This was going to be a freakishly long chapter so I cut it in two.

Chapter 22:

The door to Michelle's room was shut. Mr. Weasley sat in the hallway in front of it. He looked up hearing footsteps. Before Harry could even ask, Mr. Weasley held up his hand.

"Can't go in just yet...might as well sit down."

Harry took the suggestion and put himself next to Ron's father. "How is she doing?"

"All right, I suppose. Molly is almost done fixing her up."

"Hermione said she was in some sort of trance when she tried to...well, you know..."

Mr. Weasley rubbed his temples. "I don't think she was really trying to stab herself. Her hand must have slipped and she cut herself enough to bleed."

"Hermione also said Michelle was talking oddly. Michelle said 'the one with the scar must be sacrificed'..." Harry glanced at Mr. Weasley. "She was talking about me wasn't she?"

Mr. Weasley patted Harry's shoulder. "I don't know that for sure. The one thing I do know is Michelle had no control over what happened tonight. I hope you will keep that in mind when you talk to her."

Mrs. Weasley opened the door and saw Harry and Arthur at her feet. "How are Ginny and Hermione?"

"Ginny's asleep and Ron is taking care of Hermione." Harry got up quickly. "Can I see Michelle now?"

"Yes, but Harry, don't be too hard on her. She's feeling very scared and guilty right now. Give her a chance to tell you everything..."

Harry didn't quite understand why Mrs. Weasley was telling him these things, but he nodded anyway. Entering the room slowly, he saw Michelle standing by the window peering out over the yard. She turned hearing him coming closer. He noticed her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

"Do you see something out there?" he asked softly.

"Just trying to figure out if I could jump and get away in one piece." Michelle faced him, her arms hanging limply by her sides. Her new pajama top was too big for her, and Harry could just see the bandages on her chest. He came towards her and she took a step back skittishly. He kept moving forward. He caught her up in his arms and held her tightly. She began to shake as a fresh wave of sobs overtook her. He continued to hold her as she murmured "I'm sorry" over and over into his chest. Harry stroked her hair and rocked her slowly. He could feel her calming down so he eased his hold on her. Lifting her face with his hand, he brushed away the remaining tears.

She pulled away from him and lead him to the bed. Sitting down, she grabbed a tissue off the nightstand and blew her nose. She inhaled deeply and wiped her eyes with the cuffs of the top.

"I'm not sure where to start..."

Harry rested his hand on her knee, "What happened tonight?"

"I think I better go back further."

"Further?"

"Out in the yard tonight, I was going to start telling you..." Michelle closed her eyes and inhaled again to gain some strength. "Have you ever heard of a type of wizard called a Seer?"

"Sure, we learned about them in Divination. Professor Trelawny is supposed to be one."

"She isn't, or atleast she's not a very strong one. Did you ever see her make any accurate predictions?"

Harry's face clouded, "Just once...most of what she said seemed like gibberish. But, one time, she seemed to go into a trance. It was like she wasn't speaking...like someone was speaking through her..." Harry realized this was how Hermione had described Michelle's behavior tonight. "Are you a Seer?"

"Yes" Michelle paused, waiting to see Harry's reaction.

"Is that bad?"

"Not exactly. A few years ago, it wouldn't have really mattered." Michelle seemed to be unsure of how to proceed. "Not many Seers are left...many of them died when Voldermort was in power..."

Harry was shocked. Almost no one said Voldermort's name out loud. "Did he kill them?"

"He did more than that...he used them to help kill his enemies. Then, when he had no use for them, he killed them as well."

"How did they help him?"

"They didn't have a lot of choice in the matter. Voldermort rounded up as many Seers as he could find. Normal wizards can't touch a Seer, but Voldermort was so strong in the Dark Arts, he was able to take over a Seer's mind. Once he was in control, he would use the Seer to find where his enemies were hiding. Worse yet, he would use the Seer's strength to kill the wizard."

"By doing what exactly?"

"No one is really sure. So much of what happened to the Seers is unknown. So few survived to tell their stories. What I understand would happen is Voldermort would work through the Seer, control them, and tell them who to kill, saving his own power. After Voldermort was vanquished...by you of course...the few Seers who were left went into hiding. It took a few years before it was discovered that they had been unwilling assistants to Voldermort and not part of his following. Seers were hunted down as traitors before wizards knew what had really happened. A few Seers are still in Azkaban. They have been there long enough there would be no hope in saving them if they were released."

"So what happened to you tonight? Was it some sort of prediction?"

"I, like other Seers, have visions. Usually, they come to me as dreams, sometimes I just notice things others can't see...signs...I'm sure you know this from class...

Harry blushed a little, "Actually, I didn't pay much attention in that class...didn't seem important at the time."

Michelle smiled slightly, "I don't blame you...so few wizards have these abilities, I'm surprised they even try and teach the skills in school. Anyway, I've been having dreams since I was a little girl. Over the last year, they started to get more specific and intense. When the dreams start to narrow in on a specific event, you have to really start paying attention. They also started to get more intense because I'll be 18 in a couple of months."

"What happens then?"

"I have to decide if I'm going to remain a Seer, or if I'm going to become your average wizard." Michelle got up to stretch her legs. She continued to talk as she moved about the room. "There's a ceremony...it's called The Aquiesence...if I go through with it I will have to bear the responsibility of being a true Seer. If I don't go through with it, my abilities will fade and I will be an average wizard. No more dreams, no more visions..."

"You said a few years ago being a Seer wouldn't have mattered...what's changed?" As soon as he'd asked the question, Harry knew the answer.

"Voldermort. He's back. There's a good chance he's going to gather up what's left of us and use us again."

"That's why you came to Hogwarts...you can be protected here..."

"That's part of the reason."

"What's the other part?"

"I dream about Voldermort."