Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood there in silence momentarily before continuing back towards the Gryffindor Common Room. What they had just found out was shocking; what they just saw was surely more than they had bargained for. They all watched Mandy crumble before them; this person who they all thought was so strong was reduced to tears. The visions that Mandy had shown them deceived them into believing she was someone else, just as her trainer had deceived her. Two deceptions had been unveiled tonight, and Harry was quite unsure of how to respond. Yes, Harry did care for Mandy in at least a friend-type manner, and she did seem nice and as proven by tonight, she was just as much human as the rest of them, but he didn't know how much he could trust her anymore. If she could so easily deceive them with something as major as whom she was, what else could she deceive them about?

Having just gotten to the portrait leading to the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry removed the cloak off of the three of them, and after saying the password, (Demiguise,) stepped inside first – not wanting to see either of his friends' reactions. This was, after all, his idea to chase after Mandy – he was still wondering whether he should regret that decision or not.

There sat Mandy in a red squashy Gryffindor chair, wrapped in a blanket, wearing her night robes, and sipping out of a steaming mug of hot chocolate; she looked like a disaster victim. When she turned to look at who came through the portrait door, her puffy red eyes hollowed in a bit, and she made an unsuccessful attempt at a warm smile. In fact, the closest she got to a smile was a nervous twitch of the lip.

She slowly and carefully set her hot chocolate upon the side-table, and the blanket back upon the chair. She pulled her robes tightly across her – as some form of security.

She then walked over towards them, still bearing the hesitance Harry had seen her display a lot of recently, and paused briefly to speak.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice small and raspy, "I'm sorry for everything, everything. I wouldn't blame you if you never talked to me again," she hung her head in a tired manner, and began to walk away.

'No,' Harry thought, 'she is not going to get away that easily.'

Harry strode towards the girl's dormitories and blocked the entrance, preventing Mandy from entering.

"No," he said, shaking his head determinedly, "you will, for once, stick around and explain everything – the truth."

She stood there and questioned him with her eyes, with a look of wonder, as to where this comment came from.

"Please," she whispered, trying to push past him, "just let me be – it'd be better for the both of us."

"No," Harry replied stubbornly, holding his stance in front of the staircase, "I'm not moving until you explain why you've been acting the way you do."

"Try having some prophecies looming over your head – one whose end solely depends upon three people you have never met," she whispered bitterly upon the talk of a prophecy, "and you don't know how to gain their trust, and all at the same time, you have to shake a prophecy off your back just such you can sleep a bit easier at night – selfish, I know – but that's why I apologized – not only because of what I put you three through, but for being utterly selfish. I should've known that you would've gotten frustrated too, and that you would've followed me regardless of my warnings – heck, I would've been suspicious of me. But I wanted to lessen my load, lose some training," Mandy chuckled hesitantly, "which shouldn't be a problem now – but I just wanted to lead a normal life. Yet, the only thing preventing me from having that now is this stubborn boy who is blocking me from getting up the staircase," she ended jokingly.

Harry although, did not smile or joke back.

"What," he started seriously, "do we have to do with anything? What prophecy are we involved in?"

Harry's head was spinning. All three of them involved in a prophecy? Not just him, but Hermione and Ron too? This didn't seem possible.

"No," she said slowly, looking for somewhere to sit down, "sorry, I worded that incorrectly – the only person I share a prophecy with out of the three of you is you actually."

Harry contained a slight twinge of relief in finding out that his two best friends did not have to carry the burden of a prophecy as well, but as realization of her words hit him, worry swept through again. Suddenly, things were clicking into place for Harry. Phrases he had once heard towards the beginning of the year were returning to him and making sense this time around.

'There will be another who will hold the fate of the world in their hands unknowingly...'

Harry's vision was fading fast; everything was going black as he looked around helplessly, only to see Mandy's worried face fading in front of him. He heard himself breathing heavily, and he felt himself trembling before his knees made contact with the carpet below him. He just barely heard Mandy call out to Ron and Hermione for help, and sound of feet thudding quickly to follow. He curled his hands that were resting upon the ground for balance into fists, as a surging pain spread through him, draining him of energy. Surrendering to this pain of unknown source, he collapsed upon the Gryffindor Common Room rug.

He woke up in what seemed like ages afterwards to him; he woke up feeling older. He felt a cool hand upon his forehead, which brought a cold prickling sensation that rid him of the pain he held inside him moments ago. He then slowly opened his eyes to see Mandy leaning over him. She was more or less about a foot above him, and her eyes carried a concentrated determination. Yet, she looked weary and troubled. Her eyes contained a plethora of emotions; they were clouded, as to tuck all feeling away, or as if she was experiencing too many emotions at once for one pure one to shine blatantly through.

'Beautiful blue eyes,' Harry thought.

"Wait," Harry said, suddenly jolting up so that he was no longer laying, but sitting upon the ground, accidentally causing Mandy to stumble backwards, and fall upon the carpet herself; he accidentally knocked her over in his sudden awakening.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized, leaning over Mandy, who had just been shoved onto the ground accidentally, in order to pull her up.

He quickly enjoyed the closeness to he, but then condemned himself for straying off original thought.

"Firstly," he began, not giving Mandy, who was now sitting up, a chance to speak, "what did you just do? I mean, why were you leaning over me?" he asked, trying to suppress a blush.

"Healer," she said simply and professionally, "remember?"

She looked exceedingly tired; she was swaying slightly, almost as if she was struggling to stay awake.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked out of concern as he watched her place her hand on her forehead, as if to protect her vision from some blinding light, and the other on the ground in order to steady herself.

"Yeah," she muttered, "your healing – you were in enormous pain – I get the side affect of what you were feeling as I remove it," she replied, rubbing her temples as she shut her tired blue eyes.

"So you were what caused that cool breezy feeling?" he inquired.

"That is the cleansing process, yes," she responded, opening her weary eyes. "It takes longer and more energy to heal a mental wound," she explained. "What were you thinking of by the way?"

"You don't know?" Harry asked stupidly.

"No," she explained, "when healing, you only focus on healing, you cannot focus on anything else – including other's thoughts."

"Well," Harry said, pausing to word his response carefully, "I was thinking about what you said, and about prophecies. In fact, I was thinking about a new prophecy I learned off in the beginning of the year that associated me with another – and I thought that maybe you were that other."

Ron's eyes widened slightly as Hermione frowned. Hermione opened her mouth to speak just before Ron turned around and told her quickly to not ask, and that he would tell her later.

"No," Mandy replied defiantly, "I would like to hear of this prophecy too."

So Harry, trying to remember the exact wording of the prophecy, spoke of it as best he could. When he had concluded in speaking of the prophecy, Mandy looked dumbfounded.

"I've never heard of that one before," she replied slowly, bearing a frown that Harry matched.

He had been so sure it was her in the prophecy. It would've made sense at least.

"So," she asked, breaking the silence, "there were questions you wanted to ask... ones you wanted the 'truth' to," she said, using her fingers as quotes when she came to the word truth.

"Yeah," Harry said offhandedly, still pondering the possibility that it might be her in the prophecy.

"So?" she humored him.

"Oh, right," Harry responded, trying to recall the questions he had been meaning to ask her. "Well," he paused, finally deciding upon which question to ask first, "why did you show us the memories you did?"

Mandy sighed, "I showed you the memories I did so you'd put some trust in me, and not doubt my abilities and priorities... so you'd befriend me. I needed you to think I could be one of you. I just told you this before, and I really do apologize for being the way I was. It was an improper way to start things."

Harry nodded shortly in response, as Hermione and Ron sat in the background with skeptical looks. How valid were her excuses and apologies anymore?

"How did you know when Mark was coming? Why did you start backing away from us when you did?" Harry questioned curiously.

"I didn't know exactly when he was coming, I never knew really... I just knew he was coming soon based upon the things that were happening during the time," Mandy replied.

"Like what?" Harry prompted.

"Well, I originally knew Mark was coming because I had a vision in that week I was in the Infirmary, but I wasn't sure when he would come... once I saw the article about the deaths in Liverpool, I knew he would come soon," she took an intake of breath, "something like that for instance."

"But how would you know that Mark was coming soon just from that newspaper article? I mean..."

"Because," Mandy said sharply but softly, cutting him off, "my parents live in Liverpool. So naturally, I assumed he was going after them in order to get to me – which he was, but he didn't know I went to Hogwarts. Luckily, my parents survived. I would've never forgiven myself..." Mandy trailed off.

"You told Ginny you didn't remember anything..." Harry whispered, his compassion fighting to rise to the level where it was before, although his mind still remained judgmental and untrusting.

"You never know who could tell what to someone else," Mandy said tiredly, "as I learned tonight... So I thought it better to keep my mouth shut. Now, if you don't mind, if you would please let me go to sleep?" She asked, already beginning to head up the staircase.

"What would've happened to us had you not interfered?" Harry asked loudly, now standing up completely.

Mandy stopped abruptly halfway up the staircase. She then slowly turned around to face Harry with a look of sorrow and burden, and replied, "A war is already brewing, Harry. Had I not interfered is what you want to know; what you want to know is what my vision showed me that stopped you from coming and revealing yourselves? Had I not interfered, two would be immortally scarred, and the remaining one would be battling with himself in more ways than one. Had I not interfered, Potter, the war that is on the horizon would be reckless, passionate, and ridden with blood... Emotions do such things to a person. Which is why I sacrificed mine in an effort to protect the three of you from making a horrible mistake," she concluded firmly, yet drained of all energy.

She stared at Harry for another brief moment, then swiveled back around and continued her way up the stairs sluggishly.

Harry stared at the space where Mandy had just stood blankly, and listened to the door of the girl's dormitories open and close with a click.

'Yes,' he thought, 'this is certainly going to be an interesting year.'