Author's note: the next two chapeters will be a little strange and what I
hope is funny. But after that, the story will get very dark. Bear in mind,
that the end of the book is going to be a terrible, horrible cliffhanger,
and I wouldn't be surprised if people sent me nasty hate mail just because
it is such a cliffhanger. After that I will get the 2nd book ready and try
to make things a little less confusing.
But, fortunately, I'm not at that part of the book yet, and I'll try to update regularly. Ok, enough with the boring author's note.
Over the years, Potions had not improved. Snape was as cruel and vindictive toward anything wearing robes as ever. The students were literally frightened for their lives.
Jamie was a very gifted Seer. There's no doubt that an auror with the gift of Sight would be highly valued. It was in her third year that Dumbledore had recommended she consider it as a career. As most people know - in order to be accepted as an auror, one must receive top marks in Potions. That's why Jamie was here. She knew her potions and antidotes fairly well, and had she the choice, she would be anywhere but here.
She knew Harry felt the same way about Professor Snape, and was surprised at the beginning of her sixth year to see that he had continued taking it. There had been a rumor going around that he was taking Remedial Potions, but she didn't buy it. Now, in their seventh year, they were both still taking Potions. Ron had continued taking it as well, but Hermione had obviously chosen a career that held no relevance to potions. Lucky her.
Jamie saw that as Harry sat down and began to take out his supplies, Snape had gotten up and walked across the classroom in his general direction.
"Goodness, Potter. You honestly think you still belong in this class?" was all he said. Harry gave him an icy glare, but didn't dare do any more than that because he was still outranked by this slime ball.
*The greasy git,* Jamie thought. At that moment a series of images and clips of conversations rushed through her head all at once. "All right there, Snivellus?" "Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours?" An image of Snape in a lace-trimmed dress with a red handbag and a hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture. ".his head was so swollen-" "SHUT UP!" "What did you say to me, Potter?" The last of these images was an old piece of parchment with a rather peculiar message; "Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."
*Mr. Moony?* Jamie had a feeling she should know this person.
Suddenly realizing she was the only person standing, she took the only vacant seat. She had barely started on her Healing Draught when she saw Draco Malfoy take out his wand, point it toward Harry's supplies, and whisper, "Accio Wormwood."
"By now, your Healing Draught should be a bright yellow." Snape called out to the class.
Seeing that Draco's potion was exactly that color, Jamie took out her own wand and muttered the curse to turn it blue.
Ron stirred his mixture twice and turned to Harry. "You won't believe what I read in Hermione's Daily Prophet this morning."
Harry stirred his own draught twice. "I already heard about the break-in at Gringotts." he replied lazily.
Jamie's breath caught in her throat and her head snapped up. "Not that," Ron said, lowering his voice. "This witch in Ireland swore she saw Sirius Black outside her house." His voice held a note of dark amusement. He looked over at Jamie and noticed she had been hanging onto his every word. "Which is an absolutely absurd story, because I heard he was in France." he continued nervously. "Yeah.France, right."
Harry began rummaging around for his wormwood, and Jamie leaned over with a handful of hers, and whispered, "It's okay, I know about Sirius. I know he's dead."
Ron's jaw dropped. "How?"
Harry, however, got somewhat irritated that she was speaking so lightly of it. "Do you know how he died?" he whispered fiercely. "You wouldn't happen to know who killed him, would you?"
Jamie met his angry glare, "I know a lot more than you think I do." Ron, however, still wasn't taking any of it in. "How?" he repeated.
Jamie then realized she had said too much. The tension left Harry's face and was replaced by intrigue. "How much do you know?" he said. Ron just stirred his Healing Draught in confusion.
*I know they won't tell the whole world if I tell them the truth,* she thought, giving in slightly. "I know that he was innocent." she whispered. Harry gazed blankly at his now crimson Healing Draught, and clenched his teeth. Jamie could feel his anger - and utter sorrow.
Jamie hadn't told them how she knew, but she knew it would come up again sooner or later. The truth was, she had been trying to get information on the Death Eaters one day in her fourth year, when she saw Peter Pettigrew - alive. She had asked Dumbledore about it, and he had had no choice but to tell her the whole thing about Sirius Black. She sat back in her own seat when she saw Snape had gotten up to inspect the class's work.
"The finished product should be a bright crimson red - that is, if you weren't too dense to mess it up."
Jamie leaned over to Harry, "Shouldn't he be sleeping during the day?" He smiled and held back a laugh. Snape walked over to them.
Ron kicked Harry and his face grew serious. Snape leaned over to look into the cauldron, and saw it was exactly the color it should be. Obviously disappointed, he moved on.
"A little too light to be crimson." "Good, Parkinson." "Bulstrode - good." He stopped in front of Draco's cauldron and frowned at the bright blue mixture. He sniffed angrily and marched back to the front of the class giving his cape an unnecessary flourish.
"Cheers!" Ron whispered, smiling like it was Christmas day.
~~~~~~~~~~
After classes were over, Jamie went to the library - once again avoiding the common room. She took Interpreting Prophecies out from its place on the shelf. She then saw Tom was there, too.
"Jamie! Sit over here." He said, waving her over.
She smiled and sat down.
Tom continued reading whatever it was he was reading, but Jamie did not open her book.
She was thinking about what happened at Gringotts, and she felt bitterly useless. *What's the point in foreseeing something if you can't prevent it?* she thought. Even though she had spent all of Divination searching for it, even though she went and told Dumbledore about it, even though he had alerted security - it still happened. It just goes to show how much at power Voldemort really was. He can get past even those with Sight.
"What's up?" Tom asked, with what appeared to be concern on his face.
"Nothing." Jamie said, staring at the details and contours of the table in front of her - but not really looking at it.
"What's so interesting about the desk?" he asked.
Jamie laughed and looked up at him. Come to think of it, he was rather good- looking.
After about a minute, he narrowed his eyes and asked the dumbest question he could have asked. "Are you reading my mind?"
Jamie sighed. "No, Tom." she said, looking up at the ceiling.
But he remained suspicious. "Are you sure?"
Jamie looked at him again. Come to think of it, maybe he wasn't really that handsome. Either way, Jamie couldn't stand this. "Yes, Tom." she said a little louder, and with a note of irritation.
"All right, just making sure. You know, I really can't tell if you are."
"You honestly think I would do that?" Jamie said, getting more and more frustrated.
"It's not that I think you would, it's just that I know you can." He was so incredibly calm, it was unnerving.
"Don't you trust me?" she asked, growing somewhat disgusted.
His eyes widened and he gasped. "Of course I do, you know I do." he said in what he thought was a comforting voice.
Jamie rolled her eyes. He was obviously trying to cover it all up. "It sure doesn't sound like it."
"I - I didn't mean it, Jamie."
"If you didn't mean it, you wouldn't have brought it up. Maybe I shouldn't have told you in the first place."
"That wouldn't have been fair. I had the right to know."
Jamie couldn't stand this. "How did you have the right to know?" she said, standing up.
"I'm your boyfriend. I'm around you all the time. I'd want to know if you were able to read my thoughts!" he countered, also standing up.
"Not that I ever would!"
"How am I supposed to know you aren't?"
She hesitated. Apparently, Tom didn't know he had hit a nerve - but he had. This is why Jamie didn't tell anyone about her gift. It was all about trust. How was she supposed to get close enough to someone enough for them to trust her - if they all avoided her because their thoughts weren't safe? The only way for people to know she wouldn't read their minds, is if they all assumed she didn't know how.
Tom was proof of what would happen if she did tell someone her secret.
"Tom, I don't think we should see each other anymore. Obviously, this has all been a big mistake." Jamie said firmly.
Tom looked down as he considered this, sighed, and looked up. "Okay," was all he said.
With a quick realization, Jamie decided she needed to make one request. She would beg if she had to.
"Can I still sit at your table, though?" she asked hopefully. She would rather die than sit with the Slytherins again.
A shadow of a smile flickered through his tense face, "Sure."
Jamie smiled, but didn't look up at him. She grabbed her book - not intending to read it - and turned around to leave.
"I'm sorry," he said when Jamie turned her back.
She stopped, but didn't turn around. She knew an apology was a good thing, but she did not smile. "So am I." she said - more to herself than to him. Still not facing him - she left the library.
~~~~~~~~~~
Jamie entered the Great Hall for dinner that day alone. She strolled over to the Ravenclaw table. She knew she was still invited to join them, she had a friend or two over there.
Lisa Turpin, an energetic girl with short blonde hair (yes, there is such a thing as a blonde Ravenclaw *author rolls her eyes*) ran up to Jamie with a shocked look on her face.
"Jamie, please tell me it isn't true." she said seriously.
Jamie had no idea what she was talking about, but she replied anyway, "It isn't true." she said grinning.
Lisa rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, Jamie! This is important!" she cried desperately. Lisa's tone of voice was starting to make Jamie worry. Her face fell, and she let Lisa continue, "What?"
Lisa plunged in, talking rapidly, "Terry Boot told me he heard Tom talking about how he dumped you today and how-"
"That grindylow, he's lying!" Jamie said. Lisa relaxed, but Jamie continued, "I dumped HIM!" At this, Lisa drooped her shoulders and let her face drop in her hands as she sat down at the Ravenclaw table. Jamie joined her.
"Why, Jamie? Why?" she asked - her voice muffled by her hands.
Jamie considered this for a moment, "Well, to tell you the truth, he's not really that great - in fact, he's a bit of an idiot."
Lisa dropped her hands and lifted her face. All she did was mouth a pathetic 'Wha-?' silently. Jamie smiled. Every single girl in Ravenclaw wanted to go out with Tom Jenkins, and here was Jamie, talking about why she dumped him. She smiled happily to herself.
Lisa sighed, "You're a nutter, Jamie, you know that?"
Jamie smiled proudly, "Yeah, I suppose so."
Lisa sighed and tilted her head, "I'm guessing Tom's not taking it too well, is he?"
Jamie looked around and finally spotted him - talking animatedly to Padma Patil, obviously trying to impress her.
Jamie smiled, "No, I think he's recovering just fine."
Lisa followed Jamie's gaze and then shrugged. She turned back to her food, and exclaimed, "These nasty potatoes AGAIN!?"
Jamie laughed, and then turned around to see if Harry noticed. It didn't seem like it - in fact, he probably didn't realize he was eating it.
But, fortunately, I'm not at that part of the book yet, and I'll try to update regularly. Ok, enough with the boring author's note.
Over the years, Potions had not improved. Snape was as cruel and vindictive toward anything wearing robes as ever. The students were literally frightened for their lives.
Jamie was a very gifted Seer. There's no doubt that an auror with the gift of Sight would be highly valued. It was in her third year that Dumbledore had recommended she consider it as a career. As most people know - in order to be accepted as an auror, one must receive top marks in Potions. That's why Jamie was here. She knew her potions and antidotes fairly well, and had she the choice, she would be anywhere but here.
She knew Harry felt the same way about Professor Snape, and was surprised at the beginning of her sixth year to see that he had continued taking it. There had been a rumor going around that he was taking Remedial Potions, but she didn't buy it. Now, in their seventh year, they were both still taking Potions. Ron had continued taking it as well, but Hermione had obviously chosen a career that held no relevance to potions. Lucky her.
Jamie saw that as Harry sat down and began to take out his supplies, Snape had gotten up and walked across the classroom in his general direction.
"Goodness, Potter. You honestly think you still belong in this class?" was all he said. Harry gave him an icy glare, but didn't dare do any more than that because he was still outranked by this slime ball.
*The greasy git,* Jamie thought. At that moment a series of images and clips of conversations rushed through her head all at once. "All right there, Snivellus?" "Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours?" An image of Snape in a lace-trimmed dress with a red handbag and a hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture. ".his head was so swollen-" "SHUT UP!" "What did you say to me, Potter?" The last of these images was an old piece of parchment with a rather peculiar message; "Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."
*Mr. Moony?* Jamie had a feeling she should know this person.
Suddenly realizing she was the only person standing, she took the only vacant seat. She had barely started on her Healing Draught when she saw Draco Malfoy take out his wand, point it toward Harry's supplies, and whisper, "Accio Wormwood."
"By now, your Healing Draught should be a bright yellow." Snape called out to the class.
Seeing that Draco's potion was exactly that color, Jamie took out her own wand and muttered the curse to turn it blue.
Ron stirred his mixture twice and turned to Harry. "You won't believe what I read in Hermione's Daily Prophet this morning."
Harry stirred his own draught twice. "I already heard about the break-in at Gringotts." he replied lazily.
Jamie's breath caught in her throat and her head snapped up. "Not that," Ron said, lowering his voice. "This witch in Ireland swore she saw Sirius Black outside her house." His voice held a note of dark amusement. He looked over at Jamie and noticed she had been hanging onto his every word. "Which is an absolutely absurd story, because I heard he was in France." he continued nervously. "Yeah.France, right."
Harry began rummaging around for his wormwood, and Jamie leaned over with a handful of hers, and whispered, "It's okay, I know about Sirius. I know he's dead."
Ron's jaw dropped. "How?"
Harry, however, got somewhat irritated that she was speaking so lightly of it. "Do you know how he died?" he whispered fiercely. "You wouldn't happen to know who killed him, would you?"
Jamie met his angry glare, "I know a lot more than you think I do." Ron, however, still wasn't taking any of it in. "How?" he repeated.
Jamie then realized she had said too much. The tension left Harry's face and was replaced by intrigue. "How much do you know?" he said. Ron just stirred his Healing Draught in confusion.
*I know they won't tell the whole world if I tell them the truth,* she thought, giving in slightly. "I know that he was innocent." she whispered. Harry gazed blankly at his now crimson Healing Draught, and clenched his teeth. Jamie could feel his anger - and utter sorrow.
Jamie hadn't told them how she knew, but she knew it would come up again sooner or later. The truth was, she had been trying to get information on the Death Eaters one day in her fourth year, when she saw Peter Pettigrew - alive. She had asked Dumbledore about it, and he had had no choice but to tell her the whole thing about Sirius Black. She sat back in her own seat when she saw Snape had gotten up to inspect the class's work.
"The finished product should be a bright crimson red - that is, if you weren't too dense to mess it up."
Jamie leaned over to Harry, "Shouldn't he be sleeping during the day?" He smiled and held back a laugh. Snape walked over to them.
Ron kicked Harry and his face grew serious. Snape leaned over to look into the cauldron, and saw it was exactly the color it should be. Obviously disappointed, he moved on.
"A little too light to be crimson." "Good, Parkinson." "Bulstrode - good." He stopped in front of Draco's cauldron and frowned at the bright blue mixture. He sniffed angrily and marched back to the front of the class giving his cape an unnecessary flourish.
"Cheers!" Ron whispered, smiling like it was Christmas day.
~~~~~~~~~~
After classes were over, Jamie went to the library - once again avoiding the common room. She took Interpreting Prophecies out from its place on the shelf. She then saw Tom was there, too.
"Jamie! Sit over here." He said, waving her over.
She smiled and sat down.
Tom continued reading whatever it was he was reading, but Jamie did not open her book.
She was thinking about what happened at Gringotts, and she felt bitterly useless. *What's the point in foreseeing something if you can't prevent it?* she thought. Even though she had spent all of Divination searching for it, even though she went and told Dumbledore about it, even though he had alerted security - it still happened. It just goes to show how much at power Voldemort really was. He can get past even those with Sight.
"What's up?" Tom asked, with what appeared to be concern on his face.
"Nothing." Jamie said, staring at the details and contours of the table in front of her - but not really looking at it.
"What's so interesting about the desk?" he asked.
Jamie laughed and looked up at him. Come to think of it, he was rather good- looking.
After about a minute, he narrowed his eyes and asked the dumbest question he could have asked. "Are you reading my mind?"
Jamie sighed. "No, Tom." she said, looking up at the ceiling.
But he remained suspicious. "Are you sure?"
Jamie looked at him again. Come to think of it, maybe he wasn't really that handsome. Either way, Jamie couldn't stand this. "Yes, Tom." she said a little louder, and with a note of irritation.
"All right, just making sure. You know, I really can't tell if you are."
"You honestly think I would do that?" Jamie said, getting more and more frustrated.
"It's not that I think you would, it's just that I know you can." He was so incredibly calm, it was unnerving.
"Don't you trust me?" she asked, growing somewhat disgusted.
His eyes widened and he gasped. "Of course I do, you know I do." he said in what he thought was a comforting voice.
Jamie rolled her eyes. He was obviously trying to cover it all up. "It sure doesn't sound like it."
"I - I didn't mean it, Jamie."
"If you didn't mean it, you wouldn't have brought it up. Maybe I shouldn't have told you in the first place."
"That wouldn't have been fair. I had the right to know."
Jamie couldn't stand this. "How did you have the right to know?" she said, standing up.
"I'm your boyfriend. I'm around you all the time. I'd want to know if you were able to read my thoughts!" he countered, also standing up.
"Not that I ever would!"
"How am I supposed to know you aren't?"
She hesitated. Apparently, Tom didn't know he had hit a nerve - but he had. This is why Jamie didn't tell anyone about her gift. It was all about trust. How was she supposed to get close enough to someone enough for them to trust her - if they all avoided her because their thoughts weren't safe? The only way for people to know she wouldn't read their minds, is if they all assumed she didn't know how.
Tom was proof of what would happen if she did tell someone her secret.
"Tom, I don't think we should see each other anymore. Obviously, this has all been a big mistake." Jamie said firmly.
Tom looked down as he considered this, sighed, and looked up. "Okay," was all he said.
With a quick realization, Jamie decided she needed to make one request. She would beg if she had to.
"Can I still sit at your table, though?" she asked hopefully. She would rather die than sit with the Slytherins again.
A shadow of a smile flickered through his tense face, "Sure."
Jamie smiled, but didn't look up at him. She grabbed her book - not intending to read it - and turned around to leave.
"I'm sorry," he said when Jamie turned her back.
She stopped, but didn't turn around. She knew an apology was a good thing, but she did not smile. "So am I." she said - more to herself than to him. Still not facing him - she left the library.
~~~~~~~~~~
Jamie entered the Great Hall for dinner that day alone. She strolled over to the Ravenclaw table. She knew she was still invited to join them, she had a friend or two over there.
Lisa Turpin, an energetic girl with short blonde hair (yes, there is such a thing as a blonde Ravenclaw *author rolls her eyes*) ran up to Jamie with a shocked look on her face.
"Jamie, please tell me it isn't true." she said seriously.
Jamie had no idea what she was talking about, but she replied anyway, "It isn't true." she said grinning.
Lisa rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, Jamie! This is important!" she cried desperately. Lisa's tone of voice was starting to make Jamie worry. Her face fell, and she let Lisa continue, "What?"
Lisa plunged in, talking rapidly, "Terry Boot told me he heard Tom talking about how he dumped you today and how-"
"That grindylow, he's lying!" Jamie said. Lisa relaxed, but Jamie continued, "I dumped HIM!" At this, Lisa drooped her shoulders and let her face drop in her hands as she sat down at the Ravenclaw table. Jamie joined her.
"Why, Jamie? Why?" she asked - her voice muffled by her hands.
Jamie considered this for a moment, "Well, to tell you the truth, he's not really that great - in fact, he's a bit of an idiot."
Lisa dropped her hands and lifted her face. All she did was mouth a pathetic 'Wha-?' silently. Jamie smiled. Every single girl in Ravenclaw wanted to go out with Tom Jenkins, and here was Jamie, talking about why she dumped him. She smiled happily to herself.
Lisa sighed, "You're a nutter, Jamie, you know that?"
Jamie smiled proudly, "Yeah, I suppose so."
Lisa sighed and tilted her head, "I'm guessing Tom's not taking it too well, is he?"
Jamie looked around and finally spotted him - talking animatedly to Padma Patil, obviously trying to impress her.
Jamie smiled, "No, I think he's recovering just fine."
Lisa followed Jamie's gaze and then shrugged. She turned back to her food, and exclaimed, "These nasty potatoes AGAIN!?"
Jamie laughed, and then turned around to see if Harry noticed. It didn't seem like it - in fact, he probably didn't realize he was eating it.