CHAPTER FIVE Friends Unlooked For
Talia stumbled into the house around three o'clock in the morning to find Remus and Ophelia huddled on the worn, brown leather couch, as they usually were these past few weeks, talking in hushed voices.
"Hullo," she sang. "Isn't life just incredible?"
Remus looked up, forcing a slight smile. "I take it you had a good night?"
Talia collapsed into the wooden rocker. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Ian is..."
"Such a good kisser?" Ophelia volunteered.
She nodded excitedly. "Yeah, he is. And he's so cute." Neither of them responded. "You know, Becca and Jamie were asking about you both. Again."
"Well, we're coming out tomorrow." said Ophelia, ignoring the look Remus was giving her. "Or else lose all sanity."
"Do you really think you're... ready for that? So soon?" he replied.
"Yes. I'll be fine. I cannot spend another moment in this house under Helena's watchful eye."
Talia shrugged, unaware of the underlying meanings. "Well, I miss you, and so do they, so you have to come."
At that moment, a large, brown owl swooped into the sitting room and dropped a letter into Remus' lap. It was emblazoned with the Potter crest, and addressed to Remus and Ophelia Lupin, as well as Talia Westenra.
Remus tore the parchment open and quickly skimmed the note. A large grin appeared on his face as he passed it to his sister.
"Dear Remus, Phe and Talia," she began, "We are writing this to let you know that our transformations were completely successful and problem-free (As long as you don't count Pete spilling half of the batch, but we'll leave that for another day). Sirius and Pete arrived late last week, and upon the eve of the full moon, we each took our share of the potion. The following day, we tried transforming at will, and after a few hours with no results, one by one, we changed into our Animagus. At this point Sirius starts writing." said Ophelia.
"Yes, yes, thanks to James for giving you the boring bits, but luckily you have me to tell you the exciting parts. Pete turned first, and as shocking as it was, he turned into a rat. That's right, a dirty, shuddering rat. Bugger off Pete! You are dirty! Next went James, and it is with great displeasure I tell you he transformed into a stag. Though I still hold fast that what you become into bears no real reflection on your powers. Bugger off James! So you're a stag, let me alert the Prophet! And last, but definitely never least, everyone's favorite Marauder changed into a.... And here James takes over." she continued.
"Sirius changed into a dog, a big, black dog. Nothing in comparison to my stag. Sirius likes sugarcoating it and saying that he is actually a PADFOOT, but we all know what a load of rubbish that is. So as it is, I am a great Stag, Pete's a rat and Sirius is a dog (Really, who among us is surprised?) Oh! That's right, we dubbed Pete Wormtail, because that's what he looked like to be honest. And then Sirius got jealous as he didn't think it fair that Pete got a nickname and he didn't. So he is now to be referred to as Padfoot. Yes Sirius! I'm telling them now! And so then I brought up that maybe ALL of the Marauders should have a nickname. So I'm Prongs, and Rem, you're Moony.
To be quite truthful, I don't think these new names will stick, but let us humor Siri-- Bugger off! --Padfoot for the time being, alright?
Yours in Fellowship,
Prongs, Padfoot & Wormtail.
Ophelia folded up the letter and placed it on the table in front of her. "So, er... Moony, don't we get new names?"
A faint blush crept onto Remus' face. "Shut up."
"Oh please, Moony." said Talia, grinning wickedly. "We want to be part of your little club."
"Tal, you can be Loony." Ophelia laughed, clutching her side.
"It fits quite nicely, I think."
Remus stood up in a huff. "Right. Let's all pick on Remus. It's alright, really, please continue."
"Oh sit down, we're only kidding." Ophelia giggled, pulling him back down onto the couch. "I'm just glad no one's dead."
"Or worse." Talia added. "We could have contributed to a couple centaur-type beasts stumbling round. This is cause for celebration! Let's have a drink!"
Remus and Ophelia exchanged a look. "I think you've had enough, Tal. Come on, I'll take you to upstairs."
Talia reluctantly allowed herself to be led to her room, and once there, sank onto the bed without argument.
Remus followed his sister into her bedroom and sat down awkwardly on the vanity stool. "Are you okay?"
She hopped into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. "Yeah, slowly but surely, right? I'll be fine, once I stop looking at it as a curse rather than a gift."
Remus chuckled. "Noah's words?"
"Yeah. He says 'We should all be so lucky', whatever that means." she said.
He yawned and got to his feet. "I should be getting to sleep. Good night."
"Good night." she repeated, as he closed the door behind himself.
For what felt like ages, Ophelia lay awake in bed, going over random facts; She was a Seer. They were now to call James, Sirius and Pete by their pet names. Talia was enjoying the Muggles far more than expected.
A sudden wave of panic swept over Ophelia, pulling her under. She gasped and sputtered for breath as stills flashed before her eyes.
Breezing through exams in an empty Great Hall.
Graduation.
Seeing James; older, more attractive, carrying her through a darkened hallway.
Grim faces clothed in black.
A dark abyss.
Ophelia choked back her tears and sucked in a mouthful of air, grabbing onto the nearest bedpost for support.
Before she could process what she had just seen, all went black and she collapsed back onto her pillows.
The morning dawned pink and flooded the East-facing windows with light.
Ophelia awoke with no memory of what she had seen just hours before. She hastily dressed in her house coat and went downstairs, anxious to put her first lesson with Noah behind her.
When she arrived in the study, her father was already behind his great, oak desk, reading the Prophet. He set down the paper once his daughter arrived.
He motioned for her to take a seat in the armchair facing him.
"Good morning." he smiled, pouring her a glass of banana juice. "So, are you ready to begin?"
She nodded. "Yes. Let's get on with it."
"Alright. We'll begin with some reading. These books should tell you what to expect." said Noah, pushing a dusty stack towards her.
Ophelia frowned. "I thought you were going to teach me."
"I am going to teach you ways to control your power, but I know nothing of the most basic effects it will have on your life." he explained.
"Oh."
After a moment or two of an extremely uncomfortable silence, Noah cleared his throat and began.
"Somewhat like a muscle, it must be exercised in order for it to work in your favor."
Ophelia quietly sighed and sank back into the chair, allowing her father to drone on. She was sure she could find all she needed in the books in front of her, instead she let her thoughts wander to other things.
She remembered her conversation with Remus. And after...
"Dad!" cried Ophelia.
Noah flinched slightly as this was the first time his daughter had ever referred to him as something other than Noah or father. "Yes? What is it, Phe?"
"L-Last night, I think, or rather I know, I saw... things."
"What things?"
She struggled to remember the images she had seen. "Graduation; I saw me and Remus at our graduation. James. Only he was older than he is now--"
"How older?" Noah pressed.
"I don't know, maybe... five years?"
"What else? Was there anything else?
"The end. The end of all things." she shook her head, amazed at herself for saying such ludicrous things, in front of her father of all people. "Or so it seemed."
Noah's face paled. "You had... a premonition. Was it your first?"
"No, but it was the worst."
He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a bound diary. "I want you to start tracking your premonitions. Date, time, what you saw.... understand?"
Ophelia nodded and added the journal to the already towering stack. "May I be excused now?"
"Yes." Noah replied, seeming to understand. "We'll continue later."
Ophelia left the study and made her way upstairs to her bedroom. She spent the next few hours reading up on 'The Gifts of Seeing', missing the days meals.
At eight o'clock, Remus knocked at the mahogany door.
"I come with gifts." he said, setting a turkey sandwich down in front of her.
"I don't ever want to hear that word again!" she groaned, eying the sandwich. "Did.. you make this?"
He grinned. "Yeah, just for you."
"Oh, well. I'm not really hungry right now. Maybe later." she said, remembering Remus' skills- or lack thereof -in the kitchen.
He clapped his hands together. "Alright, well get dressed. We're going out."
"Right, right. I'll be ready in two shakes of a broom." she said, showing him to the door.
Ophelia quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a black, sleeveless shirt that Becca had convinced her to buy when they had gone shopping a few days prior.
She joined Talia and Remus in the sitting room, both looking awfully comfortable for people who were supposed to be going.
"Are we leaving now?" asked Ophelia, collapsing into the empty sofa.
Remus shook his head. "Dear Talia has just told me that she invited our friends back here."
"They're c-coming here?"Ophelia stuttered. "To our house? Our house which is full of broomsticks and wands and cauldrons and HOUSE ELVES?!"
Talia suppressed a laugh. "They won't notice.."
"They won't notice two foot tall servants?" she screeched. "Are you mad?"
As if on cue, Frinka, their oldest and most devoted house elf walked into the room, carrying a tray laden with pumpkin juice and treacle tart. "Did Mistress Ophelia call?"
"No, Frinka, I didn't. Here," she offered, dropping to her knees, "Let me get those."
"Not a problem, not a problem, Frinka loves to serve her family."
"We know you do." said Remus kindly, taking a glass of juice.
"Er.. Frinka, would you mind staying out of the sitting room tonight?" Talia asked.
Frinka's large eyes filled with tears. "Fr-Fr-Frinka is n-not.... wanted tonight?"
Ophelia shot Talia a scathing look. "No, no, you're always wanted, Frinka. It's just that tonight we have some Muggles visiting and...."
"We don't want them to scare you." Remus added.
"Right! Muggles are very scary and we don't want anything to trouble you, Frink." said Talia.
The house elf began to cry once more. "Masters are always looking out for poor Frinka. Yes, I will stay away from the nasty Muggles tonight."
The doorbell rang and Frinka darted into the kitchen. Talia got up and ran to answer it. When she returned, Ian, Becca, Jamie, Taylor and Allie were in tow.
"Nice house." whistled Jamie, transfixed by the domed ceilings.
Ophelia's heart sank as she looked up in fear, expecting to see the Renaissance ladies dancing around their portrait. Fortunately, however, Noah had gone around the house, Stunning all of the paintings before their guests had arrived.
Remus breathed a sigh of relief; he apparently had the same thoughts as his sister. "Yes, well, it's a very ordinary home."
"There's nothing here that you wouldn't find in any other normal homes." Ophelia chuckled nervously.
Once everyone was seated and enjoying a glass of juice ("I never knew you could make juice out of pumpkins." Taylor remarked), Ophelia brought her record player downstairs and within a few minutes, the Rolling Stones were blared throughout the room.
"So," she began, "What school are you going to, Jamie?"
"St Andrews." he replied importantly.
Ophelia just nodded. "Oh, is it a good school?"
His jaw dropped. "You mean... you've never heard of St Andrews?" She shook her head. "It's the best university in all of Great Britain. Most people are impressed when they find out where I'm going."
"I'm sure it's quite exceptional, but... I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to colleges. At least for the time being, anyway." she explained.
Jamie nodded, satisfied with her answer. "I was the same until it came time to make a decision. Do you want to show me around a bit?"
Ophelia frowned. "I'm really not the best person to guide you around Paris, I haven't been here since I was seven, and even then, I rarely ventured outside."
He laughed loudly. "I meant around your house."
"Oh," she blushed. "That makes more sense, doesn't it? Alright, let's go."
Ophelia made sure to keep a few paces in front of Jamie, so that she could properly scope out a room before entering it. This proved to be a smart move when they came upon the solarium.
She peeked inside before entering and saw a mass of Wormswood and Bartiltongue, not to mention several magical plants.
Ophelia slammed quickly slammed the heavy door shut.
"What's in there?" Jamie asked suspiciously.
"Er... it's, er... being fixed."
"You mean renovated?"
"Yes, yes. We're.. renovating. That's completely normal, right?"
He chuckled. "Yes it is. Don't take this the wrong way, Ophelia, but you're a bit odd. You and your brother have a weird obsession with things being normal."
She only shrugged. "Isn't that a conundrum? I'm odd because I want things to be normal?"
"I suppose it is." grinned Jamie.
"Come, I'll show you outside."
She led him to the back of the house, and out onto the lavish stone court.
It was very humid for it being so late in the evening; and a sweet almost floral smell hung thick in the air.
"That's everything." said Ophelia, collapsing onto the iron bench.
Jamie sat down next to her. "It was--"
At that moment, a silver light streaked across the black sky, filling Ophelia with dread. A second later, Gwaihir landed at her feet, a roll of parchment tied to his leg.
"What... the... bloody.." screeched Jamie.
Ophelia extended her arm and Gwaihir happily flew up to perch on it.
"What.. is that?" he cried.
"You're taking the piss, right?" said Ophelia.
"No, I know it's an.. owl. But what is it doing here?"
"His name is Gwahir. I got him for my birthday last year." she replied, stroking his soft, silver feathers.
"Gwahir," he repeated. "Where do I know that name from?"
"The War of the Ring. Gwahir was the leader of the Eagles."
"I love that novel. I've read it at least a dozen times."
Ophelia bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. "Right, because the War of the Ring was fictional. It never happened."
"What's that?" he asked, as if only now noticing the letter tied to the owl's leg.
Ophelia quickly removed it and shoved it into her back pocket. "It's nothing, a trick I taught him really. He finds scraps of paper when he's hunting and brings them home to me."
"But, it looked like a... letter, but that's impossible, right?" Jamie stuttered.
She shrugged, eager to get off the topic. "An old letter from the trash, maybe. Come on, let's go back inside."
"Wait," he said, taking her by the wrist. "Do you want to go out sometime?"
Ophelia's cheeks reddened, for the second time that night. "L-Like on a date?" Jamie nodded. "Er... alright. I mean, yes."
"I'm meeting with Alumnus all next week, so how is... the 28th?"
"Great, fine." she replied, struggling to keep calm. She led him into the house and they joined the others.
Once everyone had left, Ophelia dashed up the stairs and wrote a letter to Lily.
Dear Lil
You will not believe what just happened to me. I thought the summer was going to be the dullest two months of my life, but I was mistaken.
Do you remember my last letter where I told you about the Muggles we befriended? Well anyways, Jamie- Ian's mate -came over with the rest tonight and asked me on a date!
I wish you were here because than we would be jumping up and down screaming like a bunch of First Years.
I'm excited, but more so because school starts in ten days. I'm afraid we can't meet in Diagon Alley, Noah is insisting we buy our supplies locally.
Have you talked to Sirius or James lately? I know they would appreciate a word or two from you, if you haven't yet.
Write back as soon as you get this,
Phe
Ophelia called Gwahir over from his perch and tied the letter to his leg. "Take this to Lily." she whispered.
She watched him fly through the open window, before she realised she still had her note stowed away in her pocket.
Ophelia tore off the seal and unfurled the crisp parchment. After scanning the letter, she shoved it into her bureau drawer and turned in for the night.
