervous he seemed. "I'm supposed to rest. I hope I'll see you all in the morning?"
"Of course. Wild horses couldn't keep Ron away."
She frowned as he turned around to walk out of the door. Wild horses couldn't keep Ron away. what about Harry?
** Anna Black made her way, exhausted and dirty from her trip, up to the Divination tower. The first order of business when she woke up in the morning was to move all of the junk that Sybil Trelawney had collected over the years down and out- preferably into the bottom of the Hogwarts lake. She also was going to move her room. There was no way she could handle walking down the stairs to eat and then walking back up six times a day.
Unlike Sybil, Anna knew the difference between wishful thinking and a real premonition, and that was why she was here, at Hogwarts. She knew there was another Seer coming to power, which was rare, because there was rarely more than one true Seer alive at one time, and she also knew she had to be there. Virginia Weasley was going to be powerful. Very powerful indeed, which could be dangerous for her, and her friends. This sickness was just the first bout in a very long line of dizzy spells, nausea, headaches and more that was the manifestation of her abilities coming into play. Anna recalled her own transition from witch to Seer with not so fond memories, and allowed herself for a moment to feel pity for the young Weasley.
When she reached the top of the stairs, she stopped for a moment and closed her eyes, trying to feel whether or not anyone was in the room.
Being a Seer rarely worked like Sybil, or anyone else, thought it did. She wasn't psychic, but she could still feel magical auras. Only once in her life had she spouted off a prophecy (and a fat lot of good that had done her) and she never woke up in the morning knowing exactly what was going to happen that day. Tea leaves, crystal balls. those were all enhancers. You couldn't even begin to use them unless you had some traces of the Gift. So, for her class this year, Anna had required nothing. This was going to be an educational course. Famous Seers of the past, how to tell the difference between someone who was faking and someone who knew what they were doing, how to deal with a real Seer in a trance (something she felt that they were going to need if she and Ginny hung around Hogwarts much longer), and what being a Seer was really like.
Suddenly, Anna spun around. There was a new aura in her presence. "SIRIUS!" Anna jumped into Sirius's waiting arms and laughed.
"Anna, my love, what are you doing here at Hogwarts?"
"I'm teaching, dear brother o' mine."
Sirius grinned and kissed both her cheeks. "Two Blacks at Hogwarts. Dumbledore doesn't know what he's got himself into. Now, what's the other motive for appearing at Hogwarts so suddenly?"
"What makes you think I have another motive?"
"Anna Black never does anything simply because someone asked her to, even if that someone was Professor Albus Dumbledore."
"I have another Seer to train. I thought it was my duty."
"Another Seer? Having you around was bad enough, darling."
"I love you, Sirius."
Sirius's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"
"I missed you. I don't get to see you for fourteen. no, fifteen years."
"I'm sorry. I couldn't write to you in Azkaban, and it was too dangerous when I was on the run."
"I'm not mad at you, Sirius. Not for what happened here at the school, not for your words. I understand now. I'm not mad, I swear it. Just, don't ever go away like that again."
"I promise, Anna."
"Well, it's no use standing out here blubbering. Why don't you." Her eyes squinted and then lit in amusement, "and Remus come and have a night cap with me."
Remus Lupin, who was just coming up the stairs at this point, let out a booming laugh. "I couldn't ever get one past you."
Anna nodded, and they stood next to each other, as if trying to decide what exactly to do.
Sirius grinned. This, at least, hadn't changed. "Who's the new Seer, then?"
"There's another Seer?" Remus's voice was concerned.
"Yes, there is. That's why I'm here. You should know that. After all, you were spying on us."
"I was not."
"Hey, can we not argue with each other? This is the first time we've seen Anna in fifteen years. well, at least, that's true for me, and I'd really not start on old feuds right now."
Remus nodded. "Agreed."
"Well, then. Come on. I'll pour us all a drink."
When they were all sitting down together in the Tower, Remus finally got up the courage to ask the big question.
"So, who's the new Seer?"
"Virginia Weasley," Anna said calmly and took a sip of the Windelin's Wine they'd all been enjoying. "She's the reason I didn't get to go to the feast. She's having threshold sickness. Not as bad as mine was, mind you, but a decent case of it."
Remus and Sirius winced sympathetically.
"So, what's the plan?" Sirius asked, seemingly nonchalant.
"Well, first I've got to explain to her what this all about. And then," here she heaved a huge sigh. "I've got to convince her to take Divination."
Remus chuckled and Sirius nearly snorted his wine out of his nose.
"I get the impression that Divination isn't exactly the most respected class," Anna said, amusement fringing her voice.
"It wasn't when we were at school," Sirius remarked.
Anna shot him a death glare, but Remus nodded his head. "A lot of students figure it's an easy mark, Anna."
"It's a good thing Sybil kept all her papers on file. I'm going to go through them before I hold my next lesson tomorrow."
"I'm sure you'll find them to be most. entertaining," Remus said diplomatically.
"If they're anything like the Divination papers you two used to write, I'm sure I'll be highly amused."
"Come on now, we put a lot of hard work into our homework assignments." Sirius retorted, insulted.
Anna smiled. "I'm sure you did."
"Well, Sirius, Anna, I'd better get going. There are some things I need to clear up with the Headmaster," Remus announced as he stood to go.
Anna reached out with invisible fingers to feel his aura.
"REMUS J. LUPIN!"
Sirius and Remus both covered their ears in self-defense.
"Did you have to shout? I mean, couldn't you just have cursed him or something?" Sirius pleaded.
"Have you told anybody?" Anna asked, completely ignoring Sirius and walking the two paces to where Remus stood frozen. With her index finger, she pushed him back into his chair.
"What did you do?" Sirius asked.
"Hush, Sirius. Well, Remus?"
"No. I was hoping no one would notice."
"Lucky I showed up then. I thought that fifteen years would have meant that you learned to take care of yourself."
"I have."
"Mmmhmm."
"Would somebody please tell me what's going on?" Sirius demanded.
"Remus's transformations have been causing him pain- too much pain. Even with the Wolfsbane Potion."
"Damn it, Anna!" Remus's eyes were lit with fire and anger that only Anna could provoke.
"Why is that?" Sirius wanted to know, his voice dripping with concern.
"Because he's been a werewolf for far too long."
"Can we please have this conversation as if I were actually in the room?"
"Of course," Anna said. "I'm sorry."
"No apologies. Actually, there is a reason. It will be better this month," Remus said. "Thank you for being concerned."
"It's not because.?" Anna let her voice trail off.
"Yes, it is."
"Excuse me? Will someone tell me what is going on, again?"
"No." Remus said, and his tone booked no argument. "I'm going to see the headmaster. Goodnight Sirius, Anna."
** Ginny Weasley woke and Anna Black was there, again.
"Good morning. How are you this morning?"
"Honestly? I feel like I've been run over by a train."
Anna chuckled. "That's perfectly natural."
"Nobody will tell me what's happening to me."
"That's because there's very few people who understand what's happening to you."
"Do you?"
"Yes. That's why I'm here, actually. You're on the threshold of something new and different for you, and your body is reacting badly. But then, so does everyone's."
"Threshold of something new?"
"What do you know about Seers?"
"Only that there's no possible way I am one."
"It's time you start to believe in the impossible."
"What?"
"You, my dear, are experiencing threshold sickness. Your abilities are awakening, and your mind can't handle it, so it's treating it like it would a virus. This is only the beginning. When you start to exercise actual Divination, it will be worse."
"I don't want this. I don't need this."
"Well, there's no use denying it. In fact, that almost makes it worse. People are going to need you."
"What do you know about it?"
"Well, my dear, I'm a Seer. We're in the same boat, so to speak."
"You're a Seer?"
"In the flesh. I'm here to make sure that we both don't make the same mistakes I did."
"We both?"
"Well, I hate to repeat mistakes."
"You're not making sense. I'm not making sense."
"You're doing fine. This is a lot to swallow. Now, I'm going to need to see you this afternoon after your classes to begin our work."
"Um. okay."
"Rest now. And tell young Mr. Potter when he materializes after I've left that you're going to be perfectly fine. I give him my word as his godmother."
