Harry Potter or any other characters associated with the book are the sole property of J. K. Rowling. Any original character created solely for this story belongs to me, Little C.
Reviews, comments and even flames are welcome. A big thank you to my beta reader Dorothy.
The Things We Never Did or Said, Chapter Six
The sun was well over the horizon when they trudged towards the entrance of the castle. They had taken the passageway hidden beneath the Whomping Willow to get back and to minimize the risk of being discovered.
While James and Peter were supporting an injured Remus - their attempt at distracting him from her in the forest had been a little rougher than they thought - Sirius was helping Lindsey. Now that the adrenaline had subsided, her wounds started to ache. The ache in her jaw didn't hinder her movement, but the throbbing in her feet made walking difficult.
They managed to enter the castle quietly but as they debated the best way to get Remus and Lindsey to the infirmary - and the convenient lie - the entrance hall lit up. Looking around they saw Dumbledore standing on the steps to the first floor.
"You are up a bit too early," Dumbledore said, "breakfast isn't served for another hour. Although I must say only three of you are dressed for it, how come that is so?"
Lindsey saw that James was about to say something and she had a feeling that whatever it was he was about to say would just make things worse, so she hurried to cut him off.
"It's my fault," she said and Dumbledore looked at her and she could feel that the others were too. "I have a tendency to sleepwalk and it seemed that tonight for some reason I had wandered out onto the grounds. James, Sirius and Peter noticed me from the window as they were preparing for bed and wondered why I was outside in my night clothes. When they found me, hours later, I was awake and confused, mostly over what they were doing outside. When we returned to the castle we were attacked by something and it chased us deeper into the forest, it was a miracle that we survived."
"And what about young Lupin?" Dumbledore asked sagely.
"We have no idea," Sirius said, "we found him like this near the Whomping Willow."
Dumbledore looked at them for a long while not saying a word and they all felt increasingly nervous. Lindsey was an inch from blurting out the truth when he finally spoke.
"Since you all seem to be victims of circumstance, we will forget this ever happened. No points will be deducted, no detentions will be served, and we will never speak of this again. Now, Misters Potter, Black and Pettigrew, if you would be so kind as to assist Miss Bloodsworth and Mister Lupin to the hospital wing and then you can tidy up and join your friends at breakfast."
They all drew a breath of relief when Dumbledore moved out of sight.
"I thought we where going to get expelled for sure," James said as they headed for the hospital wing.
"This would never have happened if Filch hadn't confiscated our map," Sirius grunted.
"Oh, quit your bellyaching about the bloody map," James muttered, irritated. "We already know it like the back of our hands."
"Quit it, all of you," Remus said, speaking for the first time this morning, "perhaps it escaped your attention but Lindsey just lied to cover our backs."
"I lied to cover my back as well as yours," she said and leaned against the wall, "our N.E.W.T.s are this coming week it would have been humiliating to be expelled."
James was about to say something when they heard the sound of running feet.
"My god!" Lily's voice echoed in the empty corridor as she came running towards them. "Lindsey, are you okay? You look terrible, are you badly hurt?"
"I'm fine," she said, glad for the fact that she was no longer alone with the boys. "Just got a million splinters in my feet, among other aches."
Lily took in the bruised jaw, the many scratches and contusions visible on Lindsey's arms and legs before she rounded on James and slapped him hard across the face.
"How dare you?" she hissed at him. "How dare you put yourself in danger so Lindsey had to risk her life just to save you? How dare you?"
"My life was never in danger until she interfered," James said hotly. "Had she not interfered, nothing would have happened."
"Lindsey's visions are never wrong," Lily hissed, "if she said you were in danger then you were in danger."
"I have been wrong," Lindsey objected.
"That little son of bitch lied himself blue in the face," Lily snapped.
"Can we continue this later?" Remus asked with a pained voice. "Right now my ribs are scuffing a hole in my lung and it's kind of painful."
Lily glared at James and then turned to help Lindsey to the hospital wing.
Sirius rubbed his temples in an attempt to alleviate the pain caused by reading squiggly, faded text in inadequate lightning. He didn't need to read any of the material, but he felt a bit nervous about the test the next day and figured that a little studying wouldn't hurt.
"Now this is something I never thought I would see," he heard Lindsey's voice say and looked up. She was standing next to one of the bookcases with an amused smile on her lips. Sirius could see traces of dimples on her cheeks; he knew they were there, he had seen them just the other day at the Shrieking Shack.
"Just making sure nothing has been forgotten," he said closing the book and getting up from his seat. "Want to make sure I pass with good grades."
"Some of us will be happy with just passing," she said.
"You'll do just fine," he assured. "Did you know that you have the prettiest smile I've ever seen?" he asked her and he noticed that she blushed. "I've been waiting a long time to see it."
"So your friends told me," Lindsey said, "I should be mad for what you did to me, but in a weird way it's kind of cute."
"So you aren't going to turn me into a piglet again?" he asked and she shook her head. "And I was so looking forward to it."
"I could turn you into one just for fun," she said.
"I know what you could do," he said. "You could show me your Animagus form."
For a moment she just looked at him, then burst into laughter.
"Is this some kind of version of 'you show me yours, I'll show you mine'?" she asked.
"What?" Sirius asked bewildered.
"Forget it," she said, "if you really want to see, we have to get to the Owlery."
Making sure they weren't seen by human, ghost or animal they made their way to the Owlery. The owls sitting on their roosts didn't bother to look at them as they entered.
Sirius watched as Lindsey took a deep breath and in the next moment a snowy owl spread its wings and silently, almost eerily flew around the room before landing on the floor and resuming human form.
"Satisfied?" she asked.
"It suits you," he said with a nod. "Let's head back to the common room."
"Maybe we should find a nickname for you," Sirius suggested as the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and admitted them into the Gryffindor common room. The room was still warm though the fire had died out and was bathed in the cool blue light of the waning moon.
"You do that and you'll be eating slugs for a week," Lindsey said, although Sirius wasn't sure if she was serious or not because she was smiling.
"You are smiling a lot more now than you did before the incident in the Shrieking Shack," he said.
"I remembered how good it feels to smile and generally be happy," she said, "and although I miss my parents terribly, life goes on."
"So it does," he agreed. Sirius plucked a feather from her robe and drew a gasping breath as the moon came out from behind the clouds and shined over her. Her skin looked deathly pale and her hair looked like liquid silver. She seemed to be ethereal, an illusion brought on by night. Slowly he reached out his hand and touched her face; the smooth skin beneath his fingers was warm and solid, she was real.
Suddenly she took a step back and something black dripped from her nose, it took a second before he realised that it was blood.
"You're bleeding," he said.
"I'm going to bed," she said, hurrying over to the stairs up to the girl's dormitory before Sirius had a chance to say or do anything.
Lily was just about to fall asleep when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She cracked open an eye and saw Lindsey walking towards her bed with a tissue pressed to her nose.
With a low sigh she sat up and looked to make sure the others hadn't woken at the sound of Lindsey's arrival. She slipped out of bed and went over to her friend.
"Who's in trouble now?" she asked. She was still a little peeved over the fact that Lindsey had risked her life to save James just to be accused of causing the danger.
"No one," Lindsey answered. "I was down in the common room talking to Sirius when the vision hit me."
"Were his friends on their way to kidnap him?" Lily asked and sat down on Lindsey's bed.
"No," Lindsey said, "I just had the timeliest vision ever."
"Oh!" Lily was surprised.
"I had a vision of Sirius kissing me down in the common room," she said. "Had I stayed it would have happened."
"I would say that was the most untimely vision you have ever had," Lily said hotly. Lindsey looked startled at her. "If Sirius was about to kiss you without any outside incentives he must like you. It might not lead to a big white wedding, a house with a picket fence and two point five children, he is too much of a rebel to ever do that, but go with it while it lasts and have fun."
"I'm not sure I want him to like me," Lindsey said, "I'm not sure I like him."
"Think with this for once," Lily said jabbing her finger over Lindsey's heart, "not this, "she said as she poked her on the forehead.
"I don't know," Lindsey said hesitantly, twisting the tissue, "loving someone is taking an awfully big risk."
"Something you seem to be very good at," Lily said, "and Lindsey, choosing not to fall in love might be an even bigger risk."
Lindsey sighed heavily. Lily knew it was hard - it had taken hours of agonized soul-searching before she could admit to herself she loved James. But when she finally admitted it, it was the best thing she had ever done. As far as she knew, Lindsey had never been in love, not even a crush on a cute boy at their old school or some handsome movie star. That fact must've made it even more difficult for Lindsey
"Let's get to bed," Lily said. "We can discuss this tomorrow at breakfast."
"Tomorrow we take our N.E.W.T.s," Lindsey said as she pulled off her robe.
Lily felt cold with dread as she climbed back into bed. She had mercifully managed to forget about their upcoming N.E.W.T.s, but now that Lindsey had reminded her, the nervousness came flooding back.
All around her, Lindsey could hear the scratching of feather quills against parchment. The time was soon up and she felt that she had done as well as she could. She was good with written exams, since all you had to do was remember stuff; it was practical exams she was bad at taking.
She had trouble concentrating, and it wasn't because of what Lily said last night, nor was it that Sirius had tried to talk to her. There was a buzzing sensation in her head that didn't go away. It was kind of distracting but not enough to be an actual problem.
"Time's up!" Professor Flitwick announced with his squeaky voice. "Please, remain seated while I collect the tests. Accio Tests!"
The test on her desk levitated and joined all the others in front of Professor Flitwick. With a relieved sigh she got up from her seat but grabbed hold of the desk for support when the buzzing increased. All of a sudden, as if superimposed over reality, a different scene swirled before her eyes.
It was Platform Nine and Three-quarters. Almost in slow motion she watched the Hogwarts Express pull into the station and a pretty girl - about ten or eleven - with long black hair in twin plaits wearing a Hogwarts robe with a Gryffindor scarf get off the train and was greeted with a huge hug from a tall man with black hair. Beside the man stood a woman with ash blond hair in a single braid that reached past her waist. She was smiling and the girl turned and hugged the woman as well.
She found herself sitting on the floor with a group of students gathered around her and Lily frantically calling her name.
"Lindsey! Can you hear me?" Lily shouted, her voice nearing panic.
"I hear you," she said, her voice weak.
"Are you all right?" Lily asked, somewhat calmer.
"Headache," Lindsey said, feeling something warm trickle slowly down her cheek. She brushed it away and was shocked to find her fingers bloody.
"Take it easy," Lily said, "you're bleeding from your eyes."
"We should take her to the hospital wing," James said, his voice coming from somewhere behind her.
"Good idea," Lily said. Lindsey felt herself being lifted from the floor and carried out of the Great Hall.
She was lying in bed in the hospital wing staring at the ceiling. Madame Pomfrey was unable to find anything wrong with her and had thus concluded that it was just stress over the exam. Lindsey had not argued since she had no desire to explain herself.
"How are you feeling?" Lily asked.
"I still have a headache," Lindsey said, "but I'll live."
"What happened?" Remus asked.
"I suppose I had a vision," she said, "at least it felt like it, but it was different."
"What do you mean?" Lily asked sounding concerned.
"What I saw must have been years into the future," Lindsey said, "because it can't happen anytime soon."
"People have been known to make prophesies," James said, "those can be anywhere from one day to ten years into the future."
"True," Lily said, "but Lindsey has never been able to see more than five to ten minutes into the future. Her visions are different from anything we've been taught in Divination. Besides, she's been able to see a few minutes into the future long before we came to Hogwarts.
"Maybe her powers are growing then," Remus suggested.
"There is no need to talk about me in third person when I'm right here," Lindsey objected, "and I really hope it isn't evolving because that was uncomfortable."
"What did you see?" Lily asked curiously.
"Sirius getting married," Lindsey said and paused before she continued, "to Remus."
Sirius, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed, slid off and landed on the floor with a look of abject horror on his face.
"I feel sick," Remus said, green in the face.
"I'm kidding," Lindsey said. Thinking she could indulge in a little white lie, she continued. "It was Lily and James' wedding."
"Really?" Lily asked, her face alight with excitement.
"Yes, but this was years into the future," Lindsey admonished. "So it's not a hundred percent true."
"What did my dress look like? Don't say anything. Was it pretty? No, don't tell me, I don't want to know." Lily babbled excitedly.
"I told you you were marriage material, Prongs," Sirius said getting up from the floor and patting James on the shoulder. "You two will probably to be the first of us to get married as well."
James, who had become more and more pale with each passing second, made a funny noise as his eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed.
"He'll be fine," Sirius said with a glance at his friend on the floor. "He just needs time to get over the shock. It is not every day you find out you're going to get married... long before you've even decided to propose."
Madam Pomfrey suddenly appeared and shooed them all out of the hospital wing for making such a ruckus and tended to her new patient.
It was late at night and Lindsey had gone back to staring at the ceiling. She had wracked her brain trying to figure out what her vision could mean, and why she suddenly had seen one so far into the future.
Remus' suggestion that her powers had grown stronger was a possibility but it was hardly an appealing prospect. A little nosebleed after a vision she could handle, but a headache and bleeding from the eyes was not something one got used to quickly, if ever.
"Lindsey?" she heard James ask from the bed next to her.
"Yes," she answered.
"Did you really see me and Lily getting married?" he asked.
"No, I didn't," she answered him. "I just said it to distract Lily."
"And thanks to that distraction I have a lump at the back of my head the size of a goose egg," James said sitting up in the bed. "I want to marry her someday but I want to decide it on my own and not through predestination."
"It's not like I set a date," Lindsey said also sitting.
"What did you really see?" James asked.
"Something impossible," she said.
"What? Sirius and Snivellus shaking hands?" James asked with a sly smile.
"When you put it that way," Lindsey said, "anything seems possible."
James laughed and winced in pain. He laid back down, and Lindsey resumed staring at the ceiling. She hadn't been able to pinpoint the vision but considering the fact that Sirius didn't seem to be the kind to marry young, she would put the vision at least twenty years into the future, and that gave it a wide margin for error, meaning it may never happen.
'Pity,' Lindsey thought to herself, 'it was such a pretty little girl.'
Closing her eyes she went to sleep.
To Be Continued...