Chapter Four: Instincts Never Lie

Adara looked around at each of them and smiled cheerfully. "I have missed you all so much. I'd almost forgotten how wonderful it is to be around you."

Ronan nodded and moved towards her. "And we of the forest have missed you as well, Adara Sage. The stars told of your return."

"I am sure they did, my friend." Adara rose from the boulder and turned to face all of them. "I must get back to the castle now. I have to sleep at some point." She smiled again and curtsied to her friends, then quickly and silently strode off through the woods.

She took her time walking back to the castle. It was a lovely night and she wanted to savor every moment of it. She entered Hogwarts and walked up many stone staircases to her room. She hung up her cloak, waltzed to her bed and changed into her nightgown. Her second night awarded her with dreamless sleep.

When the dawn's light streamed through her open window, Adara rose and stretched with a smile. "I just love mornings." She hopped down from her four poster, walked to the bathroom and started the shower. She closed her eyes as the water streamed over her pale skin. When she was finished, she looked around. Just as expected, there was no mirror to be found in the privy. "Thank goodness for Professor Dumbledore's memory." She quickly dressed, did up her hair and walked down to her office.

Adara looked around the dusty room with a sigh. "It's now or never, Miss Sage. Time to get to work." She set off cleaning again. She was finished half the room by the time she had to leave for class.

She walked in smiling, as she usually did, and greeted the Professor with a curtsy. "Good morning, Sir."

"Good morning, Miss Sage." He nodded and began setting up for the day's lessons.

"Is there anything you'd like me to do?"

"I've got it for now, thanks. I'll call on you when I need to."

"Very well, Professor." Adara moved off to the side of the room where she had a small desk and chair. She slid into the cushioned seat, back straight, legs crossed and hands folded on her lap. She watched the students saunter into the room. Her navy eyes washed over each of them in turn. She smiled at Ron, Hermione and Harry as they came in, then turned her eyes to Professor Graft as he began the lesson.

The classes seemed to race by, and before she realized it, the day was almost over. Adara helped the Professor to clean the room before she started towards the door.

"Miss Sage, could I have a word with you before you leave?"

She turned and nodded. "Of course, Sir."

"There's no easy way for me to ask this, so I'll just come out with it. I haven't heard of many of these around, but are you a telepath?"

Adara fiddled with the sides of her dress and nodded. "Yes, I can read minds, to an extent."

"I thought as much. Are you able to control it?"

"I am, but barely. I'm still learning how to do so. Do not worry, I don't deliberately read people's minds. I simply hear thoughts at times."

"Good. Very good. You may go now."

Adara nodded politely and left the room. Her mind was filled with questions about why he would want to know about her telepathy. She prepared herself for dinner and went down to the Great Hall. She ate in silence, as she often did, until she felt something. She looked about to see what her instincts were trying to point out, but she could see no reason for them to bother her. There was no reaction from the students, though she at first thought it would have something to do with Draco Malfoy.

She shrugged and went back to her meal, but her intuition would not leave her be. When the feast was cleared, she again looked around. Her eyes finally settled on one of the Professors. There was something unnerving about him, something familiar that she could not place. Adara frowned to herself and walked out of the Hall to her chambers.

She crouched before the fire and spoke quietly to herself. "What is it about him that bothers me so much? I don't understand what could possibly be wrong. Certainly he is different. He seems to attempt to blend in with the wall. He tries not to bring attention to himself unless intimidating someone. That is no reason for me to feel this way. There is a first time for everything, perhaps just once my instincts are wrong."

Adara rose from the floor, crossed the room and readied herself for bed. Sleep would not come for awhile however. Her intuition simply would not let her rest until exhaustion had taken over.

She woke in the night to a thunder clap. Startled and unsure of her surroundings, Adara leapt from her bed and gazed around wide-eyed. She calmed herself quickly when she oriented herself again and looked out the open window. The lightening flashed and the thunder clapped. Dark clouds continued rolling in and a cool breeze was blowing ahead of them. She sighed quietly and leaned on the sill. "I wonder what time it is," she thought aloud.

Adara kneeled before the window and watched the storm with a melancholy expression. She leaned her chin on her palms and rested her elbows upon the sill. "Bad weather for flying." She laughed to herself and shook her head. She stood and turned from the window wondering what to do. A sudden flash of lightening lit up the room briefly, and in one dark corner, she thought she saw a figure cloaked all in black. Her heart pounded in her chest, threatening to escape its bone encasement. She took quick gasps of breath and waved one delicate hand. A blazing fire leapt up in the hearth and the sconces on the walls erupted with fire sending the shadows away like retreating demons.

Her eyes darted about the room for any signs of an intruder. Seeing no one present, she leaned heavily against the window sill and attempted to calm herself for the second time that night. "As though my nightmares weren't bad enough, now I'm seeing things. I need to clear my head." She placed a hand over her heart to check her pulse. Thankfully it had slowed again. "This cannot possibly be good for my blood pressure."

Adara drifted across her room, dressed and took up her cloak. "Some fresh air might do me good." When she was certain she was prepared, she ventured forth from her chambers and made her way down to the Entrance Hall and out onto the grounds.

The night was mild despite the storm and light wind blowing in. The rain had barely started coming down, but she pulled up her hood to keep her head dry regardless. She didn't fall ill like many others, but she didn't wish to seem more odd than necessary. The last thing she needed were more people asking difficult questions should she be noticed. She smiled into the breeze as her thin cloak whipped about her. It was always nice to be outside. The wide open was simply where she belonged.

Adara paused in her walking, looked around, then slipped her shoes from her feet and walked across the damp grass barefoot. She hated shoes simply because they created a barrier of sorts between her flesh and the natural world. After walking for what could only be at least an hour, she decided it was time to get back inside. The thought of being cooped up within the walls of the castle again pained her slightly, but she knew it was for the best.

After her long trek back up to her room, she changed her clothes again and looked at the hourglass on the wall. There were still four hours of sleep to be had before breakfast, and she desperately needed the sleep if she was going to be able to function for Professor Graft. She nodded slightly to the hearth and the fire died down as quickly as it had begun. The torches dimmed, then extinguished themselves once she was settled into bed again. With a deep sigh, she found a comfortable spot and slowly dozed off into blissful sleep.

She woke refreshed and content the next morning. The storm still had not blown itself out. A few gray clouds loomed above as the rain pattered down lightly making the ground almost seem to glow outside the window. The air itself was cooler and fresher than it had been the day before and Adara breathed in deeply as though drinking the oxygen around her. She moved to the bathroom and set herself about her morning tasks. The previous night was temporarily forgotten as the hot water poured over her body. She ran her slender fingers through her hair and smiled. There was simply nothing that could compare to a hot shower, especially when your shower was crafted to look and feel like a natural waterfall.

This was what Adara loved best. Simplicity. There was nothing more rewarding or fulfilling in the world that she knew of. She stepped out from the water, dried, dressed, did up her hair and left for breakfast.

The Great Hall buzzed with the chatter of students and Professors alike. Adara ate in silence, as she often did, and smiled to herself as she listened to the voices of those around her. A wave of dizziness swept over her then as her instincts began screaming something wasn't right. She reeled in her chair and gripped her head.

Adara barely realized it when Dumbledore appeared at her side and clutched her elbow. In fact, it wasn't until physical contact was made that she knew anyone was there at all. She pulled away and fell from her seat. The world around her spun and incoherent voices shrieked in her mind that no one else could hear. She opened her mouth to cry out, but the sound died in her throat before escaping her lips. Her internal agony would not be known through so much as a whisper.

It felt as if she were drowning when the darkness began rushing over her. She fought viciously against it to keep her senses about her. Through the noise in her head she heard a calm but firm voice ring out. "Do not touch her!" At that moment, the blackness began its retreat and she finally lay still upon the cold floor staring at the cloudy sky of the enchanted ceiling. Silence, at last, was found.

Dazed and somewhat confused over what had transpired, Adara finally looked around at the deeply worried faces of Professors and students alike. Dumbledore became the prominent figure in her line of vision as he leaned down over her, careful not to lay a finger upon her.

"Can you get up, my dear?"

"I believe so." Adara shakily rose to her feet and leaned against the table to steady herself.

Young Harry appeared next to the Headmaster, his face wrought with concern. "What happened?"

"Something only Miss Sage here knows or understands, I'm afraid," answered the aged Professor. He looked down upon Adara's pale, drawn face and smiled comfortingly. "Do you need assistance getting to your room? I think it would be wise for you to rest right now. I'm certain Professor Graft can manage without you for one day."

"Yes, I think that would be best, Sir. I'm not certain what's come over me, but I believe that sleep is in order. I can manage getting to my chambers on my own, do not worry."