ALRIGHT. So, I obviously didn't get this book done by Christmas, but there's 2 chapters left in Book Four and then we will be moving onto Year 5. This chapter stumped me for awhile, and I struggled for a few days with how to write the second half. But I feel pretty good about how it came out, so it seems that it was worth the wait. I'll be pushing out the final 2 chapters hopefully within a couple days, one week at the most (I HOPE!). It's truly a pleasure to read your responses and thank you so much for all of your support and your continued loyalty to the story. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Cheers to 2017!

Unable to cease the flow of tears, I tottered after them. Professor McGonagall, in an uncharacteristic show of kindness, gave me a tartan handkerchief to blow my nose in. "There, there, dear, shhhh. It's all going to be alright now."

I could still hear the muffled sounds of the werewolf as we walked away from Remus. The silence spiraled horribly as the six of us walked down the earthen tunnel, broken only by the crunch of rocky soil beneath our shoes. Finally, we exited underneath the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow. Sirius was gone, as was Peter.

None of the professors mentioned them, and I assumed that meant that they had fled upon seeing them approach to evade incriminating themselves. This is all Sirius' fault, I thought darkly as we walked in silence back to the castle. No one spoke until we reached Dumbledore's office, upon which he said calmly to the stone gargoyle, "Chocolate frogs."

The gargoyle leapt aside, and the six of us walked up the spiral staircase in single-file. Severus was still very white and slightly green; James looked thunderous. I felt numb, as if I couldn't ever feel anything again except mute shock.

Dumbledore took a seat behind his desk. He gestured for the three of us to remain standing before him, while Flitwick and McGonagall waited by the collection of mysterious trinkets.

"Shall I call Professor Slughorn to deal with Severus?" asked McGonagall.

"Not yet, Minerva," replied the Headmaster, steepling his long fingers and fixing the three of us with that penetrative gaze of his. "Now, then… who would like to speak first?"

None of us spoke. Dumbledore lifted a brow as the silence stretched on.

"Speaking first will not increase your punishment." He said reassuringly. "I admire the courage of the one who will break the silence."

At last, James burst out, "This git almost got himself killed tonight. If he'd listened to us, we wouldn't have gotten into this mess. He could have died and taken us with him!"

Severus went rigid. "That's a lie." He snapped. "How could you let a werewolf attend this school, Professor? Don't you know how dangerous Remus is?"

"Remus isn't any more dangerous than a Lord Voldemort supporter!" I said hotly, and both Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall winced at the name.

"Are you trying to call me something, Harkstone?" Severus asked quietly, his eyes glinting.

"I'm calling you an idiot!" I shouted, tears still flowing. "Merlin's beard, Severus! What were you thinking? How could you do this?"

"It wasn't my fault!" Severus retorted. "If Black hadn't told me about Lupin's condition, I wouldn't have had to find out for myself!"

"Sirius Black told you?" Professor Dumbledore interrupted.

"Sort of. Not really." Severus turned pink. "He told me that if I wanted to know what this lot gets up to every full moon, I should touch a knot at the base of the Whomping Willow and go through the tunnel to the end. That I'd find my answer there."

"I see." Dumbledore said, his voice expressionless, but Severus turned red.

"He's an idiot!" James said furiously. "It's not Sirius' fault! It's not his fault that this git had no sense at all, didn't even think to use his own brain…"

"Shut up, Potter!" Severus flashed. "You don't know the first thing about using your brains!"

"You're both ridiculous!" I shouted, actually stomping my foot in frustration. "Professor, if James and I hadn't gotten to Severus in time, he'd be dead! And if I hadn't…" I broke off, unsure that I wanted to tell them that I had Apparated, when I wasn't even sure how I'd done it.

"Hadn't what, Miss Harkstone?" prompted the Headmaster. I could feel the eyes of everyone trained on me; I swallowed hard, fighting to reign in my explosive emotions.

"Nothing, sir," I said quietly.

"She did something." Severus countered. "She moved right in front of me at the last minute! I don't know how, but she did something!"

"Amber?" The Headmaster said again. "Is that true?"

I studied the floor. "Yes, sir."

"Did you Apparate in front of Severus?"

"She couldn't have." James snorted.

"Yes, sir." I said, feeling Severus' black gaze boring into me.

"I see." The Headmaster said. "Are you aware that it is illegal to Apparate under the age of seventeen, in addition to being extremely dangerous? You could have Splinched yourself beyond repair, as well as been killed by the werewolf."

"I know, sir," I said, still staring at my shoes. "I didn't mean to. It just kind of… happened. I knew I had to get in front of Severus, since he wasn't going to move, but I couldn't think of a spell fast enough. So I just… Apparated. I didn't even know I knew how."

"Come off it," James said, sounding half-annoyed, half-impressed. "You can't Apparate. You could barely use magic at all last year!"

"Things change, I suppose." Severus said blackly. "She should be punished for what she did, Professor. She could have Splinched herself, like you said. And it's illegal."

"She just saved your life, you slimy worm!" James shouted. I appreciated how angry he sounded on my behalf.

"Silence, both of you." Dumbledore said sternly, as Severus opened his mouth to fire off a retort. "As thankful as I am that all of you are alive and in one piece, what you did tonight was very foolish. Fifty points will be taken from your Houses. Each of you will serve detention for a week, starting tomorrow night. Finally, all of you are sworn to secrecy. You are not to hint or otherwise reveal Remus Lupin's condition to anyone, whether in this school or out. Is that quite understood?"

Dumbledore hadn't shouted. He hadn't even raised his voice. Yet, this cold, clear, final tone of his was somehow worse than if he had. All three of us hung our heads, even though Severus looked mutinous. "Yes, sir," we mumbled.

"I want your words that you will keep his condition secret. Do I have it?"

"Yes." James and I said at once. We both glanced at Severus, who pressed his thin lips together into a hard line. "...Yes." He said at last through gritted teeth, as if he had just swallowed a lemon.

"Good." Dumbledore said. "Severus, James, please leave this office with Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick. Amber, a word?"

"Busted," Severus whispered, as James shot me a desperate look. But there was nothing he could do. Helpless, I watched as he and the others trooped out of the room, leaving the Headmaster and I alone. Fawkes woke with a low croon and ruffled his feathers, picking at a golden tray of charred-black food.

"Amber," Dumbledore began at last, "has anyone been giving you Apparation lessons?"

"No, sir," I said honestly. "I've done Side-Along Apparition before, with Professor Smith and Sean Locke. I know the theory behind it, but I've never attempted it before. I swear I didn't mean to. It sort of just… happened."

Dumbledore studied me through those intense blue eyes. "Sometimes, in moments of powerful emotion or desperation, wizards are capable of magic we never knew possible." He said at last.

"And my visions are back." I confessed. "Even without the necklace." Somehow, I held back a sob and forced myself not to think of Remus, in that terrible monstrous form. "Sir, what's wrong with me? Am I a Seer?"

"That, I'm afraid, is not at my power to disclose."

"But Madam Cheek said I wasn't. And what do these visions mean?"

"I do not believe that you are entirely a Seer, Amber. Rather, as Professor Smith said, you must try and move on with your life until you are older. Until you are old enough to better understand yourself and your abilities."

"But, sir," I continued, my voice rising an octave in desperation, "what if-"

"Please, sit." He said, gesturing to the chintz chair before his desk. "I will return briefly."

Puzzled, I watched him rise from his chair and approach one of his many shelves of mysterious instruments. He returned a minute later with a large rolled-up piece of parchment. Wordlessly, he spread the parchment across the surface of his desk. It was quite large, covering nearly the whole surface. I blinked, overwhelmed at the expanse of symbols across the parchment.

"Sir, what is this?" I asked as I looked down at the parchment. Every inch was covered with strange runes and symbols. It looked like a rubbing from an old ruin or temple.

"One of Professor Babbling's many teaching items." He said neutrally. "What do you notice? What draws your attention?"

I looked up at him, confused. "Sir?"

"There are over one thousand symbols on that parchment." Dumbledore informed me. "Which four or five draw your eye the most?"

Flabbergasted, I looked down at the paper again. Privately, I wondered if Dumbledore had had too much cups of brandy that night. Merlin's beard… he's gotten a little senile, hasn't he?

I didn't understand the point of this at all. But more than anything, I wanted to appease the Headmaster. So I scanned through the vast collection of symbols and touched each of them with one finger.

A single, straight line. A simple triangle. A tiny circle. Finally, I touched a pair of wings, small and fragile, like a Snitch's. I looked up at the Headmaster again, nonplussed.

Dumbledore did not speak for a long time. He was quiet for so long that I was afraid that he had frozen. "Sir?" I asked tentatively after an unbearably long stretch of silence. "Are you alright?"

"You said that your book was stolen?" Dumbledore asked at last, not meeting my gaze.

"Yes. It's still missing."

"And you are the eldest child in your family?"

"Yes."

"And your little sister, Virginia? Forgive me, but she was a Seer, was she not?"

"Yes." I said, getting irritated.

"I see, I see…" Dumbledore swept away from the table, looking out over the black lake. The full moon reflected across it, a moving sheet of white flame in the darkness. Fawkes fluttered over to me, nuzzling my cheek affectionately. Dumbledore turned and stared at me, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rising. His stare was not predatory like the werewolf Remus, nor was it loathing like Snape's. However, the gaze he pinned me with was so intense and full of speculation that it made me shiver.

"Do you know what's wrong with me?" I asked him plaintively. I held my breath, waiting.

Dumbledore stared at me for a long moment. Then he shook his head and looked away. I thought I had seen a fleeting look of realization in his blue eyes, but then it was gone, carefully shrouded behind a facade of enigma.

"You may go, Amber," Dumbledore said softly, hands folded behind his back as he began to pace. "Remember what Professor Smith said."

I got to my feet and padded across the carpeted floor to the door. Fawkes fluttered back to his perch, singing softly. I half-turned, afraid to speak. "Professor?"

"Yes?" He said.

I swallowed hard. "If you do know what's wrong with me… you'll tell me eventually, right? When I'm older?"

The Headmaster gave me a cursory look. "Good night, Miss Harkstone."

I knew when I was being dismissed. More confused than ever, I quietly left his office and made the trek back to Ravenclaw Tower. Once in the girl's lavatories, I turned the water on full blast, not caring that it was so late at night, and disrobed. I stepped underneath the stream of hot water and tried to picture it washing away not just the dirt and blood, but also the worries and insecurities clinging to me like mud. But no matter how long I stood under the pounding water, I couldn't wash away the image of the werewolf, claws out, jaws open, lunging for me.

Remus was not in classes the next day. I told Lily everything during free period, after bringing her into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom so that we wouldn't be disturbed. She was horrified at what had almost happened. Even worse, she was heartsick over Severus and what he had done.

"He could have died!" She wailed, pale and shaking. "He could have caused you all to die! And Remus…"

"I know." I said grimly.

"Oh, my God." She went over to the sink and ran the tap, splashing cold water on her face. Her face was still pale and drawn when she looked at me again. "I can't believe this. He could have… I can't…"

"I know." I said again. "You don't have to say anything Lily. I know."

Lily took in a shaky breath. She took several moments to compose herself, and when she finally looked at me again, I saw my own pain and confusion reflected in her green eyes.

"You and Remus haven't talked yet, have you?" She asked at last.

"No, we haven't." I replied dully. "Not since the train ride back to school. And that didn't go well." Not at all.

Lily hugged her arms around herself. "You have to talk to him. Today."

I thought about Sean, about what Remus had said right before I'd killed the hope in his passionate words. "I know."

"I haven't seen him. He might be in the hospital wing."

I shook my head, staring at my reflection in the grubby mirror. I touched the healed scar on my face that had resulted from the collision with the shed at the ski resort. It was small, barely noticeable, but it was still there. Like my love for Remus, it would always be a part of me, no matter what happened between me and Sean.

Most of all, I would never lose what he had done for me. Now, I had to do something for him.

"I know where he is." I said quietly, throwing my hair over one shoulder. "I'll talk to you later, Lily."

"Want me to come with you?" she offered.

I shook my head. "No, thank you. I think I need to face this alone."

We departed the bathrooms. Lily headed off toward the library as I waved my wand and said, "Accio cloak!". A few seconds later, my winter robe flew down the corridor like a lethifold, and I caught it with my free hand. Pulling it on deftly, I made my way down the front stone steps of the castle and down the frosty grounds. A light snow had begun to fall, landing in soft puffs on the ground. I padded across the lawn, the only sound the noise my boots made as they crunched over the dead and frozen grass.

It took ten minutes to reach the beech tree by the water. I had been here before many times, both as myself and again as Sapphira Peverell. Sitting underneath the tree with a large Mason jar of blue flames was Remus.

He glanced up once as I approached, then looked away. He flipped a page loudly in the book he was reading. I grimaced. He looked terrible, as if he had just recovered from a severe but brief illness. His scars were more garish and obvious than ever, and there were a few new scratches and cuts on his wan, pale face.

I shifted uneasily on my feet. "Hello."

Remus glanced up again, then looked back down at his book. "Hello."

Dismay curled cold in the pit of my stomach. At one point, we had been able to talk about anything and everything without the slightest hesitation or reluctance. Now, we faced each other as if a towering wall ten feet thick and one hundred feet high separated us. I didn't know how to scale it, so I decided to be frank and try and break it down by force.

"I'm sorry, Remus." I said, cutting to the heart of the matter and forsaking the small talk. "I never meant to hurt you."

"Are you talking about last night, or about the train ride?" Remus asked, his voice cold and icy. I had never seen him look more wolf-like or feral.

I swallowed hard. "Both." I said at last.

Remus rolled his eyes. It was that little sanctimonious act that pushed me into hot speech.

"I think you're a hypocrite." I said in a trembling voice. "I kissed you back in June, remember? I made my feelings crystal clear for you. And what did you do? You ran away from me. For a Gryffindor, you're a coward."

Remus threw his book down and leapt to his feet. He was shaking with rage. "You ripped my heart out, Amber. And now you stand here acting like this is my fault!"

"It is your fault!" I shouted back, surprised that tears weren't in my eyes. "Your stupid fault! I loved you! I wanted to give us a chance, but you were too chicken to find out if we could have worked out. So I guess you'll only date girls like Angelina, stupid, puffed-up, vain, selfish wenches who stab their friends in the back, but you won't date someone like me until it's too late!"

Remus was livid. "How dare you." He said, his voice breaking. "She's dead! She can't defend herself! Don't you dare start in on Angelina!"

"Why not?" I shot back, past sugar-coating, past calm reason. Miles past. "Because you're afraid to face the awful fact that she was a terrible person? Or maybe you'd rather stay in your pretend little world, where everything is okay and on your time. Well, guess what, Remus? Just because it took you six months to have the guts to tell me how you really feel and do something about it doesn't mean that I have to waste my life waiting on you to be ready!"

Remus's eyes narrowed. "So that's it, is it?" He asked, his voice low and dripping with restrained fury. He lashed out with his leg and kicked the glass jar of flames with his foot. The jar didn't break, but instead rolled several feet away in the snow, the flames jostling about inside. "This is your way of getting revenge on me? How mature of you. I'm sure Virginia would be so proud to know her sister is a-"

I slapped him hard across the face before he could finish. For a fleeting, terrifying moment, his green eyes flashed tawny-yellow, the same color of the werewolf's eyes when it had tried to attack me. Then he blinked, and he was my green-eyed Remus again.

"Don't you ever talk about her." I whispered, tears coming now, burning hot and carrying the weight of impossible grief with them. "It's over, Remus."

Remus reached out, but I smacked his arm away. He had broached the forbidden subject, crossed the line I warned him to never toe. There would be no going back now.

"You love me." He said roughly as I turned away and began the solitary march back to the castle. "And I love you too."

I turned around and stomped toward him. I slapped him again. Remus caught my wrists as I fought to break free. I wanted to fight. I wanted to burn off the tension that had been growing between us for months. I wanted to be done with my feelings for him, stronger and more volatile than anything I had ever felt for Sean.

"Stop fighting me!" Remus said. I struggled harder, but he had always been so much stronger physically. Weeping, I gave up, wilting against him like a dead plant. He held me tightly, and as much as I wanted to push away, I couldn't. He felt more like home than my own house, more than Hogwarts.

"We can't be together, Remus." I said at last, listening to his heart beating strongly against my ear, which was pressed against his hard chest. "I can't do this anymore."

Remus was silent, but I knew he was thinking, knew that there were words he wanted to say but remained unspoken. When he finally released me, he wiped at my tears, his face full of pain and a hard resolve that made my own heart twist inside of me.

"We need time." I said, my voice rough from shouting. "I love Sean, Remus."

Remus gazed at me, resigned. "I don't want to lose our friendship. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"We fight all the time." I reminded him. "Friends don't do that."

"Yes, they do." He corrected me. "Real friends aren't afraid to fight. They aren't afraid to challenge each other's' trust. Amber, listen to me. I know you're upset with me, and you have every right to be. I almost killed you last night. But hear me out. Please. How about we come to an agreement? That's the mature thing to do."

I let out a shaky breath, allowing a small smile. "Alright. What's your proposal?"

Remus shoved his hands into his pockets. "We aren't together now. So, here's what we do: you do your thing, and I do mine. And in the end, if we're together…"

"Then it's beautiful." I finished, dragging my hand through my hair.

"Yeah." Remus said, a tired smile on his scarred face. "I guess we've got to grow up sometime, huh?"

"I guess." I replied, looking out across the lake as the snow came down harder. A pale tentacle rose from the center, followed by the slow hump of a large body, like a whale. The giant squid disappeared beneath the surface again, and I could feel Remus staring at me.

"I'm sorry." He said at last. "For everything."

"Me too." I said quietly. In that moment, I decided that to remind him of his condition and what he had almost done last night was no longer important. It was time to grow up. I sniffed hard, my nose running from the chilly air, and said, "Can we go back to the castle now? I'm cold."

Remus stared at me, silent. I could feel the unspoken thoughts filling the space between us, crackling like electricity. But instead of reopening the wound, I picked up the jar of blue flames and cradled it to my chest. "I need to get ready for my detention."

Remus laughed as he kept pace with me alongside the snowy lake. "You got detention too? James is booked solid for the next three weeks."

"That makes three of us." I said sadly. "Severus, me, and James. I guess we're lucky we didn't get expelled."

Remus made a noise of assent. "Lucky you two got there before…"

"Lucky." I agreed solemnly, as we left behind our strife and walked ahead into the snow-white future.

The following three weeks full of detentions and crushing weight of classwork made it nearly impossible to sneak away with the other Marauders. We managed to find time every month to hide underneath James' Invisibility Cloak and scour the castle for hidden rooms and tunnels, filling out the Map as we explored. As the weeks rolled into months, I stayed true to my promise to Sean and to Remus. Sean and I corresponded daily by owl; Remus and I remained friends, allowing the blazing fire of our mutual attraction to dwindle down into docile embers. The harsh grip of winter relaxed as spring melted the last vestiges of snow. The mountains glowed green and purple as the grass returned and flowers burst forth. Leaves regrew on the trees, and as June approached, the first tantalizing scents of summer flowed into the open windows and doorways of Hogwarts castle.

As final exams neared, I found myself spending less time sneaking around the castle with the Marauders and much more of it cloistered in the library, surrounded by piles of books and notes that I had spent the entire year creating. James, Sirius, Peter, Remus, Lily, and Zoey sat at the table with me, most of us with our noses inches from the pages we were reading. Only Sirius and James seemed utterly carefree and blaise about the impending exams. They were creating origami from their notes and bewitching them to move or fly about the library. Every few minutes, Madam Pince would emit a screech of outrage and combust the origami. Sirius and James would respond by making more of their origami army.

Remus and Zoey had begun dating the month prior. Even though I had felt a stab of jealous pain upon initial discovery, I had pushed it firmly into the recesses of my mind and focused instead on our promise and on my relationship with Sean. I hadn't seen him since Christmas holiday, and we had arranged for him to meet me at my house the day after I returned home to Bellinghall for summer. It was less than a week away.

"Oh, for Heaven's sake," Lily snapped as a miniature paper tiger walked across her book. "Do you mind? Some of us would like to pass the fourth year and make it to fifth!"

"My apologies, your royal Highness," James said drolly.

"I love seeing our favorite redhead so fired up." Sirius said gleefully as Lily drew her wand out, jabbing at him.

"I'm warning you, Black," she said in a heated undertone.

My gaze drifted to the other end of the library. Severus was ensconced at a table in the darkness. Regulus, Avery, and Nott were with him. His black gaze was fixed on Lily's back, which was turned to him. The two had spent less and less time together since Christmas holiday, but when they did, Lily was always happy that they were still friends.

I had been surprised when she and Harry had ended their relationship amicably at the end of April, and even more surprised that Severus hadn't seized his chance and asked her out. Several more boys had jumped at the chance to be her new boyfriend, but Lily turned them all down, including James, after giving him a sound lashing with her tongue on why he was a toe-rag.

Mara Smith strode across the library crammed with studying students. She was wearing robes of jade today, which made her eyes almost emerald. Her luxuriant dark hair was twisted into an elegant French braid, making her look like a princess. I had taken Professor Smith's advice to heart and put the search for answers concerning my visions at the back of my mind. They were on hold until I graduated Hogwarts, and for the first time, I had felt at peace.

But the look Mara wore now made those old feelings of curiosity and dread creep back up like weeds. Everyone looked up as she approached, especially Sirius, who had been infatuated with our teacher ever since the Levicorpus incident. She gave him a gracious smile which made him turn dark pink.

"Pardon the interruption." Mara said quietly, her dark eyes traveling to me. "Amber, may I borrow you for a moment?"

A strange sense of foreboding spread through me as I stared back into her perfect, lovely face. I had not been alone with my Defense Against the Dark Arts professor since the night at the Quidditch pitch, making it a point not to do so. Her mother said she was trustworthy. But I still wasn't convinced.

"I guess so." I said calmly, though my heart began to pound. Remus began to rise. He looked sick and nauseated; the full moon was only a couple days away.

"There will be no need for anyone else to come with us." Mara said in a sweet voice. "Please keep studying. You'll need to, with the exam I have in mind. Amber, can you gather your things? We won't be returning before dinner."

My palms were slick with sweat as I packed up my things. I could feel the entire table watching me, with the exception of Zoey, who hadn't stopped once in her studying.

"I'll see you all at dinner." I told them, my gaze lingering on the faces of Lily and Remus, who both gave tiny nods. They would know to come looking for me if I didn't come to supper.

"Alright, let's go." Mara said, taking a few of my books. I had ten to carry, plus my book bag full of notes and parchment. We exited the full library, the entire castle silent with the concentration of hundreds of studying students.

"I remember taking exams just a few years ago." Mara said, looking nostalgic. "They're so terrifying and intimidating, but once they're over, it'll feel like a breeze. Kind of like vomiting."

"I suppose." I said vaguely, tensed for action. I didn't know what she was planning or if I could trust her.

"This way." She said, walking purposefully toward the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. I stopped, wary. "Do I have to carry all of my books with me?"

Mara blinked. "Oh, right. Here, I'll take care of this." She tapped my load with her wand, and they Vanished. "They'll be in your room now. Come on. There's something you need to hear."

Filled with even more trepidation, I followed her uneasily through the empty corridors and up the moving staircases. I wondered if this was how people felt when they were being kidnapped. Stop being ridiculous. I told myself, giving myself a firm mental shake. She's a teacher. She's Professor Smith's daughter! She isn't going to hurt you.

Right?

We arrived at her classroom after a few minutes of wordless walking. I followed her up the small staircase into her office. I drew my wand out carefully, bracing myself for whatever came.

Professor Smith's daughter had redecorated her mother's former office to her own liking. There was a ladder-like bookshelf filled with titles like "Magicke Moste Evile" and "The Dark Arts: Misnomer or Misunderstood?" and "Quidditch Through the Ages". There was a large tapestry bearing Slytherin's emblem behind her desk, as well as a banner for the Montrose Magpies. Her mother's office had felt like stepping into a space devoted to knowledge and magic; this place felt like a secret ward accessible only to a select few. It felt dangerous, like the Shrieking Shack. My grip tightened on my wand.

"I hope you'll forgive me for being a Slytherin," Mara said baldly as she traipsed around her office, her gold necklace winking in the sunlight. "I'm quite proud of my House. Did you know that Merlin was a Slytherin?"

"So was Lord Voldemort." I said evenly. Mara raised a brow, offering me a glass of iced tea.

"Mom said this is your favorite," Mara said. "Unsweetened iced tea?"

"That's right." I said, watching her. "You should have some too. You look thirsty."

Mara laughed, pouring herself a glass from a pitcher. She was graceful and enthusiastic, and I wondered if that was something she'd inherited from her mother, or her father. I couldn't picture Professor Smith ever being this buoyant or exuberant; she was stoic and reserved, so unlike her charismatic daughter. Unwillingly, I took my own glass of iced tea and sipped. It tasted normal enough.

"I know my mother likes to ease her way into heavy subjects, but I'm not like my mother in that regard." said Mara, her dark eyes fixed on me. "I'm told that you came into possession of a necklace a few years ago, and that it might be the real thing."

"The real thing?" I echoed, playing dumb.

Mara chuckled and drank more iced tea. "The opal necklace you were given? Except they're harkenine shards, not opals. And even though Dumbledore thought it was a copy of Flamel's necklace, I've been told it's the real thing."

"I don't understand." I said, frowning. Real confusion replaced the facade. I took another sip, my mouth dry.

Mara steepled her fingers. "My mother doesn't want me to tell you this. She thinks you're too young to handle it. But I disagree. I think that at nearly fifteen years old, you're old enough to know the truth."

Coldness gripped my heart. I placed the iced tea down on her desk, trying to hide my excitement and my fear. "I don't know… your mother has her reasons. I trust her."

"Do you trust me?" She asked bluntly.

When I didn't answer, a faint smile pulled at her red lips. "I didn't think so. At least you're smart. It's refreshing to see someone your age with a mind of her own and a sensitive gut instinct. That might save your life someday."

"Maybe even today." I hedged, devising a way to leave her office without arousing suspicion that I would be going straight to Dumbledore.

Mara's eyes changed subtly. I felt a strange brushing sensation in my mind. I tried to throw up a wall against the intrusive force, but I had never been that good at Occlumency. Images appeared in my vision: Remus and I at the beech tree, Professor Smith in the Hog's Head, Angelina's face just before she'd died, Lily and I braiding each other's hair, Christmas Day when Virginia had given me the necklace.

The images ceased, and I was back in the office. Mara was regarding me with keen interest now. I felt oddly breathless, my heart thumping painfully against my ribcage.

"Where did your sister get that necklace?" Mara asked.

"I don't know." I answered truthfully.

"You have visions." She said, raising her thin brows. "Of the past and the future."

"Yes." I said, surprised that I was unable to lie, when I had intended to tell her 'no'.

"Does anything trigger those visions?" Mara asked.

'No', I meant to say, but instead I found myself saying, "The necklace, sometimes."

Mara stared at me for a long moment. Then she unclasped the pendant she wore around her neck for most of the year and passed it to me. It took me a full moment to realize what it was.

"You…"

"Not to worry," Mara said, her voice light in spite of my outraged expression. "This necklace is the copy my mother thought you'd possessed originally. The true necklace - your necklace - isn't here."

"Where is it?" I asked her flatly. "Does Dumbledore have it?"

"I can't tell you that." She said frankly. "But wouldn't you like to know who Sapphira Peverell was? Why you can see through her eyes? Why Julian Gray is dead, and why Folsom is a vampire?"

Professor Smith's words of warning came flooding back. I struggled to resist the temptation her daughter offered to me now, to stay strong in my promise I'd made to wait until I was older and ready for the answers she supposedly had.

"Come on, Amber," Mara said cajolingly, her dark eyes glittering in the afternoon sun, "don't you want to know? Aren't you tired of being in the dark?"

"I think I should leave." I said, standing abruptly.

"If you leave now, you'll have to wait years for this kind of opportunity again." She warned.

"I'm trying this thing called 'patience'." I snapped. "I'll see you during exams."

Before I could open the door handle to her office, I felt a curious sensation of my arm being plunged into a bucket of cold water. Half-turning, I let out a cry of alarm as I recognized the ghost who had reached out for me.

"Julian." I managed, unnerved by the intensity of the stare he had fixed me with. Floating just behind him beside Mara's desk was the shimmering, somber ghost of Ravenclaw, the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw.

"We will not force you to stay." Julian said in his soft, solemn voice. His ghostly hand remained on my extended forearm. "But I implore you to remain."

My gaze slid across the three of them; Mara, with her mysterious and unreadable expression, Julian's quiet pleading, and finally, Helena Ravenclaw's look of almost-desperation. It was her uncharacteristic display of powerful emotion that compelled me to release the door handle and step back into the office.

"I'm listening." I said slowly, blatantly drawing my wand with one hand. "And I'm armed."

"As I can see." Mara said, sounding amused. "I don't doubt that you could put up a good fight in a duel."

"I've done it before." I retorted, thinking of Angelina. I hated this confusing kaleidoscope of emotion that warred within me: could Mara be trusted as a spy for Dumbledore, or was she actually serving Lord Voldemort? It was impossible to decipher the truth.

"I would like to tell you my story." Helena Ravenclaw said at last. "I pray that it might help provide some insight and answers into your plight."

I gave a wry smile. "And pray tell, dear lady," I said sarcastically, "why should I listen to what you have to say? Should I base my confidence on Mara's word? That in itself doesn't merit much credit with me."

Mara's eyes flickered, but she remained silent. I could feel Julian staring at me, but I refused to back down or take back what I'd said. My heart pounded with the spiraling silence, bracing myself to duel.

But Helena merely gave a tiny shake of her head. "Perhaps you will listen with open ears to what I have to say. You see, nearly a thousand years ago, Sapphira Peverell was my closest friend."