A/N: Even if I have said it before, sorry for the long interval. Here is a new chapter which, I hope adds more mysteries to the story than it solves. Again you can smell and actually see, this time, a (THE) rat. And here's another question to the attentive readers: "I have many names", the myterious lady says. Can you guess any of her other names? Keep your fingers crosse for me so that the naext chapter doesn't take so long again.

Chapter 26 Avalon?

April 20th, 1995

So the new term has started full force, and if we ever thought we were having much homework before, we can think again. I personally suspect that it's Maxime's way of dealing with the rebellious tendencies at the beginning of the Easter break. It would just be like her: Pile so much work on us that there will be simply NO time for thinking of anything beside it. I don't think it's quite fair, but I suppose that's not anything that would bother her.

April 24th, 1995

Tonight something strange happened. I can't even say what it was that woke me up. Some unfamiliar sound or something, possibly, but nothing really loud, as my roommates went on sleeping perfectly soundly. Anyway, I woke up, and now, consciously, my attention was drawn towards the dresser next to my bed by some faint scratching noise. And in the beam of moonlight that was coming from the window I could see it quite clearly: A rather large rat rummaging among the things on the dresser.

Now Mireille, of course, would have screamed her head off, but I've never been afraid of rats, though this one was really a lot larger than normal. It's strange, now I think back, but my first thought on seeing it was, "What's it looking for?" Of course it's stupid, but I had the distinct impression this rat was after something specific.

Well, I may not be frightened of rats, but I don't like my dresser messed up. So I sat up in my bed to shoo it away. It must have noticed my movement, for it stopped, sat up on its hind legs and looked straight at me. And now I must admit I WAS frightened. The look it gave me – there's no other way to put it, - was so full of a mixture of fear and hatred that it quite took my breath away for a moment. Its eyes fairly shone with it as it hissed at me, jumped down and immediately disappeared in the shadows.

I didn't want to wake the others, so I only looked through the things on the dresser in the moonlight. Finding everything undisturbed, more or less, and feeling sure the rat wouldn't return after I had frightened it away, I went to sleep again, not without thinking that it would actually be Grisabel's task to keep things like that off. (But she wasn't there, probably on one of her excursions with Hermione's cat.)

"Are you sure you weren't still half dreaming?" Iphigenie asked dryly when I told my friends the events, and now in broad daylight I dare say she may be right. But there WAS something weird about that rat, I'm sure of that!

April 30th, 1995

"You know what today is?" Margaux asked at lunch.

"Saturday," I replied, having no idea what she was trying to get at.

"Yes, silly," she grinned at me. "I mean what date is it?"

"Uh – the thirtieth, isn't it? So what?"

"So what, she says! It's Beltaine Eve, of course!"

And as I stilled looked at her quite blankly, she went on:

"The most magical day of the year, - well, after Samain, that is…"

These names seemed to ring a bell somewhere in my mind, at last.

"Yes, now you mention it, I seem to remember, didn't we hear about these ancient Celtic festivals in Histoire de Magique? But what are they to do with us, more than a thousand years later?"

She rolled her eyes at me.

"You shouldn't talk so lightly about magical days. Beltaine, the beginning of the summer half of the year,-" she went on in her best lecturing voice, "is, like Samain at the end of it, a day where magic is particularly strong, and ghosts return to walk the earth."

"Well, they do that over at the castle all year round," I quipped, which made her roll her eyes again.

"You know what I mean. And they also say that it's a particularly effective time to find out about your future…"

"I don't think I want to know about that, thank you very much. Didn't you say yourself that you can't change the future? So isn't it much better not to know?"

That seemed to shut her up effectively, at least for some time.

May 1st, 1995

I'm not so sure about Beltaine any more. It's been a weird night indeed, and I'm not really sure if I haven't been dreaming, after all.

At dinner I mentioned what Margaux had said to Hermione, who scoffed at the idea of something like a particularly magical day.

"What nonsense," she said. "There is absolutely no reason for it. It's just one of these ancient spring festivals, and nobody can even be sure it's supposed to be this particular date in the calendar. You know, don't you, that it goes back to the times of the ancient Celts more than two thousand years ago, and they didn't even USE the same calendar we have today! Now, summer solstice, or something, yes, that would at least have an astronomical basis, but why the first of May, for Merlin's sake?"

She really can get very emphatic when her sense of logic feels injured.

Harry, who had overheard this, looked at her doubtfully.

"But you'll have to admit that weird things do happen at Halloween. Just look at the last four years… And as far as I know, there's nothing astronomical to that day, either."

She seemed put out, but only for a moment.

"But there was nothing magical about all these things, was there? Just people carrying out their nasty ideas on that day. And I've never heard about anything special happening on Mayday Eve, anyway."

"On Beltaine Eve the door to Avalon is open for those who can find it." Turning, I saw that strange girl, Luna Lovegood standing next to us, looking at us with those uncanny eyes.

"Oh yes," Hermione said sarcastically. "And I suppose you'll find Merlin himself there to give you an autograph."

"He might, but you can't take the parchment back through the door, you know," Luna said perfectly earnestly. Apparently it cost Hermione quite an effort not to shout at her.

I, however, remembered what she had told me about Morgaine's heirloom, and suddenly I was not so sure anymore.

"Do you know how one can find the door?" I asked, to Hermione's great displeasure.

"Actually, the door finds you, of course. It's your choice then whether to enter." Luna was looking straight at me now. You might find some answers there, you see…"

Hermione snorted, but didn't say anything.

"Is it dangerous?" I asked her, fascinated by her matter-of-fact tone. I still don't know what made me take the absurd things she was saying so seriously.

"No, I don't think so, as long as you avoid the jabberwock, of course…"

"And the mome raths, I suppose?" There was a slightly hysterical touch to Hermione's voice.

"Not really," came the serene answer. "They can be a nuisance if they come in large numbers, but dangerous, - no, not very."

Hermione had pulled herself together again.

"Tell me, Luna," she said with a false sweetness, "how do you know about these things?"

"My dad tells me," Luna answered calmly. "And you don't have to pretend you believe me, because you don't."

And with these words she sauntered off, her head high.

(I have no idea what jabberwocks and mome raths are, probably some of Luna's pet creatures, like those Snorkacks she keeps going on about.)

I don't recall why, but I just couldn't get to sleep. After lying awake for what seemed an eternity (but of course can't have been more than an hour or two), not daring to stir so as not to wake my roommates, whose peaceful breathing (or, in Margaux' case, gentle snoring) was filling the room, I finally crept out of bed, and went out into the common room where I stared blankly into the fire for another indefinite period of time. Vague thoughts and images floated through my mind, of which I just remember Harry's emerald green eyes…

At last, thoroughly annoyed with myself, I decided I could just as well get out of the carriage. It was a fine moonlit night, and quite mild, too, so I got my broom and soon I was gliding peacefully across the pitch black mirror of the lake. For some reason or other, I didn't feel like speeding, but was content hovering silently above the smooth surface, listening to the distant sounds from the forest. Over in the castle, there were only a very few lights on, and the massive bulk of the towers and battlements was black against the velvet blue of the starry sky.

I'm not sure how it happened, but after some time I noticed a bright circle of light in the still surface beneath me. I thought it was the reflection of the moon, first, but it slowly grew and after a fem minutes was much larger than the moon itself. Curious, I floated down, closer to the surface, while the light kept still growing stronger and at last beams of blinding white seemed to reach out of the water towards me.

I don't remember doing so, but I must at some time have passed through the surface of the lake (or rather, the part in the space-time continuum where the surface ought to have been). All I do remember was a sudden flash of white that extinguished my vision for a moment and made me close my eyes instinctively.

When I opened them again, I found myself in a completely strange place. The night was as dark and starry as ever, and the moon was still high in the sky, but the castle and the lake had disappeared. I was in a large circular clearing, with a dark wood at the edges, and directly in front of me, there were three huge slabs of stone placed in a way that they formed a gigantic doorway, perhaps four or five metres high. And in that doorway, a veiled figure was standing, motionless.

I stood there, frozen to the spot, unable to move, but my mind racing. Of course I had not taken my wand along! But, strangely enough, I did not feel frightened. There was something so peaceful about the place that it was unthinkable to be afraid.

"This must be a dream!" I told myself, but immediately I realised that the very thought that you may be dreaming is the surest sign that you are not.

The veiled figure, while remaining standing in the stone doorway, extended its arms towards me, and, as if drawn by some invisible force, I slowly walked towards it. I didn't realise, but I must also have extended my arms, for when I was near enough, I felt my fingers touch cool soft hands.

Only now my eyes focused on the figure in front of me. She was clearly female and about as tall as I. Her slender form was covered in a long flowing robe; I could not discern its colour in the moonlight, it looked silver grey to me, but may have been any other light colour. Her head was covered by a hood, and the silhouettes of her face were just faintly noticeable behind her veil.

I can't describe the sensation at the touch of her hands; I just remember a feeling of strength and confidence surge through me like an electrical current.

"Welcome."

The voice was clear and resounding like a bronze bell, young and old at the same time.

Unable to utter a sound, I just stood there staring at the woman.

"Welcome, Flower of the Court," the voice sounded again.

I didn't realise at once that she was saying my name. Still speechless, I let her take my hand and lead me towards a large mossy boulder where she motioned for me to sit.

At last I found my speech.

"Where – no, who are you?"

"Can you not guess?"

With these words, the veil suddenly vanished. I gasped. Although the hood shielded the face from the moonlight, it shone clearly, as if with a light of its own, long silvery hair, full lips and large bright eyes – it was my mother's face!

"Maman?"

The faintest trace of a smile was curling around her lips, and she was completely unlike my mother in an instant.

"Yes and no, child. I am one of the roots of the tree of which you are the greenest leaf. I am-" "Morgaine of Avalon!"

Again that ghost of a smile appeared, making her look like a young girl.

"I have many names, and this is one of them, it is true. And, at last, you have found your way here."

After waiting for her to continue, I inquired:

"Why am I here?"

"You heard me speak through your foolish friend?"

I should have known, but I was taken aback nevertheless.

"Yes… And I still have no idea what it is all about. Can't you tell me?"

She sighed, and suddenly she looked hundreds of years old.

"Alas, child, it's in the nature of a prophecy that those that are involved must find out for themselves. But you have already revealed a part of it, have you not?"

"I am the Scorpion, but…"

Again she smiled and was no older than seventeen.

"And the same reasoning may well take you to an understanding of the whole… But the Dark One is rising, he is getting stronger daily."

"Who IS the Dark One? Can't you at least tell me that?"

"But do you not know already?"

Her eyes looked into mine intently, and suddenly I realised it.

"Not – not –Vous-savez-qui?"

Her face was ancient again.

"Indeed."

"But – how – what-?"

"Nobody knows. The prophecy indicates you may be essential in the oncoming fight. It is my task to strengthen you in the struggle, although I do not know what you will be called upon to do. I see you have the Hesperion with you that I sent you. This is good."

"You sent it to me? Oh, yes, I suppose it all works out. And it's supposed to protect me in that struggle you're talking about?"

"It is. And you must learn to use its full powers. As you know already, it can block spells, - not all spells unfortunately, or not completely. It also makes it possible for you to transform into your animal-"

"MY animal?"

"Yes. Like an animagus. But I cannot tell you what your animal is. You will have to find out yourself. It is the wand that chooses the witch, and it is the same with your animal form."

"But how will I know?"

"Dreams may help… It is your responsibility to find it. But this is not all the stone can do."

"Madame Maxime says you can use it to read thoughts."

"You cannot USE the Hesperion," she said in a slightly shocked tone. "But it is true, it helps you with Legilimency."

"How do I do it?"

"It is basically a matter of concentration, and the stone enables you to filter out the right wavelength. It is easier when the person in question is within sight, but with practice you can enhance your abilities. The important thing is that you must at least have a picture of the person in your mind. The clearer the picture, the clearer you will be able to understand their thoughts. You have already been taught to focus your concentration on places-"

"Was it your doing that Maxime taught me the virtualis spell?"

She smiled.

"Let me say she had a little prompting…"

"So she knows about all this?"

"No. And it is absolutely imperative that you do not tell anybody. There can be spies and other followers of the Dark One everywhere…"

"But not Maxime, certainly!"

"Alas, we cannot be sure even of that. There are certain forms of the Imperius curse that can turn the most righteous person into a submissive tool for the Dark One."

Not Harry! The thought flashed through my mind out of nowhere, but I didn't say anything.

She glanced at me in a strange way, but went on regardless.

"There is one more quality of the stone, but it can only develop this together with its counterpart, the Phosphorion, which, unfortunately, has been lost for more than a thousand years. If your soulmate is carrying it, …

"Soulmate?"

"Yes, your other half, the one that makes you complete. Only very lucky people ever succeed in finding their soulmate. Most never do…"

Again I was at a loss for words. Could she really mean what I thought she meant?

"How can I find my – soulmate?"

That smile flitted across her face again.

"It may come as a sudden revelation, or it may develop slowly. You may take it for simple infatuation for some time, or you may even try to fight it. But when the time has come, you just know."

"And – the other person?"

"Sometimes the revelation is synchronised, and both realise it at the same time. More often, however, one is slower on the uptake. And in some very tragic cases, the other person never realises it, - like Arthur…"

Her eyes darkened and her voice had lost some of its clearness.

"No matter," she said after a short pause. "You have to go back now, the door is only open for an hour."

There was no white light this time, my view just kind of fogged over and darkened at the same time, and my eyes closed slowly.

When I opened them again, I was lying in my bed, and it was bright morning.

Now that I have finished writing all this down, I am even less sure that all this really happened. There is not the slightest material clue to it. I put on a cloak for my ride on the broom, but when I woke up in my bed, the cloak was nowhere to be seen, and I found it later, neatly folded, in its usual place in the trunk, not moist from the night air or dirty from the grass I had walked though. But then, even IF it was just a dream, there is often quite a lot to dreams, and the things I remember being told all make perfect sense…

So perhaps it doesn't really make so much of a difference, after all. If I could only make up my mind whether I should tell anybody about it.

And the wole soulmate thing fascinates me, too. Was it a coincidence that Morgaine mentioned it the very moment my thoughts were on Harry? Dare I believe that he couls possibly be my soulmate? What if he never realises it?