Disclaimer: I don't own HP. Duh. And now I am pissed cause I'm gonna have to re-post the whole effing chapter just because I forgot this stupid thing. xx
A/N: Okay, so this chapter is a little, okay, a little more than a little, late. Sorry! I hear that many of you were confused after the last chapter. That's okay, it was a confusing chapter. Nichole was confused to, and since most of the story is written from her point of view, it would make sense if you guys were confused. Nichole may have seemed a little out-of character, but, hey, everyone's a little rebellious, right? This chapter is conveniently titled 'Explanations'. Hopefully this will explain to you any question marks you had about the last chapter.
Here we go!
Chapter 7: Explanations
"Meghan, do you think I might have a word with you?" Meghan turned around from the desk she was dusting in the study to face Dumbledore. She had never ever seen him look like this before. He didn't look angry, he looked, sad, weary, and possibly worried. Meghan had been dreading this. She knew that Sarah would tell Dumbledore that she knew where Nichole had gone, and she had been preparing herself ever since. She set down the cloth on the table and walked toward the door of the study.
As they stepped out into the hall, Dumbledore turned and shut the door behind them. Now I will ask you to answer this question of your own free will, however if you do not, I will have no choice but to perform Legilimens on you, despite how much I wish not to." Meghan gulped. Why did she have to be the confidant? This sucked, and now Dumbledore was pissed at her just because Nichole decided to tell her instead of Sarah or Eric.
"Ok."
"Do you know where Nichole might have disappeared to?"
"Yes."
"And would you care to elaborate please, Miss Williams?"
"Well, she was kind of…well she was in a big tizzy when left. She didn't seem normal. All she could talk about was how she needed to go, and that poor Harry didn't deserve to be so deserted like this an-"
"So Harry Potter does have something to do with this?"
"Well, yes, I expect so. I do remember her having some strange dreams about him earlier in the summer. She got all wound up and thought they might be real or something. Me and Sarah just assumed she'd gone a little crazy from finding out she was magic and all. I have no clue how she would know where he lives though."
"So she did go to see him."
"Well yes, but I don't know how she could even get there. I mean, Nichole is a whiz at directions and crap, but she totally blew Drivers Ed…even though she got 94 on the exam…Let's say she's not that strong in the application department."
"Miss Williams, why did you not come to me immediately with this information? Did you not realize how hard we have been working to try and locate her? There are evil people in this country, can you imagine what might happen to your friend if she, perhaps, asks the wrong sort of people for directions? The world is not safe at this time to be wandered alone!"
"I'm sorry. But she told me not to tell! She said she wanted to help Harry get away from his relatives, and since she could use magic, she thought maybe she could do it alone. Like I said, she was being really strange, like she knew he would want company or something! I trusted her to do the right thing, and so I listened to her."
"I'm afraid you share the same trait as many people. Loyalty is greatly valued in the world, however, do not let it impair your judgment. Important things like this should be brought to the attention of adults."
Meghan stared at the ground. "Yes sir."
Meghan sat down on the couch out in the hall outside the study. Eric plunked down beside her, and let out a sigh of frustration. Meghan glanced sideways through her long eyelashes. Eric's beautiful chocolate eyes were full of confusion, concern, and sadness. He must be feeling quite confused right now.
Well, what would you do if your boyfriend just eloped out of nowhere?
Meghan remembered when she was dating Chad. If he so much as went out with his buds for a night, she was paranoid that he was cheating. And that god-awful Kelsey always hanging around him all the time didn't make her feel all that much more comfortable.
"I just feel really bad now though! I never thought about it that way. I mean Nichole could be like, rotting in a gutter somewhere right now!" Meghan groaned. How could she have been so stupid?
"Don't worry, it's not your fault! She shouldn't have gone off running like that! I can't believe she didn't even tell me! She usually tells me everything."
"I know, it's not like her to do something like this anyway."
"She's been acting differently since we came here. I feel like I don't know her anymore. What would possess her to go and run off to some random guy's house?"
"Harry Potter's not exactly some 'random' guy."
"Yeah, well, there's obviously something going on. We'll have to have a talk with her when she gets back."
Sarah let out a sigh from around the corner of the hallway. Meghan and Eric sure had been talking a lot more since they had come to England, and it seemed, the more distant Eric grew from Nichole, the closer his relationship with Meghan got. Meghan had always insisted that she only thought of Eric as a big brother, but the looks she had been giving him lately, were anything but sisterly. The last thing Sarah needed right now was Her one best friend cheating on her other best friend's boyfriend, who just happened to be her brother. Was her social life confusing or what?
She'd have to have a little chat with Meghan about keeping whatever feeling she was getting for her brother locked up tight in her pants.
"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come and visit us here at Headquarters. A problem had arisen, which we must fix immediately. I'm sure all of you are aware of the circumstances in which the Caligan family left England about 12 years ago? Our fears about Nichole have been confirmed. However, I am worried that since Nichole is not yet fully aware of the responsibilities she has been burdened with, she may not understand what is happening to her, and her reactions may harm herself, and possibly others. I, myself, feel that it is not necessary to completely inform the child at this point of the situation, for she is, after all, a child. She does not even have full access to all of her powers, which will come in time.
The case, in which we see Nichole, has not ever occurred in the course of recorded magical history. Her rare talents are vital to the continuation of both the muggle and wizarding world. This, however, as you all know, makes her a vulnerable target for Voldemort, and others seeking to uphold him. I have yet to understand how this half of the prophecy will unfold.
"We know all this Dumbledore, please tell us what has happened that all of us were needed so urgently!"
"Ah, yes, to the point, Nichole, I'm afraid, has disappeared, but due to the information of one of her very close friends, her location is known once again. How she got there and why, still remains a mystery. Nonetheless, we must act quickly to return her to safety, for, unlike Harry Potter, the Dursleys serve no special purpose in her life."
"Exactly what do the Dursleys have to do with this, and how is Harry Potter concerned? We're already dealing with one oblivious teenager, don't tell me that boy's gone and done something now, too."
"A very good point indeed Alastor, Harry Potter and the Dursleys have everything to do with Nichole at the moment, for that is where she is residing at this point in time."
"At the Dursley's? With Potter! Dumbledore, how did this happen? And how does the girl even know who he is, let alone where he lives?"
"I couldn't tell you myself."
"Well, this girl certainly seems to be more than we bargained for. What have you figured out about her so far? She seems to be quite a question mark still."
"I wish I could tell you I know more, but unfortunately, I am as in the dark as everyone else."
"How is that possible, surely she has told you more about herself, about the strange things that have been going on?"
"Unfortunately, she seems to be quite the shy person around most new people. And very cautious about who she confides in. But, how would you feel, Kingsley, if a strange person started interrogating you? It certainly wouldn't allow you to trust them any more. It is vital that we earn this young girl's trust. And I doubt it will come easily."
"But what about Legilimens? You're one of the best in the country, in times like this, I would say that the gaining of her trust is second to understanding her strange abilities that she will supposedly have."
"That would normally be an option, however, it appears that one of Nichole's 'strange abilities' is that she is a natural Occlumens. When I attempted this, I found her head sealed up tight like a house braced for a storm. I expect she has also some highly developed skills for legilimency. And from what I hear from Mrs. Weasley, who hears from Miss Granger, she has uncanny abilities in most magical areas."
Snape, who had sat glowering in a corner throughout the entire meeting, finally spoke. "Alright, so Miss Question Mark isn't going to budge anytime soon, and she sounds farther off her rocker than Potter. What do you suppose we do about her little escapade over to Surrey, Dumbledore? If we have to go and get her, how do you suppose we get around Potter? He's not just going to stay put while we haul his little girlfriend back here."
"I thought you didn't want him over at Headquarters Dumbledore, with the probability of You-Know-Who and his-"
"Oh, Moody, don't you think that's a bit ridiculous. Honestly, Dumbledore couldn't possibly have been planning to leave poor Harry to rot down there the whole summer."
"You both have very good points, however, I believe that it may now be best that we can keep an eye on both of them. The Guard will leave immediately. This meeting is adjourned."
Nichole was restlessly pacing upstairs in Harry's room. She would routinely cycle between sitting on his bed, on his desk, and on his window sill. She stared out into the darkness. The shouting from the downstairs kitchen was mumbling in the back of her mind. She was still in shock about what had happened down in the alley.
Nichole thought that in the whole process of meticulously mulling through things over and over again, she had come to begin to understand.
She was different.
Not that she wanted to be, but, face it, the things that had been happening to her since the summer began, were anything but normal. Nichole sensed that there was probably more to the situation than she already knew, and one person might be able to enlighten her.
However, that would involve her spilling everything to Dumbledore. Harry had made him out to be a wonderful person, but Nichole just wasn't that great at trusting new people.
From what Nichole could guess, she assumed that Dumbledore suspected that there was something wrong with her. Otherwise, how else would he have known so much about her. Everything that had happened to her since entering the magical world seemed odd.
Nichole was shaken from her semi-conscious state by the arrival of Hedwig. Nichole still was still not completely comfortable with the sharp-taloned bird, but had at least grown to be at least brave enough not to cower on the other side of the room and stare warily at her. She knew that this conspicuous bird would never, ever, ever even hold the smallest little matchstick of a candle to her precious Shami, whom she had desperately missed the last few nights.
And besides, the bird brought the mail.
Nichole noticed that the bird had a letter attached to her foot. Warily, she untied the envelope from the bird's foot, carefully avoiding the sharp talons. Hedwig clucked her beak, as if to say, see, I don't bite, and rubbed her head under Nichole's hand. Nichole gave her a little pat, and she flew off into the night again.
Nichole looked down at the back of the envelope, which was sealed with a plain wax seal.
Yeesh, for having such advanced magical techniques, you think they could evolve their letter writing techniques.
She flipped it over and glanced at the front. She was surprised to see that it was addressed to her as well as Harry. This, she thought, gave her perfectly relevant permission to open the letter, which she did. It was short, and Nichole's stomach clenched in guilt as she read it. She was also relieved.
Nichole and Harry,
Dumbledore finally broke Meghan. Shame on you for running off! When your mother hears of this, I'm sure she won't be happy. The thing that matter most, however, is your safety. Please stay in the Dursley's house, they are coming to get you both. Tell Harry to pack his trunk and have his broom ready.
Mrs. Weasley
Nichole felt horrible. How could she have been stupid? Honestly, had she completely lost her head running off like this? She put her head on her knees, and stared out into the sky. They were probably worried about her, and she didn't even tell Eric. He would be pissed when she got back, that's for sure. Especially with the fact that she had run off to some boy, whom she didn't even know's, house.
Sighing, she got up, and dragged herself to the door of his room, pulling open the door, she was blasted with the wonderful sound of yelling Dursleys. She sauntered down the stairs, and into the kitchen where the entire family was residing. She couldn't believe that Harry was actually related to these people. They were so noisy and obnoxious, and Harry was about as inconspicuous and quiet as a church mouse.
"SO WHAT EXACTLY HAVE THESE, DEMENTOIDS DONE TO MY SON? AND HOW IS THAT PRISSY BRAT FROM CHILD SERVICES INVOLVED?"
"Come, Diddykins, speak to Mummy. Come on Poppkins, we need to know what's going on."
"Dark…cold…feel as if…as if…"
"As if you'd never be happy again," droned Harry.
"THAT'S IT BOY! YOU'VE PUT SOME CRACKPOT OLD…OLD…CURSE ON MY SON, AND I WANT YOU TO SET IT RIGHT!"
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! THE DEMENTORS DID IT! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU!"
"DON'T YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT LOAD OF-"
"Girl…lotsa light…big bird."
"What's this about some girl Duddy?"
Nichole froze on the spot. At this moment, Harry, turned around and saw her.
She waved the little letter that she held at her side.
"Her." Dudley managed to lift a gigantic sausage-like finger and point towards her."
The Dursley's heads swiveled around to where Nichole was standing. Their eyes were popping from their sockets, and Mr. Dursley looked as if he might explode.
"You…YOU! Who the hell are you, and what are you doing cursing my son! You're one of…one of…THEM, aren't you? HOW DARE YOU SWINDLE US INTO LETTING YOU RESIDE UNDER OUR ROOF ON A SCAM! I'M CALLING THE POLICE!"
Mr. Dursley was silenced by none other than Dudley. Who seemed to have discovered his voice again. "No. She did it. She made a big light. And a big bird made the cold go away."
"What Diddy? Are you sure you're feeling alright?"
Harry spoke. "It's true. She did performed a patronus charm to make the dementors go away."
Mr. Dursley had a mad gleam in his eyes. "So you think it'd be funny to barge into our household as an imposter, and-"
BOOM
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF-"
"Merlin this place is clean. I thought all muggles were all slobs. Guess it varies like wizards."
"Come on, we'll grab the kids and scram. Screw the muggles."
"Don't be ridiculous, we can't just take off, we have to explain to some degree."
"Argh. Fine, just be quick with it, and don't give away the farm. I hate being in such a clean place."
"WHO IN THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU! EXPLAIN WHAT YOU ARE DOING IN MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW!"
"Oh, we're just picking up the kids. Don't worry, we'll be 'outta your 'air in a few. I'm Tonks by the way."
Nichole could see many reasons why the average person would be aggravated having a bunch of strangers barge into their house. These people had broken down the front door and trudged right in.
"Why don't you two go upstairs and finish packing. You did get our letter right?"
"Um…who are you?" Harry was looking more confused than ever.
"YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO THESE FREAKS ARE?"
"Well…"
"Come on, Harry, I'll explain upstairs." Nichole said, waving the letter she still held in her hand.
"NOW DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME YOUNG LADY! WE'RE NOT FINISHED!"
Nichole continued walking as she heard the lady named Tonks getting the Dursley's under control. She followed Harry into his room, and shut the door.
"Excuse, me, but what the hell is going on?"
"Well, see, I came down to tell you, but was…held up." She said, holding out the letter. Harry read it quickly, then spoke.
"Well, great notice, I have to say."
"Well, how can I help you pack up? All my stuff is in my bag."
"Well, you can do the books and papers. School stuff, you know."
"Alright."
"What do you mean, you can see the future? You sound like Professor Trelawny."
"Well, it's hard to explain, but, well, you know what happened with the Dementors?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, I kind of saw it before it happened. I had a dream the night before. Except…you were supposed to perform the charm. Then all these letters came, and you said you were going to leave, and you said they were going to break your wand, then another letter-"
"What letters? Break my wand?"
"I don't know, something about underage magic!"
"Of course! If I would have performed the charm, then the Ministry of Magic would have known I did magic. But you're allowed to do magic-wait-did you just say that you did a patronus charm based on the words you heard in your dream? You saw all of what was going to happen beforehand, but because you did something differently, it changed?"
"Yes! It was so horrible. That dream felt like real life. And not to mention how sick they make me afterwards. Anyways, that's how I knew that the 'Dementors' as you call them were coming…I heard a voice in my head, saying that it was my gift to see man's error, and affect change, something like that. So I tried the charm I had heard you do before, and…here we are."
"You performed a patronus charm without ever practicing it before?"
"Well, since the dementors went away, I can only assume yes!"
"That is not normal."
"Well, it's not like I haven't realized that there are a lot of things about me that aren't normal! You don't have to make it worse!" At this point Nichole got rather upset, and began crying.
"No! I mean, that's good that you can do these things! You can stop bad things from happening to people! And if you hadn't been so gifted at magic, I would've had to perform the charm, and that would have landed me expelled from Hogwarts!"
"…"Harry pulled Nichole into a hug.
"Look, I know I don't know you very well, I mean, I've only known you for two days. But when I saw you before, I saw that photo album you have of all of your friends, and I heard how you talked to your friends on the phone. Trust me, you are fine. You're a very nice girl, with a very big heart. I don't know very many people who would go running off across the world, then run off again to go make sure some boy she's never met is ok."
Nichole laughed. "Well, that's me. Crazy and phsycotic."
"In a good way though."
She sighed. "Yes, in a good way."
"Hey guys. Done packing yet? Wow, you're quick for not being able to do magic!" The lady named Tonks had entered Harry's room. She had bright bubble-gum pink hair, and wore a joyful expression on her face. She didn't appear to be that old at all.
"Oh, well I can do magic, because Dumbledore got me permission to practice over the summer."
"Well, we're about ready to go. I don't think your aunt and uncle are very happy though, I have to say. It's actually quite funny though. You should come down and see."
"Ok."
"Harry, got your broom?"
"Yep."
"Well, we best be getting outside to wait for the signal. Oh, Nichole, you know how to fly?"
"No…is it scary?"
"Oh no, you'll be fine. You can ride with Harry."
"Alright."
Nichole had never experienced something so thrilling in her entire life.
She was flying, like, actually flying. It kind of reminded her of the scene from The Titanic, especially with her arms wrapped securely around Harry's waist.
No. Musn't think about that. Actually, the damn movie always made her cry, no matter how many time she watched it. It was actually quite stupid, really.
Even if it was like, the best movie in the whole wide world.
She looked down at the tiny dots that were the many scattered towns and villages, with the wind billowing her curly mop backwards.
She was about to open her mouth to speak to him, but realized that it was too windy, and that he would never hear her with the wind rushing in his ears. Surprisingly, he turned around right then, and gave her a nice, big smile.
God, he was cute when he smiled.
No! No! He was NOT cute. ERIC was cute when he smiled.
Nichole hung her head as he turned back to face the front. She felt awful. She was not allowed to like Harry, no matter how much she wanted to. That was that. She would just have to force herself to think of him as a friend, and nothing more.
It couldn't be so hard to lie to herself, now, could it?
"Miss Caligan, do you think I might have a word?" No sooner had Nichole walked through the grimy doors to the Headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix, than Dumbledore came forth from the kitchen door and spoke.
"Actually, I was just wondering the same thing." She had mulled over and over the idea all the frigid way here. And her frozen brain finally decided that it would be better to trust Dumbledore, than try to solve this mess of a puzzle all alone.
"Funny how that sometimes works. Almost like mind-reading, hm?" The old man had a small grin on his face, as if he was dangling a big secret right in front of her face, and she didn't even know it. Nichole was starting to have second thoughts about trusting this seemingly crazy old man about her secrets. "Why don't you step into the kitchen, it'll be sure to give us some privacy."
Nichole followed the professor into the kitchen and sat down at the dirty table across from him. "So, you needed to talk to me?"
"Well, why don't you go first, my concerns are second, after all."
"Ok. Well, Professor Dumbledore, ummm, well, I remember, in Sarah's living room, you asked me if I had anything to tell you…"
"Yes."
"And, I said no. But, actually, I do have some things I need to tell, well, someone. I told Harry, that's part of the reason why I ran off there. But he couldn't make anymore sense of it than I could, and he also said that I should tell you. He said you're one of the smartest wizards of our age, and that any problems that I had, you could probably figure out."
"Well, some problems are not meant to be solved by others, but I can try and help you, yes. And even the greatest of wizards are guilty of mistakes."
"I just need to know that you won't judge me, or tell anyone else. It's very strange, and I think that if people knew, well, it would freak them out."
"I understand. Your information will be kept confidential. And I promise you, the greatest mistake a wizard can make is to judge another."
Nichole looked up at him. He seemed awfully calm. And he didn't even seem the slightest bit flustered that she had run off without warning. It felt as if he had planned this. Nichole looked up into his eyes, and felt the now familiar feeling of leaving her own body.
Then she felt a sudden jolt, as if a wall had been slammed right in front of her face. Dumbledore gave his head a slight shake, and then continued. "Go on Miss Caligan."
Nichole drew her eyes to a spot on the table just below him, and began to speak. "Well, it all started about a week into summer vacation. I started having these weird dreams. They weren't always the same, but they always had the same boy in them. I would just watch the boy do normal things, and the dreams seemed to pass in real time. They were always very clear, as if it were real. I figured out that the boy in the dreams was Harry Potter after about three weeks. It was weird because I could touch things, and pick them up and stuff, but it seemed like no one could see me. About the same time, I figured out that the dreams did indeed happen in actual time, and I also started to wonder if the stuff I was seeing was actually happening, all the way in England, and somehow, I could see it when I went to sleep. I read some of his letters, and books, and read about magic. That's when I started doubting again that the dreams were real, because I didn't know that magic even existed. One time I picked up Harry's wand, and sparks started coming out of it. It freaked me out, but then I woke up, and I was holding his wand, and a book."
"So this is how you got to know Harry? This is how you knew so much about him, without ever meeting him?"
"Exactly. I knew about how horrible those Dursleys were to him, and I knew that he had had some strange things happen to him too, so I thought he might be able to help me, and in turn, maybe I could help him get away from the Dursleys because I could use magic."
"You seem like a very kind and caring person, Nichole, but you should know that as dangerous as it would be for you to run off, the consequences are elevated for you. Do you know why your family left England?"
"I was just getting to that. That's not all that happened. There's more."
"I expect so. Your mother was very distraught when she wrote me telling me that you had figured it out. Explain to me please, exactly how you did it."
"Well, we were fighting, and I looked up into her eyes and then, the whole room changed. It was like I left my own body, and went inside her mind. I saw what she saw. I guess she was remembering that, and I saw it."
"Is the only time something like that has happened to you? I remember you telling me that you heard a voice from a bus driver when you looked him in the eye?"
"Yes. There was that. And there was also one time when I was in one of my dreams, I saw one of Harry's thoughts, or memories, or whatever they are that I keep seeing. I saw the one when he met Hermione. At least, now I know that's what it was about. I asked Hermione how she met Harry, because the first time I had seen her, was in Harry's memory, and she said the exact same thing that I had seen."
"I see. And do you remember one time when you have experienced, a kind of opposite effect on yourself?"
"I'm afraid I don't understand."
"Have you ever felt like someone else was trying to read your thoughts, and you have been able to successfully prevent them from doing so?"
"Well, I'm not sure sir, but I think I may have done so once. When I saw your head in the fireplace, were you trying to read my thoughts?"
"I was attempting to find out how you had used magic, so, yes, I was trying to read your mind to some degree, unfortunately, I was unable to."
"Because I could stop you."
"Yes, Nichole, it seems like you have amazing skills at Legilimens as well as Occlumency. How you have these skills without ever being taught, I don't know. As for the strange dreams about Harry, I also have no idea why you had them. Have any other strange things happened to you?"
Nichole could tell he was lying. He did have some idea. She decided to ask him about it later. "Well, the strangest thing that's been happening to me is…well, I think that I can maybe see the future?"
"That is very possible. Please elaborate."
"Well, it's always when I'm sleeping. I have strange dreams that seem real, but they're really fuzzy. I can clearly see what's happening, but it's obscured. The first time it happened was at Sarah's house for a sleepover. I had a dream about having a fight with my mum about this magic stuff. Later the next day, it actually happened. Exactly like I had dreamt. I said everything that I said in my dream, and everything I had dreamt my mom would say, she said. I had another dream that me and my friends were out shopping. Sure enough, when we got here, the airline lost my luggage, and when we went shopping, I had already seen everything that we did." Nichole stopped after this. The last time that she had had one of those dreams it hadn't turned out the way it was supposed to.
"Is that all?"
"No. It's just…hard to explain."
"Please, take your time."
"Well, At Harry's house, I had another fuzzy dream. I saw hooded figures. Harry told me later that they're called 'Dementors'. Anyway, I saw them. I was standing on the side, and I saw Harry perform a 'patronus' charm. That made the Dementors go away, but afterwards, at the Dursley's house, he got a whole bunch of letters saying he was expelled and so. One of them said they were going to break his wand. Anyway, then later on, again, I saw the dream I had had coming true. The Dementors came. I was really scared, because I heard screaming in my head. Then I remembered the charm Harry had done, and I did it myself, before he got a chance. Then, when we got back, the rest was different…"
"From?"
"Different from how it had played out in my dream. I did hear a voice in my head. A woman's voice. She said 'The future is built one step at a time. Nothing is set in stone. Your gift, my daughter, is to see man's error, and affect change. Have faith, yet use your gift wisely, lest you meddle and bring upon others what was not meant to be. You can affect change for the better or for the worse. That, is for you to decide.' Professor Dumbledore, did I really change the future? Or past…?"
Dumbledore gave a large sigh. It seemed to have two feelings behind it. He seemed to sigh with relief, but also with a great tiredness. Nichole decided to use the smidgen of courage that she had gathered from telling Dumbledore all this and ask the question that she was dreading.
"You do know why this is all happening to me, don't you? You just don't want to tell me." She had a small smile on her face as she said it. It was just like her mother. Dumbledore wanted to protect her by saving her from the bitter truth. Adults needed to realize that kids weren't as fragile as they thought.
"Nichole, you are an intelligent young girl. I can see that. Anyone can see that. You are a hard person to lie to. Especially since you can do Legilimens. Trust me when I tell you that you do not want to know the entire truth just yet. You will know when you are ready."
"Could at least tell me a bit? So that I at least know what to expect, and sort out at least a bit of this very large mess?"
"That, I can do. Nichole, you are a very special girl. You were born this way. You have a very important place in this world, as you will find out. The talents you have are both blessing and curse. I am sure that you are beginning to see that. It is horrible to know what is to come, and not do anything about it, but it is a gift to be able to change the future for the good, which you have already helped to do. The future is not set in stone, it can be molded, with the help of careful people. You are one of those people. However, it is not good to meddle too much. I trust you to know the difference of when you should change something, and when it can be left to take its natural course. Trial is part of life, as is reward. The part of the burden you have been given is to be the judge."
Nichole nodded in agreement
"The dreams about Harry. Well, I can only guess that you had those because you are so similar, in so many ways to him. He also has had a very big burden placed on him. One which I cannot disclose at the moment. But my guess is that if you get to know him, and if you work together, you will not be alone, and your duties in life will be much easier to fulfill. The gift of those dreams was that you now know Harry very well, for hardly ever having spent much time with him. It will give you a bond which you can build on.
Your gift of Legilimens and Occlumency, I can guess is given you as an aid for judge in character. It is a very handy tool to have, but do not give in to the temptation to use it regularly. Once again, you are the judge. I expect there will be numerous trials coming in your life. For now, I want you to live in the present. Learn to accept these things as a part of your life. It is vital that you learn to live with them. Do you understand?"
"I think so." Nichole wanted to go and lie down. She just realized how tired she really was. And this was a lot of information to get at one time. Dumbledore seemed to read her mind.
"Why don't you go upstairs? Everyone will be having dinner soon; I expect you'll be able to have some privacy before the interrogations start. Remember, you must be brave."
Nichole smiled. Dumbledore was a very nice person. And he really was very intelligent. "That's one thing I'm not."
Nichole trudged upstairs. She really did need to lie down. She wondered where everyone had gone. The house was eerily quiet.
Wait. Scratch that. She could hear shouting from the first door on the right on the second landing. She could hear Harry shouting. Ron was speaking. He seemed to be flustered. She could also hear Hermione. She sounded on the verge of tears.
Well, she thought, it served them right for not going to see him, or even writing him. Didn't they understand what he was going through? Harry had told her all about the horrors he had experienced in previous years. If anytime, now was when he needed the support of his friends the most. Nichole continued walking down the hall and turned the corner to the room she shared with Meghan and Sarah. She opened the door to see…
Pink. Very, very, pink.
Well, she could see that the girls had made some modifications to their room in her absence. The grim, plain walls had been painted…or transfigured pink. All three of their beds were lined up on the right wall. Each had white lace curtains surrounding it. There was one trunk at the foot of each bed. A large movie-star style vanity stood against the left wall, and a television stand, with a large TV sat opposite the centre bed. They had altered their small, crampy closet into a brightly lit, walk-in with shelves and shelves of clothes and make-up spilling out. They had posted up posters of their idols and a large boombox sat in the corner. Nichole wondered how they had gotten all this stuff, but decided she would ask later. She was about to collapse on her bed on the far side of the room near the bay window, when from behind the curtains jumped…
BOO!
AAAHHH!
"Geez, Nichole, you should know better than thinking that we'd just let you go to sleep without telling us everything."
"Come, on guys, there's nothing much to tell, I mean, it was stupid to just run off like that-"
"There certainly better not be much to tell." Nichole looked over at Sarah. She looked happy, not sad. She sighed. She knew this was going to happen. They were going to try and make her feel horrible. Only as a joke though.
"You know, I feel horrible! Why'd you make me not tell! For all I knew, you could have crashed the damn car and been lying dead in a ditch!" Meghan was sporting bright pink hair. Nichole figured it was probably just her clumsy spellwork from turning the room pink. Now that she looked closer, she saw that Sarah had pink nails.
"I said I'm sorry!"
"And what about Eric, you didn't even tell him. You can't just run off and not tell your boyfriend!"
"Especially when you're running off to a boy's house!"
"Ok! I know! What I did was stupid! Eric's not going to kill me is he?"
"No, he's just being a baby. You should go and talk to him later."
"But first, Harry Potter."
"What?"
"Well, hello, you just spent like, two days at his house. What happened?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing? You expect us to believe that?"
"Okay, well, we gave his cousin some of his own bitter medicine, and drove his aunt and uncle insane. It was fun. And he's nice" Nichole purposely left out the part about the Dementors. That was something she did not feel like telling her crazy friends.
"That's better. Is he as hot in real life as in your weird dreams?"
"Speaking of those, do you know why you're having them?"
"You should ask Dumbledore."
"I already did."
"Well?"
"He doesn't know." Nichole really didn't feel like discussing this with anyone right now.
"Aww. That's too bad. Big mystery that is."
"I guess. So, what have you guys been doing?"
"Well…"
A/N: So how was that? My sister has read this chapter thoroughly before letting me post it, so it has hopefully set you guys' right.