The Blind Spot in the Seer's Eyes
Summary: One young wizard with powers Professor Trelawny never even dreamed of. A man twisted in his bloodlust. The time for action is now. Follow the young wizard as he learns of deception, and how his powers have condemned him.
Chapter 4: A Wrong Conception
Things were not quite so bad for Todd as he thought they'd be. Teaching was a comfortable, quiet job, though it didn't seem like it at first glance. Todd was starting to enjoy challenging the students, and learning dueling on his own meant that he could start showing them how to duel. Dumbledore had suggested using Potter as a demonstration of decent dueling. Todd had refused; the last thing he wanted to do was put the poor boy on the spot.
Listen to myself, he thought, I'm addressing these six year students as though I were years older than them. He mused on the weird feeling that settled in his stomach when the sixth year class came in. He assured himself they were nerves, but there was something else entirely novel about this feeling.
In the middle of his first class, Argus Filch interrupted. "Professor Farring?" he asked as he crossed the threshold into the Defense against the Dark Arts room.
"What may I do for you, Mr. Filch?"
"Headmaster Dumbledore would like a word."
Todd nodded and told his class that they had a homework assignment, and that the class was dismissed. Shouts of joy rang in his ears as he followed Filch to Professor Dumbledore's office.
"Acid Pops," said Filch and ushered Todd in.
Albus Dumbledore looked very grave. He gave Todd a look that said, quite plainly, What have you done? Todd, confused tremendously, stood there and waited for the headmaster to speak.
"I had thought you were a Seer, Mr. Farring," he commented.
Eyebrows furrowing in perplexity, Todd nodded. "I am, sir."
"Then I am to assume that you know why you are here," was the somber statement.
Todd looked into the eyes of the headmaster. He didn't like what he Saw:
"Professor! Professor! I came as soon as I could!" A man ran into Dumbledore's office. He looked quite young, but had graying hair anyway, and a very tired look about his eyes.
"Remus, what happened?"
"Sir. Professor Dumbledore." He breathed heavily before continuing. "Kingsley Shacklebolt. He's been murdered, sir."
As Todd came back into the present, he was shaking. In grief; indignation? He couldn't tell. "I affirm on all that is holy, Professor Dumbledore, I did not See this coming."
An odd look came into the old man's eyes. "Can you See this death clearly, now that it's happened?" he requested.
Todd shook his head and tried to stop the tears. Had he been any more of a naïve child for long, he would have called Shacklebolt Uncle Kingsley. His second father figure. The man he could turn to for objective advice on whether or not Todd did the right thing, or when he didn't know how to get out of trouble. "It is simply too agonizing to harbor the sight of it," he denied. "I do not require the Sight to know who executed this heinous crime. It was the same assassin who killed my parents." This last statement was said with such quiet ferocity that any other man would have quivered at least a bit. But Albus Dumbledore had been through the Boy-Who-Lived tearing apart his office. He could deal with a angry, teenage Seer.
"We understand that this is upsetting news to you, Todd. All of the Hogwarts staff wants you to know that we are there for you. Should you need to talk about anything, I suggest talking to Professor Sprout, who is a great listener. Should stress make you ill, I recommend going to Professor Snape." Todd gave the headmaster a withering look. "Yes. Professor Snape. He has some amazing potions that will calm you down and then you need not bother Poppy, who needs to tend to the students."
The last thing Todd wanted to do was admit that he was helpless. He didn't need anyone, but he had no idea where to start looking for this murderer. It was driving him mad.
Dumbledore, a skilled Legimens, spoke before Todd had a chance to. "Todd, you are not to leave Hogwarts. You'll continue teaching. If, and when, the Aurors have any clues and you get them, I may consider giving you leave. Until then, you will be watched with careful scrutiny, and under that watch, you will not be able to leave Hogwarts. Do you understand?"
Todd's left nostril flared at this injustice. A low growl resounded in his throat. He was an adult, how dare this man think he have authority over him? "I'll depart when I wish, Albus." It came out in a hiss.
Sighing, Dumbledore conjured a chair for Todd in front of his desk. "Sit down," he requested, as he sat himself down. "Though you would wince to hear it, you are very similar to a student of Hogwarts. He didn't understand my commands either. He couldn't comprehend that my orders are made for your own protection." He paused for a moment, looking into the young Seer's eyes. "If you were to track this murderer, now, you would have no direction, no clue, and no motive of this killer to follow. You would be pulling at strings that don't exist. I've got other people on this peculiar case. When you can be of help, I will inform you of it." He explained all this in a cool and collected manner. Todd wanted to slap him.
"It's no use, Headmaster," a voice called from above their heads. "These children are all the same. I'm right, you're wrong, and there's nothing you can do about it. Don't let this boy make the same mistake as Potter. He cost me my last remaining heir, you know."
Todd's eyes found the portrait that was speaking. He didn't like the look of him at all. "I'll have you know, Harry isn't to be condemned for being kept in the dark." He felt that he needed to let this man know that. He needed to defend that boy who didn't seem to have a single shred of hope. Todd had seen his eyes. Their light had died, the green was almost a dull gray. Shadows played with his gaunt face that made him look even more starved than he really was. Todd had wanted to weep for him. Being male, that want was quickly suppressed, and realized that all the Potter boy needed was to end this stupid war, and he could get back to living. No, Todd amended, then the Potter boy could start to live. Sympathy, empathy, and respect all welled in Todd's chest at the very notion of Harry.
Phineas Nigellus just huffed and looked a different way.
"Todd, I'll admit that I was at some fault for Sirius Black's death. I have realized my folly, and I am trying to stop the same thing from happening with you. If I let you go out there, you'll be targeted by the Death Eaters, for any number of reasons, and you may end up killed. Your father was one of the greatest men I ever had the pleasure of meeting. For him, I will try to help you, and protect you while you settle your feelings--"
"Professor, you do not need to shelter me. I'm seventeen, if you don't recall. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself--"
"But you said yourself that you have no training for being an Auror, and tracking down this murderer would be what Aurors train for."
Todd cursed to himself. He knew the old man was right. He wanted so badly to do something. He hated being helpless; doing nothing. When he wasn't occupied, that was when his Sight went rampant. That was when he Saw things he wasn't meant to See. Todd was startled out of his reverie when Hagrid entered Dumbledore's office, and he had a questioning look in his eyes when he saw Todd.
"I should go, then," Todd started. "Don't worry, Professor. I'll remain here. I've begun to enjoy instructing the little buggers in Defense against the Dark Arts." He gave the headmaster a fake smile as he left his office.
As he found his way through the school, he saw several students pass him by. Todd's stomach knotted up strangely when he saw a whirl of bushy brown hair. Shaking his head, he entered his classroom to prepare for the next class. His sixth year class had been canceled, more's the pity. "I'm getting too old for this."
A/N: -smile-
Tekvah Ariel: Ummm...yay!Todd picked her because he was sure that she had read the book from cover to cover. I wanted it to be darker. It is much darker, you'll see as it goes on. Perhaps because I have the entire story behind this in my head that I think this is just the beginning. Glad you like this! Thank you for reviewing, again! I hope you like this chapter!