I would love to be able to thank people for reviewing, but sadly I am unable to do that. hint. hint.
Nothing has changed in the last week. I have not miraculously acquired Harry Potter so any character you recognize is not mine. I only own Ursula, Elyse, Ben, Annabelle, and any other extremely minor character I may add in the future.
The next morning, Elyse was sitting with Ursula at breakfast. The other girl was grumbling into her oatmeal about stupid early classes while Elyse nervously checked her time table for the eighth time in the last ten minutes. Ursula had not mentioned her outburst last night and Elyse was not planning on bringing it up anytime soon.
"Do yeh know 'here teh Charms room is?" Elyse asked hesitantly.
Ursula was about to answer when Elyse felt the familiar feeling of falling through time.
"Ben! Slow down!" Ursula shouted down the hallway.
The red-headed boy turned around and smiled and waited for her to catch up with him. Just behind her, the others that had shared a compartment on the train.
"Why the hell do you walk so fast?" Sirius asked as he practically jogged to catch to his sister.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders when he got close enough and all seven made their way down the hallway.
"Are you listening to me?"
She heard Ursula ask her. She blinked a couple of times and refocused on her.
"Sorry 'boot 'hat. Just a short vision."
Ursula nodded absent mindedly and then started when she comprehended what she said.
"WHAT!"
Half the Great Hall turned to stare at her. Ursula didn't even notice as she grabbed Elyse by the arm and pulled her into a nearby hallway that was deserted.
"What do you mean 'vision'? Can you see things?"
Elyse nodded and started to get worried, "Yeah can't witches 'n wizards do 'hat?"
"No! Being a seer is a really rare thing! Especially since your muggleborn; most seers inherit their ability. Plus, most can only say things and then they completely forget what they said. That fact that you saw something and remembered it...that's wicked."
"Are yeh sure?"
Ursula nodded happily and asked happily, "What did you see?"
Elyse smiled, happy that her friend wasn't freaking out about her odd gift. She had just opened her mouth when suddenly; a third person entered their conversation,
"I would think not, Miss Black. Miss O'Brian, would you please come with me," McGonagall gave her a look before entering her office. The door was left open for Elyse to follow.
"Am I 'n trouble?" Elyse whispered, panicked.
Ursula shook her head, "The Ministry of Magic has a lot of regulations for seers. She probably overheard us talking about it. Don't worry about it."
She gave her a reassuring smile and after promising to save her a seat in charms, she left Elyse on her own. Elyse took a shaky breath before entering her head of house's office.
McGonagall was sitting behind her desk with a stern look on her face. When she saw how terrified the girl looked and her face softened.
"Don't be worried. I happened to be walking to my classroom when I heard you and Miss Black talking. You said that you had a vision earlier this morning involving your friend," she prompted.
Elyse nodded nervously, "I swear teh only 'hing I saw were Ursula after she made up wit her brother 'nd Ben White."
"Have you had other visions like this before?"
"I've had 'em me whole life. Sometimes I kin control 'em. Oter times I 'hey just come unexpectedly."
McGonagall simply raised an eyebrow, "I will be honest with you and express my doubt in the art of Deviations. That branch of magic has very little basis and is very easy to fake. But, seeing that you are muggleborn and from what I gather, you truly do have these visions, then we will set up a meeting with Professor Dumbledore this week. There are strict rules involving seers."
"Like woot?" Elyse asked.
"I will not pretend to know all the rules, I try to stay away from this stuff. But, now that you have the gift, I caution you to not tell people of your ability—dark wizards would do anything to have a girl like you on their side. In addition, do not tell anyone about a vision that affects them. I suggest writing all visions in a journal."
"'here kin I get me a journal?" Elyse asked. "I don't got one."
She nodded and absent mindedly looked at the vast bookshelves. McGonagall got up and grabbed one towards the bottom the farthest right shelf. She tapped her wand against it and handed the plain brown, leather bound book to the eleven year old.
"This book will never run out of pages. I will also write you a pass to charms" She handed Elyse a small slip of paper.
"Thank yeh. Umm, professor?" Elyse asked hesitantly when she was about to walk out of the room.
"What?"
"Where is teh charms room?"
Five minutes later, Elyse showed up to charms with help from McGonagall. She quickly gave the teacher the pass and practically ran to the empty seat next to Ursula.
"So...?" Ursula asked her in an excited whisper.
"I've got teh meet wit Professor Dumbledore 'his week."
Ursula smiled crookedly, "Wicked."
The rest of the week went by slowly. By Friday morning, Elyse had not been called down to the headmaster's office. She had had two more small visions, but they were just of some animals in the woods
But there was drama in Gryffindor Tower. The older students had heard about the exchange of words between Ursula and Annabelle. Bets were being placed on how it would end. They weren't betting on who would hex who first. No, they were betting on what hex Annabelle would use on the 'stupid first year' that decided she wasn't going to follow tradition.
Ursula remained unbothered by all the looks she was getting. She enjoyed her classes and spent a lot of time with Elyse and Remus and occasionally with Alice and Lily.
That changed on Saturday morning. Lily and Elyse were sitting with Ursula towards the end of the table. Remus, who normally sat with them, was sitting with the boys. The owls flew in and Ursula smirked when she saw her mother's owl, Diablo, fly into the Great Hall. She had been waiting for the Howler her mother would send her.
"You're about to hear my lovely mother," she said with a smile. The two red-headed muggleborns looked confused.
But Diablo flew over her head. Ursula looked confused and tried to see if it was heading towards Bellatrix. Her mother was her godmother after all. To her great distain, the owl landed in front of her brother.
"HOW DARE YOU, YOU INSOLENT BRAT! YOUR FATHER AND I RAISED YOU TO BE A RESPECTABLE PUREBLOOD AND YOU GET SORTED INTO BLOODY GRYFFINDOR! YOU HAVE BROUGHT SHAME TO THIS FAMILY, SIRIUS ORION BLACK AND YOU WILL GET WHAT YOU ARE ASKING FOR!"
The letter burst into flames. Ursula watched, pained, as her brother milked all the Gryffindors's sympathy. He was smiling and laughing at the letter as James patted him on the back for standing up to his mother.
"She didn't even say my name," Ursula whispered horrified. Even when she rebelled, she was ignored.
Ursula jumped up from the table and ran from the Great Hall, shocking herself when she felt tears well up in her eyes. She didn't care about her mother before this so why was she crying? She knocked into someone and didn't even stop to apologize. When she heard the bitter laughter of her cousin, she just ran faster.
Not knowing where she had gone, she found herself outside the library. Ursula ran in, disturbing only a few Ravenclaws that had decided to skip breakfast. She ran to the most isolated part of the library ignoring the librarian's shouts at her and collapsed into a chair and cried.
She cried for the fact that even though she was the oldest Black since she was a girl; she would never amount to anything in her parents' eyes. The only thing they cared about was her bloody brothers. It wasn't fair. She tried to be like them when she was younger and when that didn't even get her one word of praise, she rebelled. Then it seemed like her parents gave up on her. Never a disapproving glance, just blank looks, like she didn't matter. Eventually her eyes started to droop and she fell asleep in the plush chair.
When she opened her eyes again, the library was darker. Realizing that she had slept much later than she thought, Ursula jumped from her seat and shook the sleep from her bones. She had promised to spend the day with Lily.
She wiped her eyes as she walked towards Gryffindor tower, trying to erase all signs of her tears. It didn't matter that she didn't like her family; she was a Black and Blacks didn't cry.
"Aww, look at ickle Ursula. Interesting howler this morning cousin," Bellatrix taunted her.
Ursula slowed her walking, "What do you want Bella?"
Bella was practically skipping with twisted glee, "Nothing Sulie," she sneered. "Just want to see how you're holding up after mummy forgot all about you."
"Shut up Trixy,"
A wand was instantly at her throat.
"Don't waste your energy Bella. She's not worth it." Lucius Malfoy drawled from behind. His arm was wrapped around Ursula's other cousin Narcissa.
"My little cousin has shamed this family one too many times. My dear Auntie Walburga didn't feel the need to address that in her letter this morning."
Ursula saw a flash of light come out of Bellatrix's wand and the next thing she knew she was flying through the air. Her back hit the wall painfully and she fell to a crumpled heap on the floor.
"I would say hex someone with your ability, but then you would just hex me again," Ursula gasped in pain.
Bella shouted something that she didn't recognize. It felt like the worst headache she's ever had times a million. She screamed in pain and grabbed the sides of her head, praying that someone would come to help her.
"What? Is the pain too much for little Sulie?"
"Shut up bitch," Ursula shouted out once she was released from the curse.
Bella got a crazed look in her eye, "You call me a bitch? Better than Blood Traitor! Remember cousin, you could redeem yourself." Bella whispered as she knelt over the eleven year old.
"What do you mean?" Ursula asked.
Narcissa spoke up, "Bella, don't waste your time. She'll never agree-"
"Hush sister. She's a Black—she'll see reason," She said before she turned around. "We could make use of a Gryffindor. Gryffindors trust to easily—especially each other. They would never suspect you."
Ursula stared up at her in shock, "You want me to spy on Gryffindor?" She asked incredulously.
Lucius laughed, "I told you she wouldn't agree. She's too weak."
"Shut up Lucius! Let's see what she says."
All eyes turned towards her prone state on the ground.
"I will never, ever, betray my house. I'm not a lousy snake!"
Bella's nostrils flamed in anger. She shouted the same spell as before but this time her legs felt like they on fire.
"EXPELIARMUS!" A voice shouted from down the hallway.
The pain was instantly gone and Ursula practically passed out in relief. Bright lights passed over her head. Ursula could see the vague outlines of what looked like four guys and a girl dueling with the Slytherins. The female bent over her once the fight had moved farther down the hallway. Ursula instantly recognized her.
"You okay, Black?"
"Just dandy, White," Ursula groaned as she tried to sit up.
"Take it easy kid." Another voice came from behind the older girl.
Ursula looked around and saw the Prewitt Twins, Frank Longbottom, and Benjy Fennick walking back from the edge of the hallway. Their wands were still clenched in their hands.
There was unexpectedly a loud bang from much farther down the hallway and faint shouts of spells being exchanged.
The guys looked at each other and Annabelle.
"Go ahead. I'll make sure she's okay."
One of the twins leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before he smirked at the others, "Let's go snake hunting!"
The other twin laughed and high fived his brother. Longbottom rolled his eyes but he looked excited. Fennick looked apprehensive. Prewitt clapped him on the shoulder, "Lighten up, our little Hufflepuff friend. Release your inner Gryffindor!"
"If I had some I wouldn't be in Hufflepuff." He muttered but followed the other three.
Once the boys were gone the two girls just looked at each other. Annabelle spoke first,
"Come on, Black. Can you stand?"
Ursula nodded and started to pull herself up but then her legs gave out. Annabelle rolled her eyes but helped the first year stand up. Slowly, they made their way down the hallway in silence.
"We heard what you said.
Ursula froze when Annabelle uttered those words.
"Bellatrix isn't the quietest person in the school. We were ready to hex her to kingdom come along with her sister and Malfoy. But we decided to listen."
"So am I still like my family?"
There was a pause.
"No. No you're not."
Neither girl said another word the rest of the trip to the infirmary. That is, until Ben and the rest of the boys showed up.