Demorior Mori Mortuus Amaris
To die for love
By Silver Sparklze
CHAPTER 1For disclaimer see prologue
"Ow!" Adeline yelped as she reappeared. "Damned evil weak ankles. I bet no superhero ever has weak ankles. Why do I have to get them? Just because I'm an ordinary girl that does not give them the right to give me weak ankles." She would have kept going, had someone not interrupted her diatribe.
"Ahem, thank you Miss Chandler."
Adeline shrieked, and turned around. Sitting behind a desk was an old man who – to her knowledge – could be Merlin or Gandalf the Grey. "Who are you?!" She asked, "Where am I?! What happened?!"
"Which question should you like me to answer first, Miss Chandler?"
"Call me Adeline." She said primly. "And as for the questions, start with the first one then work your way down."
"Very well. My name is Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You are at Hogwarts, in my office. You were brought here by a port key in that little card there." He indicated to the business card that Adeline still clutched in her left fist. In her other hand was her sketchpad and the painting.
"Albus Dumbledore?" Adeline asked, "So it's your business card!"
"How do you figure that?" A man sitting on the other side of the desk, quite close to her, asked.
"Well, Albus is Latin for white, and Dumbledore is Olde English for bumblebee." Adeline replied. "But why am I here?"
"You're here because you're in trouble," The man said, scowling. "Just like a girl to get into trouble involving those bloody Potters."
"Hey! I resent that remark! How incredibly sexist of you!" Adeline snapped. "And I don't know any Potters!"
"Oh?" The man sneered, and snatched the sketch off her. "Who are these people?"
"Lily and Harry." She said defensively.
"You've met Lily and Harry?" Albus raised an eyebrow.
"Only in my dreams." Adeline said, lying slightly. They didn't need to know that she'd also seen them when she was in a picture once. It wasn't the most normal thing. They might think she was crazy.
"Oh?" Albus raised one eyebrow. "What happened in these…dreams?"
"Well…I don't know if I should tell you. I want to know a bit more about you, and why I'm here, first."
"Very well, sit down." Albus gestured to the chair next to the scowling man's. Adeline sat in it, then childishly moved it away.
"Dammit, Albus, we don't have time for this!" The man exploded. "We need to know if she's the right one now! Do whatever it takes, use leglimency if you have to!"
"It doesn't quite work like that, Severus," Albus said mildly. "Adeline's powers are not magical as such, they are more a power of the mind –" He would have continued, but Adeline interrupted.
"ESP." She murmured.
"Ee es what?" Severus snapped.
"ESP. Extra Sensory Perception. Powers of the mind. But only one of my powers is ESP. How can being able to enter pictures be a power of the mind? It's not possible." Adeline didn't even think about the fact that they shouldn't know what she could do. After all, there were far more important things at hand. Like this lego-thing. It didn't sound nice.
"Anything is possible, Adeline." Albus smiled. "And what you are doing when you enter the pictures is a sort of Astral Projection. Theoretically, you cannot get hurt while in the painting, or even if you leave it at another end. But your physical body can be hurt. It wouldn't even matter if you were trapped in a painting. Eventually, your body would call your spirit back anyway. Well…that's the assumation anyway. But what about this other power?"
"I think it's sorta connected to my painting power in a way…" Adeline paused. "You see, whenever I read an original text, I hear what the person was thinking when they were writing it. And I see whatever they were seeing. Images and all that. Like I said, sorta connected to my painting power."
"Yes, yes. As I was saying, because her powers are that of the mind, rather than that of magic, she has a natural block, which not even the most skilful leglimense can break through. The same would be said for some charms, specifically ones that controlled her mind, or her sense of free will. For example, I have a suspicion that she would not be effected by Imperio in the slightest."
"Will you stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Adeline demanded.
"Of course, so sorry to have hurt your delicate feelings." Severus sneered.
"Shut up you slime ball." Adeline returned.
"Enough!"
Adeline jumped, then blushed. "Sorry, sir." She said.
"You're forgiven, Adeline. Now, back to the matter of telling you why you're in danger. If I am not mistaken, seventeen years ago, you entered a picture, and found the entrance to another one, the one in Lily and James Potter's living room. You with me?" Adeline nodded. "Good. So, because of that, you witnessed James and Lily's deaths. Correct?"
"Uh huh."
"Very well. What you do not know is that Voldemort saw you that day, and realised that you must be a member of the Karickin Family. They were a family well known for their ability to travel into the realm of paintings. Only the women could do it, though. The men had a different trait. If they read an original text, they would know what the person was thinking when they wrote it. And what all the people who had read it before were thinking. You are the first female Karickin to carry this trait. Ever."
"Why?" Adeline asked. She was finding this all a bit much to take.
"I don't know. These 'mind powers' work in strange ways. What I do know is that you are the last Karickin left, just as your mother was before you. If you die before having a child, a very old and influential Wizarding line will die with you." There was a tap at the door, and three people came in.
One was a boy with brilliant red hair and kind blue eyes, a girl with brown hair that was even fluffier than Melody's, and a boy…with messy black hair and eyes the colour of emeralds!
"H-Harry?" Adeline gasped. The images flew through her mind, James…Lily…Harry. Her mouth twisted as she tried to stop a sob from escaping. She hadn't known Harry, but she'd always loved children, and Harry's death had affected her very deeply. Even if she hadn't seen it. "B-but you can't be Harry. He's dead!"
The Harry-look-alike seemed confused. "What do you mean?" He asked. "My name's Harry, and I'm most certainly not dead!"
"Albus?" Adeline pleaded, "What's going on? He died, I'm sure of it! And he must be Lily's Harry. He has her eyes. And James' hair!"
"You knew my parents?" The boy – Harry – looked strangely hungry, and his two friends were rallying around him, protecting him.
Adeline regretted speaking now that she could see the emotions in the poor boy's eyes. His eyes were dark with pain, and he seemed to be crying out for help. She bit her lip. "Forget I mentioned it." She muttered, tugging on one dark red curl. She bent her head so that her eyes were hidden by her hair, and was surprised when someone jerked her head up roughly.
"No, Adeline, he will not just forget it." Severus snapped, "Potter never forgets anything. Best to just tell him now and get it over with, or he'll pester you for eternity."
The redhead opened his mouth, glaring at Severus, but Adeline spoke first.
"I thought I told you to shut up scunge-brain. It's bad enough when you talk about me when I'm right in front of you, but don't display your lack of common courtesy in front of children. And, forgive me, but you are children, at least for another year." She said when the girl opened her mouth to protest. "If you're the Harry from my dreams, then you're either 16 or 17, no older. Is he, Albus?"
"We believe so. In fact, we know so. Adeline Chandler, I'd like you to meet Harry Potter."
AN: Thanks to these reviewers;
Kellalor: Thanks, I'm glad you like it.
Ridea: I get like that too sometimes .
JamieBell: Thanks. I rather wish I was like Adeline. She's so cool. But wait, there's more...romance is in store for our young heroine...in the chapter after next. :-P