Halloween
Come October 31 the temperature dramatically dropped and fall started to settle in. For the past couple of months Harry had found himself buried in homework and quidditch practice. Since it was Halloween and also a Hogsmeade weekend, Angela had canceled quidditch practice since everyone in the school wanted to go to Hogsmeade and because she had a date with a Ravenclaw chaser.
In the middle of breakfast Icicle stumbled in dressed in sweats and wearing her glasses. She looked horrible. "Are you okay?" asked Ron who happened to be sitting next to her.
"I feel like crap Ron, thanks for asking."
Ron looked at her for a while and opened his mouth, "Hey, I didn't know that you wear glasses."
Icicle just glared at him briefly and then buried her head in her arms.
Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron and poured a glass of orange juice and buttered a piece of toast. "Eat this, you'll feel even worse if you run on and empty stomach."
Icicle was a bit of an orange juice freak so she ended up drinking the orange juice but just poking at the toast, "I am going to try to get some more sleep."
"You aren't going to Hogsmeade with us?" asked Harry.
"Na, I need sleep. I have been kind of restless since about midnight."
"You should really go to the hospital wing and get checked up." yelled Hermione as Icicle started to leave.
"I would rather amputate my own wand arm with no pain killers." replied Icicle over her shoulder as she left.
* * * *
"So where to first?" asked Harry as they arrived in Hogsmeade.
"Do you even need to ask Harry, Zonko's all the way!" exclaimed Ron.
Harry smiled as they ran off in the direction of Zonko's while Hermione laughed and followed them.
The rest of the afternoon was fairly peaceful as they stocked up on items that they "needed" for school such as sugar quills and dung bombs.
"What can one person do with that many dung bombs and other pranks Ron?" asked Hermione as she eyed a bag full of all sorts of prank material.
"Hermione, what can't you do with all this stuff? I mean there are so many victims at Hogwarts. Just think, Slytherin."
Hermione plugged her ears, "I didn't hear that if anyone ask. I don't want to have to take points off our own house let alone ourselves."
"You wouldn't take points off me Herms… would you?" asked Ron as her made a
pathetic attempt at a puppy dog face.
Hermione looked at Ron, "Yes."
Ron opened his mouth to respond but Harry choose to interrupt, "Hey you guys lets head back to school, the feast should be starting soon."
"Ugg I don't think I could eat anything after all of the junk food we've had today." moaned Hermione.
"Your loss, I'll eat it for you." replied Ron.
When the trio arrived they found out that they were actually early. As they walked into the school they found only Lavender and Pavarti gossiping in their normal spot at the entrance. Hermione started mumbling something under her breath about people who need have their mouths sewn shut, when Icicle once again stumbled out of Dumbledore's office. She looked up and smiled, she seemed to be looking better, "How was Hogsmeade?"
Ron glanced at Lavender and Pavarti who were smirking at Icicle. "Fun as usual," replied Harry, "Are you at least feeling better since you spent all day lounging around?"
"Kind of and if you two are going to talk about me say it to my face or at least get out of hearing range," snapped Icicle as she turned on Pavarti and Lavender.
"Well isn't it miss I am better then everyone in the world in a bad mood today." replied Pavarti.
"Yes and thank you very much. I know I am better then you in everything from classes to breathing. So what point are you are trying to make?"
Lavender and Pavarti looked shocked that Icicle had snapped back like that since she was known for being pretty mellow to practically everyone. Lavender seemed to find her voice and speak up, "We have known that there was something different about you when you showed up. Now we know exactly what is wrong with you Trelawney told us today when we stayed here to meditate with her."
Icicle's face darkened, "Oh and could you please enlighten me on what that poor excuse for a witch had to day about me?"
Lavender and Pavarti looked at each other with nervous looks on their faces. They obviously were not sure if they should say anything else.
"You work for Voldemort as a dark seer." blurted Pavarti
Everyone stood blinking for a while.
" Trelawney is fill of shit and is just jealous that she is never going to be able to measure up to a tenth of what I am going to accomplish in half of my life." seethed Icicle, "You want to know what I am? Sure you do since you always have your noses in everyone else's business except your own. I am a seer, the seer in fact. My existence has been predicted since the beginning of time. No seer has ever been as powerful as I will be and no other seers will ever be. I see everything that happens and I see every single possibility to every situation. Do know what that is like? No of course not because you too are too shallow and stupid to actually understand anything that is important, especially if it doesn't revolve around you. You don't have days where you feel like crap all day long because visions of people dying horrible deaths are flashing in front of you and there is nothing you can do besides sit down and watch. Most of the information seers receive are usually received too late because in order to get visions early you have to sit down a crystal gaze, study the stars etc. and I don't have time for that! Here is a late piece of information that you might find interesting Lavender. An hour ago your little 8-year-old sister was stolen for your house, raped and then murdered by Voldemort and his gang. I had to sit and watch your sister die a death as horrendous and degrading as that. No one and I mean NO one deserves that even if they are related to you. So until both of you can comprehend what is going on in this world and the pain that I have to deal with, I demand, not ask, that you go crawl into a corner and give some of us a break from looking at your repulsive faces and listening to your scratchy voices. If you won't leave my friends and I alone you will regret the very day that you crossed my path. That is a promise."
Pavarti stood looking whiter then a ghost while Lavender sobbed on the ground, "Get out of my way you whores," snarled Icicle as she pushed pass them in the direction of the common room.
Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and a group of students had heard the yelling and arrived in time to hear Icicle's little speech. Dumbledore yelled after Icicle, "Miss Vera that was out of line I would like to see you in my office after the feast!"
"Does it look like I care in the least bit? No one accuses me of working for Voldemort! Those two had it coming since the day I started school and they have finally found a day that I refused to put up with their bitchy behavior. Some people need to get that flagpole out of their ass and suck it up. Life sucks so don't go around making it worse because you find it amusing to watch others suffer."
"Miss Vera!" reprimanded Professor McGonagall
Icicle ignored McGonagall and looked at Dumbledore "I'll see you later if you really want to talk, I need to destroy something."
As Icicle walked away the students started to break up. Some people headed towards the great hall while others helped Lavender and Pavarti. Dumbledore rubbed his eyes and watched Icicle leave with disappoint in his eyes, "She isn't adapting as well as I hoped. One of you should try to get her down for the feast. Orange juice fine but she needs to actually eat something."
Hermione and Icicle had become very close over the past few months and Hermione seemed to enjoy having a girl to talk to so she volunteered to go get her. "We will go help her headmaster," said Harry as Ron nodded in agreement.
When they all finally reached the common room they found Icicle looking into a big hole, lost in thought. Hermione approached her, "Icicle you really should come down with us and eat something."
"I really shouldn't have exploded," said Icicle ignoring Hermione's first statement, "Or did I have the right to?"
"Well….. I personally found it funny in my own twisted way. There are enough rumors floating around this school and there is no reason for them to start another. Especially when it is such a nasty one. Both of us knew that they have had it coming from at least one person, and unfortunately for them they got stuck with you," Hermione smiled, "Great job by the way, a tad nasty but that is normal behavior for you when they are around."
Icicle smiled faintly, "Thanks Herms."
Ron's chin hit the floor when he heard this, "If Harry and I ever confronted someone like that you would have lectured us until my mum got here to beat us to a pulp. And even then you would have probably still nag us about it until the day that we died."
"Lavender and Pavarti are the two biggest pains in my side. They are so arrogant and conceded that is takes all my energy to not just get up and kill them in their sleep. If you had fought with them I wouldn't complain." replied Hermione, "I'll even encourage you to yell at them."
Ron scratched his head "I had no idea that you hate those two. Most of the male population at Hogwarts thinks that they are two of the hottest girls here."
"Who else is on that list?" asked Hermione
Ron blushed, "That is top secret."
Harry noticed that Icicle had dazed off. She never has been really much of a talker unless she was really hyper or something interested her. Harry decided that this was the perfect time to ask a question that has been bugging him since the Lavender Pavarti incident, "Icicle, what is the seer exactly suppose to be able to do?"
"As far as I can tell and according to predictions I am suppose to be able to see all and know all when my powers fully mature. She will be able to see all possible paths of the future and what path will lead to what future," recited Icicle as if she was reading out of a book, "What I am suppose to do with all the information I really don't know but until I grow up my powers are kind of unpredictable and uncontrollable. Don't worry I am not suppose to predict your death or anything like that.
Harry gave a smile of relief, "So that's why you have been sick today. You can't control your powers yet so they do whatever they want and show you whatever they want and all of it kind of depresses you."
"Yeah that is basically why I wasn't my normal self today. Unfortunately, I'll probably have to deal with these "rough days" for the rest of my life. Dumbledore told me that it is just part of being a seer. If I am lucky they will happen less and less often, but I can't wait until the day when I know that on October 13, 2050 so and so is going to happen in Sydney, Australia. That will be fun, getting to stop things before they happen." Icicle shivered, "It is soooooo cold in here when is it going to get warmer?"
Ron, Harry and Hermione looked at each other and laughed. "What?!" asked Icicle.
"Icicle it is a nice Fall evening. Not even close to the temperatures that we are going to get down to in Winter." replied Hermione as she held a snitch in her side
"I am going to die," whined Icicle.
"Well lets eat and see if that warms you up," said Ron who just remembered the reason that they were all up here.
"It better be warmer down there." mumbled Icicle as she fixed the hole she created and followed Ron, Hermione and Harry out of the portrait.
* * * *
It was warmer down there not to mention spectacular. The Halloween decorations were as amazing as usual and every one was is in a fairly good mood. Pavarti and Lavender were not at the feast, which seemed to make Icicle a little happier. By the time the feast was finished, it was 10 o'clock and several students were choosing to go to bed. Back in the common room Fred and George were seen dragging two first years out of the portrait for some "education". Hermione groaned when she figured out that it was Zach Myers and Ian Atherton. By the time 11 o'clock rolled around Icicle was dancing around the room singing under her breath. Hermione looked up from her book and rolled her eyes at Icicle's behavior, "What are you doing?"
"Dancing," said Icicle as she started to waltz turn around the room.
Hermione returned to her book and Ron and Harry resumed discussing quidditch strategies. All of a sudden they herd a thud and saw Icicle sliding down the wall. Hermione closed her book, "Icicle?"
She just continued to stare into space but started to clench her fist. "Icicle," Harry repeated.
Nothing. After a while of calling her name Icicle blinked and gasped for air, "I've got to go see Dumbledore."
"What happened are you okay." asked Harry
"I'm fine, but you are not going to be." said Icicle as she ran out of the portrait door.
"Harry look," said Ron in a shaky voice. Harry turned to Ron and looked where he was pointing. Where Icicle had sat there was blood on the floor. She must have dug her nails into her hands, thought Harry, What ever she saw must have been bad, really bad.
* * * *
