Alesco
Chapter Twenty-Five---Facing the Future
*
Ron was staring at Professor Forester, who had asked him to do something unusual. Instead of asking him sit in front of the fireplace, as they normally did, the professor asked him to sit in the same green chair he'd sat at when she'd calmed him months prior. She sat in the chair opposite him. As far as he could tell, he hadn't felt any strong emotions from her since he'd arrived. Apparently, she'd had the chance to calm down since their angry exchange after class.
Ron wasn't as calm. He was trying to hold back the anger welling inside him.
Professor Forester placed her hands in her lap, and began return Ron's stare. Finally, she opened her mouth and said softly, "I don't blame you for being angry with me. You have every right to be. So you might as well let your full emotions show. I can tell you're trying to hold back." She swallowed, and pursed her chapped lips. Her face was pale, and her brown eyes looked large and sunken in her head.
She pushed back locks of her curly hair, and continued. "Tonight, we're going to learn about forced premonitions. A Siren has the natural ability to see briefly into the future, but what many scholars don't know is that they can also learn to control when to see the future."
She leaned forward, and Ron was about to open his mouth. He'd been watching her lips move, and the sounds coming from her mouth, but he could barely control his feelings. He had so many things he planned to ask her...but he knew he had to learn about this first. Trying to calm down, he sat back as she continued.
"This ability is not precise, Ron. In fact...it can be very irritating." She bit out the last word, and Ron felt a jolt of anger in his belly. "You can choose to see a brief portion of the future. Since you don't know what part of the future you might needed, you must time your premonitions carefully. Remember that once you commit to a vision, that piece of future will occur relatively soon after you visualize it."
She sighed, and said gratingly, "The worst part of choosing to see the future is that it doesn't work all of the time. In my experience, the maximum amount of occurrences that I have been able to seen the future was once every couple of days. It's possible that you, however, may have an ability exceeding my own. I suggest you use this power sparingly, as you won't know when you may need it."
She moved to the very edge of her chair, and her knees nudged Ron's. Ron tried to move back. He felt sick.
The professor grimaced, and Ron felt waves of irritation roll over him. "Your disgust in me is evident, Ron, and it's getting a bit tiring. Why don't you try concentrating on the lesson, and not on your hatred for me." She snarled. Scooting back in her chair, she crossed her arms.
"One more last thing. As you may have already noticed, you must be present at the true event of the vision you have. So, no matter what, you will, at one point, be present in what you see. There is no way to avoid this from happening. There is also no way for you to change the future."
Professor Forester muttered something silently, and to Ron it sounded as if she had said, "Believe me, I've tried."
Ron crossed his arms, to mimic the professor's posture. "So, how do I do this?" He muttered in an undertone.
"Just close your eyes."
He snorted, and closed his eyes.
"Now, concentrate on your breathing."
Ron did. He could hear it within the silence of the room.
"See how steady it is? Now, clear your mind of all thoughts."
Ron opened his eyes, and felt his brow furrow as he glared at the professor. "This is bloody stupid! How the hell am I supposed to 'clear my mind'?"
The professor let out an exasperated sigh, and Ron could feel various emotions pass over him...irritation, anger, frustration. "Just do it, Ron. Don't think about me, or Hermione, or anything." She gave him a hot glare.
Ron sat up straight, more furious then ever. "You leave Hermione out of it." He hoped his voice conveyed his anger.
"Fine, Ron. I'm simply trying to tell you to clear your mind of everything. Do you want to learn this, or not?" Her face was flushed now, and she was certainly angry.
Ron rubbed his face with both hands, and let out a frustrated growl. He sat back, closed his eyes, listened to his breathing, and concentrated only on what the professor would say.
He could feel the professor's eyes on him for a moment, and before he could open his mouth and ask her to continue, she said, "Now....imagine your breath speeding up. Don't speed up your breathing....just imagine that it might happen."
Ron couldn't believe how silly this was. The moment he thought that, the professor said under her breath, "Just do it, Ron. Trust me."
He sat back, frowning, and tried several times do what the professor wanted. Every time, he began to hyperventilate. The professor become angry, and told him to try again.
Just when he thought this would never work, just when he thought he was going to pass out from the speed of his lungs, familiar blackness flowed over his vision.
He saw himself leaving the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and walking to the hog's statue at the castle entryway. He saw himself crouch down behind it, in its shadow, and take out his pocketwatch.
The vision was gone. Ron's eyes were open, and he was back in the professor's quarters.
"It worked." he breathed, a little surprised.
The professor looked at him narrowly. "Of course it worked. What did you see?"
Ron cleared his throat. "I saw myself leave."
The professor stood up, and laughed harshly. "A bit anti-climatic, don't you think?" She stood up, and it seemed as though she was dismissing him. He wasn't finished with her yet.
She had been turned away from him, and was placing books on a shelf next to her fireplace. He walked up behind her, and stood still. He stared at the back of her head, as she continued about her work. "So, that's it?" He muttered.
"Yes. That is it." She said, reaching easily to the top shelf, and placing a large book there. "Your training is over. I'm a bit surprised it only took two months. It can only mean your powers are very strong." She turned and glared into his eyes. "But you have something else you wish to speak with me about."
"You bet I do. I want to know more about ghosts. I want to know if I can do things to other creatures...not just ghosts." He spat all this out in a rush, and felt like screaming.
"All you've done during this time is shown me how terrible I can become. Now, I want to know, from your own lips, the entire truth. Tell me what I'm supposed to do." Ron wished he could ask her about Snape, too, but he held back.
The professor's brown eyes locked on his own, and Ron felt a cool rush, like ice water, pass over him. He shook himself, and tried to brush the goose pimples off his arms. Then he looked up.
"Sorry, professor, but it's like you said. You can't control me." Ron realized that was what she'd tried to do. He felt a huge sense of satisfaction in that she wouldn't be able to do it.
"You...." The professor began, and took a step toward him. Deep frustration rolled off her, and Ron felt it in his gut. Finally, the professor croaked. "It's funny that you want to know what you're supposed to do. I've been trying to figure that out my entire life."
She put the book down she was holding.
"I'll tell you what I know. The rest, you'll have to figure out for yourself." She sat back down in her chair, and Ron continued to stand.
"You already know about ghosts. I've only ever tried my powers on several creatures...one, namely, a griffin. It didn't work. I barely survived the encounter.
"Wilkins, the author of your Defense Against the Dark Arts text, has a very obscure theory. He believes that any creature with a "soul in jeopardy" like dementors or ghosts, can be effected by Siren power. Of course, dementors only exist in Azkaban, so that theory has never been tested. If I'd only known that dementors visited Hogwarts a couple of years ago..."
Ron looked up in awe. "So you're telling me that I could hurt a dementor, just like I hurt Binns?" He felt himself smile.
"No, Ron. I didn't say that. I said Wilkins THINKS dementors can be effected. He didn't state how they might be effected...in fact, nobody even knows if it could happen." The professor sighed. "That's it." She looked into his eyes again. Ron stepped back.
"I'm not going to hurt you." She breathed, and closed her eyes. "Stop looking at me like that."
Ron realized he was gazing at her, and feeling a bit lost. "THAT'S IT? That's all you can give me? Just that MAYBE I can do something to a dementor! The only other fact I have to live with is that Dumbledore thinks I can be "You-Know-Who's greatest foe." How the hell am I...what am I supposed to....I thought you'd explain....!" He put his hands in his hair, closed his eyes, and let out a muffled shout.
He heard the professor stand, and a cool hand grasped his arm. He pulled back, out of her reach.
She said quickly, "Ron, you'll know what you need to do when the time should come." She turned away, and said. "You can go now."
"Thanks for nothing." Ron muttered, hopefully loud enough for her to hear.
He walked out of her quarters, shoving his hands into his pockets. Every step he took out of the classroom seemed rehearsed, everything he saw was familiar. Every movement his body made was perfectly in sync with his vision.
"This is mad," he muttered to himself.
Walking down the stairwell, he ducked behind the statue of the hog's head and mechanically reached for his pocketwatch. Only ten minutes until Hermione and Harry would meet him there.
Ron hoped Harry remembered to bring the invisibility cloak. Snape was up to something, and Ron wasn't going to stand by and wait until it happened. Of course, what Professor Forester had done was strange....but Ron wanted to know where Snape was going tonight. It was almost as though Snape had been asked to leave. The only problem was....Ron couldn't figure out what Snape would have to tell Dumbledore. Ron wasn't even sure when Snape would leave.
Ron closed his eyes, and tried think of fast breathing.
After a moment, he opened his eyes. It hadn't worked.
What the professor had said was right. He might not be able to have another vision until tomorrow or the next day.
He sat there for a moment, trying to piece things together in his mind. He straightened and stood up when he heard footsteps approach.
Peeking out from behind the statue, Ron saw Harry and Hermione walking toward him.
He felt his heart skip a beat. The expression on Hermione's face was incomparable.
She moved up to him behind the statue, reached up, and grabbed his shoulder. Ron was surprised. He hadn't realized how strong she could be.
He let out a whimper as she pulled him out of the shadows, and she gave him a little shove against the hog's statue.
Ron glanced at Harry. He just shrugged, and gave Ron a sheepish look.
Hermione wasn't pleased. In fact, she looked downright angry.
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Chapter Twenty-Five---Facing the Future
*
Ron was staring at Professor Forester, who had asked him to do something unusual. Instead of asking him sit in front of the fireplace, as they normally did, the professor asked him to sit in the same green chair he'd sat at when she'd calmed him months prior. She sat in the chair opposite him. As far as he could tell, he hadn't felt any strong emotions from her since he'd arrived. Apparently, she'd had the chance to calm down since their angry exchange after class.
Ron wasn't as calm. He was trying to hold back the anger welling inside him.
Professor Forester placed her hands in her lap, and began return Ron's stare. Finally, she opened her mouth and said softly, "I don't blame you for being angry with me. You have every right to be. So you might as well let your full emotions show. I can tell you're trying to hold back." She swallowed, and pursed her chapped lips. Her face was pale, and her brown eyes looked large and sunken in her head.
She pushed back locks of her curly hair, and continued. "Tonight, we're going to learn about forced premonitions. A Siren has the natural ability to see briefly into the future, but what many scholars don't know is that they can also learn to control when to see the future."
She leaned forward, and Ron was about to open his mouth. He'd been watching her lips move, and the sounds coming from her mouth, but he could barely control his feelings. He had so many things he planned to ask her...but he knew he had to learn about this first. Trying to calm down, he sat back as she continued.
"This ability is not precise, Ron. In fact...it can be very irritating." She bit out the last word, and Ron felt a jolt of anger in his belly. "You can choose to see a brief portion of the future. Since you don't know what part of the future you might needed, you must time your premonitions carefully. Remember that once you commit to a vision, that piece of future will occur relatively soon after you visualize it."
She sighed, and said gratingly, "The worst part of choosing to see the future is that it doesn't work all of the time. In my experience, the maximum amount of occurrences that I have been able to seen the future was once every couple of days. It's possible that you, however, may have an ability exceeding my own. I suggest you use this power sparingly, as you won't know when you may need it."
She moved to the very edge of her chair, and her knees nudged Ron's. Ron tried to move back. He felt sick.
The professor grimaced, and Ron felt waves of irritation roll over him. "Your disgust in me is evident, Ron, and it's getting a bit tiring. Why don't you try concentrating on the lesson, and not on your hatred for me." She snarled. Scooting back in her chair, she crossed her arms.
"One more last thing. As you may have already noticed, you must be present at the true event of the vision you have. So, no matter what, you will, at one point, be present in what you see. There is no way to avoid this from happening. There is also no way for you to change the future."
Professor Forester muttered something silently, and to Ron it sounded as if she had said, "Believe me, I've tried."
Ron crossed his arms, to mimic the professor's posture. "So, how do I do this?" He muttered in an undertone.
"Just close your eyes."
He snorted, and closed his eyes.
"Now, concentrate on your breathing."
Ron did. He could hear it within the silence of the room.
"See how steady it is? Now, clear your mind of all thoughts."
Ron opened his eyes, and felt his brow furrow as he glared at the professor. "This is bloody stupid! How the hell am I supposed to 'clear my mind'?"
The professor let out an exasperated sigh, and Ron could feel various emotions pass over him...irritation, anger, frustration. "Just do it, Ron. Don't think about me, or Hermione, or anything." She gave him a hot glare.
Ron sat up straight, more furious then ever. "You leave Hermione out of it." He hoped his voice conveyed his anger.
"Fine, Ron. I'm simply trying to tell you to clear your mind of everything. Do you want to learn this, or not?" Her face was flushed now, and she was certainly angry.
Ron rubbed his face with both hands, and let out a frustrated growl. He sat back, closed his eyes, listened to his breathing, and concentrated only on what the professor would say.
He could feel the professor's eyes on him for a moment, and before he could open his mouth and ask her to continue, she said, "Now....imagine your breath speeding up. Don't speed up your breathing....just imagine that it might happen."
Ron couldn't believe how silly this was. The moment he thought that, the professor said under her breath, "Just do it, Ron. Trust me."
He sat back, frowning, and tried several times do what the professor wanted. Every time, he began to hyperventilate. The professor become angry, and told him to try again.
Just when he thought this would never work, just when he thought he was going to pass out from the speed of his lungs, familiar blackness flowed over his vision.
He saw himself leaving the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and walking to the hog's statue at the castle entryway. He saw himself crouch down behind it, in its shadow, and take out his pocketwatch.
The vision was gone. Ron's eyes were open, and he was back in the professor's quarters.
"It worked." he breathed, a little surprised.
The professor looked at him narrowly. "Of course it worked. What did you see?"
Ron cleared his throat. "I saw myself leave."
The professor stood up, and laughed harshly. "A bit anti-climatic, don't you think?" She stood up, and it seemed as though she was dismissing him. He wasn't finished with her yet.
She had been turned away from him, and was placing books on a shelf next to her fireplace. He walked up behind her, and stood still. He stared at the back of her head, as she continued about her work. "So, that's it?" He muttered.
"Yes. That is it." She said, reaching easily to the top shelf, and placing a large book there. "Your training is over. I'm a bit surprised it only took two months. It can only mean your powers are very strong." She turned and glared into his eyes. "But you have something else you wish to speak with me about."
"You bet I do. I want to know more about ghosts. I want to know if I can do things to other creatures...not just ghosts." He spat all this out in a rush, and felt like screaming.
"All you've done during this time is shown me how terrible I can become. Now, I want to know, from your own lips, the entire truth. Tell me what I'm supposed to do." Ron wished he could ask her about Snape, too, but he held back.
The professor's brown eyes locked on his own, and Ron felt a cool rush, like ice water, pass over him. He shook himself, and tried to brush the goose pimples off his arms. Then he looked up.
"Sorry, professor, but it's like you said. You can't control me." Ron realized that was what she'd tried to do. He felt a huge sense of satisfaction in that she wouldn't be able to do it.
"You...." The professor began, and took a step toward him. Deep frustration rolled off her, and Ron felt it in his gut. Finally, the professor croaked. "It's funny that you want to know what you're supposed to do. I've been trying to figure that out my entire life."
She put the book down she was holding.
"I'll tell you what I know. The rest, you'll have to figure out for yourself." She sat back down in her chair, and Ron continued to stand.
"You already know about ghosts. I've only ever tried my powers on several creatures...one, namely, a griffin. It didn't work. I barely survived the encounter.
"Wilkins, the author of your Defense Against the Dark Arts text, has a very obscure theory. He believes that any creature with a "soul in jeopardy" like dementors or ghosts, can be effected by Siren power. Of course, dementors only exist in Azkaban, so that theory has never been tested. If I'd only known that dementors visited Hogwarts a couple of years ago..."
Ron looked up in awe. "So you're telling me that I could hurt a dementor, just like I hurt Binns?" He felt himself smile.
"No, Ron. I didn't say that. I said Wilkins THINKS dementors can be effected. He didn't state how they might be effected...in fact, nobody even knows if it could happen." The professor sighed. "That's it." She looked into his eyes again. Ron stepped back.
"I'm not going to hurt you." She breathed, and closed her eyes. "Stop looking at me like that."
Ron realized he was gazing at her, and feeling a bit lost. "THAT'S IT? That's all you can give me? Just that MAYBE I can do something to a dementor! The only other fact I have to live with is that Dumbledore thinks I can be "You-Know-Who's greatest foe." How the hell am I...what am I supposed to....I thought you'd explain....!" He put his hands in his hair, closed his eyes, and let out a muffled shout.
He heard the professor stand, and a cool hand grasped his arm. He pulled back, out of her reach.
She said quickly, "Ron, you'll know what you need to do when the time should come." She turned away, and said. "You can go now."
"Thanks for nothing." Ron muttered, hopefully loud enough for her to hear.
He walked out of her quarters, shoving his hands into his pockets. Every step he took out of the classroom seemed rehearsed, everything he saw was familiar. Every movement his body made was perfectly in sync with his vision.
"This is mad," he muttered to himself.
Walking down the stairwell, he ducked behind the statue of the hog's head and mechanically reached for his pocketwatch. Only ten minutes until Hermione and Harry would meet him there.
Ron hoped Harry remembered to bring the invisibility cloak. Snape was up to something, and Ron wasn't going to stand by and wait until it happened. Of course, what Professor Forester had done was strange....but Ron wanted to know where Snape was going tonight. It was almost as though Snape had been asked to leave. The only problem was....Ron couldn't figure out what Snape would have to tell Dumbledore. Ron wasn't even sure when Snape would leave.
Ron closed his eyes, and tried think of fast breathing.
After a moment, he opened his eyes. It hadn't worked.
What the professor had said was right. He might not be able to have another vision until tomorrow or the next day.
He sat there for a moment, trying to piece things together in his mind. He straightened and stood up when he heard footsteps approach.
Peeking out from behind the statue, Ron saw Harry and Hermione walking toward him.
He felt his heart skip a beat. The expression on Hermione's face was incomparable.
She moved up to him behind the statue, reached up, and grabbed his shoulder. Ron was surprised. He hadn't realized how strong she could be.
He let out a whimper as she pulled him out of the shadows, and she gave him a little shove against the hog's statue.
Ron glanced at Harry. He just shrugged, and gave Ron a sheepish look.
Hermione wasn't pleased. In fact, she looked downright angry.
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