CHAPTER FOUR A Life Changed

Talia entered the dining room, rubbing her temples. "Ohh, why do I feel so sick?" she groaned, collapsing into a chair between Remus and his father.

Remus looked as though he had just suffered through the full moon, when in actuality, it was a full two weeks away. His head hovered over the plate of eggs Benedict, the smell slowly wafting to his nose and making his stomach lurch.

Remus pushed away his dish and covered his face. "This is torture." he cried. "May I please be excused?"

Noah and Helena exchanged a secret smile and he motioned towards the door.

Remus ran upstairs to his darkened bedroom, to sleep off what was left of his hangover.

Ophelia skipped into the room, looking rather pretty, with her hair pulled up and a touch of Becca's makeup on. She threw open the heavy drapes, sunlight flooding over the table.

Talia clapped a hand over her mouth and ran into the hall.

Ophelia helped herself to some breakfast and pumpkin juice. "What's wrong with her?"

"Judging by your behavior I would guess that you didn't drink last night." said Noah, as he read the Daily Prophet. The headline proclaimed, 'Third Wizengamot Official found Dead'.

Ophelia shrugged, ignoring the newspaper. Current affairs had never really interested her. "No, I had a few non-Butterbeer beers. Not as many as Rem and Talia, though. Will they be okay?"

A loud boom echoed from Remus's room, shaking the ornaments on the walls.

Noah continued to read. "When a witch or wizard gets drunk, it's nearly impossible to contain their magic." A second explosion rocked the house. "It'll pass in a few hours."

Ophelia looked up to see her mother staring at her intently. "What?"

Helena shook her head, her golden curls bouncing. "I need to speak with you before you leave."

Ophelia happily munched on her toast with jelly. "I assumed we would talk eventually."

Noah buried his head into the folds of the newspaper, eager to be left out of this particular conversation.

Helena continued to look at her daughter with a kind of pity in her eyes. "It won't be a casual conversation. I... I need to tell you something of importance."

Ophelia set her juice goblet down. "What are you talking about?"

"We can talk about this later." said Helena quietly.

"No, we will talk about this now." Ophelia replied.

"You won't like what I have to tell you."

Ophelia heard her mother say this, her lips unmoving. "I don't care if I won't like it," she repeated. "Just tell me."

Noah and Helena stared at her. "How did you hear me say that?"

"Because I have ears." frowned Ophelia. "What are you--"

"I didn't say anything aloud." said Helena simply.

"But I h-heard you." she stuttered. "I was going to ask you how you did that, because I didn't see your mouth move."

Helena cleared her throat. "That's the reason I need to speak with you."

"Then stop tiptoeing around the subject." Ophelia demanded. "What is so pressing that you had to ruin my breakfast?"

"You're a Seer." said Noah, joining the conversation.

Ophelia laughed nervously. "N-No I'm not. I w-would know. I would... see things."

"We have a family history of the witches in our family being clairvoyant. Some more than others." he began to explain. "We've known since you were very young that you are a strong Seer."

She sat there, trying to absorb this new information, but it wasn't registering. "I can't... see what people are thinking. I only get these snippets of thought... once in a while.."

"It's not only thoughts, is it, Ophelia?" Helena continued. "You know when certain things are going to happen."

"It's only happened a few times." she replied softly, more to herself than anything.

Noah took his daughter's hand. "It's nothing to be afraid of. It's a gift. Like Talia's- only different."

"And as you get older and more disciplined in your magic, you will be able to control it." said Helena.

"How can you be sure?" she whispered. "I may only have it... a little bit."

Noah paused, reluctant to go on. "There are signs, that can be used to judge one's power."

"Signs?" she repeated.

"Seeing from a relatively young age. When you're extremely emotional, your eyes and hair tend to change color."

Noah nodded. "There was a--" Helena gave him a look that stopped him mid-sentence. "You are a powerful Seer. Or have the potential to be."

"No one knows except for us three." said her mother. "It can remain that way if you wish not to tell anyone."

Ophelia rubbed her head, it now felt as if she was the one recovering from the night's antics. "May I... be excused?"

"Yes. We know it's a lot to take in at once. We'll talk later." said Noah kindly.

Ophelia got up from the table and slowly made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. From either side, she could hear small explosions coming from Remus and Talia's bedrooms.

Her head spinning, she collapsed onto her bed. But not before catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

Ophelia's hair was now red, and curling slightly at the tips.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep, for the second time that morning.

When Ophelia awoke, a purple glow was illuminating the bedroom and a light breeze was causing the drapes to billow around the high ceiling.

The sounds she had heard earlier originating from the other rooms had been silenced, and she could only make out a slight murmuring coming from the bathroom.

Pulling on a house coat, she went downstairs and found Remus and Talia sitting on the overstuffed couch, dressed as if they were going out.

"Finally." said Remus, standing up. "We were waiting for you. Get dressed and we can go."

Ophelia sat down in the chair across from them. "I.. I don't feel much like going out."

"We felt worse than you today," Talia laughed. "And we're still going."

"What? Oh.. it's not that. I just want to stay home tonight." she repeated.

Remus and Talia exchanged a look. "Do you want us to stay with you?"

She shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. Go. Have fun."

Talia shoved Remus towards the door, and a moment later, the front door shut with a resounding click.

She rested her head against the chair and practiced the breathing Lily had taught her.

"In, hold for ten, and out." she muttered to herself.

A few minutes later, the door opened and closed again.

"Did you forget something?" she called.

Remus joined his sister in the sitting room. "I saw Talia safely to the pub and left. What's wrong?" he asked.

Ophelia smiled; she could always count on her brother to know when something wasn't right with his sister. "Noah and Helena took the opportunity at breakfast this morning to tell me that I am a Seer. A powerful Seer, nonetheless."

"I.. I .. are they sure?" he asked, obviously stunned.

"Positive." she answered.

"Wow.. that's..."

Ophelia cracked a smile. "My thoughts exactly."

"Are you going to tell anyone?"

"I'm not sure. It's kind of a loony business, Seeing." she explained. "I'm just kind of mulling over the different situations in my head."

Remus nodded, understanding completely as he always did. "I'm here. If you need it." he said, saying what could have gone unsaid.

Ophelia smiled. "I know. I think I'll need it."