I guess I lied about holding this chapter hostage. I'm just fairly antsy about posting them. This one is quite short, but the next one is HELLA LONG. Also, the rating of this story will make sense come next chapter. So if you want to read that, I'm not putting a minimum request in for reviews, but the more reviews you leave, the earlier I'm more likely to post it. Hope you guys like this chapter!

Disclaimer: Rowling is a F***ing genius.

Chapter 24

I woke up the next morning with a clear mind, something I hadn't been able to say in a long time.

"Don't bother, Angelina," I said, sitting up. "I'm already awake."

I pulled back the curtain to make sure I was right.

Angelina stood there in quidditch robes, her wand raised. "How did you know?" She said.

"I heard you walk up," I lied, stretching out. "Who's my new trainer?"

"What do you mean?"

I stood up and frowned. "Fred and George aren't in anymore. They can't be."

She put her hands up. "You and Fred broke up. George is still mine, and he knows what's good for him. And Fred is too dedicated to the team. I saw him downstairs a bit earlier. Now come on. We only have two hours till breakfast."

I groaned as she left, hoping that practice wouldn't be too terrible.

It was.

Fred was sullen as we walked down to the pitch. Angelina seemed determined to ignore the tension between us, and George seemed determined to bring it up.

"Our next game is Monday, so we only have three more group practices. What are the chances of you getting out of detention?"

"Slim," I said, munching on toast.

She kicked off and we followed after, Fred wasting no time before he hit a bludger my way. I blocked it easily, but over the next two hours, I got hit twice.

"Strange you didn't see that one coming, Kat," George said as I rubbed my shoulder. "It's a pretty clear day. You should be able to see anything."

Had I not turned, it would have hit me in the face. I swung at the next bludger with all my might, sending it whirling towards him. He dodged easily.

Angelina used the time as best she could. She had a lot of good things to say about my improvement, but I couldn't help but feel that every hit towards me was personal vengeance from the twins. Every muscle hurt.

"You better toughen up before the game, or Ravenclaw will crush us," Fred said, stalking off to the Great Hall.

I flipped him off even though he couldn't see me and headed up to shower.

Harry, Ron and I headed to McGonagall's office during lunch hour. Hermione had her cornered with a petition about S.P.E.W. so we had at least twenty minutes. Her door was open, and there were no spells on it; students had to be very stupid to enter into her office without her permission.

The boys headed straight to her desk, but I searched in a closet near the door. Robes, papers, lots and lots of books. There was even a little bit of catnip in there, but no diadem. I turned to Harry and Ron after ten minutes had passed. "Anything?" I said.

They shook their heads. "What does it look like again?"

"Shiny tiara."

They shrugged. "Nothing."

We sat in the back of transfiguration class at the end of the day, Hermione tapping her quill in frustration.

"Where could it be?" she said.

I jotted down a note and shrugged. "Hell if I know. It could be in the Himalayas."

"Do you have something you'd like to share with the class, Miss Dumbledore?" McGonagall called.

I shook my head, ducking down in my seat.

"Then please keep quiet."

A few minutes later, we relaxed.

"It has to be in the castle," Harry said. "If it's as important as you say it is."

"Hang on," Ron said. We turned to him. "If it's important, and it's not in her office, there's only one place it can be."

"Miss Granger, could you answer the question?"

"The four elements were thought to be impossible to intertransfigure until the late seventeenth century. The discovery sparked the time period muggles refer to as the Age of Enlightenment, or the Renaissance," Hermione said.

Once McGonagall nodded and looked away, Hermione raised her eyebrows at Ron.

He shrugged. "Dumbledore's office."

We groaned.

"How did you not see this?" Harry hissed at me.

"I get visions, Harry, I don't just automatically know things!"

"Lately it seems like you do," he said, glaring at the back of Neville's head.

"Well, I don't. It's not science. I just get lucky sometimes. Duck."

Harry frowned, but ducked just in time to avoid a magical spitball from Goyle. It hit McGonagall in the back and she turned around, livid.

As she sentenced Goyle to a week of detention, Harry gave me a pointed look.

I made a face. "Don't let that undermine what I just said."

The next day, I had three visions before breakfast. A couple made out in the corridor, and I stopped them just as a professor rounded the corner. Then I avoided Peeves and a set of large water balloons. Finally, I ran into Draco Malfoy and his cronies right after a first year Hufflepuff did.

"Look here, boys," he said, sneering at the kid. "Got lost on your way to the kitchen?"

The boy looked terrified. Just like he had in my vision. Malfoy threw a curse, and I reversed it from my hiding spot. When he puked his first slug, I grinned, walking around the corner. The Hufflepuff ran from the slimy mess, and I laughed.

"Morning, Malfoy."

At lunch, I made a face as I sat down. "I hate cod," I said.

As the fish appeared on serving plates out of nothing, Ron and Harry gaped.

Hermione frowned. "This isn't good, Kat."

I frowned. "Yeah. I didn't get the vision soon enough to talk to Dobby."

"Don't you think you should work on making sure your visions aren't… superfluous?"

I shrugged, ladling soup into a bowl. "I don't know, Sherlock. Why don't you read up on it while I give myself next year's horoscope?"

She raised an eyebrow, leaving the table. "May as well start now. I'm not fond of cod either."

I read up on the potion Snape hadn't warned us we'd have to prepare for during my free period. I knew what McGonagall was going to ask before she called on me. My head started to hurt at dinner, and I shook my head just before Fred came into sight.

"Are you ok?"

I sighed, shaking my head a second time.

"You look like shit."

"Coming from an ex, that really means a lot." I rubbed my temples.

"I'm a bit concerned is all."

I clicked my tongue. "Concerned. About me. Right. Why not just ignore me until something bad happens that you can blame on me?"

"I didn't mean to," he started.

"I don't care, Fred," I said. My head felt as if it was about to explode. "I can't deal with you right now. Just leave me alone."

He glared. "Fine. It's not like I give a damn."

I left after he did, making sure he didn't see me leave the hall. Then I doubled back, knowing that Snape had followed me. I made it up to the common room without being questioned by my uncle, but there was no trace of Hermione. I decided to go to bed, trying to sleep off the headache, but when the morning sun woke me up, my head hurt just as much. Probably worse.

I went down to the common room to see Hermione sitting on the couch.

"Bad news," I said.

"Do you already know what I'm going to say?" she asked.

"My head hurts to much to think, otherwise I think I probably would." I winced, sitting down next to her. "What is it?"

She frowned, staring at the text. "Well, when any magical power is bound, if it's released, it goes a bit out of control."

"Right." Snape had warned me about this with my magic. Of course, no one talked about the seer stuff.

"The same thing his happening to you right now with your visions. All of the pent up energy is creating a heightened sensitivity to your, your—"

"My inner eye?"

She raised an eyebrow.

I shrugged. "That's what Trelawney likes to call it. Her word. Not mine."

Hermione continued. "The difference between this and normal magic is that one is happening entirely in your mind. It says here that usually seers are weaned off of potion, the amount declining until they can control their visions. The way you've done it, your body is almost in withdrawal."

"Don't tell me something dramatic is about to happen," I said, clutching my head.

She frowned. "If you let these arbitrary visions continue, your power will overwhelm your system, rendering your mind otherwise incapable of thought. Think along the lines of the first Oracle at Delphi."

"Refresh my memory?"

"Muggle history just mentions the fortunes the oracle gave, inspiring leaders and prominent figures in ancient Greece. Wizarding history focuses more on the raving lunacy and early death of the oracle. The first one, at least. That's why the tradition of binding seers' powers came about."

I grimaced. "Great. So death is in my future. How do I get rid of this headache?"

"Do you have more binding potion?"

I nodded.

"Take whatever Snape told you to take for about a week. We'll talk then."

Hermione shut the book and I went up to my dorm. I took out the potion, measuring out the allotted dosage. Part of me felt like I was giving up, surrendering, but the rest of me was in too much pain to care.

But just as I put the spoon to my lips, a wave of nausea came over me, and the room fell away, replaced by a lush green countryside. I knew I was somewhere in Scotland, and I was consumed by fear.

As I stood on train tracks, I could smell something burning. I turned around to see towers of smoke rising up into the sky, and I could hear the crackling of flames. I ran towards the stone bridge as the ground gave way to a vast valley. There was a hole, and when I looked down, I saw the remnants of a bright red train. The Dark Mark hung over the sky. As horror overtook me, the image faded and I was back in my room.

I didn't even hesitate before changing out of my robes and into a pair of jeans. I had to save the train, and I knew I only had a few hours. Once I was ready, I grabbed my backpack and headed downstairs. I passed Hermione on my way out.

"Did you take the potion?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Where are you going?"

"I had a vision right before I took the potion. I'll explain later."

She followed me out of the portrait. "Kat, are you leaving the castle?"

"Yes."

"I don't think this is a good idea!"

"I know."

"Do you have a plan?"

"No."

She grabbed my arm. "Don't go!"

I stopped, facing her. "I have the chance to save over a hundred lives. You would jump at that too."

"Not without a plan."

"I don't have time for a plan. I'll figure it out."

She sighed, glancing back to the common room. Then she nodded. "Fine. Go. But just, just try to be careful."

OOO

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