The next day, Terrilee went to Professor McGonagall. She told the head of Gryffindor House that she'd come in from the dance and found Remus and Celeste together on the couch. She didn't come out and say anything specific, but the inference was there. McGonagall immediately called Remus into her office. "Lupin, I've received some very disturbing news about you and Miss Winters," she began.
"Let me guess," Remus sighed. "Terrilee told you we were sleeping on the couch when she came into the Common Room." Professor McGonagall looked shocked at his tacit admission. "What she neglected to tell you is that we really were asleep. We'd been talking, but we were more tired than we thought. So we ended up falling asleep. She had her head on my shoulder, and I had my arm around her shoulders."
"She also said something about being attacked by the fifth year girls," McGonagall said.
"Now that I can't honestly say if it did or didn't happen," Remus said. "I was asleep for most of the confrontation between the other students and the fourth year girls. But from what I could see, things were getting out of hand. I ended up threatening everyone with detention if they didn't put their wands away and go up to bed."
"Very well," Professor McGonagall said. "Please make sure that those girls aren't tormenting Miss Winters. If they are, I want to know immediately."
"Yes professor," Remus said. He went back up to Gryffindor Tower.
The rest of the year passed with little to mark it other than the occasional torments by the fourth year girls. Celeste sat her O.W.L. tests. Although she slipped a couple times in her practicals, she did very well. Finally, it was getting closer to the time when they would all be leaving Hogwarts for the summer.
"Celeste! I finally heard back from my parents," Lily said, coming into the Common Room. "They say you can come stay with me. Apparently, Petunia couldn't make up her mind as to whether or not she was going away to summer camp. If she wasn't going, mum and dad weren't going to let me have friends over."
"So she is going to camp?" Celeste asked. Lily nodded. "Then I must send an owl to Abigail to tell her that I am going home with you." Celeste jotted a quick note to her Squib guardian and sent it off.
A few days later, Abigail's response was delivered at breakfast. "So? What does she say?" Remus asked. He saw that Celeste had gone very pale and was shaking.
She didn't answer. Instead, she got to her feet and walked over to the Slytherin table. "Cythendra, nous sommes dans le problème sérieux. Abigail m'a juste envoyé une lettre en disant que la maman et le papa viennent en Angleterre. Ils veulent nous reprendre en France, nous présenter à certains jeunes hommes avec qui ils veulent que nous nous mariions," she said, reverting both to French and to her sister's birth name. (Cythendra, we're in serious trouble. Abigail just sent me a letter saying mum and dad are coming to England. They want to take us back to France, to introduce us to some young men they want us to marry.)
"La maman et le papa peuvent juste aller au diable. Je ne retourne pas en France et je ne me marie pas avec les excuses sans cervelle, molles et pitoyables aux garçons qu'ils ont déterrés pour nous," Catherine snapped. "Je vais passer l'été avec Narcissa et Bellatrix. Ils nous ont envoyé ici pour se débarrasser de nous. Ils veulent oublier que nous existons. Ainsi à moi, nos parents n'existent pas. Ils ne sont rien et je ne leur obéirai jamais de nouveau." (Mom and dad can just go to hell. I'm not going back to France, and I'm not marrying the brainless, spineless, and pathetic excuses for boys that they've dug up for us. I'm going to spend the summer with Narcissa and Bellatrix. They sent us here to get rid of us. They want to forget we exist. So, to me, our parents don't exist. They're nothing and I will never obey them again.)
"Me soutiendrez-vous si je décide de faire la même chose? Ou me trahirez-vous comme vous faisiez toujours?" Celeste asked. (Will you back me up if I decide to do the same thing? Or will you betray me like you've always done?)
Catherine got up and stood face to face with her sister. "Si vous avez le courage pour être contre nos parents, je me tiendrai debout avec vous. Sur cela, nous sommes vraiment d'accord. Ils nous ont traités comme nous étions moins même que les domestiques. Ils nous ont seulement parlé quand ils ont voulu quelque chose. Je ne retourne pas à cette vie et je ne crois pas que vous deviez non plus. Ainsi oui, Celestiel. Je me tiendrai debout avec vous contre nos parents, si vous me promettez le même soutien," she said seriously. (If you've got the courage to stand against our parents, I'll stand with you. On this, we do agree. They've treated us like we were less even than the servants. They only spoke to us when they wanted something. I'm not going back to that life, and I don't think you should either. So, yes, Celestiel. I will stand with you against our parents, if you promise me the same support.)
"Alors vous allez passent votre été avec vos amis et je passerai mon été avec mes amis. Si la maman et le papa ne l'aiment pas, eh bien, donc ils ne devraient pas nous avoir jetés comme la semaine les vieilles ordures pour commencer," Celeste said firmly. (Then you go spend your summer with your friends, and I'll spend my summer with my friends. If mom and dad don't like it, well, then they shouldn't have thrown us out like week old garbage to begin with.)
"Concordé. Ayez un été bon," Catherine said. She returned to her seat, and Celeste returned to the Gryffindor table. (Agreed. Have a good summer.)
"What was that all about?" James asked.
"My parents have come to England," Celeste said. "They wish to take us back to France and have chosen husbands for us to marry. We won't be leaving with them. I just needed to make sure she would stand up to my parents and back me so when I do the same thing she will be there to back me up."
"You think you can trust her?" Sirius asked.
"For this, yes," Celeste said firmly. "Our parents threw us aside as if we were trash. The House Elves were treated better than we were most of the time. The only time our parents ever took notice of us was when they wanted to show us off to their friends. We were living dolls, to be trotted out and then packed away again until it was convenient for them to notice us. Finally they sent us to England to get rid of us because we were a threat to their lifestyle." None of the group had ever seen Celeste this angry. "Now they come back and say they will take us back to France. I will not go. Catherine will not go."
"You two aren't of age yet," Peter began.
Celeste smiled grimly. "If we humiliate them bad enough at Kings Cross Station they will not want to take us," she said.
Two days later, all the students got on board the Hogwarts Express. Celeste excused herself and hunted her sister down. There was a brief discussion, and Celeste returned to the car she was sharing with her friends. "Everything all settled?" Lily asked. Celeste nodded. She was shaking violently and looked a little ill.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Remus asked gently.
"Yes I am," Celeste said. There was a fierce light in her silver eyes. "I am not giving up what I have found just because my parents are idiots." Remus took her hand in his. She wrapped her fingers around his and held tightly.
They arrived at King's Cross Station, and Celeste was almost sick with fear. She peered out the window. "Are they there?" Sirius asked.
"The woman with the black hair and dressed in the Muggle suit, that is Abigail," Celeste said. "The two with her, the man with blonde hair and the woman with white hair, those are my parents."
"They look like really nasty people," Lily commented. "Those are my parents, and the dyspeptic-looking girl is my younger sister Petunia. She leaves for camp at the end of the week."
"Will your parents be willing to wait while I talk to mine?" Celeste asked.
"Even if they're not, they're going to," Lily promised.
"If they don't, my folks and I'll stick around to make sure you get out of here safely," James added.
"Thank you." Celeste turned just as the door opened.
"Est-ce que vous êtes prêts?" Catherine asked. (Are you ready?)
"Non, mais allons-y. Je veux en finir avec cela aussi vite que possible," Celeste said. (No, but let's go. I want to get this over with as fast as possible.) For the first time since they came to England, the twins took hands and walked off the Hogwarts Express together.
"Mes filles douces, là vous êtes! Je suis heureux ainsi de vous voir. Comment avez-vous été?" Mme. Hivers said with false cheer. (My sweet daughters, there you are! I'm so glad to see you. How have you been?)
"Complètement misérable, comme si vous vous êtes souciés," Catherine said coldly. (Completely miserable, as if you cared.)
"Maintenant Cythendra, qu'une voie est-elle de parler à votre mère?" M. Hivers said mildly. (Really Cythendra, is that any way to talk to your mother?)
"Cette femme n'est pas notre mère. Elle peut nous avoir donné la naissance, mais elle n'est pas notre mère. Et vous, M. Hivers, n'êtes pas notre père. Vous n'êtes tous les deux rien d'autre que tyrans froids, manipulateurs qui croient que juste parce que vous voulez quelque chose que vous pouvez détruire des vies pour le recevoir," Celeste snapped. (That woman is not our mother. She may have given us birth, but she is not our mother. And you, Mr. Winters, are not our father. You're both nothing more than cold, manipulative bullies who think that just because you want something that you can destroy lives to get it.)
"Celestiel," Mme. Hivers began.
"Celeste de mon nom, comme Catherine de son nom," Celeste replied quickly. (My name is Celeste, just like her name is Catherine.)
"Votre nom est Celestiel et son nom est Cythendra. Vous êtes nos filles et vous ferez comme on vous dit. Vous revenez en France avec nous. Recevez vos choses et suivez-moi," M. Hivers snapped. (Your name is Celestiel, and her name is Cythendra. You are our daughters, and you will do as you're told. You're coming back to France with us. Get your things and follow me.)
"Non," Catherine said, tightening her grip on her sister's hand. Celeste echoed her response.
"Non?" her father asked incredulously.
"Non," Celeste repeated. "Vous nous avez jetés comme nous étions des ordures. Vous ne nous avez jamais voulus. Nous sommes des poupées juste dégénérées à vous. Bien, voici quelques nouvelles pour vous, le père. Vos poupées dégénérées ont été juste apportées à la vie. Nous aimons l'Angleterre, nous aimons nos vies ici et nous aimons notre école. Nous sommes tant amoureux d'autres garçons, que nous n'allons pas nous marier avec quelqu'un juste parce que vous croyez que nous devrions. Retournez à votre amusement et vos jeux. Mais quittez-nous-en. Comme vous avez fait toutes nos vies." (You threw us out like we were garbage. You've never wanted us. We're just overgrown dolls to you. Well, here's some news for you, father. Your overgrown dolls were just brought to life. We love England, we love our lives here, and we love our school. We're both in love with other boys, and we're not going to marry someone just because you think we should. Go back to your fun and your games. But leave us out of it. Just like you've done all of our lives.)
"Vous êtes des enfants juste stupides, qui ne comprennent rien du monde adulte," Mme. Hivers began. (You're just stupid children, who don't understand anything about the adult world.)
Both Cythendra and Celeste snorted derisively. "Qui était cela qui a lancé une crise de rage parce qu'une autre sorcière a acheté les mêmes robes de robe qu'elle et les a portés au même parti? Qui était cela qui a cassé chaque miroir dans la maison quand il a trouvé des cheveux gris simples sur sa tête? Qui était cela qui a brûlé tous ses vêtements quand elle s'est rendue compte qu'ils n'étaient pas des modes qui ont été exclusivement faites pour elle? Qui était cela qui a donné les vêtements de domestiques quand ils ont prouvé qu'ils ont voulu nous aider et nous rendre heureux? Qui était cela qui a décidé de lancer leurs enfants aux loups parce qu'ils étaient dans la façon de sortir et s'amuser tout le temps?" Cythendra asked scathingly. (Who was it who threw a tantrum because another witch bought the same dress robes as her, and wore them to the same party? Who was it who broke every mirror in the house when he found a single gray hair on his head? Who was it who burned all of her clothes when she realized that they weren't fashions that were exclusively made for her? Who was it who gave the servants clothes when they proved that they wanted to help us and make us happy? Who was it who decided to throw their children to the wolves because they were in the way of going out and having fun all the time?)
"Pourquoi vous ne retournez pas en France et oubliez tous de nous? Simulez juste que nous n'existons pas. J'ai presque oublié. À vous, nous n'existons pas d'habitude . Sortez maintenant de notre voie. Nos amis nous attendent et nous sommes désolés de les faire attendre. Oh, et nous ne retournons pas à Abigail. Les amis de Catherine sont disposés à laisser son séjour avec eux sur chaque jour férié et je suis assez sûr le mien sont aussi. Bon au revoir, M. et Mme. Hivers. Ne traversez pas s'il vous plaît nos sentiers de nouveau. Si vous faites, vous le regretterez," Celeste said coldly. She was visibly straining, and Catherine simply pulled her along behind her. (Why don't you go back to France and forget all about us? Just pretend we don't exist. I almost forgot. To you, we usually don't exist. Now get out of our way. Our friends are waiting for us, and we hate making them wait. Oh, and we are not going back to Abigail. Catherine's friends are willing to let her stay with them over every holiday, and I'm pretty sure mine are too. Good bye, Mr. and Mrs. Winters. Please don't cross our paths again. If you do, you will regret it.)
"Petits gosses ingrats! Vous ne recevrez pas plus d'argent de nous. Comment allez-vous à l'école si vous ne pouvez pas payer pour cela?" Mme. Hivers shrieked. (Ungrateful little brats! You won't get any more money from us. How are you going to school if you can't pay for it?)
James stepped forward. "Mes parents et moi paierons pour l'enseignement de Celeste. Il est le moindre nous pouvons faire, en considérant tout qu'elle a été par," he said, after a quick and whispered conference with both his parents and a quick translation from Lily. (My parents and I will pay for Celeste's schooling. It's the least we can do, considering everything she's been through.)
"Comme elle est le meilleur ami de mes filles, j'y verrai que Catherine est gardée," Cormoran Black said, after a quickly muttered spell granted him the ability to speak French. (As she is my daughters' best friend, I will see to it that Catherine is taken care of.)
The Hivers glared at their daughters for another moment before turning and, with two very loud and audible pops, they Disapparated. "You can go now, Abigail," Catherine said. "We don't need you anymore. I'll be by later this summer to get my things."
"I do not have anything at your house," Celeste said. "Except for one thing that I do not want. So I will not see you this summer." She turned and joined Lily and her family as they walked off of the platform.
"Mum, dad, how about some lunch at the Leaky Cauldron?" Lily asked quickly. "You can meet James and his parents, as well as meeting a couple of my other friends."
"You promised we could go shopping for what I need for camp," Petunia whined.
"Well, we don't actually need to go with you, do we, Petunia?" Mr. Evans asked.
"I'll go with her," Mrs. Evans said. "You go with Lily and this young lady to meet the others." Lily exchanged a knowing glance with her mother. Petunia was about ready to have a major meltdown, and would have if one of her parents hadn't agreed to come shopping with her. The fact that her mother was the one going with her would mean more to her, since Lily was much closer to her mother than she was to her father.
"If you say so, dear," Mr. Evans said. He limped after the girls as they headed to the Leaky Cauldron.
Lunch was a pleasant affair, with the Potters proving to be very agreeable people. It also gave Celeste a chance to relax. She'd been on the verge of collapsing by the time she and Catherine had walked away from their parents. Finally, Lily looked over at her father. "Think mum and Petunia are finished shopping yet?"
"Oh probably," Mr. Evans said. "Petunia didn't need all that much for camp."
"Well, we'd better go meet them," Lily said. "See you guys next month."
"See you next month, Red," James said. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. Remus took Celeste's hand and kissed it.
"I'll see you soon," he promised. She smiled and nodded.
Sirius ruffled Celeste's hair and gave Lily a florid bow. "Ladies," he said with a charming grin. He followed James, Remus, and the Potters out. A moment later, Celeste and Lily followed Mr. Evans out.
During the three days it took for Petunia to head off for camp, Celeste learned why Lily spent as much time as possible in her room doing her schoolwork. Petunia was distinctively unpleasant, and made it clear that she thought that Lily and Celeste were freaks.
"Désolé de cela ," Lily said after a particularly nasty confrontation with Petunia. "Nous avons eu l'habitude d'être vraiment proches, mais depuis que j'ai commencé à Hogwarts, elle est reçue très déplaisante." The girls had started using French after Petunia started teasing them about their private conversations. (Sorry about this. We used to be really close, but ever since I started at Hogwarts, she's gotten very nasty.)
"Elle est probablement très jalouse de vous," Celeste said. They settled back on the floor of Lily's room. Both girls were wearing bell bottoms and gypsy style blouses. Lily's hair was up in a ponytail while Celeste's was in her usual plait. Destin was purring contentedly from her perch on Lily's bed. They looked like ordinary Muggle teenagers. The only thing that looked out of the ordinary was the fact that both girls had spellbooks open in front of them and they were writing on parchment with eagle feather quills. (She is probably very jealous of you.)
"Jaloux?" Lily asked. (Jealous?)
"Vous êtes plus jolis qu'elle. Vous êtes très élégants et vous êtes une sorcière extrêmement douée aussi. Votre mère vous gâte non seulement, elle est évidemment un de vos meilleurs amis. Votre père vous appelle sa 'petite princesse. Votre soeur est le deuxième enfant et elle estime que vos parents ne la veulent pas vraiment. Je la plains pour cela, mais je ne sens pas tout que désolé d'elle. La partie de son problème est son attitude absolument horrible," Celeste said. (You're prettier than her. You're very smart, and you're a highly gifted witch as well. Your mother not only spoils you, she's obviously one of your best friends. Your father calls you his 'little princess'. Your sister is the second child, and she feels that your parents don't really want her. I feel sorry for her for that, but I don't feel all that sorry for her. Part of her problem is her absolutely horrible attitude.)
"Vous savez, il se sent un peu surnaturel de faire le travail de classe quand nous ne devons vraiment faire rien. Je veux dire, je n'ai jamais eu d'été depuis que j'ai commencé à Hogwarts où je n'avais pas de devoirs. J'explore d'habitude une potion surnaturelle pour Slughorn ou un morceau déplaisant de Transfiguration pour McGonagall," Lily commented as she made notes about a very complicated potion. (You know, it feels a little weird to be doing schoolwork when we don't actually have to do anything. I mean, I've never had a summer since I started at Hogwarts where I didn't have any homework. I'm usually researching some weird potion for Slughorn or a nasty bit of Transfiguration for McGonagall.)
"Quand recevons-nous nos résultats d'examen?" Celeste asked, frowning at the vague instructions on a different potion. (When do we get our exam results?)
"Le professeur McGonagll m'a dit que nous les recevrions dans environ un mois. Nous serons finis à la maison de Confitures quand ils sont envoyés. N'inquiéter pas. Les hibous seront capables de nous trouver là. Les hibous scolaires sont bons à la conclusion des étudiants peu importe où ils sont," Lily told her. (Professor McGonagall told me that we'd get them in about a month. We'll be over at James' house when they're sent out. Don't worry. The owls will be able to find us there. The school owls are good at finding students no matter where they are.) "Nous devons passer l'examen pour chaque classe avec un 'Excède des Attentes' si nous voulons prendre la classe de niveau N.E.W.T. Je parierai que vous devenez un 'Exceptionnels' dans les potions, Celeste. Je vous ai regardés pendant votre pratique. Vous avez complètement détruit votre compétition. Je pense vous et je suis les seuls qui est même arrivé n'importe où près pour lequel ils ont demandé." (We have to pass the exam for each class with an 'Exceeds Expectations' if we want to take the N.E.W.T. level class. I'll bet you get an 'Outstanding' in potions, Celeste. I watched you during your practical. You totally destroyed your competition. I think you and I are the only ones who even got anywhere near what they asked for.)
"Bien, je veux vraiment prendre des Potions. Je veux aussi prendre la Transfiguration, que je crois que j'ai fait assez bon avec aussi. Il est juste que je veux prendre des Charmes et des Runes Anciennes aussi, mais je ne crois pas que j'aie passé mes Charmes O.W.L. avec une assez haute marque. J'ai sali sur l'essai, je suis sûr, parce qu'ils parlaient environ des périodes de paire que je n'ai pas reconnues," Celeste admitted. (Well, I do want to take Potions. I also want to take Transfiguration, which I think I did pretty good with as well. It's just that I want to take Charms and Ancient Runes too, but I don't think I passed my Charms O.W.L. with a high enough mark. I messed up on the essay, I'm sure, because they were talking about a couple spells I didn't recognize.)
"Quel deux? J'ai cru que nous avons revu tous les charmes que les cinquièmes années auraient appris avec vous," Lily asked, frowning in puzzlement. (Which two? I thought we went over all the charms that the fifth years would have learned with you.)
"Le charme d'eau et ce charme de brise clair," Celeste replied. (The water charm and that light breeze charm.)
"Je me souviens de ces questions. Bien, le charme d'eau est une période de niveau N.E.W.T. Mais le charme de vent doit être un cinquième charme d'année. Flitwick ne nous a jamais enseigné qu'un et maintenant que vous l'avez mentionné, je ne crois pas que j'aie reçu cet un droit non plus," Lily said. (I remember those questions. Well, the water charm is a N.E.W.T. level spell. But the wind charm is supposed to be a fifth year charm. Flitwick never taught us that one, and now that you mentioned it, I don't think I got that one right either.)
"Mum, Lily and her friend are talking in a foreign language," Petunia called from the hallway. "They're probably saying nasty things about me. Make them stop!"
"Lily, what are you two speaking in now?" Mrs. Evans asked wearily.
"French," Lily called as she got up and walked over to her door. She opened it and gave Petunia a withering look. "It's Celeste's primary language, mum. She can't speak it at school because there aren't too many people there who speak French. So she tends to speak it a lot during the summer. Besides, we weren't talking about Petunia. We were discussing our classes and the tests we just took. Also, my door was closed, which means Petunia was listening at the door crack again."
"Petunia, quit listening in to your sister's conversations," Mrs. Evans said sternly, as she came down the hall. "Celeste, I'm sorry, but do you think you can speak English until after Petunia goes to camp?"
"If you wish this, I can," Celeste said. "If I am offending, I can speak English only. I am just more comfortable in speaking French."
"I'm surprised you even managed to get through school if you can't speak proper English," Petunia sneered.
"Petunia! You will not be rude to your sister's guest," Mrs. Evans said angrily. "I'm beginning to wonder if I ought to let you go to camp, considering that your manners seem to have slipped into the pre-primary school level."
"Mum!" Petunia wailed. "I've been wanting to go to this camp forever."
"Do not worry, Mrs. Evans," Celeste said quickly. "I know that my English, it is very bad. This is why I am happy to have Lily as a friend. She understands me even when I do not say my words right."
"That's all well and good," Mrs. Evans said. "But it doesn't excuse Petunia's rudeness." She turned to her younger daughter. "If you can manage to behave for the rest of the day, I'll make sure your father and I are up and ready to take you to the station in the morning."
"Yes mum," Petunia said. She vanished into her room.
"Well, at least she can't make trouble for us in there," Lily muttered as soon as her mother went back to the kitchen.
"I take it back, Lily," Celeste said. "I do not feel sorry for Petunia at all." The two girls returned to Lily's room to continue their work on obscure potions.
The next day, Mr. and Mrs. Evans got up at 4 a.m. to take Petunia to King's Cross Station so she could catch the train to Boscastle. There she, and fourteen other teenage girls, would be hosted by some of the families while they explored the region for two whole months. Petunia was thrilled with the idea. Lily woke up and went down to breakfast, but Celeste continued to sleep. Lily hadn't been able to wake her up.
"Where's your friend?" Petunia asked, carefully keeping her voice neutral. She didn't want to ruin her chances of getting out this late in the game.
"Still asleep," Lily said worriedly. "I couldn't wake her up." She shook her head and took the coffee her father offered her. "She's had a bad year, and was plagued by nightmares all the way through the end of term. She's probably just completely exhausted. I'm sure she'll be fine."
"Did you want to come to the station with us?" Mrs. Evans asked.
Lily took one look at her sister's pleading eyes and shook her head. "No. I'm thinking I'll go back to bed. I just got up to say good bye." She walked over and gave her sister a quick hug. "Have fun at camp, Petunia. Oh, and I bought you a present." She handed Petunia one of the new cameras and thirty rolls of film. "I figured you'd need this."
"Thanks Lily," Petunia said, and for the first time in four years, she looked up at her sister with something other than disgust. Lily smiled and hugged her again. She waited until her parents and sister had left before going back upstairs.
She tried again to wake Celeste, but found that she still couldn't get the other girl to open her eyes. Worried, Lily went to her school bag. She pulled a mirror out of it. She took her wand and tapped it lightly. "James," she said in a rather loud voice. "James, wake up."
A few moments later, the sleepy-eyed face of James Potter appeared in the mirror. "Lily, have you got any idea what time it is?" he asked irritably.
"Yes I do," Lily said. "I just saw my sister off so she could go to camp. Look, is Remus there?"
"Yeah, and he's awake," James said. "You kind of woke all three of us up."
"Pass the mirror over to him, will you?" James did as he was told. "Remus, you've read all those books on gifts like Celeste's, right?"
"Yes," Remus said with a yawn. "What's wrong?"
"I can't wake Celeste up at all," Lily said. "I've tried. I couldn't wake her up for breakfast, I tried again when I came in after saying good bye to Petunia, and even now she's not reacting even though I've been talking fairly loudly."
"Turn the mirror so I can see her," Remus said, suddenly wide awake and very serious. Lily flipped the mirror over so Remus could see the other girl. She'd turned on a light, and now she saw – as did Remus – just how pale Celeste really was.
"Lily, check her pulse," came Remus' orders from within the mirror. Lily, who'd taken a couple first aid classes a few years earlier, took hold of Celeste's wrist.
"It's very fast but very faint," Lily told him, as the turned the mirror back over to look at him.
"What's her temperature like?" Remus asked.
"She's cold, Remus," Lily said. "Very cold." Lily grabbed the quilt off of her bed and tossed it over her friend. "You think I should call and have her taken to the hospital?"
"Look at her eyes," Remus told her. "Are they moving at all?"
"They're moving all over the place," Lily told him.
"Then don't call the hospital," Remus said. "I doubt that the doctors would be able to understand when she woke up and started babbling about what, to them, would be a very nasty dream."
"Right," Lily said. "So, what do I do?"
"Keep her warm and make sure she doesn't stop breathing," Remus told her. "Call us when she does wake up, will you?"
"Sure thing," Lily said. She tapped the mirror with the wand and it went blank.
Three hours passed before Celeste finally woke up. She sat up straight, tangled in the blankets, her white hair plastered to her sweat-soaked face. "Mon Dieu! Faites-le vous arrêter. S'il vous plaît, cher Dieu, faites-le vous arrêter," Celeste gasped. (My God! Make it stop. Please, dear God, make it stop.)
"Celeste? Celeste, are you all right?" Lily asked hurrying to her side. "Celeste!"
"Lily?" Celeste's eyes focused on the world around her. She began to cry. "Pourquoi moi? Pourquoi dois-je voir ces choses?" she wailed in an anguished voice. (Why me? Why do I have to see these things?)
"Lily?" Mrs. Evans hurried into the room. "I heard something. Is she all right?"
"She's fine, mum," Lily said, letting Celeste cry on her shoulder. "She just had a really bad dream."
"All right. Look, your father has to go into work, and I need to run into town to get some things. Are you girls going to be ok here alone?" Mrs. Evans asked.
"We'll be fine, mum," Lily said. "Although, if you wouldn't mind, could you get us some chocolate? I saw earlier that we were out."
Mrs. Evans smiled. "I can do that," she said. "I'll be dropping your father off at work, and then going to the shops. I most likely won't be back until late this afternoon. I'm also meeting Kristen and Emily for lunch."
"That's fine, mum," Lily assured her. "Have a good time!"
"Well, don't burn down the house while you're studying," Mrs. Evans said. "If your sister calls, get a number and tell her we'll call her back this evening."
"Yes, mum." Mrs. Evans kissed the top of Lily's head before closing the bedroom door and hurrying back down the hall. Lilly helped Celeste sit up against the bed. Her nose had started to bleed, so Lily handed her a handkerchief. Celeste pinched her nose and waited for the blood to stop. Lily grabbed the magic mirror and tapped it with her wand again. "James."
James appeared almost instantly. "Is she awake?" he asked. Lily nodded. Lily heard voices in the background. "Remus wants to know if you can pass the mirror over to her, if she's ok to talk."
"Celeste, do you think you're up to talking to Remus?" Lily asked. Celeste wiped the blood from her face as best as she could and nodded. "All right. Here you go."
Lily handed the mirror to Celeste as James handed his over to Remus. "Celeste! Are you all right?"
"J'ai l'impression que j'ai été piétiné par un hippogriffe et mâché par un Thestral. Autre que cela, je suis parfait," Celeste told him wearily. There was a faint hint of dryness in her voice which made Remus smile a little. (I feel like I've been trampled by a hippogriff and chewed on by a Thestral. Other than that, I'm fine.)
"Do you remember what you saw?" Remus asked her carefully.
"J'ai vu des arbres sombres, les arbres qui se sont étendus au ciel. C'était très froid. J'ai entendu le fait de siffler, comme un serpent, tous autour de moi. Il y avait un sablier. Je l'ai regardé tourner trois fois. J'ai vu un enfant, seul dans l'obscurité. Je crois qu'il avait des cheveux sombres. Je ne sais pas parce que les ténèbres ont continué à le cacher. J'ai essayé d'aller chez lui mais ces figures anonymes ont continué à arriver dans ma voie. Ils m'ont dit que l'on ne lui a pas permis de me parler," Celeste began, her voice trembling slightly. "Ils ont voulu qu'il ait oublié quel il était. La chaque fois que j'ai détournée, il commencerait à crier donc j'essaierais d'aller chez lui de nouveau. Finalement, j'ai vu un serpent. C'était très grand et avait des yeux rouges ardents. Il essayait d'attaquer l'enfant, mais la chaque fois il l'a attaqué, j'ai entendu une pulsation régulière et une voix le promettant il serait sûr. J'étais finalement capable de le faire au garçon et que même voix m'a demandé de s'assurer qu'il était heureux. Alors ces gens anonymes sont revenus et m'ont fait démarrer de lui. Après cela, je ne pouvais pas rentrer. La voix devenait plus triste et plus triste, en me suppliant de l'aider. Alors le serpent m'a rendu et a attaqué. C'est quand je me suis réveillé." (I saw dark trees, trees that stretched to the sky. It was very cold. I heard hissing, like a snake, all around me. There was an hourglass. I watched it turn three times. I saw a child, alone in the darkness. I think he had dark hair. I don't know because the shadows kept hiding him. I tried to go to him but these faceless figures kept getting in my way. They told me he wasn't allowed to speak to me. They wanted him to forget what he was. Every time I turned away, he would start crying so I would try to go to him again. Finally, I saw a snake. It was very big, and had glowing red eyes. It was trying to attack the child, but every time it attacked him, I heard a steady heartbeat and a voice promising him he would be safe. I was finally able to make it to the boy, and that same voice asked me to make sure he was happy. Then those faceless people returned and drove me away from him. After that, I couldn't get back. The voice was getting sadder and sadder, begging me to help him. Then the snake returned and attacked me. That's when I woke up.)
Remus thought hard for a minute. "Write this down," he said finally. "When you get here, I'll help you sort it out. I'll see if I can't find some books on interpreting visions."
"Merci, Remus," Celeste said. "Je le mettrai par écrit immédiatement." (I'll write it down immediately.) She handed the mirror back to Lily and dug out some parchment, a quill and her ink.
"I'm glad you caught all that," Lily said quietly as Celeste started writing. "I only caught every third or fourth word."
"There's a reason I'm having her write it out, Lily," Remus said. "She was talking too fast for me to catch everything."
"Can you hand the mirror back to James?" Lily asked. Remus passed it back. "James, do you think your parents would mind if we came a bit early?"
"They won't have a problem with it," James said. "Why?"
"I think I want to get Celeste to a house where using magic won't get us expelled," Lily said. "I'm pushing it with using the mirror. Besides, if it comes down to taking her to the hospital, I think we'd all rather see her in Saint Mungos, and not a Muggle hospital."
"Right," James agreed. "When do you want to come?"
"I'll talk my parents around into letting us come on Sunday," Lily said.
"Go to the Leaky Cauldron and use their connection to the Floo Network," James said. "I'll have dad set up the connection in our parlor. "
"Ok," Lily said. "I'd better go before I get an owl warning me about using magic."
"See you Sunday, Red," James said. Lily nodded and the mirror once again went blank.
Celeste finished writing out her vision. Lily made her eat, and then Celeste went back to bed. She was still asleep when Lily's parents came home. "Lily, is Celeste still asleep?" her father asked.
"She woke up earlier," Lily said. "But she was still really tired, so she went back to bed." She took a deep breath. "Mum, dad, I talked to James today. I think it'd be best if Celeste and I went over earlier than we'd originally planned."
"Why is that?" Mr. Evans asked.
"Celeste is a very unusual witch," Lily began. "She's got a couple very rare gifts that aren't completely in her control. They aren't dangerous to those around her," she added, hastening to reassure her now worried parents. "But they can be very dangerous to her."
"What do you mean?" Mrs. Evans asked.
"Celeste is something of a seer," Lily said. "Kind of like those fortune tellers you hear about on the telly. Only she's never been wrong, once the visions she has have been untangled. She sees in imagery and symbols, not actual events. The whole reason she's asleep right now is because she had, well, I suppose it must have been a very frightening vision. I can't be sure, because when she talked about it, she was speaking very rapidly in French. I'm not fluent enough to follow her when she talks a kilometer a minute."
"Why would you want to take her to the Potters' house early, though?" Mr. Evans asked.
"If Celeste has another vision like this, it could land her in the hospital," Lily said. "A Muggle hospital isn't such a good idea. They'd think she was completely nutters. But if she's with a wizarding family, then they'll be able to take her to Saint Mungos. That's the wizarding world's hospital, dad. They're better at dealing with people with gifts like Celeste's." Lily hesitated again. Finally, she sighed. "Also, Saint Mungos isn't likely to tell anyone about Celeste's ability if she doesn't want them to. Other than me and the rest of our friends, you're the only ones who know. I don't even think her twin realizes just how gifted Celeste really is."
"Do your teachers know?" Mrs. Evans asked.
"Oh, I'm sure Professor Dumbledore does," Lily said. "That man doesn't miss anything. Professor McGonagall might know. The rest of them most likely don't have a clue."
"When did you want to leave?" Mr. Evans asked.
"Sunday afternoon," Lily replied. "If you can take us to that bookshop in London, we'll make it over to the Leaky Cauldron. They've got a connection to the Floo Network. We'll take the fire to the Potters' mansion."
"I'll take you into London when I get off of work," Mr. Evans said.
"Dad, you haven't had to work on Sunday for ages," Lily said.
Mr. Evans grimaced. "I know," he said. "But with all those new projects, they need every person they can get in the office."
"All right," Lily said. "I'd better go check on Celeste. She's not too keen on waking up alone after one of these visions." Her parents nodded and Lily ran up the stairs.