Chapter Seventeen
Sirius stared at the girl, holding his hand and for a minute, he was frozen, watching Gwen screaming out all the pain he felt inside.
But eventually, he regained his senses and tore his hand away from Gwen's.
However, the merlin wouldn't stop yelling.
It hurt so much, Gwen thought, as she tried to force the pain away but no, it just kept coming, wave after wave of raw emotion kept entering her mind.
More and more images, pictures of tortue and pain kept hitting her, it was horrific.
As Sirius watched helplessly, he heard the door open and Dumbledore appeared followed by the three guardians, Pomfrey and Snape.
Everyone apart from Dumbledore seemed surprised by Sirius' appearence and Snape, particulary didn't like how close he was to Gwen.
"What's wrong with her?" Nancy said, rushing forward.
But as soon as she did, Gwen's screams heightened.
In Gwen's head, more thoughts pierced her consciousness, so much more emotion; it was drowning her completely.
She felt like she was dying and there was nothing she could do.
"Nancy, Sirius, I think it best if you move away from Gwen," Dumbledore's soft voice called.
Sirius automatically moved, joining everyone else but Nancy shook her head.
"I won't leave her..."
"Please Nancy, it's for Gwen's benefit."
The old woman stared at the girl and could see that she was hurting her, though unintentionally and with that, she moved back to join her husband.
As everyone moved away from Gwen, her screams subsided.
Everything was disppearing in Gwen's head, though flickering images still were coming and going like pin pricks on her skin.
Her eyes started to come back into focus and she recognised the hospital wing and the people standing at the door.
She slowly sat up and looked at them all clearly, everyone's face searching her's for an answer.
"Oh Gwen...are you ok?" Maggie said, moving towards her.
"Yes, I think so...but please, don't come any closer...I don't want..." but Gwen didn't know what to say.
How could she explain that she could feel all of it; their past pain, present tortue and future anguish.
"Gwen, do you think that you could handle Madame Pomfrey checking you over?" Dumbledore said.
Gwen nodded, she could sense that Madame Pomfrey wouldn't hurt her as much as the others.
At this, Pomfrey walked towards Gwen and she felt a slight weight fall onto her heart but she could manage, although it stung like hell when the woman touched her.
"Everyone else, please follow me to my office," Dumbledore annouced, ushering them out.
"What is wrong with Gwen?" Alfred said suddenly, as everyone filed into Dumbledore's office.
"Is it not Gwen's birthday today?" Dumbledore answered.
"Yes...her powers," Maggie said, "but still, why can't anyone go near her? I have never heard of this happening to the other merlin."
"Well, a merlin senses a person's future through their emotions and thoughts, they see deep into their hearts and souls and when they do that, they also search through our past, present, meaning..." Dumbledore started.
"That she was feeling all our pain, past, present and future," Alfred finished.
Everyone then fell silent, knowing all the dark secrets hidden deep within them.
"No wonder, she was screaming," Sirius said, shuddering at the thought that Gwen had probably relived his pain from Azkaban.
"But what is to be done now?" Snape said, his voice with a sense of urgency in it.
"I suppose, she'll have to be isolated from everyone; no one is safe around her. Pain is within us all...." Dumbledore stated, his eyes wandering to the window.
"Alone on her birthday. How could anyone bear it?" Maggie mumbled softly, tears welling up in her eyes.
In the morning, the whole school was buzzing with news of the merlin's screaming.
"Did you hear it?" Seamus' voice cried out, "I nearly fell out of bed."
Everyone it seemed had heard it but no one had yet seen Gwen; all the house teachers had advised them to stay in their rooms.
Harry himself had tried to sneak out to see Gwen but had been stopped by McGonagall saying that Dumbledore had made a request, he was to stay where he was.
He had wondered at this but knew that Dumbledore always had good reasons but still, he needed to speak to him about the pain in his scar.
Last time, it had acted up, last year, he had been...
Well, he could hardly think about it without shaking.
"Harry, you alright?" Ron asked, nudging him in the arm.
"Yeah, fine. Just worried about Gwen."
"Aren't we all?" Hermione said, hardly eating her breakfast.
"Maybe, we could see her later?" Ron offered.
"Yeah, maybe we should," Hermione replied, brightening a bit.
"She was probably screaming because she realised that everyone hates her," Pansy snapped, laughing.
All the other Slytherins chuckled in agreement apart from Draco who sat still, deep in thought.
He needed to see the merlin, now she was awake, he had to stop her from telling everyone that he had taken her voice.
But how was he going to do that?
Gwen sat on her bed, completely alone.
She had been told by owl that she would have to be isolated due to the circumstances but if she should need anything, she was to owl somebody.
As Gwen sat wondering what to do with herself, Jasper flew in and settled next to her.
Animals, it seemed had no effect on her, their emotions and futures, less complex and harsh. So hardly making an impact on her at all.
"Hey, Jasper. Did you know, it's my birthday today?" Gwen said, trying to cheer herself up.
The owl cooed and nudged her hand with his head.
But it was too much and large tears started to fall down her face, "alone on my birthday," she cried out before slumping sadly onto her bed.
Harry walked up to Dumbledore's office, "dicky dack."
The door opened and he walked in, seeing Dumbledore in his chair and Sirius...
"Sirius!" Harry shouted, running towards his godfather.
"Harry...what are you doing here?"
"I needed to talk to Dumbledore..."
"Yes, Harry?" the old wizard said, sitting up in his chair.
"Last night, I...my scar, it started to burn...like before," Harry said.
Dumbledore nodded, "I thought it might..."
But before anyone else could say anything, there was a loud thump and Corneilus Fudge appeared.
Sirius instantly transformed into a dog and dived under Dumbledore's desk.
"Dumbledore," the minister started but then seeing Harry stopped.
"Yes, minister?" Dumbledore said, getting up.
Fudge looked at Harry for another second before continuing, "I have some news about the merlin. Where is she?"
"In the hospital wing," and Dumbledore began to explain the situation.
After he had finished, Fudge seemed quite put out, "but this is horrible. How can we use the merlin if we cannot go near her?"
Harry frowned, he didn't like the way Fudge said the word, 'use.' Gwen was not an object.
"Minister, I'm sure, something will be worked out. But for now, Gwen must be left to sort her powers out."
"But...but...the..." Fudge muttered, indicating a small wizard beside him, holding a rather large book.
"The book of Esse?" Dumbledore said, studying the book carefully.
Harry listened, completely confused.
"Yes, it opened this morning with the words, 'the merlin has been born.' So I thought it best if I brought the book to her so she could read it..."
"Well, I don't think that would be the best course of action at the moment," Dumbledore said quietly.
"But the book, the predictions, Dumbledore, we need them," the minister's voice had taken on a harder edge, "we do not have enough time to wait around. Come along, Jenkins." With that, he exited the room, making his way to the hospital wing.
"Dumbledore, stop him!" Sirius cried out, back in his human form.
Harry also was confused about why Dumbledore hadn't stopped Fudge.
"Hmmm...as much as I hate to admit it, Fudge is right. There is no time. Sirius, wait here for me and Harry, back to lessons, I will go and check on Gwen."
Sirius nodded and sat down in an armchair while Dumbledore walked out slowly.
Harry completely bewildered at everything stood for a few moments before saying his goodbye to Sirius and making his way to Transfiguration but strangely, instead found himself back at the Gryffindor common room.
It seemed that his head and heart wanted two different things and before he knew it, he'd grabbed his invisibility coak, running to the hospital wing.
As Gwen walked around the room again, she felt her spirits and heart sink, no one had even sent her a birthday card.
It seemed that no one cared.
But as the thought left her head, there was a loud thump and Corneilus Fudge, Jenkins and Dumbledore all strided into the room.
Also, unbeknown to all of them, Harry had snuck in as well.
Instantly, Gwen felt the pains begin to start in her chest and head.
"Miss. Aldan, I am Corneilus Fudge, Minister of the Minstry of Magic. I am here to ask you, to..." Fudge started but before he could go on, Gwen had fallen to the floor.
Although the pain was much greater this time than before and she could hardly move. Gwen didn't feel the need to scream out, she was getting used to it and began to take deep breaths to try and ease the pain.
But more and more images passed through her head, it was like a story, a story about Harry Potter. First, he was baby and then he was a teenager facing Voldermort, once, twice, three times...
"Harry..." Gwen said, getting up, to see if the boy was in the room.
Dumbledore hearing the girl, cast a suspicious eye over the room, settling on a spot near the door.
Harry hearing his own name, wondered why was she calling out for him?
But as he tried to draw closer, he saw Dumbledore staring at him and decided to remain where he was.
"What's happening to her?" Fudge said, his lip quivering.
"She's sensing our pain," Dumbledore said, watching Gwen helplessly.
"Well...what should we do?" Fudge asked, edging back towards the door.
Then suddenly it hit Gwen again, a rush of hate and she yelped; making Harry flinch.
Was she sensing his pain?
Gwen tried to focus her mind and thoughts.
Then she felt something digging into her and as the pictures cleared even more, she saw it was a knife in her side...or was it her side?
"Maybe we should leave," Dumbledore said, indicating to Harry that he was to depart as well, "and also, maybe the book should stay in my care...for now."
Fudge nodded, unable to speak from shock. He made a gesture to Jenkins and the small man stepped forward to Dumbledore and handed him the book.
As the book was passed, Gwen looked up and suddenly felt an inexplicable desire to have it.
Harry watching Gwen writhe in pain and mentally hit himself for coming, he had caused more hurt than help.
"Well...we'd better be going then..." Fudge said, looking very much whiter than before.
"Wait..." Gwen said, standing up slowly, "leave the book."
Everyone stood still, watching Gwen as she walked towards them.
But the pain was too much and she fell back down before reaching them; the imaginary wound in her side was causing her so much pain, she swore that she was about to die from imaginary blood loss.
Dumbledore quietly slid the book onto a nearby bed, "ok, Gwen. If you should need anything, owl me. Oh and happy birthday."
Gwen tried to say something or smile but couldn't; if she opened her mouth, she knew, she would start screaming.
Everyone seeing that the situation was not about to improve, left quickly.
Once outside, Fudge and Jenkins muttered their apologies before leaving for the ministry.
Probably to inform the rest of the magical world about the merlin's conditions, Harry thought.
"Harry," Dumbledore said quietly, as Fudge walked away.
Harry knew better than to run away and removed his cloak.
"I'm sorry, professor. I just wanted to see if Gwen was ok but I just made things worse, I know but..."
"But why, was she acting like that?"
Harry nodded.
"I would think out of everyone, you would understand most of all. Remember how you were able to see and sense Voldermort's feelings and actions because of your connection?" Dumbledore said, indicating Harry's scar, "well, Gwen like you, has a connection but instead of it being with just one person, it is with everyone and especially with people like you with such a tradgic past and dangerous future."
Harry couldn't speak, he hardly knew what to say. For once, someone was suffering more than him, beared a greater pressure.
"Anyway, Harry, I hope you will keep your distance. I don't think Gwen could bear much more from you," Dumbledore said, adjusting his glasses.
"Yes, professor."
"Now off to lessons."
The two then went their seperate ways, both feeling a guilt on their hearts that they couldn't do more for Gwen.
